5 myths of eco-friendly eating

Determining the environmental and health impacts of different foods is highly complex, but some commonly held myths about food that’s both good for people and the planet need to be dispelled.

CSIRO partners to strengthen regional health

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, will partner with governments across the Pacific and Southeast Asia to help them better prepare for, and respond to, disease outbreaks.

Get your hands dirty

Exposure to a diverse range of soil bacteria in playgrounds could help children to boost their immune systems and gut health, according to Flinders University researchers, who put the concept to the test by investigating play areas at 22 childcare centres in Adelaide.

The big freeze

Marketing may give the impression that egg-freezing is a ‘silver bullet’ for anyone wanting to delay their childbearing years, when in fact it’s expensive, invasive, and far from failsafe.

Happier children mean happier adults

A new study suggests it’s time the eradication of child maltreatment became a major public health priority to reduce the later toll of adult mental illness.

Peddling junk

Aussie junk food companies strive hard to achieve positive press coverage while hampering efforts to restrict unhealthy food advertising, according to two papers by Australian researchers.

It’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there

UNSW experts say it’s never too late, nor too early, to adopt healthy habits that can delay the onset of dementia.

Low impact care for back pain

Women’s back pain is being taken increasingly seriously but common spinal surgeries can be costly and risky, encouraging the adoption of non-surgical, low-cost, low-impact alternatives.

After the final whistle

Sporting careers are always relatively short, and people forced to retire from their chosen sport at an early age are at an even higher risk of feeling bereft when their days on the field are over.

On the couch online

A new online mental health service sounds good in theory, but will it work in practice? Here’s what the evidence from the UK and elsewhere shows so far.

Health care or health scare?

Women’s health has been sidelined for centuries. But now that women are finally being heard, some unscrupulous companies are cashing in on the movement and scare-mongering medical marketing may drive more women to undergo unnecessary tests or treatments.

Beware trendy weight loss solutions

The diabetes drug Semaglutide (marketed as Ozempic) is being promoted by celebrity influencers and websites as an “empowering” weight loss aid but its long-term impacts remain to be seen.