When you have dementia, being diagnosed early can help you and your loved ones manage the condition. It could also aid in treatment. A new study has found that in some cases, weight loss and lipid changes happened up to a decade before dementia was diagnosed. Also, concerns that people of a higher weight with restrictive eating disorders could access GLP-1s if doctors aren’t screening patients appropriately. And why type 1 diabetes is more commonly being diagnosed in adults, not just children an...
Mar 07, 2025•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast On social media, an influencer's job is to influence you — to get you to strive for a particular lifestyle or buy a specific product. In some cases they're pushing medical tests, telling people to take charge of their health with full body MRI scans and cancer detection tools that have very little, or no evidence to support them. Also, we take a comprehensive look at GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegovy for weight loss. And who should be substituting table salt for potassium salt?...
Feb 28, 2025•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Victoria is starting to notify women when they have dense breasts on their mammogram, following Western Australia and South Australia. So what does this information mean? And what should you be doing with it? Also, the concerning state of health policy in the United States. A correction on adolescent mental health. And what western medicine can learn from First Nations communities about autonomy and traditional living.
Feb 21, 2025•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Australia has been highlighted in an international report on the rising incidence of bowel cancer in young people. Our screening age was dropped last year to 45, however the overall uptake of bowel cancer screening remains at about 40 per cent. Also, a private hospital opening in Melbourne is promising to cut the cost to its patients down to zero. And what can be done to prevent depression and anxiety in adolescents?
Feb 14, 2025•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast There's a shortage of eggs in Australia, and it might not let up as we brace for the arrival of the H5N1 strain of bird flu. That strain has shown is can make the jump into humans. But how does it manage? Also, menopause hormone therapy is in high demand. What are the benefits and the risks? And with kids spending less time outside, short-sightedness is on the rise. But treatments are improving.
Feb 07, 2025•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are some things you can do to guard against cognitive decline, and a study has found a hands-on approach is best. Also, rates of vaccination in pregnancy are falling in New South Wales. Should Australia follow Italy's lead and screen everyone for coeliac disease? And we hear from two friends who've had strokes 20 years apart.
Jan 31, 2025•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kylie and Gillian had been friends for years when Kylie had a stroke in her early 30s. It turned Kylie's work-driven life upside down, and forced her and husband Chris to re-evaluate everything.
Jan 29, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast When Gillian suffered a stroke at age 50, Kylie was one of the first friends she reached out to. It wasn't Gillian's first life-altering medical emergency, having gone through cancer treatment years earlier.
Jan 29, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Despite their strokes being 20 years apart, Kylie and Gillian were left with similar disabilities. Both faced a long and often gruelling period of rehabilitation — thankfully with partners and friends by their sides.
Jan 29, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast When Kylie had her stroke, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) didn't exist. It took Gillian's stroke, 20 years later, for Kylie to fully understand how much support she was missing out on.
Jan 29, 2025•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast For a long time many have assumed they can tell how healthy a person is because of their weight. Now, a major global collaboration of experts is challenging that. A Lancet commission has recommended changing the criteria for clinical obesity to move away from BMI as a sole measure of health. Also, why a recent review into fluoride in drinking water is flawed — and a higher quality study done in our own backyard. And how a genetic study of depression could unlock new treatments for people who are...
Jan 24, 2025•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast We try to give little kids the best start in life, and in supermarkets there's an ever-expanding range of foods marketed specifically for them But how much sugar is in them? Plus, we peer into the evidence around ultra-processed foods. References: Ultra-processed foods are ‘pushing aside’ all other food groups to dominate global diets Science Extra: Weight of the world...
Jan 17, 2025•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Bras might seem unrelated to knee injuries, but research suggests otherwise. Women are significantly more prone to tearing their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and wearing the right bra could help reduce this risk. It's a good thing because knee injuries can have devastating consequences for women's health and mobility. And why vaping become one of the biggest health issues of 2024.
Jan 10, 2025•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast The first 2,000 days of life are crucial for brain development. Children learn and grow more during this time than at any other point in their lives. However, research shows many childcare centres are failing to provide proper nutrition: children are going hungry, and meals often don't meet basic dietary standards. Experts are calling for better food support in disadvantaged areas and improved nutritional guidelines for early childhood centres to help children get the nourishment they need....
Jan 03, 2025•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Scientists are increasingly concerned about the rising incidence of colorectal cancer among younger populations, and emerging research points to the gut microbiome as a key factor in understanding this trend. A study from the University of Melbourne uncovered a specific bacterial strain that can cause DNA damage, potentially triggering the development of colorectal cancer.
Dec 27, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Many individuals with knee osteoarthritis are being subjected to unnecessary tests and procedures, even though exercise is often the most effective treatment. New clinical care guidelines have been introduced, highlighting the importance of non-surgical approaches to manage pain and improve mobility. And do you ever worry you spend too much time sitting around? Well now you can find out. An international team of researchers has unpacked how long you should sit, stand, sleep and exercise for opti...
Dec 20, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Performance and image-enhancing drugs are more common than you might expect, especially if you're not enmeshed in gym culture. Experts are worried the medical community has fallen behind the rise in steroid use, leaving users physically and mentally vulnerable. Also, at-home testing kits promise to diagnose a range of illnesses from vitamin deficiency to cancers. Are they accurate? And motor neurone disease (MND) is affecting more Australians. With the environment likely to blame, researchers ar...
Dec 13, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast There's already a lot to think about when you're trying to get pregnant. Should plastic be one of them? Some fertility experts think that yes, cutting down your exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical used to make plastics, could help. Also, the mission to come up with consistent guidelines for the testing of gestational diabetes. As early as possible, or wait until 24 to 28 weeks? And why rethinking dementia could improve our experiences of the condition....
Dec 06, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sore back from sitting all day? A new study suggest virtual yoga — much of which can be done from a chair — could help relieve low back pain. AI-generated deepfakes of health professionals are promoting a supplement, and concerning new data on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Two stroke survivors challenge Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Bill Shorten, on NDIS accessibility and funding. And a pilot program examining how music therapy can help those affected by early onset...
Nov 29, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Some describe Australia as the allergy capital of the world, noting high rates of food allergies — what can parents do to help kids early? Why the term 'Munchausen by Proxy' is making headlines, and how to spot Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA). The global impact of Donald Trump's re-election on abortion access and funding. And a new study shows screening of parents can help identify couples with a higher chance of passing on genetic disorders to children....
Nov 22, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our joints are capable of making a cacophony of sounds, even more so as we get older. Is it ever a cause for concern? Research shows once more that vaccination protects against long COVID, but the timing of the jab may be important. Generations of teenagers have found a way to smoke weed — legal or not. So what do we know about the effects on the brain? And the Declaration of Helsinki has turned 60 years old. Are these ethical principles that guide clinical research up to scratch?...
Nov 15, 2024•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump's re-election could spell big health policy changes for the United States, including the rolling back of a 20th century intervention. Also, a major review into how health professionals operate in Australia, and how we can do better. How checking blood pressure in childhood could prevent heart disease down the line. Concerns about a common heart procedure. And, the last word on asthma treatment?
Nov 08, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Spray-on skin already helps many burns patients, but what about those with deeper burns? Meet the team trialling a technique to grow sheets of replacement skin. Takeaways from the inquiry into Australia's COVID-19 pandemic response, and a dip in childhood vaccination rates. A new gene variant among some First Nations peoples in Oceania that could explain susceptibility to some diseases. And how physiotherapists are helping women who experience pain during or after sex....
Nov 01, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast What keeps some people running while others drop off? New data from parkrun groups shows why some keep coming back to jogging. New draft limits on 'forever chemicals' PFAS in Australia's drinking water from national medical research body. Type 2 diabetes incidence seems to be edging down in Australian adults — but this decline isn't the same across all ethnic groups. And juvenile arthritis is as common as type 1 diabetes among children, but diagnosis is much slower and there are vastly fewer spe...
Oct 25, 2024•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast The ancient practice of blood letting is still a vitally important treatment for some people. But for years that blood was being discarded. The viruses behind the recent burst of infections this Spring, and why your recent blood pressure reading might have been incorrect. Self-harm is on the rise among for young people, a major new report recommends addressing social and cultural contributors to halt this rise. And meet the 'breech whisperer' helping deliver babies in the breech position — botto...
Oct 18, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are plenty of app games on the market claiming to help kids with ADHD, depression or anxiety, a review examines if they do. MicroRNA researchers have won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. What's the big deal with these tiny molecules? Despite being common, there are few treatments for functional seizures and functional neurological disorder (FND). A new program is changing that. The rate of skin infections in Aboriginal children living in remote communities has halved over th...
Oct 11, 2024•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast There's long been an assumed link between ADHD and dyslexia, and now a study has looked at the genes of thousands of people to find the overlap. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that can be found in homes and workplaces. Researchers have looked at a potential link between domestic levels of radon and childhood leukaemia. Can period-tracking apps be trusted to give you information about your fertility? And science fiction is becoming science fact in the field of brain-computer interfaces....
Oct 04, 2024•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are areas known as 'Blue Zones' where people were thought to live very long lives. It was thought to have something to do with lifestyles in these spots, but one demographer has debunked the entire notion. Also, we discuss the best way to maintain weight loss in adolescents with weight-related health problems. How to screen for prostate cancer better, with fewer false alarms. And a new protocol that could reduce the toxicity of Hodgkin lymphoma treatment....
Sep 27, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast The government bans life insurers from using genetic testing results to demand higher premiums. Inflammation in childhood is linked to metabolic disorders and mental illness in later life. Australian invention could revolutionise X-ray market. And COVID antiviral gets put to the test.
Sep 20, 2024•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast A scientist carbon dated his own kidney stone to better understand the mysterious, and painful, formations. How a new approach could curb the biggest killer of young people. The Ebola vaccine is put to the test. And diabetes drugs now available for weight loss prescriptions in Australia.
Sep 13, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
