Over the last couple of weeks, as always, there has been some interesting health stories that have appeared in the news. I thought I would just summarise a few of them here, as they might be useful if you have any particular medical conditions:

·  Mango is effective in preventing certain colon or breast cancer cells according to food scientists at Texas AgriLife Research. The National Mango Board commissioned a variety of studies with several U.S. researchers to help determine its nutritional value. When people think of a superfood, they often think of antioxidant capacity – this level is not high in mango compared with blueberry, acai and pomegranate, it has about four to five times less antioxidant capacity than an average wine grape. Nevertheless, the mango still demonstrates anticancer activity. The study has so far only been conducted in the lab, and the next step would be clinical trials, so we will wait and see their usefulness –  but it may be worth eating a few more mangoes anyway!

· Doctors in London are investigating how singing can help seriously ill patients improve their breathing control. Regular classes are being held at the Royal Brompton Hospital. The voice trainer, Phoene Cave, says she is seeing improvements in breathing control even within one session. The class begins with some vocal exercises before moving onto songs. The people taking the classes have a range of lung disorders, including asthma, cystic fibrosis and emphysema. Researchers now want to assess the impact of singing on breathing patterns and control, and are running a clinical trial. If you have a breathing disorder, and are considering going on a holiday, check out AllClear 4 you for information on travelling with the condition