Health briefs: Life and death choice

BIZARRE OF THE WEEK

THREE sisters have had their breasts and wombs removed to avoid a hereditary cancer that killed their mother at 32.

Luan Moreton, Kim Jones and Jemma Dennis found that they carried the deadly BRCA1 gene after the oldest of them was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005.

They were quoted in the Daily Mail saying: "It was daunting, but we agreed we would all rather have the operation than not be around in a few years' time." - Staff reporter

BREAKTHROUGH OF THE WEEK

WHILE you're reading this, it's likely that you hear the words in your head.

Now, according to an article on New Scientist's website, others are on the verge of being able to hear your inner dialogue.

By peering inside the brain, it is becoming possible to reconstruct speech from the activity that takes place when we hear someone talking. The discovery brings us a step closer to broadcasting our inner thoughts without speaking.

Steven Laureys at the University of Liège, Belgium says: "We need to be able to show that just thinking about the words is enough, which would be useful in a medical setting, especially for locked-in patients ." - Staff reporter

IF YOU DO ONE THING FOR YOUR HEALTH

A STUDY published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says caffeine may influence women's oestrogen levels (a hormone produced by the ovaries).

According to the study, women who consumed one cup of caffeinated coffee or more a day experienced increased oestrogen levels compared to their counterparts who didn't.

This suggests that caffeine consumption may be useful to women wanting to conceive. - Staff reporter

NUTRITION BITE

A NEW brain scan study by US researchers at the University of Pittsburgh school of medicine says that eating baked or grilled fish as little as once a week may boost brain health and lower the risk for mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

The researchers found that eating baked and grilled fish - but not fried - helps to preserve grey matter neurons, strengthening them in areas of the brain deemed critical to memory and cognition. - Staff reporter