A snip away from contracting HIV Circumcision reduces the chances of men catching HIV by as much as 60 per cent, according to what's described as conclusive data from two major trials by the US National Institutes of Health published in the Lancet. 'This is an extraordinary development,' says World Health Organisation Aids department director Kevin de Cock. 'Circumcision is the most potent intervention that has been described.' The significance of the breakthrough is on par with the identification of the virus and the use of lifesaving combination drug therapy, AP reports. The results of the trials in Kenya and Uganda were so conclusive that they were halted ahead of schedule. Chewing the bad fat about garlic Despite widespread health claims, garlic doesn't lower so-called bad cholesterol levels. 'It just doesn't work,' says Christopher Gardner of the Stanford Prevention Research Centre in California, after tests on 192 people using raw garlic and supplements. 'There isn't a pill or a herb you can take to counteract an unhealthy diet.' He says other claims - that garlic strengthens the immune system and combats inflammation and cancer - should be studied also, Reuters reports. So far soya good in lab tests But there's always soya. Korean tests on rats suggest that black soya beans may help lower cholesterol, prevent obesity and possibly even reduce the risk of diabetes. After two weeks of fattening, rats who got 10 per cent of their energy from black soya gained half as much weight as those in a control group, and their total blood cholesterol and bad cholesterol fell by 25 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively. Black soya is a traditional Asian treatment for diabetes, healthday.com reports. Researchers say it may affect fat metabolism in the liver and adipose tissue. Tea-time treatment for the hairy Drinking spearmint tea may help curb unwanted hair in women, according to preliminary tests by researchers at the Suleyman Demirel University in Turkey. The patients' levels of androgens - hormones that include testosterone and can lead to hirsutism - fell after drinking spearmint tea twice a day for five days, WebMD reports. Clasping Oscar boosts longevity Winning an Academy Award isn't only good for your career - it appears to be associated with longevity. University of Toronto professor Donald Redelmeier says Oscar-winning actors live nearly four years longer than also-rans. And multiple winners live an average of six years longer, AP reports. The study, funded by the Canadian Institute of Health and Ontario Ministry of Health, included all 762 actors and actresses ever nominated for an Oscar in a leading or supporting role. On average, winners lived to the age of 79.7, while non-winners lived to be 75.8. By contrast, Oscar-winning screenwriters die, on average, 3.6 years earlier than those who don't win. Jason Sankey is a tennis professional
