HEALTH BRIEFS: 15 April 2013

NUTRITION BITE

ACCORDING to surveys in the US and western Europe, the following 10 foods are considered to be the most healthy: apples, almonds, broccoli, blueberries, oily fish, leafy green vegetables, sweet potatoes, wheat germ, avocados and oatmeal.

BIZARRE OF THE WEEK

Scientists are pondering whether to pursue the area of behavioural genetics that could identify a gene that makes some people "evil" Could future murderers be spotted before they commit a crime? S hould they be punished if they are simply prisoners of their own biology? Some scientists, according to a report in The Telegraph, rejected the idea , saying it was "almost inconceivable" there was a common genetic factor among mass murderers.

DO ONE THING FOR YOUR HEALTH

Find stimulation. Seek more exciting environments for their side-effects of enhancing self-esteem and boosting your immune system. Rats withstand the effects of poison better when they are in a stimulating environment, as opposed to rats stuck in a familiar situation.

BREAKTHROUGH OF THE WEEK

New research has demolished claims that eggs are bad for the heart and the circulatory system. Scientists at the Jilin University in China have found that a key component of egg whites can be just as powerful as specialised medication in reducing blood pressure, reports the Daily Mail.

This component is a peptide which appears to have the ability to inhibit the action of substances in the body that raise blood pressure.