AGE-RELATED deafness, and hearing loss caused by loud noise, may be reduced by the antioxidants in red wine, green tea and aspirin, it was claimed yesterday.

The compounds they contain could help protect the delicate hairs of the inner ear that are vital to hearing, new research suggests.

Destructive chemical agents called oxygen-free radicals, produced by normal cellular processes and in response to loud noise and exposure to powerful antibiotics, can damage the hairs.

But antioxidants such as resveratrol, found in red wine and green tea, and salicylate, the active ingredient in aspirin, should be able to neutralise them.

To test whether this was the case, scientists in the United States used salicylate to prevent damage to hair cells in patients’ ears caused by the strong antibiotic, gentamicin. Read the rest of this entry »

If you want to bring someone around to your way of thinking you should make sure they’ve got a cup of coffee in their hand, according to research showing that caffeine makes us more open to persuasion.

The Australian researchers say a caffeine hit improves our ability to process information and increases the extent to which we listen to and take on board a persuasive message.

They tested this by quizzing people about their attitudes to voluntary euthanasia and abortion before and after either the equivalent of about two cups of coffee or a placebo.

They were also given a persuasive argument to read after having the caffeine.

The experiments showed that “caffeine increases persuasion through instigating systematic processing of the message”.

But caffeine also puts people in a better mood, which makes them more likely to agree with a message, the researchers say.

The research is posted on the Queensland University of Technology website and is submitted for publication in the European Journal of Social Psychology. Read the rest of this entry »

1 Cup instant coffee
1 Cup sugar
4 1/2 Cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 Cup cocoa
Stir ingredients together. Process in a blender until powdered. Use 2 Tablespoons to one small cup of hot water. Serve in demitasse cups. Makes about 7 cups of mix.

2 c Hot Strong Coffee
2 c Hot Traditional Cocoa
Whipped Cream
Granted Orange Peel
Combine 1/2 cup coffee and 1/2 cup cocoa in each 4 mugs. Top with whipped cream; sprinkle with orange peel.

1 c Black coffee
1 oz Amaretto
Whipped topping
1 Maraschino cherry
Fill coffee mug or cup with hot coffee. Stir in amaretto. Top with pressurized dessert topping and cherry. Serve with teaspoon.