Many women needlessly take cholesterol-lowering drugs More than half of middle-aged women who take cholesterol-lowering medicines called 'statins' have neither cardiovascular disease or diabetes, shows new research.
Children more likely to survive cancer if parents live together A new study has found a correlation between family form and the survival chances of a child cancer patient.
New hypothesis: gut bacteria can make you fat Scientists have a new hypothesis to explain how obese people store more fat, which might lead to better treatments for obesity related conditions.
Weight loss does not prolong the lives of diabetes patients New study shows that the prescribed weight loss has no effect on cardiovascular disease and mortality among patients with type-2 diabetes.
One in three mentally ill patients with diabetes can be saved Individualised treatment plans for patients suffering from both type-2 diabetes and mental illness could reduce their mortality by 33 per cent.
Obese people more susceptible to infection Obese people are more likely to suffer from throat or lung infections, shows new research.
Antibiotics are effective at treating asthma Antibiotics reduced the number of sick days caused by asthma attacks in young children by more than 50 per cent, shows new study.
New part of the immune system discovered Scientists have discovered a part of the immune system that could protect against all respiratory infections and sexually transmitted diseases.
Crohn's, eczema, and psoriasis have the same genetic cause Diseases like Crohn's, psoriasis, and eczema are all caused by defects in the same genes, reveals new study.
Study: Alcohol does not have any health benefits Large study casts doubt on the health benefits of alcohol. It might be necessary to cut alcohol completely to lower risk of heart disease.
The Black Death has been hiding among us for thousands of years Fossil DNA reveals that the plague is much older than previously suspected. The discovery could shed new light on the evolution of a deadly disease.
Malaria protein targets and kills cancer cells New cancer treatment shows promising results in mice and scientists hope to repeat this success in human trials.
Research project will search for links between childhood and mental illnesses A long-running European health study has the go-ahead to continue ground-breaking research into mental disorders and obesity.
Europe needs to put folic acid in food products: scientists Folic acid deficiency in European women costs billions and leads to thousands of birth defects.
Telomeres do not determine your mortality but they protect against cancer Researchers have found that short telomeres do not lead to increased mortality. Surprisingly, they reduce the risk of dying from cancer.
Danish scientists about to begin first ever stem cell trials on humans Scientists from Denmark will be the first in the world to experiment with artificially grown brain cells.
Pollen may increase suicide rates Scientists have established a correlation between pollen count in the air and suicide rates in Denmark.
Cancer cells on a mission to the ISS As part of an international project, a Danish professor will soon be sending a batch of thyroid cancer cells out into space. The aim is to figure out why the absence of gravity inhibits the growth of thyroid cancer cells, and to examine the cells’ ability to produce and secrete proteins that can open up new possibilities for cancer treatment.
Hard squeeze of the arm may help stroke victims New study suggests that patients with acute ischemic stroke might benefit from the hard squeeze of the arm from a blood pressure cuff. Why this helps is anyone’s guess.
Computer model to detect prevalent diseases New research aims to make it possible to assess people’s genetic risk for a variety of widespread diseases using a computer model.
HIV epidemic in Greenland mapped in great detail HIV has been introduced in Greenland at least 25 times, according to new study, which reveals how an HIV epidemic breaks out and spreads in a society. The findings may help prevent future epidemics.
Saturated fat increases diabetes risk Saturated fat increases the risk of type 2 diabetes much more than unsaturated fat does, new study confirms. But which type of saturated fat is the worst?
Music can relieve chronic pain Scientists have found that music can help reduce chronic pain. Previous studies in this field have only focused on acute pain.
Blood poisoning doubles risk of heart attack and stroke Patients with blood poisoning from pneumonia and urinary tract infection have a higher risk of heart attack and stroke than other hospitalised patients.
Mutant gene protects against type 2 diabetes Scientists have identified genetic mutations that lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 65 percent. Pharmaceutical companies are already looking for ways to develop a drug based on the new discovery.
Workplace noise does not make you sick The largest ever study of occupational noise surprises by failing to establish a correlation between noise and cardiovascular disease. This contradicts previous findings, which show that noise increases the risk of high blood pressure, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.
Nose filter keeps out pollen Good news for people with pollen allergy: a new nose filter, which can trap pollen particles before they reach the nasal mucosa, can significantly reduce hay fever symptoms.
Intensive schizophrenia treatment shows great promise A new study has looked into the effect of intensive treatment programmes for young people with schizophrenia. The results show that we should stick with the intensive treatment.
3D-scans may help curb widespread fish disease The bacterium that causes enteric redmouth disease can now be tracked with a special 3D scanner. “The scans exceed our wildest dreams,” say researchers.
Mega magnet to boost brain scans A new magnet with a magnetic field 140,000 times that of the Earth’s is currently being installed in a Danish hospital. It will be used to scan brain activity and will give scientists new insight into diseases such as schizophrenia, Parkinson’s, MS and epilepsy.
How dietary fibres fight obesity and diabetes Scientists have found an explanation to why dietary fibres keep us healthy. The discovery may lead to new treatments of metabolic diseases.
MMR vaccine also effective against diarrhoea and otitis If more children in high-income countries were vaccinated against measles early enough, it would dramatically reduce the number of child hospitalisations due to common infectious diseases.
HPV vaccine effective for Danish women The HPV vaccine against cervical cancer was introduced in Denmark in 2006. New research shows that it is already working as it should and has significantly reduced the risk of cervical precursor lesions.
Tartar from ancient monks reveals serious diseases Tartar in the mouths of 1,000-year-old monk skulls are a storehouse of information about past, and possibly also present-day, diseases. Analyses of the tartar indicate that humans were resistant to antibiotics 1,000 years ago.
Colonoscopies should be less painful A new type of software that measures the doctor’s pace and caution during a colonoscopy is currently being tested in several Danish hospitals. Researchers hope this will make future colonoscopies less stressful for patients.
Vitamin D-fortified food helps us through dark winters Milk and bread fortified with vitamin D increases vitamin D levels in an average Danish family. This may help the ten percent of Danes who suffer from vitamin D deficiency in winter, say researchers.
Untested chemicals damage children’s brains The number of industrial chemicals with a proven neurotoxicity effect on children’s brains has doubled since 2006. Meanwhile, the number of children with developmental disorders such as autism and ADHD is on a rise. Scientists are raising the alarm.
Schizophrenics more likely to get autoimmune diseases Schizophrenic people have a greater risk of developing diseases such as psoriasis, diabetes and MS than the general population. Infections appear to play a central role in the explanation, new study suggests.
A new angle on cognitive failures The ability to pay attention to our surroundings is associated with the levels of the GABA neurotransmitter in the visual parts of the brain, new study reveals.
Adults tested for ADHD symptoms in huge study In the largest ever study of ADHD symptoms in adults, 85,000 blood donors will help scientists figure out if the disorder is hereditary.
Stressed foetal cells harbour hope for cancer treatment The body’s cells have a mechanism that helps them attain perfect cell division. Cancer cells also use these mechanisms, but scientists are now trying to prevent them from doing so.
Four new type 2 diabetes risk variants identified Scientists have discovered four previously unreported genetic variants affecting the risk of type 2 diabetes. One of them lowers the risk of developing the disease.
Nordic diet lowers cholesterol – even without weight loss A healthy Nordic diet lowers the bad cholesterol even for those who do not lose weight.
Bedroom air filtration improves elderly health Tiny particles can affect the heart and lungs of elderly people. A new project shows that installing an air particle filter in the bedroom can improve health in polluted homes.
Doping hormone helps depressed remember better The blood-doping hormone EPO can enhance the memory of depressed people. Combined with therapy it could ease depressed people’s way out of the mental illness, suggests scientist.
New diabetes treatment can save the heart New anti-diabetic drugs may help save heart cells and prevent heart failure following a heart attack.
New type of tuberculosis vaccine developed Danish scientists have developed a new vaccine against tuberculosis. The vaccine was created in an entirely new way and may potentially save millions of lives, say the researchers.
Can we avoid animal testing entirely? Scientists are working flat out to find alternatives to animal testing. QSAR computer models are looking promising.
Danish researcher wins ‘mini-Nobel Prize’ A Danish researcher has won a ’mini-Nobel Prize’ for catapulting the medical condition ‘water on the brain’ from oblivion into the spotlight.
Secret mission of microscopic drones revealed Vaccinations of cattle and sheep against insect-borne diseases cost society millions each year. Danish researcher sheds new light on how the little bloodsucking creatures spread disease.
Report: The pros and cons of coffee Coffee lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, depression, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s – and the list goes on. There are, however, cases where coffee isn’t very good for us.
Cannabis can kill cancer cells and curb MS We are generally advised against self-medicating with cannabis. However, research shows that cannabis can actually relieve pains and nausea, fight cramps and even kill cancer cells.
Colon cancer screenings turn away from faeces Scientists seek to provide better colon cancer screenings by analysing blood samples instead of faeces.
Head injury can cause mental illness If you suffer a head trauma, your risk of developing certain mental disorders increases significantly – in some cases by more than 400 percent, new study reveals.
Swimming pool hall air can trigger asthma in elite swimmers Although professional swimmers lead healthier lives than the average population, they have almost twice the prevalence of asthma symptoms. The air in indoor swimming pools may explain this paradox.
Sex accessory led to surprising skin discovery Lab mice covered in liquid latex from a sex shop have shown hitherto unseen communication between the skin and the liver. Researchers believe this discovery will be important for understanding how skin diseases affect the body’s organs.
Study explains why H1N1 flu can cause narcolepsy New study explains why many people were affected by narcolepsy during the swine flu epidemic in 2009. The discovery may lead to improved diagnoses and better treatment.
Tolerant bacteria make antibiotics fail New research project suggests that we need to rethink antibiotic treatment of infections. The bacteria are far better prepared for the doctors’ treatment than we think.
Smoking destroys our oral immune system Smokers produce fewer antibodies against oral bacteria. This increases the risk of infections, and researchers suspect a link to cancer.
With exercise, sometimes less is more Moderately overweight people do not lose more weight by exercising 60 minutes. Shorter exercise sessions make people more active throughout the day, says researcher.
Meal hosts awaken patients’ appetite A small research project has shown that hospital patients eat more and food waste is reduced when so-called patient meal hosts are used.
Danish students win prestigious Harvard award A team of Danish undergraduate students has won both the Audience Choice Award and the prize for the best presentation at Harvard University’s international bio-molecular design competition.
Antidepressants in pregnancy do not cause autism Contrary to recent research, a comprehensive new study shows that the use of antidepressants during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism in the child.
Prostate cancer risk starts in childhood Is it possible to predict whether a child will develop cancer in adulthood? It sounds unlikely, but a new study indicates that tall boys have a greater risk of developing prostate cancer when they grow up.
Beta blockers can kill during surgery Doctors should administer beta blockers to heart patients during surgery in a more nuanced way than previously believed. Incorrect use can have no effect and can in the worst case cost lives.
New asthma susceptibility gene identified Scientists have identified a gene that helps trigger asthma attacks in children. The gene has no effect on asthma in adults. The discovery thus confirms the hypothesis that ‘asthma’ covers a variety of diseases.
Another obesity myth debunked Cardiovascular disease is caused exclusively by overweight and obesity, major new study reveals.
Researchers find body’s HIV alarm For the first time, researchers describe how our immune system detects HIV. Boosting ‘alarm proteins’ could clear pathway for future treatments.
Low birth weight can increase hunger in adulthood Foetuses that receive insufficient nutrition risk ending up as adults who overeat without satisfying their hunger. This is due to a faulty central mechanism in their fat stem cells.
The boss, not the workload, causes workplace depression It is not a big workload that causes depression at work. An unfair boss and an unfair work environment are what really bring employees down, new study shows.
New report: Weight loss increases mortality Losing weight does not guarantee improved health in overweight people. On the contrary, a new Danish report shows that their mortality rates are increased by 15 percent if they lose weight.
Surviving ash trees help to address evolutionary riddle A pathogenic fungus is killing thousands of European ash trees every year. Danish researchers are now trying to uncover the genetics behind the unknown defence mechanism in ash trees. Not only to save the ash trees, but also to address an evolutionary mystery in trees.
New micro pills make swallowing easy New research project aims to make pills easier to swallow by encapsulating medicine in micro-containers. The containers can be used for all types of medicine – including those currently taken by injection.
Air pollution leads to smaller babies Pregnant women who are exposed to even the tiniest amounts of air pollution risk giving birth to babies with low birth weight.
What’s so great about wholegrain bread? Wholemeal bread has become generally accepted as the healthy alternative to bread made from refined white flour. A new study with pigs, bread-baking and fancy technology brings us closer to an answer to why this is so.
Overweight children more likely to get liver cancer Comprehensive new study finds a correlation between childhood body size during school ages and the risk of developing primary liver cancer as adults.
Increased risk of depression for cancer patients in alternative treatment Breast cancer patients who use alternative methods to recover from chemotherapy or surgery are more often depressed than those who do not receive alternative treatment.
Positive publication bias in cancer screening trials There are cases where major cancer screenings damage people’s health, but these cases are only rarely featured in the scientific evaluation of the screening programmes, according to a new literature review.
