Scientists are slowly unlocking the secrets of ageing, and some suggest treatments may soon be at hand to slow or even reverse the ageing process.

But what can science really achieve, and what are the dangers of meddling with our biological clocks?

Could such treatments induce cancers in humans, for example, and what about the world’s burgeoning population and the West’s “pension time bomb”?

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It’s been the scourge of dieters for years. Now, one baking obsessive celebrates as experts admit bread is actually good for you.

Dr Atkins must be ­spinning in his grave. After years of demonisation by the diet police, bread — crust, crumb and optional thick layer of golden butter — is back.

Sales of bread are rising for the first time in 36 years: Tesco, Asda and the Co-op have each reported an overall increase of up to 10 per cent, while speciality bakeries are mushrooming, their shelves groaning with ever more inventive breads, studded with everything from chocolate to potato.

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Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem have welcomed their first child.

The Spanish actress, 36, gave birth to the baby boy on Tuesday – the same day her husband found out he had been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for Biutiful.

The news was revealed by Spanish newspaper El Pais, which wrote that the baby was born in Los Angeles at the world-renowned Cedars Sinai hospital.

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When Carol Thomas decided to quit ­smoking she found it pretty easy. As a typical social smoker she’d never had more than a few cigarettes a day and, for months at a time, would not smoke at all.

Like many people, she assumed ­quitting would mean any damage to her lungs would be reversed.

But five ­cigarette-free years later, Carol was shocked to learn that her ‘habit’ had left her with an incurable lung condition — chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, known as the smokers’ disease.

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In addition to shedding unwanted pounds, there is another reason to put healthy eating on your 2011 resolution list: to live longer.

According to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, eating healthier can increase your life expectancy.

Since the number of adults worldwide aged 65 years and older is expected to climb to 973 million in 2030 from 420 million in 2000, an increasing amount of research is investigating the effect of diet on longevity.

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Green tea could protect the brain against Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, say scientists.

The drink, which originated in ancient China, may also play a vital role in guarding against cancer, their study suggests.

Scientists at Newcastle University set out to discover whether the protective properties of the tea – previously shown to be present in the freshly brewed form – are still active once it has been digested.

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