Mixed Messages

As I have often noted, Nanny is very fond to decreeing what is safe/dangerous for us to do. However, her edicts are more often than not based on the flimsiest of evidence.

Scientific research that takes time and trouble to perform is not part of Nanny's modus operandi, as she likes headline grabbing "initiatives". The hallmark of any dictatorship is to make sure that the people see that the regime is "busy". The more "initiatives" foisted upon the hapless population, the busier the regime looks and the more confused and disorientated the population.

Therefore I was more than amused to read recently that Nanny's shrill warnings about the dangers of the sun (not the tit paper, but the orb in the sky) may in fact be bollocks.

It transpires that women who stay out of the sun are increasing their risk of developing breast cancer, according to a recent study.

A team from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, enrolled 1,179 women all 55 or older, who had no history of cancer. The women were divided randomly into groups and given either supplements of calcium alone, calcium plus vitamin D, or a placebo for four years.

The study provides evidence that the lower the levels of vitamin D in a woman's blood-stream, the greater the risk of her developing breast cancer if she has passed the menopause.

The majority of vitamin D comes from exposure of the skin to sunlight but many women, who expose themselves less in winter and reluctant to bare themselves in summer because of the dangers, are deficient.

There has also been anecdotal evidence to suggest that breast cancer is less common among women who live closer to the Equator, where the sunshine is stronger.

Quote:

"Our findings of decreased all-cancer risk

with improved vitamin D status are consistent

with a large and still growing body of epidemiologic

and observational data showing that cancer risk,

cancer mortality, or both are inversely

associated with solar exposure,

vitamin D status, or both."

Poor old Nanny, what is she to do?

Coming soon...

• Smoking will be proven to be good for you, as such it will be made compulsory.



• Brown paper bags use more energy than plastic bags to produce, therefore all paper bags will be destroyed.



• Local councils admit that they are useless, and vote to abolish themselves.

OK, OK, I admit it; the last one was a joke!