TRENDY TEENS FOLLOWING FAD DIETS MAY COMPROMISE BONE HEALTH

TEENAGE girls who self impose dietary restrictions, without proper medical advice, could significantly increase their risk of osteoporosis in later life, according to the results of a recent study.  The research, conducted by a team in the United States, studied self-diagnosed intolerance to milk in adolescent girls between the ages of 10-13 years old, and its impact on dietary intakes of calcium and bone mineral content.  Of the girls who participated in the study, 20% perceived themselves to be intolerant to milk; however, more than 50% of those who agreed to take diagnostic tests were found to have no problem digesting milk. Worryingly, girls who believed they could not have milk consumed an average of 212mg of calcium less than girls without perceived milk intolerance, which equates to over a quarter of the recommended daily intake for calcium.

Dr Judith Bryans Director of The Dairy Council said:- “Adolescence is a critical period for laying the foundation for future bone health as at least 90% of peak bone mass is achieved by 18 years of age. Milk and dairy foods are one of the best sources of bone building nutrients such as calcium, phosphorous and protein in the diet. Therefore, avoiding dairy without adequately replacing the nutrients it provides could have a serious impact on bone health.”

The importance of nutrition in relation to bone health was particularly evident in the results of bone mineral tests taken by participating girls. These tests revealed that spinal bone mineral content (a measure of bone strength) was significantly lower in those girls with perceived milk intolerance (and lower intakes of calcium), compared with the girls without perceived milk intolerance.

Dr Judith Bryans further commented that:- “Food allergies and intolerances have become almost fashionable in recent years due to increasing popularity of fad diets and poor examples set by ill-informed role models in the public eye. Unfortunately, teenage girls keen to maintain a slim-line look are often easy targets for such diets that put wheat and milk products high on the ‘to avoid’ list. This study demonstrates the importance of clarifying misconceptions about food and health from an early age and encouraging a healthy and balanced attitude towards food. Anyone who thinks they have a food intolerance or allergy should seek a proper medical diagnosis.

In reality, studies have suggested that even those who have accurately diagnosed lactose intolerance can eat dairy products such as cheese and yogurt, which are very low in lactose, without any trouble and can often tolerate small amounts of milk when consumed with a meal.”

For further information relating to dairy research or for nutrition advice relating to dairy, please visit www.milk.co.uk,  or contact The Dairy Council by email  or on 020 7395 4030.

Public Facebook profiles bring fresh problems for businesses

THE announcement this month that Facebook profiles will now be open to public searches on Google has sparked new concerns for companies across the UK.

Employers have previously been concerned by employees spending work time on Facebook and the financial cost of this to productivity. Businesses now have to contend with their reputation and brand being tarnished, perhaps immeasurably, by an employee's actions and beliefs out of office hours.

Brian Rogers, operations director at national law firm Lewis Hymanson Small, explains: "Websites like Facebook are making employees private lives more public, especially now that their details can be found on major internet search engines. It is easier for an individual's personal actions and attitudes to be viewed by clients and other companies."

Facebook allows its members to list work details and post messages on the site and also enables them to set up social groups that other members can join. The influence the social networking site has on businesses came to light recently when HSBC was forced to retract its account charges policy in response to student pressure mobilised through an anti-HSBC Facebook group.

Rogers adds:- "It is unreasonable to ask employees to sacrifice their private life and out of work persona, after all work is such a huge part of our lives that it is only natural that they discuss it outside of work.

Employers should have a code of conduct in place for their employees that stipulate that they must not knowingly put themselves in a position where their private interests conflict with work. 

The key to handling this situation is for businesses to update communications policies to cover social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

Policies need to make it clear that the firm's name should not be used in any context unless it has been authorised by a member of senior management.

Ignoring this situation is potentially very damaging and by alerting employees to the seriousness of it will save any nasty surprises when they find out their employer doesn't approve of something they said or did."