Monday, March 01, 2004

Reuters AlertNet - Standard tests not enough for baby formula-report
"WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - Standard tests of food safety are not good enough when it comes to infant formula ingredients, a panel of experts said on Monday. Because formula is so important to the growth and development of babies, more care must be taken in testing ingredients for safety and nutrition value, the Institute of Medicine panel said. 'The current regulatory processes do not fully address the unique role of formula as a food source,' Dr. Richard Deckelbaum of the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University, who chaired the panel, said in a statement. 'Formula is infants' only food if they are not being breast-fed. The processes used to regulate the safety of any new additions to formula should be tailored to these products' distinct role and the special needs and susceptibilities of infants. Our report offers a set of guidelines and steps to accomplish this goal.'..."
ESPNSoccernet.com: Europe: The breast to the Bernabeu: "Luis Figo, so the story goes, fancies a couple of years at Old Trafford, a move which would leave the right-hand lane clear for the young pup Joaquin. This may well be the case, for Joaquin is an excellent player with characteristics not a mile removed from those of the Portuguese winger. He has a certain distance to travel as yet before he can claim Figo's greatness, but if he does sign for Madrid then he would do well to keep some of the family secrets out of the newspapers.

According to the potted biography of the player that appeared in the papers this weekend (a sure sign that he probably is on his way to the Bernabeu) he was breast-fed by his mother (who else?) up to the ripe old age of six. More graphically the narrative informed us of the fact that when Joaquin started to play competitively at this very age, he would forego the half-time oranges (plenty of those in Seville) for a quick tweak of the maternal paps, apparently unconcerned as to the reaction this would often provoke among his team-mates."
IOL : Breast-fed babies have lower blood pressure
Reuters
By Maggie Fox
"Washington - Breast-fed babies grow up to have lower blood pressure than bottle-fed children, British researchers reported on Monday. This could mean they will have lower blood pressure as adults, and thus a lower risk of heart disease, the No 1 killer in the industrialised world, the researchers said...."