Cooked vegetables provide more protection against heart disease and cancer than raw ones, is the surprise conclusion of a European research team. Cooking softens plant cells, making it up to five times easier to absorb carotenoids - antioxidants which combat tissue damage and the accumulation of plaque in the arteries. The study also found carotenoids are more beneficial if eaten in foods rather than taken as supplements. (New Scientist)
Give up smoking this year and you could win a holiday for two to Florida. The Nicorette Stop Smoking Achievement Awards will be presented to the Republic's most inspiring smoker to kick the habit before the millennium. Entry forms are available in pharmacies or from 1850-451995. For help in giving up completely, request an information pack, or talk to a trained counsellor, on the Irish Cancer Society's quitline (1850-201203, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.-4.30 p.m.).
Children who contract measles and mumps in the same year are more likely to develop bowel disorders in later life, say scientists at the Royal Free Hospital in London. They found these children were four times more likely to develop Crohn's disease (inflammation of the intestines) and seven times more likely to develop ulcerative colitis (ulcers in the intestine). Crohn's disease has become five times more common in young adults since the 1970s, and while it is treatable, it is not yet curable. The study raises questions over the safety of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, which gives children weak forms of the viruses - but the researchers did not look at any possible links between MMR and bowel diseases. (BBC)
Women who become pregnant after being diagnosed with breast cancer do not increase their mortality risk, according to a report in Cancer. This confirmation of previous research is particularly timely as the incidence of breast cancer is increasing among all age groups. However, this study of pregnant women with stage I or stage II invasive breast cancer found that the rate of miscarriage was 70 per cent higher than expected. The reasons for this are not yet known.
Interested in osteopathy as a career? For details of a new degree course, run by the Institute of Physical Therapy and Applied Science in Dublin, attend the open day on Saturday, 35 p.m. at 18 Priory Hall, Stillorgan, or tel 01-2835566.