Exercise in middle age can improve your memory

Brainy:Exercise led to an enlarged hippocampus in the survey

Exercise in middle and old age could improve your memory, reducing the risk of dementia.

In a year-long U.S. study, 120 volunteers aged between 50 and 80 were asked to build up to walking 40 minutes a day three times a week or to do some simple stretching regularly.

The participants' brains were scanned at the start and end of the experiment to study the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain which forms new memories.

In those who did the stretches, the hippocampus shrunk by around 1.5 per cent, which is normal.

But in the walkers, the hippo-campus had not only not shrunk, it was bigger at the end of the study than at the start.

The increase of around two per cent meant the 'memory hub' was up to two years younger, leading to improvements in spatial memory, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports.

This is the kind of memory that helps us remember how to get to a certain place, or where we have left the house keys. Loss of spatial memory often becomes a problem in old age.

Research leader Professor Kirk Erickson, from the University of Pittsburgh, said: 'We think of the atrophy of the hippocampus in later life as almost inevitable.

'But we've shown that even moderate exercise for one year can increase the size of that structure.

'The brain at that stage remains modifiable.'

Shrinkage: People who only stretched instead of walking saw their hippocampus get smaller

Co-author Art Kramer, director of the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois, said: 'The results of our study are particularly interesting in that they suggest that even modest amounts of exercise by sedentary older adults can lead to substantial improvements in memory and brain health.

'Such improvements have important implications for the health of our citizens and the expanding population of older adults worldwide.'

Simon Ridley , head of research at the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said: 'Although this study doesn't look at memory loss in Alzheimer's or dementia, it suggests it's never too late to start exercising to help keep our brains healthy.

'Even modest exercise may improve memory and help protect the brain from normal decline caused by ageing.

'Increasing evidence suggests regular exercise and a healthy diet may help reduce our risk of developing dementia, as well as reaping numerous other benefits from living a healthy lifestyle.'

The lost tribe staring extinction in the face: Extraordinary new pictures of life in the depths of the Amazon jungle

These incredibly detailed photographs offer a unique insight into the lives of one of the world's last uncontacted tribes.

Spears aloft, faces daubed with vivid red paint these bewildered villagers stare up at the helicopter high above them.

For them, as for those who saw them, it was a remarkable moment as the group live in total isolation in the dense Amazon rainforest along the Brazilian-Peruvian border.

The aerial images were taken by Brazilian authorities, who have been monitoring the group for some time, and - concerned about their welfare - they have handed them to British charity Survival International, and other NGOs, in the hope that they can help protect their territory and preserve their isolated existence.

Rainforest: A wider view of the first picture shows the tribe lives in among rich foliage where their needs are well met

Painted with annatto seed dye which provides the distinctive red dye, a man wanders though the community's garden, surrounded by banana plants while three others painted with red and black vegetable dye watch the Brazilian government plane

Fears are growing that an influx of illegal loggers from Peru could threaten their survival, by pushing back other tribes in the River Envira area and creating bloody conflict over raw materials and land.

Three years ago Survival International released images of the same tribe to prove their existence and the fact that they should be protected from the loggers, who were scything their way though the rainforest.

On that occasion the hunters of the group fired arrows and flung spears at the helicopter, not knowing - of course - what the helicopter was.

But while the Brazilian government have marked out three continuous areas of territory on their side of the border, where four or more tribes live in peace, their Peruvian neighbours continue to adopt a more uncaring attitude.

President Alan García, who took charge of Peru in July 2006, has even gone on record to say that these tribes do not exist. This leaves the Brazilian authorities and NGOs operating in the area in an incredibly frustrating position about how to protect the groups from the land grabs which could lead to potential extinction.

The tribe have distinctive shorn foreheads and long hair behind, like Panoan Indians, and these images reveal astonishing detail about their way of life as well as what a vibrant community they are.

There are baskets full of a type of cassava and papaya as well as containers of vegetables, fish and game covered with banana leaves.

The community, which is estimated to contain about 150 people, also have metal goods such as a machete knife and a pan - believed to have been acquired through inter-tribal trading.

Fiona Watson of Survival International and a researcher working in the area fears that if the Peruvian government persists with its current attitude and does nothing to halt the impact of the loggers then the future of the tribe is in doubt.

Back in 1987 the Brazilian government realised the disastrous impact it was having on the tribes by continually trying to make contact. Statistics showed that 50 per cent of those it had met died within a year due to their lack of immunity to diseases which they were unfamiliar with.

Mrs Watson, who has worked for Survival for 20 years, is fearful that if pressure is not put on the Peruvian government to expel the loggers, then this small cluster of tribes - and their fascinating way of life - will be lost for ever.

Rainforest: A wider view of the first picture shows the tribe lives in among rich foliage where their needs are well met

In denial: Peruvian President Alan García has gone on record to say that there is no proof that the Amazon tribes exist

'I'm extremely angry and I don't understand why in our world today a lot of people don't think that these groups don't have as much rights as anyone else,' she told MailOnline.

'They are a fantastic example of how to live a sustainable life. They are very sophisticated and no one has a better understanding of their environment. We can learn a lot from them.

'What we are seeing is people who are living differently but they are human beings like you or me. There is a moral and ethical issue. What right do we have to tell them how to live?

'Despite all the pressure on the Peruvian government over three years ago, next to nothing has been done to help them.

'The information from the Brazil side is that the situation is getting much worse - the illegal loggers are working their way though the Amazon.

'This is pushing uncontacted Indians who live on the Peru side over the hillside, and the Brazilian authorities fear that this could create contact with the tribes on their side.

'There are several uncontacted groups in the area and if they are pushed back the fear is that this would put pressure on the tribes, and there will conflict and competition for resources.

'At the moment they look healthy, they have gardens brimming full of produce and they look fit. Clearly they are living quite well at the moment, but there are threats on the horizon.'

The tribes in the area - of which there are believed to be a handful - are thought to have been descendants from slaves caught up in the rubber boom a century ago.

They were forced to work in terrible conditions and some fled into the Amazon to escape - and they have lived in these remote locations deep in the rainforest in isolation until now.

'Really very little is known about them,' said Mrs Watson, who has brought the issue to the attention of the United Nations.

'They are vulnerable and they have no voice. Often they are not aware of the threats on the horizon like a road or hydroelectric dam.

'It is a clear choice that they want to remain isolated, and I'm sure their historical memory, with what went on during the rubber boom, is very strong. They are very happy the way they are.

'We want to put pressure on the Peruvian government and force them into action. If they don't act now, then there will be serious repercussions for the uncontacted groups on the Brazil side.

'We have released these amazing pictures and set up a website, uncontactedtribes.org, so we can campaign and raise awareness.

'We want to publicising the issues and put pressure on the Peruvian government to uphold these Indians' rights.

'It is only a matter of time before the tribes are reached, thanks to the loggers - it's likely to be within this year.

'Our main weapon is public opinion - if the British public get involved in this campaign and contact their local MP, then that will help. We have an "Act Now" command on the website (which can be found here) which will allow you to send an e-mail directly to the president of Peru.'

SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL

Survival International was established in 1969 after journalist Norman Lewis wrote a feature called 'Genocide' for the Sunday Times about the Amazonian tribes being obliterated.

They were targeted, killed and their land was stolen, and the government would do nothing to stop it.

The charity was formed as a reaction to the outrage the article caused.

They mostly work in South America, but also have projects in Africa, and guard remote tribes in the Andaman Islands in India, and Asia.

For more information please visit www.uncontactedtribes.org.

Sex Files: FBI agents guilty of sleeping with sources, watching porn at work and searching files for addresses of 'hot' celebrities

It is supposed to be the nation’s elite police force, working to the highest standards of all.

But hundreds of FBI agents each year are in fact having to be disciplined for serious breaches of misconduct, secret files have revealed.

In the past three years more than 1,000 FBI employees have been found guilty of inappropriate behaviour, including one agent who had a sexual relationship with a source.

Inappropriate: FBI agents bow their heads during a moment of silence in Tucson on January 10 - but FBI files show many should be hanging their heads in shame

Another agent used FBI databases to get personal details about celebrities he thought were ‘hot’.

And one male member of staff shared confidential information with his news reporter girlfriend, and then threatened to release a sex tape the two had made unless she kept it quiet.

The litany of misconduct was detailed in confidential summaries of disciplinary rulings obtained by CNN.

The disclosure threatens to undermine the FBI’s reputation for, as its own motto points out, ‘Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity’.

'Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity': Many agents are only managing one out of three from the bureau motto

The bureau could also face harsh criticism over its refusal to fire any of those caught out, even though the offences were of a grave nature.

Among the toughest punishments was for the agent who had the seven-month sexual relationship with a source. He was suspended for 40 days.

Another employee drunkenly ‘exploited his FBI employment’ at a strip club by falsely claiming he was conducting an official investigation. He was suspended for 30 days.

In another case a supervisor who viewed pornography in his office during work hours, while 'sexually satisfying himself' (so the file states) got a 35-day suspension.

And an employee in a ‘leadership position’ misused a government database to check on two friends who were exotic dancers and allowed them into an FBI office after hours was ordered to stay away from work for 23 days.

President of the FBI Agents’ Association Konrad Motyka said such behaviour was ‘never acceptable’.

He added: ‘Demonstrable incorrect conduct or criminal conduct is not acceptable and never should be’.

No-tolerance policy: Assistant Director Candice Will defended the bureau's policy of disciplining rather than firing

FBI Assistant Director Candice Will defended the decision not to fire any of the employees caught out behaving inappropriately.

She said that 500 cases of misconduct were referred to her in the bureau's Office of Professional Responsibility each year.

Of those around 70 per cent - or 350 - were disciplined, including 30 who were fired.

The FBI employs 34,300 people, including 13,700 agents.

Assistant Director Will said: ‘We do have a no-tolerance policy. We don't tolerate our employees engaging in misconduct.

‘We expect them to behave pursuant to the standards of conduct imposed on all FBI employees. It doesn't mean that we fire everybody.

'You know, our employees are human, as we all are. We all make mistakes. So, our discipline is intended to reflect that.

‘We understand that employees can make mistakes, will make mistakes. When appropriate, we will decide to remove an employee.

'[When we believe that an employee can be rehabilitated and should be given a second chance, we do that.’

Screen addicts: Children spend more time in front of a computer or television every day than they spend exercising every week

Addicted: A study has found that youngsters are spending more than four and a half hours every day looking at TV or computer screens

Children in Britain sit in front of a TV or computer screen for four-and-a-half hours a day, alarming research reveals.

Youngsters now spend an average of one hour and 50 minutes online and two hours 40 minutes in front of the television every day.

A report released by research firm ChildWise suggests that screens are increasingly turning into electronic babysitters and young people in the UK are spending more time plugged in than ever.

It found that children spend more time in front of a screen in one day than they spend exercising in the entire week.

The worrying research found that 97 per cent of 11 to 16-year-olds own a mobile phone – eight per cent more than the percentage of adults who own one.

And it showed that young girls have a voracious appetite for celebrity magazines such as OK! and Heat rather than more traditional teenage fare such as Jackie.

The study came as an academic warned that youngsters are using mobile phones to learn about each others’ bodies and access X-rated porn rather than learning about such matters ‘behind the bike sheds’.

Dr Emma Bond, an expert in childhood and youth studies, said adults ‘need to take our heads out of the sand’ about what is happening to young, impressionable children.

‘The research shows how children are using mobile phones in obtaining sexual material, developing their sexual identities and in their intimate relationships with each other,’ she added.

The Monitor Report 2010-11 found that children spent only two hours a week exercising in school, and taking part in physical activity out of school.

Two in three children aged between five and 16, and 77 per cent of children aged 11 to 16, have their own television or personal computer and, despite fears about online safety, almost half have internet access in their own room.

The study questioned almost 2,500 five to 16-year-olds about their computer, TV and reading habits. The findings show most go online daily and spend much of their time on social networks and video sharing sites such as YouTube.

But despite the popularity of the internet, the next generation is still likely to be one of telly addicts.

Around 63 per cent of children have a television set in their room but as the popularity of laptops increases and programmes are increasingly available online this is likely to drop.

'Your mother found this mobile under your mattress'

A spokesman for ChildWise said: ‘The number of children with a laptop or PC now matches those with a television but TV continues to play an important role. The way they are watching is continually changing. Children are seeking out programming that they want, when they want it.

‘Children’s online activity is moving towards personal access for all, so that, in the not too distant future the disadvantaged child will be the one without a laptop of their own.’

Despite Facebook supposedly being restricted to over-13s, more than two million children under that age now have a profile on the social networking site. It is named as their favourite website.

The research found a third of all seven to ten-year-olds visited Facebook in the last week, along with 71 per cent of 11 and 12-year-olds and 85 per cent of 13-16-year-olds.

Even with the wide choice from digital and satellite channels and dedicated youth stations such as ITV2 and E4, BBC1 remains the most popular TV channel.

EastEnders and The Simpsons are among their favourite programmes, along with the crude Channel 4 comedy about school life The Inbetweeners.

Margaret Morrissey of lobby group Parents Outloud, said children could not be blamed for spending time on the computer or in front of the TV.

On many housing estates gardens had been reduced to the size of a pocket handkerchief, she said. ‘We cannot complain as the generation in charge when they (children) use the things we have provided and don’t have space to do recreational things outdoors,’ she said.

You CAN have sex through pregnancy without harming your baby, say experts (21+)

Passionate partner: Unfortunately sex can't trigger a long overdue labour

Pregnant women can enjoy sex without endangering their unborn baby, research shows.

There is no evidence that regular love-making increases the risk of a premature birth or other complications, a study says.

The latest findings also contradict the belief that intercourse can help induce a long-overdue labour.

Scientists have concluded that sex during pregnancy is both ‘common’ and ‘normal’, even if it can become a little tricky during the final few weeks.

They say most expectant mothers can carry on making love without risking going into labour early, blood clots or infections of the womb.

Only those who are expecting twins or triplets or have previously had a premature birth should abstain – and even then there is little evidence to show they are at increased risk.

Researchers in the U.S. and Canada looked at evidence from several previous studies which had all examined the possible risks of sex during pregnancy.

One study compared 11,000 pregnant women, half who were sexually active, the other half abstinent, and found no difference between the two groups.

Another looked at women who had previously had at least one premature birth and found regular sex did not increase the risk.

The research, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, also concluded that once they have given birth, women generally begin having sex within one or two months.

Dr Clair Jones, of the Department of Obstetrics, at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, said: ‘Sex in pregnancy is normal. Patients with low-risk pregnancies should feel comfortable engaging in sexual activity as they please.’

'Gay people were probably abused as children', says Ground Zero mosque's new imam

The new imam at the Ground Zero mosque has has sparked fury after declaring that gay people were probably abused as children.

Abdallah Adhami is also quoted as saying that people who leave Islam for other religions should be jailed.

His controversial views were published in a lecture posted on his non-profit website, Sakeenah, and have already drawn criticism from human rights groups who have slammed him as 'ignorant'.

Controversial: Abdallah Adhami is quoted as saying gay people were probably abused as children

According to the New York Post Adhami, 44, said being gay was a 'painful trial' which comes as a result of past trauma.

He said: 'An enormously overwhelming percentage of people struggle with homosexual feeling because of some form of violent emotional or sexual abuse at some point in their life. A small, tiny percentage of people are born with a natural inclination that they cannot explain. You find this in the animal kingdom at some level as well.'

Adhami was named Imam and senior adviser of the proposed mosque by Park51, the organisation behind it.

Fred Sainz, a spokesman for gay rights group the Human Rights Campaign, said the comments were ignorant and hateful, and questioned his 'greater judgement'.

Plans for the mosque on the site of the former Twin Towers caused controversy from the outset.

Sacred ground: More than nine years after the Twin Towers came crashing down, the area of Lower Manhattan now known as Ground Zero is still in the early stages of redevelopment

The Park51 mosque has become a lightning rod for anti-Muslim feeling, with poll after poll indicating it should not be built so close to where the Twin Towers fell.

Last year, developers applied for a $5million grant from a fund set up to rebuild the city after 9/11.

Serious questions have been raised about its backers including controversial Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf who refuses to rule out obtaining funding from countries in the Middle East which have backed terrorist regimes.

‘If Imam Feisal and his retinue want to know why they're not trusted, here's yet another reason,’ said. Irshad Manji, author of The Trouble With Islam and Director of the Moral Courage Project at New York University.

‘The New Yorkers I speak with have questions about Park51. Requesting money from public coffers without engaging the public shows a staggering lack of empathy - especially from a man who says he's all about dialogue.’

Day of infamy: The World Trade Center south tower bursts into flames after being struck by a hijacked aircraft as the north tower burns following an earlier impact on September 11, 2001

The application was made to the Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Corporation, which is overseeing the $20billion (£12.5billion) in federal aid which is earmarked for rebuilding New York and its communities.

The bid appears to have been legal as religious groups can make such requests ‘as long as the request is for a facility or portion of a facility that is dedicated to non-religious activities or uses’.

However the board that makes the final decision must also consider its commitment to ‘an open, inclusive, and transparent planning process’ which could scupper the deal.

What is clear is that the application is well above the $100,000 to $1million which is the recommended range for grant applications, something else the board will have to weigh up. The board's decision is expected this year.

Desolation: Rescuers begin the search for survivors in the aftermath of the terrorist strikes

Currently on the site of the proposed mosque is a disused branch of Burlington Coat Factory which will be demolished to make way for the new $70million (£44million) building.

Construction is due to begin on September 11 this year – the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attack.

Some 2,995 people including 67 Britons were killed when terrorists flew passenger jets into the Twin Towers on September 11 2001.

The funding application was uncovered by U.S. politics and culture blog The Daily Beast.

It polled its readers to ask if the move was ‘inappropriate’ and 75 per cent agreed.

Mobile phones become the new 'bike sheds' as teens turn to them to look at porn and swap revealing photographs

X-rated: Children are using their phones to swap pornographic images

Behind the bike sheds used to be the place where children were initiated into a slightly more grown-up world with a peck on the cheek or even a daring snog.

But an academic has warned that this harmless rite of passage has been replaced by youngsters using mobile phones to learn about each others’ bodies by sharing compromising photos of themselves or accessing X-rated porn.

They are also using them to bully each other through text messaging and social networking sites.

Dr Emma Bond, an expert in childhood and youth studies, said adults ‘need to take our heads out of the sand’ about what is happening to young, impressionable children.

‘The research shows how children are using mobile phones in obtaining sexual material, developing their sexual identities and in their intimate relationships with each other,’ she added.

‘The bike shed offers a useful metaphor as a generation or so ago teenagers used to go “behind the bike shed” to find a space where they could embark on exploring each others’ bodies or get hold of pornography.

‘Today it is very different and incredibly easy for young people to take intimate images of themselves and send them to someone else via a text message or via the internet all in a few seconds and all from their mobile phone.

Warning: Dr Emma Bond said adults need to stop burying their heads in the sand and realise what children are doing with their mobiles

‘There’s hardly time to reflect and think that this may not be such a good idea.’

Dr Bond, a senior lecturer at University Campus Suffolk in Ipswich, whose conclusions will be published in the next edition of international journal New Media and Society, said children still establish complex and emotional relationships with each other.

But the context in which they are played out is vastly different to just a few years ago as youngsters now lead ‘media-saturated’ lives due to advances in technology which is widely available.

She added: ‘One girl told me how a girl in her class had taken what she described as “revealing photographs” of herself and sent them to her boyfriend. But when they split up he sent them to everyone else in the class.

‘These experiences can clearly be very traumatic for young people but it is often not until it happens, or happens to someone close to them, that they actually realise the potential consequences of their actions.

‘We need to take our head out of the sand and talk to children and young people about what they are doing with their mobile phones and in virtual environments.’

The warning about the march of technology and its effects on minors mirrors the findings of a study released earlier this month which said technology-savvy children were losing traditional skills and social development.

The survey of two to five-year-olds found 70 per cent were comfortable playing online games and a quarter could navigate between websites on a computer with ease.

Youngsters are using mobile phones to learn about each others' bodies by sharing compromising photos of themselves or accessing X-rated porn

Some 23 per cent could make a call on a mobile phone and a fifth were competent with smartphones and iPads.

But only half knew their home address and just a third could write their first and last names.

One-in-five were unable to swim unaided and only 11 per cent could tie their shoe laces.

Real men must eat meat, say women as they turn their noses up at vegetarians

Preference: Women consider men who eat meat to be more manly

They may hope that their love of animals will make them a hit with the ladies.

But vegetarian men are seen as wimps and less macho than those who like tucking into a steak – even by women who do not eat meat themselves, research shows.

The finding will dismay the hundreds of thousands of single men who have given up meat for health, environmental or animal welfare reasons.

Researchers gave hundreds of young men and women descriptions of fictional students varying only according to diet, and asked them to rate aspects of their personalities.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the vegetarian characters were seen as being more virtuous.

Further questioning revealed that men who do not eat meat were also viewed as less masculine than the others – even by vegetarians.

Researcher Dr Steven Heine, of the University of British Columbia, told Appetite journal that meat and men have always gone hand in hand.

'Meat has been closely associated with power and privilege – a staple for gentry and a rare treat for the peasants,' he said.

'Through abstaining from meat, a widely established symbol of power, status and masculinity, it seems that the vegetarian man is perceived as more principled, but less manly, than his omnivorous counterpart.'

Co-author Matthew Ruby said single vegetarian men should not despair, as they may have other appealing traits.

Softer: Vegetarian men, such as Sir Paul McCartney, are considered more liberal

He added: 'Some people would prefer a more masculine partner, whereas others prefer a less masculine partner.'

Previous research has found that vegetarians are seen as pacifist, weight-conscious and liberal, while fast-food lovers are perceived as patriotic, pro-nuclear and conservative.

Three per cent of British adults do not eat any meat or fish and another five per cent describe themselves as 'partly vegetarian'.

Angel of the North artist Antony Gormley uses old cathedral nails to create stunning new artwork

Old iron nails taken from the repaired roof of Canterbury Cathedral have been used by sculptor Antony Gormley to create a striking new artwork there.

Unveiled today, the piece, called Transport, is suspended at the cathedral above the site of the first tomb of Thomas Becket, the archbishop murdered at the altar on December 29 1170.

The two metre-long work uses antique iron nails from the cathedral's repaired south east transept lead roof to construct a membrane outlining the space of a floating body.

The new sculpture by artist Antony Gormley, entitled Transport, is made from nails taken from Canterbury Cathedral

Unveiled today, the piece is suspended in the eastern crypt of Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, above the site of the first tomb of Thomas Becket

Gormley, who won the Turner Price in 1994, is best known for his works such as the Angel of the North and Another Place on Crosby beach.

Speaking about Transport, Gormley, 60, said: 'We are all the temporary inhabitants of a body. It is our house, instrument and medium.

''We are all the temporary inhabitants of a body. It is our house, instrument and medium,' says Gormley of his sculpture

The Dean of Canterbury says he is thrilled by the piece, and particularly by the imaginative reuse of the old nails

Gormley, who won the Turner Price in 1994, is best known for his works such as the Angel of the North and Another Place on Crosby beach.

'Through it all impressions of the world come and from it all our acts, thoughts and feelings are communicated.

'I hope to have evoked this in the most direct way possible.'

The Very Reverend Robert Willis, the Dean of Canterbury, said:

'It is very thrilling for all of us here at Canterbury Cathedral that Antony Gormley has taken the old nails from the roof which was being restored and from them created the statue Transport.

'The sense of passage which the word Transport conveys tunes well with the constant movement of people through this place of prayer and creativity.

'It also suggests the way in which sacred spaces communicate a sense of time and eternity, of the finite and the infinite.

'We are hugely grateful for this work.'

Say good night to bedtime stories: How reading to children is being hit by busy lives

Parents lead such busy lives that they no longer have time to read bedtime stories to their children, a survey has found.

Sixty per cent said they had stories read to them when they were young, but nearly half now just turn off the lights and close the door.

A study published today reveals that while mums and dads are full of good intentions, they find it hard to fit stories into their busy schedules.

Of the 2,000 parents surveyed by telecoms firm TalkTalk only 52 per cent said they read bedtime stories to their children.

The remaining 48 per cent said their lives were too hectic to squeeze a story in.
Yet eight out of ten surveyed agreed that children’s development can be boosted by bedtime reading.

Those in Wales, East Anglia and Scotland are least likely to read to their children, while those in London, the West Midlands and the North West are most likely to.

The survey found that the nation’s favourite tale from childhood is Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, followed by The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.

The worrying statistics come after a government adviser last year warned that middle class children are struggling to learn how to talk because working parents are unable to find the time to help with speech development.

Fond memories: The nation's favourite tale from childhood is Enid Blyton's Famous Five

Communication breakdown: Too much TV and not enough talk 'leads to speech problems in children'

• Overload of distractions at home means children 'don't know how to listen'

Spending too much time in front of the TV or computer is hindering the development of children's speech, new research suggests.

One in six parents believes too much time screen time is a major contributor to increasing communication problems that affect more than a million children in the UK.

More than half (51 per cent) of those questioned think youngsters can suffer from speech problems if their parents do not talk to them enough.

Stunting: Children who spend too much time watching TV could develop communication problems

The findings are contained in a survey of 6,000 people, including 3,000 parents, conducted by the Communication Trust to mark the launch of the Hello campaign - the national year of communication.

It found that 16 per cent of adults, and 17 per cent of parents, believe too much time in front of screens is one of the most common causes of speech, language and communication needs.

One in three parents said they had been, or were concerned, about their child's communication skills.

The survey also revealed that many people know little about the talking milestones a child should reach.

Just one in four parents (25 per cent) knew that on average, babies say their first word at between 12 and 18 months, while almost a third (31 per cent) expected it to be at six to eight months.

And just a fifth (20 per cent) of parents knew that children talk in sentences of three to five words at around three years old.

Tuning out: Too many distractions at home means children find it difficult to listen

The Trust said that speech, language and communication needs affect more than a million UK children, and the main cause is genetic and biological reasons.

Jean Gross, England's Communication Champion, said: 'Ten per cent of children - that's two to three in every UK classroom - have some form of long-term communication difficulty that is biologically based.

'Their brains don't process language in quite the same way that other children's brains do.

'These results reinforce the need for the Hello campaign to radically improve understanding of speech, language and communication difficulties and the impact this has on children's lives.'

An Ofsted report published earlier this month found that young children are struggling to learn to read and write because they cannot speak or listen properly.

Delays in development of speech and language are one of the most common barriers faced by children attempting to learn literacy skills, it found.

A separate Ofsted study on how the best schools teach children to read, published in November, found young children are starting nursery school unable to speak and listen properly because of continuous noise and poor conversation at home.

Constantly switched on televisions, noisy brothers and sisters and raised voices are increasingly hampering children's language skills, it said.

U.S. Has 7th Highest Cancer Rate in the World

Experts Say Lifestyle Changes Needed to Reduce Nation's Cancer Rates

About 300 of every 100,000 Americans develop cancer each year, which means the U.S. has the seventh highest cancer rate in the world.

“We are higher than we should be, and this is not the type of list you want to be on top of,” says Alice Bender, MS, RD, a nutrition communications manager at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) in Washington, D.C.

The new rankings were compiled by the AICR,using World Health Organization (WHO) estimates. The American Cancer Society and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in France are planning to issue a report on the same data in the coming weeks.

The U.S. ranks 10th in the world for cancers in men and 8th for cancer in women, the report shows.

Our lifestyles have a lot to do with our ranking, she says. “Americans are more likely to be overweight, drink more alcohol, and don't engage in as much physical activity as people in other parts of the world,” Bender says.

Lifestyle Changes Can Prevent Some Cancers

The good news is that scientists estimate up to one-third of the most common cancers can be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight, being more physically active, and eating more healthfully.

“The high cancer incidence in the U.S. and other countries is not inevitable,” she says. “Lifestyle changes can really make a difference."

For example, maintaining a healthy weight throughout life could prevent more than 100,000 incidences of cancer, she says.

“Eating less red meat and more whole grains and vegetables, which are rich in fiber and a lot of helpful phytochemicals and antioxidants, can help maintain a healthy weight,” she says.

Avoiding tobacco smoke and sunburns could also help reduce cancer rates, she says.

There are clear links with dietary patterns and many cancers, says Timothy Harlan, MD, the medical director at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.

“Getting more fruit and nuts, whole grains, veggies, legumes, fish, as well as consuming less red meat (and lean meats), dairy (preferably processed dairy), quality oils and fats, and moderate alcohol, one can have a dramatic impact on weight, heart disease, diabetes, and cancers,” he says in an email.

“I believe that these sorts of statistics are helpful to understand the global issue [but] it is important to take them in context,” he says in an email. “Smoking, pollution, environmental exposure, and genetics all play a role in cancers right alongside diet and exercise.”

According to the new data, the 10 countries with the highest overall cancer rates were:


1. Denmark 326.1 per 100,000
2. Ireland 317 per 100,000
3. Australia 314.1 per 100,000
4. New Zealand 309.2 per 100,000
5. Belgium 306.8 per 100,000
6. France 300.4 per 100,000
7. U.S. 300.2 per 100,000
8. Norway 299.1 per 100,000
9. Canada 296.6 per 100,000
10. Czech Republic 295 per 100,000