Bowel cancer consists of four distinct diseases, each with its own set of biological characteristics, say researchers, including one of Indian-origin.

The research could allow doctors to treat each type of bowel cancer differently - and drive the design of distinct sets of targeted drugs for each type.

"Our study has identified four distinct types of bowel cancer, each with a definite set of genetic and biological characteristics, and some of which are more aggressive and more likely to be fatal than others," said study co-leader Anguraj Sadanandam, team leader in precision cancer medicine at The Institute of Cancer Research, London.

"This could allow doctors to pick out those patients with more aggressive disease and treat them accordingly," Sadanandam pointed out.

The study combined data from 3,443 patients with bowel cancer from all over the world to form the largest collection of molecular and clinical data on the disease ever assembled - including genetic mutations, gene activity, immune system activation, cell metabolism, cancer cell type and ability to invade neighbouring tissues, the researchers said.

They aimed to group bowel cancers using mathematical algorithms that combined all these parameters, in order to improve on various existing attempts to classify types of the disease based on smaller datasets.

The scientists found that 87 percent of bowel cancers could be robustly assigned to one of the four groups.

Tumours within the four 'consensus molecular subtypes', or CMSs, each had a pattern of irregularities that could leave them vulnerable to a treatment strategy.

Patients with one particular type of bowel tumour - CMS4 - were often diagnosed late (stage III and IV), had high levels of spread to other sites in the body, and had significantly worse survival rates than the other types.

Patients with another type, CMS2, had much better survival rates even if the cancer had relapsed.

"Ultimately, it could lead to development of new molecular diagnostic tests to diagnose patients by their particular type of bowel cancer, and give them the most effective treatments for that type," Sadanandam said.

The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Two cups of cranberry juice daily may help protect you against cardiovascular diseases, suggests new research.

"Cranberry juice is a rich source of phytonutrients, including proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins and phenolic acids," explained Ana Rodriguez-Mateos from University Duesseldorf, Germany.

"Due to this robust profile of polyphenols, our team sought to evaluate the immediate vascular impact of drinking one, 450 ml glass of cranberry juice with a different range of concentrations of cranberry-polyphenols," Rodriguez-Mateos noted.

Researchers gave 10 healthy men, between the ages of 18-40 years, 450 ml (just under two cups) of sweetened cranberry juice made from concentrate.

The cranberry concentrate was prepared with water to concentrations ranging from zero to 117 percent. The amount of cranberry-polyphenols increased with the concentration.

The researchers detected significant vascular function improvements and improved blood flow in the men after drinking cranberry juice.

They, however, found that improvement in vascular function was dose-dependent.

Defending the health of the circulatory system - and improving vascular function - not only reduces the chance of developing atherosclerosis, but plays an important role in kidney function, hormone delivery and waste filtration, the study noted.

The highest concentration of cranberry-polyphenol juice also showed improvements in systolic blood pressure.

"Our results lay the groundwork to better understand the array of potential vascular and cardiovascular health benefits of cranberry polyphenols," Rodriguez-Mateos said.

"Significant improvements in vascular function from drinking two cups of cranberry juice suggest an important role for cranberries in a heart-healthy diet," Rodriguez-Mateos pointed out.

The research was presented at the Cranberry Health Research Conference in Wisconsin, US.

Claiming that genetic changes which happen after birth can determine whether a man is straight or gay, scientists have recently found out that homosexuality may be triggered by environmental factors during childhood.

Researchers revealed that the finding of the study is highly controversial because it suggests that some men are not born gay, but are turned homosexual by their surroundings and it also raises privacy concerns that medical records could reveal sexuality, reports the Telegraph.

Dr. Tuck Ngun said that he hopes this research helps them to understand themselves better and why they are the way they are.

During the research, the scientists found out that it was possible to tell whether a man was gay or straight by monitoring tiny changes in how his DNA functions after birth, a field known as epigenetics.

Epigenetic changes are known to be triggered by environmental factors such as chemical exposure, childhood abuse, diet, exercise and stress.

Talking about their research done on identical twins, researcher Tim Spector said that it has always been a mystery why identical twins who share all their genes can vary in homosexuality.

He added epigenetic differences are one obvious reason and this study provides evidence for this.

As many as 90 percent of the people in low income countries lack access to radiotherapy treatment, an inseparable part of cancer care, new research has found.

"Radiotherapy is a crucial and inseparable part of cancer care," said study co-author Timothy Hanna from Queen's University in Kingston, Canada.

"Globally, there is a major shortfall in access to radiotherapy. Our report found that expanding radiotherapy access in low and middle-income countries would not only save millions of lives, but also result in substantial economic benefits to nations," Hanna noted.

The researchers estimated that optimal radiotherapy access in low and middle-income countries by 2035 could save an estimated 26.9 million life years for patients who currently lack access to care.

Hanna and colleagues developed a method to measure the treatment benefits of guideline-based radiotherapy programmes.

They found that globally in 2012, with optimal radiotherapy access, more than 580,000 people would derive a survival benefit from radiotherapy.

By 2035, projections suggest substantial increases, with over 950,000 people deriving a survival benefit from global access to radiotherapy.

Improving access to radiotherapy in low and middle-income countries could be achieved by 2035 with an investment of $184 billion, the report projected.

Despite the high estimated cost, the predicted net economic benefits reaped from the lives saved could reach between $278 billion and $365 billion, said the study published in the journal Lancet Oncology.

Adults consume more food when it comes in bigger packages or is served on larger plates, a review of past research has found.

The study team analyzed 58 studies with a combined 6,600 participants that examined how the size of things like cereal bowls and snack bags influences the number of calories people take in.

Combined, these brief experiments suggest that smaller containers, dishes and cutlery might help adults consume up to 16 percent fewer calories in the U.K. and 29 percent less in the U.S.

"It provides the most conclusive evidence to date that people consistently consume more food and drink when offered larger-sized portions, packages, or tableware than when offered smaller-sized versions," said lead study author Dr. Gareth Hollands, a behavioral health researcher at the University of Cambridge in the U.K.

The results, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, highlight the important role of environmental influences on food consumption and suggest that actions to limit exposure to larger serving sizes may be effective tools for getting people eat less, Hollands said by email.

Globally, 1.9 billion adults are overweight or obese, according to the World Health Organization. Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, joint disorders and certain cancers.

The effect of smaller sizes for dishes and packages didn't vary by gender and was similar for normal-weight, overweight and obese people, the researchers found. Only children appeared unaffected by size when deciding how much food or drink to consume.

Most of the studies reviewed didn't follow people for long periods and researchers lacked data to assess whether sustained changes in container and plate sizes over time might contribute to weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight, the authors acknowledge. They also note that they lacked data on the impact of bottle, can or glass size on alcohol consumption.

Still, when it comes to plate size, reducing the diameter by even an inch or two can make a difference in calorie consumption, said Dr. David Sharp, a nutrition researcher at Kent State University School of Health Sciences in Ohio.

Ideally, adults should use 9-inch or 10-inch plates, and children should have 7.5-inch plates, Sharp, who wasn't involved in the study, said by email. But this isn't an easy message to convey in a culture with a "supersize" mentality, he said.

"Hunters try to kill the deer with the largest antlers, fishermen tell stories of their biggest catch, and we sensationalize even the act of dieting by hosting reality TV shows such as The Biggest Loser," Sharp said. "When we are bombarded with the appeal of getting things bigger or larger, it creates a bit of dissonance that the message for our most intimate choices such as our meals, our plates and our bodies runs opposite to our culture of plenty when considering long-term health and wellness."

While plate size may matter, downsizing dishes alone may not be enough to help people lose weight, sad Dr. Donald Hensrud, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program in Rochester, Minnesota.

"The obesity epidemic is a result of a number of different and complex influences," Hensrud, who wasn't involved in the study, said by email. "Recommending smaller plates is just one piece of a very large puzzle."