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Tag It!Charred meat linked to pancreatic cancer risk Take note people.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - - Regularly eating meat cooked at a high temperature, to the point of charring, could increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 60 percent, according to researchers "Our findings in this study are further evidence that turning down the heat when grilling, frying, and barbecuing to avoid excess burning or charring of the meat may be a sensible way for some people to lower their risk for getting pancreatic cancer," said Kristin Anderson of the University of Minnesota, who led the study. Anderson said the research, presented at the meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, in Denver, Colorado, found that well and very well done meats cooked by frying, grilling or barbecuing formed carcinogens. Meat that is baked, stewed or cooked at lower temperatures does not form carcinogens, she added. The study tracked the eating habits of 62,581 healthy people over nine years, after which 208 cases of pancreatic cancer were found. Subjects who preferred very well done steak were nearly 60 percent as likely to get pancreatic cancer as those who ate stake less well done or did not eat meat at all. "Those with the highest intake of very well-done meat had a 70 percent higher risk for pancreatic cancer over those with the lowest consumption," Anderson said. "We cannot say with absolute certainty that the risk is increased due to carcinogens formed in burned meat," said Anderson. "However, those who enjoy either fried or barbecued meat should consider turning down the heat or cutting off burned portions when it's finished; cook meat sufficiently to kill bacteria without excess charring," Anderson said. She also said that the precursors of cancer-causing compounds can be reduced "by microwaving the meat for a few minutes and pouring off the juices before cooking it on the grill." Needs Change I think the large image at the top needs to change, don't you think? Can't seem to find any nice images to use though... *scratches head* Today is... ...Sugin's birthday!!! Happy birthday Sugin!!! Wishing you happiness and more wacky days ahead! =p ambush@Takashimaya Got something nice to recommend to you all. Last last Sunday, my friend brought me to a small food kiosk at basement 2 of Takashimaya called ambush. They serve Italian cuisine like spaghetti and pizzas. All in rather big portions. They also have desserts like brownies and apple crumble. However, the main thing that caught my attention (other than the variety of spaghetti they have in their menu) were the set meals. By topping up just S$4.50, you can add a drink and any dessert of your choice. I decided to have the Swedish Meatball in Mariana Sauce and spaghetti, a cup of ice lemon tea and a large slice of apple crumble. Total damage? Just under S$15. Unfortunately, I was so engrossed in the food that I forgot to take photos for you all to see! However, you can take a look at what they haev to offer on their own web site at www.ambush.com.sg. Terminator Salvation Trailer #3 Yet another trailer to whet your appetities for this upcoming movie in the Terminator series. Shooting Video Games Sharpen Vision Good news for all you gamers out there who are fans of First Person Shooter (FPS) games! A study concluded that playing FPS games like Counterstrike, Call of Duty or Left 4 Dead sharpens your vision. Here's the article taken from Yahoo! Singapore News.
AFP - Monday, March 30 PARIS (AFP) - - Slaying hordes of bad guys -- the more the better -- in fast-paced video games improves vision, a study published Sunday showed for the first time. Far from being harmful to eyesight, as some had feared, action games such as Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, or Left 4 Dead provide excellent training for what eye doctors call contrast sensitivity, the study found. Contrast sensitivity is the ability to notice tiny changes in shades of grey against a uniform background, and is critical to everyday activities such as night driving and reading. It often degrades with age. The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, reveal a previously unsuspected adaptability in the brain, and could open the way to new therapies, the researchers said. "This is not a skill that people were supposed to get better at by training," said Daphne Bavelier, a professor at the University of Rochester in New York state and the study's lead researcher. "It was something that we corrected for at the level of the optics of the eye -- to get better contrast detection you get glasses or laser surgery." "What we found is that even without this correction you can help your brain make better use of whatever information is received from your retina," she said in a phone interview. For the study, Bavelier and three colleagues conducted two sets of experiments. In the first, they compared the contrast sensitivity of hard-core action game players with video game aficionados of the same age who preferred less rapid-fire fare. In action games, players typically target and shoot figures that pop up suddenly on a computer screen. The researchers found that the action buffs were 50 percent more efficient at detecting contrast. But there remained a chicken-or-egg question: had their vision been improved by playing, or did they become action game players because they had better than average contrast sensitivity to start with? To find out, Bavelier asked two groups of non-action video game players to undergo 50 hours of training. One played a popular point-and-shoot game called Call of Duty, and the other played a game that offered a rich visual experience, but one bereft of action. "We found that the people in the first group improved by 43 percent, and the other group not at all," she said. As important, the study also found that the improvement was not transitory. "The positive effect remained months, even years after training, indicating long-lasting gains," she added. Is there some limit beyond which playing action games loses its positive effect or becomes detrimental? Can you, in other words, have too much of a "good thing"? "For your visual system, probably not. For your social life, perhaps," said Bavelier. So, its probably time for us to dust off those old Quake 2 and Counterstrike games. Test Drive! Finally got to test drive the Mitsubishi Lancer EX over at the Cycle and Carriage showroom at Leng Kee Road. Was initially nervous about requesting for the test drive and was about to change my mind when my friend called the sales consultant over and told her I wanted to do a test drive of the Lancer EX. The sales consultant...hmm...tall, slim, big eyes, cute voice...damn. Okay. Back to the topic of the car.
She got the 1.5 litre Sports variant for me to test drive. Nothing much to say about the exterior since I have seen it on the roads countless times. I was more interested in the interior and the performance and handling of the car. Upon sitting inside the driver's seat, I was amazed by how much space I had considering the fact that I had long legs and was rather big sized. Then my friends sat at the back and started asking all kinds of technical questions about the car which I did not bother to listen to. I wanted to drive the car. So, with a light press of the accelerator, the car moved off and we were soon cruising on Leng Kee Road. Handling was very nice. Not as loose as the earlier GLX models. More like the feeling of driving a continental car. Heavy and solid. The sales consultant explained that it was partly because the EX was heavier than the GLX, so the different in feeling when steering and driving. Acceleration was good. When driving my dad's Opel, stepping hard on the accelerator did not give me an immediate boost in speed. The Lancer EX did and the pick up was pretty fast for a 1.5 litre. Turning was responsive and the grip was good even when doing a U-turn at a speed, which I readily admit, was way too fast. The sales consultant was explaining something about the technical aspects of the technology behind the good grip the car has but I was not listening as usual. Just replied "Is it? Wow....good leh". Wonder if she sensed that she was talking to a car technology idiot... The Lancer EX is wider though. So, when driving the car, I had to really pay attention to kerbs and other obstacles on the road. It also has something called the Keyless Locking System (I think). This means there is no key to open the door or start the car. They do give you a small little remote with the function to lock or unlock your car. Standard thing really. To start your car though, there is a large knob thing where the key hole to crank your car usually is. To the right and under your steering wheel. Just turn the knob like you would when you want to start the car. Mitsubishi obviously thought they should give the Lancer EX a rather serious look because the colouors available for the body were exceptionally limited and boring. Grey, white, black, silver, dark blue. The metallic red, however, stood out from the selection as it felt like a very sporty colour especially when you apply it to a sports sedan like the Lancer EX. The Sports variant which I test drove is S$61,988. If I were to really buy the car, I would consider the Standard variant which is at S$57,988. That's S$4,000 cheaper. The Standard variant does away with non-critical features like lip spoiler, Keyless Operation System, 17" rims, fog lamps and leather upholstery. The reverse sensor will be missed though and I consider it one of the important things a driver needs these days. For car insurance, Mitsubishi only goes with AIG. With the current problems over there, I am not so sure if it is such a good choice. The sales consultant said it was impossible for me to select another insurance company. Minus points. Overall, a good looking and comfortable car that is easy to drive around. Blockbuster Drama? I got this really nagging question ever since TCS started it. They kept advertising two of their upcoming English dramas: Red Thread and Fighting Spiders. Then they go on to say that these two are their upcoming "BLOCKBUSTER" English dramas. Now, my question is this. How can you say these dramas are blockbusters...when they have not even aired on TV yet??? Sounds odd, don't you think? April Fool's Day So, any of you got tricked by your friends or colleagues today? =p |
