University of Warwick economics post-graduate Matthew Bending found that 41.5% of married women are trying to lose weight against just 29% of single women. Matthew used data compiled by ONS in 1999 and of the 1894 participants 542 (29%) were dieting.

Economics would normally suggest that single people are likely to diet to optimise their chances in the marriage market, but married people will put on weight as a sign of commitment to each other. Only those who are divorced or separated will diet again with their return to the marriage market.

Matthew ™s surprise findings may indicate that some married women diet in preparation for a potential separation and the need to seek a new partner. He also argues concern for their husbands ™ weight causes some women to diet so as to encourage him to do the same. She can manipulate what he eats because most couples eat their main meal together and women normally have control over expenditure on food. Joint diets involving both spouses can be more successful as there is a mutual incentive for them.

The research also found that there has been a massive 34% increase in the number of women dieting since 1980, and a 22% rise in the number of men dieting.

warwick.ac/

In this study, toddlers were tested at 4 months, 6 months and 8 months on a simple type of visual attention, and although infants from high-DHA mothers were ahead at 4 months and 6 months, the differences disappeared at 8 months.

However, the same infants were tested again at 12 months and 18 months, when a different kind of attention, more closely related to attention span, begins to develop and the advantage for the high-DHA group reappeared. The infants with high-DHA mothers were more engaged with complicated toys and less distractible during play.

Carlson and Colombo each have been previously involved in research on DHA. In 2002, their prior research efforts helped convince the Ross Products and Mead Johnson Nutritionals infant formula companies to add the compounds to their Similac and Enfamil brand formulas.

Colombo and Carlson hope to be able to increase DHA levels in pregnant mothers through dietary or nutritional supplements and then study the development of those mothers' infants.

The study was published in the July 2004 issue of the scientific journal Child Development.

ku/