Medi Watch
Obesity not a critical risk factor
Diabetes, rather than obesity, puts people at greater risk of developing critical illness, and early death, according to a US study of more than 15,000 middle-aged people. The researchers found that obese people who don't have diabetes have no greater risk of acute organ failure, fatal or otherwise, than those who aren't obese, healthday.com reports. By contrast, people with diabetes are three times more likely to suffer acute organ failure and three times more likely to die from any cause than non-sufferers - regardless of weight. The study, published in Critical Care, concludes that obesity alone may not result in serious health problems.
Singaporeans' STDs on the rise
Sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection, are rising significantly among Singaporean teenagers - with the government partly blaming the gay community. Those aged 10 to 19 seeking treatment for sexually transmitted infections more than doubled to 678 last year from 256 in 2001, according to official statistics reported in the Straits Times. The age group now accounts for more than 6 per cent of all such infections, compared with less than 4 per cent five years ago. Counsellors say teenagers are now sexually active at a younger age and more are having unprotected sex with multiple partners, AFP reports.
Autistic kids linked to ageing dads
Children born to older fathers are significantly more likely to have autism, according to a study of more than 300,000 Israeli army recruits, which found that men aged 40 to 49 were six times more likely to have autistic children than men under 30 - regardless of the mother's age. Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York say the study provides the first clear evidence that paternal age is a factor for autism, a disorder associated with behavioural problems that has increased significantly during the past two decades, WebMD reports.
Height related to multiple births
Taller women are more likely to have twins or triplets, according to a small-scale US study. Team leader Gary Steinman, from the Long Island Jewish Medical Centre, says the explanation appears to be an insulin-like protein that has been linked to height and multiple births, Reuters reports.
The bad oil on crisp addiction
One out of every two British children has a pack-a-day habit - of potato crisps. Which means they're consuming about five litres of cooking oil per year, according to a British Heart Foundation survey of more than 1,100 eight- to 15-year-olds. One in five children eats crisps twice or more a day. According to the foundation, Britons eat one tonne of potato crisps every three minutes.
Obesity crushes Gallic pride
The French, meanwhile, who pride themselves on not overeating and disdaining junk food, are getting bigger and fatter, according to a survey that's been tracking weight changes since 1997. And it's not just the men: extra-large sizes accounted for 22 per cent of French women's clothing sales at the start of the year, compared with 18 per cent in 2004; and those buying C-cup bras rose 7 percentage points to 56 per cent between 2000 and last year. More than 12 per cent of the population is obese, according to ObEpi-Roche survey, compared with more than 11 per cent three years ago and more than 8 per cent in 1997. Nearly one in three French people are now overweight, Reuters reports.
Jason Sankey is a tennis professional
