Fat chance on breast cancer diet Low-fat diets rich in fruit and vegetables don't help prevent the return of breast cancer, contrary to earlier indications - and they don't even help patients lose weight, a seven-year study of more than 3,000 women has found. Neither a diet that included the recommended servings of five fruits and vegetables a day nor one that doubled that intake had any effect, according to the Stanford University study, AP reports. 'It sends us back to the drawing board,' says Susan Gapstur of Northwestern University, who wrote an article accompanying the report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Middle-aged men find dairy defence Men who regularly consume milk, cheese and yogurt may be less at risk of developing metabolic syndrome - a group of indicative conditions linked to diabetes and heart disease. A 20-year Cardiff University study of about 2,400 middle-aged British men found that those who drank at least 570ml of milk a day were 62 per cent less likely to have the syndrome than men who rarely drank milk, Reuters reports. There were similar results when the study looked at the men's overall intake of milk, cheese and yogurt. Those who had the highest dairy intakes had a significantly lower risk. Protein links asthma to obesity A British study has found a link that may explain why obese people are significantly more likely to have asthma - and it's not simply that those with asthma are less likely to exercise. Researchers at King's College and Imperial College have identified a protein that increases appetite in cells closely associated with asthma, AFP reports. Bad memory? Perish the thought US researchers have identified areas of the brain involved with suppressing unpleasant memories - a finding that could help with the treatment of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Memory suppression is a controversial concept among psychologists. The University of Colorado study used brain scans to show specific patterns of activity in the brain's prefrontal cortex when people were asked to banish disturbing memories, AFP reports. 'These results indicate memory suppression does occur,' the researchers say. Cold shoulder for vitamin C cure Vitamin C not only can't cure the common cold, for most people it can't do much to prevent it, Australian National University researchers have found. Vitamin C boosts resistance to viruses in laboratory animals, which has led to speculation that supplements could help treat or prevent colds, WebMD reports. But an analysis of clinical trials found no evidence that Vitamin C had much effect. Pregnancy perils of online daters Almost one in every two pregnant teenagers who called a Shanghai pregnancy hotline met their partner through the internet - and most of the fathers disappeared after being told the news, according to a China Daily report quoted by AP. Of the more than 20,000 girls who called the pregnancy hotline during the past two years, 46 per cent said they had sex with boys they met online, says Zhang Zhengrong of Shanghai's No 411 Hospital. Calls to the hotline have increased by 12 per cent since the start of the holidays. Jason Sankey is a tennis professional jason@otr-tennis.com
