Monday's health links

I hope everyone had a great weekend. We spent a lovely few hours yesterday playing outdoor laser tag in celebration of my nephew's 8th birthday. Happy Birthday, Finn! We also got to spend some quality time with his grandpa, Bob. It was a wonderful day.

On with the links:

1. Please do not use this as an excuse to increase your alcohol consumption, but a new study says that the grape seeds and skins used in making red wine may help it play a role as a tool for preventing breast cancer. White wine, which lacks the skins, does not provide this benefit. A big deal is being made out of this since recent wisdom held that even moderate alcohol consumption was a breast cancer risk factor. The smart money continues to be on cutting back on alcohol, but if you want to indulge occasionally, red wine is an option you can feel better about. Me, I'll continue to feel good about adding grape seed extract to my supplement pile. Toronto Star.
2. DES and the role it may play in breast cancer. Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic estrogen prescribed to millions of women to help prevent miscarriages and other pregnancy complications. Turns out, the daughters of women who took it seem to have higher rates of breast cancer.
3. An Ontario lawsuit against seven tobacco companies could reduce smoking rates and improve the health of the province's residents. And perhaps it will be the start of real change elsewhere in Canada and the world. CTV.
4. Study on ADHD and diet suggests healthy eating may help kids reduce their symptoms. You have got to be kidding me - why don't we just come up with a pill? CBS.
5. Interesting pieces on the current state of health care in Canada and the US. Just one more reason to shift some of our attention to prevention; treating illness is expensive for all of us.
6. And finally, to continue with the healthy-eating month of tips from last week, days 5 and 6 are eat more veggies and use a smaller plate. I am sorry if I am boring anyone with these tips - but clearly there are still some people out there who haven't got the message. Including, um, me. :-) I love the look of a huge white plate with mounds of beautiful yummies plopped here and there about it. Turns out, that's wreaking a bit of havoc with my portion control meter. Lately, I've been using smaller plates and even bowls to help cut back on quantities. Only problem, turns out you can get a surprising amount of pie into a very small bowl.  Globe and Mail.