Thanks to genetically engineered corn, some monarch caterpillars may never spread their wings. As noted in Country Living’s Healthy Living (Sep./Oct. 1999), scientists have discovered that pollen from corn plants genetically engineered to produce Bt insecticide is fatal to the monarch caterpillars feeding on it. Nearly 20 million acres of Bt corn is now growing in the United States, causing concern for the safety of some 19 butterfly and moth species already designated as endangered.

A gift of roses has always been considered the way to a woman’s heart, but growing roses may prove to be a more heart-healthy approach. In the Archives of Internal Medicine, April 2000, researchers reported evidence that 60 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity, such as gardening, lowers heart attack risk by 66 percent. The conclusions were drawn from a study involving 333 heart attack patients, as compared with 503 subjects who had not experienced heart attacks.

Morning sickness may be a good thing, at least for the baby. According to research published in Obstetrics and Gynecology (May 2000), British studies indicate that expectant mothers who experience morning sickness are less likely to miscarry or produce premature or low birth weight babies. Restriction of calorie intake due to nausea and vomiting keeps the mother’s rising insulin levels in check, reducing her metabolism of fat and in turn assuring availability of adequate nutrition for the developing fetus.

Lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts are tops on the list of vitamin K-rich vegetables, which might help improve bone strength and lessen fractures. A study in the January 2000 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition followed more than 72,000 female nurses for a 10-year period. Those who consumed more than 146 micrograms of vitamin K per day (equal to one cup of lettuce) had fewer bone fractures than those who consumed less.