Pregnant women told to drink milk
Source: The Times
Date: 25/04/2006
Research, led by dietitians from the School of Dietics and Human Nutrition at McGill University, Canada, and published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, has suggested that women who don't drink enough milk during pregnancy may be stunting the growth of their babies. Currently some women limit their milk intake due to concerns about weight gain and allergies. Most of the day's papers report on the research, which involved women aged between 19 and 45 who attended antenatal classes at hospitals in Calgary between May 1997 and June 1999. Dr Kristine Koski, who led the study, said: "Our study showed that restricting milk or vitamin D intake during pregnancy lowered infant birth weight in otherwise healthy, non-smoking, well-educated mothers." The Times additionally reports that the World Health Organisation is to issue new guidelines on measuring the growth rate of babies as current guidelines are based on the use of formula milk, which encourages weight to be put on at a quicker rate than if a child were on breast milk, resulting in these children appearing underweight on the charts.

Study shows that probiotics can ease the misery of stress-related irritable bowel syndrome
Source: Daily Mail
Date: 25/04/2006
Jenny Hope, the medical correspondent for the Daily Mail, reports on research published in the medical journal Gut, which suggests that regularly eating the "friendly" bacteria found in probiotic yoghurts and capsules can help offset the effects of long-term stress on conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. They do this by forcing out other types of bacteria that cause inflammation and muscle spasm. The research involved a study of the effects of chronic stress on rats and was conducted by a research team at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, led by Dr Mary Perdue. Dr Perdue explained: "Probiotics compete with harmful bacteria and dampen down inflammatory responses. As such, they offer a potentially promising approach to intestinal problems caused by stress." According to a recent survey 60% of Britons have experienced digestive stress at some point.

High blood cholesterol

When the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, a blood fat, in your bloodstream become too high, your likelihood of developing cholesterol-containing fatty deposits (plaques) in your blood vessels increases. Over time, plaques cause your arteries to narrow, which impedes blood flow and creates a condition called atherosclerosis. Narrowing of the arteries that supply your heart with blood (coronary artery disease) can prevent your heart from getting as much oxygen-rich blood as it needs. This means an increased risk of a heart attack. Likewise, decreased blood flow to your brain can cause a stroke. Less blood flowing to your lower limbs may result in exercise-related pain or even gangrene.

The good news is that with the help of lifestyle changes and possibly medications, you may be able to lower your high blood cholesterol. It's estimated that if there were a 10 percent reduction in cholesterol levels throughout the U.S. population, the rate of heart disease would drop by 30 percent.