Folic acid is becoming the vitamin of the moment. Best known as a supplement for pregnant women to prevent birth defects in their unborn child, research has now linked it to reducing the risk of a host of health problems, including dementia, and experts say we should all raise our daily intake.
A review of studies in the journal Nutrients, published in June, found that taking a regular folic acid supplement reduced levels of inflammation, which lies at the root of chronic conditions including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and arthritis.
Another study earlier this year published in the Quarterly Journal of Medicine suggested getting enough folic acid also helps the body break down homocysteine, a compound made when proteins are digested high levels are linked to damaged blood vessels, reduced blood flow and a higher risk of heart attack or stroke.
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It is looking increasingly unlikely that tourism favourites Spain, Greece, Italy and France will make the UK’s travel “green list” in the next update, despite the justice secretary’s claim that the government is “very keen to see as many countries as possible” make the list.
“It means more opportunities for holidaymakers, and the ease of transport that clearly makes a holiday a much more pleasant experience, so we’ll continue, where we see the evidence, to add countries,” Robert Buckland told
Meanwhile, the Scottish government has taken a different approach – the four UK Chief Medical Officers have said that green-list status should be the exception, rather than the rule, with countries added to the list only where there are very good reasons for doing so.
COVID-19 vaccination status scheme launches Published:
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A service that allows people travelling abroad to access their record of vaccination status themselves has launched.
A vaccination status letter can be downloaded from the NHS Inform patient portal or - for those not online - requested in the post via a Freephone Covid Status Helpline.
Only those planning to travel to a country or territory where a record of vaccination status is needed as an entry requirement should download the record or request it.
While there are no countries currently requiring vaccination status to travel, international travel restrictions can change quickly requiring such measures to be in place.