A weekly round-up of news affecting your health.
FEMALE SMOKERS AT GREATER RISK OF BRAIN BLEED
Bleeding inside the brain is significantly more common among smokers, especially female smokers.
A new study, published in the journal Stroke, has found among light smokers - 1 to 10 cigarettes a day - women were 2.3 times more likely to suffer a subarachnoid haemorrhage, while men who smoked comparable amounts were 1.9 times more likely.
If women smoked between 21 to 30 cigarettes a day they were more than eight times more likely to suffer a bleed.
This is significantly higher than men who smoked comparable amounts.
Study author Joni Valdemar Lindhohm says they've found strong evidence that smoking makes women very vulnerable to bleeding inside the brain.
"There is no safe level of smoking," added Lindholm. "Naturally the best option is never to start, quitting smoking, however, can reduce the risk of subarachnoid haemorrhage in both sexes."
EXERCISE AS GOOD AS SURGERY FOR AGED KNEES
Exercise is as effective as surgery for middle aged patients with knee damage, a study has found.
Researchers based in Denmark and Norway carried out a randomised controlled trial to compare exercise therapy with arthroscopic surgery in patients with meniscal tear - damage to the rubbery discs that cushion the knee joint.
After three months, no clinically relevant difference was found between the two groups for outcomes such as pain, function in sport and recreation, and knee related quality of life.
However, muscle strength had improved in the exercise group.
No serious adverse events occurred in either group during a two-year follow-up, according to the findings of the study published in journal The BMJ.
The authors say supervised exercise therapy should be considered as a treatment option for middle aged patients with this type of knee damage.
BOWEL CANCER PATIENTS MAY BENEFIT FROM A FISHY BOOST
People with bowel cancer may benefit from boosting dietary oily fish content, say researchers
The study of nearly 200,000 patients, published in journal Gut, found those who consumed at least 0.3g daily after their diagnosis had a 41 per cent lower risk of dying from their disease.
The researchers say that while this is an observation study which does not show cause and effect, if the findings can be reproduced in other studies, patients with bowel cancer might benefit from boosting their oily fish intake to help prolong their survival.
STEAM DOESN'T HELP CHRONIC SINUS
Steam inhalation does not improve symptoms of chronic sinus, according to a new trial published in Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Steam and nasal irrigation are widely recommended as an alternative treatment to antibiotics for chronic sinus problems.
Researchers in the UK studied more than 800 patients with chronic rhinosinuusitis, or sinus infection, to determine their effectiveness.
They found nasal irrigation resulted in improvement of the patients' condition at three and six months, while steam inhalation did not appear to alleviate symptoms of sinusitis.
JUICY NEWS ABOUT CRANBERRIES
The medicinal qualities of cranberries have been spoken of for years, and now a study has found compounds found in the small red berry helps to prevent bacterial infections.
According to research published in the journal Food & Function, cranberry phytochemicals blocked the critical first step of bacteria E.coli
The researchers say the results open a potential new area of focus for antibiotic drug development and are now looking into how cranberry juice affects antibiotic-resistant strains of urinary tract infections.
