Experimenters from the Harvard School of Public Health recruited 3,300 smokers, and asked them to consider the shock-factor of different notices.

The typical participant found that the photographs had more impact than text alone, and said that these invoked a stronger urge to quit.

The graphics may therefore help to cut morbidity and mortality rates associated with tobacco, especially those linked with respiratory and cardiovascular illness.

Warning labels on packaging state messages like ‘Smoking clogs the arteries and causes heart attacks and strokes’, and images often show diseased organs or damaged tissue.

These are used in order to deter people from picking up the habit, and to help promote quitting or cutting down in those addicted.

Currently, discussions are ongoing concerning the possible implementation of plain packaging, which would stop the effects of advertising and branding.

University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers analysed data relating to over 43,000 participants in the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health.

After adjusting results for confounding factors, the analysts determined which group of subjects was at the highest risk of three or more medical, mental and/or developmental conditions.

They found that youngsters with a Body Mass Index (BMI) reading in the 95th percentile may be almost twice as likely to suffer as those with a healthy measurement.

Those children deemed overweight, with a BMI between the 85th and 95th percentile, are at 1.3-times the risk of being affected.

Findings stress the importance of promoting a healthy and nutritional diet in youngsters, with daily consumption of fat below the recommended 70 grams.

WHO also advises that children between the ages of five and 17 years engage in at least one hour of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity every day.

A study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery details an experiment concerning participants who were separated with regards to their Body Mass Index (BMI) reading. This measurement is an indicator of weight in relation to height, and so provides an estimation of obesity. Readings above 30 kg/m2 are classified as obese, whereas people below this level could be overweight, healthy or underweight.

There were 854 patients suffering with a lumbar disc herniation who were non-obese were recruited, while 336 subjects were excessively overweight. All of the participants were enrolled in the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT), and analysts gathered medical information at the baseline, as well as at regular intervals throughout the four-year trial period.

By comparing the differences between improvements and overall outcomes for the two groups of patients, scientists found a trend that showed obese participants benefitted less from both surgical and non-operational lumbar disc herniation treatments.

People who advise their healthcare provider of excessive back pain and who demonstrate symptoms through a physical examination may be diagnosed with a herniated disc. This condition is also known as slipped or prolapsed disc, and occurs when the outer case of cartilage between vertebrae splits and causes the substances inside to protrude outside.

At first, healthcare providers will usually recommend six to 12 weeks of nonsurgical therapy. Physiotherapy, which involves massage and manipulation of bones and nerves; osteopathy or chiropractic specialist back treatment; epidurals, whereby corticosteroids containing anti-inflammatory hormones are injected into the lower spine; or painkilling medication may be advised.

If these methods prove unsuccessful, surgery may be suggested. According to the NHS, this treatment is only administered in around ten per cent of cases. A discectomy procedure will remove material bulging from the split cartilage, or a prosthetic will replace the affected disc.

Obese patients experience fewer mobility improvements following these treatments, according to the Oswestry Disability Index, but their experience of pain was no worse. Dr Jeffrey Rihn said: “The results of this study may be helpful in educating patients about their treatment options and expected outcomes.”

Adults are therefore living for longer, but they are suffering through more illness. Aging itself is contributing to this effect, since it is a risk factor for a number of health conditions. Human bodies begin to deteriorate as they get older, and the immune system is less effective at battling invading pathogens which cause disease.

Over the 40 years to 2010, the typical female’s lifespan has grown by 12.1 years to 73.3, and the average man will live for 67.5 rather than 56.4 years. Consistent new scientific discoveries and improvements to diagnostics and treatments mean healthcare has vastly improved over this period of time.

In a previous study conducted in 1990, researchers found that ‘childhood underweight’ – infectious disease like malaria and health problems like malnutrition – were the main health issues across the world. These types of issues continue to be prevalent mainly in Africa, where there is not the same provision of modern healthcare facilities as across much of the world.

However, the main cause of global disease today is adult ailments, which are mainly motivated by risk factors like high blood pressure (hypertension), smoking and excessive drinking. In the UK, the government and other campaign groups have used informative campaigns to educate the public about the dangers of an unhealthy lifestyle, but people continue to eat a poor diet, engage in little exercise, smoke and consume alcohol irresponsibly.

Drinking is a particular problem in Eastern Europe, where it accounts for almost a quarter of total disease cases. Alcohol puts strain on the liver, which is responsible for removing the harmful toxins and chemicals. The unhealthy habit is therefore associated with increased liver disease and cancer risk, as well as cardiovascular issues and problems with fertility.

Disease incidence may seemingly be on the up as healthcare providers are better able to detect the condition, thanks to improved screening processes and diagnostics.

However, progressively more people may be engaging in risk activities, such as smoking, eating unhealthily and being inactive too.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) data reveals that 322,900 Brits were diagnosed with cancer between 2008 and 2010 – 0.403 per cent of the population.

The mortality rate for the disease was 0.1765 per cent, as approximately 81,800 males and 74,400 females died as a result of the disease in each of those years.

Just four types of cancer accounted for almost half of cases and deaths – breast, prostate, lung and colorectal.

Scientists are always working on new screening processes, treatments and preventative measures which will help to reduce morbidity and mortality rates.

The number of incidents is 83 per cent higher than at the same time last year, and similar trends have been reported in other parts of the world.

HPA’s John Harris said: “To help prevent spread of the disease, it is important that people who believe they are unwell with the virus maintain good hand hygiene.”

Infectious agents can be transmitted through direct contact with a contaminated person or surface, and those affected are likely to suffer from two days of high temperature, headaches and vomiting.

No drugs can cure the disease – sufferers are advised to let the virus run its course, and make sure to avoid dehydration by drinking lots of water.

In order to help prevent further spread of the disease, staying home from work and avoiding the doctor is advised, as is sanitation in the home.

Most people believe that cooking with fresh ingredients from scratch will always be more nutritionally sound than putting a pre-made dish into the microwave or oven, but it seems that this is not necessarily so. People may be unknowingly consuming more than the recommended daily amount of calories, thus putting their health at risk.

Academics from NHS Tees and Newcastle University selected five bestselling cookbooks: Jamie Oliver’s 30 Minute Meals, Baking Made Easy by Lorraine Pascale, Ministry of Food by Jamie Oliver, Kitchen by Nigella Lawson, and River Cottage Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. They then randomly selected 100 main meal recipes from them and calculated their nutritional content.

Analysts compared the results to the information concerning 100 main ready meals made by Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda. They found that neither the chef recipes nor the prepared dishes complied with WHO (World Health Organization) dietary guidelines. All of the meals contained elevated levels of protein, fat, saturated fat and salt, and were too low in carbohydrates.

However, the dishes offered by the television chefs were significantly worse for health. On average, their calorie, protein, fat and saturated fat content was much higher, and there was less fibre per portion. Salt used for seasoning was not calculated, so home cooks who constantly add the substance could also be putting their health at risk in this way.

High sodium consumption is linked to hypertension, which in turn is a risk factor for heart conditions including coronary artery disease. Eating meals high in fat, saturated fat and energy significantly increases the chance of developing obesity, which is linked to cancer, stroke and respiratory issues.

One of the main problems with cookbooks is that they usually do not state the nutritional information, and this can be extremely hard to calculate from the raw ingredients. Ready meals, on the other hand, must include the nutritional content, and they often use the Food Standards Agency (FSA) traffic lights system which helps customers make informed choices.

Healthcare providers most commonly diagnose type 1 diabetes in children aged between ten and 14 years, but the incidence rates are increasing rapidly in the under-five age group. According to charitable organisation JDRF, the number of diagnoses being made has been increasing by five per cent annually.

In total, the NHS predicts that diabetes affects around 3.75 million people across the country. However, type 2 is far more common – it accounts for around 90 per cent of cases. Sufferers with this form of the condition cannot properly produce insulin, or their cells do not react normally to the hormone.

Type 1 diabetes is characterised by the absolute inability to produce the substance, which motivates cells to absorb glucose from the blood. In order to prevent elevated sugar levels damaging vessels, nerves and organs, those affected must inject the hormone into their bloodstream regularly. Blood glucose must be closely monitored, especially prior to meals.

This form of the condition, unlike type 2, does not seem to be motivated by an unhealthy lifestyle. It occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly identifies pancreas cells as harmful and so destroys them. Scientists have not yet been able to establish definitive reasons for its development, but believe that genetics could be partially responsible.

According to the NHS, close relatives of those already diagnosed with type 1 diabetes have a six per cent chance of also developing the condition. The risk factor in other people is just 0.5 per cent – 12-times lower.

Director of policy and communications at JDRF Sarah Johnson said: “The UK Government’s investment in medical research to understand the causes of, and to help cure, type 1 diabetes is [...] woefully inadequate to face the challenge of type 1 diabetes, and its impact on our children, now and in the future.”

The images were captured after the scientist’s death, when it was removed and dissected for investigation with permission from his family.

Many scientists have been eager to inspect the brain of the genius, hoping to find out what made his cognitive abilities so extraordinary.

University of Tallahassee experimenters obtained 14 photographs from the National Museum of Health and Medicine, and compared them to images of 85 more typical brains.

The researchers found that certain areas, including the primary motor cortex and temporal lobe, were notably different, and more complex convolutions were apparent on the prefrontal cortex.

Authors wrote in their paper, which was published in the journal Brain: “Einstein’s parietal lobes are also unusual and may have provided some of the neurological underpinnings for his visuospatial and mathematical skills.”

Popular belief is that an intelligent person has a larger brain, but earlier researchers already established that the physicist’s was of normal size.

Researchers from Oxford University found that £5.6 billion is spent on healthcare for people with the disease every 12 months, representing £90 per person living in the country.

Lung cancer is by far the most expensive variation of the disease, representing 15 per cent of the total cost.

Eight-in-ten of these pulmonary conditions are due to smoking, so encouraging Brits to kick the habit could be extremely beneficial to the economy.

The government runs anti-smoking campaigns and introduces legislation to help promote quitting.

As of 2008, warning messages and images have been obligatorily placed on tobacco packaging in order to help deter smokers, and since 2007 it has been illegal to light up in public places in England.

The NHS has funded a number of awareness campaigns on television, billboards and radio, which warn people of the dangers of smoking.