Men and pregnancy
The risk of pre-eclampsia, a potentially fatal elevation of blood pressure in pregnancy, is just as likely to be inherited from fathers as it is from mothers. The findings, in the Journal Of Medical Genetics, add weight to the theory that an imbalance in detoxifying enzymes in the body increases an expectant mother's susceptibility to the condition. But the discovery of a genetic defect linked to the enzyme abnormality in fathers as well as mothers of women with a history of pre-eclampsia is new.
Not complementary
Reflexology produces no benefit when used to treat irritable bowel syndrome, according to researchers in Britain. Thirty-four patients with the condition were given six sessions of reflexology foot treatment or a non-therapeutic foot massage. Those who received reflexology reported no improvement in key symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhoea or tummy bloating. Despite its outcome, the study is a welcome addition to the limited body of research into the effectiveness of complementary therapies.
Medicine man
The trauma of medical mistakes, the effect of hospital waiting lists on those waiting for appointments with specialists and the question of whether private-healthcare subscribers get value for money. That's a sample of the topics to be discussed in The Truth About The Health Service, a 10-part series that begins today on RTÉ Radio 1, just after 8 p.m. Presented and produced by Richard Hannaford, a former BBC health correspondent, the first programme comes from the accident-and-emergency unit at Cork University Hospital.
Milk maids
Nutritionists at the National Dairy Council caution women against cutting back on milk consumption to help them lose weight following seasonal excesses. They dismiss the widespread belief that whole milk is fattening with evidence from a study of more than 400 Irish women. It found that women who drink up to two-thirds of a pint of milk a day weighed the same as those who limited their milk consumption to that added to two cups of tea or coffee.
Dr Anne-Marie Tully, senior nutritionist with the council, also highlights a recent Norwegian study of women and cancer that found those who drank the most milk had a 49 per cent lower risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer.
Compiled by Muiris Houston and Sylvia Thompson
lifelines@irish-times.ie