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New report reveals serious flaws in abstinence programs

As Congress and states reconsider funding for abstinence-only programs, the largest study ever of what is taught in sexuality education classes reveals that abstinence programs are plagued with factual errors, use shame and fear to teach about sexuality and actively discourage the use of condoms to protect against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

24 Feb 2009

Parents 'avoid pregnancy' rather than face testing choices

Parents of children with genetic conditions may avoid the need to choose whether to undergo pre-natal testing or to abort future pregnancies by simply avoiding subsequent pregnancy altogether, a study has found.

15 Feb 2009

New reference tool for measuring vitamins, carotenoids and trace elements in dietary supplements

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a new certified reference material that can be an important quality assurance tool for measuring the amounts of vitamins, carotenoids, and trace elements in dietary supplements.

15 Feb 2009

Bristol Neuroscientists host brain workshops

Around 100 local pupils will have the chance to take part in some really ‘brainy' activities this week at a series of interactive workshops, hosted by Bristol University neuroscientists, to help them discover more about the science of the brain.

11 Feb 2009

End-of-life expert develops user-friendly guides for both doctors and patients

Years ago, dying patients in most communities often had a single option if they needed hospice care.

10 Feb 2009

Mum who tried to poison her children placed on good-behaviour bond

An Australian woman who tried to poison her two children last year has been placed on a good-behaviour bond after pleading guilty to the charge of intending to harm them.

10 Feb 2009

UT Southwestern develops medically supervised liquid diet program

UT Southwestern Medical Center's bariatric program has developed a medically supervised program using a specially designed liquid protein diet for people looking to lose weight with or without surgery.

9 Feb 2009

Sheer scale of bushfire devastation revealed as death toll rises

As Australians come to terms with the sheer scale of the destruction from the fires in Victoria, on an almost hourly basis the grisly search for survivors uncovers more victims.

9 Feb 2009

Can money make us happy if we spend it on the right purchases?

A new psychology study suggests that buying life experiences rather than material possessions leads to greater happiness for both the consumer and those around them. The findings were presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology annual meeting on Feb. 7.

8 Feb 2009

Salt and the City is a killer and we're awash with it!

A new Australian survey on fast foods has revealed that some manufacturers are delivering an astonishing amount of salt in some of their products.

8 Feb 2009

Consumers warned about over-the-counter pharmacy diets

Pharmacies across Australia are offering a range of over-the-counter diet plans designed to encourage people to invest in weight loss programs.

8 Feb 2009

FDA warning on peanut product contamination

So far more than 500 cases of foodborne illness caused by Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported.

5 Feb 2009

ADA releases updated position statement on weight management

The American Dietetic Association has released an updated position statement on weight management calling for people to make a "lifelong commitment to healthful lifestyle behaviors" that includes the prevention of weight gain.

5 Feb 2009

Researcher proposes statistical method to enhance secondary security screenings

A researcher at The University of Texas at Austin has found that secondary security screening at airports is mathematically flawed, and has identified a way to select people for screenings more efficiently and fairly.

2 Feb 2009

Improved strategies to tackle ghostwriting in the medical literature

Better strategies to tackle ghostwriting in the medical literature are the subject of a debate by leading authors in next week's issue of the open-access journal PLoS Medicine.

2 Feb 2009

Added salt in our diets is unnecessary and contributes to health problems

Added salt in our diets is unnecessary and contributes to health problems such as hypertension and strokes, write Dr. Ken Flegel and Dr. Peter Magner and the CMAJ editorial team http://www.cmaj.ca/press/pg263.pdf.

2 Feb 2009

The end of sex as we once knew it

Women are not from Venus any more than men are from Mars. But even though both sexes are perfectly terrestrial beings, they are not lacking in other differences. And not only in their reproductive organs and behavior, either, but in such unsexy characteristics as the propensity for drug abuse, fine motor control, reaction to stress, moods and many brain structures.

2 Feb 2009

Recent reports regarding mercury and high fructose

ChemRisk, a leading scientific consulting firm, was asked by the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) to examine the recent publication by Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), "Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup," and the Environmental Health journal publication "Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: measured concentrations in food product sugar," by Dufault et al, 2009, and to offer our comments and analysis.

2 Feb 2009

Australia in need of a complete food-policy overhaul

The report by the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) says that the only way to effectively address the priorities of chronic disease prevention, climate change and social inequality is by a complete overhaul of food policy in Australia.

2 Feb 2009

Scientists, engineers to face obstacles over the next decade in providing clean water

Scientists and engineers will face a host of obstacles over the next decade in providing clean water to millions of people caught up in a water shortage crisis, a panel of scientists and engineers said today at a briefing at the Broadcast Center of the National Press Building on the Final Report on the American Chemical Society's Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions.

29 Jan 2009