Scarcely a month passes, it seems, without the humble aspirin offering up a new benefit. Yesterday it was announced that this most ubiquitous of medicines could cut the risk of several cancers by as much as half. At a time when any medical innovation seems expressly designed to stretch even the capacious wallet of the NHS, the discovery of another use for aspirin – in addition to heart attacks and strokes, diabetes, dementia and, let's not forget, common or garden pain – offers glad tidings that deserve to be shouted from the rooftops.

Diabetes sufferers were today urged to have hearing tests after it emerged people with the condition are twice as likely to suffer deafness.

AstraZeneca's profits slumped by more than a quarter in the three months to the end of September after it paid out nearly $500m (£314m) over claims relating to its Seroquel schizophrenia treatment.

The number of adult diabetics in the UK has soared by 6% since last year while obesity shot up by a similar amount, new figures showed today.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs used to prevent heart problems can reduce the risk of bowel cancer by 12%, a study suggested today.

Eating lots of fruit and vegetables before conception could boost the chances of delivering a baby of healthy weight, according to a new study.

People have been warned against paying for unnecessary, invasive and costly private health screening.

Human growth hormone is produced in the pituitary gland in the brain and is essential for childhood growth and the development of muscle, bone and cartilage.

For all the excitement of its long touchdown passes, or the cerebral nature of its complicated tactics, American football remains at heart a battle between blocker and defender, ball-carrier and tackler, a game of violence epitomised by "The Assassin" Jack Tatum. Tatum was a great defender because he was one of the game's hardest hitters, but his legacy will be just one hit, the one which left Darryl Stingley paralysed for the rest of his life.

The sedate world of dim sum dining is set to be rocked by allegations of sexual harassment among the waiting staff of one of London's best-known and award-winning Chinese restaurants.

Glaxosmithkline was dealt a blow last night when European regulators recommended that its blockbuster diabetes drug, Avandia, should be withdrawn from sale amid fears that the treatment could pose serious health risks.

A widely used diabetes drug should not be issued to new patients after fears it increases the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes, a regulator said today.