January finally saw a ban on advertising junk food to children on TV before 9pm. But, as usual with health policy, this is too little, too late e.g. with brand advertising on TV still allowed and no ban on outdoor advertising. www.health.org.uk/features-and...

Good to see the government has published its long-awaited update to the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM – providing an up to date assessment of how healthy foods are. obesityhealthalliance.org.uk/2026/01/27/g...

Good to see the House of Lords voted to ban social media for under 16’s - www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... In an ideal world this wouldn’t be needed. But there seem few other realistic options to protect young people from social media companies who put profits before young people’s mental health.

People who come off slimming jabs regain weight four times faster than dieters. That’s the finding from research published in the BMJ - www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... The quick fix may not always be the best.

There’s growing pressure to protect children’s mental health by banning smartphones for under 16s - pressure from parents, teachers and across the political spectrum. Is Keir Starmer starting to listen? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Vulnerable people turning to AI chatbots instead of professional therapists for mental health support could be “sliding into a dangerous abyss”, psychotherapists have warned. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Families in areas of higher poverty – like the North of England – less likely to have access to healthy, affordable food and more likely to have children who live with obesity. www.healthequitynorth.co.uk/app/uploads/... Time to tackle health inequalities!

Food Insecurity Linked to Rapid, Reversible Mental Health Deterioration new research has shown. However, mental health improved rapidly when food security was restored. journals.plos.org/mentalhealth...

Two new Canadian studies suggest the plant-based Portfolio Diet, which features cholesterol-lowering food choices, can reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality across diverse groups. bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Looks like people’s health in the US is at increased risk – as all 17 permanent members of the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices were dismissed and partially replaced with known vaccine critics and underqualified individuals. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

In 2019 vaccine scepticism was identified as one of the top 10 global health threats by the WHO – and it’s getting worse. So, what are the modifiable risk factors? bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Living in the most polluted areas increases your risk of heart failure by up to 27%, according to research for the British Heart Foundation - Time to take pollution from vehicles and industry more seriously www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/n...

The worst diet quality, the highest levels of food insecurity and the highest levels of adult obesity – that’s the sad reality for the north of England, according to this report - www.thenhsa.co.uk/what-we-do-n... Time to take health inequalities seriously.

What have we been working on over the last year? Find out in our Annual Review - www.healthactionresearch.org.uk/assets/docum...

Keep moving! As we get older sedentary time is associated with smaller brain volume, greater neurodegeneration and worse cognitive performance. alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Exposure to air pollution may alter our brain structure in ways that are bad for our health. www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/... Time to take tackling pollution seriously!

Are we overprotecting children? History suggests that reducing children's opportunities for play negatively affect their mental health in adolescence. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Can Vitamin D protect our telomeres? That’s what research suggests – and this may reduce the risk of ageing-related conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and premature mortality. ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S000...

Consuming higher amounts of diet drinks and/or saccharin was associated with an elevated risk of developing diabetes, according to a US study www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

More than 90% of local authorities will see an increase in children leaving primary school overweight or obese. That’s the Royal Society for Public Health’s assessment. Time to take tackling childhood obesity seriously! www.rsph.org.uk/about-us/new...

As the UK population ages, increasing the risk of dementia, might owning a dog or cat slow cognitive decline? www.nature.com/articles/s41... We already know that more years in education and action to improve heart health also help reduce dementia risk.

Health Inequalities – a female perspective. Women spend 25% of their lives in greater illness and disability than men, but only 4% of venture capital investment in healthcare is directed toward women’s health. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

A new twist on the Mind Body connection? Prebiotics and probiotics seem to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

The UK ranks 27 out of 36 high-income countries for children’s mental wellbeing, according to UNICEF. Time for fresh thinking? www.unicef.org/innocenti/re...

Mental-health lessons in schools sound like a great idea. Unfortunately, research suggests they often don’t work and may even make things worse. Time for a rethink? www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

About 14% of premature deaths in England are attributable to unhealthy food, an international study finds - the most among the countries surveyed! www.ajpmonline.org/article/S074...

The UK’s heart health has declined more quickly at the start of the 2020s than in any other decade for over 50 years, the British Heart Foundation has warned. The lack of meaningful government action to tackle obesity is one suggested cause. www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/n...

Nature-based activity provides effective therapy for anxiety and depression. That’s the verdict from a study with patients who had mild to moderate mental health conditions. www.york.ac.uk/news-and-eve...

Is early life adversity a risk factor for later life cognitive and mental health? If so, do we need to look beyond abuse or neglect? Might unpredictability and inequality also be risk factors? www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...

Could the layout of trees impact human health? A long-term Swiss study found that neighbourhoods with numerous, well-arranged trees exhibit lower mortality risks than other areas. Something for urban planners to consider? www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Good to see media coverage of our call, with the Obesity Health Alliance, for urgent Government action to protect babies and young children from unhealthy food. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Should Parkrun be prescribed by GPs to improve mental and physical health? A YouGov poll of 2,000 adults found that 65% believed so, with 51% agreeing it would reduce pressure on the NHS. news.sky.com/story/parkru...

A pioneering project by Welsh National Opera suggests singing and breathing exercises can alleviate chronic pain and improve mental health. Find out more here - www.theguardian.com/music/2025/m...

Racism can affect health, as a recent report identifies - www.health.org.uk/reports-and-... However, diagnosed ill health is lower among people of Chinese, Black African and Indian origin. What other factors are affecting health here?

Postcode Lottery 2.0? Living in the most disadvantaged areas is associated with the most severe forms of disability 11- 12 years earlier than in the least deprived areas. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Why are employment rates for people with health conditions worse in the UK than in many European countries? What can be done to improve things? Find out more in the Commission for Healthier Working Lives report. www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...

What is HomeHealth? Could it be a cost effective way of improving health for people with mild frailty and reducing unplanned hospital admissions? www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Is play is being squeezed out of children's lives – leaving generations of children to grow up unhealthy, unhappy, and not ‘school ready’. Does England need a Play Strategy? www.centreforyounglives.org.uk/play-commiss...

What is Here for as long as you need us – and how has it reduced parental anxiety and postnatal depression in one of Nottingham’s most deprived areas? Find out more here - www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/publications...

Are some foods bad for our mental health - like fried food, sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods? If so, is this contributing to the prevalence of mental health problems in the UK? uk.style.yahoo.com/foods-drinks...

We know poverty increases long term physical and mental health risks, particularly for children. So, how can child poverty be reduced? Here are recommendations from the Resolution Foundation - www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications...

What are the commercial determinants of health e.g. do companies exploit people on low incomes by targeting deprived areas with 6 times more ads and outlets selling unhealthy products than wealthy areas? www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/publications... Illustration by Chelsie Fu

What role can the NHS play in preventing ill health – to complement its traditional role of just diagnosing and treating it? Here’s a discussion paper from the Faculty for Public Health - www.fph.org.uk/media/u1ofhk... #preventionbeatscure

Might some school-based mental health interventions be doing more harm than good? A recent government analysis supports our own research review conducted a few years ago. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67a0f0...

School bans aren’t enough to tackle the negative impacts of phone and social media use - because most social media use takes place outside school, where research found that more time on phones and social media was linked to worse mental health and wellbeing. www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2025/sc...

Why isn’t more being done to tackle obesity? Adult obesity has doubled since 1993 and children in the most deprived areas are more than twice as likely to be obese as those in the least deprived areas. researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN... #preventionbeatscure

We support one of Future Mind’s recommendations in particular - An independent Government-commissioned review to examine the causes of the rise in prevalence in children and young people’s mental health - www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/publications... #preventionbeatscure

Has age-related decline in older adults slowed in England, due to improved education, nutrition and sanitation across the 20th century? However, are these gains now at risk due to the increasing prevalence of obesity? www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/study-f...

Good to see our analysis is going mainstream: that mental health conditions are real but there’s also been an unhelpful over-medicalisation of mental health www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/library/chan....

Pleased to see Recipe for Change’s call for evidence on measures to incentivise healthier food and drink production beyond the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, including further financial levers. www.recipeforchange.org.uk