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Aurora top 20 – July 2010

Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by phaedrus in Health, Industry, News, Top 20

With summer well under way, Aurora is making the most of the remaining (hopefully) long, hot, balmy nights. Since last month’s top 20 newsletter, our summer campaign, ‘We Hate Social Media’, has been in full swing and is now available to view at the above link. Still to come to our YouTube channel is the bloopers (outtakes) video, and we will drop you an email when this is ready to view.

July delivered a sweltering hotbed of health news, with a relatively large number of re-entries to the Aurora top 20 chart. Among the nine re-arrivals are some familiar faces that dipped out of the table last month. Both Alzheimer’s disease and dementia made it into the top 20 this month amid news of a new inexpensive blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s up to ten years before symptoms appear, and an accidentally discovered pill that may be able to stop the condition. Cholesterol and stroke, two areas that are closely linked in their media coverage, just as they are in medical terms, also returned to the news. Recreational drugs also achieved re-entry, in at 12th position, with news of drug abuse in children and some US research treating post-traumatic stress disorder with Ecstasy. Another re-entry that formed part of a broader theme in the health news this month was fertility, which returned to join breast cancer and pregnancy in a top 10 laden with women’s health issues, which we investigate further below.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Breast cancer was big news in July and we are pleased to say reporting was largely positive. Firstly, and most strikingly, The Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail reported that survival rates for breast, bowel and ovarian cancer have doubled since the 1970s. This is fantastic news and testament to the sterling work being done by medical science in this area. A practical example of this research was also covered in the health pages, as olaparib, a new, oral, first-in-class cancer drug (the PARP inhibitor), is showing great promise in inherited breast cancers. In addition to this, British scientists have identified a gene prominent in the spreading of HER2 cancer that may help to stop advanced breast cancers spreading in a fifth of patients.

In terms of lifestyle, women with breast cancer have been advised that fish oil supplements may cut the risk of breast cancer, and that olive oil contains a substance that can actually kill off breast cancer cells. So, yet again, it’s a healthy Mediterranean diet for all and don’t hold back on the calories either as The Sun and Daily Mirror reported this month that being fat as a child may reduce breast cancer risk. They don’t advocate being overweight but the research provides interesting insight into the factors affecting the development of breast cancer from an early age.

Fertility was rife in the July health news, with varied reporting coming from a range of UK daily nationals. Firstly, the inevitable tone of worry and fear around an issue like fertility was realised in stories stating that drinking while pregnant may harm a male child’s future fertility and that over eating during pregnancy increases chances of the child becoming obese later in life, which in turn can also reduce fertility. Another fertility story was good news for older women, as the NHS may be extending its free three cycles of IVF treatment, currently only available to women between 23 and 39, to the over forties.

Fascinatingly, research from the University of Sheffield has suggested that, as more women have children later in life these days, the successful offspring that continue their genetic lines will have longer lasting fertility genes and therefore also be able to have children at a more mature age. Is this evidence that we are evolving to adjust to an ageing population?

Pregnancy had a turbulent term in the health news this month, with several cautions being doled out to expecting mothers. Lifestyle factors that can harm babies in the womb were covered throughout the month and in a number of newspapers. The Guardian warned that overweight women should slim down before starting to try for a baby, while the Daily Mail reported that ‘eating-for-two’ increases chances fourfold of being obese in later life, jeopardising future health. And if it’s not what you eat, it’s what you drink: The Daily Mail again said that fizzy drinks can increase risk of premature babies. Additionally, drinking alcohol while pregnant was widely reported to adversely affect the health of children – big surprise there then!

In the spirit of balanced reporting however, The Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail did report one positive story aimed at pregnant women. Vitamin D was said to protect babies’ health while in the womb so pregnant women were encouraged to take vitamin D supplements in addition to ensuring they get a bit of sun (but not too much) and manage their diet to include foods high in vitamin D.

And finally, next time you are enjoying nature in the midsummer heat, spare a thought for the humble yet heroic honey bee. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down but, according to The Daily Telegraph and Daily Express, a spoonful of honey can help fight hospital acquired superbugs, including MRSA, which has been recorded to have killed up to 273 Britons in a single year. So here’s to honey!

Aurora strives to apply quantitative, qualitative and emotional understanding of health issues to client communication programmes. Dove-tailing informed PR activity with the media’s appetite enables us to assist clients with communicating their vision.

To find out more, contact Neil Crump or Claire Eldridge on +44 (0)20 7424 7940.

The top 20, started in April 2007, provides our interpretative snap-shot of health stories in the national press and is based upon a quantitative process. This analysis is based on news from the 26 June 2010 to 25 July 2010.

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