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EU bans bisphenol A chemical from babies' bottles

The European Commission has announced a ban on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic baby bottles from next year.The commission cited fears that the compound could affect development and immune response in young children.There has been concern over the use of BPA for some time, with six US manufacturers removing it in 2009 from bottles they sold in the US, although not other markets.But a UK expert said he thought the move was "an over-reaction".BPA is widely used in making hard, clear plastic and is commonly found in food and drink containers.A European Commission spokesman said the proposal had been approved after being presented to a committee of national government experts on Thursday - months earlier than scheduled - and approved.The European parliament had called for the ban in June.

Areas of uncertainty

John Dalli, Commissioner in charge of Health and Consumer Policy, said the ban was good news for European parents."There were areas of uncertainty, deriving from new studies, which showed that BPA might have an effect on development, immune response and tumour promotion," Mr Dalli said in a statement.

EU states will outlaw the manufacture of polycarbonate feeding bottles containing the compound from March 2011, and ban their import and sale from June 2011, the Commission said.But Professor Richard Sharpe, of the Medical Research Council's Human Reproductive Sciences Unit at the University of Edinburgh, said the commission's decision must have been made on political, rather than scientific, grounds."I do not know of any convincing evidence that bisphenol A exposure, in the amounts used in polycarbonate bottles, can cause any harm to babies as not only are the amounts so minuscule but they are rapidly broken down in the gut and liver.

"Babies have the necessary enzymes and are able to metabolise bisphenol A just as effectively as adults."

He added: "Personally I think this is an overreaction, but if satisfactory replacements chemicals are available then this can be done to placate those calling for action, but scientifically it's a retrograde step."I would be happy for a baby of mine to be fed from a polycarbonate bottle containing bisphenol A."

And Professor Warren Foster of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at Canada's McMaster University, said the EU had acted with "extreme caution".

Mimicking

The National Childbirth Trust is a British charity which has campaigned for the ban.Its chief executive Belinda Phipps told the BBC: "When you put liquids into a bottle - particularly hot liquids or liquids containing fatty liquids - it leaches out of the plastic. And particularly as the bottle gets older and it gets more scratched, more and more leaches out and into the liquid."Ms Phipps said that when a baby drinks from a bottle which contains BPA, the baby absorbs the leached chemical into its fat."It's a chemical that mimics oestrogens, but not in a good way," she said. "It interferes with oestrogens getting into the receptors, and it can have some very unpleasant effects - and animal studies have shown significant effects."Canada was the first country to declare bisphenol A toxic in October, after it was concluded that the chemical might have harmful effects on humans, as well as the environment and "its biological diversity".The Canadian decision was strongly opposed by the chemical industry.

Passive smoking 'kills 600,000' worldwide

The first global study into the effects of passive smoking has found it causes 600,000 deaths every year.One-third of those killed are children, often exposed to smoke at home, the World Health Organization (WHO) found.The study, in 192 countries, found that passive smoking is particularly dangerous for children, said to be at higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome, pneumonia and asthma.Passive smoking causes heart disease, respiratory illness and lung cancer."This helps us understand the real toll of tobacco," said Armando Peruga, of the WHO's Tobacco-Free Initiative, who led the study.

'Deadly combination'

The study used estimates of the incidence of specific diseases and of the number of people exposed to second-hand smoke in particular areas.The global health body said it was particularly concerned about the estimated 165,000 children who die of smoke-related respiratory infections, mostly in South East Asia and in Africa.

It said that this group was more exposed to passive smoking than any other group, principally in their own homes."The mix of infectious diseases and second-hand smoke is a deadly combination," Mr Peruga said.

As well as being at increased risk of a series of respiratory conditions, the lungs of children who breathe in passive smoke may also develop more slowly than children who grow up in smoke-free homes.Worldwide, as many as 40% of children, 33% of non-smoking men and 35% non-smoking women were exposed to second-hand smoke in 2004, researchers found.This exposure was estimated to have caused 379,000 deaths from heart disease, 165,000 from lower respiratory infections, 36,900 from asthma and 21,400 from lung cancer.According to the study, the highest numbers of people exposed to second-hand smoke are in Europe and Asia and the lowest rates of exposure were in the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa.

The research also revealed that passive smoking had a large impact on women, killing about 281,000 worldwide. This is due to the fact that in many parts of the world, the study suggests, women are at least 50% more likely to be exposed to second-hand smoke than men.However, the researchers said were limitations to the study, including uncertainties about the underlying health data and gaps in the data relating to exposure to second-hand smoke.Writing in the Lancet, Dr Heather Wipfli of the University of Southern California and colleagues, said: "There are well acknowledged uncertainties in estimates of disease burden.

"However, there can be no question that the 1.2bn smokers in the world are exposing billions of non-smokers to second-hand smoke, a disease-causing indoor air pollutant."

Weather check 'could predict' A&E injury rates

Taking the temperature outside A&E could give staff an accurate way to predict number of injuries and who will suffer them.Experts know that extreme weather can affect A&E patient numbers.Warwick University researchers found that even 5C falls or rises could make a difference to injury rates.Rates for children were up to 70% higher in summer compared with winter, the Emergency Medicine Journal reported.Many trusts plan ahead for winter, when the arrival of frost, snow and ice, as well as flu and pneumonia, is traditionally linked to busier shifts.The study of 60,000 patients found that each 5C drop in minimum temperature during the day meant a three per cent rise in serious accidents to adults.Heat of summerThe arrival of snow and ice led to an eight per cent rise, as the number of slips, trips and car accidents rose.However, the study found other increases linked to the heat of the summer, often viewed as a slightly calmer period in emergency departments.

Even among adults, every five degree centigrade rise in maximum temperature during the day, and additional two hours of sunshine, meant a 2% rise in the rate of serious injury.This effect was particularly noticeable in children, who are more likely to get injured while playing outside during the warmer months.For them, a 5C rise meant a 10% increase in injury cases, and two hours of extra sunshine boosted cases by six per cent.While these connections were made by comparing records of hospital admissions with historical weather data, the researchers are convinced that the principle could be used to help emergency teams plan ahead for days when their workload is likely to be higher.They wrote: "This model could clearly be used to provide predictions of daily admissions, with clear implications for the scheduling of staff and other resources at UK trauma-receiving hospitals.

"The challenge for the future is to improve forecast accuracy further in order to provide sufficient time for the detailed planning and allocation of resources that would be necessary to implement these models."

Professor John Heyworth, president of the College of Emergency Medicine, agreed that the detailed study could help clinical teams know what to expect on any particular day, although he questioned whether the current accuracy of medium-term weather forecasts was good enough to justify staffing changes.

He said: "We've always known that there is increased activity in emergency departments during winter, but in recent years, we've noticed that this doesn't really diminish during the summer months - we remain busy all year round."If you have your emergency department set up to deal with this expected load, then you can deal with extra cases due to weather conditions.

Gene therapy 'memory boost hope'

A gene therapy technique which aims to ease memory problems linked to Alzheimer's Disease has been successfully tested in mice.US scientists used it to increase levels of a chemical which helps brain cells signal to each other.This signalling is hindered in Alzheimer's Disease, the journal Nature reported.

The Alzheimer's Research Trust said the study suggested a way to keep nerve cells in the brain communicating,Ageing populations in many countries around the world mean that Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia are set to increase.Researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease in San Francisco believe that boosting the brain chemical, a neurotransmitter called EphB2, could help reduce or even prevent some of the worst effects of the condition.Their research suggests that the chemical plays an important role in memory, and is depleted in Alzheimer's patients.One of the most noticeable features about the brains of Alzheimer's patients is the build-up of "plaques" of a toxic protein called amyloid. Over time this leads to the death of brain cells.

'Thrilled'

However, another characteristic of amyloid is its apparent ability to bind directly to EphB2, reducing the amount available to brain cells, which could in part explain the memory symptoms involved.To test this idea, they used gene therapy experiments to artificially reduce and increase the amount of available EphB2 in the brains of mice.When levels of the chemical were reduced, healthy mice developed memory symptoms similar to those seen in mice bred to have a condition similar to Alzheimer's.

Conversely, when the "Alzheimer's" mice were given gene therapy which boosted levels of EphB2, their memory symptoms disappeared.Dr Lennart Mucke, who led the study, said that his team had been "thrilled" to find this."We think that blocking amyloid proteins from binding to EphB2, and enhancing EphB2 levels or functions with drugs might be of benefit in Alzheimer's Disease."However UK researchers said that the find, while interesting, did not offer a swift answer to Alzheimer's patients.Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said: "Our brains are hugely complex and understanding how they work and become damaged by diseases like Alzheimer's is a massive task."This research adds a piece to the Alzheimer's puzzle and provides new leads for researchers."It suggests a way to keep nerve cells in the brain communicating, which is vital for thinking and memory."But she added: "We don't know yet if these findings will lead to a new treatment for Alzheimer's - that's some way off."

Too many lessons 'dull and uninspiring', Ofsted says

Pupils at school in England are facing too many "dull and uninspiring lessons", say Ofsted inspectors.The quality of teaching is too "variable", says the education watchdog as it publishes its annual report."The weakest area and the area I'm most concerned about is teaching," says chief inspector Christine Gilbert.The National Union of Teachers said teachers did an "amazing job" and inadequate teaching was the exception rather than the rule.In schools, Ofsted found that teaching in 50% of secondary schools inspected in the past year and 43% of primary schools was no better than satisfactory."Too much teaching is still not good enough and does not deliver what we now expect of it," said Ms Gilbert."It is true that we expect more from schools and colleges today and more from our teachers. But we also know a lot more about how to deliver good, inspiring lessons that motivate and engage children, young people and adult learners."It's vital that teachers are supported to provide them as a matter of course."She said that too many schools, even those rated good, "tolerate pockets of poor teaching".

The report also noted that teaching was often weak in schools where behaviour was poor.'Sensationalist spin'It comes a day before the government is due to publish a White Paper on schools reform, including a shake-up of teacher training.The Ofsted report called for more work to disseminate best practice on teaching within and between schools.Education Secretary Michael Gove said the report was "a ringing endorsement" of government plans to allow senior staff to observe more lessons"Too much teacher training involves... teachers being told how to comply with government criteria... teachers need to learn from other teachers," said Mr Gove.However, Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said government targets contributed to dull lessons."When you look beyond the sensationalist spin on the quality of teaching on our schools, 'inadequate teaching' is the exception rather than the rule," she said.

"If there is anything that is 'dull and uninspiring' in our schools it is a curriculum that is narrowed by the series of hoops that schools have to jump through in order to satisfy arbitrary targets which can change with alarming regularity," she said.Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said judgements about the quality of teaching and learning were still too often based on "snap-shot impressions of excerpts of lessons".

Tougher inspections

Overall across England, including schools inspected in previous years, Ofsted said 68% of schools were now rated either good or outstanding.This year, Ofsted has toughened its inspections and has targeted them more on schools rated inadequate and adequate than in previous years.This means this year's figures are not directly comparable to previous years.Schools previously rated good or outstanding were given limited checks, rather than full inspections.When these schools were included, Ofsted said that the overall profile of schools' quality remained similar to last year - with 18% classed as outstanding, 47% as good, 29% satisfactory and 6% inadequate.However, the number of schools in special measures has risen from 193 to 300, while the number given "notice to improve" has risen from 167 to 276.

Mr Gove said this was "simply unacceptable", even given the new inspection regime.

However, Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: "Once again Ofsted seems to enjoy denigrating the standard of schools in England regardless of the reality and its own findings... we should be celebrating that so many schools are doing so well."The report also points out that schools in poorer areas still lag behind those in wealthier ones, with 71% of schools serving the most advantaged pupils classed as good or outstanding, compared to 46% serving the least advantaged.

Grapefruit and Weight Loss

Grapefruit is believed to be native to Jamaica. It is sometimes confused with the pomelo (Citrus maxima), which is a close relation but is larger and pear-shaped.The grapefruit tree can grow to a height of 26 to 30 feet. Grapefruits are round, with a diameter of between 4 and 6 inches. Their thin skin may be either completely yellow or yellow with a pinkish hue. The pulp of the fruit may be yellow, pinkish, or reddish. It can be more or less sharp-tasting, acidic, sweet, and fragrant.The United States is the largest producer of grapefruit, accounting for over 40% of global production. Approximately 60% of the grapefruit crop is used for the manufacture of juice and canned grapefruit, while the rest is sold fresh.

Buying
Choose grapefruits that are heavy for their size, quite firm, with tight and shiny skin. Avoid overly soft fruits with dull- colored skin.

Benefits
     High in vitamin C and potassium.
     A good source of folate, iron, calcium, and other minerals.
     Pink and red varieties are high in beta carotene, a precursor of vitamin A.
     High in fiber, low in calories.
     Contain bioflavonoids and other plant chemicals that protect against cancer and heart disease.

Nutrition
Nutritional information per 100 g
Water Protein

Fat

Carbohydrates

Fiber

Calories
91% 0.6 g

0.1 g

8g

0.6 g

30 to 33

The nutritional value of the grapefruit varies with the color (white, pink, or red). Red and pink grapefruits have a higher amount of vitamin A.Half a grapefruit provides more than 50 percent of the adult Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of vitamin C; it also has 325mg of potassium, 25mcg (micrograms) of folate, 40mg of calcium, and l mg of iron. The pink and red varieties are high in beta carotene, an antioxidant that the body converts to vitamin A.A cup of unsweetened grapefruit juice has 95mg of vitamin C, more than 150 percent of the RDA, and most of the other nutrients found in the fresh fruit.

Medicinal Value

Grapefruit stimulates the appetite and is used for its digestive, stomachic, antiseptic, tonic, and diuretic qualities.

Grapefruit and Weight Loss Diets

Over the years a number of people have promoted the grapefruit as possessing a unique ability to burn away fat. People following grapefruit diets lose weight because they eat little else-a practice that can lead to nutritional deficiencies.Grapefruits, however, are a good food to include in a sensible weight-loss diet; a serving contains less than 100 calories, and its high-fiber content satisfies hunger. If you're trying to lose weight, make grapefruit your first course to help prevent overeating. It's also an ideal snack food.

Grapefruit and Cholesterol Control

Grapefruits are especially high in pectin, a soluble fiber that helps lower blood cholesterol.

Grapefruit for Cancer Control

Recent studies indicate that grapefruits contain substances that are useful in preventing several diseases. Pink and red grapefruits are high in lycopene, an antioxidant that appears to lower the risk of prostate cancer. Researchers have not yet identified lycopene's mechanism of action, but a 6-year Harvard study involving 48,000 doctors and other health professionals has linked 10 servings of lycopene-rich foods a week with a 50 percent reduction in prostate cancer.Other protective plant chemicals found in grapefruits include phenolic acid, which inhibits the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines; limonoids, terpenes, and monoterpenes, which induce the production of enzymes that help prevent cancer; and bioflavonoids, which inhibit the action of hormones that promote tumor growth.

Other Uses of Grapefruit

Some people with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other inflammatory disorders find that eating grapefruit daily seems to alleviate their symptoms. This is thought to stem from plant chemicals that block Prostaglandins, substances that cause inflammation.

Safety

People who are allergic to citrus fruits are likely to react to grapefruits, too. The sensitivity may be to the fruit itself or to an oil in the peel.

Interactions With Drugs and Medicines
Grapefruit has serious interactions with many commonly prescribed medications.Grapefruit juice inhibits a special enzyme in the intestines that is responsible for the natural breakdown and absorption of many medications. When the action of this enzyme is blocked, the blood levels of these medications increase, which can lead to toxic side effects from the medications.Grapefruit juice research has suggested that flavonoids and/or furanocoumarin compounds are the substances that act to block the enzyme in the intestines that normally metabolizes many drugs.The grapefruit juice-drug interaction can lead to unpredictable and hazardous levels of certain important drugs.These medications should not be consumed with grapefruit juice  unless advised by a doctor:

New Study Challenges Long-Held Assumption about Competition in Disturbed Ecosystems

Hurricanes, wildfires and influxes of pollutants create disturbances that can put ecological systems under extreme stress.  Ecologists had believed that at times like these, competition between species becomes less important as all struggle to survive.

But a new laboratory study of microscopic organisms subjected to varying degrees of acoustic disturbance now challenges that assumption – and could lead ecologists to reconsider how organisms compete during challenging times.“The consistent role of competition at all levels of disturbance found in our study underscores the need for ecologists to examine competitive interactions and their consequences even in highly disturbed habitats,” said Lin Jiang, an assistant professor in the Georgia Tech School of Biology.

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the research was reported June 28, 2010, in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study is believed to be the first to show experimentally that competition could be a factor in regulating ecological communities regardless of the intensity or frequency of disturbance.

Jiang and his team — Cyrille Violle, formerly a postdoctoral fellow at Georgia Tech currently at the University of Arizona, and Georgia Tech biology graduate student Zhichao Pu — conducted experiments with freshwater bacterivorous protists in artificial, simplified ecosystems called microcosms.

“A key advantage of this microcosm system is that the rapid reproduction of the microorganisms allowed us to examine multigenerational community dynamics, including competitive exclusion and stable coexistence, in a period of a few weeks,” said Jiang.

The researchers assessed the ability of different species of single-celled eukaryotes called protozoa to cope with disturbance in the absence of competition, the competitive ability of species in the absence of disturbance, and the role of competition between species under disturbance. Disturbance was imposed by the application of sound energy to the small ecosystems at 11 different levels, ranging from weak disturbances that had little effect on most species to strong disturbances that caused the direct extinction of most species.

First, the researchers placed all of the protist species in separate microcosms for one month and measured each species’ change in population density to assess the ability of each to cope with disturbance. Next, the researchers assessed the competitive ability of species by compelling pairs of species to battle for resources for 10 weeks in the absence of disturbance.

The final set of experiments subjected groups of protist species to both disturbance and competition. The population densities of 11 species — including three Paramecium species — in each of 55 microcosms were recorded for five months. The results of the multi-species experiment showed that the number of species decreased with increased disturbance and that most species were no longer present across most levels of disturbance.

“One might think that the observed decline of species diversity with disturbance was because high levels of disturbances directly eliminated most or all species.  But this idea was not supported by our first set of experiments, which showed that several species were able to sustain viable populations even at the highest disturbance intensities – when they were not with other species,” explained Jiang.

Instead, the species extinctions that occurred through different levels of disturbance could be partly attributed to competition between species. And the rate of extinctions attributable to competition was greater at higher levels of disturbance.

The findings contradict the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, which suggests that at high levels of disturbance, the species that survive will be those that are hardy under disturbed conditions. At low disturbance, the hypothesis suggests that the ecosystem will be dominated by species that are good competitors. At some intermediate disturbance level, the good competitors will have an opportunity to gain a foothold without being destroyed by disturbance, but will not be able to out-compete the hardier species or exclude less-fit species.

In this study, the 11 species differed markedly in their competitive ability and in their ability to tolerate disturbance. When considered together, there was a strong tradeoff between the two traits, according to Jiang.

“Each species was most vulnerable to inter-species competition at its upper disturbance limit, which is when its population density was the most severely reduced,” noted Jiang.

While this study provided unique experimental evidence that competition can consistently regulate species extinction and community richness over broad disturbance gradients, three characteristics of this experiment may influence the applicability of these results to other systems, according to Jiang.

First, since the protist species in these experiments competed for shared food resources and affected each other by reducing the availability of those resources, these findings may not apply to communities competing in other ways, such as those physically or chemically fighting with each other. Second, there was no outside immigration into the experimental microcosms, unlike natural communities in which other organisms can join the competition.

Finally, given the size of the microcosms, disturbance in the experiments could be considered “global”, which contrasts with the more common situation in nature where disturbance is heterogeneous over an area.

In the future, more attention should be focused on examining other mechanisms that may potentially contribute to intermediate disturbance hypothesis patterns, says Jiang.

“Our results challenge conventional thinking and have important implications for understanding relevant ecological issues, such as those related to biodiversity, community assembly and conservation,” he added.

Ohio teenager wins US spelling bee crown

A 14-year-old girl from the US state of Ohio has won the country's coveted annual National Spelling Bee.

Anamika Veeramani, from North Royalton, claimed victory by correctly spelling the word stromuhr - a medical term.

She takes home $40,000 (£27,450) in cash and prizes, as well as the coveted championship title.

Anamika, who came joint fifth last year, was one of the favourites to win among the 273 spellers who took part in the three-day final in Washington.

It is the third year in a row that an Indian-American has won the championship.

Anamika's winning word, stromuhr, is the term for an instrument used to measure the velocity of blood flow.

The final was broadcast live on US television network ABC.

The popularity of the spelling bee - a peculiarly American tradition - has grown greatly over the past decade, partly as a result of the Academy Award-nominated documentary Spellbound

Bioluminescence lights up the oceans

Mysteries still surround glow-in-the-dark creatures

The definition of bioluminescence "is easier than the pronunciation and spelling of the word: It is just visible light made by living animals," says Edith Widder, president of the Ocean Research and Conservation Association in Fort Pierce, Fla.
 
The word may be easy to define, but the chemical process is still poorly understood. Bioluminescence has apparently evolved independently at least 40 times in species belonging to more than 700 genera, or classifications of organisms. Widder notes in the journal Science that about 80 percent of those genera are found in the open ocean.
 

Examples of bioluminescent organisms include yellow-glowing Tompteris worms (upper left). Also pictured (clockwise) are the squid Abralia veranyi; northern krill, known by the scientific name Meganyctiphanes norvegica; the scaleless black dragon fish (Melanstomias bartonbeani); and deep-sea jellyfish (Atolla wyvillei).  

 

Spiders devour ants front-end first

Animal eating patterns involve complicated balancing of quantity vs. quality

A spider that only eats ants is choosy about which body parts of its prey it devours based on their nutritional value.

These new findings are the first to demonstrate that "specialist" predators relying on a single food source might have evolved feeding behaviors to maximize what they get out of meal time, the researchers say.

"We found that these spiders do have to balance their nutrient intake by choosing different body parts of their exclusive ant prey," said Stano Pekár, an assistant professor of ecology and zoology at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic and lead author of the research published in the April 15 issue of the journal Animal Behaviour. 

When chowing down on ants, the spiders consistently began with the protein-packed front parts before getting to the fattier hind segment, called a gaster or abdomen. The picky eating seemed to pay off: Spiders reared on just front-end ant pieces grew faster, bigger and lived longer than those served only gasters or even whole ants.

Yet when given the option, spiders still gobbled on the gaster rather than shunning it entirely for the front parts, hinting that the gaster contains vital nutrients not found elsewhere in the ant's body.

Feasting on ants
For the experiments, the researchers collected dozens of Zodarion rubidum, an ant-eating spider species found in Europe and the United States that has a light orange head and legs.

These spiders attack ants and inject them with powerful venom that paralyzes the prey in mere minutes.

When settling in for an ant banquet, Zodarion spiders puncture the insects' hard exoskeletons with fangs and inject enzymes that "liquefy the inner tissues," Pekár said. The spiders slurp out this mush before moving to different areas of the carcass. These spider eating sessions last from two to four hours.

To see how well the spiders lived on particular pieces of an ant, the researchers divided 60 of the arachnids into three dining clubs that were given the ants' front end (head, legs and thorax or mid-body), gasters or whole ants. Each group received a similar portion of fresh ant flesh by weight.

The spiders given only gasters fared poorly: All 20 died within six weeks of the start of the experiment, whereas eight of the spiders dining on front parts and three on whole ants were still alive and kicking at the experiment's end three months later.

When alive, the spiders kept on the gaster-only diet initially grew but then shriveled, while those eating the head, legs and thoraces thrived, with some tripling their weight. The spiders devouring entire ants also did well, but did not develop as fast or get as big as the front-end eaters.

The choicer parts of an ant To find out whether the spiders had ant-part preferences, the researchers gave 48 spiders small, medium or large whole ants. 

"When we provided [spiders] access to the entire prey, they responded by consistently choosing to feed first and mostly on the head and thorax," Pekár and his co-authors wrote.

Even when given gigantic ants that provided more than enough sustenance in the front-end parts alone, nearly all of the spiders spent at least an hour munching on the fatty ant derrieres.

"We thought maybe the spiders could live only on the protein" found up front, Pekár said, but after working over the thoraces and legs, the hungry spiders "always went for the gaster." This behavior implies that the gaster contains some essential nutrients not found elsewhere in the ant, but that protein is the priority.

While spiders given the protein-rich regimen fared best in the experiment, Pekár suspects those with a more well-rounded diet would ultimately do better. Having sucked out all they could from the front parts, the spiders with a whole ant might have over-gorged on the leftover gasters and done themselves a nutritional disservice during the short experiment, Pekár said.

Eating right also a hunters' burden
The findings jibe with the emerging view that for predators, achieving proper nutrition is trickier than simply finding enough prey to eat.

And what's true for persnickety spiders might also apply to nature's big, "generalist" carnivores.

As for why cheetahs eat particular portions of a gazelle, for example, the thinking had been that the "cheetah did not consume the entire gazelle, because he was stuffed by half of it," Pekár told LiveScience. "But now we see that this is not the full truth. The cheetah did not consume some muscles of the gazelle because he was [already] stuffed with proteins, for example."

Overall, animals' eating patterns involve a complicated balancing of quantity versus quality.

"Nutrition is one of the most important things that animals do," said David Raubenheimer, a professor of nutritional ecology at Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand who has not involved in the study. "I would expect them to evolve the ability to capitalize on any opportunity they have for getting the best they can."

 

First birds were poor fliers

Experts say feathers weren’t strong enough to flap

The earliest birds did not have strong enough feathers to take to the air by flapping their wings and were gliders at best, researchers said Thursday.

While modern birds have feathers with a strong central shaft that is hollow to reduce weight, the earliest-known bird Archaeopteryx and another ancient ancestor had feathers that were much thinner and weaker.

Robert Nudds of the University of Manchester and Gareth Dykearchaeoptery of University College Dublin calculated in a report in the Friday issue ofl Science that even if their feather shafts were solid, they would still have been barely strong enough to allow gliding.

Archaeopteryx lived in the late Jurassic period, about 140 million years ago, and Confuciusornis in the early Cretaceous, around 100 million years ago.

It is widely believed among paleontologists that the first birds arose from small, feathered dinosaurs.

One theory is that birds evolved from small dinosaurs living in trees that initially used feathers to control their descent like a parachute, then glided through the forest canopy and eventually flapped their wings to achieve true flight.

"Some thrust generation by these fossil birds cannot be discounted, but the vigorous flapping flight of modern birds is highly unlikely," the researchers concluded.

Nudds said poor flight ability suggests that the early birds lived in trees and would launch in order to glide to another tree. If they landed on the ground they could clamber back up to gain height for their next glide.

"If Archaeopteryx and Confuciusornis were arboreal dwellers, which is suggested by my data, then it also suggests that avian flight originated in the trees and not on the ground," he said.

"Fossil wings that superficially resemble those of existing birds don't necessarily indicate flapping flight ability," concluded Nudds, who added that the origin of avian flapping flight is likely to be more recent than previously thought.

 

5 minutes in the green can boost mood

Outdoor exercise improves mental health, study finds

Just five minutes of exercise a day in the great outdoors can improve mental health, according to a study released on Saturday, and policymakers should encourage more people to spend time in parks and gardens.

Researchers from the University of Essex found that as little as five minutes of a "green activity" such as walking, gardening, cycling or farming can boost mood and self esteem.

"We believe that there would be a large potential benefit to individuals, society and to the costs of the health service if all groups of people were to self-medicate more with green exercise," Barton said in a statement about the study, which was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Many studies have shown that outdoor exercise can reduce the risk of mental illness and improve a sense of well-being, but Jules Pretty and Jo Barton, who led this study, said that until now no one knew how much time needed to be spent on green exercise for the benefits to show.

Barton and Pretty looked at data from 1,252 people of different ages, genders and mental health status taken from 10 existing studies in Britain.

They analyzed activities such as walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming.

They found that the greatest health changes occurred in the young and the mentally ill, although people of all ages and social groups benefited. The largest positive effect on self-esteem came from a five-minute dose of "green exercise."

All natural environments were beneficial, including parks in towns or cities, they said, but green areas with water appeared to have a more positive effect.

 

Chicken nuggets put to the test: taste vs. health

Consumer Reports warns kiddie favorite is loaded with salt, fat

Consumer Reports put chicken nuggets to the test and found many brands are loaded with salt and fat.

After evaluating 14 supermarket brands of refrigerated and frozen chicken nuggets — including two chicken-like nuggets made from soy — Consumer Reports Health said that choosing a healthier nugget will mean sacrificing flavor.

While none of the 14 brands received a "poor" nutritional rating from the health website, which is associated with Consumer Reports magazine, the only brand to get a "very good" nutrition rating — Health is Wealth — didn't get high marks in taste.

The site also urged consumers not to be misled by brands that are advertised as natural or organic, terms that aren't necessarily indicators of nutritious foods.

For instance, Consumer Reports said that while Tyson accurately claims its chicken nuggets are "100 percent all natural," one serving (about 3 to 4 ounces) of its nuggets has 270 calories, 17 grams of fat and 470 milligrams of sodium.

It's generally recommended that people consume fewer than 65 grams of fat and 2,300 milligrams a sodium a day.

Consumer Reports gave Tyson's nuggets a "fair" rating for nutrition.

"Whatever the claims that are being made, you definitely want to turn to the nutritional panel on the product and see if it matches what you're looking for," said Gayle Williams, deputy editor of Consumer Reports Health.Oliver pushed nuggets into the news recently when he made them on his ABC reality program, "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution." He thought the process of grinding up the chicken parts would gross out the children he made them for, but they ate them eagerly.

Of the 14 items tested, only Health is Wealth received a "very good" nutritional rating, with 130 calories, 4 grams of fat and 230 milligrams of sodium. Testers, however, didn't care for the taste.

"There's the rub. The brand may be more nutritious than others, but if your kids won't eat it, what good is it?" said Williams.

On taste, three brands earned a "very good" rating: Market Pantry (from Target, which told the magazine it was changing its formulation), Bell & Evans Breaded and Kirkland Signature Disney (Costco). Each received a "good" nutritional rating.

And McDonald's nuggets? The site asked children to compare them against the others. McDonald's came out on top, but earned only a "fair" nutrition rating.

 

Folic acid doesn’t cut risk of stroke, study finds

In the U.S., any health benefits already achieved via food fortification 

Studies have linked low blood levels of a chemical lowered by folic acid to reduced rates of stroke. However, folic acid supplements don't seem to prevent strokes, according to a review of clinical trials involving more than 39,000 participants.

"We do not have evidence that would warrant boosting folic acid supplementation for stroke reduction," researcher Dr. Jeffrey Saver told Reuters Health.

Saver and colleagues at the UCLA Stroke Center in Los Angeles identified 13 well-designed clinical trials of folic acid and stroke. Participants in all the trials had been diagnosed with conditions such as kidney and heart disease, as well as stroke.

There were 784 strokes among 20,415 participants taking folic acid, compared to 791 strokes reported among 18,590 people who did not take the supplements.

The analysis, in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke, settles the question about whether folic acid supplementation leads to a major reduction in stroke, Saver said.

"The answer is 'no,'" Saver said.

Still, the researchers suggest more research into folic acid and stroke, particularly for men and those in the earliest stages of heart disease. Data from both of those groups suggested there might be an effect, although researchers could not determine whether or not that was due to chance.

Those potential benefits appeared in trials carried out in countries whose food supplies were not fortified with folic acid. In the U.S., the benefits of folic acid supplementation may have already been achieved through food fortification, Saver noted. In an effort to reduce the birth defect spina bifida, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required the addition of folic acid to all enriched cereal-grain foods starting in 1998.

"Extra pills don't make that much additional difference," Saver said.

 

More kids eat dinner from Uncle Sam

13 states, plus D.C., provide after-school supper programs

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. - While the other preschoolers were warming up to the vegetable pesto lasagna, 3-year-old Avery Bennett dove in with no hesitation.

"Can I have some more lasagna?" Bennett said from her booster seat. "I love it."

She moved on to her seconds, and the other kids at the evening care program in Brattleboro were also chomping down the dish made of spinach, peppers, carrots, tomato, fresh basil and cheese.

More low-income school kids could soon have access to free nutritious dinners like the lasagna that Avery loved. A U.S. Department of Agriculture program in Vermont, 12 other states and the District of Columbia provides reimbursements for the suppers, served at after-school programs for at-risk kids in communities where at least 50 percent of households fall below the poverty level.

"What it allows us to do is provide those kids with an extra nutritious meal before they go home because some kids go home to nothing," said Susan Eckes, director of child nutrition programs for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada in McCarran, Nev.

Around the country, about 49,000 children benefit from the after-school meals each day. The program is expected to cost a total of $8 million from 2009 to 2013, the USDA said.

With more families losing jobs and homes, the need is growing, officials said.

The number of Americans who live in food-insecure households — which at times don't have enough nutritious food — rose from 36 million people in 2007 to 49 million in 2008, according to the most recent report from USDA's Economic Research Service.

Among those, 16.7 million were children, up from 12.4 million in 2007.

Nearly one in four children in the U.S. are food insecure and about one in five live in poverty, according to a report from Feeding America, a network of 200 food banks around the country.

"As the economy gets worse, we're seeing more and more kids," said Beth Baldwin-Page, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Brattleboro.

In East Prairie, Mo., kids who may have skipped the meal from time to time are coming every day, said Lester Gillespie, youth program director at the Susanna Wesley Family Learning Center, which serves 150 meals a day at two sites to kids age 5 to 18.

A lack of nutritious food, especially in the first three to five years, can have lasting effects on the health and development of children. Filling their stomachs with nutritional meals helps them learn and concentrate, officials have said.

"What we've noticed is that when kids are eating nutritional meals, they tend not to get involved in negative activities such as doing graffiti or committing delinquent acts because when their stomach is full they make good decisions," said Gillespie.

Programs in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia and now in Vermont are eligible for reimbursement for suppers.

The USDA requires the sites to offer nutritionally balanced suppers with milk, a protein, fruit, vegetables and bread or a grain item.

Delaware, where the supper program is one of the fastest-growing child nutrition programs in the state, has gone a step further, prohibiting the use of any grain product that contains more than 6 grams of sugar or any product where more than 35 percent of calories are derived from fat.

The Brattleboro Boys & Girls Club started offering dinners on its own two and a half years ago. When it learned the supper program was being expanded to Vermont, it applied for and just starting getting the federal reimbursement of $2.68 per meal.

Three days a week, the club offers dinners feeding 40 to 60 kids on a Thursday night to up to 100 on Friday.

"It's popular. Unfortunately, it's necessary," said Ricky Davidson, unit director.

"We see families getting evicted left and right. They don't have a place to live, let alone cook food," Baldwin-Page said.

Bernie Parent, 18, of Brattleboro has relied on the meals since he and his mother became homeless last year.

Now living on his own in an apartment, going to high school, and working at the Boys & Girls Club, he still relies on the three free dinners each week.

"It helps out a lot," he said.

 

Being a supertaster is no piece of cake

Being a “supertaster” may sound like a foodie’s dream come true, but in reality, it’s no picnic.

Coffee and alcohol are unpalatable – along with tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, strawberries, condiments and most sweets.

“I can’t stand cake,” says Michelle Triplett, a 31-year-old stay-at-home mom and supertaster from Olympia, Wash., who spoke, coincidentally, on her birthday.  “It’s too sweet for me. And when I drink beer, I gag. It’s like drinking urine.”

Supertasters detect components – like salt or bitterness -- in food that others can’t, says Dr. Alan Hirsch, founder and neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.

“[Supertasters] have densities of taste buds that are 10 to 100 times greater than the normal population,” he says. “As a result, supertasters are much more sensitive to spicy foods and they can taste … very mild flavors.”

Triplett, whose favorite meals are turkey sandwiches and macaroni and cheese, says the blander the better, since most everything else is, as They Might Be Giants put it in their song “John Lee Supertaster,” simply “too much.” 

The condition is genetic, tends to affect women more than men and affects 25 percent of the U.S. population; non-tasters (people with a reduced ability to taste) make up another 25 percent with the rest of the population described as medium or normal tasters.

While there are some benefits -- supertasters tend to avoid sugars, salts and fats, so they suffer less from obesity and cardiovascular disease – there’s a potential downside. Supertasters often avoid green vegetables because of their bitter taste, so they miss out on cancer-fighting flavanoids and other nutrients.

 “Many vegetables have bitterness in them -- like green pepper – so a supertaster may avoid [them],” says Hirsch.  Other problem veggies include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, olives and spinach.

 “When I get Brussels sprouts on my tongue, I immediately want to pull that whole patch of tongue off,” says Triplett. Tomato-based foods, apples and blueberries are also too potent for her.

Supertasters are also more prone to burning mouth syndrome, a condition in which a person’s tongue or mouth feels like it’s on fire.

“It’s horribly disabling,” says Hirsch. “You can’t eat food, you can only drink water and it can be quite painful.

If you think you’re a supertaster, a five-minute survey developed by Cornell University can help. There’s also a home test involving blue food coloring. Or a simple taste test – available for a small fee -- that uses a filter paper impregnated with a chemical known 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP).  Non-tasters won’t taste anything on the paper; medium tasters will taste a small amount of bitterness. Supertasters, however, will find the chemical “stomach-wrenchingly bitter.”