Latest news with #LouiseFlanagan
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Should We Be Cutting Out Butter To Live Longer Lives? Here's What The Experts Say
You may have noticed some headlines in recent weeks about butter and cheese taking days and even weeks off our lives if they're eaten too often. Now, let me be the first to say, a life without cheese is not one I particularly fancy living and restricting — or entirely cutting out — food is something that you should discuss with your GP, as it's often not advised. However, is there any weight to these stories? Should we start to consider a life without these delicious sources of fat? Well, the most recent stories come from a study published in JAMA which looks at butter and plant based oils intake and mortality. According to the study, higher butter intake was associated with increased total and cancer mortality, while higher intake of plant-based oils was associated with lower total, cancer, and cardiovascular disease mortality. Basically: plant-based oils such as olive oils are much better for your body than saturated fats such as butter. Don't go chucking out the golden goodness in your fridge just yet. Prof Sarah Berry, Professor of Nutritional Sciences, King's College London, said: 'This research is very timely. Social media is currently awash with influencers promoting butter as a health food and claiming that seed oils are deadly. 'This large-scale, long-term study finds the reverse. The authors produce further evidence that seed oil consumption is linked to improved health and that butter – delicious as it is – should only be consumed once in a while.' 'In a sane world, this study would give the butter bros and anti-seed oil brigade pause for thought, but I'm confident that their brand of nutri-nonsense will continue unabated.' Dr Louise Flanagan, Head of Research for the Stroke Association, said: 'This study covered a wider range of plant oils than previous research to find that greater consumption of rapeseed oil, soybean oil or olive oil is associated with an overall lower risk of death. It is positive to see other plant oils being considered in this way as olive oil has been a focus of much research in the past. 'The suggestion to switch from butter to plant oils is achievable for many people. However, it was only olive oil that was associated with a lower risk of death due to cardiovascular disease, including stroke. Olive oil is typically more expensive than other oils like rapeseed which means that its potential health benefits could be out of financial reach for some.' However, she does urge that research should be a little more nuanced when we consider people's dietary and budget restrictions: 'The study didn't consider what eating both butter and plant oils means in terms of health risks, which is likely to be what many people naturally do. This is potentially something which could be considered in future studies.' Well, yes. Have you seen olive oil prices lately?! The Only 3 Cooking Oils Mary Berry Says We Need Stop Obsessing Over Protein — Here's What A Gut Health Expert Says Matters Most Apple Cider Vinegar: What Belle Gibson's Story Tells Us About Our Search For Alternative Health
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Finger-prick blood tests which quickly detect the deadliest type of stroke could save lives
A finger-prick blood test to diagnose the deadliest form of stroke might be twice as effective at spotting it than using a patient's symptoms alone. The test, which works similarly to a lateral flow test used to detect Covid, is being piloted by ambulance crews in Cambridgeshire. The blood tests have been designed to detect if someone has suffered a large vessel occlusion (LVO), where a blood clot blocks a major artery in the brain. This type of blood clot is responsible for about a third of strokes but causes about 95 per cent of disabilities and deaths. A stroke is a very serious condition where the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off, and every minute a stroke is left untreated some 1.9 million brain cells die, increasing the risk of serious long-term disability and death, according to the Stroke Association. But speedy treatment for a stroke can dramatically increase a patient's chances of recovery. This includes a thrombectomy procedure to remove the blood clot within a few hours of any symptoms appearing. However, only 24 hospitals in the UK can provide thrombectomy treatment, and LVO is tricky to diagnose without a brain scan because it has similar symptoms to other conditions. Due to a combination of NHS pressures and workforce shortages, these timeframes are often missed and only 3.9 per cent of eligible stroke patients had a thrombectomy in 2023/24 - against NHS England's target of 10 per cent by 2027/28. In addition, only 46 per cent were admitted to a stroke unit within four hours of arriving at a hospital, which further reduces the treatment window and the patient's chances of recovery, the Stroke Association added. As a result, unless a patient is lucky enough to live near a specialist centre, in most cases they will be taken to a general hospital. From there, it can take an average of three hours to be moved to a thrombectomy centre. However, these new finger-prick blood tests help diagnose LVOs faster and get patients the treatment they need. The test, developed by the Cambridge-based firm UpFront Diagnostics, consists of two lateral flow cartridges and can detect two molecules in the blood. One is a protein called D-dimer, which is associated with blood clots, and the other, called GFAP, is associated with bleeding in the brain. The absence of GFAP helps to rule out a haemorrhagic stroke where a blood vessel ruptures and bleeds, The Guardian reported. These tests can detect LVOs with about 90 per cent accuracy within 15 minutes — which is more than double the accuracy of just checking symptoms, Gonzalo Ladreda, UpFront's chief executive officer, told the newspaper. Dr Louise Flanagan, the head of research for the Stroke Association, which helps fund the early development of the LVOne test, told The Independent: 'When the NHS is under huge pressure and its workforce is in crisis, a simple finger prick test to help diagnose stroke could be revolutionary. 'The LVOne test could potentially diagnose stroke faster and much more affordably than the only current alternative, which is a brain scan. It could also help to identify the type of stroke a person is having, which is vital to ensure the right treatment is given. 'LVOne could help make it easier to decide whether someone is having a stroke that could be treated with a thrombectomy, saving the NHS time and money and, importantly, helping more people live well after stroke.' The Stroke Association is calling for improvements in stroke care as part of the 10 Year Health Plan — to help meet the government's own target to reduce stroke disability and death by 25 per cent by 2035. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "This government is taking action to tackle the biggest killers like heart disease and strokes. "We have introduced health checks in workplaces and blood pressure checks on high streets to help catch illness earlier, and we are acting to prevent strokes in the first place by tackling smoking and obesity. "We are committed to improving stroke prevention, treatment, and recovery through our 10-Year Health Plan, which will emphasise prevention and make better use of innovative technology like prehospital video triage (PVT) as we shift the NHS from analogue to digital." There are 1.3 million stroke survivors in the UK, and 100,000 people have strokes every year. But 90 per cent of these are preventable, the charity said. Lifestyle factors such as obesity, smoking, alcohol intake and exercise levels can have a significant effect on a person's stroke risk.
The Independent
10-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Finger-prick blood tests which quickly detect the deadliest type of stroke could save lives
A finger-prick blood test to diagnose the deadliest form of stroke might be twice as effective at spotting it than using a patient's symptoms alone. The test, which works similarly to a lateral flow test used to detect Covid, is being piloted by ambulance crews in Cambridgeshire. The blood tests have been designed to detect if someone has suffered a large vessel occlusion (LVO), where a blood clot blocks a major artery in the brain. This type of blood clot is responsible for about a third of strokes but causes about 95 per cent of disabilities and deaths. A stroke is a very serious condition where the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off, and every minute a stroke is left untreated some 1.9 million brain cells die, increasing the risk of serious long-term disability and death, according to the Stroke Association. But speedy treatment for a stroke can dramatically increase a patient's chances of recovery. This includes a thrombectomy procedure to remove the blood clot within a few hours of any symptoms appearing. However, only 24 hospitals in the UK can provide thrombectomy treatment, and LVO is tricky to diagnose without a brain scan because it has similar symptoms to other conditions. Due to a combination of NHS pressures and workforce shortages, these timeframes are often missed and only 3.9 per cent of eligible stroke patients had a thrombectomy in 2023/24 - against NHS England's target of 10 per cent by 2027/28. In addition, only 46 per cent were admitted to a stroke unit within four hours of arriving at a hospital, which further reduces the treatment window and the patient's chances of recovery, the Stroke Association added. As a result, unless a patient is lucky enough to live near a specialist centre, in most cases they will be taken to a general hospital. From there, it can take an average of three hours to be moved to a thrombectomy centre. However, these new finger-prick blood tests help diagnose LVOs faster and get patients the treatment they need. The test, developed by the Cambridge-based firm UpFront Diagnostics, consists of two lateral flow cartridges and can detect two molecules in the blood. One is a protein called D-dimer, which is associated with blood clots, and the other, called GFAP, is associated with bleeding in the brain. The absence of GFAP helps to rule out a haemorrhagic stroke where a blood vessel ruptures and bleeds, The Guardian reported. These tests can detect LVOs with about 90 per cent accuracy within 15 minutes — which is more than double the accuracy of just checking symptoms, Gonzalo Ladreda, UpFront's chief executive officer, told the newspaper. Dr Louise Flanagan, the head of research for the Stroke Association, which helps fund the early development of the LVOne test, told The Independent: 'When the NHS is under huge pressure and its workforce is in crisis, a simple finger prick test to help diagnose stroke could be revolutionary. 'The LVOne test could potentially diagnose stroke faster and much more affordably than the only current alternative, which is a brain scan. It could also help to identify the type of stroke a person is having, which is vital to ensure the right treatment is given. 'LVOne could help make it easier to decide whether someone is having a stroke that could be treated with a thrombectomy, saving the NHS time and money and, importantly, helping more people live well after stroke.' The Stroke Association is calling for improvements in stroke care as part of the 10 Year Health Plan — to help meet the government's own target to reduce stroke disability and death by 25 per cent by 2035. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "This government is taking action to tackle the biggest killers like heart disease and strokes. "We have introduced health checks in workplaces and blood pressure checks on high streets to help catch illness earlier, and we are acting to prevent strokes in the first place by tackling smoking and obesity. "We are committed to improving stroke prevention, treatment, and recovery through our 10-Year Health Plan, which will emphasise prevention and make better use of innovative technology like prehospital video triage (PVT) as we shift the NHS from analogue to digital." There are 1.3 million stroke survivors in the UK, and 100,000 people have strokes every year. But 90 per cent of these are preventable, the charity said. Lifestyle factors such as obesity, smoking, alcohol intake and exercise levels can have a significant effect on a person's stroke risk.
