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Chlamydia scheme slammed; superfoods warning and how Google could fend off Alzheimer’s

By Richard Staines

Our roundup of news headlines on Thursday 28 January.

Most of the newspapers cover the heavy criticism of the chlamydia screening scheme by the influential Public Accounts Committee. The PAC said that millions was wasted by strategic health authorities after the Department of Health allowed them to design their own schemes for the National Chlamydia Screening Programme.

The Daily Mail claims that the hype over eating age-defying superfoods could be damaging, as a diet containing too many antioxidants could be harmful to the ‘delicate balance' of nutrients the body needs. That seems a bit ripe, after the newspaper has been one of the standard bearers for lentils, blueberries and goji berries.

The newspaper also reports how a woman turned around her life-threatening anorexia by keeping a photo diary.

The Times covers research that shows it is possible to genetically reprogramme skin cells to become other tissues. The paper claims the discovery could ‘revolutionise' treatments for conditions such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's, opening up the possibility of turning a patient's own skin cells into the neurons that they need.

Becoming ‘web-savvy' could also help older people fend off Alzheimer's disease according to the Mirror today. They quote US academics who say that Google stimulates the brain more than reading a book.

Spotted a story we've missed? Let us know and we'll update the digest throughout the day...

Daily Digest - 28 January 2010