A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
POT BELLY RISK:People who develop even a small "pot belly" have a higher risk of heart disease, experts said yesterday. Researchers published more evidence to highlight the importance of trying to keep the middle-age spread under control.
A study found there was a noticeably higher risk of heart disease if the waist expanded by just a few inches, even though a person's overall weight may still be within the normal range.
The research, carried out at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre in Dallas, was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).
It reinforces a growing belief among some experts that the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is a more important factor in measuring heart disease risk than body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference alone.
UNHEALTHY FOODS AND CANCER:Almost half of Britons do not know about the link between poor diet and the risk of cancer, according to a new survey published last night. The poll, for the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), found that 46 per cent of people were unaware of the association between unhealthy foods and cancer.
The results come just days after new figures revealed a steep rise across the UK in cancers linked to lifestyle factors.
Cancer Research UK said there had been a marked increase in cancers related to alcohol, smoking, obesity and too much exposure to the sun.
Rates of melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, have risen by 43 per cent in the past decade, making it the fastest rising cancer in the UK. Cases of mouth, womb and kidney cancers have also shown rapid increases in the past 10 years. The figures, based on 1995-2004, showed mouth cancer was up by 23 per cent, womb cancer by 21 per cent and kidney cancer by 14 per cent.
ACCESS TO ALZHEIMER'S DRUGS:A British court has said the country's drug cost-effectiveness watchdog should review its policy on access to Alzheimer's medicines for some patients.
But the Alzheimer's Society charity group said the decision fell short of ensuring that everyone with the disease could have access to the drugs.
The ruling followed an appeal by drugmakers and the Alzheimer's Society against a decision by The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to restrict access to Alzheimer's drugs in the state health system.
"This is not satisfactory and the society is considering whether to pursue an appeal," said Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society.
HIV TESTING:Too many HIV-infected people are leaving sexual health clinics undiagnosed, a charity has warned. The National Aids Trust (NAT) called for an "opt out" scheme to be introduced for HIV testing in sexual health clinics across Britain.
At present, people undergoing sexual health screening are usually asked if they wish to have a test for HIV. But the NAT believes the test should automatically be incorporated into screening unless people opt out of it.
In November, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) published a report showing that about a third of people (20,100) in the UK with HIV remain unaware they have it.
LEFT WITH RISK:Women with early-stage cancer of the left breast who are treated with radiation as a component of breast-sparing treatment, have an increased risk of developing radiation-related coronary damage, researchers report.
Nevertheless, "the benefits of radiation therapy for breast cancer still clearly outweigh the risks", Dr Candace Correa said. "However, there may still be room for improvement in radiation techniques" when radiation is applied to the breast on the same side as the heart.
Dr Correa, at the University of Michigan, and colleagues examined the medical records of 961 breast cancer patients to look into this issue of radiation damage to the heart's arteries.
At the time they were diagnosed, women with left-sided and those with right-sided breast cancers had the same likelihood of developing coronary artery disease. The results showed that among those tested, 59 per cent in the left-sided group had abnormalities, significantly more than the 8 per cent in the right-sided group.