Many shop-bought baby foods contain sugar or fruit juice, which can encourage babies to like sweet things and can potentially damage teeth, according to a report published in the UK consumer association magazine Which? Researchers checked 420 baby foods and found nearly 40 per cent contained sugar or fruit juice, while 60 per cent of infant breakfasts contained added sugars. Forty per cent contained starch additives which can bulk out food so there is less room for what Which? calls "real food". One fruit yoghurt, for example, contained more sugar than fruit and a banana rice pudding had no fruit, just banana flavour. Which? researchers advise parents to check ingredients carefully and use shop-bought products as part of a mixed diet which includes home-made food. (BBC Health)
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), urinary obstruction and associated pain caused by an enlarged prostate gland, affect 50 per cent of men by the age of 65 and 90 per cent of men aged 80 in the US. New treatment technology has been developed, which uses an endoscopic method of improved radio frequency to shrink the prostate by killing excess cells which typically grow as men age. This new treatment has almost no side-effects - the current surgical treatment, although effective, can have side-effects of impotence, incontinence and infection. Testing on humans will begin shortly. (Eureka)
A medication, known as modafinil, approved to treat the sleep disorder narcolepsy, may help combat fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to study results reported at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting. In a nine-week study, 72 patients with MS who were experiencing fatigue which was not relieved by treatment with the drugs amantadine and pemoline found that modafinil reduced fatigue. Although the drug has side-effects in high doses (headache, nervousness and weakness), it may be superior in terms of effectiveness, safety and tolerability, said Dr Rammohan of Ohio State University. The trial was funded by Cephalon, the company which manufactures modafinil in the US. (Reuters)
A smart cot which can tell what position a baby is lying in and how it is breathing can detect early signs of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), say Japanese scientists. Although the respiratory movement preceding SIDS is still not understood, it is believed that changes in posture and breathing can give parents early warning that their baby is in difficulty. Hospitals already have pressure-sensor devices which monitor this type of activity, but the new system, which works with a large number of pressure sensors under the mattress, will be available for home use in about three years, say the researchers. Although this device may be useful, says one US expert, the primary issue is to get parents to place babies on their backs in cots. (New Scientist)
There is yet another reason to reduce blood pressure, lose weight and lower cholesterol levels - it may protect you against dementia. According to a report presented at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, men who were overweight, had high blood pressure and high cholesterol when first examined at around 50 were more likely to suffer from vascular dementia in their late 70s. Vascular dementia is characterised by memory loss and a decline in mental functions and is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. (American Academy of Neurology)
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