Calcium needs still unclear for children

Young girls with a balanced diet are unlikely to gain any additional
bone strength from taking supplements, say researchers in Finland.

Their two-year long study is likely to prove influential among doctors
around the world.

Many researchers are investigating how to maximize the accumulation of
bone mass during childhood in order to protect bones into later years,
a growing need as people age and incidence of osteoporosis rises.

But although some trials have shown that taking calcium supplements
during childhood can improve bone mineral density, none of these took
into account the different speeds at which children grow, says Dr
Sulin Cheng from the University of Jyväskylä.

Growth makes higher demands on calcium, but people tend to end up with
the same bone mass.

Writing in this month's issue of the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition (vol 82, no 5, pp 1115-1126), Dr Cheng's team report on
their double-blind, four-arm trial involving 195 girls aged between 10
and 12.

The girls had a calcium intake below the National Nutrition Council
recommended levels (less than 900 mg a day.)

They were randomly assigned to receive either 1000 mg of calcium in
pills, 1000 mg calcium and 200 IU vitamin in pills, low-fat cheese
offering 1000 mg of calcium or a placebo.

The researchers measured the effects of calcium supplementation on
bone mass and body composition, and also used a new model that takes
into account the rate of body growth.

Girls in the cheese group had a greater change in the cortical
thickness of the tibia than any other group, initially suggesting that
the dietary calcium was more effective than supplements.

But when the researchers accounted for each individual's growth speed,
they found no beneficial effect from any of the interventions.

"It might be that the growth is masking the benefits, or it might be
that there are no benefits," Dr Cheng told NutraIngredients.com.

She noted that only 1 per cent of the study subjects had calcium
levels of less than the recommended lower limit of 400mg per day, and
by the end, all had an intake of around 900mg per day.

"If you have a clear dietary intake that exceeds recommended levels,
you won't get any benefit," Dr Cheng suggests.

The findings are similar to another trial that only assessed the
impact of calcium supplements. It found that the supplements have no
effect on the bone mineral density in young women after a certain
threshold level of intake has been achieved.

Dr Cheng added that more studies are needed to investigate the calcium
levels required by children, warning that some may be taking too much.

www.nutraingredients.com

Free Guide Offers Year-end Marketing Strategies for Business Owners

Free year-end marketing strategies booklet offers proven techniques
and money-saving tips to promote a company's products and services.

As business owners enter the final weeks of the year, the fourth
quarter is an ideal time to market and promote their companies.

Tracey Picon Communications has published Year-end Marketing
Strategies for Business Owners, a free booklet which provides proven
techniques designed to help business owners boost their profits, build
their reputation and promote their businesses to ensure they stay top
of mind among customers without spending a fortune. A copy of the
guide is available at no cost by calling 866-898-7168 or e-mailing
info@traceypicon.com.

According to Tracey Picon Communications (TPC), a firm specializing in
public relations and marketing for small-to-mid size businesses, smart
business owners committed to a strong finish to the year should
consider applying these strategies:

Leverage business and social opportunities during the holiday season.
The holidays present excellent opportunities to network with existing
and potential clients, vendors, trade association members and other
business owners. Industry functions, receptions and community events
are ideal occasions to catch up with business associates.

Discover what s going on among different industries and at various
companies and who the movers and shakers are. Who knows? You may even
meet people who can direct valuable leads your way or make potential
client introductions.

Consider planning your own holiday event. Invite current customers,
potential clients, colleagues and employees. It can be a highly
effective way to announce new products or services you may be offering
in 2006 or just wish everyone a Happy New Year . The good cheer
generated by the event can enhance your company s image and build
professional relationships.

Reward customer and employee loyalty. In the spirit of Thanksgiving,
it s important to thank your clients for their business, and your
employees for their dedication and service. In a competitive
marketplace, where consumers are constantly solicited for their
business, reward those who have chosen to stay with your company. Send
them holiday greetings cards or a gift basket.

Be sure to include a handwritten message that will leave a favorable
impression. You may also take them to lunch or dinner as a token of
your appreciation. Your clients need to know that you value their
business.

Plan a staff luncheon or event for your employees. Despite the fact
that money is tight and raises are not what they used to be, employees
will notice your thoughtfulness and recognition of their hard work.

Take advantage of favorable industry and consumer trends. Develop
seasonal promotions to help your company attract more customers. For
example, retail and travel-related businesses should capitalize on the
busy holiday season and increased consumer shopping and traveling that
occurs between Thanksgiving and the New Year.

Evaluate what s working and what's not . The fourth quarter is the
time to review the goals and strategies your company set in the
beginning of the year.

Examine your entire operation to determine if your business is own
track to meet its financial projections, sales goals, production
targets and market share. If your numbers are not where they should
be, assess why and decide what you re going to do about it.

www.powerhomebiz.com

Sony's Stringer Says PS3 to Sell for $300-$400

On the day that Microsoft launched its Xbox 360, Sony it would seem
tried to share the spotlight by addressing the pricing for its
PlayStation 3. Sony CEO Howard Stringer has made it clear that the
next-gen system will be under $400 when it debuts next year. An exact
price and launch date have yet to be announced, however.

The FORTUNE article (as posted on CNN/Money), which we cite below,
apparently contained erroneous information and falsely attributed
statements to Sony CEO Howard Stringer. The FORTUNE article on
CNN/Money by Peter Lewis now has the following correction attached to
it:

"An earlier version of this story appeared with statements erroneously
attributed to Sir Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony Corporation, regarding
pricing and availability of the PS3. Stringer has not commented
publicly on how much the PS3 is expected to cost, or how soon it will
appear in the US after the Japanese launch in spring 2006."

GameDAILY BIZ regrets this error and would like to apologize for
possibly misleading any readers. Our original story is below.

While Microsoft's Xbox 360 went on sale across the country at midnight
at various retailers, it appears that Sony has finally given the
public some idea of what the PlayStation 3 might retail for.

Not as expensive as we thought
Up until this point, all that we knew was Sony's next-gen system would
be "expensive," as suggested by SCE president Ken Kutaragi. In fact,
at one point Kutaragi even said that consumers might feel that they
would have to work more hours to buy the PS3 because they'd want one
so badly. Analysts have pegged the PS3 price point as high as $500,
which is $100 more than the premium (with HDD) SKU for the Xbox 360.

Today, however, Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer revealed to FORTUNE
magazine that he expects the PS3 to launch with an MSRP somewhere
between $300 and $400 when it hits the market next year. A recent
Merrill Lynch report said that Sony's next-gen system would cost
significantly more to produce than the Xbox 360, giving Microsoft a
serious cost advantage. One of the main culprits for driving up costs
in the PS3 is its hi-def Blu-ray drive—Merrill Lynch estimated that
the Blu-ray drive would cost Sony $75 more per unit than a standard
DVD drive.

[ "When the dust settles in three years or so, Sony will be back up on
top. But it will be a close race," Michael Goodman, Yankee Group ]

To that end, Stringer informed FORTUNE that Sony is serious about
getting its Blu-ray format onto the market, and naturally, including
it in the PS3 is one of the best ways to speed adoption (just as it
helped with DVD in the PS2). Stringer made it clear that Sony will
heavily subsidize the console during the initial stages in order to
ensure that the Blu-ray drive doesn't place the PS3 in another
stratosphere when it comes to price.

Blu-ray is key
Brand recognition and past console dominance aside, Blu-ray is one of
Sony's biggest advantages over Microsoft in the next-gen console war.
The hi-def discs offer far more storage capacity for developers than
the standard DVD-9 format, and the included Blu-ray drive also ushers
in the first hi-def movie player for most consumers.

To stress this, Stringer also confirmed that the PS3 would come
bundled with sample games, demos, TV shows and movies. Like the Xbox
360, however, the PS3 will not come standard with a hard drive. Sony
has said many times before that they intend to make available an
optional HDD for the PS3's 2.5" bay.

While Merrill Lynch proclaimed Microsoft as the "early winner" in the
next-gen battle, others aren't so sure. "This is still Sony's market
to lose. When the dust settles in three years or so, Sony will be back
up on top. But it will be a close race," Michael Goodman, senior
analyst for the Yankee Group, told TheStreet.com. "There's a lot of
people there that have that huge brand loyalty to PlayStation... If
Microsoft can get it close, that's a huge accomplishment for them."

The general consensus among analysts seems to be that the race will be
neck and neck in Western markets (i.e. North America and Europe), but
the difference maker for global victory could be Japan. Microsoft
struggled mightily with the original Xbox in Japan, and even though
recent surveys suggest a slight increase in interest in the 360 among
Japanese consumers, it's undoubtedly going to be an uphill battle
against Sony on its home turf.

"For all the talk about Xbox, if you look at the Japanese sales
charts, you would laugh at Microsoft," said Joe Spiegel, a hedge fund
manager at Dalek Capital. "It would be impossible for them to do a
worse job."

Stringer did not give FORTUNE any definitive timing for the PS3
launch. Apparently the PS3 launch window is still slated for Spring
2006 in Japan, with the U.S. launch to follow months later. Most
expect the PS3 to make its North American debut by the end of 2006. By
that time, though, Microsoft may have sold as many as 10 million Xbox
360 units worldwide and could even cut the 360's price for the
holidays to draw attention awayf from Sony's launch.

Drawing attention away from 360
It doesn't seem like coincidence either that Sony talked up PS3
pricing on the very day that Microsoft launched its system.

If the thought of the PS3 price was scaring consumers who might have
considered the Xbox 360 as another option, those people may now decide
to just wait; and that would certainly be more than a minor victory
for Sony.

www.biz.gamedaily.com