Statins may cut risk of cataracts by 40%

Groan! More nonsense. OF COURSE people who took statins were healthier in general. Statins have such severe side-effects that you HAVE to be robust to stay on them

Statins could cut the chances of developing cataracts by nearly 40 per cent, research shows. Men aged between 45 and 54 who took the cholesterol-lowering pills virtually every day reduced their risk of cataracts later in life by 38 per cent compared with those who took them rarely, according to a study in the journal Annals of Epidemiology. In women of the same age, the risk was reduced by about 18 per cent.

But those aged 75 or more when they started on statins saw very little reduction in risk. Scientists who carried out the study of 180,000 people at Tel Aviv University in Israel said there was evidence that statins protect the eyes by reducing inflammation and protecting cells against a harmful process called oxidation.

About 200,000 people are year are treated for cataracts in Britain, a figure that is expected to rise significantly due to the ageing population.

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Breastfed babies less aggressive -- but why?

The usual abuse of correlations. How do we know that mothers who breastfeed are not themselves less aggressive and simply pass on their temperament genetically? Maybe it helps to be a bit bovine to breastfeed

BABIES breastfed for six months or longer are less likely to be aggressive, anxious or depressed during childhood and into adolescence, a study has found. But more research is needed for scientists to understand why.

The study by Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research tracked children born to more than 2300 mothers between 1989 and 1992, assessing their mental health at regular intervals from age two to 14. Eleven per cent were never breastfed, 38 per cent received breast milk for less than six months and just over half were breastfed for six months or more.

Nutritional epidemiologist Wendy Oddy, the lead researcher, speculated the biological components of breast milk might be involved in improved mental health outcomes. "There's a mass of literature showing the benefits of human milk over formula," she said.

But the ability of breastfeeding to enhance the mother-baby bond may also play a role. "It's most likely a combination," Professor Oddy said. "We're not able to say from this study whether it was the specific nutrients in breast milk, the bonding aspects, or both."

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