WHEN you're abroad, the familiar reassurance of a fast food restaurant can be appealing but a global study has revealed that all chicken nuggets are not created equally.

Your portion of french fries at a McDonald's or KFC in the United States is likely to have more trans fats, which causes heart disease, than in other countries. A large fries and chicken nuggets contained 10.2g of trans fat, in comparison with 0.33g in Denmark and 3g in Spain, the Czech Republic and Russia. The reason, researchers said, is because partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is high in trans fats, had been used. Just eating 5g of trans fat per day can increase the risk of heart disease by 25%, and while McDonald's Corp. and KFC's Yumm Brand Inc. said that local taste preferences was the reason for using different oils in different restaurants and countries, nutritional experts have also pointed to the fact that partially hydrogenated fat is cheaper to use because it doesn't spoil and can be reused.

THE SPICE AGAINST CANCER

AMERICAN researchers have found that ginger could help in the fight against ovarian cancer. Tests at the University of Michigan revealed that a ginger solution applied to ovarian cancer cells killed them and also prevented them from becoming resistant to treatment. This form of cancer can often reoccur, with patients then becoming resistant to chemotherapy, so this news is encouraging. Another benefit of a ginger based drug is that it would have no side effects, and would be easy to administer in a capsule form. However, experts warned that the research is just in its preliminary stages and that further tests are needed to see if the results will be replicated in animal studies before any firm conclusions are drawn.

SELF HARM HIGH AMONG GOTHS

INCIDENTS of deliberate self harm are more likely among teen Goths than any group, according to a study at the University of Glasgow. 25% of the 1,258 teenagers surveyed identified with the Goth subculture, and of these, 10% had self-harmed. The study also found that being a Goth was associated with a life time risk of selfharm such as cutting and burning (53%) and attempted suicide (47%). However, most had self-harmed before becoming a Goth and Michael van Beinum, a consultant and child psychiatrist who advised on the study, said the subculture might provide the kind of peer support a distressed young adult needed.