Bitch about Headline News on Health, Environment, Internet, Politics and other Issues
WebMD Medical News reports here: Drinking fruit or vegetable juice every other day may keep Alzheimer’s diseaseAlzheimer’s disease away. A new study shows people who drank fruit and vegetable juices more than three times a week were 76% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who drank juices less than once a week.
BBC News reports here: One of America’s top scientists has said that the world has already entered a state of dangerous climate change. In his first broadcast interview as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, John Holdren told the BBC that the climate was changing much faster than predicted. "We are not talking anymore about what climate models say might happen in the future. "We are experiencing dangerous human disruption of the global climate and we’re going to experience more," Professor Holdren said.
He emphasised the seriousness of the melting Greenland ice cap, saying that without drastic action the world would experience more heatwaves, wild fires and floods. He added that if the current pace of change continued, a catastrophic sea level rise of 4m (13ft) this century was within the realm of possibility; much higher than previous forecasts.
The Associated Press reports here at Yahoo News: California will impose broad caps on its greenhouse-gas emissions under a landmark plan that marks a clear break with the federal government and which backers hope will become a national model.
Spiegel Online reports here: Some 3,500 barrels of mercury have been found in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Sweden. There may be thousands more to be discovered. Experts say the sea is full of industrial waste — but nobody knows how much. Once mercury gets into the food chain, it tends to stay and can cause serious nerve, heart and reproduction problems in humans.
Some Brands More Than 30% Stronger, The Washington Post reports here: The amount of nicotine in most cigarettes rose an average of almost 10 percent from 1998 to 2004, with brands most popular with young people and minorities registering the biggest increases and highest nicotine content, according to a new study. Nicotine is highly addictive, and while no one has studied the effect of the increases on smokers, the higher levels theoretically could make new smokers more easily addicted and make it harder for established smokers to quit.
Reuters reports here at the WP website: Democrats accused Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Wednesday of a political smear after he assailed critics of U.S. policy in Iraq and the war on terrorism in a speech recalling those who favored appeasing the Nazis before World War Two. "If Mr. Rumsfeld is so concerned with comparisons to World War Two, he should explain why our troops have now been fighting in Iraq longer than it took our forces to defeat the Nazis in Europe," said Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, House of Representatives Democratic Leader.
The Washington Post reports here: Mississippi, Alabama and West Virginia are the three states with the highest rates of obesity, according to a new report by the nonprofit advocacy group Trust for America’s Health. In all three states, nearly three of every 10 adults tip the scales with a body mass index of 30 or higher, a measure that accounts for both height and weight.
CNET News.com reports here: AT&T on Tuesday said hackers broke into one of its computer systems and accessed personal data on thousands of customers who used its online store.
A balanced diet is the key to a happier, healthier life, so the mantra goes. Experts advise us to eat more fruit and veg; boost protein and fibre intake; make sure we get the optimum levels of vitamins and minerals. But what actually happens to these nutrients once they are inside the body? Read more here in this interesting article at BBC News.