CHARITIES UNITE: Sixteen charities have joined up to form a network whose aim is to raise funds for biomedical research in Ireland.
The Medical Research Charities Group, which will be officially launched tomorrow, includes Arthritis Ireland, Brainwave: The Irish Epilepsy Association, Children's Medical & Research Foundation (Crumlin Hospital), the Irish Cancer Society and Meningitis Research Foundation. See www.research-charities.org for details of future initiatives.
BAD BREATH CURE: Sugar-free yogurt fermented with bacteria streptococci and lactobacilli has been found to reduce the effects of bad breath. Saliva tests taken in a group of 19 people with bad breath showed a reduction in sulphide chemicals, the compounds that create the smell in bad breath. The Japanese study required participants to eat the yogurt for a period of six weeks.
CALMING CAMOMILE: Camomile tea can help keep colds at bay and ease muscle cramp associated with period pain, according to a study carried out at the Imperial College in London. When a group of 14 volunteers drank five cups of camomile tea every day for two weeks, their urine samples showed increased levels of hippulate, a plant substance with anti-bacterial properties. The urine samples also contained higher levels of glycine, which has been found to relieve muscle spasm.
HUNGRY FOR LOVE: Irish teenage girls are going on crash diets to find love and happiness, according to University of Ulster research. Some 80 per cent of 400 14-16 year-olds who took part in a survey of their eating and dieting habits, said it was important to be slim to attract the attention of boys and achieve self-confidence. More than seven out of 10 said they were not satisfied with their body shape or weight and wanted to be slimmer.