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Vitamin B reduces risk of developing Alzheimer's disease

Adults who eat the daily recommended allowance of folates - B-vitamin nutrients found in oranges, legumes, leafy green vegetables and folic acid supplements - significantly reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to results from a long-term National Institute on Aging study of diet and brain aging.

13 Aug 2005

Third case of swine flu in Hong Kong

A 78-year-old woman has become the third case in Hong Kong of swine flu, since the outbreak of the disease in southwest China in recent weeks.

11 Aug 2005

Pig fever added to notifiable disease list

Secretary for Hong Kong's Health, Welfare & Food Dr York Chow said today the move will enable the Government to strengthen surveillance, and aid early detection and implementation of health control measures.

2 Aug 2005

At last the news we really wanted to hear - chocolate is good for us!

Following new research that has discovered that flavanols, a plant chemical that occurs in cocoa beans, were good for human health, confectionary maker Mars, a privately owned company, yesterday unveiled new research showing that cocoa, the central ingredient in most of its products, has properties that can be used to treat diabetes, strokes and vascular disease.

27 Jul 2005

Plant toxins in the diets of early humans drove the evolution of taste

Plant toxins in the diets of early humans drove the evolution of a bitter taste receptor better able to detect them, suggests new genetic research by scientists at University College London, Duke University Medical Center, and the German Institute of Human Nutrition.

25 Jul 2005

DuPont statement in response to class action lawsuit on non-stick cookware

DuPont will vigorously defend itself against the allegations raised in this lawsuit.

19 Jul 2005

Curcumin has potent anticancer powers

Curcumin, a spice commonly used in curries and other south Asian cooking, blocks a key biological pathway needed for development of melanoma and other cancers, say researchers from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

12 Jul 2005

Potatoes found to help reduce blood pressure and other diseases

UK scientists have identified bioactive plant chemicals in the most practical of staple foods, the potato. These natural chemicals have been associated with reduced blood pressure and they selectively affect a chemotherapeutic target for trypanosomes and similar diseases such as sleeping sickness.

30 Jun 2005

Fish may help prevent heart failure as well as heart attacks

Older people who ate fish once or twice a week had a 20 percent lower risk of developing congestive heart failure during 12 years of follow-up, according to a new study (PDF) in the June 21, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

21 Jun 2005

Chefs up in arms because doctors want long pointed kitchen knives banned

In an article in the British Medical Journal, specialist registrar Dr Emma Hern and emergency medicine consultant Dr Mike Beckett say long pointed kitchen knives should be banned as part of a concerted effort to reduce the terrible injuries and deaths caused by stabbing attacks.

29 May 2005

Stents coated in polytetrafluoroethylene help keep blood vessels open for cirrhosis patients

Stents coated in polytetrafluoroethylene, the same substance used in non-stick cooking utensils, improves their ability to keep blood vessels open in TIPS procedures, decreasing occurrences of relapse and avoiding intervention, say a group of researchers led by Vina C. Williams, MD, from Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

17 May 2005

College freshies show weaker immune responses

Being a college freshie may have more ramifications than being lonely and missing Mum's cooking, according to a new study at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh which shows that first-year students had a weaker immune response to the flu shot than did other students, and confirms suspicions that going to college challenges both mind and body.

2 May 2005

New, bigger low-carb potato with different taste will give consumers more choices

Following the January debut of the first low-carb potato that’s now a popular item in supermarkets, University of Florida researchers say a larger and tastier version of the spud will be available to consumers in May of this year.

27 Apr 2005

Pulsating ultrasound enhances gene therapy for tumors

High-intensity focused ultrasound emitted in short pulses is a promising, non-invasive procedure for enhancing gene delivery to cancerous cells without destroying healthy tissue, according to a study in the May issue of the journal Radiology.

26 Apr 2005

New U.S. Food Guidance System differentiates among types of fat

Healthy fats are distinguished from unhealthy fats in the new U.S. Food Guidance System unveiled today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The U.S. Canola Association (USCA), which called for such distinction, applauds "MyPyramid" and its related messages about oils and fats.

20 Apr 2005

Europe wants checks for Sudan dyes

The European Commission will extend its checks for Sudan dyes to cover unprocessed palm oil and turmeric as a number of samples have tested positive for Sudan contamination and products have been withdrawn.

5 Apr 2005

280 million pound package to transform the quality of school meals

Britain's Education Secretary Ruth Kelly today set down that schools should spend at least 50p per child on food ingredients as she unveiled a £280 million package to transform the quality of school meals.

30 Mar 2005

Canadians alerted to the presence of acrylamide in some foods

In 2002, Health Canada alerted Canadians to the presence of acrylamide in some foods, following reports by scientists in Sweden. Since then, Health Canada scientists have participated in international research efforts aimed at understanding how acrylamide is formed in foods and the health implications.

7 Mar 2005

Chips may cause cancer

Acrylamide, a contaminant shown to cause cancer in animals forms in the high-temperature frying, roasting or baking of foods like potato chips and crisps, coffee, and pastries, sweet biscuits, breads, rolls and toast, and may be a public health concern, according to two UN agencies.

5 Mar 2005

Methamphetamine, biggest illegal drug menace in America

Ten Attorneys General and officials from 13 other states came together today to attack what they called the biggest illegal drug menace in America: the use and production of methamphetamine.

28 Feb 2005