Vitamin D protects pancreas Taking the recommended daily dose of vitamin D can cut the risk of contracting deadly pancreatic cancer almost in half, according to analysis at Northwestern University in Chicago of studies of more than 122,000 people. Those who took the recommended 400 units a day had a 43 per cent lower risk. Increasing the dose didn't reduce this further, Reuters reports. Vitamin D is produced when sunlight hits the skin. It's also contained in foods such as fish, eggs and liver. There's no effective screening for pancreatic cancer, the fourth-leading cause of death from cancer in the US. Happy pill aids minute men A new anti-depressant has proved to be safe and effective in treating premature ejaculation in University of Minnesota trials of more than 2,600 men - however, one of the potential side-effects of long-term use is loss of libido. Premature ejaculation is the most common male sexual problem, affecting up to one in three Americans. Dapoxetine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor - anti-depressants used to treat the condition because one of the side-effects is to delay ejaculation. Before treatment, the men ejaculated within a minute of penetration, on average. Dapoxetine increased this to 2.78 minutes - which apparently satisfied the researchers. Cuppas lead to longer life Drinking green tea may help you live longer, according to a Japanese study of more than 40,000 people - but you've got to drink at least five cups a day, preferably for about a decade. The 11-year Tohoku University study found that green tea, which is rich in antioxidants, was particularly effective in fighting heart disease, but didn't have any effect against cancer, healthday.com reports. The benefits appear to be greater if you're a non-smoking woman - and if the tea isn't too hot. In Japan, 100's not out Whether or not green tea is a factor, the number of Japanese living past 100 has risen almost four-fold during the past decade and is expected to pass 28,000 this year, according to government figures. And the UN forecasts that Japan's centenarian population will reach almost one million - the world's largest - by 2050. About 85 per cent of the centenarians are women, AP reports. Japan has about 22 centenarians per 100,000 people, compared with 18 per 100,000 in the US. Help for women's hot flashes A rhubarb extract significantly reduces the frequency and severity of hot flashes in perimenopausal women within four weeks, according to a German study of more than 100 women going through the transition period. The extract, eRr 731, doesn't contain oestrogens and the researchers aren't sure how and why it seems to work, WebMD reports. A US study has found that meditation appears to also reduce the frequency and severity of flashes - by 39 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively, according to the 11-week, University of assachusetts trial. Men exercising but getting fat China's population is getting fitter - and fatter, according to a government survey of 495,000 people throughout the mainland. Compared with five years ago, there was a slight increase in fitness levels overall, most significantly among those aged 20 to 39, and those living on the more affluent east coast, AFP reports. However, men have been putting on weight, with more than 30 per cent now overweight (compared with 1.3 per cent in 2000), and 9.3 per cent obese (compared with 1.7 per cent from five years ago). Women's weight hasn't changed significantly. Pay rise? We'll drink to that People who drink earn much more than teetotallers, according to a San Jose State University study that attributes the better pay to social drinkers' opportunity and ability to network. The study, published in the Journal of Labor Research, found that men who drank earned 10 per cent more, and women as much as 14 per cent more, AFP reports. 'Social drinking builds social capital,' says co-author Edward Stringham. 'Drinkers tend to be more social than abstainers.' And he says that policies aimed at discouraging public drinking may be bad. 'Not only do [they] reduce drinkers' fun, but they may also decrease earnings.' Jason Sankey is a tennis professional