The Department of Health has declared the first 12 months of the smoking ban a success. A recent survey has suggested that as many as 400,000 people have quit smoking as a result of the ban, saving as many as 40,000 lives in the next 10 years in the process.

If these figures are accurate then this truly justifies the introduction of the law (if any were needed), and will provide some welcome respite for the ever strained NHS.

Although the law has attracted controversy, it cannot be argued that’s its founding principles were sound. Afterall it was designed to protect the non-smoking population from second-hand smoke in public places and in that sense was probably long overdue. As long as it is legal it is a persons right to smoke but there is no reason why a non-smoker working in a bar or cafe should have to be exposed to a potential health hazar unnecessarily.

What has been an added bonus for the likes of the NHS is the fact that the law has encouraged existing smokers to quit in such large numbers, many of them using NHS driven initiatives. Maybe this is not that surprising bearing in mid the awful weather we have in this country – leaving your mates for a quick ciggy in a February blizzard probably starts to lose its appeal. Official figures show that the number of people who quit smoking using the NHS Stop Smoking services, which provides support such as nicotine patches, was up more than 20% compared with the same period the previous year.

It remains to be seen whether the success of the smoking ban will lead to it being extended further, but with the success it has seemingly had I certainly wouldn’t bet against it.

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If you snore a lot it could be more than just bad news for whoever is unlucky enough to have to share a bed with you. According to studies people who have been found to have sleep apnoea often also have Type 2 diabetes. So if you have found yourself stopping breathing during sleep and then snorting yourself awake, you may want to go get tested.

“There’s no question about the link” says Paul Zimmet of the International Diabetes Federation. The IDF estimates that a massive 40% of patients with sleep apnoea have diabetes. Like many symptoms this is also a two way street, with 23% of diabetic suffering from sleep apnoea.

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There may be some respite for hay fever sufferers according to the New Scientist. Seemingly a team of British Scientists have come up with a vaccine that can alleviate the symptoms of pollen allergy in just four weeks. Most hay fever vaccines have to be administered gradually over a long period of time due to the risk of extreme reaction. The new vaccine, however, has been specially adapted so that it won’t over-stimulate the immune system, allowing larger doses to be given immediately.

Don’t get your hopes up too much though as the improvements were steady rather than drastic. In a study of 1028 hay fever sufferers an average improvement in symptoms of 13% was recorded after 4 weeks, with a 27% increase noted in a few hundred sufferers who kept more complete records.

For people who have gone down this line of treatment there is no doubt that, if nothing else, the new vaccine will prove a lot more convenient than having injections over extended periods stretching years. But if you’re interested in allergy remedies then don’t forget we carry several alternative products, including AllergiClear Tablets.

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A study has revealed that people with depression are 34% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.  The researchers statistically accounted for factors including obesity, lack of physical activity and smoking, while  they also found that the more serious the symptoms, the higher the risk of diabetes.

The study, led by Dr. Sherita Hill Golden of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, tracked an ethnically diverse group of about 5,000 men and women between ages 45 to 84 for about three years.

These results suggest a much closer relationship to the two diseases than previously realised. It has long been known that diabetes can lead to depression but is only now coming to light that the chain of events can be reversed.

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Pharmaceutical companies Wyeth and Elan Corp have put out the results of a study on their Alzheimer’s drug known as bapineuzumab. The experimental Alzheimer’s drug was tested on patients in the study with mixed results, although there was good enough news to suggest that at least some sufferers could be helped.

In their study half were given the experimental drug for Alzheimer’s, a mental health disease with over 25 million sufferers around the world, while the other half were given a placebo.

In some of the patients, there was no benefit seen to taking the drug.  In others though, the study revealed that cognitive function improved drastically in patients.

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US researcher Dr Daniela Jakubowicz has recently claimed that people who eat a bigger breakfast are more likely to lose weight, whilst those that eat small will suffer from increased hunger cravings. The BBC reports that during the research of several months, obese women who ate half of their calorie allowance for breakfast were more successful in weight loss than those who ate a smaller amount.

Dr Jakubowicz reported that the big breakfasters said they felt less hungry, particularly in the mornings.

She said: “Most weight loss studies have determined that a very low carbohydrate diet is not a good method to reduce weight.

“It exacerbates the craving for carbohydrates and slows metabolism – as a result, after a short period of weight loss, there is a quick return to obesity.”

An extra twist was put on this by the British Nutrition Foundation, a spokes person of which backed this up suggesting that weight control was more effective in people who ate breakfast – especially as not having breakfast increases the likely-hood of unhealthy mid-morning snacks.

So there you have it folks – breakfast is GOOD! Which I must admit is quite a relief as, in my case, I’m usually starving the second I wake up

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First the good news – apparently a chemical derived from red wine could help to keep the heart young and healthy. The bad news is this does not work merely through drinking red wine unless … you drink gallons of the stuff – which obviously we don’t recommend. Do as we say not as we do

University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers found that resveratrol appeared to halt age-related changes in the function of heart genes. Seemingly this has the same effect as eating on a low-calorie diet.

However it seems that we have not yet**  found a way for humans to keep resveratrol in our systems withut the foresaid drinking load of wine so this will just have to be one for the future.

Of further interest you may want to check out our article on coronary heart disease.

** Actually since we wrote this blog post we have found a way – check out our Resveratrol Capsules supplement!

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