Alertness from daily coffee is shown to be an illusion

New research published last week in Neuropsychopharmacology shows that frequent coffee or tea drinkers who reach for their morning brew in order to stimulate themselves are merely reversing the fatigue caused by acute caffeine withdrawal. In tests on 379 individuals at the University of Bristol, Peter Rogers found that ‘…we don’t gain an advantage from consuming […]

Body fat linked to Alzheimer’s

A study published last week in Annals of Neurology  has suggested that people with fat stomachs could be at greater risk of developing dementia. The research, carried out by the University School of Medicine in Boston, demonstrated that levels of visceral fat that surround the organs are associated with smaller total brain volume. Dr Susanne Sorensen, head […]

Kebab Houses and Burger Bars serve unhealthy snacks to school children

New research has found that many takeaway meals sold near London schools contain much higher levels of salt and saturated fat compared to outlets such as McDonalds and Burger King. Many children are leaving school to buy these burgers, kebabs, pies and chips for their lunch. The London Environmental Health Food Teams undertook the study on behalf […]

Processed meats increase the risk of heart disease

A review by the Harvard School of Public Health has found that people who eat one serving (50g) daily of processed meat such as bacon, ham, sausages or salami have a 42% higher risk of heart disease and a 19% higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Unprocessed red meats, such as beef, lamb or pork, […]

B vitamins may prevent heart disease and stroke

Research published this month in the journal Stroke has found that people who eat a diet high in B vitamins are less likely to die from cardiovascular disease. A study in Japan analysed dietary questionnaires completed by more than 23,000 men and women. During an average 14 years of follow-up, 986 of the respondents died from stroke, 424 died […]

Seaweed may reduce Obesity

Seaweed could be useful in the fight against obesity as it has been shown to reduce fat uptake by over 75%. In research published last week, scientists at Newcastle University discovered that alginate, found in sea kelp, stops the body from absorbing fat better then most anti-obesity treatments currently available over the counter. Dr Brownlee […]

Jamie’s school dinners shown to have improved academic results

The Guardian reports that Jamie Oliver’s healthy school dinners have significantly improved pupils’ test results and cut the number of days that they are off sick. Researchers looked at the performance of 11 year old pupils in English and science at schools in Greenwich, presenting their findings this week at the annual conference of the […]

Walnuts could prevent prostate cancer

American researchers yesterday announced the findings of a study which saw the growth of prostate tumours in mice reduced by 30-40% when the animals were fed walnuts every day. Researcher Paul Davis hopes that the nuts can have the same effects on tumours in men. The animals were fed the human equivalent of 2.4oz per […]

The two worst places to keep vitamins

A study published this month in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that the humidity and high temperatures commonly found in kitchens and bathrooms makes these unsuitable places to keep vitamin supplements. The potency of vitamins, particularly vitamin C and other water soluble vitamins, is rapidly degraded whenever the lid is opened and […]

Please do not return samples to the laboratories that may arrive after Wednesday 27th March and up to and including Monday 2nd April.

The laboratories are closed from the 28th March – 2nd April for the Easter Holiday.