Katharine Lang

Popular nicotine pouches need stricter regulation as the tobacco industry increasingly targets a younger generation of customers, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said in a report published today.1Faced with a declining market in cigarette consumption, large tobacco companies have developed a new wave of tobacco derived products.Nicotine pouches, such as the brand Zyn, are one of the most successful products of this new drive and now grace the shelves of high street stores in dozens of countries. In 2025 the global market for these small pre-portioned pouches, which deliver nicotine by mouth, was almost $7bn (£5.23bn; €6bn), said WHO.Although not as harmful as cigarettes, nicotine pouches are not risk free. Addiction, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and …

Insufficient sleep can have adverse health effects, but a new study suggests that too much sleep could also do harm.

All British nationals from the MV Hondius, the cruise ship where a recent outbreak of hantavirus occurred, have arrived back in the UK.After taking a dedicated flight into Manchester Airport with strict infection controls, passengers were transferred by private coach to an isolation facility at Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral, for clinical assessment and testing using PCR on blood samples and throat swabs. All tested negative on PCR.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed on 14 May that six people from Arrowe Park had returned home, or to other suitable accommodation, to complete their 45 day isolation period, with one further person expected to follow that day.Although advised, self-isolation is not mandatory—but the incubation period for ANDV (the Andes strain of hantavirus, confirmed to be the cause of the outbreak) can be as much as six weeks, meaning that all of those leaving the hospital are asked to self-isolate for 45 days.The UKHSA and the NHS are …

Popular nicotine pouches need stricter regulation as the tobacco industry increasingly targets a younger generation of customers, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said in a report published today.1Faced with a declining market in cigarette consumption, large tobacco companies have developed a new wave of tobacco derived products.Nicotine pouches, such as the brand Zyn, are one of the most successful products of this new drive and now grace the shelves of high street stores in dozens of countries. In 2025 the global market for these small pre-portioned pouches, which deliver nicotine by mouth, was almost $7bn (£5.23bn; €6bn), said WHO.Although not as harmful as cigarettes, nicotine pouches are not risk free. Addiction, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and …

Wellness “peptides”—promoted by influencers and sourced from the internet—claim to speed up healing, give you better skin, and even make you live longer. But what are these products—and why are doctors worried about them? Katharine Lang reports“Peptides” are a new buzzword in the wellness industry. These molecules, similar to proteins but too small to be classed as such, occur naturally in the human body, but if social media are to be believed, topping up our natural supply could have benefits.Citing results of animal studies, influencers claim that peptides help you to build muscle, recover rapidly from workouts, heal more quickly after injury, and generally feel better. The products are widely available to buy online, with no checks or prescriptions needed, although products sold in this way are usually marked “not for human use” or “for research purposes only.”The US conservative podcaster Joe Rogan is among the most prominent users, and despite concerns and a lack of evidence for positive effects of peptides, the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, is looking to loosen restrictions and widen availability of a number of peptides currently listed as “presenting potential significant safety risks” by the US Food and Drug Administration.12Peptides are short chains of up to 50 amino acids that act as chemical messengers in the body. Made of the same subunits as proteins, they are significantly smaller, coming between small molecules and proteins in molecular weight.3 Many occur naturally in the human body, including such familiar substances as collagen, insulin, oxytocin, and endorphins.The first peptide drug was insulin, which was isolated and introduced as a treatment for type 1 diabetes in 1921.4 Since then, more than 100 peptides have been licensed as drugs: initially, natural versions extracted from various animals; and, since …

With more than 1200 cases and 250 deaths (suspected and confirmed) reported as of 27 May, the 2026 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has escalated into a global health emergency.On 17 May the World Health Organization (WHO) classed the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).1 Aid agencies have warned that the current outbreak may become the deadliest on record.2The situation has prompted some British doctors to question what they should do if they encounter suspected cases.3 Overall, the risk to the UK remains very low.Here The BMJ explains the current situation, what the guidance advises doctors to do, and whether measures such as airport screening could be on the cards.Ebola is a group of severe haemorrhagic fevers caused by orthoebolaviruses - members of the filoviridae family of viruses - first identified in 1976.Ebola is fatal in 50-70% of untreated cases. With good supportive care, and licenced treatments for strains where these exist, mortality is much lower. WHO advises that the mortality rate in past outbreaks has ranged from 25% to 90%.Since 1976 the viruses have caused sporadic outbreaks in African countries,4 the largest of which was the 2014-16 outbreak in West Africa, where almost 30 000 cases were reported.5Four orthoebolaviruses are known to cause disease in people. The current DRC outbreak is caused by a distinct strain of the Bundibugyo virus ( orthoebolavirus bundibugyoense ), which has caused only two previous outbreaks.6This is affecting a large area in the east of the DRC, close to the borders with Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi, with more than 1000 suspected infections so far in the DRC and seven cases confirmed in neighbouring …

Chronic stress, depression, cardiovascular disease, fragmented sleep, and aging are all associated with a higher risk of dementia, but scientists have not yet discovered exactly why.

Different chronic conditions that are also risk factors for dementia appear to be linked to the disruption of a sleep-dependent brain rhythm that helps clear 'waste' from the brain, a new review highlights.

Chronic fatigue is thought to affect more than 3 million people in the United States alone.

Vapes are just one of a variety of alternative nicotine products the industry is using to replace profits from the decline in smoking. Katharine Lang and Madeline Hutcheson outline what they are and the risks they pose to healthPeople “smoke for the nicotine, but they die from the tar,” said the late public health scientist Michael Russell.For centuries, most people have got their nicotine from combustible tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco. But tobacco also contains numerous harmful compounds, many of them carcinogenic, making smoking responsible for around seven million deaths a year worldwide.1Increased awareness of the harms has led to a historical low prevalence of smoking today (10.6%).2 And the UK's Tobacco and Vapes Bill,3 passed in April 2026 and expected to fully come into effect in January 2027, aims to create a “smoke-free generation” by making it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.The impact of the trends has not been lost on the tobacco industry. Vaping is constantly in the headlines; the non-profit organisation Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) estimates that in Great Britain around 5.5 million people vape, 10% of all adults.4 And although not all nicotine containing products are produced by the tobacco industry, many of the most popular are.As the world pivots away from tobacco, cigarette makers are marketing other ways to deliver nicotine, such as transdermal patches, chewing gums, and nicotine pouches (box 1). And many of these products are being touted across social media as a way to improve work focus and workout performance.Caroline Cerny, a public health expert at ASH, says that “recreational nicotine use has become increasingly normalised, separate from smoking.” Awareness of nicotine pouches among British adults rose from …