Call for action as young adults get fatter

MORE young adults are getting fat than other age groups, according to a study that has tracked 11,000 Australians for 12 years.

But the AusDiab study shows Australians in general are failing to make the lifestyle changes necessary to beat obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

And women are putting on more centimetres than men.

Radical action similar to the anti-smoking drive is needed, says joint chief investigator Professor Jonathan Shaw of the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute.

"The health and wellbeing of a whole generation of young Australians is being compromised by a lifestyle rich in energy-dense foods and low on physical activity," he says.

The study shows people aged 25 to 34 have gained more weight and waist circumference during the 12 years than other age groups and about 270 people aged over 25 develop type 2 diabetes every day.

"We have a big problem. If we want to be serious about it we have to recognise it is not something that can be solved only through telling individuals what they need to do," Prof Shaw says.

"It's complicated, but we need to find ways to make healthy food options the cheap options."

Possible approaches include taxation of junk food and subsidies of healthy food, he says.

The study shows that living in the most socially disadvantaged areas doubles the risk of diabetes.

"Education and income are major determinants of health," says Baker IDI Associate Professor Anna Peeters.

"The AusDiab data highlights the extent to which a person's environment makes a contribution to their wellbeing."

She says disadvantaged areas generally have higher concentrations of junk food outlets and fewer recreational opportunities.

The study shows obese people aged 60 and over are about twice as likely than their peers to have cognitive impairment and physical disability.

"One of the biggest contradictions is that people are living longer but they're being diagnosed with more disease. So their quality of life is being compromised," says Prof Shaw.

"As a community, we need to be prepared to take some tough decisions.

"It's not impossible. Look at what we've achieved with gun control, smoking and water restrictions."

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Hand transplant man doing well 2 years on

IT has taken months of gruelling rehabilitation and daily doses of strong drugs, but Australia's only double hand transplant recipient is doing well after two years.

"I have full feeling," says Peter Walsh, 67, a plumber from regional Victoria.

"They did a great job. It's excellent," says the world's oldest hand-transplant recipient.

His life is a far cry from the dependency he was facing in 2006, when doctors amputated both hands and both legs after a bacterial infection.

He has artificial legs and surgeons have fashioned a semi-functional thumb on his left hand. He received the new right hand in 2011 and several months later managed to write a thank you letter to the family of his donor.

"My wife, Margaret, does not have to put me to bed anymore. I'm quite independent now. Give me time and I can do most things," says Mr Walsh, who is one of 51 hand recipients in modern medicine and the only one in the southern hemisphere.

It is early in the process, but Mr Walsh's doctors are pleased, according to a case study in the latest issue of the Medical Journal of Australia.

Not mentioning Mr Walsh by name, they say he has made impressive functional gains in dressing, eating, writing and attending to personal hygiene.

According to the journal, the transplant team led by Dr Karen Dwyer and Professor Wayne Morrison at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, stirred controversy because of Mr Walsh's age.

But in an interview with AAP, Dr Dwyer says physical and psychological health are the major factors.

"He was pretty healthy with a good heart and good lungs.

"Hand transplants are risky, but I think Peter would agree any complications that may arise are probably worth the improved quality of life."

Dr Dwyer says the patient's psychological state is a major factor.

"This is something that is very visible to you and the outside world. It is different from a heart or a kidney."

She says Mr Walsh's commitment to his medication and rehabilitation are major factors in the success so far.

"People have lost their hand because they did not take to their medication."

She says the surgery is very intricate, but the main issue is the suitability of patient.

"It is not something that is put on and works the next day."

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CBA tops business satisfaction ratings

THE Commonwealth Bank has pulled ahead of its big bank rivals when it comes to business customer satisfaction, while ANZ continues to languish at the back of the pack.

CBA scored an average customer satisfaction rating of 7.5 out of 10 among business customers in July, the highest level ever achieved by the bank.

According to the monthly DBM Consultants' Business Financial Services Monitor (BFSM), Westpac followed CBA with an average rating of 7.4, while Nab scored 7.1 and ANZ remained in bottom place at 7.0 out of 10.

CBA ranked highest among both micro businesses and large companies, and tied with Westpac for satisfaction among on medium sized businesses.

DBM director Maria Claridad said the big four had a combined average satisfaction rating of 7.3 in July, their highest ever rating.

"I think this very high level of satisfaction with the banks is a combination of improved customer service to businesses across the board, combined with the halo effect of interest rates falling regularly towards a 53-year low," she said.

The BFSM tracks customer service ratings among the big four banks on a monthly basis through interviews with 20,000 businesses annually.

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McCain wants Egypt aid cut after killings

US politicians are calling for military aid to be cut after Egypt's security forces killed hundreds of supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi in a four-day "massacre".

US Senator John McCain, who called for suspending the $US1.3 billion ($A1.4 billion) in annual aid to the military after it overthrew Morsi in early July, said Washington risked losing credibility if it continued to turn a blind eye to the bloody crackdown.

"They have orchestrated a massacre," he said, after the four-day death toll from mass shootings and street clashes climbed to more than 750 people.

"We have no credibility. We do have influence, but when you don't use that influence, then you do not have that influence," McCain, a Republican hawk and frequent critic of Obama's foreign policy, told CNN's State of the Union.

McCain suggested Washington could pressure Egypt's generals by cutting off aid, spare parts for US-made military equipment and backing for an International Monetary Fund loan to relieve the country's devastated economy.

"For us to sit by and watch this happen is a violation of everything that we stand for," he said.

Senator Rand Paul, a rising star in the Republican Party, also called for cutting off aid, saying on Fox News Sunday: "I don't think we are buying any love of the Egyptian people when they see an American tank on the street."

Obama last week cancelled joint military exercises but has yet to suspend aid to Egypt, a key Middle East ally and one of just two Arab countries to have signed a peace treaty with Israel.

The administration has refused to call Morsi's overthrow a "coup", which would require it to cut off aid, saying it hoped to steer the country toward a democratic transition.

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Thirty prisoners escape from Sumatra jail

ABOUT 30 prisoners have escaped from an overcrowded jail on Indonesia's Sumatra island after riots broke out.

"About 30 prisoners managed to escape," said Sutopo Berutu, head of Labuhan Ruku prison in North Sumatra province.

Akbar Hari, prisons spokesman at the justice ministry, told AFP: "There was an attack by prisoners on prison staff at 5pm (2000 AEST), after which they also set the registration room and security post on fire.

"We are still investigating what spurred the attack."

He did not know what offences the escapees had committed, although it was not a high-security jail.

"The police and military are there to handle the situation," he said.

"The prison is overcrowded, there are 867 prisoners there when the capacity is for 300."

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UN chemical weapons team arrives in Syria

A UN team has arrived in Damascus to investigate alleged use of chemicals weapons in Syria's 29-month civil war.

Syria's government and rebels have both accused one another of using the weapons while denying they have done so themselves.

The 20-member UN group, headed by Swede Ake Sellstrom, is expected to inspect three sites in the country.

The Syrian opposition National Coalition has criticised reported limits on the team's activities, saying it risks missing evidence that such weapons were used in other areas, including on the outskirts of Damascus.

A spokesman for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced on Wednesday that the Syrian government had agreed to "modalities" for the mission, paving the way for its departure after lengthy delays.

The UN inspectors were authorised to make on-site visits and may remain in Syria up to 14 days. The investigation period could be extended by mutual consent.

In recent months, Britain, France and the US have presented evidence of suspected chemical attacks in Syria, which they blamed on troops of President Bashar al-Assad.

US President Barack Obama warned al-Assad that use of chemical weapons would constitute the crossing of a "red line" and would result in "enormous consequences".

But there has been no Western intervention in the Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 100,000 people, according to the United Nations.

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Islamists cancel Cairo rallies

AN Islamist alliance opposed to the Egyptian military's ouster of president Mohamed Morsi has called off rallies that they planned to stage in Cairo, citing concerns about security.

"Several marches in Cairo have been cancelled for security reasons," said Yasmine Adel, a spokeswoman with the Anti-Coup Coalition.

She said some other marches were taking place, however, but it was not immediately possible to confirm.

In central Cairo's Dokki neighbourhood, residents took over a mosque the Islamists had planned to use as a starting point for a march and put up a poster of a slain policeman, an AFP correspondent said.

Vigilantes stopped cars with bearded people and took them out, the correspondent said.

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