It’s important to get enough iron – and many people are deficient. However, it’s also possible to get too much of a good thing. Iron overload is often related to specific conditions but a new review has looked at whether certain foods and drinks affect absorption. Tea, coffee and red wine all appeared to make it more difficult to absorb iron, potentially leaving deposits in our organs.
For those of us just seeking to eat a more healthy diet in general, other studies suggest the Nordic approach could help you live a longer life. Think rye bread, fatty fish and seasonal produce. These findings suggest they could lower your risk factor for multiple conditions.
It’s full steam ahead for Canada’s bid for associate membership of the European Union after agreement on both sides this week that it’s an idea worth exploring. But what would it look like and how would it work? And given that this idea seemed like pie in the sky a matter of days ago, how has Mark Carney managed to turn it into a serious proposition? We look at the Canadian PM’s mastery of statecraft.
Also this week, the glorious complexity of British food in the 18th century, the real consequences of empty nest syndrome and a team of researchers track the origins of tonnes of fishing gear that has washed up on beaches in the Seychelles.
