The first look at the label. The ingredients list always starts with the biggest ingredient first.

But watch out for other words used to describe added sugars, such as sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, hydrolysed starch and invert sugar, corn syrup and honey. If you see one of these near the top of the list, you know the food is likely to be high in added sugars.

Another way to get an idea of how much sugar is in a food is to have a look for the ‘Carbohydrates (of which sugars)’ figure on the label. But this figure can’t tell you how much is from added sugars, which is the type we should try to cut down on.

If the amount of sugars per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of sugars.
» Read the rest of the entry..

The Ophiuchus galaxy cluster is one of brightest in the sky at X-ray wavelengths. The X-rays detected are too energetic to originate from quiescent hot gas inside the cluster and suggest instead that giant shockwaves must be rippling through the gas. This has turned the galaxy cluster into a giant particle accelerator.

Most of the X-rays come from hot gas in the cluster, which in the case of Ophiuchus is extremely hot, at 100 million degrees Kelvin. Four years ago, data from the Italian/ Dutch BeppoSAX satellite showed a possible extra component of high-energy X-rays in a different cluster, the Coma cluster.

“Two groups analysed the data. One group saw the component but the other did not,” says Dominique Eckert, Integral Science Data Centre (ISDC), University of Geneva, Switzerland. So Eckert and colleagues from ISDC launched an investigation into the mystery. » Read the rest of the entry..

Pioneering research at the University of Sunderland has shown that regular exposure to safe low level infra-red light can improve learning performance and kick-start the cognitive function of the brain.

The results are a scientific breakthrough as to date medical treatments for dementia can only slow down brain deterioration and now human trials are to start to see if the treatment could provide a cure to illnesses like Alzheimer’s.

Independent research carried out at Sunderland has demonstrated that low power infra-red (1072nm) can improve the learning performance.

The low levels of infra-red light used are completely safe and occur naturally in sunlight. They are currently being used in innovative new machines for the treatment of cold sores, which have been approved for NHS prescription. » Read the rest of the entry..

With “community-acquired” MRSA infecting the sport and physical activity community in growing numbers, it is critically important for coaches, administrators and physical education teachers to become familiar with the potential lethality of the disease. The November/December issue of the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (JOPERD), which is published by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), provides that valuable information.

Entitled “Combating CA-MRSA in Physical Education, Sports and Dance,” the article discusses the rise of the infection in all levels of sport, including high school, college and professional sports, necessary precautions to take, diagnosis and treatment. Written by Amanda K. Andrews, Ph.D., ATC, assistant professor, Troy University; Candice Howard Shaughnessy, » Read the rest of the entry..

A federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles claims the Dannon Co. Inc., owner of the world’s best-selling yogurt brand, bamboozled tens of thousands of customers into paying extra for Activia and other yogurts falsely touted as offering special nutritional benefits.

The proposed class action accuses the company of lying in advertisements about the “clinically proven” ability of Activia, Activia Lite and DanActive to “regulate digestion” or improve the body’s “immune system” with exclusive strains of what are known as probiotic bacteria. The products cost about 30 percent more than ordinary yogurt.

“Dannon’s own studies fail to support this advertising message, and a number of them flatly contradict Dannon’s claims,” the complaint says. “Nonetheless, as a result of Dannon’s deceptive advertising campaign, Dannon is able to charge a premium.” » Read the rest of the entry..

Oceana, an international conservation group, released its study that backs the assertion of high mercury levels in tuna sushi sold in Manhattan restaurants the New York Times reported Wednesday. The average mercury content found by the Times was .88 parts per million and the Oceana results were .86 parts per million.

The New York Times had scientists at the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute perform tests on tuna sushi, mostly bluefin, bought at 20 Manhattan restaurants several times to confirm the dangerous levels of methylmercury, the form of mercury in fish that is linked to health problems.

The levels of mercury in sushi from five of the places tested could legally warrant that the fish be pulled off the market, the paper reported. Just six pieces a week, a typical meal serving, at most of the restaurants contained more mercury than recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency.
» Read the rest of the entry..

We’ve read about this story in the front pages: A billionaire’s wife falls in love with her dance instructor. True or false, stories of widows, abandoned wives or plain housewives—senior citizens in their 60s, 70s, and (my gosh!) 80s—going astray never fail to catch our interest.

There’s this scandal involving a septuagenarian widow, belonging to an old-rich clan, falling in love with her fortyish DI. He accompanied her on a vacation to the US and Europe. They ended up living together and getting married.

The scandalized sons and daughters of this widow had no choice but to barge into the odd couple’s love nest and force their mother out of the DI’s clutches. The children also sued the dance instructor.

There are hundred and more stories of elderly women, fond of ballroom dancing, smitten by their DIs, young but with their brains on their feet. » Read the rest of the entry..

The doctors protesting medicina generics prescriptions

Malacañang is moving to avert an impending doctors’ strike in protest of a provision in the Cheaper Medicines bill that would limit doctors to prescribing only the generic names of medicines.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said on Tuesday Health Secretary Francisco Duque III was set to hold a dialogue on Wednesday with officials of the Philippine Medical Association who opposed the generics-only provision in the Cheaper Medicines bill.

“Professionally, doctors don’t want to be encroached upon by a provision of law on the prescription of generics (drugs) only,” Ermita said.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, meanwhile, called on “all parties concerned to take into consideration the welfare of our patients, especially the poor patients.”

“I think when they took their oaths as physicians and health workers, they swore to protect the welfare of the people. So that should be kept in mind,” Bunye told reporters.

He also said that Duque came up with a formula in following the generics prescription and that this would be “easy to follow.”

“If you’re a government doctor, you have to prescribe generic medicines … If you’re a private doctor, you can give patients a choice, but you have to state in the prescription both generic and the brand name of the medicine you are prescribing,” Bunye said.

He said that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was for reducing the price of medicine to affordable levels and pushed for the establishment of the Botika ng Bayan (Pharmacy of the People) outlets, which have been selling affordable medicines, including imported generic brands.

inquirer

The doctors protesting medicina generics prescriptions

Malacañang is moving to avert an impending doctors’ strike in protest of a provision in the Cheaper Medicines bill that would limit doctors to prescribing only the generic names of medicines.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said on Tuesday Health Secretary Francisco Duque III was set to hold a dialogue on Wednesday with officials of the Philippine Medical Association who opposed the generics-only provision in the Cheaper Medicines bill.

“Professionally, doctors don’t want to be encroached upon by a provision of law on the prescription of generics (drugs) only,” Ermita said.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, meanwhile, called on “all parties concerned to take into consideration the welfare of our patients, especially the poor patients.”

“I think when they took their oaths as physicians and health workers, they swore to protect the welfare of the people. So that should be kept in mind,” Bunye told reporters.

He also said that Duque came up with a formula in following the generics prescription and that this would be “easy to follow.”

“If you’re a government doctor, you have to prescribe generic medicines … If you’re a private doctor, you can give patients a choice, but you have to state in the prescription both generic and the brand name of the medicine you are prescribing,” Bunye said.

He said that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was for reducing the price of medicine to affordable levels and pushed for the establishment of the Botika ng Bayan (Pharmacy of the People) outlets, which have been selling affordable medicines, including imported generic brands.

inquirer

washington - Scientists give us the facts. But aid organizations determine who gets help.

Although scientists agree there is a frightening prevalence of undernutrition, “significant improvements” in aid are needed to solve the problem, according to a new report that was the subject of a panel discussion Wednesday.

The Lancet, a medical journal, launched a series of articles on maternal and child undernutrition at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and in London, where the journal is based.

“Undernutrition” is a more specific term than “malnutrition,” because it encompasses “nutrition that is not normal,” said Dr. Robert Black, lead author of the five-paper series. » Read the rest of the entry..