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(CNN) — Acolytes of "Food Rules" guru Michael Pollan and other well-meaning foodies who’ve made corn a scapegoat for the nation’s health crises, this week welcomed a new study from Princeton University that suggests high-fructose corn syrup causes more significant weight gain than table sugar.

But the findings have been criticized by food science experts and industry veterans, who say the study unfairly demonizes corn syrup and implicitly absolves cane sugar of responsibility for making Americans fat.

"The debate about which one is better for you is a false debate, because neither of them is good for you," says Elizabeth Abbott, author of the forthcoming "Sugar: A Bittersweet History."

Researcher Miriam Bocarsly counters that the study wasn’t designed to demonstrate "what sugar does for the body." Instead, her team set out to uncover what happens when rats subsist on a diet rich in high-fructose corn syrup for six months. They reported that rats fed water sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup developed more belly fat and had an increased level of circulating triglycerides, fat’s chemical form in the body.

"As far as we’re aware, this is the first long-term study of high-fructose corn syrup in animals," Bocarsly says. "That’s important, because you don’t eat high-fructose corn syrup once; you eat it every day, probably since you were a child. But you don’t see too many studies with humans because you can’t keep someone in the lab for 10 years and make them eat high fructose corn syrup."

According to Bocarsly, scientific results embraced by the refined corn crowd, including a 2008 statement by the American Medical Association that high-fructose syrups do not contribute more to obesity than other caloric sweeteners, used data drawn from short-term studies.

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Prince Charles last night stood accused of secretly lobbying ministers in support of using discredited homeopathic medicines on the NHS.

The Department of Health has admitted for the first time that homeopathy has been discussed at private meetings between ministers and the prince, a strong supporter of alternative therapies.

The NHS spends millions of pounds each year on the complementary medicine –at a time when it is restricting proven lifesaving drugs for those with cancer.

Last year Prince Charles was accused of meddling in Government policy after it emerged he had written to eight Whitehall departments in three years.

Now an MP has accused him of overstepping his constitutional role by having ’secret’ meetings with ministers on what is a deeply political issue.

It comes as the Commons science and technology committee is today expected to call on the NHS to stop funding homeopathic medicines because of a lack of evidence that they are effective.

Experts say there is no way known to science that the medicines – which claim to treat and prevent disease by using greatly diluted forms of herbs and minerals – could possibly work beyond being a placebo.

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WASHINGTON – The maker of Poligrip denture cream will stop making formulas containing zinc amid lawsuits claiming years of excessive use caused neurological damage and blood problems in consumers, allegedly crippling some.

GlaxoSmithKline will stop making and marketing Super Poligrip Original, Ultra Fresh and Extra Care products in the U.S. The company plans to reformulate the creams without zinc.

The company, based in London, reported more than $520 million in denture adhesive sales last year.

It stressed that the products are safe when used as directed, but that some people use extra cream to correct ill-fitting dentures.

Glaxo’s voluntary action comes as hundreds of lawsuits are poised to go to trial, alleging Poligrip caused nerve damage, leading to a loss of balance, loss of sensation in the hands and feet, and leaving some patients paralyzed.

"They made the right decision in the sense that it’s going to prevent the crippling of more people," said attorney Andy Alonso of Parker Waichman Alonso LLP. "But it’s too late for many of my clients."

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More than a third of children and teenagers taking certain antipsychotic drugs became overweight or obese in the first three months of treatment, a new U.S. study has found.

A newer class of drugs known as atypical antipsychotic medications can be lifesaving for young people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or severe aggression associated with autism, according to an editorial accompanying the study in Wednesday’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

But the widespread use of the drugs should be reconsidered, given the risk of weight gain and the long-term risk of cardiovascular and metabolic problems, wrote Dr. Christopher Varley and Dr. Jon McClellan of Seattle Children’s Hospital.

For the study, the researchers looked at 205 children and teens aged four to 19 with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and disruptive or aggressive behaviour spectrum disorders.

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Vending machines stocked with unhealthy snacks in leisure centres run the risk of fuelling childhood obesity, warn experts.

Crisps and chocolate are on sale where children exercise despite being banned from schools and children’s TV, the British Heart Foundation found.

And children’s meals on offer at the 35 venues spot-checked were dominated by chips, nuggets, sausages and burgers.

The charity wants stricter regulation over the food choices available.

The report, which was prepared by the Food Commission, looked at leisure centres, bowling alleys, ice skating rinks and park cafes.

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The first successful human womb transplant could take place within two years, British scientists have said.

London-based experts say they have worked out how to transplant a womb with a regular blood supply so it will last long enough to carry a pregnancy.

Research involving donor rabbits was presented at a US fertility conference.

The charity Uterine Transplant UK is seeking funding of £250,000 after being denied grants by several medical research bodies.

A breakthrough could offer an alternative to surrogacy or adoption for women whose own wombs have been damaged by diseases such as cervical cancer.

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Noting that older women are more prone to osteoporosis, Panchkula-based Dr M S Gupta said the problem of “porous bones” is most common in women after menopause.

“Normally, the body continuously builds and loses bone. As long as the build-up exceeds the loss, there is no problem. Production of oestrogen hormone stops in women after menopause. This speeds up bone loss with no corresponding increase in bone production. The result is osteoporosis,” said the doctor on the occasion of World Osteoporosis Day today.

Osteoporosis could also be a result of surgical menopause when a female’s ovaries are removed surgically resulting in deficiency of hormone oestrogen, he added. While older women should be watchful about the ailment, older men are also vulnerable, especially in this age of sedentary lifestyle.

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The much touted naturally produced molecule called resveratrol, found in red wine, may help squeeze out diabetes, says a new study.

In the study, resveratrol has been shown to lower insulin levels in mice when injected directly into the brain, even when the animals ate a high-fat diet.

The findings from a new UT Southwestern Medical Center study suggest that when acting directly on certain proteins in the brain, resveratrol may offer some protection against diabetes.

Earlier research has shown that resveratrol exerts anti-diabetic actions when given orally to animals with type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus), but it has been unclear which tissues in the body mediated these effects.

"Our study shows that the brain plays an important role in mediating resveratrol’s anti-diabetic actions, and it does so independent of changes in food intake and body weight," said Dr. Roberto Coppari, assistant professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study appearing online and in the December issue of Endocrinology.

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Preschoolers turning themselves into sexualized "mini-adults" by wearing bras, nail polish and lipstick are requiring psychological help in increasing numbers.

Child development experts said young girls were now entering their "tween" years at the tender age of 6. In previous years, girls entered the "tween" phase at the age of 11.

Experts said that by age 6, girls need branded clothes, at 7 they want styled hair, by 8 they are beginning to diet, and by early teens they are engaging in sex or sending sexually explicit text messages.

The alarming trend is taking a heavy psychological toll, said Louise Newman, professor of Developmental Psychiatry at Monash University.

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Even as we face a childhood obesity epidemic, health experts warn that children are starving themselves more often — and younger than ever.

On one end of the spectrum, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that over the past three decades, the obesity rate has more than doubled for children ages 2 to 5 and for adolescents ages 12 to 19, and has more than tripled for children ages 6 to 11.

On the other end, more than 60 percent of elementary and middle school teachers say eating disorders are a problem in their schools, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (anad.org); the association also reports that the average age for the onset of anorexia is now 9 to 12, down from 13 to 17.

Each epidemic has its own tangled roots, but both signal dangerously unhealthy body images.

"They’re both about finding a sense of control with food, either never stopping eating or really controlling your food intake," says Brian Alman, a clinical psychologist and author of several nutrition books, including "Keep It Off" (Plume). "Both are situations where kids feel out of control."

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