The two worst places to keep vitamins
A study published this month in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that the humidity and high temperatures commonly found in kitchens and bathrooms makes these unsuitable places to keep vitamin supplements. The potency of vitamins, particularly vitamin C and other water soluble vitamins, is rapidly degraded whenever the lid is opened and […]
Are you missing out on vital nutrients?
The recently published National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) suggests that intakes of minerals are worryingly low amongst Britons, and none more so than adolescents. The government’s food watchdog, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) gave 1000 adults and children over 4 years old a 4-day diet diary and the results were compared with UK dietary recommendations. Girls between […]
Eating Disorders Awareness Week starts today.
This week, February 22nd-27th, is the National Eating Disorders Awareness week. The media often glamorises anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders, as super thin models and celebrities sell magazines, but the truth is that anorexia has the highest mortality rate for any psychiatric condition. Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating and compulsive […]
Drinking 2 cans of fizzy pop a week can increase your chances of having pancreatic cancer by 100%
The results of a study carried out on 60,000 Singapore based men and women for over a decade have been published in ‘Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention’ this month. Dr Mark Pereira and his colleagues from the University of Minnesota and Minneapolis were looking at the effects of drinking sugary fizzy drinks on health. They […]
Omega 3 fats may prevent onset of schizophrenia
A study published in this month’s Archives of General Psychiatry has found that fish oil may at least delay, but probably prevent, the onset of schizophrenia. Dr Paul Amminger and his colleagues from the University of Australia carried out a randomised, double blind, controlled study with 81 patients between the ages of 13-25 years. They found […]
Marvellous Mangoes
New research suggests that mango may be effective in preventing or halting breast or colon cancers. The American National Mango Board commissioned a variety of studies which tested the effects of mango polyphenol extracts in the laboratory on colon, breast, lung, leukaemia and prostate cancers. Mango showed some impact on lung, leukaemia and prostate cancers, but was […]
Obesity drug suspended
The European Medicines Agency suspended the licence of the drug Reductil this week, suspecting that it may cause heart attacks and strokes. 17 deaths have been linked to the drug in Britain since 2001 and 1,105 suspected adverse reactions have been reported. Reductil contains Sibutramine which tricks the brain into feeling full, allowing people to […]
Rickets returns
A review published in the BMJ this week suggests that rickets is becoming disturbingly common amongst British children. Rickets is caused by vitamin D deficiency, which is triggered by insufficient sunlight and poor diet. It has been suggested that long periods of time spent indoors are contributing to the problem. The researchers from Newcastle University […]
Meals-on-wheels lack vital nutrients
Research carried out by Trinity College Dublin has found that meals-on-wheels dinners are lacking in vital nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamn D and calcium. As a result, the report stated that over a third of reciepients were malnourished or at risk of nutrient deficiency. The average meal contributed only 25% of the daily requirement […]
Packed junk food?
Are packed lunches healthy? They certainly can be, but research from Leeds University has suggested that only 1% children’s lunchboxes currently meet the nutritional standards that school dinners have to meet. The research, commissioned by the Government, has found that parents are choosing foods high in saturated fat, salt and sugar to put in children’s […]