Top health stories from around the web: 26 August 2013
International health news
- Children, especially girls, need more exercise – In a UK study, half of 7-year olds don’t exercise enough, with girls much less active than boys.
- Copper linked to Alzheimer’s – A lifetime of too much copper in our diets may contribute to a higher Alzheimer’s risk as brain struggles to get rid of proteins.
Health advice
- Preventing middle age spread – Becoming portly in middle age isn’t inevitable, some advice on how to beat the bulge in your 40s.
Country health alerts
- Spain: Record waiting times – Waiting lists for operations such as hip replacements and cataract surgery have grown to the highest level since 2004.
- Brazil: Heinz ketchup withdrawn – Traces of rodent fur were found in ketchup imported from Mexico, leading to the withdrawal of stock.
- Uganda: Making non-vaccination a crime? – Uganda’s immunization rate (52%) is one of the lowest in the world, health experts are asking for tougher penalties.