Binge drinking danger of giving your child a glass of wine

Just the one: Allowing children a glass of wine with dinner could turn them into binge drinkers in later life

Parents who give their child the occasional glass of wine with their meal could be turning them into binge drinkers, scientists have warned.

Growing numbers of middle class parents are following the example of French families and allowing their offspring to drink wine with their meals, in the belief it will teach them to drink responsibly.

But now a study has found children who are introduced to alcohol by their parents are more likely to grow into problem drinkers later in life.

The research, to be published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, analysed data on 6,257 adult male and female Australian twins.

It recorded what age they had their first drink and whether there were genetic or environmental influences on their behaviour.

Dr Arpana Agrawal, the leader of the team from Washington University in Missouri, said: ‘In this sample of young adults earlier drinking was associated with increased likelihood of a lifetime history of alcohol dependency symptoms, and with reporting more symptoms.

‘It was also associated with increased genetic vulnerability to symptoms.

‘Compared with those who consumed their first alcohol drink after the age of 13 to 15,
early-onset drinkers appeared to be more genetically susceptible to later alcohol dependency problems.’

She said alcohol use at a particularly early age may lead to changes in the sensitive adolescent brain which, in turn, may ‘switch on’ genes that affect a person’s susceptibility to addiction.

In contrast, the research found that being exposed to drink after 15 did not seem to raise the risk of becoming dependent.

Ref: mail online

Cellulite-busting tights that melt away fat with crystals go on sale

Women now have another weapon to help fight the flab in the form of a new range of anti-cellulite leggings and tights.

The Brazilian manufacturer of Scala bio-fir claims the garments will melt away bumpy excess fat.

When underwear made by the same company went on sale in John Lewis in May it was the store's fastest selling lingerie yet, going at a rate of 25,000 pieces a month.

Sleeker silhouette: The Scala bio-fir tights and leggings (£15) zap toxins and fat with in-built thermal crystals which claim to increase blood flow

Now the chain is selling leggings and tights made by Scala, which are embedded with crystals which emit heat on contact with the skin.

This is supposed to improve blood flow and therefore help drain away toxins and fat.

The active Bio Crystals built into the microfibre of the fabric absorb body heat and stimulate cell metabolism increasing blood flow to the skin.

Research carried out on the Skala sister product, the Bio-Fir Anti-Cellulite knickers, showed that four out of five women who wore the knickers every day for a month lost inches from their stomach, hips and thighs.

Cellulite was also reduced. The effects are said to last up to 12 months, provided wearers exercise and eat healthily.

John Lewis' managing director Andy Street said: 'Scala hosiery has the potential to break records as one of the fastest selling products John Lewis has ever stocked.

'Scala control-wear caused a sensation when we launched it in May and I believe the hosiery will do even better as it will appeal to a wider audience.'

The leggings are available now online or at the chain's Oxford Street store in London, while the tights will go on sale across the country in October.

Both the products are black, cost £15 each and the manufacturers says the fat-busting technology does not diminish with washing.

Why eating broccoli may prevent strokes and heart attacks

Broccoli is high in sulforaphane, which helps to keep arteries unclogged

This probably still won't encourage children to eat it, but the many healthy properties of broccoli include preventing a heart attack or stroke, say researchers.

A chemical found in the vegetable boosts the body's defence system to keep arteries unclogged.

Cauliflower, sprouts and cabbage can also keep the blood flowing freely.

They all contain sulforaphane, along with rocket, kale and pak choi, but broccoli contains the highest levels.

The discovery by scientists at Imperial College London could finally crack the code to using the vital vegetable ingredient in treating heart patients.

Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, which funded the research, said: 'As well as adding evidence to support the importance of eating "five a day", the biochemistry revealed in this research could lead to more targeted dietary or medical approaches to prevent or lessen disease that leads to heart attacks and strokes.'

The researchers found bent or branched arteries are more susceptible to disease because they lack a protein called Nrf2.

In contrast, straight sections of artery are protected by the protein, which prevents cells becoming inflamed, an early indication for the development of heart disease.

The researchers discovered that Nrf2 was disabled by a protein in the bent or branched areas of arteries, stifling its protective properties.

But sulforaphane reactivated Nrf2 in these at-risk regions of the arteries, restoring the ability of the arteries to look after themselves.

The researchers believe the chemical could help these trouble spots remain disease-free for longer.

The findings, from a study of mice, are published in the journal Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.

In their next phase of research, investigators will find out whether using sulforaphane as a treatment can reduce the progression of disease.

Dr Paul Evans, from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, who led the research team, said 'We found that the innermost layer of cells at branches and bends of arteries lack the active form of Nrf2, which may explain why they are prone to inflammation and disease.

'Treatment with the natural compound sulforaphane reduced inflammation at the high-risk areas by 'switching on' Nrf2.

'Sulforaphane is found naturally in broccoli, so our next steps include testing whether simply eating broccoli, or other vegetables in their ‘family’, has the same protective effect.

'We also need to see if the compound can reduce the progression of disease in affected arteries.'

The health effects of broccoli are already recognised - along with the characteristically bitter taste that puts off so many children and the former US president George Bush.

Studies have shown a chemical in the vegetable boosts DNA repair i cells and may stop them becoming cancerous.

Other evidence suggests eating broccoli helps reverse the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels.

Ref: mailonline

Multivitamin pills 'can do you more harm than good'

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'Waste of money': Vitamin pills may be doing more harm than good

Multivitamins taken by millions of 'worried well' are a waste of money and may be doing more harm than good, an expert has said.

Brian Ratcliffe, a former government adviser on nutrition, accused the £600million-a-year vitamin pill industry of preying on the fears and finances of people who are essentially healthy.

The tablets, on sale in every supermarket, chemist and health food shop, do little to boost health in those with no medical problems and in some cases could be dangerous.

For instance, those who take fish oils as well as multivitamins could be raising their odds of brittle bones in later years because they are consuming too much vitamin A.

The health-conscious should not take any supplements without first consulting their GP or another medical expert, said Professor Ratcliffe, of Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

He said: 'A lot of people take supplements because they are the worried well and are concerned with taking a belt-and-braces approach to health.

'So they are not thinking very carefully about why they are taking them, how much they should be taking and whether they should be taking them at all.

'They are simply wasting their money and fuelling an industry that is to some extent exploiting their fears. Then, of course, there is a chance they are dabbling in an area where there is a potential for harm.'

The professor, a former adviser to the Food Standards Agency, is not the first to raise concern about the tablets taken by 40 per cent of women and 30 per cent of men a day.

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Last year, a U.S. analysis of 67 studies said vitamins A and E may shorten life, not extend it. Other studies linked the two vitamins to increased risk of cancer. Even relatively small doses of vitamin A can be toxic, said the professor.

The vitamin is found in many fish oil capsules, so those who take these alongside multivitamin pills may be getting more than they should.

Too much vitamin A can cause nausea and headaches in the short term and raise the risk of osteoporosis in later years, the British Science Festival in Guildford heard. On the other hand, high doses of vitamin C are not harmful - but up to three-quarters pass straight through the body.

Even small doses may be of little benefit. A recent study found the vitamin C tablets taken by millions to ward off colds have little effect at preventing the sniffles and only marginally shorten their duration.

Professor Ratcliffe said that on average we get enough vitamin C from our diet - and it is easy to raise the amount by eating healthier food.

However, some may benefit from specific supplements, including the elderly, who can be low in vitamin D, and pregnant women, who are advised to take folic acid.

Manufacturers said Government figures show that three-quarters of adults fail to eat five helpings of fruit and vegetables a day and many lack key vitamins and minerals.

Dr Carrie Ruxton, of the industrybacked Health Supplements Information Service, said: 'Supplements are a useful means of boosting vitamin and mineral intakes while people are gradually improving their diets - this process takes time.'

Ref: mailonline

Frozen vegetables 'more nutritious than fresh produce'

Frozen food can be even more nutritious than supposedly fresh produce in a supermarket, a new study has found.

Most of the fruit and veg found in the freezer, things like peas, are frozen very soon after harvest, so preserving the levels of vitamins and minerals.

However, the long delays in getting fresh food from the field to the store often leads to a reduction in the level of beneficial compounds.

In some cases fruit and vegetables sold as fresh will have been held in warehouses for months on end.

On ice: Contrary to popular belief frozen vegetables can be more nutritious than fresh greens

Scientists at the Centre for Food Innovation at Sheffield Hallam University say it is time to junk the common belief that frozen means inferior.

They highlighted research that shows, for example, that some 77per cent of vitamin C in a green bean is lost during seven days of storage.

At the same time there is evidence that cooked frozen green peas contain higher levels of beta-carotene, which converts into Vitamin A in the body, than cooked fresh peas.

Researcher Charlotte Harden, said her own research among 37 varieties of produce found no nutritional difference between frozen and fresh items.

'We must disregard the mistaken view that ‘fresh’ food is always better for us than frozen food,' she said. 'Frozen food can be nutritionally comparable or in some cases nutritionally superior.

'We are not surprised by these results, as our findings correlate with many other recently published reports.'

Director-General of the British Frozen Food Federation, Brian Young, said: “Fast and organised methods of harvest-to-freeze have evolved which minimise loss of nutrients.

'In contrast, ‘fresh' food can spend up to a month in the chain of producers, wholesalers and retailers before they reach customers.

'During this time we know that product deterioration takes place - to the extent that they can have lower nutritional value than frozen equivalents.'

The research was carried out to help local council caterers to decide on the best choice of food for school dinners.

Chairman of the Local Authority Caterers Association, Beverley Baker, said: 'This new report supports our long held belief that there is no significant difference in nutritional quality between fresh and frozen produce.

'We strongly believe that both have a place in the provision of healthy school meals.

'From a school catering perspective, a combination of both fresh and frozen presents advantages in terms of storage and preparation as well as optimum use of cooking facilities.'

Ref: mailonline