Vegetarian diet associated with lower blood pressure, researchers say - latimes.com

Vegetarian diet associated with lower blood pressure, researchers say - latimes.com: "A vegetarian diet may help lower blood pressure, researchers who reviewed data from 39 previous studies said Monday.

The researchers suggested that a vegetarian diet could be an alternative to drugs for people whose blood pressure is too high -- a condition known as hypertension and one that is a risk factor for heart disease and other problems.  About a third of Americans have high blood pressure.

Seven clinical trials, with 311 participants, and 32 observational studies, including 21,604 people, were analyzed by researchers from Japan and the Physicans Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, which advocates for plant-based diets.

Blood pressure is usually expressed in terms of the systolic pressure over diastolic pressure and is measured in millimeters of mercury. For most people, a reading of 120/80 or less is considered normal."



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Not a Banana Republic

Banana price war requires government intervention, says Fairtrade Foundation | Global development | The Guardian: "The Fairtrade Foundation is calling on the government to intervene in a banana price war in supermarkets that is putting pressure on suppliers and ,it claims, could lead to shortages.

The foundation, which aims to protect farmers in developing countries, says the price of bananas in UK supermarkets has nearly halved in the past 10 years to just 11p, while farmers at the same time have seen costs double.

The fall in the price of bananas, 5bn of which are eaten the UK every year, comes despite a rise in the price of other staple foods such as bread, eggs, milk and sugar, of 79% an average.

The policy director at the Fairtrade Foundation, Barbara Crowther, said: "If prices don't deliver long-term sustainability in the industry, that's not just bad for producers, it's bad for consumers because we could see much higher prices or shortages in the long term."

The foundation's chief executive, Michael Gidney, compared the price of a banana that has been shipped in from the Caribbean or Central America to the 20p paid for an apple grown in Britain."



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Beijing- Orange Air

Beijing raises pollution alert to orange for first time as heavy smog blankets capital — RT News: "Beijing raised its four-tiered smog alert system to 'orange' for the first time on Friday as heavy smog was forecast to roll into the city for the next three days. Officials have urged people to stay indoors and use public transport.

When Beijing’s Air Quality Index (AQI) readings went above 300 micrograms per cubic meter on Friday – more than ten times the level considered safe by the World Health Organization (WHO) – the orange warning level was brought into effect.

The category, which is the second-highest after 'red,' advises schools to cancel outside sports classes and states that children and elderly should stay indoors. Residents are also advised to leave their cars at home. The 'orange' alert falls short of ordering schools to close and prohibiting government vehicles from using the roads – those provisions come into force under the red alert."



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When elephants get sad: a touching tale

When elephants get sad: a touching tale: ""I think the genital touching, in combination with other touches, specifically in this context, serves to reassure the other elephant," Plotnik said. "We also see the elephants put their trunks into each others' mouths, which seems to be a way of saying, 'I'm here to help you."'

Consoling behaviours are rare in the animal kingdom. Humans, great apes, dogs and some birds are known to attend to peers in distress, scientists say.

"With their strong social bonds, it's not surprising that elephants show concern for others," said co-author Frans de Waal, a professor of primate behaviour at Emory University in Atlanta."



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