HEALTH BRIEFS: 2008

NUTRITION BITE

EATING egg yolks is almost as bad as smoking in speeding up coronary heart disease. Researchers at the University of Western Ontario, London, said that egg yolks contribute to the build-up of plaque in the arteries.

Plaque rupture can cause heart attacks and strokes. - Sourced from the British Journal of Urology

ONE THING TO DO FOR YOUR HEALTH

YOU eat with your eyes first - and this could affect your waistline in more ways than one. For example, changing the colour of your crockery can encourage weightloss.

Research suggests that people dish up far more generous helpings when their food is the same colour as their plate or bowl.

Researchers at Cornell University in New York state that when foods "blend" with their background, people dish up 20% more than if they were serving the same meal on a plate of a contrasting colour. - Staff reporter

BIZARRE OF THE WEEK

MEN with ring fingers that are shorter than their index fingers are thought to have lower testosterone levels and a better chance of recovering from prostate cancer. Tests showed cancer victims responded better to medication if their ring finger was shorter. - Staff reporter

BREAKTHROUGH OF THE WEEK

A TEAM at the Scripps Research Institute have stumbled on a compound that may finally lead to a birth-control pill for men.

This was discovered after tests on mice showed the first case of a reversible contraceptive outcome with zero side effects.

In lab experiments, male mice given the pill were rendered completely infertile during treatment. They produced fewer and less mobile sperm.

The drug, which was originally tested as part of a broader cancer research project, does not affect the hormone system or sex drive, according to the researchers. - Sourced ABC Health & Wellbeing