Alcohol flush 'shows cancer risk'

A flush could be a warning sign

People who get a flushed face when they drink alcohol should be particularly wary of gullet cancer, experts warn.

About 8% of the population - mostly people of East Asian descent - have an enzyme deficiency that causes their skin to redden when they drink alcohol.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism research found even moderate drinkers with this deficiency were more at risk of oesophageal cancer.

The report authors told PLoS Medicine such people may benefit from screening.

We estimate that at least 540 million people have this alcohol-related increased risk for oesophageal cancer Lead researcher Dr Philip Brooks

Alcohol-induced flush is predominantly down to an inherited deficiency in an enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2).

Although this is widely known, few are aware of the accumulating evidence that ALDH2-deficient individuals are at much higher risk of oesophageal cancer from alcohol consumption, say the researchers.

Dr Philip Brooks and his team from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, working with Japanese colleagues, assessed how big the extra risk is.

They found individuals with one copy of the inactive gene causing ALDH2-deficiency were 6-10 times more likely to develop oesophageal cancer than individuals with the fully active ALDH2 enzyme who drank comparable amounts of alcohol.

They said if moderate or heavy drinking people with this deficiency were to become light drinkers instead, 53% of oesophageal cancers might be prevented among Japanese men.

They based their calculations on light consumption being fewer than 25 UK units of alcohol per week, moderate being fewer than 50 UK units and heavy being more than 50 UK units per week.

Raising awareness

In the UK, a unit of alcohol is 8g and the Department of Health recommends men should not drink more than three to four units of alcohol a day, and women should drink no more than two to three.

Dr Brooks said: "Cancer of the oesophagus is particularly deadly, with five-year survival rates ranging from 12% to 31% throughout the world.

"And we estimate that at least 540 million people have this alcohol-related increased risk for oesophageal cancer.

"We hope that, by raising awareness of this important public health problem, affected individuals who drink will reduce their cancer risk by limiting their alcohol consumption."

He said doctors could determine ALDH2 deficiency simply by asking about previous episodes of flushing.

Then people could be counselled to reduce alcohol consumption, and those high-risk patients could be assessed for endoscopic cancer screening.

Oliver Childs, of the charity Cancer Research UK, said: "We know that drinking alcohol increases the risk of several different cancers, and that the more you cut down on your drinking, the more you reduce your cancer risk.

"This research helps us better understand how our environment and genes work in tandem to influence our risk of cancer."

Dairy Products and Health

Heart Disease - a challenge to the dairy industry

It is widely accepted that saturated fats raise cholesterol and increase risk of heart disease. Official dietary guidelines across the world recommend that no more than 10% of calories should come from saturated fats. In the UK, dairy foods contribute about 20% of total fat intake and over a third of saturated fat; in the USA, dairy foods contribute about 15% of total fat and 30% of saturated fat. Saturated fat from dairy foods alone amounts to 5% of total calories - about half the recommended maximum intake.

The message to cut dairy fat to promote good health is clear, but rather than accepting and working with that recommendation the dairy industry has chosen to put profit above health and keep on pushing dairy fat into the food supply. When consumers voted with their wallets against milk fat by switching to lower-fat milks, the dairy industry responded by recycling the fat back into them by other routes (cheese, cream, ice-cream and convenience foods) and charging them twice for the privilege. The success of the dairy industry in recycling its unwanted fat is shown by fact that the amount of fat and protein supplied by dairy products other than butter has remained remarkably constant in both the UK and USA for the last four decades despite whole milk sales plummeting.

Based on a study of 80,000 women over a period of 14 years, Professor Walter Willett observes that "replacing 5% of calories from saturated fat with unsaturated fats would reduce the risk of heart attack or death from heart disease by 40%." In other words, if the 5% of total calories currently coming from dairy products as saturated fat were replaced by largely unsaturated fats such as olive oil and nuts and seeds, a very substantial decrease in heart disease would be expected.

The UK Dairy Council, however, makes a concerted attempt to undermine this health message with claims such as:

"There is a growing body of evidence ... that milk itself does not raise blood cholesterol."

"Compelling new research has confirmed that regular milk drinkers do not increase their risk of heart disease."

These claims are echoed by the US National Dairy Council Handbook of Dairy Foods and Nutrition (2000) which goes so far as to claim:

"Findings to date do not support blanket recommendations to preferentially decrease intake of animal fats such as milk fat to reduce the risk of heart disease or other major chronic diseases. Rather moderation in total fat intake, from both animal and vegetable sources, is recommended."

It is tempting to dismiss the dairy industry claims as mere wishful thinking, but in the interests of clarity as to the health implications of a dairy-free diet we have chosen to challenge these claims head-on. The Vegan Society, of course, would like to see the dairy industry disappear for animal welfare and environmental reasons as well as for health reasons, so in that sense we are not unbiased either. However, in the interests of exposing the truth about dairy foods and health we are offering the UK Dairy Council, and indeed its US counterpart, a right of reply on our website and in a future issue of our magazine. We will give them every opportunity to engage in an open debate - if they dare.

Claim No. 1: Dairy products are necessary to provide enough calcium to prevent osteoporosis, regardless of adverse effects.

Calcium is a very good thing, but increasing calcium intake from 500 mg per day to 1500 mg per day will add less than 90 mg per day to the calcium retained by most adults, and less than 50 mg per day for the 10% of adults with the lowest calcium absorption, who are at particular risk of osteoporosis.

Other aspects of diet are equally significant. 10 g of salt per day will subtract about 70 mg per day from retained calcium by increasing calcium losses in urine whereas 4000 mg of extra potassium from a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and other unrefined plant foods will add 60 mg per day to retained calcium by reducing calcium losses.

Vitamin K is especially important in promoting healthy bones and reducing calcium losses, particularly in postmenopausal women.

In other words, relying on calcium alone to prevent osteoporosis is like fielding a football team with only strikers and no defenders.

Dairy products are not the best source of calcium as they cause calcium losses at the same time as providing calcium. A third of the calcium absorbed from milk and more than two thirds of the calcium absorbed from cheese is wasted in this way. In contrast, green leafy vegetables such as kale and spring greens provide plenty of well absorbed calcium while at the same time reducing calcium losses.

Our prehistoric ancestors obtained abundant calcium from plant foods while dairy products are a recent and unnecessary innovation. A diet based on Vegan Society recommendations will have abundant amounts of calcium and potassium along with plenty of vitamin K - a key nutrient for bone health which is notably missing from milk but plentiful in green leafy vegetables.

A comprehensive review of relevant research can be found at www.vegansociety.com/briefings/dietandbone/dietandbone.doc

Dairy products are an exceptional source of calcium, but relative to recommended intakes they are an equally exceptional source of saturated fat. The recommended maximum daily saturated fat consumption on a 2000 kcal diet (typical for many women) is 22g. 1000 mg of calcium from dairy products comes with 17g of saturated fat somewhere in the food supply while a 1000 mg of calcium from cheddar cheese comes with a stunning 30 g of saturated fat. The dairy industry charges as much for reduced-fat milk as for any other milk creating a cheap source of unwanted and unhealthy fat which is pumped back into the food supply, thus negating any benefit to the population as a whole.

Claim No. 2: Dairy products are beneficial for heart health despite raising cholesterol.

The "compelling new research" indicating that "regular milk drinkers do not increase their risk of heart disease" refers to the study by Andy Ness and others published last year entitled "Milk, coronary heart disease and mortality." Like the study by Willett cited earlier, this study measured some aspects of diet and lifestyle and observed subsequent mortality but it involved less than a tenth of the number of people in Willett's study.

The authors observed a statistically significant reduction in deaths from heart disease with increased consumption of milk as a drink (11% for the medium milk group and 32% for the high milk group) before adjustment for risk factors, other than age. This relationship remained largely unchanged after adjustment for other risk factors, but was found to have a 1 in 10 chance of being a random observation - in other words it ceased to be statistically significant.

On the other hand, in Hu and Willett's study of US nurses, the fully adjusted risk of heart disease in those consuming two glasses of whole milk per day was 67% higher than for those consuming no whole milk, with less than a 1 in 10,000 chance that the increased risk was a random observation. This study observed no significant effect from skimmed milk.

Both studies are subject to the criticism that it is difficult to adjust for all related characteristics of individuals freely choosing their own diet and lifestyle. It is even more difficult to persuade people to make long-term changes to their diet according to specific instructions, so observational studies such as those cited are often the best evidence available. However, this is not the case for milk and heart disease.

There was a common but misguided belief in the 1950s that high dairy ("Sippy") diets were good for ulcers. Some doctors assigned most of their ulcer patients to high dairy diets while others made little use of such diets. Thus a unique experiment on the effect of assigning individuals to high dairy consumption was created.

A 1960 study on the Sippy diet compared mortality in ulcer patients in the UK and USA depending on whether they had been assigned to the "Sippy" diet or not. Ulcer patients on the Sippy diet were compared both with ulcer patients on other diets and with other patients in terms of the percentage showing heart attacks (myocardial infarction) on autopsy. The results were striking:

	Ulcer patients on Sippy diet	Ulcer patients on other diets	Patients without ulcers
UK	18%	3%	8%
USA	36%	15%	15%

In the UK the chance of the differences between the Sippy groups and each of the other groups being a random finding was less than 1 in 20 and in the USA it was less than 1 in 100. The study thus provides uniquely strong evidence that high dairy intake substantially increases risk of dying from a heart attack.

The dairy industry also advances two indirect arguments for milk being protective due to non-fat components, namely calcium and B12.

There is good evidence that increases in calcium intake work with increases in potassium and decreases in sodium to reduce blood pressure and reduce risk of stroke and heart disease. As noted above, a healthy vegan diet provides ample calcium without the dangerous saturated fat that goes with it in dairy products.

Milk is also a source of B12 and adequate B12 is essential to avoid elevated levels of homocysteine - a major risk factor for heart disease and overall mortality. Most nonhuman primates get enough B12 from plant foods contaminated with soil and insects. Modern vegans spare the insects and avoid the potential ill effects of contaminated soil and are therefore advised to get at least three micrograms of B12 from fortified foods or supplements daily. This, along with plentiful folate and B6 from green leafy vegetables and other plant foods, is sufficient to minimise homocysteine levels.

Once again, a diet following Vegan Society guidelines provides everything humans need for health. Adding dairy products with their accompanying saturated fat offers only disadvantages in terms of health.

Claim No. 3: Dairy products don't actually raise cholesterol anyway.

The first two claims were flimsy and unsubstantiated but this claim moves even further into the realms of fantasy. The US Dairy Council Handbook provides 178 references in the chapter on "Dairy Foods and Cardiovascular Health" and highlights a 1977 study by Howard and Marks suggesting that milk consumption causes a significant drop in cholesterol. It also includes several other studies carried out around that time. Unsurprisingly, it completely ignores a later paper by Howard and Marks which states:

"Roberts et al. report that they can find no evidence that milk contains a cholesterol-lowering factor as previously proposed by us. After reviewing their evidence, our other published work, and more recent unpublished results, we agree that such is indeed the case."

The handbook also fails to mention the paper by Roberts et al. which shows a 9% increase in cholesterol with one litre of whole milk per day: to lose one key reference could be considered an accident, to lose two is (at best) carelessness.

Conclusion

The addition of dairy products to a diet based on Vegan Society recommendations will significantly undermine health. The dairy industry is indulging in wishful thinking and selective citation and should either

• stop recycling fat from low fat dairy products back into the food supply, or
• stop promoting dairy foods as healthy, or
• show that we have got it completely wrong.

We welcome a debate to make the truth evident to all.

veg again

Harvesting seaweed must be handled carefully and transported with environmentally friendly non-motorized fishing boats.

The terms "seaweeds" and "sea vegetables" are used interchangeably herein and refer to the large, visible macroalgae growing attached to each other, rocks, and the seafloor in the intertidal zone and shallow seawater. Microalgae, phytoplankton, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and eel grasses are not included. The term "sea herbs" is not used and not recommended since it compromises the true cryptogamic identity and phylogenetic classification of the macroalgae, even though it is used affectionately by herbalists. The term "seaweed" is a bit misleading: with a few notable exceptions, seaweeds are actually saltwater-tolerant, land-dependent plants growing almost exclusively at the narrow interface where land and sea meet. Most must be firmly attached to something to stay in the "photic zone", where they can receive sufficient sunlight.

All seaweeds are photosynthetic. The best-known truly "pelagic" seaweed (pelagic means living and growing at sea, independent of land) is Sargasso weed, a prolific brown seaweed of the genus Sargassum. This lush plant covers an area of 7000 square miles near the Bermuda Triangle, with a floating layer 1-2 feet thick; modest wave action sorts it out into long even rows that resemble a carefully-planted field on land. After several days of slowly chugging through the Sargasso Sea while taking transatlantic transect vertical plankton tows, I experienced a common visual hallucination and urge to jump off the boat and walk around on the Sargasso weed as had many mariners before me. The urge was compelling. I nearly had to be restrained.

Sea vegetables have been consumed regularly by all coastal peoples since the first days.

Seaweeds are best used as regular components of a wise diet. Sea vegetables have been consumed regularly by all coastal peoples since the first days. Special harvesting, processing, storage, and eating rituals evolved to meet local needs. The ease of drying sea vegetables in full sunlight, and, their innate long-term stability when kept completely dry permits safe long-term storage and facilitates both personal and commercial transport, And, an almost indefinite shelf-life when stored completely dry and away from light.

Worldwide post-industrial healthy living consciousness has in the most recent score of years initiated a very deliberate increase in overt human dietary seaweed consumption, especially in the more-developed postindustrial nations where voluntary vegetarian and macrobiotic diets are increasingly popular. Most east Asian populations (Japan, Korea, china) continue to eat large amounts of seaweed per capita. Japan has the highest per capita dietary

Japan has the highest per capita dietary sea vegetable consumption (and, correspondingly, the highest per capita dietary iodine consumption, and, an extremely low incidence of breast cancer).

sea vegetable consumption (and, correspondingly, the highest per capita dietary iodine consumption, and, an extremely low incidence of breast cancer). In the most developed countries, covert sea vegetable product consumption by the average person probably far exceeds overt consumption. This results from the widespread use of several phycocolloids as food additives for both bulking foods with cheap water (carageenan from the red algae Chondrus crispus, Irish moss, and Gigartina spp., grapestone) where the clathritic capacity of the phycocolloid to control large amounts of water in a semisolid gel makes for an even texture and distribution of favor and clobbering, as in cheap frozen semi-dairy confections; and, for stabilizing semisolid structure, as in ice cream, where about one pound of the brown seaweed extract algin is used to stabilize a ton of ice cream.

nhs again

Malnutrition affecting '3m in UK'

Malnourishment costs £13bn a year in health costs
People suffering from malnutrition - or at risk of it - in the UK stands at three million, experts believe.
It is the clearest idea yet of the scale of the problem after those in the community as well as hospitals and care homes were included in the count.
The British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition said the problem was costing £13bn a year to treat and urged GPs to do more.
But GPs said that it was already being taken seriously.
BAPEN's report looked at previous research on the extent of malnutrition in a range of settings from hospitals and mental health units to sheltered housing and care homes.
Researchers estimated that of the three million either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, 93% were living at home or in sheltered accommodation, 5% were in care homes and 3% in hospitals and other NHS settings.
The emphasis must now be on prevention and that means spotting it in the community
Professor Marinos Elia, report author
Viewpoint: Malnutrition matters
They said elderly people, particularly those with long-term conditions, were most at risk, although isolation and poverty also played key roles.
The association, together with a range of charities, have been campaigning about nutrition for years.
The pressure has resulted in a number of improvements, including more screening and better food in hospitals and care homes.
But BAPEN said it was now time for GPs to do more.
Under guidelines, they are meant to use the official malnutrition screening checklist, which measures weight, height and any recent weight loss to give a malnutrition risk score, when they believe someone might be at risk.
But the association said this was still not being done routinely and urged ministers to include more incentives in the GP contract.
Cost
The report said the health cost of the problem was also likely to be in the region of £13bn - twice as high as some previous estimates.
Malnourished people stay in hospital longer, succumb to infection more often and visit their GP more frequently.
Professor Marinos Elia, one of the lead authors of the report and a former chair of BAPEN, said: "The evidence is clear and the time is right.
"The emphasis must now be on prevention and that means spotting it in the community."
As well as GPs, he said pharmacists could get involved in community screening, while transport planners could do more to ensure people had good links to supermarkets.
Pamela Holmes, of Help the Aged, said: "Malnutrition in the community is drastically overlooked.
"Social workers, community nurses, GPs and other health professionals need to be educated and trained to spot and treat the signs of malnutrition."
Professor Steve Field, of the Royal College of GPs, said: "It is a very important issue, but I think it is something GPs are already taking seriously.
"We routinely weigh and measure patients so I don't think it is necessary to change the GP contract."
Government response
But the Department of Health in England said despite the problems being reported overall people were getting healthier.
A spokeswoman said: "The Department recognises that good diet and nutrition are important for everyone.
"Sustained investment in tackling health inequalities has paid off. Life expectancy in England is the highest it has ever been, including in disadvantaged areas.
"We are committed to reducing health inequalities further, and have put in place the most comprehensive programme ever in this country to address them."
She also pointed out the Nutrition Action Plan published in Autumn 2007 specifically aimed to address the issue of malnutrition in care homes and hospitals by encouraging screening and staff training as well as issuing guidance.

asthma

Pregnant women who suffer from stress are more likely to have a child with asthma, according to research from Children of the 90s study.
Researchers working with about 6,000 families in Bristol found anxious mums-to-be were 60% more likely to have a baby who would develop the illness.
The findings show 16% of asthmatic children had mothers who reported high anxiety while pregnant.
Mothers-to-be who were less stressed had a lower incidence rate.
Key findings
Professor John Henderson, from the Children of the 90s team, said: "Perhaps the natural response to stress which produces a variety of hormones in the body may have an influence on the developing infant and their developing immune system that manifests itself later on."
The Children of the 90s study - carried out by the University of Bristol - has been following 14,000 children.
They are regularly tested and monitored to see how different lifestyles affect growth, intelligence and health.
The aim is to identify ways to optimise the health and development of children.
Key findings to come out of the project include left-handed children do less well in tests than their right-handed peers and women who eat oily fish while pregnant have children with better visual development.

cancer support bristol

Support groups

A cancer diagnosis means a lot of changes in your life. This group offers support and a safe place for you
to talk about your experience.

It is a confidential and supportive group where you can voice your hopes, fears and frustrations; share ideas and experiences with others, and learn ways to manage the emotional strain of living with cancer.

We offer you a free introductory appointment with the group facilitator. This gives you an opportunity to visit and find out more about the support group and how you could benefit. In addition we can tell you about other services on offer.

Our Support Groups are:-

• professionally led by a member of our
• psychotherapy Team
• limited to a maximum of nine participants
• running during Spring and Autumn every year
• weekly on a Thursday 2-3.30pm for 15 weeks

The next groups starts 19 March 2009 and will run until 15th July 2009. The group costs £5 per session (donation rate is available).

The support group takes place at Penny Brohn Cancer Care, Chapel Pill Lane, Pill, Bristol BS20 0HH.

Click here for directions

To find out more

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Bookings on 01275 370 111 or email bookings@pennybrohn.org to book a FREE introductory appointment with a group facilitator.

biofuel debate favourite arguments of climate-change deniers.

Natural mechanism for medieval warming discovered

Europe basked in unusually warm weather in medieval times, but why has been open to debate. Now the natural climate mechanism that caused the mild spell seems to have been pinpointed.
The finding is significant today because, according to Valerie Trouet at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research in Birmensdorf, the mechanism that caused the warm spell in Europe – and meant wine could be produced in England as it is now – cannot explain current warming. It means the medieval warm period was mainly a regional phenomenon caused by altered heat distribution rather than a global phenomenon.
The finding scuppers one of the favourite arguments of climate-change deniers. If Europe had temperature increases before we started emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases, their argument goes, then maybe the current global warming isn't caused by humans, either.
To work out what the global climate was doing 1000 years ago during the so-called "Medieval Warm Period", Trouet and colleagues started by looking at the annual growth rings of Moroccan Atlas cedar trees and of a stalagmite that grew in a Scottish cave beneath a peat bog. This revealed how dry or wet it has been in those regions over the last 1000 years.
The weather in Scotland is highly influenced by a semi-permanent pressure system called the Icelandic Low, and that in Morocco by another called the Azores High. "So by combining our data, which showed a very wet medieval Scotland and very dry Morocco, we could work out how big the pressure difference between those areas was during that time," says Trouet.

Warm blast

This pressure difference in turn revealed that the medieval period must have experienced a strongly positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) – the ocean current that drives winds from the Atlantic over Europe. The more positive the NAO is, the more warm air is blown towards the continent.
The idea to use growth rings to work out past climate change is not new, but Trouet's team is the first to look back beyond 1400 in the European record. They found that the strongly positive NAO lasted for about 350 years from 1050 to 1400.
By combining their data with information from other regions of the world during medieval times and plugging it into different models, the researchers have also come up with a hypothesis of what made the warm winds so persistent.
"It turns out that in the tropical Pacific, the El Niño system was in a negative La Niña mode, meaning it was colder than normal," says Trouet.

Climate loop

El Niño and the NAO are connected by a process called thermohaline circulation, which drives the "ocean conveyor belt" that shuttles sea water of different density around the world's oceans.
According to Trouet, a Pacific La Niña mode and a positive NAO mode could have reinforced each other in a positive feedback loop – and this could explain the stability of the medieval climate anomaly.
Trouet thinks external forces like abrupt changes in solar output or volcanism must have started and stopped the cycle, and hopes to pinpoint the most likely candidates in a workshop with other climatologists in May.

'Profound implications'

Michael Mann at Pennsylvania State University says that based on the analyses and modelling that he has done, increased solar output and a reduction in volcanoes spouting cooling ash into the atmosphere could have not only kicked off the medieval warming, but might also have maintained it directly.
Mann is also concerned that the dominance of medieval La Niña conditions now indicated by Trouet's work might make it more likely that the current man-made warming could also put the El Niño system back into a La Niña mode, although most climate models so far had predicted the opposite.
"If this happens, then the implications are profound, because regions that are already suffering from increased droughts as a result of climate warming, like western North America, will become even drier if La Niña prevails in the future", he says.
Journal Reference: Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.1166349)

Oh! really what a surprise, surprise

Homeless need mental health help

The number of homeless is expected to rise this year

Homeless people need more help to deal with mental health problems, leading charities are warning.

Experts have already predicted that the recession could lead to a rise in homeless people.

And now Crisis and St Mungo's have called for improved access to specialist services because of the high rates of problems being reported.

Research shows that a third of people in hostels have severe mental health problems such as personality disorders.

Once other conditions, including depression and anxiety, are taken into account as many as eight in 10 are affected.

The link between homelessness and mental health problems is well known Leslie Morphy, of Crisis

But the charities, which run homelessness services including hostels, said most are given no help.

One of the key reasons why homeless people struggle to access services when they want to is that they are often not registered with a local GP.

The campaigners called for mental health specialists to run outreach clinics in hostels as well as greater access to drop-in centres.

They are now planning to hold discussions over the next 10 weeks with other homeless services, NHS experts and social services to see what can be achieved, before publishing a full report in the summer.

While the number of rough sleepers has been falling in recent years, there are still estimated to be about 800 people on the streets of the UK at any one time.

On top of that there are more than 40,000 people living temporarily in shelters and hostels.

Rise

And many believe these figures will rise in the coming months as people struggle to cope in the current financial climate.

St Mungo's chief executive Charles Fraser said: "These are often the individuals with the most intractable problems, who need the most determined help and it is reprehensible they are not getting it."

And Leslie Morphy, the head of Crisis, added: "The link between homelessness and mental health problems is well known.

"Yet, despite all the evidence, we still do not have the right services and support in place to address what is both such a common cause and consequence of homelessness."

But the Department of Health said funding for mental health services had been increasing and local health bosses were investing some of this into care for homeless people.

"Many trusts now have successful community outreach teams that work with hard to reach people such as the homeless."

middle class BBC know nothing

Warning of food price hike crisis

The price of pork sausages has gone up 51% in the past year

A crisis is unfolding in the UK as people in poverty struggle with rising food prices and the recession, the Save the Children charity has warned.

It comes as new figures from The Grocer magazine show food prices rose by more than 18% over the last year.

On Monday, the charity will launch a crisis grant scheme to help families.

The government says it believes food prices have peaked and it is tackling child poverty through increased child benefits and child tax credits.

'More unequal'

Colette Marshall, of Save the Children, said: "We are facing a crisis. Benefits simply haven't been enough and with rising food costs it means that families cannot afford to give children proper decent food.

"We think we are heading towards malnutrition here in the UK."

Pensioner on her struggle with food costs

She is calling on the government to meet its target of halving child poverty by 2010 by putting £3bn in the Budget.

Penny Greenhough, a single mother of two young children, said the family was struggling on a food budget of £3 per head per day.

"I am having to compromise on a daily basis on quality and quantity. I used to manage, but it's getting harder and harder," she told BBC News.

"Once you get into the supermarket then you have got to start looking for the cheapest of everything, every type of commodity you want, whether it is soap powder, some meat or bread or anything else, it's always the cheapest variety," said pensioner Rita Young.

"We have to go for the cheapest of everything and it's just not doing us any good. Too much salt, too much fat, too much sugar - cheap, cheap, cheap, just isn't good enough."

ANNUAL FOOD PRICE RISES Rice - up 81% Pork sausages - up 51% Mince - up 22% Milk - up 14% Source: The Grocer

Kate Green, of the Child Poverty Action Group, said that many families were buying less fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, and consuming more affordable tinned and packet food that was often higher in sugar, salt and fat.

Government efforts had lifted 600,000 children out of poverty in the last 10 years, but one in three still lived below the poverty line, she said.

"Part of the problem is... many people have seen their prosperity improve over the last 10 years, so we have become a much more unequal country," she said.

"That is very damaging for the people who just haven't kept up, and it really is quite wrong morally, and it's economically very stupid actually, not to make sure that we share the resources more equally and protect those who have least."

According to The Grocer, a typical basket of 33 items of food cost £48 a year ago. That has now risen to £57.50.

Seasonal produce has caused a small drop in monthly figures, but the cost of basic essentials remains high.

Extra benefits

James Ball, from the magazine, told the BBC: "It is the staples that have really gone up and that's tough for people who buy the cheapest food.

"Rice costs double what it did last year, baked beans are up more than a third. Lots of everyday items cost a lot more than they used to."

As the UK imports about 40% of its food, the weak pound has driven up prices. Unpredictable world harvests and a spike in oil prices last year have also played a part.

However, as British produce comes into season, prices are expected to drop.

Treasury minister Stephen Timms said a raft of benefits due to come in on Monday would help struggling families.

"Extra help on child benefit, child tax credit, the state pension, and pension credits is going to assist children, families and older people who are feeling the pinch at the moment.

"Of course we always look at the time of the budget to see if there is more that can be done but I think people will appreciate the help that is being provided."

big sister

Polypill 'could become a reality'

The polypill has been hailed as the magic bullet to heart problems

A cheap five-in-one pill can guard against heart attacks and stroke, research suggests.

The concept of a polypill for everyone over 55 to cut heart disease by up to 80% was mooted over five years ago, but slow progress has been made since.

Now a trial in India shows such a pill has the desired effects and is safe and well-tolerated by those who take it.

Although The Lancet study is proof of concept, experts still question the ethics of a pill for lifestyle issues.

There is a danger that lifestyle factors could be overlooked in favour of 'popping a pill' Mike Rich of UK charity the Blood Pressure Association Q&A: The Polypill

Critics say the problems of high blood pressure and cholesterol should be tackled with diet and exercise rather than by popping a pill.

The polypill used in the latest study combines five active pharmacological ingredients widely available separately - aspirin, a statin to lower cholesterol and three blood pressure-lowering drugs - as well as folic acid.

Does what it says on the tin

Trials on 2,053 healthy individuals free of cardiovascular disease, but with a risk factor such as high blood pressure or a long-term smoker, showed combining the drugs into one tablet delivered a similar effect to each drug separately.

Reductions were seen in both blood pressure and cholesterol without any major side effects.

WHAT'S IN IT? Aspirin to thin the blood A statin drug to lower cholesterol Three blood pressure-lowering drugs: ACE inhibitor Diuretic Beta-blocker Folic acid to reduce the level of homocysteine in the blood which is another risk factor for heart disease

The researchers believe that the combined action of all the components in their "Polycap" capsule made by Cadila Pharmaceuticals, could potentially halve strokes and heart attacks in average, middle-aged people.

On a global scale, this would save tens of millions of lives.

The study, led by Dr Salim Yusuf, from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, took in people at 50 centres across India.

A spokeswoman for the British Heart Foundation said: "The results suggest that the polypill has the potential to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease.

The polypill does exactly what it should, but no more UK researcher Professor Simon Thom

"We now need further research to examine whether the polypill actually reduces mortality."

A UK team led by Professor Simon Thom of Imperial College London is hoping to do just this.

They have been testing a four-in-one polypill called the Red Heart Pill, with the backing of the Wellcome Trust and the British Heart Foundation, which could cost as little as 15 euros per person per year.

Professor Thom said it would be at least five years before there was enough data to convince drug regulators to approve a polypill.

"Mounting evidence shows the polypill does exactly what it should, but no more, whereas exercise has wide reaching effects on health and wellbeing. So a polypill is an addition rather than a replacement for lifestyle interventions."

FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme

Mike Rich of UK charity the Blood Pressure Association said: "This study further stimulates the debate over whether a 'magic bullet' is the answer to the prevention of heart disease and strokes.

"Eating healthily and taking regular exercise are proven ways to lower high blood pressure - and have many other health benefits too - and there is a danger that these lifestyle factors could be overlooked in favour of 'popping a pill'."

Joanne Murphy of The Stroke Association said: "By combining these medications in one pill, it will make it easier for people to take their medication. However, it is important that more research and investigation is done into this pill to ensure its safety."

One GP, Dr Sarah Jarvis, said the pill should not be viewed as an alternative to improving lifestyles through diet and exercise.

"What we need to bear in mind is that this may well cut the likelihood of dying of heart disease dramatically. Fantastic. But it's not going to stop you getting arthritis, it's not going to stop you get lung disease," she said

common infections

How infection may spark leukaemia

Common infections may trigger cancer cell growth

Scientists have shown how common infections might trigger childhood leukaemia.

They have identified a molecule, TGF, produced by the body in response to infection that stimulates development of the disease.

It triggers multiplication of pre-cancerous stem cells at the expense of healthy counterparts.

The Institute of Cancer Research study appears in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

While infection is clearly only one factor in triggering progression, this study greatly increases the strength of evidence for its role in the commonest form of childhood leukaemia Dr Shabih Syed Leukaemia Research

Leukaemia occurs when large numbers of white blood cells take over the bone marrow, leaving the body unable to produce enough normal blood cells.

The researchers had already identified a genetic mutation - a fusion of two genes - occurring in the womb that creates pre-leukaemic cells.

These cells then grow in the bone marrow, effectively acting as a silent time bomb that can stay in the body for up to 15 years.

Evidence suggests the mutation may be present in as many as one in 100 newborn babies, but only about one in 100 of these children then go on to develop leukaemia.

This suggests that the cells will only complete the transformation to fully-fledged cancer cells if they exposed to an independent trigger.

The latest study suggests production of TGF in response to an infection could be that trigger.

Because the molecule hugely increases the rate at which the pre-leukaemic cells multiply, this significantly raises the the chance that some will become even further damaged in a way that results in the child developing leukaemia.

Preventative measures

Researcher Professor Mel Greaves said: "Identifying this step means we can determine how an unusual immune response to infection may trigger the development of the full leukaemia and eventually perhaps develop preventative measures such as a vaccine."

Dr Shabih Syed, scientific director at the charity Leukaemia Research, said: "Before this study, there had been only circumstantial evidence to implicate infections in the progression from a child carrying pre-leukaemic cells to actually having leukaemia.

"There was no evidence of the mechanism by which this might happen.

"While infection is clearly only one factor in triggering progression, this study greatly increases the strength of evidence for its role in the commonest form of childhood leukaemia."

vegetarian means vegetarian, the clue is in the word, veg...from the root vegetable, with no reference to egg, why do meat eaters and milk drinkers an

Thank you for your recent e-mail regarding the Linda McCartney
Vegetarian Roast and the use of egg in the product.

The packaging clearly states egg is included in the making of the item.
This information is located both in the ingredients list and underneath
this list with the other allergens contained within the product. Where
our products are Vegan friendly, we clearly state this on the front of
the packaging with a tick and 'Vegan Friendly'.

Our vegan friendly products are:

* Linda McCartney 6 sausage rolls,
* Linda McCartney 4 country pies,
* Linda McCartney 6 vegetarian sausages
* Linda McCartney 2 vegetable roasties

We sincerely hope you continue to purchase and enjoy our products in the
future.

Yours Sincerely

Helen Moss
Customer Care Coordinator

non-sciense so common

Shopping sprees linked to periods

Sex and the City character Carrie Bradshaw loves to shop

Women may be able to blame impulse buys and extravagant shopping on their time of the month, research suggests.

In the 10 days before their periods began women were more likely to go on a spending spree, a study found.

Psychologists believe shopping could be a way for premenstrual women to deal with the negative emotions created by their hormonal changes.

Professor Karen Pine will present her work to a British Psychological Society meeting in Brighton later this week.

She asked 443 women aged 18 to 50 about their spending habits.

The spending behaviour tends to be a reaction to intense emotions Professor Pine

Almost two-thirds of the 153 women studied who were in the later stages of their menstrual cycle - known as the luteal phase - admitted they had bought something on an impulse and more than half said they had overspent by more than £25.

A handful of the women said they had overspent by more than £250.

And many felt remorse later.

Professor Pine, of the University of Hertfordshire, said: "Spending was less controlled, more impulsive and more excessive for women in the luteal phase.

"The spending behaviour tends to be a reaction to intense emotions. They are feeling stressed or depressed and are more likely to go shopping to cheer themselves up and using it to regulate their emotions."

Hormonal

She said much of this could be explained by hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle. And the findings were exaggerated in the women with severe PMT.

"We are getting surges and fluctuations in hormones which affect the part of the brain linked to emotions and inhibitory control. So the behaviour we found is not surprising."

Another explanation might be that women are buying items to make themselves feel more attractive - coinciding with the time of the month when they are most fertile.

Most of the purchases made by the women were for adornment, including jewellery, make-up and high heels.

Professor Pine said: "Other researchers have found there is an ornamental effect around the time of ovulation."

Researchers have found women tend to dress to impress during their fertile days.

Professor Pine, author of the book Sheconomics, said if women were worried about their spending behaviour they might avoid going shopping in the week before their period was due.

Africa facing major cancer blight

Africa facing major cancer blight

The rise in cancer is a consequence of people living longer

A major conference is taking place in London to raise awareness about the cancer threat to Africa. The meeting, which is being attended by health ministers from across the continent, will examine the need for cancer programmes across the region.
Cancer is often thought of as a disease of the western world but that is changing fast.
The World Health Organisation says that cancer kills more than HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria combined.
And the International Agency for Research on Cancer calculates annual new cases of cancer are expected to rise from 11m in 2000 to 16m in 2020, of which which some 70% will be in developing countries.
Increased incidence
Speaking before the conference began, the former British health minister Alan Milburn, who is chairing the conference, said the geography of cancer was indeed changing and that a new cancer epidemic was facing Africa.
"In Africa, literally every day, hundreds, possibly thousands of people die needlessly in pain from cancer for want of pain relief that could cost literally pennies rather than pounds.
"The basic infrastructure and resources to cope with the new health epidemic is basically not there and we have to do something about it. We know that there is a steam train that is coming down the track and we have a choice - we can wither, build some new track or we can wait for the train to hit us."
In some parts of Africa, the increased incidence of cancer is a consequence of economic development and populations that are living longer.
But in other parts, where HIV/Aids is slashing longevity, cancer rates may be rising directly as a result of the HIV/Aids epidemic with cancers such as Kaposi's sarcoma, tumours which appear under the surface of the skin or on mucous membranes, becoming increasingly common.
"HIV/Aids lowers the immunity of a patient and you know that throughout your lifetime the immunity keeps things in balance," Dr Mompati Malane, the head of clinical services in Botswana, told the BBC.
"You know you've got those bad cells that will go wrong and then they get eliminated by the immune system.
"But now with with HIV and immunity lowered, these cells are not killed that quickly and therefore it means that the the abnormal cells will multiply and cause cancer. We are seeing a lot of Karposi sarcomas which was not common in the past and this is mainly due to HIV/Aids."
Of course one of the main problems for Africa is funding for treatments.
For example, radiotherapy is only available in 21 countries in Africa.
But what the delegates were keen to stress as the conference began was that batting cancer is not just about expensive facilities.
Screening, early diagnosis and the uptake of inexpensive drugs were equally important, they said.

eggs

The Big Question: Was Edwina Currie right about salmonella in eggs, after all?

By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent

Friday, 17 November 2006

Why are we asking this question now? 

Salmonella is back in the news, because the Food Standards Agency has found high levels of salmonella in foreign eggs. The Government's food watchdog said that one in 30 boxes of imported eggs had salmonella, a bacterium that can cause nasty - and occasionally fatal - food poisoning. In Spanish eggs, the figure was one in eight. Quite separately, the Government has uncovered the mis-labelling of millions of battery-farm eggs as free-range.

Where does Edwina Currie come into it?

Although the British egg industry insists its eggs are safe to eat, the FSA's salmonella survey brought back memories of Edwina Currie's infamous comments in the late 1980s which plunged the egg industry into crisis. On 3 December 1988, the outspoken junior health minister told ITN: "Most of the egg production in this country sadly is now infected with salmonella." Sales of eggs plummeted 60 per cent overnight. The loss of revenue forced farmers to slaughter four million hens and destroy 400 million unwanted eggs.

What happened to Ms Currie?

She had a torrid time. Ms Currie had spoken out because cases of Salmonella enteritidis, associated with poultry production, had almost trebled in a year. But the egg industry rubbished her comments. British Egg Industry Council said the risk of getting salmonella from eating an egg was less than one in 200 million and took out adverts in all the newspapers headed "Eggs. The facts". Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture were reported to be very "angry" at their health colleague's remarks. Amid the crisis, the government mounted a multimillion-pound compensation package for egg producers. Margaret Thatcher stated her views. "I had eggs for breakfast," she said. Ms Currie resigned on 17 December.

What is salmonella?

The salmonella bacterium was first found in pigs by the 19th-century American veterinary pathologist, Daniel Elmer Salmon. It lives in the stomach and intestines of animals and humans. The chances of catching it from eating an egg are slim but the disease can be nasty, especially for vulnerable groups like children and pensioners.

A sufferer may experience fever, stomach pain, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting. Most patients recover in a week but it can be deadly, particularly if it spreads into the bones or blood. For such vulnerable groups the Health Protection Agency says that salmonella can be "extremely unpleasant".

Are British eggs now safe to eat?

British eggs do have salmonella. But very few. The latest FSA study, in 2003, found salmonella in 0.3 per cent of UK eggs. There was no difference between battery, free-range or organic eggs. Salmonella is almost always killed in cooking. Even then, a fit person may fight off an infection. Alas, the British egg industry was not always so healthy.

Although Ms Currie undoubtedly exaggerated the degree of salmonella in British egg production, the industry did have a problem and was giving too many people food poisoning. Farms tried to clean up but the real breakthrough came in 1998 when the vaccination of hens for salmonella was introduced at farms backing the new British Lion mark. All the big egg producers put the marks on their eggs. From 1998 there have been falls almost every year in the number of human cases of Salmonella enteritidis. In 1997, there were 22,254 cases. In 2005, there were 6,677. Yesterday a spokesman for the British Egg Information Service said: "British eggs are about as safe as you can eat."

What about foreign eggs?

A survey by the European Food Safety Agency this year found far higher rates of salmonella on the Continent than in Britain. Checks were carried out at 5,317 hen-laying farms in 23 countries; those in the EU and Norway. The proportion of UK egg farms with salmonella was 11.9 per cent, the sixth lowest. Swedish, Finnish and Danish farms had extremely low figures, between 0 and 3 per cent, probably because of the cold.

But salmonella was found in 73 per cent of Spanish farms, 77 per cent of Polish farms and 79 per cent of Portuguese farms. In France the figure was 17 per cent, in Germany 28 per cent and in Italy 30 per cent. The actual level of salmonella in eggs from these farms is far lower. The Food Standards Agency's testing of 1,744 boxes of imported eggs on sale in London and the North-west, found salmonella present in one in 30 boxes.

What does the Government say?

Cook eggs thoroughly. The Food Standards Agency advises cooking eggs until the white and yolk are solid. It especially warns against consumption of raw eggs by anyone who is very young, elderly, pregnant or already unwell, because their chance of contamination is greater. Raw eggs are used in many home-cooked and restaurant dishes such as mayonnaise, Béarnaise and hollandaise sauces, salad dressings, ice cream, icing, mousse and tiramisu and other desserts.

Does that mean we can't eat mayonnaise or tiramisu?

Not necessarily, just be careful, particularly if you have a weak immune system. Food manufacturers tend to use safe pasteurised egg for raw egg dishes. The FSA also advises caterers and home cooks to use pasteurised eggs, which are available in supermarkets. In restaurants, the FSA suggests diners ask the waiter whether the eggs have been pasteurised.

The advice was repeated at the height of the bird flu scare earlier this year because of the theoretical risk that bird flu can spread to humans through raw eggs. The FSA advises eggs be stored in the fridge away from other foods and should always be eaten by their best-before date. Not all eggs have best-before dates. But all eggs carrying the Lion Mark - 85 per cent of the country's annual 8.5 billion eggs - have them.

Did Ms Currie help?

Salmonella levels in the late 1980s were too high. By making her comments, she highlighted the problem, which was eventually solved - in Britain at least - by the introduction of vaccination. But she caused an unnecessary crisis in the poultry industry and a pointless panic among the public.

In 2006, eggs are far safer. Doing a few things can make their consumption safer still: buy Lion Mark British eggs, use them before the best-before date and don't eat dishes with raw eggs. Or take a risk and accept that you might, just might, get food poisoning.

Are eggs potentially threatening to human health?

Yes...

* Although the incidence of salmonella in eggs can be reduced, it cannot be eliminated

* People are not going to stop eating dishes such as mayonnaise and tiramisu, which require raw eggs in their preparation

* Although salmonella has been drastically reduced in the UK, a large number of imported European eggs still have the bacterium

No...

* If you cook your eggs thoroughly, you will not have a problem as cooking kills the salmonella

* Recipes that require raw eggs can still be followed, as long as the cook uses pasteurised eggs

* Not since vaccinating chickens reduced the incidence of salmonella to very low levels of risk

NHS and social services in England are failing to meet the health needs of people with learning disabilities, investigators say.

The Health Service and Local Government Ombudsmen said the standard of care was an "indictment of our society" after reviewing the deaths of six people.

They found one man died as a result of failings in his care, while a second death could have been avoided.

The government said it was taking steps to address the problems.

The ombudsmen investigated the cases after they were highlighted by the charity Mencap.

CARE LINKED TO DEATH Mark Cannon - The 30-year-old died eight weeks after being admitted to hospital with a broken leg. He waited three days to see a pain team and developed an infection. Complaints were upheld against the hospital and council - he was in a care home when he was first injured. The ombudsmen ruled care contributed to death. Martin Ryan - Died several weeks after having stroke. While in hospital, the 43-year-old went 26 days without being fed. The hospital was criticised: death could have been avoided if care had been better. Will shocking care be addressed?

They looked into complaints made by the families of the six people who died between 2003 and 2005.

The report found failings by hospitals, local health bosses, the official NHS regulator and social care services provided by councils, although none of the complaints against GPs were upheld.

It linked the care of two of the six - Mark Cannon, 30, from Romford, east London, and Martin Ryan, 43, from Richmond, west London - to their eventual deaths.

It also said the failings in the care of two more - Tom Wakefield, 20, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and Ted Hughes, 61, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire - was partly due to the fact that they had learning disabilities.

In the final two cases - those of Emma Kemp, 26, from Newbury, Berkshire, and Warren Cox, 30, from St Leonards, East Sussex - the complaints were not upheld, although some aspects of their care were criticised.

The ombudsmen also ruled that investigation of their complaints was flawed, although at different stages in the process.

The investigtors said there was enough evidence to suggest problems were endemic across the services.

'Inadequate care'

Ann Abraham, the Health Service Ombudsman, said: "The recurrence of complaints across different agencies leads us to believe that the quality of care in the NHS and social services for people with learning disabilities is at best patchy and at worst an indictment of our society."

Allan Cannon, father of Mark, said the family had to push at every stage to try to get better treatment.

He said no proper checks were done following Mark's surgery, and it was later discovered he had lost 40% of his blood.

"After the surgery, he was in an awful lot of pain and it just continued. He was being neglected by staff, we were calling for help."

In total, the role played by 20 different bodies in the cases was investigated.

Hospitals were criticised for the inadequate care and treatment given to people with learning disabilities as well as the way they looked into complaints.

POOR CARE BECAUSE OF DISABILITY Tom Wakefield - The 20-year-old had long history of stomach problems before dying of pneumonia and reflux problems. The council and the NHS were criticised for not planning and providing adequate care. The Healthcare Commission complaint handling was also found at fault. Ted Hughes - After spending most of his life in care homes, the 61-year-old died the day after being released from hospital after an operation. Discharge arrangements by the hospital were found to be inadequate. Anger over care for son who died

Councils were attacked for failing to provide or secure adequate levels of health care, while local health managers working for primary care trusts were said to be struggling to plan services properly.

The Healthcare Commission, the NHS regulator, was even ruled to have not handled complaints properly in some of the cases.

The ombudsmen said there was sufficient policy and guidance available, but agencies were not following it and, as a result, were in breach of human rights and disability discrimination laws.

They recommended all agencies review the systems they have in place for making sure the needs of people with learning disabilities were met.

Communication

In particular, they said staff needed to improve communication with the patients and their families, and social care and NHS teams had to work together better to ensure discharge arrangements were good enough.

The ombudsmen's report comes after the government has already promised to improve training and carry out a full inquiry into premature deaths among people with learning disabilities.

POOR INVESTIGATION OF COMPLAINT Emma Kemp - The 26-year-old died shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. Her mother complained she should have been diagnosed earlier and given chemotherapy treatment. The complaint not upheld, but the way it was handled was criticised Warren Cox - Died 90 minutes after being admitted to hospital with stomach pains. The hospital was found to have acted correctly, but the Healthcare Commission failed to offer them proper review of case

Ministers made the announcements earlier this year after an independent inquiry last year into the deaths found significant failings.

Care services minister Phil Hope said: "Preventable deaths of people with learning disabilities are absolutely unacceptable.

"We are taking action to ensure that people with learning disabilities get the equal access to the health care that they deserve."

But Mencap chief executive Mark Goldring said the findings were "damning".

He said: "We would have liked to see individuals held accountable where they have not met required standards.

"We will continue to fight for justice for the families and, with them, consider referring the individual doctors who failed in their duty of care to the General Medical Council."

Oxford research

 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Overweight/obesity increases the risk for cancers of the oesophagus (adenocarcinoma), colorectum, breast (postmenopausal), endometrium and kidney; body weight should be maintained in the body mass index range of 18.5-25 kg/m(2), and weight gain in adulthood avoided. Alcohol causes cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus and liver, and a small increase in the risk for breast cancer; if consumed, alcohol intake should not exceed 2 units/d. Aflatoxin in foods causes liver cancer, although its importance in the absence of hepatitis virus infections is not clear; exposure to aflatoxin in foods should be minimised. Chinese-style salted fish increases the risk for nasopharyngeal cancer, particularly if eaten during childhood, and should be eaten only in moderation. Fruits and vegetables probably reduce the risk for cancers of the oral cavity, oesophagus, stomach and colorectum, and diets should include at least 400 g/d of total fruits and vegetables. Preserved meat and red meat probably increase the risk for colorectal cancer; if eaten, consumption of these foods should be moderate. Salt preserved foods and high salt intake probably increase the risk for stomach cancer; overall consumption of salt preserved foods and salt should be moderate. Very hot drinks and foods probably increase the risk for cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx and oesophagus; drinks and foods should not be consumed when they are scalding hot. Physical activity, the main determinant of energy expenditure, reduces the risk for colorectal cancer and probably reduces the risk for breast cancer; regular physical activity should be taken

this is vegan, vegetarian has no meaning in the context of the bbc headline

Vegetarian diet 'cuts heart risk'

The diet combines vegetables, fruit and nuts

Eating more vegetables and soya-based products may be as effective at reducing cholesterol as medication.

Researchers in Canada have developed a vegetarian combination diet which they say cuts cholesterol by almost a third in just one month.

The diet includes vegetables, such as broccoli and red peppers; soy milk and soy sausages; oat bran cereal and bread; and fruit and nuts.

There is hope for a drug-free treatment for some people with high cholesterol Prof David Jenkins

The researchers believe the food programme could be a possible drug-free alternative to cutting cholesterol and protecting people from heart disease.

Coronary heart disease kills more than 110,000 people a year in England. A major cause is cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream.

Combination diet

It has been known for many years that individually soy protein, nuts and fibres like oats and barley can cut cholesterol by up to 7%.

Professor David Jenkins and colleagues at the University of Toronto decided to test whether the impact was stronger if these foods were combined.

They drew up a seven-day food plan using foods that are commonly available in supermarkets and health stores.

A typical day on the diet included:

A breakfast of soy milk, oat bran cereal with chopped fruit and almonds, oatmeal bread, vegetable-based margarine and jam;

a lunch of soy cold cuts, oat bran bread, bean soup and fruit; and

A stir-fry dinner with vegetables, tofu, fruit and almonds.

The researchers put 13 people on the combination diet for a month. They found that their cholesterol levels had dropped by 29% by the end of the period.

The researchers said the findings suggested the combination diet may be as effective as statins.

These drugs have been used extensively for 15 years to treat patients with high levels of cholesterol.

Professor Jenkins said further and larger studies are needed before the diet could be recommended to patients.

He said: "The take home message right now is that there is hope for a drug-free treatment for some people with high cholesterol.

"For us, the main feature now is to move this forward into longer-term studies."

But he added: "This opens up the possibility that diet can be used much more widely to lower blood cholesterol and possibly spare some individuals from having to take drugs."

The study is published in the journal Metabolism