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Daily digest June 26 2015

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Daily digest

Alcohol-related hospital admissions rise again

The number of hospital admissions in England related to alcohol consumption rose by 5% from 2013 to 2014, continuing an upward trend that has seen drink-related cases more than double over the past decade, the Guardian reports.

There were 1,059,210 admissions attributed to an alcohol-related disease, injury or condition – up from 493,760 in 2003/04 – according to statistics published yesterday by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. 

Almost half of admissions in 2013/14 were due to cardiovascular disease and the number of alcohol-related deaths has also risen to 6,592 in 2013, up 1% on the previous year and 10% in a decade.

Read more on the Guardian website

Eating disorders in young girls double in just three years

Soaring numbers of young girls are being treated in hospital for eating disorders, with admissions more than doubling in three years, Mail Online reports. 

Experts have blamed the rise on children's use of mobile phones, and exposure to advertising. They said the ability of children to constantly access images of celebrities is a contributing factor.

Figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre show there were 1,656 admissions for girls aged 19 and under in 2013/14, up from 840 in 2010/11. 

Read more on the Mail Online website

Anti-ageing pill could add ten years to your life

A pill that could prolong life by a decade will be available in as little as ten years, say scientists.

Researchers have shown for the first time that a skin cancer drug called trametinib can slow the ageing process and extend a patient’s lifespan by delaying age-related death, the Daily Express reports.

Cathy Slack from the team at University College London spearheading the study, called the findings ‘a significant step on the way to developing treatments that delay the onset of ageing’.

Read more on the Express website

Music festival wristbands contain 20 times more bacteria than clothes

Music festival wristbands turn into secret germ farms, which could leave unlucky wearers covered in boils, the Mirror reports.

The problems arise because thousands of pop fans continue to wear the bands for months as a fashion item – with many flaunting up to five at a time.

University of Surrey microbiology professor Alison Cottell found they had around 20 times more bacteria than clothes.

Read more on the Mirror website