Headache pill stalls cancer
Aspirin appears to stop new cancers from developing the blood vessels they need to be come tumours - a process called angiogenesis that only the newest anti-cancer drugs have been able to achieve. But aspirin and salicylate, the willow bark extract from which it's made, had the same effect in laboratory tests by researchers at the University of Newcastle in England. Unfortunately, aspirin can cause severe stomach bleeding, reports WebMD. 'Aspirin, if we can get it into the body safely, can inhibit angiogenesis,' says team leader Helen Arthur. 'We need to find ... even better drugs. But for the moment, aspirin is pretty hot.'
Menace of male partners
Women are most at risk of violence - often sexual - from their partners, according to a survey of more than 24,000 women in 10 countries by the World Health Organisation. Apart from Japan, no major developed countries were included. In 13 of 15 places surveyed, more than one in four women said they had been attacked by a partner at some stage - often severely, AFP reports. The safest place surveyed was Yokohama; and the most dangerous Butajira, a rural district in Ethiopia, where more than seven out of 10 women reported having been attacked.
Boning up on fizzy drinks
Women who drink cola every day have significantly weaker bones than those who drink it once a week or not at all, according to analysis of studies of more than 2,500 women published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The effect was less for decaffeinated cola. Men's bones weren't affected, healthday.com reports. Lower bone density can lead to osteoporosis, which can cause bone fractures, particularly in the hips.
Diet drinks boost booziness