Straight talk Sitting up straight isn't so good for you after all, a study by the University of Alberta Hospital in Canada has found. Researchers concluded that a slightly reclined 135 degrees is the ideal position. The study analysed magnetic resonance imaging scans of 22 people with no history of back pain sitting in three positions: slouched forward, at 90 degrees, and reclined at 135 degrees, WebMD reports. Slouching was the worst. Reclining was best 'because it's similar to a neutral relaxed lying-down position', says researcher Waseem Amir Bashir. Back pain is a common cause of work-related disability and absenteeism. Ill on the job More people are showing up for work sick, says a US survey, suggesting that so-called presentee-ism has a major effect on productivity and risks spreading illnesses, such as colds and flu. More than 55 per cent of 300 US human-resource managers say presentee-ism is a problem, compared with almost 40 per cent two years ago. Among the reasons people gave for not calling in sick were: having too much work; fear of missing deadlines; not having anyone to cover for them; and fear of being disciplined, WebMD reports. The Harris Interactive survey also found companies with low morale had the highest levels of absenteeism and presentee-ism. Slow tract Eating slowly means you eat less, feel fuller and enjoy the meal more, preliminary research has found, and suggests it may help people lose weight as well. The University of Rhode Island study involved 30 young women eating a meal of pasta either quickly with a large spoon, or with a small spoon, which they put down after each bite, and were told to chew 15 to 20 times, Reuters reports. They consumed about 70 fewer calories when eating slowly, and felt fuller and more satisfied immediately after and an hour later. Drug review Ecstasy and LSD should be downgraded to Class B from Class A drugs, says an adviser to the British government. Ecstasy is estimated to be taken by 500,000 people a week in Britain, and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is reviewing the drug's legal status, the Times reports. David Nutt, a council committee chairman, says LSD, MDMA (methylenedioxymetham- phetamine) and Ecstasy should be downgraded. But he said some barbiturates should be upgraded to Class A, the category that includes heroin and cocaine. Memory E-raser Taking Ecstasy, even only a few times, can harm the brain and memory, according to a Dutch brain-imaging study of the neurotoxic effects of low doses of the drug. Ecstasy stimulates the release of serotonin, producing a feel-good high that lasts several minutes to an hour, Reuters reports. Brain imaging by the University of Amsterdam of 56 non-users and 59 first-time users, who had taken an average of six tablets, revealed subtle changes in brain cells and decreased blood flow in some areas of the brain. 'Memory changes were quite subtle but they were measurable,' says researcher Maartje de Win. It's not known if the effects are permanent, but de Win says there is evidence brain cells recover. Sick and the city Women in big cities are five times more likely to suffer from bulimia - but not from anorexia nervosa, rates of which are similar in cities and rural areas, a 10-year study shows. Researchers at the Netherland's Centre for Eating Disorders say this may be because it's easier to conceal bulimic behaviour in a big city, or because symptoms may not be detected until a woman has moved to urban areas. The findings are based on two studies by Dutch doctors. Bulimia rates were 2.5 times higher in urban areas than in the country, and five times higher in big cities. Jason Sankey is a tennis professional
