International health news

There is a belief is that e-cigarettes, with their many sweet and appealing flavours, could be a gateway for teens to start smoking ‘real’ cigarettes. New research however suggests that the vaping technology is actually reducing the odds of young people smoking.

Or, teens who use e-cigarettes are in fact 6 times more likely to move onto ‘combustible cigarettes’.

The WHO has urged anyone who is considering getting pregnant in Zika affected countries should seek out “evidence-based information” beforehand, but deny recommending people in these areas not get pregnant.

New research has led to possible memory restoration in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Country updates

In the state of Oregon, USA, health insurance hikes have been announced, with increases ranging from 9.8% to 32%. These figures are for single insurers and depend on which company you go through.

It is suggested that these increased rates may in fact become higher before they are implemented in 2017.

Despite the increases, 2017 may also see new health plans introduced that have no copayments for primary care. The first cities to see this will be Atlanta and Chicago.

Health advice

For those of us with memories like sieves it might be useful to know that exercising four hours after learning something new can improve memory retention.

For anyone trying to decide what kind of diet to embark on, look no further than whole grains. A Harvard study has shown that 70 grams a day could increase your life expectancy.