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UK alcohol deaths have fallen for the first time since COVID-19 pandemic, the latest national figures show

According to data released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), 9,809 deaths from alcohol-specific causes were registered in the UK in 2024. This marks the lowest number since 2021 and the lowest rate since 2020 at 14.8 deaths per 100,000 people.

Alcohol-specific deaths – where health conditions are a direct consequence of alcohol – had been rising in the UK since 2018, hitting a record high of 10,473 in 2023. But, from 2023 to 2024, the rate fell in England and Wales from 16.8 to 13.8 deaths per 100,000 people.

Despite the modest improvement, campaigners say the figures underscore the urgency in tackling alcohol-related harm.

Scotland and Northern Ireland continued to have the highest rates in the UK at 20.9 and 21.4 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively.

Bolyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, the new name for polycystic ovary syndrome

Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), previously polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), affects one in eight women. However, the term PCOS is inaccurate, implying pathological ovarian cysts, obscuring diverse endocrine and metabolic features and contributing to delays in diagnosis, fragmented care and stigma, while curtailing research and policy framing.

The name change was published in The Lancet and announced at the European Congress of Endocrinology after 14 years of collaboration between international societies and patient groups across six continents.

Accuracy was improved by omitting cysts and by including endocrine, metabolic and ovarian dysfunction. A co-designed global implementation strategy, including a transition period, education and alignment with health systems and disease classification, is underway.

Limit ultra-processed foods to lower risk of heart disease, say experts in a new clinical consensus statement

People who eat more ultra-processed food (UPF) have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death, according to a report published in the European Heart Journal. The report, created by a group of cardiology experts from across Europe, brings together the results of all research on UPFs and cardiovascular disease published to date.

It highlights the risks of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease and death from cardiovascular disease that have now been linked to eating large amounts of UPFs. The authors of the report are calling on doctors to talk to their patients about how much UPF they are eating and give advice on how to reduce this.

The authors say that evidence on the risks of UPF is consistent across large, diverse populations and holds true across different cardiovascular risks, diseases and death. However, they caution that most of the research is made up of observational studies, with few long-term interventional trials.

Gut-brain axis, not structural issue with gullet, may cause upper gut symptoms in hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos

A study has found that persistent and distressing upper gut symptoms experienced by people with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) may not be due to structural problems with the gullet (oesophagus) as previously assumed.

Gastrointestinal symptoms are common in EDS, particularly hEDS, affecting over 50% of patients. Until now, upper gut symptoms were thought to reflect physical problems with the gullet. However, this new research reveals a different story.

The research found that despite a high burden of gut symptoms, patients with hEDS were no more likely than people without hEDS to have abnormal gullet motility or measurable acid reflux when tested. In fact, most individuals had normal results.

The findings offer a different explanation and new direction for care for this complex and frequently misunderstood condition.

Push for improved action on eating disorder care from those who have experienced the system

People with eating disorders have launched a new petition calling for a dedicated strategy for care, saying the support they received was inadequate and that earlier intervention was critical.

The campaign, which was started by Dump the Scales, wants more investment for the early intervention and prevention of eating disorders, along with better training for healthcare staff.

According to Beat, at least 1.25 million people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder, though the charity believes the true figure is likely higher. Dump the Scales estimates it is more like 4 million.

NICE guidelines state clinicians should immediately refer to a community-based and age-appropriate eating disorder service, yet patients report experiencing unhelpful advice or inappropriate comments from untrained health professionals.

Hope Virgo began the petition with the aim of preventing eating disorders getting to the stage where intense treatment is needed.

Healthy life expectancy in the UK has fallen by about two years over the past decade, finds new report

A new analysis has found that people in the UK are now spending fewer years in good health than they were 10 years ago.

Healthy life expectancy has dropped to just under 61 for both men and women. This differs from overall life expectancy, which has remained broadly stable.

According to the new report, the UK is one of only a handful of wealthy countries to see healthy life expectancy reduce, and the fall has also been one of the steepest.

Regionally, people in the wealthiest areas of the UK can expect around 20 more years in good health than those in the poorest areas. In Richmond, healthy life expectancy is around 69 to 70 years, whereas in places such as Blackpool and Hartlepool, it is closer to 51.

The report names poverty, poor housing, obesity and the effects of COVID19 as part of the explanation for the decline.

GenHEART: Australia launches a new 10-year, multi-pronged plan put together by experts to tackle its obesity crisis

GenHEART, spearheaded by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), is a coordinated 10-year plan to improve long-term well-being and reverse concerning obesity trends among children and their parents. Heart health, diet, exercise and sleep will all be targeted under the new strategy.

Experts across cardiometabolic health, sleep, obesity, nutrition, physical activity, behavioural science and health economics from Victoria, Western Australia, NSW and Tasmania came together to form the new vision for Australia's youth.

With funding, the multifaceted intervention, initially involving four trials, will start in 2027. The trials will use on data and participants from Generation Australia, which brings together two innovative projects – Generation Victoria (GenV), involving 50,000 children, and ORIGINS, which follows 10,000 children and their families in Western Australia. 

Updated guidance published for dietitians supporting people with Parkinson’s

Parkinson's UK has launched the latest edition of the best practice guidelines for dietitians on the management of Parkinson's. The guidelines aim to support dietitians to recognise common symptoms and understand how to manage them.

The 2015 document was reviewed in collaboration with dietitians who specialise in the management of patients with Parkinson’s in both acute and community settings.

Committee members of the Neurosciences Specialist Group of the British Dietetics Association (BDA) contributed to the review.

The best practice guidelines are intended for dietitians who are new to working with people living with Parkinson’s, or who only have a small number of this patient group on their general caseload.

The dietitian guidelines explain the nutritional consequences of Parkinson's, and strategies for managing diet and nutrition-related symptoms