Mothers who switched from breast milk to bottle 'were misled'

Mothers who switched babies from breast milk to bottle Cows milk formula 'were misled'-Life & Style-Health-TimesOnline

Another damning report exposing the pressures on mothers to use cows milk formula rather than optimum nutrition for babies from breast milk.. (reportd in The Times)

Thousands of women are inadvertently overfeeding their babies because ministers and health advisers have delayed the introduction of new WHO child growth charts according to Tam Fry, of the Child Growth Foundation.

“Introducing these charts will shift a quarter of the babies from below the average weight at one year to above the average weight,” Mr Fry said. “It means that many fewer babies will be referred for ‘failure to thrive’ and lots of women will go on breast-feed-ing longer, because they won’t be discouraged.”

Health experts and nutritionists welcomed the charts, which are based on a study of 8,500 breast-fed babies in Brazil, Gha-na, India, Norway, Oman and the US between 1997 and 2003.

The difference between these and the existing charts, which were based on Britain’s experience before 1990 and were weighted towards bottle-fed babies, is striking. Breast-fed babies have a growth spurt in the early weeks and are ahead of the growth chart at 12 weeks. But then they start to put on weight more slowly so that at 52 weeks the average breast-fed baby is about half a kilogram – more than 1lb – lighter than the chart indicates.

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Brocolli- Over Boiling Kills Anti Cancer Properties

Nutrition Horizon: Nutrition, Ingredients and Foods Online - Newsmaker

Steam don't Boil! 30 minutes boiling reduces anti cancer agent glucosinolate by 77% !!!

The researchers, Prof Paul Thornalley from Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick and Dr Lijiang Song from the University of Warwick’s Department of Chemistry bought Brassica vegetables, (broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower and green cabbage) from a local store and transported them to the laboratory within 30 minutes of purchasing. The effect of cooking on the glucosinolate content of vegetables was then studied by investigating the effects of cooking by boiling, steaming, microwave cooking and stir-fry.

Boiling appeared to have a serious impact on the retention of those important glucosinolate within the vegetables. The loss of total glucosinolate content after boiling for 30 minutes was: broccoli 77%, Brussel sprouts 58%, cauliflower 75% and green cabbage 65%.

The effects of other cooking methods were investigated: steaming for 0–20 min, microwave cooking for 0–3 min and stir-fry cooking for 0–5 min. All three methods gave no significant loss of total glucosinolate analyte contents over these cooking periods.

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NHS Zero Safe Limit in Pregnancy for Alcohol

GMTV - Pregnancy and alcohol

The NHS has revised it's guidelines to now advise that the safe level of alcohol consumption during conception and pregnancy should be zero.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Fiona Adshead said: "We have strengthened our advice to women to help ensure that no-one underestimates the risk to the developing foetus of drinking above the recommended safe levels. Our advice is simple: avoid alcohol if pregnant or trying to conceive."

The National Organisation on Foetal Alcohol Syndrome estimates more than 6,000 UK children are born with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder each year.

Dr Sheila Shribman, the National Clinical Director for Children, Young People and Maternity Services said: "Alcohol and pregnancy advice is now consistent across the UK. It is vital that we alert pregnant women and women hoping to conceive about the potential dangers of excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy."


Researchers from
Wayne State University in Detroit report part of the increase in the number of preterm births can be blamed on alcohol consumption. They studied 3,130 pregnant women before and after delivery.

In the study, 66 of the newborns were born extremely prematurely, which is defined as 32 or fewer weeks of gestation. Researchers report alcohol, and cocaine to some extent, increased the risk of prematurity. The more alcohol a woman reported consuming, the more likely she was to be one of the women who delivered extremely premature. Study authors write they do not have a full explanation for why alcohol and cocaine use affected women older than 30 more than younger mothers. Mothers who did not drink or use drugs while pregnant had a 41 percent decreased chance of delivering extremely premature. Cigarette smoking was not linked to extreme prematurity.

Research was conducted primarily on black women so more studies needed to verify findings are relevant to populations as a whole.

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Sodium Benzoate - Causes Cancer ? Destroys DNA ?

E211 Revealed: Evidence highlights new fear over drinks additive - Independent Online Edition > Health

More research has emerged after the Independent on Sunday first broke the story. It appears that when mixed with vitamin C some common E numbers become carciogenic. In addition when some E numbers found in drinks are mixed with E numbers found in crisps the potency then becomes seven times that of the E number chemicals found singly.

More research is urgently needed to find out the full effects of cocktails of E numbers on our bodies.

The Independent on Sunday reveals...

According to Professor Piper, sodium benzoate has a destructive effect on living cells, destroying the DNA in the mitochondria. In essence, his laboratory tests on yeast cells suggest that such preservatives generate free radicals which, in turn, damage cells. This oxidative damage, he says, is the kind of done by ageing and by alcoholic binges. Professor Piper is disappointed at what he sees as a "complacency" among the soft-drinks industry over the potential dangers of additives.

Coca Cola running scared after lawsuit - Coke Lawsuit

See also BBC , Observer - 1500 drinks a risk

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Against Animal Tasting? - Stop Supporting Animal Testing

The Lush Ma Bar Will Always Be Vegetarian!! by Lush Cosmetics Cruelty Free Vegetarian Organic Bathroom Products

Lush say if you against Animal Tasting you should watch out for animal products and animal testing in your cruelty free bathroom products and organic skincare cosmetics too.

Tallow (hard animal fat) is commonly used in soaps, but Lush prefer to use a vegetable base. And not only this, there are many other animal ingredients lurking in your bathroom products to look out for … The Vegan Society list shellac (crushed insects) which may be used in nail varnish; civet (from anal pouch of civet cat); musk (from male musk deer); chitin (from insects and crustacea) and keratin (protein from hair, horn, hoof and feathers) may be used in shampoos, conditioners and skin care products; gelatine (from animal bones, skin and hide) and elastin (from meat) are also from animals.

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60% Cancer Drop From Vitamin D Supplements

Vitamin D - the new Vitamin C?

60% Cancer Drop From Vitamin D Supplements

A four-year clinical trial involving 1,200 women found those taking the vitamin had about a 60-per-cent reduction in cancer incidence, compared with those who didn't take it, a drop so large — twice the impact on cancer attributed to smoking — it almost looks like a typographical error.

One of the researchers who made the discovery, professor of medicine Robert Heaney of Creighton University in Nebraska, says vitamin D deficiency is showing up in so many illnesses besides cancer that nearly all disease figures in Canada and the U.S. will need to be re-evaluated. "We don't really know what the status of chronic disease is in the North American population," he said, "until we normalize vitamin D status."

'By Easter, 90 per cent of the population are seriously depleted in the amount of vitamin D they have in their bodies,' says author of the study Dr Elina Hypponnen, of the Institute of Child Health in London.

As we get older and our skin ages it becomes less efficient at using light to catalyze the synthesis of vitamin D. So part of the rise in incidence of vitamin D with age is probably caused by worsening vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D might do what Linus Pauling claimed vitamin C could do: reduce the incidence of infections.

The malign consequences have been revealed by in a study from the United States which shows that boosting vitamin D may be the most effective way of warding off infections that cause winter colds.

The authors, from Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, New York, who publish their findings in the journal Epidemiology and Infection, say vitamin D stimulates "innate immunity" by activating peptides in the body that attack bacteria, fungi and viruses.

"Vitamin D supplementation, particularly with higher doses, may protect against the typical winter cold and flu ... Since there is an epidemic of vitamin D insufficiency in the US, the public health impact of this observation could be great," they write.

Vitamin D deficiency is also linked to a higher incidence of auto-immune diseases. For example, multiple sclerosis occurs at higher rates in the more northern regions of North America where people get less sun in the winter due to both cold and shorter days.

The current max recommended limit of 2000 IU per day might be too low.

A recent review of the science reported that the tolerable upper intake level for oral vitamin D3 should be increased five-fold, from the current tolerable upper intake level (UL) in Europe and the US of 2000 International Units (IU), equivalent to 50 micrograms per day, to 10,000 IU (250 micrograms per day).

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Real Kitchen Nightmares - London Nutritionists Challenge British Chefs and Restaurants for National Vegetarian Week

Real Kitchen Nightmares - London Nutritionists Challenge British Chefs and Restaurants for National Vegetarian Week 2007

Yvonne Bishop-Weston, Foods for Life, Nutritionist, London advises "Eating intensively produced meat and dairy is a recognised factor in degenerative disease. Eating a colourful selection of fruit and vegetables coupled with seeds, whole-grains and pulses offers one of the best value alternative health insurance policies available, to help you live well, not just longer."

Bristol Vegan Fayre Sponsor Lush offer prize for the new best menu .

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Rising Malnutrition in UK

from Natural Products Magazine

Six million Britons are malnourished say experts - May 10, 2007
Up to 3.6 million people in Britain are suffering from malnutrition with growing numbers being treated for deficiency diseases, reports The Independent.

Research carried out by the British Association of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) has revealed that malnutrition currently costs the NHS more than £7.3 billion a year. This is double the estimated cost of treating obesity related disease in Britain.

BAPEN says that up to 6% of the population could be suffering from malnutrition and serious vitamin and mineral deficiencies caused by poor diet. They say that the problem is being fuelled by a growing reliance on pre-prepared foods and falling levels of micronutrients in fresh fruit and vegetables. Vitamin levels were also being compromised by binge drinking, excess sugar consumption and drug use.

The latest figures available (2002) showed that 2,729 people in English hospitals were diagnosed with malnutrition. Worrying numbers were suffering conditions usually found in the poorest parts of Africa.

Dr Mike Stroud, senior lecturer at the Institute of Human Nutrition, University of Southampton, told The Independent: “The modern diet is not providing enough vitamins. Malnourishment is going to make you more vulnerable to illnesses and less able to cope with them. The medical profession is only just beginning to take on board the implications.”

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Sales Of Quorn and Linda McCartney Slowing Down

Sales Of Vegetarian Foods Are Predicted To Grow At A Declining Rate Over The Next 5 Years To 2010

Market analysts are predicting that the growth of sales of market leaders in the Vegetarian foods market is slowing down.

Foods for Life London Nutritionists suggest that the market leaders are not in touch with the core market and that the sales for vegan foods are increasing much faster.

Things may surprise the analysts as Marlow Foods Quorn and Cauldron have been bought by Premier Brands and Linda McCartney and Haldane ( Real Eat, Granose, Direct Foods) have been bought by Hain Europe.

Previously these brands showed a lack of understanding about the healthy eating market. Many products have eggs in them which are not considered vegetarian by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs or even by strict vegetarians and vegans.

Lack of protein is an issue too - many of the Quorn products have less protein than a bar of sugar free chocolate ( see Plamil sugar free hemp chocolate )

Companies such as Redwoods, already leaders in innovation, are set to become market leaders by understanding all the maket drivers and preferances of this rapidly expanding market.

Companies such as Redwoods, Plamil, Alpro and Doves Farm embrace the environmental and fair trade aspects of ethical consumers as well as ensuring their products are vegan so thus suitable for everyone.

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