Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
An international consortium of scientists recently emphasised on the irreversible harm that toxic chemicals can cause to foetuses and infants. The consensus was reached at the International Conference on Foetal Programming and Developmental Toxicity held in May at the north Atlantic Faroe Islands. Over 200 experts came out with the
Widely feted for its impressive performance in the social sector, a spate of deaths of newborns in one of the state's premier hospitals has raised questions over Kerala's overall healthcare system----- When one thinks of Kerala what immediately comes to mind is a lush-green "God's Own Country", a state with …
Anaemia is a widespread condition in India. The biggest cause is malnourishment and iron-poor diets. Though the best remedy is a good diet, anaemia has spawned a huge market for iron supplements, usually of the expensive variety (see box: Market slice). A 2006 market survey by the Drug Action Forum-Karnataka …
Malnutrition is the underlying cause of half of under-five child deaths. So even though the proximate cause of children dying may be measles, diarrhoea, diphtheria, jaundice or malaria, the real reason is that they are so weakened by malnutrition that their small bodies are unable to withstand infection. Half of …
shampoos may make your hair look good but appearances can be deceptive. A compound called diethanolamine (dea), which is used in shampoos to create foam, has been found to interfere with normal brain development of foetuses in pregnant mice, claim researchers at the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill in …
strongest glue: A bacterium that inhabits rivers, streams and human aqueducts uses nature's strongest glue to stay in one place, according to a study by scientists from Indiana University Bloomington and Brown University, both in the US. The scientists found a force of about 1 micronewton had to be applied …
garlic safety: Researchers from UK's Liverpool John Moores University claim that a garlic supplement may reduce the risk of heart attacks in patients with coronary problems. Led by Khalid Rahman and Gordon Lowe, the scientists found aged garlic extract decreases the chances of formation of blood clots. The extract targets …
methoxychlor (mxc), a common pesticide used on food crops, may reduce fertility in women, claim researchers at the Yale School of Medicine, the us. They found mxc suppressed expression of Hoxa10
theEuropean Parliament has permanently banned the use of six phthalates used for making toys following health concerns. The unanimous decision was taken in Brussels, Belgium on July 5. The decision comes as a reaffirmation of a temporary ban placed in Europe in 1999 on the use of this group of …
fishy plant: A team of Australian scientists has created a plant that yields the highly beneficial long-chain omega-3 fatty acids usually found in fish oil. Allan Green of CSIRO, an Australian research organisation in Canberra, and his team have developed a type of thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) by inserting genes …
If you use a cell phone, take a call on its health effects. Despite cell phone manufacturers sticking to the line that there are no confirmed adverse effects of the contrivance, studies doubting its innocuousness continue to appear with a grim regularity. Not only that; its innocence is being lawfully …
The United Nations Children's Fund's intervention in West Bengal's Purulia district has shown encouraging results in checking the incidence of maternal and child mortality. The agency has documented its initiative through photographs highlighting some aspects of the problem and measures taken to prevent them. THE United Nations Children's Fund's (UNICEF) …
dichloro chloro phenyl ethylene (dde), a toxic residue of ddt, has been found responsible for foetal loss, according to a study conducted by Mathew Longnecker and his co-workers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in the us (Environmental Research, Vol 97, No 2 pp 127-133). From 1997-1999, blood …
researchers from the us-based University of California have found that women eating more vegetables, fruits and other foodstuff rich in proteins have less chances of giving birth to children suffering from leukaemia. Among the fruits and vegetables, carrots, string beans and cantaloupe reduce the risk the most, the researchers point …
no fishy treatment: A human blood clotting agent required for treating haemophilia and serious bleeding has been produced using genetically modified fish by researchers from the University of Southampton, the UK. There is still a long way to go before the product reaches the market, but if the project is …
smoke and dust that choked Manhattan after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack appears to have caused pregnant women to bear small babies. These are the findings of a study conducted by researchers from the us -based Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Women who were in the area on the …
