A weekly round-up of news affecting your health.
JUST DRINK WATER
Milk and oral rehydration solutions are the worst beverages to drink before a marathon if you want to avoid a toilet break.
Scientist at Loughborough University in the UK tested a dozen different drinks on a group of male athletes over a month.
They measured how much the athletes urinated after consuming the drinks compared with after they consumed water.
They found full-fat milk, skim milk and rehydration solutions created the most urine.
Cola, tea, coffee, lager, orange juice, sparkling water and sports drinks produced about the same amount of urine as that from water.
CALLING COUNTRY MUMS
Pregnant women in country Australia whose family members have type 1 diabetes are being sought for a national study.
The research, led by the University of Adelaide's Robinson Research Institute and the Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, aims to figure out why cases of type 1 diabetes have doubled in the past 20 years.
It will be the first time the study has ventured into regional and rural areas, and researchers are looking for pregnant women and babies under six months.
"We believe the environment a child is exposed to in early life holds the key to understanding type 1 diabetes," Professor Jenny Couper said.
"Involving families from country areas right across Australia is critically important to our findings because we know there are many differences between regional and urban environments."
Phone (08) 8161 8655 or visit endia.org.au.
GENETIC KEY TO MS TREATMENT
Australian researchers have identified the genetic key to how vitamin D counters multiple sclerosis.
The breakthrough paves the way for improved treatment to manage the disease, which affects the central nervous system.
Researchers at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research showed how immune cells are controlled by vitamin D, opening the possibility of a new therapy for MS.
While the medical world has long known vitamin D deficiency is linked to autoimmune diseases, it was unknown how to benefit from the association.
"We now have the key to help develop more targeted treatments to help people with this devastating disease," lead researcher Professor David Booth said.
While there have been many advances in treatment, MS has no cure, which affects more than 23,000 Australians.
THE GOOD OIL
Olive oil has long been touted for its health benefits, and it may even help prevent obesity.
Scientists at the University of Wollongong have found that a drug derived from a chemical found in olive oil, garlic and java apples appears to prevent the condition in mice.
Two groups of mice were fed a high-fat diet and low-fat diet for 21 weeks, with some on the richer diet also receiving the drug bardoxolone methyl.
The mice on the fattier diet that had not taken the drug ended up weighing almost twice as much as those that had, and those mice weighed about the same as the low-fat feeders.
The discovery, which has been published in medical journals including Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, could lead to new treatments for pre-diabetes patients and counter the effects of anti-psychotic medication, which is known to cause weight gain.
POST-NATAL HELP
The new Chums for Mums campaign aims to give a helping hand to mothers suffering post-natal depression.
Launched by Take 5 magazine in April, it sets out to highlight the isolation and stress faced by new mothers suffering depression, and bring women together to share their stories and experiences on social media.
Mothers can join the Chums for Mums Facebook group on the Take 5 website.
