September 30, 2008
On Monday, several national newspapers, including the Mail and the Express, reported that “just one glass of cherry juice a day can slow down the ageing process – and may even save your life”.
“A tumbler of 250ml of diluted juice,” we were told, “offers better protection against cancer, heart disease and stroke than more than 20 typical portions of fruit and vegetables,”
This claim was backed up nutritionists including Patrick Holford – who’s credibility has been the subject of repeated attacks from Ben Goldacre and his Bad Science pals – and who, a year ago, the Advertising Standards Authority found to be making claims that were ‘likely to mislead’ in leaflet he was sending out.
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Cancer in the news, Cancer myths, Diet, Health & Lifestyle | 
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Posted by Henry Scowcroft
September 24, 2008
The role of stem cells in the development of cancer is one of the hottest topics in cancer research at the moment. Indeed, stories on the subject make frequent appearances on our Cancer News feed, as well as on this blog.
So , given all the current hoo-ha over the US election, massive hurricanes and the credit crunch, it was great to see the Economist putting cancer stem cells on its front cover last month, and running this excellent article and accompanying leader column.
[The discovery of cancer stem cells] opens new ways of thinking about and treating the cancers. If its stem cells are eradicated, the rest of a tumour may die off. And if the secondary tumours—the truly feared killers in many forms of cancer—are the result of stem cells escaping from a primary tumour, as looks likely, then this knowledge may make them yield more easily to treatment.
Despite the fact that they’re both slightly heavy-going in places, we thoroughly recommend both pieces.
And given that the Economist’s spotlight falls mainly on US research efforts, it would be remiss of us not to point out that this is also an area of research that Cancer Research UK is actively involved with too.
Enjoy.
Henry
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Cancer Research UK-funded research, Cancer in the news, Risks & Causes, Stem cells | 
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Posted by Henry Scowcroft
September 22, 2008
Cancer can kill. It claims more than 150,000 lives every year in the UK alone. Thanks to research, improved detection and better treatments mean that survival rates are climbing year on year.
But while scientists make progress in understanding the causes of cancer at a molecular level, and trying to find new ways to beat it, the unscrupulous are preying on vulnerable, and often desperate, people.
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Leave a Comment » | Alternative/complementary, Cancer Treatment, Cancer in the news, Cancer myths | Permalink
Posted by Kat Arney
September 17, 2008
The nicotine in cigarettes is just as addictive as hard drugs. Unsurprisingly, when many smokers try to wean themselves off cigarettes, their dependency on nicotine manifests in the form of cravings. For most smokers, the pressure of nicotine cravings is all too familiar – they’re like a psychological bungee cord that yanks those who try to quit back towards their lighters.
Now, a simple study published in Psychological Science suggests that while smokers are familiar with cravings, they drastically underestimate their impact if they aren’t actually experiencing them at the time.
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Risks & Causes, Smoking | 
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Posted by Ed Yong
It’s easy to forget how powerful a picture can be.
Welcome to the
