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FAO's food price index for December 2010 exceeds 2007-2008 levels

"Food prices hit a record high" in December, exceeding 2007-2008 levels when price spikes resulted in riots around the world, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Wednesday in its monthly Food Price Index, the Financial Times reports (Blas, 1/5).

6 Jan 2011

Survey finds high levels of personal happiness, optimism among Americans during 2010

The results of a national telephone survey, conducted by Precision Opinion, of adults 18 and older found very high levels of personal happiness at the end of 2010, despite all the news and rhetoric and somewhat higher levels of optimism going into 2011.

5 Jan 2011

Behavioural changes suggested for preventing binge drinking

Richard Thaler, a professor at Chicago University, and a key adviser to the British Prime Minister on behavioural economics has suggested that large group of drinkers should forgo the long-standing tradition where each one has to buy a drink for the entire party in order to stop binge drinking. This is a part of the “nudge policy.”

5 Jan 2011

Brits get free healthy food vouchers in 2011

As the festive season comes to a close the British government has announced a £250 million ($390 million) industry-financed plan to promote healthy eating. Now millions of people will receive vouchers offering discounts on healthy foods. It is a part of the coalition government’s ‘Change4Life’ programme that is targeting Britain’s growing rates of obesity. The Change4Life campaign was initially begun in 2009 by the previous Labour government, which said that if the plan failed to reduce obesity within three years it might look at regulating the food industry. Now the eight month old Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition feels regulations do not do the job but a gentle push towards healthy habits may help.

3 Jan 2011

Fear of the fat promoted to curb obesity

The Australian Medical Association has recommended the use of graphic television advertisements in Victoria to warn people about the risks of eating fatty foods. Rising rates of obesity has prompted these extreme measures. The proposed ads in television and newspaper would cost $25 million and would show the effects of fat on the body’s internal organs. The AMA’s proposals are part of a submission calling for $63 million to fight obesity.

3 Jan 2011

Tips to prevent a hangover

Dr. Andrew Yacht, director of the division of general medicine and vice chair of medicine for education at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City said, “Alcohol clearly causes hangovers, but why it causes hangovers isn’t very well understood…Part of the suspected cause is dehydration and an electrolyte and hormonal imbalance. Some of the symptoms may be caused by low blood sugar. Or, it may be that the direct toxic effects of alcohol are causing the symptoms.”

2 Jan 2011

Canada’s anti-smoking warnings get larger

Canada will have larger and enhanced warning labels on cigarette packs, it was revealed in a government announcement last Thursday. Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said that these new warnings will cover three-quarters of the front and back of cigarette packs, up from one-half.

2 Jan 2011

World’s first organ donor dies at 79

On December 23, 1954, Dr. Joseph Murray performed the world’s first kidney transplant removing a kidney from Ronald Herrick and implanting it in his identical twin Richard. Years later, Murray shared a Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking work. For the Herrick twins, the results were more immediate and personal. Richard lived for about eight more years because of Ronald’s donation.

30 Dec 2010

Loyola University offers tips to avoid the misery of New Year's hangover

Exercise and B vitamins can help cure a hangover, but coffee won't help. These are among the tips that Loyola University Health System family physician Dr. Aaron Michelfelder offers to avoid the misery of a New Year's hangover.

30 Dec 2010

Free nicotine patches to help smokers quit this New Year

British smokers thinking of quitting have a reason to celebrate this New Year. Free nicotine patches are to be offered on the NHS as part of a major drive to help smokers quit. The Department of Health has announced that smokers would be given coupons for a week’s free trial of the patches in the “Quit kits”. The patches included in the kit will be either NiQuitin Clear 21mg patches or Nicotinell TTS 30 21mg/24 hour patches, Step 1.

29 Dec 2010

Primal fitness offer tips that help you get in shape for 2011

For your New Year's fitness resolution, why not turn to something new, but at the same time, very old? A new trend, called Primal fitness, involves practicing activities that our early hunter-gatherer ancestors would have experienced in the wild - movements such as walking, running, balancing, climbing, lifting, carrying, throwing and catching.

29 Dec 2010

Alcohol worries

Festival season usually means excessive and binge drinking leading to accidents and other health concerns say experts. With the outrage of anti-alcohol groups laws may be tightened but many experts feel that it is not the alcohol that needs to be focused on but the people who over-indulge.

28 Dec 2010

Hangover tips for the festive season!

A bad hangover usually comes with a variety of symptoms like headaches, fatigue, upset stomach, sweating, nausea, bad taste in the mouth excessive thirst, sensitivity to light etc. This is mainly due to the diuretic effects of alcohol that leaves one dehydrated.

28 Dec 2010

Hormone enhanced meat taken off shelves at Coles

Hormonal growth enhancers banned three decades ago in Europe after being linked to health risks including breast cancer, kidney disease and birth defects are still being used in Australia to fatten beef, a federal farm chemical survey reveals.

28 Dec 2010

Mayo Clinic introduces Beanie Baby plush toy

Mayo Clinic announces the sale of a Beanie Baby® plush toy depicting Dr. Jack, canine hero of the recently published children's book, "Let's Visit Mayo Clinic with Dr. Jack the Helping Dog."

28 Dec 2010

Children's hospital thanks Montrealers for abundant toy donations

Every year at The Montreal Children's Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre, we look to members of the community to help make Christmas special for the young children who are not well enough to go home for the holidays. This year was no exception. In an effort to make sure we had enough toys and goodies for Christmas Day, we made an urgent appeal to the public last week and asked Montrealers to pick up extra dollies, stuffed animals, games and trucks so that we might be able to distribute toys to each and every child.

24 Dec 2010

New York Times reports on how foreign governments, investors are pushing some African farmers off land

"Across Africa and the developing world, a new global land rush is gobbling up large expanses of arable land. Despite their ageless traditions, stunned villagers are discovering that African governments typically own their land and have been leasing it, often at bargain prices, to private investors and foreign governments for decades to come," the New York Times writes in an article that examines the factors contributing to investors' growing interest in such land.

24 Dec 2010

U.N. food official highlights food security challenges in world's most populous nation

U.N. Special Rapporteur on the right to food Olivier De Schutter said Thursday that recent food price spikes in China, "in the world's most populous nation," underscore the country's food security challenges resulting from decreasing amounts of arable land, Agence France-Presse reports.

24 Dec 2010

Autism discrimination case at Perth Methodist college

A Perth girl’s school admitted to discriminating against an autistic pupil who was denied a trained aide. This made her lose nine months of schooling. Methodist Ladies College in Perth’s wealthy western suburbs in a first of its kind case in Australia was forced to apologise to parents Andrew and Mandy Mason after they took the school to the Federal Court and secured a settlement in their favour.

22 Dec 2010

Tap water cancer chemical detected

A new analysis has revealed a potential carcinogen in the tap water of 31 U.S. cities and experts are looking for ways to reduce exposure of the communities. The chemical called hexavalent chromium, got public attention in the 2000 film “Erin Brockovich” and has been found to cause cancer in laboratory animals by the National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health.

21 Dec 2010