Your age, on your page: the latest research

Vitamin C and E supplements do not prevent pre-eclampsia in pregnant women. In a study published in New England Journal of Medicine, Australian researchers put the lid on the idea that vitamin supplements8212;C and E8212;reduce either the risk of pre-eclampsia related high blood pressure of kidney impairment in pregnant women.

ZERO TO 12

Gene therapy for kids risky

Gene therapy used to treat children with no immune system could be far riskier than previously thought, said a US study published in Nature this week. The treatment is used for children with X-SCID8212;commonly known as 8220;bubble boy8221; syndrome. The authors the treatment itself can cause cancer.

12 to 20

Bullied kids gain extra weight

Everybody knows the fat kid is likely to be bullied. But research suggests that bullying might be partly responsible for the fat. One quarter of overweight children reported being bullied, and it was related with depression, loneliness, anxiety and curtailed physical activity, according to a paper by a University of Florida psychologist in Journal of Pediatric Psychology. Overweight kids, it said, can be bullied off the playgrounds, making their struggles with excess pounds worse.

20 to 50

Pregnancy reduces breast cancer risk

Pregnancy is associated with a reduced the risk of breast cancer, according to a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Among women who had been pregnant and were older than 40, each additional birth reduced the risk of breast cancer by 14 per cent, the results indicate.

50 and above

Exercise improves physical function

In obese adults in their 60s and 70s, moderate weight loss achieved through diet and exercise goes a long way in combating frailty, reports a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. In the study, 27 frail obese volunteers were randomly assigned to 26 weeks of diet and exercise, or no treatment. The group who exercised, lost 8.4 per cent body weight. They also showed improvements in physical function8212;muscle strength, walking speed, endurance and balance.