How healthy are we?
Fact checks about life expectancy and the reporting of medical risks
Study linking sleep time and heart disease risk shows correlation not causation
The Mail reported that a new study shows going to bed between 10pm and 11pm cuts your risk of heart disease. The study found a link between the two but …
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Herald suggests Scotland’s 2006 smoking ban behind drop in heart attacks since 1990
An article in The Herald misleadingly suggested the 2006 Scottish smoking ban was behind a 74% drop in heart attacks since 1990.
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New Statesman death comparison creates misleading picture
Rising death tolls do not necessarily show people are getting sicker, as the population is ageing and growing.
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Research suggesting health benefits of golf could also suggest benefits of being rich
Golfers in a study were less likely to die prematurely than other over 65s but the research didn’t prove that golf was the reason why.
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Spectator report on the effect of the sugar tax needs more context
The Spectator said the “achievement” of the sugar tax is an increase in sugar consumption. This data referred to food which isn’t covered by the tax. Sugar consumption in drink …
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The Mail’s diabetes front page needs context
Type 2 diabetes sufferers make up one in 10 hospital admissions in England but a small fraction were admitted for type 2 diabetes as the main diagnosis.
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We can’t say how many people are ‘hooked on’ prescription drugs
Research by Public Health England into the prescribing of five specific types of drug found there wasn’t enough evidence to say how many people were addicted.
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Being ‘measles free’ doesn’t mean there are no cases of measles
The World Health Organisation says ‘eliminating measles’ means the number of cases in a country is at a level where it can’t circulate easily.
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You’ve less than a one in three chance of reaching 100
The chance of reaching 100 for a 30 year old in the UK is estimated to be 17.2% for women and 12.5% for men. Not “one in three” as claimed …
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Has cocaine use really doubled in five years?
There isn’t enough available evidence to say that cocaine use in Britain has doubled, and certainly not that one in 50 Londoners are snorting it.
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Full Fact fights bad information
Bad information ruins lives. It promotes hate, damages people’s health, and hurts democracy. You deserve better.