Health Report

Dietary guidelines tell us what we should eat for good health, but at the moment it is possible to follow the guidelines and still eat predominantly ultraprocessed foods.  A new study has looked at the impact this has on your health, and compared it to a minimally processed diet chock full of whole foods.  Also, there are calls to change the criteria for diagnosing perimenopause. And the benefits...

If you reach for a no-sugar drink, thinking you're making a wise choice, you might need to think again.  A new study suggests artificially sweetened drinks carry a similar type 2 diabetes risk to sugar sweetened beverages.  Also, loneliness is a growing public health issue, especially among younger people. What can we do to address it? And gynaecological cancer survivors are flipping the script, t...

There are ways to rejuvenate old memories, but a new study has compared the process to the myth of Sisyphus, who was cursed to repeatedly roll a stone up a hill.  Also on the show, many doctors are already using artificial intelligence to help take notes. But are patients always aware these AI scribes are in the room? The emergence of vaping has slowed our progress when it comes to smoking cessati...

Just like human children, young bats have been found to harbour and spread lots of viruses.  Their susceptibility to contracting multiple viruses at once makes them the perfect breeding ground for new disease variants.  Also, we take a look at a study that seemed to show private hospital were better than public hospitals for childbirth. Is it that simple? And a survey of people with chronic condit...

Five risk factors explain 50 per cent of cardiovascular risk at age 50, according to a new study.  Addressing those risk factors can add years to your life, even if you address them in middle age.  Also, the UK demonstrates a cutting edge IVF technique is effective at avoiding mitchondrial disease.  ADHD treatment has real world positives, but the effects are lessening as more people get diagnosed...

The human exposome is the environmental equivalent of the human genome, and there's a project in the works to map it.  It's a huge project that needs to take into account our lifestyles, cultures, economics and politics. Essentially, everything but our genome.  Also, a concerning disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians when it comes to kidney transplants.  And a small risk come...

Immunotherapy uses the body's immune system to fight cancer. In blood cancer, a revolutionary t-cell therapy has cured patients and could show promise in solid tumours.  In bladder cancer, the tuberculosis vaccine is infused to treat non-invasive cancer. However a shortage of BCG means researchers are having to test out other methods.  Also, is Australia on the front foot when it comes to type 2 d...

In the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence, it can sometimes feel like the answer to everything is right around the corner.  A dog owner is testing this with the help of super-computing, to try and find another treatment for his dog's cancer.  Also, the national lung cancer screening program is about to begin. Who is eligible, and is the healthcare system prepared? And with syphilis cases...

Hyenas and vultures play a role in driving down the risk of disease outbreaks, but their decline due to human behaviour is putting our health in danger. Also, we discuss Lifeblood's changes which bring down some of the barriers facing gay and bisexual men, and transgender women, who'd like to donate blood or plasma.  Pain education could help people with osteoarthritis get the most out of exercise...

There are concerns people are getting their hands on medicinal cannabis to treat conditions where there's very little evidence of benefit — and the possibility of harm.  Also, why weight loss drugs could improve treatment for people with schizophrenia. The full breadth of corporate ownership of radiology clinics is revealed.  And what questions need to be asked with IVF in the spotlight, as Monash...

A structured exercise program has increased survival in people with colon cancer after they've undergone surgery and chemotherapy.  Also, a common genetic variant could double the risk of dementia in men — if they receive two doses of the mutation.  We provide an update on the flu, COVID and RSV circulating the community. And a study bringing together millions of lab tests has found is take a lot...

Our cognitive ability changes throughout our lives, but what happens when we're young can determine our intelligence in adulthood — especially if we don't do anything to bolster it.   Also, NSW follows other states in allowing GPs and diagnose and treat ADHD. There are updated guidelines for the treatment of osteoporosis.  And when you go into remission from cancer, you usually undergo regular tes...

If you've come across ads of Norman pushing a product for you to buy — no you haven't.  These ads are actually deepfake scams using an AI Norman to sell unproven supplements.  Also, why a new Alzheimer's drug coming onto the market might not become cheap enough for most people to take.  A breakthrough in gene-editing could push us closer to a future full of CRISPR treatments. And why eight hours a...

Gut health is more complicated than social media influencers might have you believe.  It can be impacted by diet, exercise, the medications you take, the colds you catch. And any one of these factors can lead to irritable bowel syndrome.  Also, an overlooked allergy that starts with a tick bite. And the barriers people face who are suffering iron deficiency and its often overwhelming symptoms. 

It's a common sleep disorder that can have knock-on effects on your cardiovascular and overall metabolic health.  But sleep apnea doesn't always present how people think, especially in women.  Also, we take a look at Labor's health promises as they start their second term in government.  New guidelines have been developed to improve care in early pregnancy loss.  And one in seven Australians is on...

The immune system seems to respond faster, and better, when you get a booster vaccine in the same arm as your initial vaccine.  Also, your GP might miss something going wrong with your liver because of the way pathology labs report blood test results.  And a common type 2 diabetes drug, metformin, could be used to treat knee osteoarthritis — and delay knee replacements. 

When you can't make medical decisions for yourself, it's often the responsibility of a loved one, or sometimes a doctor who doesn't know you at all.  Some researchers are suggesting artificial intelligence could be trained to know your wishes and be another voice in the room when making decisions.  Also, it can take up to 95 per cent vaccine coverage to protect against measles outbreaks. How's Aus...

In Australia, we've already seen more cases of measles this year than we saw during the whole of 2024.  It's believed misinformation is to blame, leading to vaccine hesitancy and exposing the community to a highly infectious virus.  Also, we take a look at draft guidelines for prostate cancer. Why a 'minor' stroke isn't very minor. And new evidence looking into the metabolic effects of the COVID-1...

Australia has been at the forefront of research into how what we eat affects our mental health.  What do we know so far, and what are some small changes you can make to see improvements? Also, the doctors strike in NSW continues a much-needed conversation about conditions in the public health system.  And hoping to find out your risk of heart attack and stroke? This is where to start. 

Quitting smoking can be tough, and for many women who've fallen pregnant their only option has been to go cold turkey.  Researchers are trying to figure out whether medications to help are safe for mum and bub.  Also, a condition that causes breathlessness that's often mistaken for asthma. These are the symptoms of vocal cord dysfunction.  And a study suggests we've been majorly underestimating th...

A study of people with neurodegenerative disease has discovered that bursts of creativity can happen when the brain is shutting down.  Also, there's a lot of misinformation out there about back pain and how to treat it. Here's where the evidence isn't.  And the questions women should ask before undergoing vaginal surgery if their sexual function is important to them.

A new resource has launched to provide information to the millions of Australians living with osteoarthritis.  It pushes back against the idea that an injection or surgery will fix all your woes when it comes to this degenerative disease.  Also, what climate change is doing to our hearts, and how a simple check in at school is helping students manage their mental health. 

What used to be called hypochondria is now health anxiety — an excessive worry about developing a serious illness.  While experiences of health anxiety vary, for some people it can take over their lives and even lead to physical symptoms.  Also, a link between conditions like endometriosis and heart disease.  And local scientists help make a big discovery about how cells recycle waste.

When you have dementia, being diagnosed early can help you and your loved ones manage the condition. It could also aid in treatment. A new study has found that in some cases, weight loss and lipid changes happened up to a decade before dementia was diagnosed. Also, concerns that people of a higher weight with restrictive eating disorders could access GLP-1s if doctors aren’t screening patients app...

On social media, an influencer's job is to influence you — to get you to strive for a particular lifestyle or buy a specific product.  In some cases they're pushing medical tests, telling people to take charge of their health with full body MRI scans and cancer detection tools that have very little, or no evidence to support them. Also, we take a comprehensive look at GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegov...