health

Researchers in 10 countries have begun a major new project studying the link between socioeconomic status and healthy ageing.

The Lifepath project, involving 15 institutions in Europe, the US and Australia, has been supported by a six million euro grant from the EU's Horizon 2020 programme. Read more here.

Recent US research underlines links between income inequality and health. A study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute examined a series of risk factors that help explain the health (or sickness) of counties in the United States.

The European conference "Ageing Wealth: from cradle to ageing well perspectives in chronic diseases healthcare management. Investigating alternative paths" took place in one of the Italian bio-medical district, Mirandola, close to Bologna (Italy). It focused on services, technologies and innovative solutions to improve healthcare management and living conditions of patients affected by chronical and rare diseases.

Long-term shift work has an ageing effect on the brain that leads to an impaired ability to think and remember, a study from the University of Toulouse has found. A decade or more working rotating shifts was associated with a loss of brain function equivalent to 6.5 years of age-related cognitive decline, the research showed. Read more here.

Cancer, asthma, kidney injuries and antibiotics are just some of the areas likely to benefit from €13.5 million in funding for new health research projects announced today by Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar. A total of 36 projects are being supported by the Health Research Board (HRB) over the next three – five years. More details are available from the HRB press release here.