THE SECRET of garlic breath’s unique power to offend has been discovered by scientists: the pungent plant makes us react as if we are in physical pain.

Pharmacologists at the University of California say that allicin, the main smelly element in garlic, sparks an inflammatory chain reaction in our nervous system that ultimately fires the pain centres of our brain.

The plant seems to have evolved allicin to deter animals from eating the bulbs, says a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. But it also might help us to understand why garlic may be useful in treating cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure and cholesterol. Allicin’s ability to inflame cells also makes our blood vessels dilate, improving blood flow, the researchers say.

Meanwhile, pleasanter wafts, such as instant smoked bacon and parmesan cheese, are now being offered to dieters by a New York chef who has launched a range of spray-on flavours to pep up dull low-cal food.

David Burke’s bacon spray contains no fat, calories or carbs, but can be misted over a lettuce-and-tomato sandwich for a guilt-free BLT. New York Post food critics say some of the range’s 18 flavours, such as root beer and birthday cake, are nearly as good as the real thing.

Chickenpox jabs — heading our way?

CHICKENPOX vaccines could significantly cut levels of serious infection in children and adults, according to research in America, where the jab is now routinely given for all ages.

In Britain, fears over MMR’s alleged links with autism have made the idea of combining more child immunisations controversial but supporters such as the Bristol University professor of paediatrics, Adam Finn, say there is no reason why chickenpox could not be added to MMR jabs.

Official figures are not collected in England and Wales for chickenpox cases, but a British Medical Journal study four years ago said it killed significantly more adults than it did in the late 1960s, peaking at 39 deaths in 1996.

The new nationwide study, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that US hospital admissions owing to the infection dropped by 90 per cent, and visits to the GP fell by two thirds between 1994 — the year before the vaccine became available — and 2002.

Before that, chickenpox had killed about 150 people a year and landed 1,300 in hospital. The cheap single-shot vaccine cut annual chicken pox-related medical costs by a total of $150 million (£83 million). And that is bound to interest our health ministers.

Puppy-fat pressure

PUDGY KIDS? Here’s some good news, their puppy fat does not doom them to a life of ill-health, reports a long-term study of more than 2,700 children growing up in Australia.

Researchers at Bristol University and the University of Queensland tested the blood-pressure levels of five-year-olds who were clinically overweight and found that they had average rates as high as 117mm/hg, which indicates that they were already suffering from mild hypertension.

Earlier research has indicated that early childhood obesity may lead to a lifetime of high blood pressure, as well as possible heart problems and diabetes but the new research, published in the journal Hypertension, found that those children who shed their excess fat also dropped their blood-pressure levels to those of healthy children.

The 24-year study of a group of children born in Brisbane proves bad news for children who don’t slim down in early adolescence, though: their blood pressure persisted at dangerously high levels.

Own goal

HE SHOOTS! He scores! He gets carried away . . . on a stretcher. Sports doctors are warning players to avoid excessive goal celebrations.

Turkish surgeons in the Journal of Sports Medicine say nearly 7 per cent of soccer injuries they treated over two seasons resulted from post-goal revels, including strained ligaments from sliding on knees, and a broken ankle from players piling on to each other. Well, that’s one thing that England footballers won’t need to worry about.

Gene to save sight

A SIMPLE TEST for one of the most common causes of blindness in older people, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), could result from a gene breakthrough.

Researchers at Pittsburgh University say their discovery may also lead to better preventive strategies for the disease. Their study, reported in the American Journal of Human Genetics, says that 15 years of research have led to a gene, Plekha1. The discovery may enable the development of a DNA test to identify people at risk, as well as improving understanding of how the condition develops.

There are two types of AMD: wet and dry. There is as yet no available treatment for dry AMD, but laser treatment may halt the wet type if the disease is caught early.

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