Consuming lots of energy drinks may raise heart disease and stroke risk, say doctors

Heavy consumption of energy drinks may raise the risk of heart disease and pose a serious risk of stroke, doctors have warned.Millions of people worldwide regularly drink the products, which are non-alcoholic and typically contain more than 150mg of caffeine per litre, very high glucose-based sugar content and varying quantities of other chemicals.Doctors in Nottingham, England, sounded the alarm after an otherwise fit and healthy man in his 50s had a stroke and was left with permanent numbness in his hands and feet. On questioning, he said he drank an average of eight energy drinks a day.The case, reported in the medical journal BMJ Case Reports, also prompted doctors to call for tighter regulation of sales and advertising of energy drinks

Young people have faced ‘violent indifference’ for decades, Lisa Nandy says

Young people have faced “violent indifference” from the political establishment for decades, leaving them struggling to navigate a changing world, the culture secretary said as she announced the first national youth strategy in 15 years.In an interview with the Guardian, Lisa Nandy said young people today were the most digitally connected but also the most isolated generation, adding that more could be done to police online spaces under new laws.She said too many of them did not believe politics could be a force for good, so were turning away from mainstream parties including Labour. The youth strategy could “put them back in the driving seat of their own lives”, Nandy added.The Youth Matters plan, backed by £500m, aims to give 500,000 more young people access to a trusted adult outside their home, boost resilience and teach skills including how to stay safe online

People urged to wear masks when they are ill as UK faces ‘tidal wave’ of flu

People experiencing flu or cold symptoms should wear a mask in public places as the UK grapples with a “tidal wave” of illness, an NHS leader has said.Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said the country was facing a “very nasty strain of flu” that had occurred earlier in the year than normal, and face coverings should be worn on public transport, as during the Covid pandemic.He told Times Radio: “When you were talking about anything like Covid, I think we need to get back into the habit that if you are coughing and sneezing, but you’re not unwell enough to not go to work, then you must wear a mask when you’re in public spaces, including on public transport, to stop the chances of you giving your virus to somebody else.“And we were all very good about infection control during Covid. And we really, really need to get back to that now

Victims of NHS maternity failings in England ‘received unacceptable care’

Victims of NHS maternity failings received “unacceptable care”, leading to “tragic consequences”, the head of an investigation into maternity care in England has said.Changes within services have been too slow despite being necessary and urgent, according to a report by Valerie Amos, who is leading the national maternity and neonatal investigation (NMNI).The document shares her initial impressions after visiting seven trusts, talking with families and meeting NHS staff.Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday, Lady Amos said: “Given that these harms continue to be done, given that babies continue to die, given that this is happening across the country … are there things that we should be doing to standardise the level of care across different trusts? Yes.”The report shows that the NHS has recorded 748 recommendations relating to maternity and neonatal care in the past decade

ICO promises legal action over ‘traumatic’ UK care-record access

The UK’s information commissioner has raised alarm over the “lengthy, traumatic and often demoralising process” people face when trying to access their care records, writing to local authority leaders to say his office will take action over legal breaches.The data protection regulator said people who grew up in the care system were waiting up to 16 years for access to their records, and in some cases found their files had been destroyed, lost or were provided only with extensive redaction.The commissioner, John Edwards, said requests were “too often met with cold bureaucracy, long delays and pages of unexplained redactions, which can have devastating consequences”.“For people in care, these files are an important part of understanding their personhood and their development. It’s restoring to them the insights into how they have become who they are,” he said

UK charities face ‘culture of fear’ as threats and violence surge

A surge in death and rape threats and harassment has created a “culture of fear” at charities serving women and refugees, and at mosques, churches and synagogues, the head of the Charity Commission has warned.Mark Simms said he feared growing hostility towards charity staff, volunteers and beneficiaries, both online and on the streets, was becoming normalised and risked eroding civilised values and norms British society once took for granted.His warning comes as the commission issues formal guidance advising charities on how to protect voluntary workers exposed to what it calls “unacceptable” personal risks as a result of threats, abuse and intimidation from some sections of the public.A range of charities report being targeted by extremists amid a rise in toxic and divisive political rhetoric around immigration. Incidents of violence and vandalism – and increased security measures to combat them – are regarded by some as the new normal