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** 14 November 2023
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** UK
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** Teesside smokers and ex-smokers ignoring invite for lung cancer check (#1)
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** Tory leadership candidate appointed health minister (#2)
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** International
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** Europe: Some ultra-processed foods are good for your health, WHO-backed study finds (#3)
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** UK
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** Teesside smokers and ex-smokers ignoring invite for lung cancer check
Almost 10,000 smokers and ex-smokers have ignored a letter inviting them to have a free lung cancer check, according to a health trust.
More than 24,600 people on Teesside were sent the letters but 40% did not respond despite the disease being curable if caught early.
A Teesside NHS spokesperson said 81 patients in the area had had a recent diagnosis and were getting treatment.
Teesside has one of the highest mortality rates for lung cancer in England and South Tees Hospitals and North Tees and Hartlepool trusts were among 43 chosen in 2022 to run targeted lung health check pilots.
Lung cancer rarely presents any symptoms at its early stages.
However, those diagnosed with the disease early are almost 20 times more likely to survive for five years than if it is caught later, according to a spokesperson for the NHS North East and Cumbria.
Dr Janet Walker, medical director of the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, said: "We've had 81 diagnosed with cancer and many of them have been diagnosed at an early stage.
"Many have also already had that curative surgery, which is fantastic. So why wouldn't you - when your letter comes landing on your door map - open it?" she said.
"Go through the process and take the opportunity to be tested."
Source: BBC News, 13 November 2023
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** Tory leadership candidate appointed health minister
Two new ministers have been appointed to the Department of Health and Social Care in Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle.
Andrew Stephenson has been named health minister and Dame Andrea Leadsom has become junior health minister.
The appointments come after health minister Will Quince and junior health minister Neil O’Brien resigned on Monday morning.
The department also has a new health and care secretary, after Victoria Atkins replaced Steve Barclay. Mr Barclay, who had been in the post since October last year, has been appointed environment secretary.
Dame Andrea, MP for South Northamptonshire since 2010, is returning to a government post for the first time since 2020. Her previous posts include environment secretary and leader of the House of Commons. She was most recently business secretary, from summer 2019 until early 2020, when she was removed in a reshuffle by then prime minister Boris Johnson.
Meanwhile, Mr Stephenson, MP for Pendle since 2010, has held various ministerial posts since 2017. These include housing and communities minister, minister for Africa, and transport minister, where his portfolio included HS2. He was most recently a government whip.
Source: HSJ, 14 November 2023
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** International
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** Europe: Some ultra-processed foods are good for your health, WHO-backed study finds
Some ultra-processed foods increase the risk of developing cancer, heart disease and diabetes – but others are good for you, new research into the demonised foodstuffs suggests.
A major new international study has found that regular consumption of meat products – such as sausages – and sugary drinks make it more likely that someone will get those diseases.
But bread and cereals actually reduce someone’s risk of them – because they contain fibre – despite also being ultra-processed foods (UPF), the same researchers also concluded, in findings published in The Lancet.
Similarly, sauces, spreads and condiments are also bad for human health, but not as much as animal products and soft drinks.
However, several other major types of UPF previously seen as harmful: sweets and desserts, ready meals, savoury snacks and plant-based alternatives to meat products also got the all-clear. They are “not associated with risk of multimorbidity”, said the authors.
The authors said: “In this multinational European prospective cohort study, we found that higher consumption of UPF was associated with a higher risk of multimorbidity of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases.”
Heinz Freisling, a co-author of the paper and expert at the World Health Organization’s cancer research agency IARC, which also collaborated on the study, said: “Our study emphasises that it is not necessary to completely avoid ultra-processed foods; rather, their consumption should be limited, and preference be given to fresh or minimally processed foods.”
Source: The Guardian, 13 November 2023
See also: The Lancet Regional Health - Consumption of ultra-processed foods and risk of multimorbidity of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases: a multinational cohort study ([link removed](23)00190-4/fulltext)
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