According to the Spanish researchers, mixed nuts, with the Mediterranean daily diet, may help older people manage their metabolic syndrome, a group of related disorders included abdominal obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and abnormal blood sugar. “The results of the present study show that a non-energy-restricted traditional Mediterranean diet enriched with nuts, which is high in fat, high in unsaturated fat and palatable, is a useful tool in managing the metabolic syndrome,” they wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine. 

Guinea worm disease has been prevalent in African and Asian populations since antiquity. But according to Jimmy Carter, the disease may be on the verge of being eradicated. The former US president has pioneered a global effort to fight Dracunculiasis, or Guinea worm disease through his work with the Carter Center, a foundation he and his wife, Rosalind, established for fighting disease and promoting human rights.

The WHO has laid down strict guidelines on industrial chemical melamine. The move is prompted to prevent food contamination scandals similar to the one experienced by China this year. Before the discovery of melamine contamination , the FDA could not determine any safe level for the chemical in formula.

Various studies have established health hazards of exposure to second-hand smoke. Recent research has revealed one more health hazard faced by women due to exposure to second hand smoke. The study showed that women, who are exposed to second hand smoke, either as children or as adults have 68 percent more risk of fertility problems and miscarriage.

Researchers analyzed data collected from 4,800 non-smoking women. The study participants were asked to give details of their pregnancies, attempts to get pregnant, and miscarriages, as well as their history of smoking and breathing second-hand smoke. 

According to WHO, taking 10 mg melamine a day is not harmful for a person who weighs 50 kg. International experts added that melamine is a contaminant that should not be in food. However, sometimes it is unavoidable. 

Chen Junshi, a senior researcher with the National Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety said that WHO's daily limit is a guideline for all countries to control their melamine standards.

DOH(Department of health) spokesman Wang Je-chau said the WHO’s suggestion [of a melamine TDI] is important for us. But to set up a TDI in Taiwan, we need to take into consideration the eating habits of Taiwanese ... and the quantity of food consumption.

According to a European study, moderate wine intake may be good for the heart as it is associated with higher level of omega-3 fatty acids that are considered protective against the coronary disease and sudden cardiac arrest.