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Sex education under president Bush has been the subject of controversy in the US, where abstinence-only programs have largely replaced traditional educational forms. Critics of the shift have claimed that the religious right's 'war on unmarried sex' is dangerous, and spreads misinformation.

Last Friday the US government quietly released their thorough, federal study into the effectiveness of Abstinence-only sex education programs. The study found that abstinence-only education was a complete failure, having zero impact on the rate of abstinence, condom use, and number of sexual partners of US teens (see figure below).

The Huffington Post reports that the program operates largely on fear and disinformation, a hallmark of the Bush administration. Students were being taught "that touching a person's genitals can cause pregnancy. That HIV can be spread through sweat and tears (so that's where Bill Frist got his information). That abortion can cause sterility."

Unfortunately, the US has influenced developing nations to adopt abstinence-only programs, which I wrote about back in 2005. In the US, at worst these programs are a waste of money, but in Uganda their continued use in light of these findings is tantamount to murder. Millions of Africans die each year due to HIV, and these programs along with contraceptive distribution and female education are crucial to bringing down the rate of HIV infection.

The health benefits of a soy-rich diet have been well documented. However, more recent research has also demonstrated the dangers of a high soy intake - specifically in relation to cancer and soy's oestrogen-mimicking capability. From the article -

1. "High soy consumption may accelerate tumour growth and interfere with conventional medicine used to treat cancer."
2. "Men with prostate cancer are also being told to avoid it because it could irritate the male hormone androgen."
3. "Men may be affected too, as soy may reduce fertility by increasing phytoestrogen levels." (more info)
   
4. Soy contains high levels of phytic acid, a substance which can block the uptake of essential minerals - calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc. Zinc is needed for proper development and functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for a healthy reproductive system.

As usual, you can find more information on soy over at the wiki page.

In a related article [2], the link between protein supplements and muscle growth has just been given a boost by Australian scientists. In a 10 week trial, the scientists found that individuals "who consumed the [protein] supplements immediately before exercising with weights gained much more muscle and strength than those who took the same supplements at other times of the day."

A report appearing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has found that chilled, cut fruit retains it's high levels of vitamin C and antioxidants. The study investigated the levels of fruit refrigerated for nine days against that of freshly cut samples. "Generally speaking, the colder you keep fruit the slower its metabolism, including any breakdown of nutrients."

According to British researchers the cost of funding IVF treatment is vastly outweighed by the resulting economic contribution made by the child. It was calculated that "while it costs £13,000 to create a baby using IVF, each child contributes £147,000 in taxes and insurance to the UK economy." Professor Bill Ledger notes that "funding infertility treatment is not just a benefit for the family, but also for society." With birth rates falling across the Western world, subsidised IVF is seen as one measure to help alleviate the problem.

Here in Australia Medicare subsidises around 50% of the cost of IVF treatments, with no restriction on the number of cycles. Around 30% of succesful cases require three or more cycles (attempts).