Struggling pupils short on omega-3
Children who struggle at school could benefit from eating more fish or taking omega-3 supplements because they boost brain function, scientists have claimed.
A study of children with poor reading skills found that many were deficient in omega-3, and those with the lowest levels had the most difficulty concentrating and learning.
The fatty acids, which are found in fish and seafood, are crucial to brain structure and function, as well as keeping the heart and immune system healthy.
Taking in a healthy amount of omega-3, either through diet or supplements, could help improve children’s performance in school, researchers from Oxford University said.
Bad Habits lead to lifestyle cancer
The figures, released by the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS), reveal large increases in the incidence of so-called “lifestyle” related cancers.
The biggest rise has been in the rate of malignant skin cancer, which has increased by 56 per cent among men and 38 per cent among women since 2002. Experts at the ONS blamed changes in fashion, which has seen people wear more revealing clothing in recent decades, along with increased levels of sunbathing and sun bed use. Oral cancers, which have been linked to smoking and poor diet, have increased by 37 per cent while kidney cancer has increased by 25 per cent in men and 36 per cent in women. These are thought to be linked to drinking alcohol. Overall new cases of cancer in England rose by almost a fifth between 2002 and 2011.
Chips, whitebread trigger cravings
Foods like white bread and potatoes trigger the parts of the brain that are linked to addiction, a new study has found. It may explain why it can be so hard to stop nibbling on breadsticks and chips. Researchers used scanning technology to watch brain activity in volunteers during the four-hour period after they had eaten a meal. They found that foods with processed carbohydrates such a white bread and chips, triggered heightened levels of activity in areas of the brain involved with reward and cravings.
They believe the findings could now be used to help obese people stop overeating by avoiding these sorts of foods. Dr David ludwig, director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Centre at Boston Children’s hospital, said these foods triggered pleasure centres in the brain.