One of the major problems with fast-digesting carb sources is that they drive up blood glucose levels, which in turn causes the release of insulin. These two factors, individually and especially when combined, can lead to unhealthy weight gain.

To help remedy this problem, the obvious choice is to take white pasta, white rice, candy, and other simple sugar sources out of your diet. But what about the occasional slip-up? You know, when you fall "off the wagon" for a night or two and devour a Domino's pizza? In those instances, you may want to add some Thai "yellow" curry powder to your slices.

Why? Because a single serving of this Thai flavoring was found to slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream after consuming carb-rich foods, say researchers from Mahidol University in Thailand. As an added bonus, this same spice was found to reduce the risk of heart failure.

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Kids in predominantly Caucasian countries get pretty good sleep, says a new study. Better than kids in Asian countries, anyway.

This study, led by researcher Jodi Mindell of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, is the first ever to look at sleep patterns in infants and toddlers cross-culturally. The results, says Mindell, are astonishing. Here are two of them.

• Mindell found significant variability in bedtimes and total sleep time. For example, 15.1 percent of children in Canada shared a room, compared to 94.5 percent in Thailand, and the percentage of parents who believed their child had a minor or severe sleep problem ranged from 11 percent in Thailand to 76 percent in China.
  
  

• Kids in Asian countries were more likely to have later bedtimes, shorter total sleep times, increased parental perception of sleep problems, and were more likely to share a room than children in Caucasian countries. But there were no significant differences in night wakings and naps.
  
  

Mindell says her findings present more questions than they do answers, like: Why the differences? Could it be different cultural practices? And what is the impact of these differences? Seems it's time for another study.

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When I went on a three-month trek around Thailand a few years ago, I assumed I would lose weight effortlessly because I wouldn't be filling up on my regular diet of carbs and convenience food. I'm not alone -- when it comes to food, we tend to assume that Asian cuisine is healthier than North American fare. After all, while our food tends to be high in fat, refined carbs and sugar and other processed ingredients, Asian food tends to be low in fat and high in veggies.

But how accurate are our assumptions about Asian cuisine? I'll tell you one thing -- I didn't lose weight on a diet of green curry with rice, pad thai and tom kha gai soup. In fact, I gained a couple. So I wonder ...

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The H5N1 virus -- commonly called the "bird flu" virus -- continues to see cases in many countries around the works, although in relatively small numbers all thins considered. That is, so far.

Officials in Thailand say that a new outbreak of the virulent bird flu was found in ducks in northern Thailand -- the first such cases in over six months.

A veterinarian official in Thailand stated that "We have found the H5N1 virus in the ducks and we have ordered around 2,100 ducks in the area to be killed."

When and if the bird flu becomes cross-species contagious and infects the human population, will we be prepared? Or not?

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