'Five-a-day' fruit and veggies have only limited impact on cancer

Eating lots of fruit and vegetables has only a small effect on warding off cancer, a study published on Wednesday says, although its authors insist that tucking into the recommended "five-a-day" is still good for general health.

Doctors led by Paolo Boffetta at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, pored over eight years of data from a major European investigation into the relationship between cancer risk and food.

The investigation, which is continuing, covers nearly 470,000 volunteers recruited in 10 Western European countries.

Between 1992 and 2000, more than 30,000 of the participants were diagnosed with cancer.

Boffetta's team found that high consumption of fruit and vegetables gave only a modest protective effect against cancer.

An increase of 200 grammes (about seven ounces) a day resulted in a reduction of cancer risk in the order of some three per cent.

Vegetable consumption by itself also gave a small benefit, although this was restricted to women, while heavy drinkers who ate many fruit and veggies had a somewhat reduced risk, but only for cancers linked to alcohol and smoking.

"The bottom line here is that, yes, we did find a protective effect of fruit and vegetable intake against cancer, but it is a smaller connection than previously thought," Boffetta said in a press release issued by Mount Sinai.

"Any cancer protective effect of these foods is likely to be modest, at best. However, eating fruits and vegetables is beneficial for health in general and the results of this study do not justify changing current recommendations aiming at increasing intake of these foods."

The UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a recommendation in 1990 suggesting that five servings of fruit and vegetables per day helped prevent cancer and other diseases.

"Worldwide, low intake of fruits and vegetables is estimated to cause about 19 per cent of gastrointestinal cancer, about 31 per cent of ischaemic heart disease and 11 per cent stroke," the WHO says on its website.

Ischaemic heart disease is caused by lack of blood supply to the cardiac muscles, typically as a result of artery disease, hypertension, smoking or high cholesterol levels.

PRIME MINISTER LAUNCHES NEW STREAMYX COOL UNI PACK

Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), in collaboration with the Government of Malaysia, today launched the Company’s latest broadband package for 1^st or 2^nd year tertiary students, called the Streamyx Cool UNI Pack. The package will offer students a combination of both a netbook and FREE broadband Internet access at just RM50 per month for 24 months.

The Streamyx Cool UNI Pack was officially launched by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak in conjunction with the Launch of Digital Pekan 1Malaysia at Dewan Konvensyen Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah in Pekan, Pahang. Also present at the launch was Y.B. Dato’ Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim, the Information, Communications and Culture Minister and Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri Haji Adnan Yaakob, the Menteri Besar of Pahang as well as Datuk Dr. Halim Shafie, Chairman of TM and Dato’ Zamzamzairani Mohd. Isa, Group Chief Executive Officer, TM.

“We are enthusiastic about the introduction of this Streamyx Cool UNI Pack exclusively offered to university students which will be inclusive of a netbook with FREE broadband Internet access from only RM50 per month for 2 years. In addition, TM is also throwing in a FREE wireless modem, a FREE Streamyx Zone account and 50 songs download per month for 12 months from TM’s very own music portal, HyppTunes. That’s not all, as the students will also enjoy a 50% discount off the subscription rate on the 1^st month subscription fee and we are also waiving the RM75 activation and RM88 installation fees for the package. However, for those who prefer higher bandwidth, they can opt for higher speed packages starting from 512Kbps to 4Mbps with minimal incremental fee of RM15 per month. This package is specially targeted at university students who would like to own a PC equipped with broadband but are on a budget. This new and affordable broadband PC package is aimed at increasing the PC and broadband penetration rate in line with the national agenda of increasing the country’s broadband penetration rate to 50% of households by the end of 2010,” said Dato’ Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa.

“With already more than 1.5 million broadband subscribers in the country, TM is continuing its efforts to get as many Malaysians online through initiatives similar to this, which makes getting ‘connected’ easy and convenient. With this affordable PC bundle option, TM is stepping up its social investment strategy in championing the cause to support the government’s move towards achieving its goal for wider PC and broadband penetration that will plug Malaysia into the global knowledge grid and remain competitive with other countries. Apart from contributing towards increasing broadband adoption, the netbook package will also leverage on ICT as an enabler to support the government’s move to propel the country towards a knowledge-based society and enhance skilled human capital,” Dato’ Zamzamzairani elaborated.

In conjunction with the launch, 10 early adopters of the package comprising students from several public universities throughout the country received their netbooks from the Prime Minister at a presentation ceremony held during the launch.

To be eligible to subscribe for the Streamyx Cool UNI Pack, students must meet the following criteria:

• The students must be from households with a monthly income of RM3000 or less.
• Students must be enrolled as 1^st or 2^nd year students at any public or private higher educational institution in Malaysia.
• Students must be endorsed by the Student Affairs Unit of the respective university or college.

With only RM50 per month, eligible students who subscribe to the Streamyx Cool UNI Package will get:

• FREE Streamyx broadband Internet access at 384Kbps
• One (1) FREE wireless modem with a 12-month warranty period
• Waiver of activation fee (RM75) and Installation fee (RM88)
• 50% discount on the 1^st month subscription fee

One (1) FREE Streamyx Zone account

• 50 songs download per month for 12 months from TM’s music portal, Hypptunes (www.hypptunes.com.my).
• One (1) Streamyx email account (xx@streamyx.com)
• Dynamic Internet Protocol (IP)
• One (1) Hewlett Packard (HP) Netbook with 250 GB harddisk, 1 GB memory plus FREE delivery anywhere nationwide

To sign up for the Streamyx Cool UNI Pack, students would need to bring the following documents to any TM’s Streamyx sales counter or TMpoint outlet:

• A copy of their Malaysian identification card
• A copy of their student identification card
• Application form with endorsement from their respective university or college

Will civil service retirement age move to 60

Extending the current civil service retirement age of 58 to 60 is on the agenda today when the Public Service Department (PSD) meets public sector unions umbrella group Cuepacs.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Putrajaya is reviewing the matter thoroughly from the financial and social aspects including widening job opportunities in the civil service, which employs 1.2 million people or nearly 5 per cent of the population. Nearly 40 per cent of that figure are in the educational sector, who form the bulwark of support for the ruling Barisan Nasional federal government.

It will be the third such review of pensionable age in the last five years. The last change to 58 from 56 was in July 2008.

“The PSD and Cuepacs have begun talks for the proposal to raise mandatory retirement age from 58 to 60,” a source told The Malaysian Insider, adding the discussion began early this year.

“There are indications to raise the mandatory retirement age from the government’s side but there is no final confirmation. We hope to hear a positive development at today’s meeting,” added the source.

It is understood that Cuepacs favours the change, having once submitted a memorandum to raise the retirement age to 60 as seen in other countries or 62 in the case of Singapore.

The source said the government might agree to the idea to raise the retirement age as it can provide savings in doling out gratuity to those being pensioned off.

“I am confident the government will give a green light to the proposal raising the retirement age if seen from the angle of saving money,” he added.

The PSD recently announced that those who take optional retirement will not be given their full gratuity.

The PSD circular of Jan 25 said optional retirement will now be approved on the condition that applicants agree to be paid 20 per cent of their gratuity or RM10,000, whichever is higher, on retirement beginning Feb 1.

Cuepacs had said the 20 per cent of gratuity or RM10,000 was not enough for retirees to live on while waiting for their pension.

'Avoid fear of immigrants'

SINGAPOREANS' concern over immigration issues is understandable but they must avoid developing irrational fears toward new immigrants, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hua said yesterday.

She said Singaporeans ought to prepare for, rather than resist, an increased willingness among people worldwide to travel and relocate.

That the people are concerned over the effect of immigration on employment or on the social fabric here should not be dismissed lightly, she said, because 'this shows that Singaporeans are concerned about how and where Singapore is heading'.

She was speaking at the first anniversary celebration of Crossroads, a weekly section of Singapore Press Holdings' Chinese language daily Lianhe Zaobao featuring new immigrants and citizens.

Immigration issues present the same challenges elsewhere, although to varying degrees, she noted, adding that this was to be expected as the world became more globalised.

Mrs Lim, who is also the Second Minister for Finance and Transport, pointed out that Singapore itself had grown out of a society of immigrants from different birth countries, who had contributed 'colour and vibrancy to our country'.

S'pore schools score wins

IF RESULTS of recent international competitions are anything to go by, then Singapore's education system seems to be doing all right with the holistic development of its students.

In the past month alone, Singapore schools won at least four international titles in debates, choir and dance.

Leading the way was Singapore Management University's (SMU) three-year-old Law School, which snagged the university's first international law moot title. Then, choirs from Catholic Junior College (CJC) and Anderson Secondary School, both not typically known as choir schools, clinched gold awards in international choral competitions, while Victoria Junior College's (VJC) dance ensemble similarly beat international rivals to win in Italy.

SMU's team, comprising third-year students Chang Zi Qian, Eng Cia Ai, Sheryl Lee and Michael Ng - all from its pioneer law batch - emerged the champion at the Monroe E. Price International Media Law Moot, organised by Oxford University, on March 27. A moot is a mock trial in which participants argue a case as if in court. The SMU team defeated more than 20 others from all over the world in seven rounds of simulated court debate.

This particular moot centred on media law issues, and this year's hypothetical problem involved a clash between the press and the state on the issue of press freedom, said Assistant Professor Tay Eu-Yen, a litigator with law firm Drew and Napier, who helped coach the team.

The SMU team beat the defending champions from the Cardozo School of Law in New York in the finals to clinch the title.

Women who take contraceptive pill live longer

A 39-year study of women taking the contraceptive pill found that they had a lower risk of dying from any cause compared with women who had never taken it, researchers said.

"Oral contraception was not associated with an increased long term risk of death in the large UK cohort, indeed a net benefit was apparent," said the study published in the British Medical Journal.

Over 46,000 women were observed during the Royal College of General Practitioners' Oral Contraception Study which was carried out by researchers at Aberdeen University in Scotland.

The researchers added that the results would reassure women who took the "first generation" of oral contraceptives.

However they said the findings "might not reflect the experience of women using oral contraceptives today" due to possible differences in the more modern versions of the drug.

2nd Monthly Test.

Tomorrow my daughters will sit for their 2nd monthly test.I hope they have fully prepared and are confident to face it.Best of luck.