A round-up of today's other health stories in brief
STUDY SHOWS BENEFITS OF ANTI-CHOLESTEROL DRUG:People with a low risk of coronary heart disease could benefit from taking a lipid- lowering drug, new research presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology in New Orleans last weekend has shown.
The study of almost 1,000 patients in the US and Europe found that when those with moderate levels of bad cholesterol took 40mg of rosuvastatin a day, the development of plaques within their coronary arteries was stopped.
Commenting on the study, Dr Declan Sugrue, consultant cardiologist at the Mater Hospital, Dublin said: "By using rosuvastatin we can potentially slow or even stop disease progression in people with relatively modest atherosclerosis ."
WORK STRESS INCREASES WEIGHT:Being stressed out at work can make you fat, a new study suggests.
The more job strain men and women reported, the more likely they were to become obese, Dr Eric J Brunner of the Royal Free and University College London Medical School and colleagues found.
Higher stress levels were also tied to excess fat around the middle, which is particularly harmful for health.
To investigate, they followed 6,895 men and 3,413 women for 19 years. All were 35-55 years old at the study's outset. Participants reported levels of job strain, defined as having heavy demands, little decision-making power and little social support at several points during the study.
Men and women who reported job strain on at least three occasions were 73 per cent more likely to become obese than those who never said they were stressed on the job. They were also 61 per cent more likely to develop central obesity, defined as a waist circumference greater than 102cm (40 inches) for men or 88cm (35 inches) for women.
Those who reported job strain on one occasion were at 17 per cent increased risk of obesity and central obesity, while those who reported stress on two occasions were at 24 per cent increased risk of obesity and 41 per cent increased risk of central obesity.
FIRST SPINAL DISC TRANSPLANTS:Doctors in China have carried out the world's first spinal disc transplants on five patients.
The discs were placed in the necks of the patients, four men and one woman aged 41-56.
They were taken, with the consent of relatives, from the spines of three young female donors who had died suddenly as a result of trauma.
Five years after the surgery, the patients' neurological symptoms had improved. No adverse immune reactions were encountered. In four patients, the discs allowed a limited amount of movement.
PUBLIC SPEAKING FINAL:The final of Mental Health Ireland's national public speaking project for post-primary schools takes place in the Edmund Burke Theatre, Trinity College Dublin this Saturday at 7pm, to decide which school has the X-factor when it comes to articulating the issues facing people with mental health issues.
More than 200 schools entered this year's event which is now in its 26th year. Through to next Saturday's national finals are teams from Mount St Michael Secondary School, Rosscarbery, Co Cork; Abbey Community College, Wicklow Town; and St Louis Community School, Kiltimagh, Co Mayo.
CLAMPDOWN ON PRIVATE MEDICAL SCREENING:Government advisers in Britain are planning a clampdown on private medical screening over fears it puts pressure on the NHS and is under-regulated.
Patients can spend anything from £10 (€15) for a cholesterol test to thousands of pounds for a whole body scan, Pulse, the magazine for GPs, said. But the tests can cause patients anxiety and the NHS can be left paying for expensive follow-up care.
Sir Muir Gray, programme director of the National Screening Committee, told the magazine the whole industry would face close scrutiny and tough new regulations.
He said: "We are thinking of how we control private testing because it's an example of low-value activity which generates work for the health service, may cause harm and does not benefit the individual.
"I don't think we've got a proper system of regulation at all for the independent sector," he said.