Health-Points: Friday 2.27.09

- I guess squirrels don’t get peanut allergies. But kids don’t have to get them either! A new study in the journal Allergy claims kids fed increasing amounts of peanut flour over a period of six weeks actually built up higher thresholds to peanuts over time; via FoodNavigator.
- Cinnamon is already an aphrodisiac, but now new research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests eating 3 grams of cinnamon per day could also help control blood glucose levels, by lowering insulin response after a meal; NutraIngredients reports.
- Now, quite the opposite, new findings in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reveal drinking beverages sweated with pure fructose, not high-fructose corn syrup, with food raises triglycerides in obese people after eating; back to FoodNavigator.
- Global food production may face more problems by 2050, like even higher food prices and 50% of food grain being diverted to livestock due to stagnant cereal crops. But right now, there is some good news. Organic agriculture is up 128% in East Africa; from TreeHugger.
- Video games can distract you from our food woes. But don’t play too much! Some gamers are developing painful lumps on their palms from the Sony PlayStation controller, called "PlayStation palmar hidradentitis." They’re actually skin lesions; Reuters investigates.
- Killer video games are not the only danger to young people. New data from the CDC reveals people between the ages of 18 to 29 aren’t as healthy as we assume. They smoke too much, nearly a quarter are obese and they don’t exercise nearly enough; via Fit Sugar.
Image credit: ~Jetta Girl~







