Feature Articles
		Starting from February, 2006, new feature stories will be posted on the home page regularly. Topics will include healthy eating, problematic food and food additives, pollution and environmental issues, disease prevention and other hot topics in town. These stories will be archived under this section of the website. (Note: The articles on Problematic Products covered in the home page are stored here.)
Nov, 2008		Taking just one can of energy drink increases the risk of heart attack or stroke, even for young healthy people Energy drinks touted as giving you wings also give you a lot of health problems. Even young healthy people may show symptoms of cardio-vascular diseases one hour after taking just one can of energy drink. The results can be deadly if combined with stress or high blood pressure. Athletes should not take energy drinks while playing sports because of dehydration risk. Energy drinks are linked to risky behaviour of young people, prompting them to hurt or to be hurt. Caffeine in energy drinks would hamper concentration, memory and problem solving. Hence these drinks should be avoided by students, medical staff and night shift workers.
Aug, 2008		A big breakfast rich in carbohydrates with some protein makes you healthier, happier, more slender, and excel at school or at work A healthy breakfast should be rich in carbohydrates with some protein. It can make a big difference to your quality of life. Kids taking regular breakfast are more attentive, perform better at school, more active in physical activities and have lower risk of becoming overweight. A proper first meal has significant impact on our mental state and mood. It provides people with vigour, and reduces the sense of hunger throughout the day. This results in less food intake in later meals and less impulsive snacks. A big carbohydrate-rich breakfast is effective in shedding extra pounds among the obese, and reducing weight gain for the middle-aged.
Apr, 2008		More weight gain for diet soft drinks than regular ones: a wake-up call for soda drinkers Many soft drink consumers opt for "Diet" versions to reduce weight gain. However, an 8-year study found that nearly all the obesity risk from soft drinks came from diet soda. Taking just one can of diet soft drink each day may increase obesity risk by 41%. Rats fed with artificial sweeteners gained more weight than those taking sugary foods. Artificial sweeteners have super-sweet taste but no calorie. Instead of being fooled, our body may have reacted by increasing the appetite to crave for the missing calories. Artificial sweeteners may also be related to diabetes and many other diseases.
Feb, 2008		Bottled water is the newest public enemy - in terms of health, costs, environmental friendliness and global warming Bottled water, once an icon of healthy lifestyle, is under increasing public criticism on its potential harm to health, expensive costs, huge amount of plastic waste generated, and emission of tons of greenhouse gas in its production and transportation. Some think that it is morally incorrect to drink bottled water in countries with good public water distribution systems, while over a billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water. In the US, more than 40% of bottled water is actually filtered or treated tap water. A better option for consumers is to install an effective water filter at their homes and offices, and stop taking bottled water.
Jan, 2008		Night light or night shift work disrupts the body's biological clock and increases cancer risk. In developed countries, nearly 20% of the working population works night shifts. However, exposure to artificial light at night disrupts the body's biological clock, and significantly reduces the production of a hormone called melatonin. This hormone plays an important role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle, emotions and reproduction, as well as suppressing cancerous growth. People doing overnight work over many years have higher risk of developing cancer, such as breast, prostate or colorectal cancer. In Dec 2007, the World Health Organisation officially listed night shift work as a probable cancer-causing agent.
Nov, 2007		Too little sleep not only makes you obese and anti-social, but also may be deadly A recent research found that people with less than 5 hours of sleep are more than twice likely to die of heart diseases, and have 1.7 times higher risks of dying from all causes. Lack of sleep disrupts every physiological function of the body. It affects crucial hormones and proteins that play important roles in diseases such as cancer, heart diseases and diabetes. Sleep deficit increases appetite through triggering more hormones that signal hunger, potentially leading to obesity. Adolescents and kids who stay up late have more antisocial and aggressive behaviours.
Aug, 2007		Cats may worsen the symptoms of any allergy sufferer A recent study found that even for people not specifically allergic to cats, they experienced some constriction in the airways in the presence of cats. All types of allergy sufferers showed greater airway constriction in response to a testing irritant when their homes contained high levels of cat dander. Another research showed that children exposed to high levels of cat allergen in the first 2 years of life had higher risks of becoming allergic to cats, but exposure after 6 years old did not seem to increase such risks.
Jun, 2007		Sorrow behind the glory of space mission and fireworks – Contamination by Perchlorate (rocket fuel) In 1969, man hailed the first successful space mission of landing on the moon. Less than 40 years later, a large number of water sources in the US have been contaminated with perchlorate, a key component in solid rocket fuel. Other uses of perchlorate include missiles, explosives and fireworks. Perchlorate contamination has also been found in soil, crops, dairy milk and breast milk. Perchlorate affects the normal production of thyroid hormones, which regulate the body's metabolism. This would hinder the mental growth of infants, and harm the health of adults in many aspects.
Apr, 2007		Ultrasound scaning of foetus may damage the brain, and is possibly the primary cause of autism The medical procedure of scanning foetus is doing more harm than good. A US research showed that ultrasound scanning would damage the brain cells in laboratory mice, causing them to move to the wrong place during development. In a Swedish study, people who were scanned in the womb had 32% higher rate of left-handedness, probably caused by subtle brain damage in the womb. Such brain damage has been linked to psychological conditions ranging from dyslexia to epilepsy. And ultrasound scan may be related to the numerous minor gene damages found in autistic kids.
Feb, 2007		Drinking, bathing or swimming in chlorinated water results in more bladder cancers A Spanish research found that not only drinking chlorinated water is harmful to health, but also the cancer-causing chemicals can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin during bathing or swimming. Those who drank chlorinated water had 35% higher risks of bladder cancer, and such risk was doubled for households with high concentration of the chlorination by-products. Swimming in chlorinated pools increased cancer risk by 57%. Even taking longer showers or baths resulted in more bladder cancers.
Jan, 2007		Eating Fat Choy (Nostoc) in Chinese New Year damages the environment, and incurs huge costs on health and the economy Eating fat choy (nostoc, 髮菜) in Chinese New Year has contributed to widespread desertification and annual dust storms in China. Fat choy grows in the dry lands in northern and western China. It plays an important role of retaining water and preventing soil erosion. Harvesting fat choy has severely damaged the top soil and the ecosystems in dry lands. China officially banned the harvest, processing and selling of fat choy in July 2000. Let's join hands not to eat fat choy.
Dec, 2006		Global warming threatens the survival of man and other organisms on earth With heavy usage of fossil fuels, a large volume of heat trapping gases is being released into the atmosphere. Higher global temperature leads to melting of ice and glaciers, rise in sea levels, drying up of rivers and lakes, desertification, and more extreme climates such as storms, flooding, droughts, and heat waves etc. A lot of animal and plant species may go extinct. Drastic weather changes will result in crop failures, famines, and political conflicts.
Nov, 2006		Sugary Soft drinks are linked to mental problems, pancreatic cancer & weaker bones A Norwegian research discovered that sugary soft drinks were linked to mental problems among teenagers. In a Swedish research, high intake of soft drinks or adding sugar to coffee or tea resulted in higher risks of pancreatic cancer. A US study showed that women drinking a lot of cola had significantly weaker bones in their hips, hence more fractures. It is advisable for consumers to avoid soft drinks.
Oct, 2006		Dust mites disrupt skin's protective function, causing severe skin diseases A research in Japan found that dust mites and their droppings contain an enzyme, which damages the skin's protective function, making it vulnerable to attack by other allergens or pathogens. Many patients only go to the hospital for treatment after they have developed severe skin diseases, without knowing why. Effective removal of dust mites from the home environment is essential in the prevention of skin irritation and skin diseases.
Sept, 2006		Eating processed meats increases stomach cancer risk A Swedish research found that eating processed meats such as bacon, sausage and smoked ham would increase the risk of developing stomach cancer. These products are often salted, smoked, or with nitrites added to them in order to prolong their shelf-life. Stomach cancer accounts for nearly 10% of total cancer deaths. It is the second most common cause of cancer-related death.
Aug, 2006		Living in Dirty Air Increases Fatal Heart Attacks and Non-fatal Ones A Swedish research showed that people living in heavily polluted areas for decades have a greater risk of fatal heart attack, especially for those heart attacks that occur outside hospitals. The findings implied that sudden death might be of special importance in relation to long-term air pollution exposure. People who had ever lived in air pollution "hot spots" had increased risk of both heart attack and fatal heart attack.
Jul, 2006		Loud MP3 Players May Cause Early Deafness A national survey in the UK discovered that young people listening to loud MP3 players frequently may become deaf 30 years earlier than the last generation. After listening to loud music, more than a third of them had ringing in the ear, a sign of hearing damage. Exposure to noise levels over 105 decibels for more than 15 minutes can damage hearing. Loud personal music players, such as iPod, are up to 115 decibels.
Apr, 2006		Toxic gases from mattresses cause breathing problems & sudden infant deaths Since the 1950s, mattresses have been treated with flame retardants, preservatives and plastic softener chemicals. Recent studies show that these chemicals may release toxic gases in the presence of certain common household fungi, causing breathing problems, headaches and even sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). So far, these toxic gases have killed more than 1 million victims of SIDS.
Mar, 2006		Cancer-causing benzene found in many soft drinks Recent findings on soft drinks showed that the added vitamin C and benzoate preservatives they contain react to form cancer-causing benzene under certain circumstances. The exact conditions to form benzene in soft drinks are not fully known. You have to take your chance in picking from the shelves the one without it. It is advisable to replace soft drinks with other more healthy choices such as fruit juice or vegetable juice.
Feb, 2006		McDonald's fries have more trans fat (killer oil) than known The food industry, including restaurants and packaged food manufacturers, have been using partially hydrogenated oil, also called trans fat (transformed fat), for cooking. However partially hydrogenated oil clogged the blood arteries and result in more harmful cholesterol in human bodies, leading to various heart and artery diseases. Therefore it is also nick named "Killer Oil". McDonald just announced on Feb 8, 2006 that its french fries have one third more harmful trans fat than previously known.