News digest: diets & obesity, the immune system and more...

• In another big week for research on the immune system and cancer, the journal Nature published five separate papers on the subject. This caught the eye of the BBC, Mail Online and the Telegraph. Cancer Research UK also covered the studies on their news feed.

• New research sparked a couple of news reports on the perceived health benefits of the 5:2 diet and claims it could prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer. But the study actually found there’s not enough evidence to reach make those conclusions. Read this NHS Choices article for a more balanced analysis.

• New estimates revealed that almost half a million new cancer cases worldwide in adults each year are linked to excess bodyweight. Cancer Research UK covered this, and here’s the Mail Online and the Telegraph’s take on the findings.

• Continuing with statistics, a new study found that, although things are improving, the UK cancer survival still lags behind the best in the world. The Guardian has more.

• And in even more stats news, smoking rates in Britain have more than halved in the last 40 years. Look at the data in the Cancer Research UK news report, and the Mail Online.

Source: Cancer Research UK