I’m in the midst of switching over to a new ergonomic keyboard - which is nearly impossible to type on, at least for now - so commentary will be nonexistent today, folks. Trust me, this hurts me more than it hurts you!

not milk?: If you can’t imagine life without a daily dose of dairy, consider new research that questions the value—-if not the safety—-of this dietary staple [Chicago Tribune, 2/5/06]

Last March, the journal Pediatrics published a review article concluding that there is “scant evidence” that consuming more milk and dairy products will promote child and adolescent bone health. Some leading practitioners of integrative medicine, including best-selling author Dr. Andrew Weil, suggest eliminating dairy products from the diet to help treat irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, eczema and ear infections. The late Dr. Benjamin Spock reversed his support of cow’s milk for children in 1998 in his last edition of his world-famous book “Baby and Child Care.”

One fact is indisputable: Our bodies need the mineral calcium to build and maintain bones and teeth. Calcium also helps with blood clotting, muscle function and regulation of the heart’s rhythm. The debate centers on whether milk is really the best–or even a necessary–source. Ten thousand or so years ago, cow’s milk was not part of the human diet.

Whom do you believe?

Broccoli chemical’s cancer check [BBC News, 2/7/06]

A chemical in vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage can boost DNA repair in cells and may stop them becoming cancerous, a study says.

Another chemical in soy also performs the same role, the Georgetown University team said.

Although a link has already been found between eating these foods and a reduced cancer risk, this research shows how that might happen.

Study Finds Low-Fat Diet Won’t Stop Cancer or Heart Disease [The New York Times, 2/7/06]

The $415 million federal study involved nearly 49,000 women ages 50 to 79 who were followed for eight years. In the end, those assigned to a low-fat diet had the same rates of breast cancer, colon cancer, heart attacks and strokes as those who ate whatever they pleased, researchers are reporting today. […]

Not everyone was convinced. Some, like Dr. Dean Ornish, a longtime promoter of low-fat diets and president of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, Calif., said that the women did not reduce their fat to low enough levels or eat enough fruits and vegetables, and that the study, even at eight years, did not give the diets enough time.

Others said that diet could still make a difference, at least with heart disease, if people were to eat the so-called Mediterranean diet, low in saturated fats like butter and high in oils like olive oil. The women in the study reduced all kinds of fat.

The diets studied “had an antique patina,” said Dr. Peter Libby, a cardiologist and professor at Harvard Medical School. These days, Dr. Libby said, most people have moved on from the idea of controlling total fat to the idea that people should eat different kinds of fat.

Also see Study: Less Fat May Not Lower Cancer Risk [The Associated Press, 2/7/06]

Foot-and-mouth cases in Argentina [BBC News, 2/8/06]

Authorities in Argentina have reported an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease near the border with Paraguay.

The National Service for Food Safety and Quality said it had found some 70 cattle showing signs of the infection in the province of Corrientes. […]

The head of the National Service for Food Safety and Quality, Jorge Amaya, warned that some 3,000 cattle in the area may have been infected.

Herb Not Effective for Enlarged Prostate [The Associated Press, 2/8/06]

A popular herbal pill used by millions of men doesn’t reduce the frequent urge to go to the bathroom or other annoying symptoms of an enlarged prostate, a rigorous new study concludes.

The yearlong research found the plant extract, saw palmetto, was no more effective than dummy capsules in easing symptoms for the 225 men in the study. The results contrast with previous research that showed it helped.

McDonald’s Says Fries Have More Trans Fats [The Associated Press, 2/8/06]

McDonald’s french fries just got fatter – by nutritional measurement.

The world’s largest restaurant chain said Wednesday its fries contain a third more trans fats than it previously knew, citing results of a new testing method it began using in December.

That means the level of potentially artery-clogging trans fat in a portion of large fries is eight grams, up from six, with total fat increasing to 30 grams from 25.

Often used by restaurants and in packaged foods, trans fats are thought to cause cholesterol problems and increase the risk of heart disease. The dietary guidelines for Americans that were issued by a government panel last year said people should consume as little trans fat as possible.

Cancer Deaths Fall, Ending 70-Year Trend [The Associated Press, 2/9/06]

The war on cancer may have reached a dramatic turning point: For the first time in more than 70 years, annual cancer deaths in the United States have fallen.

The number of cancer deaths dropped to 556,902 in 2003, down from 557,271 the year before, according to a recently completed review of U.S. death certificates by the National Center for Health Statistics. […]

“Finally, the declining rates have surpassed the increasing size of the population,” said Rebecca Siegel, a Cancer Society epidemiologist.