CALLING ALL CAULICARROTS

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Considering that over 30% of all women aged 11 to 50 consume less than the recommended 18 milligrams of iron every day, it's believed that cold intolerance is a common problem for females. Yet, a physician can take a simple blood test to determine anemia—and advise whether iron supplements are a good idea. Iron is also found in such foods as lean steak, poultry (dark meat), shellfish (especially clams, oysters and mussels), tuna (dark meat) and beans. Drinking orange juice and eating vitamin C-Rich foods with meals enhances iron absorption.

Can vitamin pills actually increase human intelligence?

Smarts in a Bottle

In England, sales of vitamins and minerals soared after the BBC reported on a study indicating that vitamin and mineral supplements might raise the IQ. The study, published in the British medical journal The Lancet , found that supplemented children performed better on nonverbal intelligence tests—tasks such as matching colored blocks to a preset pattern. Researchers believe that nonverbal IQ is a more innate, biological measure than verbal IQ, which depends more on formal learning and language.

Therefore, nutrition would be expected to affect nonverbal results before changes could show up on verbal tests. Though relatively few children in the U.S. or Britain have marked nutritional deficiencies, many do consume diets that are low in iron and zinc, both of which are important to brain cell production. A recent study has also implicated zinc deficiency as a risk factor in dyslexia. The B vitamins support brain function, too—and may be low in some kids' diets.

A Carotene Cauliflower

A small, mutant, orange cauliflower head found in a field near Toronto may be the source of a new cauliflower variety rich in vitamin A. Cornell University scientists are currently crossing the cultivar—which gets its orange color from carotene, as do carrots and pumpkins—with standard varieties, to create a variety suitable for farming. Cauliflower, a member of the reputedly cancer preventive cruciferous family, is already high in fiber, vitamin C and potassium.

At-Home Cholesterol Tests?

If you think cholesterol consciousness is at an all-time high, just wait until the first at home cholesterol tests hit drugstore shelves. Home Diagnostics (Eden town, New Jersey) is ready now with an easy-to-use finger-stick kit (pending FDA approval), and Keystone Medical Corporation (Columbia, Maryland) will seek an OK from the FDA in the fall. Chem-Elec (North Webster, Indiana), whose Clinicard won FDA approval in June as the first self-processing doctor's office screening test, will probably join the over-the-counter bandwagon, too.

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