UK scientists say they have discovered a new way to regulate blood pressure, offering hopes of new drugs to combat strokes and heart attacks.

One in four adults has high blood pressure and although powerful drugs are already available, few manage to achieve target blood pressure levels.

The pathway found in a study by King’s College London involves a process called oxidation, reports Science.

Until now, oxidation has largely been linked with harm rather than good. Click here for full report.

A host of top athletes have hailed the recovery powers of milk on the back of two new pieces of groundbreaking research.

Champion decathlete Dean Macey, Olympic sprinter Marlon Devonish and long jumper Greg Rutherford were all quick to celebrate the news that milk may promote better recovery after exercise than both water and isotonic sports drinks.

The key new study, conducted by Loughborough University and published in the British Journal of Nutrition, indicated that milk is significantly more effective than water or isotonic drinks at re-hydration after training.
And it’s more good news for dairy as a second study, which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition this month, also backed milk as a post-exercise drink.

This study suggested that milk can help increase muscle size and strength, whilst reducing body fat.  Several other studies have also noted milk’s positive effects on exercise and recovery, while athletes and sports teams are already experiencing the benefits by consuming milk after training.

Dean Macey said: “I can’t say it comes as a huge surprise to me that this research says milk is the best thing for athletes, it makes perfect sense. If you want a great, natural drink to help performance then it’s got to contain milk every time.” Read more »

Following speculation in the British media at the beginning of the week Tim Henman OBE has confirmed that he will retire from professional tennis after the Davis Cup tie against Croatia at Wimbledon at the end of September.

The announcement came at a press conference in New York where Tim is preparing for the US Open which starts on Monday.

The former British Number one said “This certainly isn’t a decision I have taken lightly and is something I have been thinking about for a long time. While I still enjoy competing it has become clear that my ability to do so has been severely compromised by my fitness – I have recently found it impossible to withstand the rigours of playing tennis at the highest level.”

Apart from his many fans and supporters, there’s no doubt that adidas will also miss this very popular man. After all, Tim has been in the Top 20 in the world every year since turning pro in 1993! Read more »

Triumph shapes up for the autumn with the launch of the new Tri-Action Extreme sports bra.

Designed for high impact, strenuous sports, this bra is packed with functional features that prevent abrasion at pressure points and ensure perfect support and comfort.

There’s no doubt that if you feel well supported and comfortable, your performance will be superior.

High-tech fabrics such as Coolmax and Tactel/Micro were chosen for their feel-good qualities plus their ability to wick moisture (perspiration) away from the skin thus keeping the body cool, fresh and dry and neutralizing odours.

The seamfree, moulded bra cups in stretch circular knit fabric are lined with soft, stretch net tulle and have a shaped, rigid net cradle at the bottom of each for additional support.

The sides and the front straps are overlaid with mesh – which while functional in aiding the circulation of air - is a decorative feature too. Mesh is also used in a V-shaped insertion at the centre front, backed with rigid tulle for stability.

The straps broaden on the shoulder and are cushioned with gel inserts so they won’t dig in. The underbust band is in a firm stretch fabric with a very soft plush finish and the double hook and eye back fastening, which has a choice of three settings, is lined with velour.

The bra is in white with red edging which gives a dynamic and shapely plunge effect at the front. The elasticated back straps with length adjuster are also red, while the underbust band and centre front edge are black.

Sizes range from 32 / 40, B / E cups. Approx. Retail Price: £27

Just when you thought it was safe to forget the rain and make a break for the beach amid a possible, fleeting breakthrough in the weather this weekend, a report on sea-side pollution released today might make you think again.

Confirmation that this year’s August Bank Holiday marks the climax of a shower-soaked, dreary summer comes in a report by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) showing a distinct increase in pollution on Britain’s beaches.

According to the report, one in eight UK beaches - 71 in total - has suffered a “serious short-term pollution incident” in the first half of the summer, while 16 of the 553 beaches tested failed minimum bathing water quality standards. The tests are based on EC mandatory standards for bacteria. Last year only two of the 520 beaches surveyed failed.
Click here for full report.

After six years of meticulous research and development, Nike has launched a revolution in sports underwear for women – the Nike Performance Underwear collection.

“When our research team spoke with women about what they were looking for, we found that 70% of women were wearing the wrong sized bra and the majority of the women had experienced sports-related breast pain or discomfort, what’s more, they were crying out for adjustability as no two women’s chest and cup sizes are the same. That’s why we’ve focused on making the Nike Revolutionary Support Bra as adjustable as possible,” says Nike women’s fitness innovation designer, Dana Reinisch.

The Nike Revolutionary Support Bra features 10 settings for the shoulder straps and five for the chest strap, allowing each individual to customize the fit.

By using motion capture analysis at the Nike Sports Research Lab, researchers found that breasts move in a figure of eight when a woman is running, dancing or doing strenuous exercise. As a result, the bra has been designed to incorporate a compression strap which comes between the breasts and can be adjusted depending on how much support you need. It helps control both the horizontal and vertical movement of the breasts and also helps to prevent upward bounce.

Breasts are held up by Cooper’s ligaments - not muscles - as many women assume. Cooper’s ligaments are not elastic: once they stretch, they won’t bounce back. Nike sports bras are designed to limit breast movement and provide superior support and comfort by distributing the front load of the breast more evenly around the body.

The Nike Revolutionary Support Bra features 10 settings for the shoulder straps and five for the chest strap, allowing each individual to customize the fit. Nike Revolutionary Support Bra RRP £40

Contrary to popular belief, far from being couch potatoes, a surprisingly high proportion of youngsters play sport out of school and would like to do more when they are older, according to a report out today.

Most youngsters (68%) play games during their lunch breaks, and 88% say they regularly include sport and leisure in their out of school activities.

The study was carried out for Visa UK, a sponsor of the UK School Games, which start in Coventry today.

Football is the number one sport, with 64% of children playing on a regular basis, including more than 40% of girls. David Beckham is the most popular choice as a sporting hero (19%), polling more nominations than Lewis Hamilton, Jonny Wilkinson, Amir Khan and Paula Radcliffe combined (11% in total). The research also showed that when children play computer games 63% involve sport.

Eight out of 10 (79%) say they would like to do more, or the same amount, of sport when they are older. Half of girls (51%) want to play more sport in the future, bucking a national trend of reduced sporting activity when girls reach 16. Nine out of 10 children think sports facilities at their school are very good or fairly good, with only one in 20 saying they are poor. Click here for full report.

London is buzzing today with the news that, for one remarkable day, many of the capital’s roads will be completely traffic-free and open only to cyclists.

All Londoners – from mums on shoppers to old folks on rusty relics – will be have the opportunity to ride down the city’s most famous roads, seeing sights like London Eye, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge.

“It’s a chance to enjoy a view of London you’ve never seen before” said Mark Watts from the Mayor of London’s Office. “You can pedal at your leisure past sights like The Houses of Parliament, the Thames and Buckingham Palace. It’s free and anyone can be part of it.”

The entire route is only nine miles in total. So it’s not some gruelling cycle marathon, it’s just a nice day out for the whole family.

However, it’s not just about cycling the route. According to organisers, getting their will be half the fun, with a host of Freewheel Hubs around the capital where people can meet up and cycle in together. Plus, once you get there, you can stop off and chill out at The Freewheel Festival in St James’s Park.

The Hovis London Freewheel – organised by the Mayor of London – is aimed at encouraging more people in London to cycle. London is already experiencing a cycle revolution with the number of cyclists soaring by 83 per cent since 2000.

Targeted at all Londoners especially those who have access to a bike, but do not use it, the Hovis London Freewheel will offer participants a traffic-free ride round some of London’s most famous roads and landmarks. Riders will have the support, advice and help of regular cyclist ‘mentors’.

The Hovis London Freewheel is accessible to and inclusive of all Londoners, including those with disabilities.

Registration and participation in the Hovis London Freewheel is FREE. Click here to register.

British adventurer Roz Savage, 39, who last year rowed alone across the Atlantic, is attempting to become the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean.

For the Atlantic challenge she worked hard to build up her powers of endurance. She was training for up to 16 hours a day on her WaterRower machine. Roz said “Rowing for 16 hours is never fun, but the WaterRower made it much more tolerable - it felt relatively gentle on my back and the rowing stroke felt realistic, right down to the sound of the water swirling in the drum.”

This time she is building on her experiences of the Atlantic Challange and hopes to cross the world’s largest ocean in three stages.

Stage One:
Presidio Yacht Club, San Francisco (37 50′N 122 28′W)
to Waikiki, Hawaii (21 17′N 157 50′W)
2081 nautical miles, 2395 statute miles, 3854 kilometres, bearing 252 degrees

Stage Two:
Waikiki, Hawaii (21 17′N 157 50′W)
to Tuvalu (8 30′S 179 12′E)
2180 nautical miles, 2509 statute miles, 4038 kilometres, bearing 217 degrees

Stage Three:
Tuvalu (8 30′S 179 12′E)
to Cairns, Australia (16 54′S 145 48′E)
2020 nautical miles, 2324 statute miles, 3740 kilometres, bearing 252 degrees

You can find out how Roz is getting on with her latest challenge by clicking here.

Thousands of arthritis patients with crippling disabilities were given new hope yesterday after winning the right to free treatment with a “smart” drug.

The surprise decision to approve NHS funding of the antibody drug MabThera was hailed as “a triumph” by one leading charity.

The news comes less than three weeks after a health service watchdog issued draft guidance rejecting free prescriptions of another cutting-edge drug, Orencia, for people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.

Read more »