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HEALTH & FITNESS NEWS

► THE British Heart and Lung Institute has found that children who drink apple juice may be less likely to develop symptoms of asthma.

Apple juice is already known to protect against a host of diseases and in addition to Vitamin C it also contains the mineral nutrient boron, which is thought to promote healthy bones.

The research is not the first study to link apples to asthma either.

► A PRESERVATIVE used in cola drinks could switch off vital parts of DNA, causing serious damage to cells, particularly in children, according to a British study.

For decades now Sodium Benzoate or E211 has been used as a preservative by carbonated drinks industries worldwide. It is used to kill yeast, bacteria and fungi in soft drinks, jam, fruit juice and salad dressing.

But Peter Piper, a molecular biology expert at Sheffield University, has studied the preservative and found that it could damage an important part of DNA called mitochondria.

► EXERCISE keeps you young – and now it’s a fact.

Pensioners who use weights regularly have almost as much energy as many people less than half their age, according to recent research.

Just six months of gentle weight training is enough to turn back one of the body’s molecular clocks and rejuvenate ageing
muscles to the point where they are almost as powerful as those found in someone in their 20s or 30s.

A group of men and women, all over 65, were asked to spend an hour at the gym twice a week, pumping iron and doing other exercises that build strength.

After six months, the pensioners, who had an average age of 70, were much stronger than before. However, crucially, the natural process of muscle ageing seemed to have been reversed.

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