Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty” just got a shot to the gut.

A controversial study published by Arizona State University, the University of Cologne in Germany and Erasmus University in the Netherlands found that ads featuring plus-size models cause women who are either normal weight or overweight to feel just as bad — if not worse — about themselves as ads featuring super-thin models.

Since the 2006 death of 21-year-old model, Ana Carolina Reston, who died due to complications of anorexia — Reston was 5-foot 8-inches tall and weighed 88 pounds at the time of her death — the fashion industry has been doubling back on its malnourished roots.

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Roman Polanski’s new political thriller The Ghost, which is opening in the UK, is about a former British prime minister who is threatened with being hauled in front of the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes.

The title refers to a ghost writer roped in to craft the memoirs of this ex prime minister, Adam Lang. But it is the ghost of Tony Blair that haunts the fictional Mr Lang, with references to Iraq, the “war on terror”, and a much too cosy relationship with the United States.

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When is a stationary bike not a stationary bike? When it turns sharp corners and climbs up hills – or feels like it, anyway.

I am not a real rider. I do not own a bicycle (or a car, for that matter); my primary mode of transportation is my own two feet. Years ago, I took up spinning which, as my cycling friends are quick to point out, is not the same as tackling 50 kilometres of hilly terrain. But I appreciated spinning as a workout – the drills, the music, the profuse sweating – and attended three times weekly until deciding I wanted a break a couple of years ago.

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Don’t get sucked into the idea that food is your enemy when you’re trying to lose weight. In fact, it’s just the opposite: Befriend the right foods, and the pounds are much more likely to peel off than if you just try to cut calories across the board. Here, seven foods known to nutritionists to boost your body’s fat-burning potential.

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Frozen vegetables can be more nutritious than supposedly fresh supermarket produce, a study has found.

Fresh vegetables can lose up to 45 per cent of important nutrients by the time they reach the dinner table.

Time spent in storage, in transportation and sitting on the shelves means it can be more than two weeks from the vegetables being picked to being eaten.

By contrast, produce frozen close to the point of harvest maintains a higher level of many vitamins and nutrients.

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Eggs should be considered a ’superfood’ because they can boost health and tackle obesity, researchers will claim today.

The nutritionists say eggs are one of the most nutrient-dense foods and are recommending one a day for the maximum benefit.

The study, released today and to be published in June in the journal Nutrition and Food Science, analysed 71 research papers and reference documents that examined the nutritional composition of eggs and their role in diet.

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This year’s Oscars ceremony was the most watched in the US for five years, early figures suggest.

Analysts Nielsen Company said 41.3 million viewers watched The Hurt Locker win six awards, including best film.

It is up 14% on the 36.3 million viewers who watched Slumdog Millionaire dominate last year’s ceremony.

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Mothers-to-be should be warned that ‘eating for two’ is a myth, according to draft Health Service guidelines.

They do not need to drink full-fat milk or change their diet at all for the first six months of the pregnancy.

Even in the last three months they need just 200 extra calories a day – the equivalent of a small sandwich.

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Actor Charlie Sheen has entered rehab and will be taking a break from filming his popular TV series, Two and a Half Men, his publicist has said.

It comes two months after the 44-year-old was arrested following a fight with his wife, Brooke Mueller, at their home in Aspen, Colorado on Christmas day.

He was later charged with assaulting and threatening her and is due to return to court on 15 March.

Mueller is also in rehab seeking treatment, her lawyer said. Read the rest of this entry »

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