Health Buzz: E. coli Scare Sparks Lettuce Recall

Working moms live in a family-unfriendly nation; broccoli compound may combat breast cancer.

May 7, 2010 RSS Feed Print

E. coli Scare Sparks Lettuce Recall

Romaine lettuce, sold under the brands Freshway Foods and Imperial Sysco, is being recalled across 23 states and the District of Columbia, the Associated Press reports. The lettuce may be the source of an E. coli outbreak that's responsible for at least 12 hospitalizations so far. Three patients have life-threatening symptoms and have been diagnosed with a condition that could cause bleeding in the brain, according to the AP. The recall applies to lettuce with a "best if used by" date of May 12 or earlier, and to packaged salads sold at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets, and Marsh grocery stores. [Read more: E. coli forces lettuce recall; 19 ill in 3 states.]

Working Moms: It's the System That's Crazy, Not You

Moms often feel they can't do anything right: Either they're neglecting the kids to work, or neglecting work to take care of the family. Sharon Lerner, a 43-year-old mother of two in Brooklyn, N.Y., has a new book with an ultimately comforting message: It's not our fault that we can't "do it all." We're living in a country that makes life harder for parents than in just about any place on the planet. But by helping each other, we can make motherhood, and family life, happier and more sane, U.S. News contributor Nancy Shute writes.

Lerner, whose book is called The War on Moms: On Life in a Family-Unfriendly Nation, says a lot of changes the U.S. needs to make are good for mothers, but they're also good for entire families, and they're good for the economy. Paid sick leave is one change she says could be a money-saver for employers. Give people a much-needed break to deal with their domestic life, and they'd be more likely to stay on a job, Lerner says. Plus the cost of retraining workers is quite high. [Read more: Working Moms: It's the System That's Crazy, Not You.]

Broccoli Compound May Fight Breast Cancer

A compound found in broccoli may combat breast cancer, according to a new study published in Clinical Cancer Research. In mice, the compound sulforaphane seemed to kill breast cancer stem cells, which spawn new tumors, HealthDay reports. The benefits may not apply to humans, however, and the dose used was much higher than could be taken in by eating broccoli, according to HealthDay.

Last year, U.S. News reported on surprising health benefits associated with several common foods. Garden peas, for example, may have potential to fight high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease. In one study, hypertensive rats with kidney disease who munched daily on a mixture made from proteins found in yellow garden peas saw a significant reduction in their blood pressure and an improvement in kidney function, compared with sick rats on a normal diet. Those findings offer the possibility of a natural therapeutic product—a food additive or new dietary supplement—that could treat hypertension and or kidney disease, noted Rotimi Aluko of the University of Manitoba in Canada, a coauthor of the study. [Read more: Can Blue M&M's, Blue Gatorade Protect Your Spine? Surprisingly Helpful Foods.]