Wellnews by Scott LaFee

Sure, it's a good thing to teach teens how to cook. It helps makes them self-reliant. But a new Kansas State University study finds that when preparing frozen foods, adolescents are far less likely than adults to wash their hands and far more likely to cross-contaminate raw foods while cooking.

"While half of the adults we observed washed their hands after touching raw chicken, none of the adolescents did," said Casey Jacob, a food safety researcher. Combine nonexistent hand-washing with other teen behaviors like hair-flipping and scratching of various areas, said Jacob, and you have a good recipe for contamination and illness.

That's not to say that adults are such great role models. The researchers found that even when provided with instructions about how to handle frozen foods safely, most food preparers don't follow them. They may not see them or assume they already know what to do.

"Our results suggest that while labels might contain correct risk-reduction steps, food manufacturers have to make that information as compelling as possible or it will be ignored," said Benjamin Chapman, an assistant professor at North Carolina State University.

A picture of someone throwing up might do the trick.

STORIES FOR THE WAITING ROOM

Awareness of your internal organs -- the ability to feel your heart beat or stomach growl -- is called interoception. Researchers thought it was linked to two particular regions of the brain, but a man with damage to those brain regions reported he could still feel his heartbeat as clearly as anyone.

It wasn't until doctors numbed his chest that the ability disappeared.

Sahib Khalso, who conducted the research at the University of Iowa with colleagues, suggests that skin nerves also play a role, in addition to the brain.

GET ME THAT.

STAT!

Thirty-two percent of operating room fires are caused by lasers, according to a poll of surgeons by the American Academy of Otolaryngology.

NUMBER CRUNCHER

A serving of onion rings (8-9 rings, 83 grams) contains 276 calories, 140 from fat. It has 15.5 grams of total fat or 24 percent of the recommended total fat intake for a 2,000-calorie daily diet.

It also contains 14 milligrams of cholesterol (5 percent); 430 mg of sodium (18 percent); 31.3 grams of total carbohydrates (10 percent) and 3.7 g of protein.

LIFE IN BIG MACS

One hour of washing dishes burns 156 calories (based on a 150-pound person), or the equivalent of 0.2 Big Macs with cheese.

MEDTRONICA

4CollegeWomen

4collegewomen.org

A site devoted to issues of women's health, particularly those of college age. Created by Brandeis University students and overseen by Dr. Susan J Blumenthal, former U.S. assistant surgeon general. The site includes strong sections on disease prevention, substance abuse, reproductive health and mental health issues.

BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

An automatism is any learned action you can do without conscious thought, such as starting a car.

PHOBIA OF THE WEEK

Ligyrophobia -- fear of loud noises

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM