Making your own sandwich isn’t necessarily the healthier option. I often see clients who are unaware that the lashings of butter and mayonniase they use adds an extra 200 calories.
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The number of people infected in the ongoing salmonella outbreaks may be more than four times greater than official figures suggest, an expert has warned.
Buried among Sam’s typical influencer content are a handful of videos that reveal the hidden hell the 32-year-old has experienced over the past month.
Tim Andrews, 67, from New Hampshire, US, lived with the animal organ for nine months before later receiving a human donation.
‘Your blood tests are back and they’re showing your liver is under stress,’ my doctor told me. ‘A lot of stress. In fact, you’ve got fatty liver disease.’
Roughly 120 million Americans have hypertension – eating these specific foods may slash the risk of developing high blood pressure by a third.
The shingles vaccine is available on the NHS to adults aged 65 to 80 (Image: Getty)
The NHS has confirmed a double vaccination is available for older adults aged between 65 and 80 free of charge.
The vaccine is to protect against shingles, an infection that causes a painful rash on one side of your body and can take up to four weeks to heal. While most people recover from shingles without any problems, the infection can sometimes lead to more serious complications, including long-lasting pain, scarring, muscle weakness, hearing loss and eye problems that can result in sight loss. Shingles often begins with a tingling or painful feeling in an area of skin, a headache, or just generally feeling unwell, and a rash will usually appear a few days later. The rash most often appears on your chest or tummy, but it can appear anywhere on your body, including on your face and eyes.
Unfortunately, you’re more likely to get shingles as you get older or if you have a severely weakened immune system, and it’s more likely to cause serious problems. To help minimise this risk, the NHS offers a shingles vaccine to older adults aged 65 to 80 to both reduce the risk of getting shingles, and lower the chances of developing serious health issues if you do get the infection.
As of September 1, 2023, all adults are eligible for the shingles vaccine when they turn 65 and will be offered two doses which are given between six and 12 months apart.
If you turned 65 before September 1, 2023, you will be eligible for the shingles vaccine when you turn 70 and will remain eligible up until your 80th birthday.
Confirming the eligibility, the NHS said: “From 1 September 2023, you’re eligible for the shingles vaccine when you turn 65. You’ll be offered 2 doses of the vaccine. These are given between 6 and 12 months apart.
“Your GP should contact you to make an appointment to have your shingles vaccine. Contact your GP surgery if you think you’re eligible for the shingles vaccine and you’ve not been contacted about it.
“You’ll remain eligible until your 80th birthday (but you can have your 2nd dose up until your 81st birthday). If you turned 65 before 1 September 2023, you’ll be eligible for the shingles vaccine when you turn 70.
“Everyone aged 70 to 79 is eligible for the shingles vaccine. You’ll be offered 2 doses of the vaccine. These are given between 6 and 12 months apart.
“Contact your GP surgery if you missed your vaccine. You’re eligible up until your 80th birthday (but you can have your 2nd dose up until your 81st birthday).”
It’s possible to get shingles more than once, so the NHS says it’s important to get vaccinated even if you’ve already had the infection before.
Your GP surgery should contact you once you become eligible for the vaccine and this will usually be via a letter, text message, phone call or email.
If you’re eligible and haven’t yet been contacted, or you didn’t get the vaccine when you were contacted and you’re still under 80, you should speak to your GP surgery to book or rearrange an appointment.
The NHS says side effects from the vaccine are usually mild and should get better within a few days. Symptoms can include swelling or itchiness around the injection site, a headache, feeling tired, an aching body, a high temperature and chills.
Alcohol-linked cancer deaths have doubled, study reveals… and the death toll is far beyond the liver
Deaths from multiple cancers linked to alcohol have surged in the past several decades, new research shows.
Experts believe when the body breaks down alcohol, it creates a toxic chemical called acetaldehyde that destroys healthy cells and results in a prime environment for cancer cells to thrive.
As a result, alcohol is considered a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is sufficient proof that the drink causes cancer.
Recent evidence has increasingly sounded the alarm on alcohol’s potential link to colon, liver and stomach cancers, especially as these diseases soar in young Americans.
Now, Florida researchers have urgently warned that alcohol-related cancer deaths are on the rise throughout the US.
Terrifying USA map reveals Parkinson’s explosion. State-by-state investigation uncovers disturbing pattern… and leaves experts all pointing to same culprit: Doctors warn against common lifestyle habits
Using 33 years’ worth of health data from thousands of Americans, the team found alcohol-attributable cancer deaths in the US doubled from about 11,400 in 1990 to 23,100 in 2023.
And among adults under 55, colon and breast cancers were the leading alcohol-related cancer deaths, with esophageal, prostate and pancreatic cancers also seeing unprecedented growth.
The researchers believe the findings show alcohol is becoming one of the most prominent modifiable risk factors in reducing cancer rates, particularly in younger Americans.
Alcohol-related cancer deaths have doubled in the last three decades, a new study warns
‘The most surprising finding was the breadth of alcohol’s potential impact across cancer types,’ Dr Chinmay Jani, corresponding study author and chief fellow in hematology and oncology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami, said.
‘Although its relationship with liver cancer is widely recognized, its contribution to cancers such as colorectal, esophageal, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancer is less well understood by the public.’
The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans urges adults to ‘consume less alcohol for better overall health.’ Previous guidelines suggested men have less than two drinks per day while women have one.
The new study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, looked at cancer death rates and alcohol-related cancer death rates between 1990 and 2023 for 10 different forms of cancer: esophageal, stomach, liver, larynx, breast, prostate, colorectal, lip and oral cavity, pharynx and pancreatic.
The researchers used statistical modeling to calculate which deaths were related to alcohol-consumption.
Overall, alcohol-attributable cancers increased from 11,361 in 1990 to 23,126 in 2023, a 103 percent rise. Men and adults over 55 saw the highest concentrations of deaths, and the leading cause of alcohol-related death was liver cancer, followed by esophageal and colorectal cancers.
The above graph shows cancer mortality rates in men and women, further divided by people 20 to 54 and those age 55 and older
There were also increases in alcohol-related deaths from all cancers studied except liver cancer. The greatest increase (57 percent) was in stomach cancer, followed by 40.5 percent for pancreatic cancer and 39.7 percent for colorectal cancer.
In men ages 20 to 54, colorectal cancer was the leading cause of alcohol-related death, followed by esophageal cancer. For women in the same age group, the leading cause was breast cancer, followed by colorectal cancer.
Alcohol-related deaths from liver cancer showed the largest increase in men (88.6 percent) and women (147.8 percent), followed by colorectal cancer for men (30.2 percent) and pancreatic cancer for women (35.6 percent).
‘Notably, among adults aged 20 to 54, colorectal cancer was the leading cause of alcohol-attributable cancer mortality in men and the second leading cause in women, surpassing liver cancer in both groups,’ Jani said.
The study also looked at state-by-state alcohol-related cancer death data and found that in 2023, Washington DC had the highest rate for both sexes, followed by Texas for men and Alaska for women.
Utah, meanwhile, had the lowest rate for both sexes, which may be due to the state consistently recording the country’s lowest alcohol consumption rate. Washington DC, meanwhile, has some of the nation’s highest wine consumption and binge drinking rates, primarily fueled by young professionals.
‘What this study makes clear is that alcohol-related cancer risk is not limited to one disease or one group of people,’ Dr Gilberto Lopes, senior study author and chief of the Division of Medical Oncology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, said.
‘As physicians and cancer researchers, we have an opportunity to help patients understand that alcohol is a modifiable risk factor and that even small, informed changes can be part of a broader strategy to reduce cancer risk in our community.’
The researchers stressed the importance of raising awareness of alcohol’s relationship to cancer, especially for forms of the disease beyond liver cancer.
‘The most important takeaway is greater awareness that alcohol may affect cancer risk beyond the liver,’ Jani said.
‘These findings highlight alcohol as a potentially modifiable risk factor, and while the lowest safe dose is not yet known, this study suggests that reducing consumption to the lowest amount feasible for each individual may help lessen its impact on cancer risk and overall health.’
A drug-resistant fungus that can cause a rash covering most of the body is spreading to new areas of the world, including within the US, a study suggests.
Ringworm is a highly contagious disease that causes an itchy, circular rash on the skin, typically on the foot or groin. Rather than being caused by a worm, it is actually caused by 40 species of fungus.
While most cases are easily cleared with a short course of lotions or antifungals, in recent years doctors have grown increasingly alarmed over a new strain – Trichophyton indotineae – that can cause a painful rash which spreads over much of the body and resists standard treatments.
Now, scientists in Europe have analyzed samples from patients globally to track the spread of the strain and detect whether it is being found in new areas.
In their analysis of more than a million samples from 54 countries, researchers found scientists were now detecting seven times as many cases as in 2022 globally.
The strain was also detected in at least five new countries in Europe and South America over the last five years where it had not been previously reported.
In the US, the fungus strain was first detected in 2023 in two unrelated patients in New York City whose infections did not respond to standard treatments.
It has now been detected in 11 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but the agency says this is likely an undercount, adding that cases may be misdiagnosed or not tested in some states.
The above shows locations where Trichophyton indotineae has been detected nationwide. Countries that are colored green have not submitted any data
Ringworm is an extremely common infection, also known as Athlete’s foot when it is on the feet or jock itch if it is on the groin.
About 14 percent of Americans are infected at any given time, estimates suggest, which is because the fungi can easily spread via skin-to-skin contact and touching towels, bedsheets and surfaces in bathrooms or public locker rooms also touched by an infected person.
Anyone can be infected with ringworm, but those who take part in contact sports such as wrestling, sweat excessively or use public locker rooms are at higher risk of suffering a ringworm infection. Anyone with a weakened immune system or autoimmune disease is also at higher risk from an infection.
The only way to confirm a T. indotineae infection is to do a lab test. But doctors say there are warning signs that someone may be infected with this strain.
These include having a rash that is red, itchy and covers a large area of skin and does not improve after standard treatment – over-the-counter creams or oral antifungal – or that keeps recurring over several months.
The new fungus was formally detected in north India in 2020 following a yearslong outbreak of a difficult-to-treat ringworm strain in the area.
Since, it has caused major outbreaks in South Asia and been detected in many western countries.
To track its spread, for the new study scientists analyzed 1.6 million samples from patients suspected to have a fungal infection that were held in a global database in France.
The above shows where T. indotineae is present in Europe (Red countries)
The above shows how the number of samples testing positive for the fungus has increased by year
The samples had come from 54 countries and were all collected between 2022 and 2025.
Overall, the researchers found 3,399 samples from 29 countries, or 0.2 percent of the total, tested positive for the new drug-resistant fungus strain.
Of these, 63 percent came from Europe, 16.8 percent came from Asia, 15.7 percent from South America and 1.6 percent from North America. A further 0.5 percent were from Africa.
In western and northern Europe, where the most cases were detected, the strain was detected in both urban and rural areas.
Over the study period, the number of infections with the difficult-to-treat strain also increased ‘ominously’ by year, according to the researchers.
In 2022, there were 237 detections in the database, they said. But by 2025, this had surged to 1,692.
In the study, the fungus was also detected in at least five countries where infections had not previously been reported. These included Bulgaria, Croatia, Colombia, Luxembourg and Uruguay.
A small number of cases were also detected in the US, fewer than were detected in Canada.
The above image shows a man infected with the emerging strain of ringworm in India
Shown above is a stock image of a ringworm infection on the chest and arms
The study did not say in which states it had been detected but previous reports show the strain has been detected in New York, Pennsylvania, California and Virginia among others.
Researchers warned their tally was an undercount, saying many infections are never formally diagnosed or submitted to the dataset. In some cases, it is also possible that multiple samples were submitted for the same patient.
The database they used had received no data from virtually any countries in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.
Researchers warn that the difficult-to-treat strain is likely spreading via international travel where infected people board airplanes.
Publishing their study in the CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases, the team warned: ‘Our results reveal a marked global increase in T. indotineae cases.
‘Health authorities should address this rapidly evolving international issue.’
The CDC is currently tracking three emerging fungi that could cause serious ringworm infections – T. indotineae, Terbinafine-resistant Trichophyton rubrum and TMVII.
The agency says T. indotineae and terbinafine-resistant T. rubrum are particularly concerning because they may not be cleared using typical antifungal drugs. TMVII is more commonly linked to sexual contact.
They warn these can cause rashes on the genitals, buttocks, groin, face, trunk, arms or legs.
Doctors urge anyone who has a ringworm infection that is not improving, especially after the use of over-the-counter treatments, to speak to a healthcare provider.
Anyone who has a ringworm rash that is spreading, painful or pus-filled, a rash that keeps returning or one that is on the genitals, groin, buttocks or face is also urged to seek treatment.
GPs could be trained to help terminally ill Britons end their own lives if the assisted dying bill is passed, a Government ‘death dossier’ has revealed.
All family doctors in England and Wales would be eligible for a 90-minute e-learning course and an hour-long online interactive session on assisted dying.
Although this is described as ‘general awareness’ training, the documents seen by the Daily Mail also model a scenario in which GPs could receive a full day of in-person training giving them more detailed knowledge of how the assisted dying service would operate.
Doctors who go on to take the more senior role of coordinating doctor would require further advanced training.
The documents lay bare what that role could involve – including explaining how the drugs would bring about death, collecting the medication from a pharmacist and providing it directly to the patient.
They could even prepare the substance and help a patient ingest it, although the final act of taking the drugs would have to be carried out by the patient themselves.
The doctor would then have to remain with the patient until they had died – or until it became clear the procedure had failed.
The controversial assisted dying bill, which would allow some terminally ill adults with fewer than six months to live to willingly choose to die, will be debated again in Parliament next Friday.
Family doctors may be trained to help Britons end their life if the Assisted Dying Bill is passed, a Government dossier reveals
It passed through the House of Commons last year before stalling in the House of Lords after opponents tabled more than 1,000 amendments.
MPs will vote again on the new proposals and, if passed, the Bill will return to the Lords. If ultimately approved, it will become law.
Campaigners opposed to assisted dying have branded the proposed training inadequate for doctors dealing with such complex, life-and-death decisions.
The new document, published by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), also sets out how hospital doctors specialising in cancer, neurology, elderly medicine and palliative care could receive more intensive, in-person training.
It comes after England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, warned last year that doctors who take part in the later stages of assisted dying would require specific training.
‘I think it is much more likely that a very large number of doctors and nurses may get involved in the very earliest stages,’ he said. ‘Someone may raise an issue with their GP, with their nurse, with their consultant.
‘When it comes to the more detailed later stages, that, in my view, will require some specific training.’
Sir Chris added that there would likely be a ‘gradation’ of doctors – from those willing to have an initial conversation about assisted dying to a minority prepared to ‘take part in the final stages’.
The new dossier says healthcare professionals who do not wish to participate in assisted dying could opt out of the training.
The Bill would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales to seek an assisted death if approved by two doctors and a multidisciplinary panel consisting of a senior lawyer, psychiatrist and social worker.
Dr Gillian Wright, from Our Duty of Care, a network of UK healthcare workers who oppose the Bill, told the Daily Mail: ‘This assisted dying bill is still not safe.
‘We do not know enough about the training that would be required for doctors taking part.
‘A short e-training module would not be enough to enable doctors to detect coercion or undue influence.’
She fears vulnerable patients could be pressured into choosing assisted dying and that doctors may lack the training or experience needed to recognise it.
‘There is significant concern that patients will not have their unmet mental health care needs assessed by an expert,’ she said.
‘Depression, loneliness and anxiety are common for those with a terminal illness. Too many people do not get the psychological support and end of life care they need.
‘We urge MPs to invest in these services and help people to live rather than take their own lives.’
The DHSC was approached for comment.