Thought for the Month: “Everything is poison, unless used in moderation.” – Paracelsus (1495-1541)

B A Ochia When a son was born to Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, the Former US President, congratulated the Former Prime Minister and remarked that there was a boy who had every chance to live to be one hundred years old. Clinton was right in his remark.  In nearly every developed country life expectancy is increasing imperceptibly, […]

How to improve your knowledge of human nutrition and be able to make value judgements on issues affecting your health, lifestyle and food habits

Dear New Reader, From time immemorial, humankind had been almost continually preoccupied with how to obtain food. There had been, in that long period of time, adverse conditions which caused severe food shortages. But in spite of them, human populations, being guided by experience, instinct and resourcefulness, succeeded in procuring foods that satisfied their body […]

How old are you?

Dear Reader

, May I start off this letter by asking you this simple question: How old are you?  But before you answer, to yourself, let me remind you that there are three broad aspects to the question. The first is your chronological age.  It measures how old you are in terms of calendar years. The […]

Food: Its significance during ageing

B A Ochia Food, like sex, is regarded as one of the sources of pleasure that stay with us throughout our lives. The idea of using food to modify or influence human longevity has fascinated the public for a long time. The mass media has capitalised on this with great interest by featuring controversial topics […]

Osteoporosis

B A Ochia Over the past decade osteoporosis has become universally recognised as a major health-care problem in many Western countries, affecting the lives of a large number of individuals.  It has been estimated that in the UK alone about 150 000 fractures associated with osteoporosis occur every year. Economically speaking, this has dire financial […]

All we are saying is: Give genetic modification of plants a chance

On August, 10, 1998 a World in Action television programme mentioned experiments performed by Arpad Pusztai at the Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen. Dr Pusztai had apparently demonstrated that rats fed on genetically altered raw potatoes had impaired growth and immune responsiveness. When asked whether he would eat foods produced from genetically modified crops, Dr […]