Ra 4 Food - Health and Nutritional Tips

It seems the recession is rearing its ugly head again as ministers cancel plans to help fund a programme to improve the quality of care for very sick babies.

A report published today, produced by a task force on neonatal care revealed that across England’s 162 neonatal units there are shortages of up to 2,700 nurses and 300 other staff like physiotherapists and dieticians. It was hoped that ministers would back and fund the proposals for the specialist care that is offered to babies in their first four weeks of life.

Sir Bruce Keogh – the deputy chief medical officer is chairman of the task force, which was set up a year ago to try and offer babies the same one-to-one intensive care that sick adults are given. Numerous professional medical organizations have endorsed this proposal for the last 15 years. It was suggested that an injection of £89m a year would be necessary along with one-off costs of £102m.

However ministers are calling for the funding to be obtained from within local health budgets instead.

Figures show that in England in 2007 2,127 babies died within the first 28 days of their lives. Babies are more likely to die in this neonatal period with 60 per cent of infant deaths occurring within this time frame. Research shows that one-to-one nursing would minimize the number of deaths.

Across England, 30 per cent of the 46 neonatal intensive care units are seriously lacking in staff numbers to offer one-to-one care.

Chief executive of the premature baby charity Bliss, Andy Cole admitted the decision to pull funding was a “huge missed opportunity”. He added that estimated costs to offer a “world class service” were as low as £150 per baby. “That is the kind of insurance policy most parents would be prepared to take out to ensure their baby got the best standard of critical care, should they need it. We hope the NHS will find the money to deliver it,” he said.

Ann Keen, health minister, said, “Having a sick baby is very distressing for parents at what should be one of their happiest moments. That’s why we’re providing the NHS with practical guidance on how to make neonatal services even better and take a family-centred approach to care.”

A survey has revealed the worrying facts that young girls at just seven years old would choose to change the way they look while 50 per cent of 16 to 21 year olds would opt for surgery to attain the ideal figure.

Girlguiding UK undertook the research, which revealed that 95 per cent of 16 to 21 year olds are not happy with their bodies - 33 per cent wanting to be thinner, while another quarter would resort to surgery.

“We all compare ourselves to our peers, whoever they may be and for girls and young women, their peers are usually other young women,” said Dr Kerry O’Brien, a Psychologist at the University of Manchester.

“For them, as with others it is about finding their place in the world and wanting to compare favourably. Unfortunately, considering the approach of the media, that is often not the case.

“Many girls try to measure up to an image which is not a true reflection and can feel that they are coming up short,” he added.

In the 11 to 16 category, 12 per cent said they would opt for a gastric band or cosmetic surgery while five per cent would consider using Botox to attain their ideal look.

Thankfully less seven to nine year olds wanted to lose weight - with just five per cent claiming they wanted to be thinner. However this figure went up to 12 per cent for the 10 to 11 category and 27 per cent for 11 to 16 year olds. In the 7 to 11 cateogory, 72 per cent wanted to change something about the way they looked - with the most common change being their teeth!

Jo Swinson, a Liberal Democrat MP, said that young girls were being bombarded with pictures that are an “unrealistic idea of what is beautiful means” while her party are trying to ban airbrushing.

“This report highlights the worrying number of teenage girls who are going on extreme diets or even considering cosmetic surgery because they’re unhappy with the way they look,” she said, adding, “Airbrushing means that adverts now contain completely unattainable images that no-one can live up to in real life.

“Girls shouldn’t constantly feel the need to measure up to a very narrow range of digitally manipulated images.”

The Girlguiding UK survey asked 1,109 girls a variety of questions on subjects relating to binge drinking, eating disorders, plastic surgery, sexual health and body image. The questionnaire also revealed that over 25 per cent of 11 to 16 year olds had got so drunk in the past that they had been sick or lost control of their actions.

Chief Guide, Liz Burnley said, “Political debate is constantly grappling for solutions to these issues, under the intense scrutiny of the media spotlight, but the one group whose views are not sought are the young women they affect.”

New research has revealed that due to an increasing amount of women waiting longer to start a family, there has been a steep rise in the number of Down’s pregnancies.

Over the last two decades there has been a 71 per cent increase in Down’s pregnancies, showing the trend for women choosing to wait until their late thirties and early forties to reproduce. However, advances in pre-natal screening allow earlier detection of Down’s, and ultimately more terminations.

The number of babies actually being born with Down’s syndrome has therefore kept on an even keel, at approximately 750 a year, give or take 20 per cent over some years.

The new figures, published in the British Medical Journal, displays how risky it can be for women to wait too long. Between 1989 and 2006, the number of women conceiving over the age of 35 went from 6 per cent to 15 per cent - while those waiting until after 40 is increasing at an even greater rate. A mother waiting until the age of 40 to have a baby has a 16 times bigger risk of conceiving a Down’s baby, compared to a 25 year old.

Joan Morris, professor of medical statistics at Queen Mary, University of London, said, “There has been an enormous shift in the age of mothers. It really has been dramatic. Down’s is the commonest chromosomal abnormality in babies and the commonest abnormality of any kind in babies born to mothers over 45.”

In 1989-90 there were 1,075 Down’s pregnancies, compared to 1,843 in 2007-8. Based on the rise of maternal age, there would have been a 48 per cent increase of Down’s babies born, had none been terminated. However, the birth rate actually fell by 1 per cent due to the advances in pre-screening. Professor Morris said, “The proportion of women who had a termination has not changed since 1989, at 92 per cent of those who had an antenatal diagnosis.”

Everyone is routinely offered the screening, but the number of women older than 37 agreeing to have it stayed the same over the last two decades, at 20 per cent. Professor Morris said, “Twenty years ago we were picking up 70 per cent of Down’s syndrome babies and today we are still picking up 70 per cent. Now we have got the option of non-invasive screening tests [blood samples and ultrasound] but there is still a core group of women who don’t want screening. There is a proportion who will always say no.”

Within women under the age of 37, the number of Down’s pregnancies being picked up rose from 3 per cent to 43 per cent in the same time, due to the development of screening methods. Professor Morris said, “As the test improves we may get near 70 per cent of babies detected, but I don’t think we will make 100 per cent.” She added that it was necessary to determine why women are turning down screening.

After decades of Brits preferring a good burn up for a taste of the exotic, sales have now shifted as all things Chinese rather than Indian take the leader board.

Market researchers discovered that us Brits are now reaching for the Chinese spring rolls before any other dish - including the previously mass adored chicken tikka massala.

However Indian food is still hugely popular - with 71 per cent of people surveyed claiming to regularly enjoy tikka massala, korma and vindaloo among other curries.

However it seems a taste of the Oriental is still preferable, with 80 per cent of Brits opting for dishes like special fried rice, crispy duck and spring rolls.

“Our sales figures certainly support the fact that oriental food is currently the nation’s favourite, with 53 per cent of customers buying the cuisine compared to 43 per cent who opt for Indian food,” said Simon Williams, an acquisition director at Tesco.

“Also, our customer base for oriental food is growing faster than that of Indian,” he said.

However, in true unauthentic British style, it seems that few of us even know how use chopsticks. Only 38 per cent admitted to using them while just 40 per cent of Brits actually have a dusty pair hiding away at the back of the cutlery drawer.

Oh well, forks and packet sauces it is then…

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Scientists in Britain claim they will have the ability to undertake the first ever womb transplant in a matter of just two years. The researchers have found a way to transplant the womb with a satisfactory blood supply, which could give it enough time to carry a pregnancy to full term.

This pioneering procedure could mean the end to adoption or surrogacy for women whose wombs have been let damaged by disease. Approximately 15,000 women in the UK of childbearing age does not have a functioning womb.

Richard Smith, consultant gynaecological surgeon at Hammersmith Hospital in London, presented his latest findings from tests on rabbits at a US fertility conference. He now needs £225,000 to proceed with the next steps of the study, but so far grants have not been forthcoming.

Mr Smith and his team are hoping to raise funds through their charity, Uterine Transplant UK in time to proceed with the first human transplant within two years.

In tests so far, five rabbits were given a womb using a “vascular patch technique”, where major blood vessels could be connected. Two out of the five rabbits lived to 10 months, with post death testing revealing the transplants were successful.

There has been one case of a human womb transplant by Saudi surgeons in 200, however the womb shrivelled in mere months. Mr Smith suggests the reason for this was a lack of knowledge about how to connect the blood vessels correctly.

Mr Smith said, “There are certain technical issues to be ironed out but the crux of how to carry out a successful graft that’s properly vascularised – I think we’ve cracked that one.”

Although the medical profession did not seem interested in the research, there was clearly a strong demand from patients, said Mr Smith, “There’s a lot of dismissal in the profession in terms of this being a step too far in fertility management. But for a woman who is desperate for a baby, this is incredibly important.”

Mr Smith, added that the womb could be removed as soon as the women had finished bearing children, “The plan is that once a woman has had her children, the uterus comes out and she can come off immunosuppressants.”

New research has been published revealing that women are at risk of reducing their chances of conceiving through IVF if they indulge in just a moderate couple of glasses of white wine per week. Similarly, men run the risk of depleting their chances of fathering a child if they drink one beer a day.

The research also showed that if a couple collectively drank six units a week - or say one bottle of wine between them, their hopes of having a live birth are cut by 26 per cent.

The research was carried out by Harvard Medical School in the US, where 2,574 couples were questioned on their alcohol intake and the type they drank before going through with the IVF. Head of the study, Brooke Rossi advised that men and women drinking over six units per week “significantly reduced their likelihood of pregnancy”.

This translates to around two strong pints of beer or two large glasses of wine. Women reduced the likeliness of getting pregnant by 18 per cent while men faced a 14 per cent reduction in live birth rates. It appeared that the outcome was especially affected by women consuming white wine and men drinking beer.

Women drinking between one and nine units of white wine a week were 24 per cent less likely to have a live birth along with an increase of 23 per cent in relation to a failed implantation of the embryo.

The results were presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

A study has revealed that the main cause of cots deaths is the baby sleeping with their parents, with the situation exacerbated by the adults drinking or taking drugs.

A study was carried out over four years in the South West, which revealed that babies from birth to two years old were more likely to suffer from unexpected infant death when asleep with a parent – often on the couch.

Improved health awareness campaigns have helped to significantly decrease the number of cot deaths since the early 1990s. However experts suggest a lot more needs to be done to ensure all groups in society are aware of the risks.

The research team at Bristol and Warwick universities investigated the likeliness of a link between infant death and socially deprived groups.

The results revealed that 54 percent of unexpected deaths in the socially deprived group happened whilst co-sleeping, compared to the control group where the result was just 20 per cent.

Experts suggest that the increased risk within this group stems from the parents indulging in excess alcohol or drug use before sleeping.

The study advised that the safest place for a baby to sleep during the first six months was in a cot, next to their parent’s bed.

Peter Fleming, a professor of infant health and development physiology at the University of Bristol and the head author of the report, said, “People understand the implications of drinking and driving and the vast majority follow that advice. So we want parents, if they’ve had a drink or taken drugs, not to co-sleep with their baby.”

Professor Fleming added that it was common for parents to think it was safer to feed their babies in the middle of the night on a chair or sofa instead of in bed, when actually the opposite is true.

“It is really important that parents should not fall asleep with their baby on a sofa as it is very, very dangerous,” he said. “It is 25 times more risky than having a baby in bed with you. After parents have fed a baby it is really important they put them back in their cot.”

Edwin Mitchell, a professor of child health research at the University of Auckland, added, “Presumably, alcohol and drugs impair the arousal of the adult co-sleeper. However, the dangers of this combination of behaviours are, for the first time, convincingly shown in this study.”

Professor Mitchell said that cot death could easily be avoided. “It is important to monitor parents’ knowledge and infant care practices to inform health education and promotion,” he said.

The food world has been shaken up after a food writer has done the unthinkable and accused Ferran Adria - regularly referred to as the best chef in the world - of unknowingly poisoning patrons with additives.

Adria, who reigns over critically acclaimed and multi-Michelin-starred restaurant El Bulli, just outside Barcelona, is usually celebrated by A-listers for his outlandish artistic creations.

Normally it takes years to even get a table in the world famous restaurant, however Jörg Zipprick, a German food writer, is not buying into the hype, saying the supposed house of “molecular gastronomy”should come complete with health warnings advising diners about some of the unusual additives that are present in the dishes.

“These colorants, gelling agents, emulsifiers, acidifiers and taste enhancers that Adria has introduced massively into his dishes to obtain extraordinary textures, tastes and sensations do not have a neutral impact on health,” says Zipprick, further commenting that some of the additivies even had an effect similar to laxatives.

On top of that, molecular chefs often use polysaccharides from seaweed, which have a link to increasing the risk of intestinal cancer, says Zipprick. However Adria vehemently denies that he is putting his diner’s health at risk, adding that the chemicals Zipprick refers to have long been part of haute cuisine cooking.

However it seems it is not just Zipprick questioning the inclusion of such ingredients that are more likely to crop up on a packet of processed food. Santi Santamaria, also a revered Spanish chef, wrote a book last year called The Unappetising Underside of Molecular Cooking, after an attack on Adria’s cooking last year. He said in a newspaper, “Can we be proud of a cuisine which fills plates with gelling agents and laboratory emulsifiers?”

The criticism has not gone down well with the Spaniards however, who view Adria as food hero and national treasure - and therefore often refer to Santamaria’s attack as nothing more than jealousy. Some fellow supporting chefs of Adria even went as far as to sign a petition against Santamaria, terming him a “traitor”. However Zipprick is not convinced.

“It would not occur to any fast-food chain to stuff us with 20 or 30 dishes full of chemical additives,” he says, referring to the El Bulli menu. The restaurant really is for the rich and famous with a meal coming in at an eye watering £300 a head. It is also only open for six months in the year - the rest of the time allows the ‘mad scientist’ to concoct new dishes at his “laboratory” in Barcelona.

While El Bulli is regularly voted the best restaurant in the world by Britain’s Restaurant magazine - having won the coveted title five times, Zipprick calculates that one (expensive) trip to the hot spot makes up 16% of an individual’s annual additive intake.

But its not just the critics and chefs who have something to say - some diners have found it a bit overwhelming too. An American journalist, Bill Buford, announced that his wife was close to storming out of the restaurant after she ate what was termed “electric milk”, which “incinerated her tongue”, while a twenty something student was quoted (in a book about El Bulli) saying “the meal … was an experience and art. I enjoyed it enormously and it made me vomit”.

There should be extra cause to pop the cork this festive season - the price of champagne is expected to rapidly drop due to the economic downturn.

Industry experts predict even the vintage bubbles to decrease to around £10-£12 a bottle by Christmas - that’s about half of what it’s currently retailing at.

During the first half of this year champagne sales dropped by 45 per cent - quite a steep fall considering the UK is the largest export market.

While revellers will be enjoying the price slashes it is not expected to last long as France announced plans to half grape production for next year.

However, reap while you can, as there are discounts a plenty to be had, with Majestic taking 40 per cent off Taittinger Brut Réserve now at £23.99 a bottle and is doing the same for for Veuve Clicquot Vintage 2002, now at at £33.99.

Now is the time to get your hands on a bottle of Bollinger Grande Année Rosé 1999 - down to £85 from £127. Moet & Chandon can now be supped for as little as £19.99 a bottle if you get along to Oddbins. - down 22 per cent. Majestic’s 56 per cent profit losses are thought to be mainly due to the lack of champagne sales.

Robert Joseph, editor of Meininger’s Wine Business International magazine,suggested premium brand champagne producers would be hesitant to knock their prices down to avoid devaluing their brand, however he added that supplies would be plentiful, which would cause prices to drop.

He said, “The big brands will try to keep out of it but there are rumours that one or two are already dropping their prices.

“We are not going to see £5 bottles of champagne, but it’s not impossible that we’ll be seeing it at £10 and £15.”

There is currently around four years’ worth of the sparkly stuff holing up in champagne houses throughout France.  A lot of it is vintage from past years - it has to be matured over a period of 39 months first.

Mr Joseph added, “Non-vintage champagne that we are getting now would be from the 2008 harvest with a bit of 2007 in it.

“There is a lot of champagne lying about in cellars in France. Because of the credit crunch people just aren’t buying it — and that is not just in the UK, that is in France and across the world.

“They are already selling it in France at eight or nine euros a bottle. Non-vintage will clearly be available at sub-£10 at Christmas. Some even feel that vintage champagne will not cost that much more.”

However, he warns not to buy based on price alone, “There is no way of knowing what sort of quality of champagne will be reduced, but the general rule is that if you aren’t paying for it you rarely get it.”

Some of the big supermarkets are advertising rock bottome prices for champers this Christmas. A Morrisons representative said,

“As champagne prices are falling, there will be some great offers for our customers to look out for in the run-up to Christmas.”

New hope is being offered to cancer patients with inoperable tumours, as a revolutionary new technique has been revealed whereby minuscule magnetic particles will  be heated and directed onto cancer cells to destroy them.

The nanoparticles of iron oxide require a temperature of 42C - just 6C higher than body temperature in order to effectively kills cancerous cells.

General practioner surgeries and outpatient clinics could soon be using the new treatment, which is carried out using a paddle-shaped device which is moved over the diseased area.

“There has been virtually no improvement in survival rates for lung cancer in the past three decades,” said Sam Janes, of the Centre for Respiratory Research at University College London, who is co-leading research in the field. “We’re aiming to target cancers for which chemotherapy has failed.”

This new treatment varies from other traditional therapies, as it can be used to directly focus on cancerous cells and thus avoiding unaffected areas. The nanoparticles can target cancerous cells either using a external magnets or by binding them with “cancer-seeking” particles like antibodies.

The particles are heated by using a quickly changing magnetic field produced by a Mach (magnetic alternating current hyperthermia) machine. Unaffected cells are left alone in the process.

The use of the tecnique has already been given the go ahead from the NHS due to ease at which the iron oxide nanoparticles can be extracted from the body.

“We know that heat kills cancer cells, but you can’t use it systematically without killing the patient,” said Professor Kerry Chester, one of the scientists at the University College London Cancer Institute who is working on the technique.

“The important thing with this approach is that you can see where the nanoparticles go and use them for targeted therapy.”

The research team are aiming to develop the technique to incorporate three approaches to targeting the tumours. These include attaching them to bone marrow stem cells which are strongly linked to lung cancer, using fragments of antibodies to vehicle the particles to the cancerous cells as well as external magnets attached to the body.

The next three years will be spent testing the technique on animal subjects which is being funded by a £1.6 million Grand Challenge grant from Research Councils UK, before they hopefully embark on clinical trials.