When mothers are given multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMN,) they tend to give birth to children who are bigger and heavier. This is contrast to mothers given just iron and folic acid supplementation (IFA). The effect continues into the first three years of the children's lives, according to an article in the February 8 issue of The Lancet, which follows up the Lancet Series on Maternal and Child Undernutrition.

While it is already known that low birthweight affects child morbidity and survival rates in developing countries, it is not always clear what effect interventions to increase birthweight can have on child health. Dr David Osrin, UCL Centre for International Health and Development, Institute of Child Health, London, UK and colleagues from Mother and Infant Research Activities, Kathmandu, Nepal, has previously investigated this issue through a randomized controlled trial in Nepal comparing 1,200 women given either IFA (a control) or MMN, a supplement with the recommended daily value of 15 vitamins and minerals, during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

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Maybe CCA should have asked the three rising stars how they would feel about serving as photo advertisements for the school.

James Syhabout, who heads PlumpJack Café's kitchen, is the most measured in his evaluation of CCA — but he graduated in 1999, before the school was purchased by a large for-profit education company. "I know the school has definitely changed since I've been there," he said.

Tim Luym, who cooks at the Poleng Lounge in Nopa, said he found the school "a little deceptive." He says no one explained that many graduates of the expensive school go on to kitchen jobs that pay $10 per hour. "They don't really give you the reality of how much you'll be making," he says. "They never give you financials."

The third chef, Chris Kronner of the Slow Club in Potrero Hill, says the school does not have the best interest of the students at heart.

2008 Westminster Dog Show

The American Veterinary Medical Association and Hills' Pet Nutrition is launching a program to promote weight loss for 48 million overweight pets. Celebrity fitness guru Gunnar Peterson is kicking off the 2008 Hill's PetFit Challenge to help America's cats and dogs lose 50 million pounds this year.

- Get free useful tips on how to help your pets stay fit.

Rethinking breakfast to feed your brain and body

Gail Frank's voice, soft and southern, made its way through a sea of scientific data. I met her for breakfast at a cozy coffee shop in Seal Beach and while we consumed our eggs (hers an egg-white spinach omelet, mine two eggs over medium) we discussed what Frank considers a crisis of utmost importance. Breakfast.

"We need 130 grams of carbohydrates a day for normal function.

A religion for the 21st century: Scientology

Scientology has never been more relevant than today," said David Miscavige, an important leader in the church, in an introductory address given at a celebrity event in Los Angeles a few years ago that was videotaped for the public."Man lives in a world increasingly interested in science, and yet even with all that science, there is an abyss, a chasm of humanity ... the answer cannot be found in chemicals or science ... we think new answers are needed. People need real solutions to real problems, and Scientology offers that help ... and inherent in that is that each of us takes responsibility for themselves and the world."Scientologists estimated that there are 3,000 Scientology churches, missions, related organizations and group ministries in more than 133 countries.According to the Religion Newswriters Association, a nonprofit trade association founded in 1949 to advance the professional standards of religion reporting, Scientology has been investigated in the past by certain governmental agencies around the world, in part because of its practice of charging fees to members in order for them to receive auditing.