Interesting Facts

According to studies conducted at King’s College London, junk food kills bacteria that protect against obesity, heart disease,  cancer,  diabetes, inflammatory bowel conditions and autism. (The human gut contains around 3,500 difference microbial species, which together make up some three pounds in weight, but a limited range of highly processed foods, rather than those found in a balanced, healthy diet, can wipe out the number of stomach flora by more than a third. Other studies suggest that Belgian Beer, garlic, coffee, leeks and celery are ideal foods for promoting healthy gut flora. Mmm - beer.)

Coffee used to be blamed for stunting growth and causing all kinds of health problems, from heart disease to cancer. (Most modern studies find coffee consumption decreases mortality during a normal lifetime, and actually has many health benefits. However, for some people with a mutation of the CY1A2 gene, which retards the breakdown of caffeine in the body, there is a heart health risk, because the caffeine is metabolized more slowly, and the longer caffeine remains in the blood stream, the greater the potential for harm. Luckily one cup of coffee wasn't thought to be a problem, so I'll stick to my one a day policy, if I was told I had to give that up, I would have a heart attack.) Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/coffee-and-health/faq-20058339

According to figures obtained under Freedom of Information laws, up to 74 morbidly obese children are estimated to have been taken into care in the UK over the last five years. (Information released by councils showed that 183 under-11s weighed more than 16st. 21 of the fattest 100 children in England were in London, 16 were in the West Midlands and 14 in the South East, but the two heaviest primary school pupils in England – a boy of 23st 2lb and a girl of 22st 11lb – lived in the North West. Allowing children in your care to become obese is considered to be child neglect, because it puts them at risk of developing serious conditions in adulthood such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.)

According to research from Cancer Research and the Imperial College London, an estimated 463 children, some as young as 11, start smoking every day in England, 50 in Scotland, 30 in Wales and 19 in Northern Ireland. (That means around 600 children in the UK begin smoking every day. Between 2010 and 2011 there were 50,000 more child smokers than the previous the year, making a total of 207,000. It's so sad, because no matter what I say, it won't change.  Kids think it makes them look adult, but it just makes them smell bad.)

The only legal cannabis farm is in an understandably, undisclosed location somewhere in the South of England. (GW Pharmaceuticals is preparing to enlarge its clandestine marijuana plantation, because it wants to ramp up production of Sativex, its recently licensed cannabis-based drug for multiple sclerosis, which has potential in the treatment of pain in cancer patients too. Or you could just bake some nice "special" brownies.")

In the UK November is being rebranded as Movember. Men across Britain are growing moustaches in order to raise awareness, and funds for men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

According to researchers at Harvard Medical School, a diet high in red meat can shorten life expectancy. (Simply by adding an extra portion of unprocessed red meat to someone's daily diet would increase the risk of death by 13%, of fatal cardiovascular disease by 18% and of cancer mortality by 10%. The figures for processed meat were even higher at 20% for overall mortality, 21% for death from heart problems and 16% for cancer mortality. The researchers concluded that saturated fat from red meat may be behind the increased heart risk and the sodium used in processed meats may "increase cardiovascular disease risk through its effect on blood pressure".  So, you might want to reconsider what you're having for Sunday lunch today.  Nut cutlet anyone?)

Dame Elizabeth Taylor died of heart failure on 23rd March 2011. (She was definitely an interesting person, right from the start. She was born with scoliosis, or curvature of the spine, and suffered back problems all her life. She had both hips replaced and beat skin cancer,a brain tumour, diabetes, seizures and a stroke. She endured an estimated 70 illnesses and had 100 operations, 20 of them major surgery; she estimated she had almost died four times. She made 50 movies and won two Oscars. She got married eight times (twice to Richard Burton) and had ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She leaves a fortune of 360m, and a legacy of having raised Aids awareness around the world. The New York Times paid tribute to her by admitting that she had actually outlived the person who wrote her obituary by six years.  For whatever reasons, she will be remembered.)

Some chemotherapy drugs are made from yew tree clippings. (According to Debbie Coats, clinical information manager at Cancer Research UK, there are two common chemotherapy drugs developed from Yew trees: One of them, docetaxel (Taxotere), was first made from the needles of the European yew. The other, paclitaxel (Taxol) and was made from the bark of the Pacific yew.)

The Royal Marsden Hospital was founded in 1851. (It was the first hospital in the world to be dedicated to cancer.)

Tiny chemical differences in how our skin reacts to ultraviolet light could explain why redheads are more likely to suffer skin cancer. (Slap on that sunscreen!)