A Healthy State of Confusion

No wonder so many of us are overweight, ill-nourished and just plain frustrated about how to shape up: every day brings more conflicting medical advice. Here's what experts are reporting now:

IS FAT THAT BAD? Everyone knows that a diet low in fat helps the heart and prevents cancer. But what if it doesn't? A $415 million, 12-year U.S. study of 49,000 older women found that a low-fat diet did not significantly reduce breast cancer, colorectal cancer or heart disease. But low-fat advocates say the study didn't distinguish between good fats such as those in olive oil and oily fish and bad ones in meat and dairy products.

LOVE YOUR GREENGROCER You can't overdo fruit and veg. Eating more than the usual recommendation of five servings a day cuts the risk of stroke by 26%, according to a London team that analyzed eight other studies. People who ate three to five servings a day had an 11% lower stroke risk. The bad news: average fruit and vegetable consumption in developed countries is three servings a day.

EAT YOUR BROCCOLI Former U.S. President George Bush famously snubbed the sprouting stalk, but scientists in Washington just love it. It has long been suggested that there is a link between cancer prevention and soy and broccoli — plus other cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower. Now investigators think they know the reason: a laboratory test found that chemicals in these foods can increase the levels of proteins that repair damaged DNA and so lower the risk of developing breast and prostate cancer.

STICK TO PECKS ON THE CHEEKS Parents who want to keep their kids on the straight and narrow just got some support. According to a study published in the British Medical Journal last week, teenagers who French kiss with multiple partners quadruple their risk of catching meningitis. But we guess that most youngsters will reckon the odds worthwhile.