See below for news items, including recent research findings.

Can green tea protect against cancer?

Green tea has long been suggested as having medicinal qualities, partly as a result of epidemiological studies. For instance a study in Japan showed that an area with a high rate of green tea drinking had lower rates of stomach cancer.

Losing weight - Strange but true?

A recent BBC programme (10 Things you need to know about losing weight, January 2011) suggested some counterintuitive ways of losing weight – and the science behind this. For example:

Medical breakthroughs?

Almost every week the media carries news of apparent breakthroughs in medical research. How reliable are these news stories?