Health Bites

Welcome wheels

Ebenezer New Hope School for the visually impaired in Pok Fu Lam has a new van, donated by the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital. The HK$740,000 raised from the 'Walk for Vision' charity walkathon in 2009 paid for the van, which has had a wheelchair platform fitted and was given to the school last week. It will be used for commutes between home and school, trips to outdoor learning activities and medical emergencies.

'This new van is a godsend to our teaching staff, students and their parents,' says Shirley Cheung Yuet-mei, the school's principal.

Better red than dead

If you've not been working out, knocking back some red wine could be good for you. A new study published in The FASEB Journal suggests that resveratrol, an ingredient in the tipple, may prevent the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Tests were done on rats, which underwent simulated weightlessness to mimic space flight. Those fed daily oral doses of resveratrol did not develop insulin resistance or a loss of bone mineral density, as did the control group.

Dr Gerald Weissmann, the journal's editor-in-chief, says: 'Resveratrol may not be a substitute for exercise, but it could slow deterioration until someone can get moving again.'

Kitchen creations

Want healthy and delicious family meals? SOL Wellness is offering a series of classes for domestic helpers with a range of nutritious recipes, including breakfasts (July 21), finger food for children (July 28), desserts (Aug 4), and a three-course Italian meal (Aug 11). Classes are HK$500 each and held at 10am on Graham Street in Central. Tel: 2581 9699

An egg a day ...

... keeps the doctor away? Perhaps. Researchers at the University of Alberta have found that two raw egg yolks have almost twice as many antioxidants - which may help fight cardiovascular disease and cancer - as an apple. However, frying or boiling them reduces the antioxidants by about half, and cooking in a microwave reduces them by a little more than half.

Seven billion

That will soon be the number of people on earth, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says in his message for yesterday's World Population Day. 'Later this year, a seven billionth baby will be born into our world of complexity and contradiction. We have enough food for everyone, yet nearly a billion go hungry. We have the means to eradicate many diseases, yet they continue to spread. We have the gift of a rich natural environment, yet it remains subjected to daily assault and exploitation. All people of conscience dream of peace, yet too much of the world is in conflict and steeped in armaments. Overcoming challenges of this magnitude will demand the best in each of us.'