Cola helps an upset tummy? That’s a myth

When it comes to stomach distress, many people view a cup of flat soda as just what the doctor ordered. The quick and popular remedy — usually in the form of cola, ginger ale or clear sodas — is said to help replenish fluids and glucose lost by vomiting and diarrhoea. Parents also find that children who are verging on dehydration but reluctant to consume any liquids are more amenable to soda.
But research shows that may not be a great idea. In a recent biochemical analysis carried out by British researchers, the contents of colas and other sodas were compared with over-the-counter oral-rehydration solutions containing electrolytes and small amounts of sugar. The soft drinks were found to contain not only very low amounts of potassium, sodium and other electrolytes, but also in some cases as much as seven times the glucose recommended by the World Health Organization for rehydration. “Carbonated drinks, flat or otherwise, including cola, provide inadequate fluid and electrolyte replacement and cannot be recommended,” they said.

MEDITERAIN DIET REDUCES DIABETES RISK
Mediterranean diet — rich in olive oil, grains, fruits, nuts, vegetables and fish, and low in meats and dairy — may lower the risk for diabetes. Scientists followed 13,380 healthy Spanish university graduates for an average of four and a half years, tracking their dietary habits and confirming new cases of diabetes through medical records. The study was published online May 29 in The British Medical Journal.
The researchers ranked the strictness of adherence to the diet on a 10-point scale, and found that those with the highest scores reduced their relative risk of diabetes by 83 percent compared with those with the lowest. “There are good fats, like those in olive oil, that are quite healthful,” said Miguel A. Martínez-González, the lead author and a professor of epidemiology at the University of Navarra.

Smoking shortens life
Smoking shortens a person’s life by 5 to 10 years, according to the authors of a set of simple charts spelling out death risks from various causes.
For example, 55 year old men who smoke have the same risk of dying from any cause as 65 year old men who have never smoked.
The charts were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Researchers developed charts that calculate the risk of dying within the next 10 years of various causes based on age, sex and smoking status. The charts show smokers are more likely to die of heart disease than any other cause group until age 60; after that, lung cancer becomes the leading cause of mortality in this group.