Europe Gets a Health Check
Europeans are living longer – but smoking, drinking and obesity cause disease; a Chilean invention to stop tremor; super-recognisers claim to never forget a face
Europe has had its own health check this week – and the citizens of its 53 countries are living longer. But unhealthy lifestyles fuelled by smoking, drinking and too little exercise are causing a rise in cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Cycling helps to keep Danish people healthy – and Estonia is considering following the UK by creating a sugar tax. The World Health Organization hopes more targets will further improve the health of Europeans.
If you have drunk too much coffee your hands might shake. But for some people trembling hands make it difficult to eat, drink or write. An engineer from Chile hopes his new invention will help the one in twenty people over the age of 40 whose hands shake because of essential tremor.
So-called super-recognisers are people who never forget a face. They can recall people they’ve seen - even briefly - many years ago. It’s been reported that such skills helped police in the UK to identify suspects in the recent Skripal poisoning case. At the British Science Festival a psychologist from Bournemouth University said that the abilities of super recognisers’ might have been over stated – and more testing is needed pinpoint how they remember faces.
(Photo: Cigarettes and alcohol. Credit: Getty Images)
Last on
More episodes
Clip
-
How healthy are Europeans in 2018?
Duration: 01:33
Broadcasts
- Wed 12 Sep 2018 19:32GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service except News Internet
- Thu 13 Sep 2018 04:32GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service except Australasia, East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa
- Thu 13 Sep 2018 06:32GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service Australasia & East and Southern Africa only
- Thu 13 Sep 2018 10:32GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service West and Central Africa
- Thu 13 Sep 2018 14:32GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service Australasia
- Sun 16 Sep 2018 22:32GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Mon 17 Sep 2018 01:32GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service except News Internet & West and Central Africa
Podcast
-
Health Check
Health issues and medical breakthroughs from around the world.