Breastfeeding no bar to obesity Breastfeeding may have many benefits - but, contrary to some claims, it doesn't appear to offer any protection against adult obesity. A 12-year study of 35,000 nurses by Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital found no connection, Reuters reports. The study found that babies breastfed beyond six months had leaner body shapes at the age of five, but this did necessarily not continue through to adolescence. Adding weight to sick-day data Obese people take 13 times more sick days, file twice as many workers' compensation claims and incur seven times higher medical costs than colleagues who aren't obese, according to a Duke University study of almost 12,000 people. 'Obesity spills over into the workplace and has concrete economic costs,' says team leader Truls Ostbye. The lower extremities, wrists, hands, and back were the areas of the body most prone to injury among obese workers. Most injuries were due to falls, slips and lifting, and most hurt their wrists, hands, back and lower extremities, healthday.com reports. A body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more is considered obese. A normal BMI is 18.5 to 24.9. Sugar-free Swedes drop weight The number of obese children at Swedish primary schools fell to 16 per cent from 22 per cent after they went sugar-free - while the numbers rose to 21 per cent from 18 per cent at schools that didn't ban sweets and soft drinks, AFP reports. 'Programmes to reduce obesity can be carried out within school budgets,' says Claude Marcus of the Karolinska Institute. 'Clear regulations can help parents set standards at home.' By Jove, Jeeves, he's right! Bertie Wooster may have been on to something in attributing the 'braininess' of his butler, Jeeves, to a fish diet. High blood levels of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids, found in fish oil, may help preserve thinking ability of the elderly - particularly among those with high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels. A Danish study found that elderly people who eat fish have a slower decline in so-called cognitive function, Reuters reports. And a US study showed that high blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids are associated with less decline in verbal ability. Snooze for a better memory Sleep also appears to be good for protecting the memory, according to a Harvard Medical School study. Those who slept before being tested did significantly better than those who hadn't, WebMD reports. 'This is the first study to show that sleep protects memories from interference,' says team leader Jeffrey Ellenbogen. Bad booze news for women Liquor is quicker ... when it comes to women and damage to their brains and other organs caused by alcohol abuse, AFP reports. 'Women experience the negative physiological consequences of alcohol abuse or dependence earlier and with less alcohol consumption than do men,' says Barbara Flannery, of a study by US-based RTI International of more than 100 Russian alcoholics. Herb for better bones? A Thai herb used in breast enhancement may help prevent the bone disease osteoporosis, Chulalongkorn University studies on mice suggest. Pueraria mirifica, or kwao krua, reportedly contains high levels of phytoestrogens, a chemical produced by plants that's similar to oestrogen, the female hormone commonly used to treat osteoporosis. The researchers now plan to test the herb on monkeys, ahead of human trials, the Bangkok Post reports. Jason Sankey is a tennis professional
