Eating late can too make you fat: Study

ISLAMABAD: It`s known that gorging on fatty food can make you fat. Now, a new study has claimed that eating late in night can also help you pile on the kilos.

In experiments on mice, a team at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California found that eating while we stay up to browse the Internet or watch a late film is likely to be contributing to rising obesity levels.

Dr Satchidananda Panda, an associate professor who led the study, said at certain times of day the liver, intestines and muscles are at peak efficiency, while at other times they are "sleeping".

"Every organ has a clock. Those metabolic cycles are critical. When mice or people eat through the day and night, it can throw off those normal metabolic cycles," Dr Panda was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

In the study, the researchers allowed a group of mice to eat only during an eight-hour period, while a second group could graze on what they wanted all day and night.

They found that even though the two groups were eating about the same amount of calories, those who ate at set times during the day did not become obese.

The researchers explained that the mice who ate when they wanted gained weight because they disrupted their body clock -- and the same principle may apply to humans too.

At the end of their study, the mice that ate all day and night had 70 per cent more fatty deposits than the group that was time-restricted.

Noting that eating patterns have changed in recent years as people have more reasons to stay up into the night, Dr Panda suggested that restricting meal times could help to lower obesity levels.

Commenting on the study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum said: "There`s a pattern, which you should build up from childhood, of three set meals a day.

"Anything you do to upset that opens you up to problems with the hormones that control appetite."(Online news pk)

Women reach orgasm with oral sex while men with vaginal intercourse

The National Survey of Sexual Health and Behaviour (NSSHB) is one of the most comprehensive studies on these topics in almost two decades and documents the sexual experiences and condom-use behaviours of 5,865 adolescents and adults ages 14 to 94.

Men are more likely to orgasm when sex includes vaginal intercourse and women are more likely to orgasm when they engage in a variety of sex acts, the new study has revealed.. Read Full Story

Sacha Baron Cohen's 'The Dictator' banned in Tajikistan

Sacha Baron Cohen's The Dictator has been banned in Tajikistan.

The film, which sees Baron Cohen star as titular despot General Aladeen, was refused a distribution licence in the Central Asian country after authorities ruled that it was incompatible with the nation's "mentality".Read more

Exercise for 3 minutes, burn fat

ISLAMABAD: Those who feel lazy to go to gym or do not have time to exercise may be literally jumping once they read this news.

Scientists say we don`t need to work for hours at the gym to cut flab, as just three minutes of exercise a week could be enough to help you lose weight.

The secret is short bursts of intense exercise - known as high-intensity interval training.

According Scientists at Birmingham and Nottingham universities, such a session once a week is far more effective at -burning fat than daily workouts, a newspaper reported.

HIT triggers the release of fat-burning hormones helping to shift those unwanted love handles. It also moves glucose from the blood into muscle tissue where it is burned as energy rather than converted to fat.(Online news pk)

Engine problem delays US rocket launch

CAPE CANAVERAL: The launch of a privately owned Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station was delayed on Saturday when a computer detected a possible problem with one of the rocket's engines, a Space Exploration Technologies official said.

Preparations for the company's trial cargo run to the International Space Station proceeded smoothly until 4:55 a.m. EDT (0855 GMT) when, instead of the Falcon 9 rocket's main engines igniting, an onboard computer scrubbed the launch.

"Liftoff  we've had a cutoff. Liftoff did not occur," said NASA launch commentator George Diller.

A few minutes later a SpaceX official reported the cause of the delay - a high-pressure reading in one of the engine's chambers. With only a one-second launch opportunity on Saturday, SpaceX had no time to try to sort out the problem.

The company's next opportunity to launch is at 3:44 a.m. EDT (0744 GMT) on Tuesday.

The unmanned rocket, carrying a Dragon cargo capsule, will try to reach the International Space Station.

SpaceX is one of two firms hired by NASA to fly cargo to the $100 billion orbital outpost, which is owned by the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.

Since the space shuttles were retired last year, NASA has had no way to reach the station and is dependent on its partner countries to fly cargo and crew. It hopes to change that by buying rides commercially from US companies. (Reuters)

Fruit and veggies can help protect against cancer risk

Images courtesy of Shutterstock

ISLAMABAD: Millions of people do not eat enough fruit and vegetables putting themselves at risk of cancer, a new survey has revealed.

Only one in five people in Britain consumes the recommended five portions a day, according to the research carried out for the World cancer research Fund.

“A diet based on plant foods, such as wholegrains and pulses as well as fruit and vegetables, can reduce cancer risk as research shows they protect against a range of cancers. Recent research has confirmed that foods containing fibre reduce the risk of bowel cancer,” the Daily Express quoted Kate Mendoza of the fund as saying.

The YouGov survey of 2,128 adults was commissioned by the charity to coincide with cancer Prevention Week.

It found that only 22 per cent of the British adult population consume five or more portions a day while only 17 per cent of lower income households get the right amount.

Fruit and vegetable consumption levels were lowest in the north of England, where just 18 per cent said that they had five or more portions daily.

Highest levels of consumption were in the south where 26 per cent said they ate at least five portions.(Online news pk)

How a big meal hits our waistline in just 3 hrs

ISLAMABAD: There may be some truth to the saying `a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips`.

Scientists have found that once eaten, fat is stored on the waistline within hours – far faster than previously thought.

Within just three or four hours of having a meal, up to two or three teaspoons of fat from the food gets stored.

And if eaten again shortly afterwards, the fat stored around the middle will grow and grow.

Those who like to tuck in at dinner should take particular note, as fat from meals eaten later in the day is especially likely to be stored around the middle.

The finding that it is possible to `become fat` within three hours contradicts the popular belief that weight gain is gradual.

It was believed that fat from food was transported from the gut into the blood, where it could be used by the muscles as needed.

Any excess was thought to be gradually removed and stored in the fatty, or adipose, tissue around the waist, hips and legs.

However, the Oxford University research indicates a more complex – and rapid – process.

In the experiments, volunteers ate fat, which could be traced around the body. This was found to take around an hour to be broken down in the gut and then enter the bloodstream as tiny droplets, the Daily Mail reported.

The droplets are then whisked around the body – but not for long – before they are `caught` and stored.

“The process is very fast,” said Fredrik Karpe, professor of metabolic medicine.

“The cells in the adipose tissue around the waist catch the fat droplets as the blood carries them and incorporates them into the cells for storage.”

Only a small amount of the fat found in breakfast takes this route. But, by dinner, the amount increases to half. This is because of hormonal changes that occur later in the day which make it easier for the stores in the waistline to trap passing fat droplets.

In a dinner with 30g of fat, two to three teaspoons of lard will rapidly gather around the waist.

However, the storage system is temporary, with the fat deposited quickly drawn on, or mobilised, to feed our muscles. But when we overeat, it is a different story, Professor Karpe cautioned.

“If you eat too much, you don`t get into this phase of starting to mobilise it,” he said.

“There will just be constant accumulation and you will start to put on weight,” he added.(Online news pk)

Disco queen Donna Summer dies at 63

LOS ANGELES: Donna Summer, whose music dominated the 1970s disco era, died of cancer on Thursday at age 63, leaving a legacy of hit singles like "Love to Love You Baby," "Last Dance" and "Bad Girls."

Summer, who won five Grammys and sold more than 130 million records worldwide, died surrounded by her family in Naples, Florida, publicist Brian Edwards said.

Edwards said she died of cancer but he declined to comment on a report from celebrity website TMZ.com that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer.

"Early this morning, surrounded by family, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith. While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy," the singer's family said in a statement.

Summer, known as the queen of disco, had three children and married twice. Her second husband, musician Bruce Sudano, was at her bedside, Edwards said.

She began her career in Germany where she performed in productions of the shows "Hair" and "Porgy and Bess" and worked as a studio session singer.

But it wasn't until 1975 that she found fame with the moaning vocals and grinding beat of "Love to Love You Baby" that was a huge, but controversial, hit in European nightclubs.

Summer followed up with a string of other disco tunes in the 1970s and into the mid-1980s, including "Last Dance," "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls," "I Feel Love" and her cover version of the ballad "MacArthur Park," which was her first No. 1 record in the United States in 1978.

In 1983, she scored a massive hit with "She Works Hard for the Money," as she sought to branch out of the disco genre.

Summer's recording career declined in the 1990s, but she sang at Nobel Peace Prize concert in Norway in 2009 in honor of Nobel laureate, U.S. President Barack Obama.

Her family asked on Thursday that fans make donations in Summer's honor to the Salvation Army. (Reuters)

Cannes curtain goes up with glamour

CANNES: Kooky comedy and buffoonery are on the agenda Wednesday as the 65th Cannes Film Festival, with its trademark mix of high cinematic art and Hollywood glitz, kicks off on a light note.

US director Wes Anderson brings his whimsical touch with the opening film "Moonrise Kingdom", a pre-teen elopement fantasy whose star-packed cast includes Bruce Willis as a small-town cop and Bill Murray as a morose parent.

But as the celebs march up the red carpet for the gala premiere, Sacha Baron Cohen's zany alter ego General Aladeen, star of "The General", will try to hijack media attention with a press conference in the nearby Carlton Hotel.

Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt and Robert Pattinson are among the Hollywood royalty who will join high-brow film-makers at the Riviera resort for the next 12 days at the world's top film showcase.

This year's bash features druggy roadtrips, soul-searching drama and stylish gangland flicks and sees the return of such Cannes grandees as David Cronenberg, Ken Loach and Michael Haneke.

Star-wise, the 2012 line-up promises to dazzle with Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Jessica Chastain, Kylie Minogue, Kristen Stewart, Pattinson and Pitt just a few of the A-listers expected in town.

The festival will also feature its usual dose of champagne-fuelled parties, high-stakes movie deal-making, and publicity stunts such as British comic Baron Cohen's armed intervention at the Carlton Hotel.

The "Ali G", "Borat" and "Bruno" star, who turned up in military regalia at the Oscars and pretended to pour late North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il's ashes onto an interviewer, has already premiered his movie and is in Cannes simply to cause a stir.

He turned up at the festival in a "mankini" in 2006 to promote "Borat".

Twenty-two films -- none of which was directed by a woman -- are vying for the coveted Palme d'Or award at the festival's glitzy gala finale on May 27.

Palme d'Or-winner Nanni Moretti of Italy heads up a nine-strong jury -- which includes actor Ewan McGregor and fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier -- that will pick the winner.

Moretti was due to hold a press conference later Wednesday ahead of the evening opening ceremony.

Two US mavericks are running for Cannes gold: Lee Daniels's keenly awaited "The Paperboy" stars Kidman opposite John Cusack and Zac Efron in the tale of a reporter investigating a death row case.

The second is Jeff Nichols, whose "Mud", about two teenage boys who form a pact with a fugitive, was a surprise entry.

Canada's Cronenberg brings Manhattan thriller "Cosmopolis", adapted from Don DeLillo's novel and starring Pattinson as a billionaire asset manager journeying through the city in a stretch limo.

Brazil's Walter Salles has adapted Jack Kerouac's cult novel "On the Road", while Australians John Hillcoat and Andrew Dominik bring two US-set works: bootlegging drama "Lawless" and the mobster flick "Killing Them Softly".

Among the European giants, Austria's Haneke will show "Amour" (Love), starring Isabelle Huppert as the daughter of a woman hit by a stroke.

Britain's Loach returns for the 17th time with the comedy "The Angel's Share", about ex-offenders who turn to whisky-making.

One of three French filmmakers in the race, Jacques Audiard has cast Cotillard as a killer-whale trainer hit by a tragedy in "Rust and Bone".

Romania's Cristian Mungiu, who scooped the 2007 Palme for a Communist-era abortion drama, returns with "Beyond the Hills" about two orphans, while Italian Matteo Garrone takes on TV culture with "Reality".

Politics holds a slot in the Palme d'Or race with "After the Battle" by Egypt's Yousry Nasrallah, about the Arab Spring, while French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy shows an out-of-competition documentary on the Libyan war.

Asia gets a look-in with two South Koreans: Im Sang-soo with erotic thriller "Taste of Money", and Hong Sang-soo with "In Another Country".

And Palme-winning Iranian Abbas Kiarostami returns at 71 with "Like Someone in Love", a Japan-set tale about a student who works as a prostitute.

Last year's jury chaired by Robert De Niro crowned Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" starring Pitt and Sean Penn. (AFP)

Being born in winter may affect your mental health

ISLAMABAD: The season in which a baby is born apparently influences the risk of developing mental disorders later in life, suggest researchers including one of Indian origin.

A large new study found a statistically significant peak of schizophrenia in individuals born in January.

The season of birth may affect everything from eyesight and eating habits to birth defects and personality later in life. Past research has also hinted the season one is born in might affect mental health, with scientists suggesting a number of reasons for this apparent effect.

“For example, maternal infections — a mother may be more likely to have the flu over the winter. Does this increase risk?” said researcher Sreeram Ramagopalan, an epidemiologist at Queen Mary University of London.

“Or diet. Depending on the season, certain foods — fruits, vegetables — are more or less available, and this may impact on the developing baby.

“Or another key candidate is vitamin D, which is related to sunshine exposure. During the winter, with a lack of sunshine, mums tend to be very deficient in vitamin D,” Ramagopalan added.

However, this effect appears very small, and since past studies only looked at several thousand people at a time, there was a chance the link between birth month and later mental health might only be a statistical illusion.

Also, prior research often pooled data from different nations, complicating analysis, since population trends can vary substantially between countries.

To pin down whether or not there was a link between seasons and the mind, Ramagopalan and his colleagues analysed a very large number of births, all from the same country.

The scientists investigated whether the risk of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and recurrent depression was influenced by month of birth in England.

This included nearly 58,000 patients with the disorders and more than 29 million people from the country`s general population. [10 Controversial Psychiatric Disorders]

The researchers found that all the mental disorders they looked at showed seasonal distributions. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder had statistically significant peaks in January, and significant lows in July, August and September. Depression saw an almost significant May peak and a significant November deficit.

“This result is further confirmation of seasonal variations in births of those later diagnosed with mental diseases,” said William Grant at the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center at San Francisco, who did not take part in this research.

“This implicates conditions during pregnancy. The two most likely factors are vitamin D status and temperature,” Grant noted.

Ramagopalan speculated that the differences in risk between the disorders could be a result of different factors, or the same factor being important at different periods of pregnancy.

For example, the same risk factor — say, vitamin D levels — could be important in the third trimester for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and the second trimester for depression.

“The major implication is that once we understand the cause of these effects, then we can intervene in terms of disease prevention,” Ramagopalan told LiveScience.

Factors other than prenatal ones might be involved as well. For instance, children born late in the year may be relatively immature compared with older classmates, and thus do less well academically and socially, which might cause mental stress.

“Further, we did not have details on socio-economic status or ethnicity, which may confound our results,” Ramagopalan said.

Future research to understand the causes of these effects “would require large birth cohort studies to follow individuals over time,” he added.

The findings were reported last month in the journal PLoS ONE.(Onlin newspk )

Sunscreen ingredient may up skin cancer risk

ISLAMABAD: Contrary to popular belief that sunscreen protects bodies from overexposure and possibly from skin cancer, researchers are discovering that the product may not be so safe after all.

Cell toxicity studies by Dr. Yinfa Ma, Curators’ Teaching Professor of chemistry at Missouri University of Science and Technology, and his graduate student Qingbo Yang, suggest that when exposed to sunlight, zinc oxide, a common ingredient in sunscreens, undergoes a chemical reaction that may release unstable molecules known as free radicals.

Free radicals seek to bond with other molecules, but in the process, they can damage cells or the DNA contained within those cells. This in turn could increase the risk of skin cancer.

Ma also found that the longer zinc oxide is exposed to sunlight, the greater the potential damage to human cells.

“Zinc oxide may generate free radicals when exposed to UV (ultraviolet) sunlight,” May said, “and those free radicals can kill cells.”

Ma studied how human lung cells immersed in a solution containing nano-particles of zinc oxide react when exposed to different types of light over numerous time frames.

Using a control group of cells that were not immersed in the zinc oxide solution, Ma compared the results of light exposure on the various groups of cells. He found that zinc oxide-exposed cells deteriorated more rapidly than those not immersed in the chemical compound.

Even when exposed to visible light only, the lung cells suspended in zinc oxide deteriorated. But for cells exposed to ultraviolet rays, Ma found that “cell viability decreases dramatically.”

When exposed to ultraviolet long-wave light (ultraviolet A or UVA) for 3 hours, half of the lung cells in the zinc oxide solution died. After 12 hours, 90 percent of the cells in that solution died, Ma found.

According to Ma, when the zinc oxide nano-particles in the solution absorb the UV rays, the reaction releases electrons, which in turn may produce unstable free radical molecules in the zinc oxide solution.

Those free radical molecules then bond with other molecules and act as parasites, damaging the other molecules in the process.

Ma’s research on zinc oxide’s effect on cells is still in the early stages, so he cautions people from drawing conclusions about the safety or dangers of sunscreen based on this preliminary research.

“More extensive study is still needed,” Ma said. “This is just the first step.”

In the meantime, Ma advises sunbathers to use sunscreen and to limit their exposure to the sun.

“I still would advise people to wear sunscreen,” he said. “Sunscreen is better than no protection at all,” Ma added.

Besides sunscreen, zinc oxide is used in many commercial products, including plastics, paints, ointments and sealants.

The study will be published in the journal Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology.(Online news pk)

Haley Reinhart Makes 'Idol' Projection

Relating closest to Phillip Phillips' outlook of staying true to who he is, Haley encourages the hopefuls to "make what you can of this platform you've been given. Read Full Story

Keep wrinkles at bay, protect skin from childhood

ISLAMABAD: If you are able to protect your skin as a child, you might prevent wrinkles and skin damage later on in life, says a new study.

"The message is to look after your skin when you are a child and teenager to prevent wrinkles and skin damage. Sun protection when you are young sets you on a lifetime of good skin health," said Michael Kimlin, research professor at Queensland University of Technology AusSun Research lab.

The study found ultra violet (UV) exposure during a person's first 18 years of life was the most critical for cancer-causing skin damage and skin aging, said Kimlin, the journal Science of the Total Environment reported.

Kimlin said while people aged over 50 had the slowest rate of skin degradation, results indicated that damage still occurred even at that age, so lifetime protection from the sun was important, according to a university statement.

The study used a unique, non-invasive UV camera, which took images of skin damage and aging invisible to the naked eye, to measure the relationship between lifetime sun exposure and skin cancer risk.

Kimlin said the majority of skin damage occurred in the early years of sun exposure, with a much slower increase in damage in subsequent years over the age of 50 years. "We looked at how age impacted on the skin damage we saw and found it's not a simple one to one relationship," said Kimlin.

One hundred and eighty people aged 18 to 83 years were imaged with the UV camera and interviewed to determine the level of their sun exposure. The study measured hyperpigmentation of the skin to determine level of damage and wrinkles to indicate skin aging.

Megan Hilty Reveals The Unaired 'Smash' Ending

Last seen staring longingly at a handful of pills as Karen brought the audience to their feet during Bombshell's new closing number. Keep Reading +

UK girl saves 8 lives by organ donation

LONDON: A young British schoolgirl, who had died just at the age of 13 has saved eight people's lives by opting to donate her vital organs. Jemima Layzell, who died due to a brain haemorrhage, had always wished to donate organs and save precious lives.

Five children and three adults have received life-saving transplants and Jemima's eye tissue has helped restore the vision of two other needy people.

In addition, two adults aged 19 and 24 received her kidneys and a 40 year old man has now her pancreas.

"She has left a lasting legacy and example," Her photographer father Harvey and mother Sophy told The Sun. "She had spoken of her wish to be an organ donor when she died. It is so sad and we all miss her terribly," they said.

The little budding author Jemima had collapsed at home in Somerset, while preparing for the celebrations of her mother's birthday.

Jemima died in hospital four days later due to excessive bleeding in her brain, leaving behind many poems, songs, stories and also serious thoughts about her life and the world's problems and delights.

Her parents describe Jemima as a clever, funny, compassionate and creative girl who thought about and discussed death

Source: The News pk

Know Various Types of Breast Lumps

Breast lump is a tissue that grows within the breast. It is frequently described as the thickness and swelling of the breasts. There are situations incorporated with different changes on the breast part such as sampling and redness of the skin. At some point, discovering that you have breast lumps could be somewhat frightening. This is for the reason that, you do not have enough idea if these lumps are benign or malignant. That is why it is advisable to call the attention of doctors to diagnose the condition early. But, most of the time breast lumps are not cancerous conditions. Types 1. Cysts - Are fluid packed sacs that the size is the same with the grapes. This kind of lumps is usually experienced by women at 30s and 40s, but frequently disappears after the period of menopausal. The condition offer a feeling of a small balloon filled with water. The condition does not require treatment as it disappears after several years.

2. Fibroadenomas - Are firm rubbery tumors that are commonly experienced by women aging 20s to 30s. The condition is benign and considered a common type of breast lump that appears as pre-menopausal signs. The tumors are easy to identify due to they easily move underneath the skins once they are touched. They are does not cause pain to sufferers. 3. Lipomas - They are fatty tumors situated between the muscle and skin below the breast part. These are slow growing tumors that are usually experienced by older and middle aged women. The lumps are soft and moving underneath the skin once they are touched. These are also another kind of breast lump that do not require treatment but once removed gives hurting feeling. 4. Mastitis - This is a breast tissue virus causing redness, swelling and pain. The lumps are common to women who just gave birth and breastfed. The condition is triggered by bacteria passing through a certain cut within the breast part. Even if the lumps appear serious, but the truth is that the condition vanishes rapidly once it is cured by oral antibiotics. These are the non-cancerous types of breast lumps. Even if most of the time lumps are not consider as life threatening still, it is very important to ask the help of a doctor, once there are breast lumps observed. Women should keep in mind that breast lumps could also result to malignant tumors resulting to curable by life frightening disease called breast cancer. So, as early as possible, visit the expert during the fist occurrence of the lumps.

Source: Base Articles
Author:Peter Naruka

Prenatal diagnosis reduces thalassemic infants birth rate

ISLAMABAD: Screening to identify thalassemia carriers, genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis can greatly reduce the rate of birth of thalassaemia affected infants.
According to health experts, thalassaemia is a major health problem in Pakistan and is the most prevalent genetically transmitted blood disorder with a carrier rate of 5-8%.
They said around 5000 children are diagnosed with thalassaemia major each year. They said that the only solution is public awareness through media, emphasizing that it is a preventable disease by carrier detection and avoiding marriages among them.
They said as the treatment of thalassaemia is expensive, a prevention program should be initiated in order to reduce the burden of the thalassaemia patients.
They said that thalassaemia should be included in high school curriculum and urged to start awareness program at school, college
and university level.
Dr Wasim Khawaja from Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) said that thalassemia major is an inherited blood disorder in which the affected children are unable to maintain hemoglobin (Hb) in the normal range. Their bone marrow cannot form sufficient red cells and red cell survival is also reduced, he added.
He said thalassemia minors are people who carry one defective gene of thalassaemia. They are normal except that during stressful situations in life like some serious surgery or pregnancy they may
have low hemoglobin.
He said thalassemia major is a serious blood disorder, which causes severe anemia and related complications. This is caused by the presence of two defective genes.
He said when both parents are thalassemia minors or carriers, there is a 25% chance of birth of a thalassaemia major child, 25% chance of a normal child and 50% chance of a thalassemia minor child.
He said patients need regular blood transfusions every three to eight weeks to maintain normal hemoglobin levels. He said that due to regular blood transfusions, there is a high chance of thalassemics being exposed to blood infections like HIV, hepatitis B and malaria. (APP)

A glass of milk could contain painkillers

ISLAMABAD: Scientists have found that a glass of milk may contain up to 20 painkillers, antibiotics and growth hormones.

Through a highly sensitive test, scientists found a host of chemicals used to treat illnesses in animals and people in samples of cow, goat and human breast milk, Daily Mail reported.

Though the doses of drugs were far too little to create an effect on anyone drinking them, the results highlight how man-made chemicals were now found throughout the food chain.

The highest quantities of medicines were found in cow's milk.

Researchers believe some of the drugs and growth promoters were given to the cattle, or got into milk through cattle feed or contamination on the farm.

A Spanish-Moroccan team analysed 20 samples of cow's milk bought in Spain and Morocco, along with samples of goat and breast milk.

Their breakdown, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, revealed that cow's milk contained traces of anti-inflammatory drugs niflumic acid, mefenamic acid and ketoprofen - commonly used as painkillers in animals and people.

It also contained the hormone 17-beta-estradiol, a form of the sex hormone oestrogen.

The researchers claim their new 30-minute test is the most sensitive of its kind. If the findings are true for Spanish and Moroccan milk, they could equally be true for milk produced in Britain and northern Europe

Bikini Hockey League with comparisons to Lingerie Football League

The first sign that the Bikini Hockey League is going to offer excellent competition and players with extraordinary skill is that it's being created for a reality television program. Read Full story

Celebrities Share Mom's Fashion & Beauty Advice