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People who eat quickly until full are three times more likely to be overweight, a problem exacerbated by the availability of fast food and the decline of orderly dining habits, Japanese researchers said on Wednesday.

The findings, published in the British Medical Journal, highlight how eating styles, and not just what or how much is eaten, can contribute to an obesity epidemic fueled by the spread of Western-style affluence in many parts of the world.

The World Health Organization classifies around 400 million people as obese, 20 million of them under the age of five. The condition raises the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart problems.

For their study, Hiroyasu Iso and colleagues at Osaka University asked more 3,000 Japanese volunteers aged 30 to 69 about their eating. About half of the men and a little more than half of the women said they ate until full. About 45 percent of the men and 36 percent of the women said they ate quickly.

Those who said they ate until full and ate quickly were three times more likely to be fat than people in the “not eating until full and not eating quickly” group, the researchers found.

They cited as causes both the availability of cheap food in big portions and habits like watching television while eating.

To counteract the “supra-additive effect” of speedy or glut eating among children prone to obesity, parents should encourage them to eat slowly and in calm surroundings, the study found.

The planet’s most advanced and powerful electron microscope, capable of looking at atoms, the tiniest object in the universe, has been installed at the new Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy at McMaster University.

“We are the first university in the world with a microscope of such a high calibre,” said Gianluigi Botton, director of the Centre, professor of materials science and engineering and project leader.

“The resolution of the Titan 80-300 Cubed microscope is remarkable, the equivalent of the Hubble Telescope looking at the atomic level instead of at stars and galaxies. With this microscope we can now easily identify atoms, measure their chemical state and even probe the electrons that bind them together.”

Because we are at the very limits of what physics allows us to see, “even breathing close to a regular microscope could affect the quality of the results”, said Botton. The new microscope is housed in a stable, specially designed facility able to withstand ultralow vibrations, low noise, and minute temperature fluctuations.

Built in the Netherlands by the FEI Company at a cost of $15 million, the Titan cluster will examine at the nano level hundreds of everyday products in order to understand, manipulate and improve their efficiency, said John Preston, director of McMaster’s Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, according to a McMaster press release.

The microscope will be used to help produce more efficient lighting and better solar cells, study proteins and drug-delivery materials to target cancers.

It will assess atmospheric particulates, and help create lighter and stronger automotive materials, more effective cosmetics, and higher density memory storage for faster electronic and telecommunication devices.

Celebrations erupted in India on Tuesday as fans rejoiced after host country scored a record 320-run win against Australia to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. People danced on streets and played with colours in Kolkata, home to cricketer Saurav Ganguly, to celebrate India’s win over the kangaroos.

Wearing Indian tri color headbands and waving the national flag, fans danced and cheered. Meanwhile, in Allahabad, fans burst crackers to rejoice in the country’s win.

Researchers have edged a step closer to understanding why past oral contraceptive use dramatically lowers the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers later in life.

Latanya M. Scott of Wake Forest University School of Medicine discovered that monkeys who had been given birth control earlier in life had a reduced amount of oestrogen excreted in their urine.

The research was done in collaboration with Xia Xu and Timothy Veenstra, at Science Applications International Corporation-Frederick, who have developed novel methods for analysis of urinary oestrogens.

The discovery was particularly noteworthy because it was found three years after oral contraceptive treatment was stopped, roughly the equivalent of a decade of life in a human, said a Wake Forest University press release.

The study appeared in this month’s issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

While researchers have known for many years that past oral contraceptive use significantly lowers the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers later in life, this new observation in monkeys may shed light on the mechanism behind the cancer-protective effect of the treatment.

While researchers don’t yet understand the precise mechanism by which hormone levels are being affected, they do know that both the level of oestrogen in the blood and the amount of oestrogen being excreted in urine are lowered with past oral contraceptive use, which may mean that the oral contraceptive use is somehow leading to a diminished synthesis of oestrogen.

“Hormone exposure has long been known to be important in cancer risk,” said J. Mark Cline, and senior project researcher. “These effects are robust, and we believe this discovery could be translated fairly quickly into a study in women.”

“If our results are confirmed to also occur in women, they could change the way we look at oral contraceptives and cancer risk,” added Cline, a professor of pathology and comparative medicine at Wakefield.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers based their findings on a study of 181 premenopausal cynomolgus monkeys and followed them for seven years to look at hormone effects on many aspects of female health.

A new drug store at a Virginia strip mall is putting its faith in an unconventional business plan: No candy. No sodas. And no birth control. Divine Mercy Care Pharmacy is among at least seven pharmacies across the nation that are refusing as a matter of faith to sell contraceptives of any kind, even if a person has a prescription.

States across the country have been wrestling with the issue of pharmacists who refuse on religious grounds to dispense birth control or morning-after pills, and some have enacted laws requiring drug stores to fill the prescriptions.

In Virginia, though, pharmacists can turn away any prescription for any reason.

“I am grateful to be able to practice,” pharmacy manager Robert Semler said, “where my conscience will never be violated and my faith does not have to be checked at the door each morning.”

Semler ran a similar pharmacy before opening the new store, which is not far from Dulles International Airport. The store only sells items that are health-related, including vitamins, skin care products and over-the-counter medications.

On Tuesday, the pharmacy celebrated a blessing from Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde. While Divine Mercy Care is not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, it is guided by church teachings on sexuality, which forbid any form of artificial contraception, including morning-after pills, condoms and birth control pills, a common prescription used by millions of women in the U.S.

“This pharmacy is a vibrant example of our Holy Father’s charge to all of us to wear our faith in the public square,” said Loverde, who sprinkled holy water on the shelves stocked with painkillers and acne treatments. “It will allow families to shop in an environment where their faith is not compromised.”

The drug store is the seventh in the country to be certified as not prescribing birth control by Pharmacists for Life International. The anti-abortion group estimates that perhaps hundreds of other pharmacies have similar policies, though they have not been certified.

Earlier this year in Wisconsin, a state appeals court upheld sanctions against a pharmacist who refused to dispense birth control pills to a woman and wouldn’t transfer her prescription elsewhere. Elsewhere, at least seven states require pharmacies or pharmacists to fill contraceptive prescriptions, according to the National Women’s Law Center. Four states explicitly give pharmacists the right to turn away any prescriptions, the group said.

The Virginia store’s policy has drawn scorn from some abortion rights groups, who have already called for a boycott and collected more than 1,000 signatures protesting the pharmacy.

“If this emboldens other pharmacies in other parts of the state, it could really affect low-income and rural women in terms of access,” said Tarina Keene, executive director of the Virginia chapter of the National Abortion Rights Action League.

Robert Laird, executive director of Divine Mercy Care, believes many of the estimated 50,000 Catholics within a few miles of the store will support its mission and make up for the roughly 10 percent of business that contraceptives represent in a typical pharmacy.

Whether Catholics will be drawn to the pharmacy is uncertain. According to a Gallup poll published last year for an extensive study of U.S. Catholicism called American Catholics Today, 75 percent of U.S. Catholics said you can still be a good Catholic even if you don’t obey church teachings on birth control.

Catherine Muskett said she plans to shop at the drug store even though she lives more than 20 miles away.

“Obviously it’s good to support pro-life causes. Every little bit counts,” said Muskett, one of about 75 people who crowded into the tiny shop for Tuesday’s ceremony.

India paceman Zaheer Khan was fined 80 percent of his match fee after being found guilty of a code of conduct breach following the second test win over Australia on Tuesday.

Khan, summoned for a disciplinary hearing by International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee Chris Broad after the game, pleaded guilty to a level two charge under the code of conduct rules, a statement from the governing body said.

Khan appeared to say something to opener Matthew Hayden following the batsman’s dismissal before tea on Monday’s fourth day.

India won by 320 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

“Clearly, this sort of behaviour is not acceptable at any level of cricket - it showed a lack of respect for the player who had been dismissed,” Broad said in the statement.

“Respect for the opposition was something that we talked about in the pre-series meeting I had with both captains and so it was disappointing that Zaheer behaved in this way.

“However, in considering the penalty, I took into account the fact that Zaheer had a good disciplinary record. He also pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and was very apologetic while also promising not to repeat the offence.”

The bowler, fielding in the deep, ran towards Hayden as he made his way back to the pavilion before turning towards his celebrating team mates. Hayden gestured at the umpire before walking off.

Players from both sides were involved in verbal exchanges during the match and the umpires stepped in more than once, including on the final morning.

Khan also exchanged words with Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin during the drawn first test in Bangalore while making a crucial fifty as the hosts salvaged a draw.

The penalty for a level two offence ranges between 50 and 100 per cent fine of the player’s match fee and/or a maximum ban of one Test match or two ODIs. Players have the right to appeal the decision.

The fried foods, salty snacks and meats that are staples of the Western diet account for about 30 percent of heart attack risk across the world, a new report suggests.

Meanwhile, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, the so-called “Prudent” diet, is tied a low risk of heart attack, according to the study, published in the Oct. 21 issue of Circulation.

The research, which looked at dietary habits in 52 countries, found people who ate a Western diet had a 35 percent greater risk of having a heart attack compared to those who ate little or no fried foods and meat. Those who followed a “Prudent” diet had a 30 percent lower risk of heart attack compared to those who went light on fruits and vegetables.

The authors also looked at an “Oriental” diet, rich in tofu, soy and other sauces, and found it did not increase or decrease the risk of a heart attack.

Previous studies have reached similar conclusions about the “Prudent” and Western diet in the United States and Europe, but did not include the Oriental pattern of eating. While some components of the Oriental diet may protect against heart trouble, the higher sodium content of sauces counter that benefit.

“This study indicates that the same relationships that are observed in Western countries exist in different regions of the world,” study senior author Salim Yusuf, a professor of medicine at McMaster University and director of the Population Health Research Institute at Hamilton Health Sciences in Ontario, said in an American Heart Association news release.

The Canadian researchers analyzed risk factors in food choices and the risk of heart attack in about 16,000 people in 52 countries. Almost 6,000 people had heart attacks, while the rest had no known heart disease.

A key Indian equities index ended in the green Monday after showing great volatility during the day but continued selling by jittery investors saw midcap and smallcap stocks finish with lossess.

At the close of trading, the sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange finished at 10,223.09, up 247.74 points or 2.48 percent from its previous close Friday at 9,975.35 points.

The Sensex opened at 10,160.47 points, rallied to touch an intra-day high of 10,538.05, a gain of 562.7 points or 5.64 percent against its previous close before sliding again.

With the markets sliding for three successive days last week, the stage was set for short sellers to book profits, which could be one of the reasons the Sensex rallied initially and still end in the green despite the undercurrent of negative sentiment, analysts said.

At the National Stock Exchange, the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty index also showed a similar trend - opened strong, rallied and then dipped even below its previous close Friday before recovering again to end in the green.

At close of trading, the Nifty was at 3,122.80, up 48.45 points or 1.58 percent from its previous close Friday at 3074.35 points.

The Nifty had also moved up by more than 250 points before sliding.

Although the Sensex ended in the green, both midcap and smallcap stocks finished with losses, reflecting the lack of depth in the positive sentiment.

The BSE midcap index closed at 3,506.35, down 38.49 points or 1.09 percent from its previous close Friday at 3,544.84 points.

The BSE smallcap index finished at 4,112.82, down 55.04 points or 1.32 percent from its previous close Friday at 4,167.86.

“There is far too much uncertainty and it is very difficult to say what the short term trend is going to be,” said Ashish Kapoor, chief executive officer of Delhi-based brokerage firm Invest Shoppe India Pvt Ltd.

“Normally, such times are good for buying stocks but this time it is a deep hollow and with the largest economy in the world, the US, going into a tailspin it is better to hold on to cash and wait and watch before taking any decision,” Kapoor added.

Echoing similar sentiments, Jagannadham Thunuguntla, head of the capital markets arm of India’s fourth largest share brokerage firm, the Delhi-based SMC Group said: “You can price risk and include this in your calculations, but you cannot price uncertainty, so decision-making is difficult in these unprecedented times.”

The analysts said that the fact that midcap and smallcap stocks had ended in the red indicated that there was no depth in the recovery and whatever rally took place was only because of short covering.

“There is still no confidence in the market and no one is willing to lend or invest,” said Gautam Mazumdar, chief underwriting officer of HDFC ERGO General Insurance Co. Ltd.

Information technology, technology, media and telecommunication (TMT), bank and fast moving consumer goods stocks were the major gainers.

Realty, power, capital goods and automobile stocks were the major losers.

Among the major gainers were TCS Ltd, which gained 9.47 percent, Wipro Ltd up 8.95 percent, Satyam Computers up 8.67 percent and Infosys Technologies up 7.92 percent.

The big losers were BHEL shedding 8.24 percent, Grasim Industries losing 7.96 percent, DLF Ltd down 6.40 percent and ACC Ltd losing 6.13 percent.

Reflecting the lack of depth in the recovery, only 920 or 35.17 percent stocks advanced, as many as 1,643 or 62.81 percent stocks declined and 53 remained unchanged.

“Despite the various measures being taken by central banks all over the world, there is still no confidence or enthusiasm in the market,” Thunuguntla pointed out.

On Monday the Indian central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut the repo rate - the rate at which the it lends to other banks - by 100 basis points to 8 percent, but there was little impact on the markets.

“Even now, the repercussions are trickling in with Hungary now seeking the help of the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank even as the Dutch government made an infusion of $14 billion into ING Bank,” Thunuguntla said.

“If anybody still wants to buy in this market, it should be very staggered and only in those blue chips, perhaps sensex component stocks, that have very low debt on their books and are well protected against recession in most markets,” Kapoor said

With the Reserve Bank of India slashing the repo rate by a good 100 basis points and the government auction getting cancelled, bond yields witnessed a sharp fall. Call money rates also saw a drastic fall signifying adequate liquidity in the banking system. Rupee ended at 48.97/98 against the dollar, 0.2% weaker than 48.88/89 at close on Friday. During the day, it fell to 49.20 against the dollar.

The Indian currency weakened on Monday as there was a large dollar demand from importers offsetting gains in the local share market as a cut in the central bank’s key lending rate provided only a small breather.

“We expect the weakness in rupee to continue on account of lack of inflows. We see rupee in the range of 48.50-49.50 in the short term. As long as inflows are weak, the bearishness in rupee will continue,” said V Rajagopal, head of currency trading at Kotak Mahindra Bank.

On Monday, the central bank slashed the repo rate by 100 bps from 9% to 8%, in a bid to alleviate pressures caused by the global financial turmoil to maintain financial stability. Recently, the central bank had slashed the cash reserve ratio by 250 bps.

to pump in almost Rs 1 lakh crore into the system.

On Monday, the 13-year bond yield ended at 7.70%, after touching an intra-day low of 7.65%, much below Friday’s close of 8.07%. Trade in the benchmark 10-year bond was suspended for semi-annual interest payments. It had closed at 7.72% on Friday. Total volumes stood at Rs 4,900 crore.

Call money rates ended at 5.50/5.75%, as liquidity in the system improved drastically. Traders anticipate volumes to remain on the lower side on Tuesday on account of a nationwide strike planned by central bank employees, demanding higher pensions.

“On Wednesday, we expect the 10-year benchmark paper to touch at 7.40%. Demand will be heavy on this paper, once it opens, since it wasn’t traded after Friday. Liquidity pressures have eased and we expect the yields to slide now,” said NS Venkatesh, managing director and chief executive officer with IDBI Gilts Ltd.

The central bank also decided to cancel a bond auction worth Rs 10,000 crore on Monday, following the rate cut to enable investors to re-bid the auction at a later date. They had planned to sell a new six-year bond for Rs 6,000 crore and the 2032 bonds for Rs 4,000 crore.

Going forward, Venkatesh also expects call rates to contract to 5.50/6%. “Banks now have sufficient liquidity. There is also no need for a cut in SLR.

On Monday, banks borrowed only Rs 2,800 crore from RBI’s twin repo tenders compared with Rs 7,350 crore on Friday.

On the other hand, they parked Rs 27,695 crore at RBI’s reverse repo tenders versus Rs 5,715 crore on Friday.

Last Tuesday, the RBI had introduced a 14-day special repo tender, in a bid to help banks meet the liquidity requirement of mutual funds.

The central bank said they would provide a sum of Rs 20,000 crore through these special daily repo auctions.

Till date, banks have borrowed only Rs 7,005 crore through this window.

“Today, mutual funds are not facing huge redemption pressure as liquidity pressures have eased,” said a private dealer.

On Monday, November-maturity CDs of state-owned banks were dealt at 11.50% after the repo rate cut, as against 12.25-12.75% on Friday.

At the same time, state-owned banks’ December-maturity CDs were dealt at 12%, as against 12.25-13%.

Fragrant apples, saffron and almonds were part of the goods that made their way Monday to a trade facilitation centre in the Kashmir Valley, the first step in a historic journey across the Line of Control (LoC) that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

One truck was symbolically flagged off by Mobeen Shah, president of the valley’s chamber of commerce and industry, from the industry lobby’s office in Srinagar’s Residency Road. Others started their journey to the Salamabad trade facilitation centre in Baramulla district from the towns of Shopian, Sopore and from the fruit market in Srinagar.

“These trucks will reach Salamabad trade facilitation centre in Baramulla today and halt there for the night for completion of formalities so that cross-LoC trade beginning between the two parts of divided Kashmir starts tomorrow without any hiccups,” Mobeen Shah said here.

The inaugural trade goods list - comprising 21 items - across the LoC beginning Tuesday includes apples, walnuts, almonds, saffron, red-kidney beans, chillies, honey, spice cakes and woollen shawls.

Besides, Ladakh apricot and turmeric are also included in the trade list from the Indian side.

From Muzaffarabad in Pakistan administered Kashmir, rock salt, basmati rice, dates, Hunza apricot and spices as well as medicinal herbs, carpets and rugs, foam mattresses and cushions, wall hangings and the famous peshawari leather slippers will make their way here.

“In all, 15 small trucks would carry goods across the LOC from this side tomorrow (Tuesday) and unload their consignments at Chakoti in Pakistan administered Kashmir,” a member of the local traders’ association said here.

After unloading their consignments at Salamabad and Chakoti, the trucks would return to their side of the LoC.

“The trade consignments would then be lifted from the two trade facilitation centres for delivery to the consignees,” an official said.

To begin with, each truck would carry a load of not more than one-and-a-half tonnes from either side of the LoC.

The decision to begin trade comes after a meeting between Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York last month that business across the LoC would begin on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and the Poonch-Rawlakote routes from Oct 21.