A new £10m (€12.8m) research programme will investigate why autistic adults are dying decades before their time. The five-year project planned by the British charity Autistica follows a study from Sweden that uncovered evidence of “shameful” premature death among people with the developmental disorder.

Drinking a lot of coffee every day could potentially cut the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), research suggests.

Putting on extra kilos between pregnancies significantly increases the risk of stillbirth or infant death, a major study has found.

Being tall significantly increases the risk of cancer, the biggest study looking into the link has shown.

Walking or cycling for 20 minutes a day can reduce a 60-year-old man’s risk of heart failure by a fifth, a study has found.

It’s not necessary for men to pound the tarmac or starve themselves to shed weight when they hit their middle years. 

I’ve always heard that women become less interested in sex as they get older, but I’m in my early 50s and my libido is higher than it was when I was in my 20s. 

Up to one in 10 people who commit a violent crime possess two genes which make them more disposed to inclined to exhibit repeated vicious behaviour.

Simple lifestyle changes such as taking more exercise and improving diet may protect against dementia in at-risk older adults, research suggests.

FOR some, it happens once in a lifetime; for others it’s five times a day.

WE’VE been told that the only sure things in life are death and taxes. But just as creative accountants have helped many to reduce their payments to the Revenue, you can take some strategic steps to help you outrun the grim reaper.

An Irish professor is leading a European research team that hopes to develop the first effective screening test for a life-threatening pregnancy complication.

FIFTY percent off the first three months of cancer medicine.

Scientists from Britain and Japan shared a Nobel prize yesterday for the discovery that adult cells can be transformed back into embryo-like stem cells that may one day regrow tissue in damaged brains, hearts or other organs.

British researcher John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka of Japan have won this year’s Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology.

Eating two rashers of bacon a day can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 19% and the risk goes up if a person eats more, experts have said.

WOMEN who drink coffee could be protecting themselves against an aggressive form of breast cancer, research suggests.

A PATIENT critically ill with swine flu was flown abroad for a specialised treatment only recently available here.

ANXIETY and a lack of sleep doubles a man’s risk of developing diabetes, according to research out yesterday.

ACTIVE men are less likely to die from cancer than couch potatoes, recent research has shown.

A British researcher who discovered genetic fingerprinting that has helped solve crimes and settle paternity disputes is among potential candidates for the Nobel Prize in medicine, the first of six prestigious awards to be announced today by the Nobel committees.

PEOPLE who eat oily fish at least once a week have increased protection against kidney cancer, according to a new Swedish study.

ONE of the world's leading experts in mobile phone technology has warned that the radiation output from Irish phone masts is at least 100 times too high for safety.

A new EU agency for disease prevention and control opens its new headquarters just north of Stockholm in Sweden today.

MEN and women who have ever dealt with unemployment may have a heightened risk of dying early, particularly from suicide and injuries, a Swedish study suggests.

DRINKING more than two glasses of milk a day increases the risk of ovarian cancer, research has revealed.

CHILDREN who have fathers over the age of 30 are more likely to suffer schizophrenia in later life, research claimed yesterday.

HAVING a teenage mother can double a person’s risk of committing suicide, a study showed yesterday.

A SURVIVORS’ group has welcomed the appointment of an international expert who will review a surgical procedure that condemned hundreds of women to a lifetime of pain and suffering.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs may also help in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, a study showed today.

CLARE KAVANAGH was one of a number of women who travelled to the Dáil yesterday to rally political support for a public inquiry into a controversial medical procedure that destroyed her quality of life.

A CONSULTANT at the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin has called for an end to “inaccurate and irresponsible” information about certain gynaecological operations which were carried out in this country.

Scientists working on a cure for salmonella have made a major breakthrough in understanding how the food-poisoning bug makes people ill.

Two British scientists and an American researcher today won this year’s Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology.

MOTHERS who smoke regularly during pregnancy are 40% more likely to have autistic children, new research claims.