Is a brisk walk better for losing weight than going to the gym?

Is a brisk walk better for losing weight than going to the gym? "A brisk 30-minute walk five days a week is more effective than any other form of exercise for keeping weight down," The Times reports. That is the reported conclusion of two researchers who looked at data from the annual English Health Surveys from 1999 to 2012.

As expected, they found people who regularly walk briskly for half an hour five days a week were likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI) than people who are less active.

The study found women and those over the age of 50 were most likely to have a lower weight if they walked regularly. By walking, the researchers mean brisk walking that raises your heart rate and makes you sweat slightly, not a gentle stroll.

Walking was also linked to having a smaller waist size – although, for men, sport and other forms of exercise were more strongly linked to waist size than walking. Sport and exercise were also linked to a lower BMI, although the link was not as strong as it was for walking.

However, this study does not seem to have compared the effects of the two types of activity directly, so we cannot say for sure – as many in the UK media have done – that walking is more effective than other types of exercise. NHS Choices

Hospital trust admits deaths charges

Hospital trust admits deaths charges The NHS trust that ran Stafford Hospital pleads guilty to criminal charges in relation to four deaths. BBC News

Invest in pathology services to boost diagnosis and cut costs, urges report

Invest in pathology services to boost diagnosis and cut costs, urges report Investment in pathology services would boost the quality of diagnosis, cut NHS costs and narrow health inequalities, says The Royal College of Pathologists. OnMedica

See also:

• Pathology and the NHS Five Year Forward View Royal College of Pathologists

The cancer drugs fund lottery: Relief as life-extending breast cancer drug is one of seven spared the chop - but nine more will be axed

The cancer drugs fund lottery: Relief as life-extending breast cancer drug is one of seven spared the chop - but nine more will be axed  Some 4,100 cancer patients will miss out on breakthrough cancer drugs in England next year as a result of the cuts, down from the 5,500 who would have missed out if some drugs had not been saved. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Cancer drug makes it back on NHS fund BBC News
• Breast cancer drug Kadcyla to remain on NHS after manufacturer lowers price The Guardian

Hospital doctor found guilty of manslaugher after blunders left a six-year-old boy dead

Hospital doctor found guilty of manslaugher after blunders left a six-year-old boy dead Jack Adcock, who had Down's syndrome and a heart condition, was misdiagnosed by "incompetent" Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba. The Daily Telegraph

NHS: Junior doctors to proceed with strike ballot after Jeremy Hunt's last-minute proposals branded misleading

NHS: Junior doctors to proceed with strike ballot after Jeremy Hunt's last-minute proposals branded misleading The BMA said the amended proposals also failed to address concerns around the removal of safeguards. The Independent

See also:

• BMA presses ahead with juniors' ballot British Medical Association
• News story: Junior doctors' contract offer Department of Health
• Policy paper: Junior doctors' contract offer: main points Department of Health
• Statement to Parliament: Junior doctors' contract Department of Health
• Professor Wendy Reid responds to junior doctor contract offer Health Education England
• Junior doctors' contract offer NHS Employers
• Sir Bruce Keogh on junior consultant contract debate NHS England
• Response to Secretary of State announcement on junior doctor's contract Royal College of General Practitioners
• BMA refuses to re-enter contract talks BBC News
• Junior doctors throw 15% pay rise offer back in Jeremy Hunt's face The Daily Mail
• Junior doctors reject 11pc pay rise and prepare for strike ballot The Daily Telegraph
• The NHS is in trouble. Doctors should help, not fight over pay The Daily Telegraph
• BMA tried to gag regulator from issuing strike advice The Daily Telegraph
• Junior doctors are victims of an NHS that's broken beyond repair The Daily Telegraph
• Jeremy Hunt's 11% junior doctor contract offer 'megaphone diplomacy', says BMA GP Online
• Junior doctors reject 'misleading' pay offer and criticise Jeremy Hunt The Guardian
• Jeremy Hunt: I cannot negotiate on manifesto promise of 24-hour NHS The Guardian
• Junior doctors ballot over strikes as pay offer branded 'fatally flawed' The Guardian
• Jeremy Hunt’s ‘pay rise’ offer to junior doctors is nothing of the sort | Letters The Guardian
• Junior doctors claim Jeremy Hunt's 11% pay rise will be a 'pay cut' of 26% The Independent

NHS: UK now has one of the worst healthcare systems in the developed world, according to OECD report

NHS: UK now has one of the worst healthcare systems in the developed world, according to OECD report Hospitals so under equipped that people are dying needlessly because of a chronic lack of investment. The Independent

See also:

• Health at a Glance 2015 OECD Indicators OECD
• UK healthcare 'trails other nations' BBC News
• How the UK is the unhealthy man of Europe: NHS needs 50,000 more nurses and 26,500 doctors costing £5bn to bring it up to standard of Western neighbours The Daily Mail