Drinking water before meals can help people to lose weight, says a US study. Scientists from Virginia found that slimmers can lose an average of 5lb extra if they drink two glasses of water three times a day before meals. They tested the theory on 48 older adults, split into two groups, over 12 weeks. While drinking water can make you feel full on zero calories, say researchers, too much water can also lead to serious health problems.

Being frightened of falling over is likely to increase an old person's risk of having a fall, researchers have found. The link remained even when they were not actually at a high risk, the study in the British Medical Journal found. The Australian and Belgian researchers said anxieties should be taken into account when assessing someone's risk of falling.

Many more people will die of heart problems as global warming continues, experts are warning. Climate extremes of hot and cold will become more common and this will puts strain on people's hearts, doctors say. A study in the British Medical Journal found that each 1C temperature drop on a single day in the UK is linked to 200 extra heart attacks. Heatwaves, meanwhile, increase heart deaths from other causes, as shown by the events in Paris during summer 2003.

Women who have had a miscarriage do not need to wait before trying to get pregnant again, say doctors. A study by the University of Aberdeen of 30,000 women found that conceiving within six months offered the best chance for a healthy pregnancy.

Keeping your heart fit and strong can slow down the ageing of your brain, US researchers say. A Boston University team found healthy people with sluggish hearts that pumped out less blood had "older" brains on scans than others. Out of the 1,500 people studied, the team observed that the brain shrinks as it ages.

The right of women to choose whether they have home births is being questioned by a top medical journal. The Lancet said mothers-to-be should not be able to opt for them if they put their babies at risk - under UK law women can override medical advice. It comes after research suggested home births were more risky than hospital delivery.

DR. Funke Olaniyan, of the Tema General Hospital has advised Ghanaians "to visit the dentist once every six months to have a thorough examination of their teeth to prevent tooth decay". She said even though a daily brushing of the teeth was good, there were certain areas of the teeth that the brush could not reach and "dentists use special instruments to remove piled up food deposits that would cause serious decay if left unclean".
She gave the advice at an oral hygiene seminar for students of Mexico Junior Secondary School, here.

Obesity levels among pregnant women have reached epidemic levels, putting the health of their babies at risk, experts say. The health watchdog NICE has issued new guidelines encouraging women in England to attain a healthy weight before they get pregnant.

Babies born at night or at the weekend are at a greater risk of dying than those born within normal working hours, a study suggests. The analysis of more than one million births in Scotland over two decades found the risk of death for babies born out of hours, while small, was a third higher than for those born in the day.