Where a stiff drink can make a real difference to our political views!

Theresa and Jeremy by political cartoonist David Lewis


There is not much to laugh about in UK politics today.  Its a mess.  Our leaders so called are in disarray or not up to the job.

So maybe a cocktail or two might give us a better perspective on what is going on.  Or at least help us to find something a tad amusing about the current mess the UK’s politics is in.

Boris and Diane by political cartoonist David Lewis

So those ingenious mixologists at the Conrad London St. James’ Blue Boar Bar have come with a new drinks menu based on our politicians with  illustrations by political cartoonist David Lewis.

I make my claim on a Boris on the Rocks and a Maygarita.  Then I may be intoxicated enough to try Jeremy’s Punch!

These are just some of new cocktails:  ‘No Big Deal’,  ‘Maygarita’ and ‘Spiced Figrage’. Perhaps the ‘Jeremy’s Punch’ or ‘Dark n Tory’ will have your vote, but beware of ‘Boris on the Rocks’, who knows what’s in store for you there. Nestled in the heart of St James, with the Houses of Parliament just a stone‘s throw away, Conrad London St. James, and particularly the Blue Boar Bar is a regular haunt for politicians looking to mull the political situation over with a stiff drink.

Sit back over a nightcap taking in the Westminster scene and listen out for the occasional sound of the House of Commons Division Bell, rung eight minutes before every parliamentary vote to give any politicians lingering over a pint enough time to get back to cast their vote!

Sugary drinks put men at increased risk of gout

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London: Recent research reported in the British Medical Journal found that consuming sugary drinks can increase the risk of men developing gout, a form of arthritis.

These findings support claims made over 50 years ago by arthritis pioneer Charles de Coti-Marsh, states the UK’s Arthritic Association.

A twelve year study of nearly 50,000 men found a strong association between sugar sweetened soft drinks, usually containing fructose, and gout. Consuming two servings a day of a sugary soft drink increased the risk of developing gout by 85%.

Some sufferers of gout already know to avoid sweetened drinks, thanks to a little-known publication of 1957, ‘Rheumatism and Arthritis – The Conquest’, in which author Charles de Coti-Marsh states that gout sufferers can alleviate the condition by drinking plenty of fresh fruit and vegetable juices every day.

Bruce Hester of The Arthritic Association comments: “Charles de Coti-Marsh advocated drinking water, herbal teas and natural fruit juices. This new research demonstrates that his theories were in many respects sound. Although progress in the field of arthritis and nutrition is slow, we fully expect to see further justification of his theories as medical science progresses.”

Further information is containced in the report: ‘Soft drinks, fructose consumption, and the risk of gout in men: prospective cohort study’ which can be read online at www.bmj.com

About The Arthritic Association:

Founded in 1942, The Arthritic Association is a registered charity dedicated to helping relieve people from the pain of arthritis through natural methods.

Publications by Charles de Coti-Marsh, including ‘Rheumatism and Arthritis, The Conquest’, can be viewed online at
www.arthriticassociation.org.uk

Can fizzy drinks cause obesity?

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St Pauls: Drinking carbonated diet drinks is linked with metabolic disorders, researchers at the University of Minnesota have concluded.

Metabolic syndrome is an increase in risk factors toward cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This includes a larger waistline, high blood pressure and higher levels of fats found in the blood.

The research which took over nine years and examined data on 10,000 individuals.

The study showed that people who drank one can of diet soda every day were 34 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome, but those who drank one can of regular soda were only 10 percent more likely to develop it.

Does this new information cause people to want to steer clear of carbonated diet drink?

The researchers say more research is required to establish the link with diet drinks.

Fizzy drinks linked to increase in gout in men

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Vancouver: Just two cans of a carbonated drink can increase a man’s chance of getting the painful joint disease gout by a staggering 85 per cent, according to new research from Canada.

The study, published online by the British Medical Journal, looked at more than 46,000 men and found those who had two or more cans a day were 85 per cent more likely to get gout compared to those who had one a month or less.

The risk also significantly increased among those who drank five to six a week.
Gout is characterised by severe attacks of joint pain followed by long periods of remission and is caused by the formation of urate crystals, within the joints.

It is thought that fructose, a naturally occurring sugar found in tree fruits that triggers gout by increasing the levels of uric acid in the blood. Other sugars also increase levels of the acid.

In the United States, a doubling of the number of people with gout over the past few decades has coincided with a substantial increase in the consumption of soft drinks.