Gardening ... how Penny keeps off the pounds

GOOD news for diabetics who hate needles: it’s now possible to monitor blood sugar with a pair of earrings.

Instead of the traditional finger prick, the earrings monitor levels in a pain-free way, using technology that sends information about blood sugar levels to a smartphone.

Tamara Mills, from Brisbane, Australia, came up with the innovation after developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

‘We developed the device for mothers with diabetes,’ she says, ‘but we intend to make this technology available to all diabetics.’

The product has won the support of Diabetes UK. Natasha Marsland, of the charity, says: ‘The development of noninvasive ways to monitor blood glucose levels is really exciting. Monitoring can be a source of discomfort, so easy-to-use tools can make a huge difference.’

A STIFF drink really does calm your nerves before a big speech – but it also harms performance, according to psychologists.

Researchers at Cologne University in Germany studied 99 young adults with social anxiety disorder and gave them either vodka and orange – three measures each – before a speech, or three glasses of orange juice alone.

Those given alcohol felt more relaxed before and during the speech while those drinking juice felt anxious throughout. But members of the audience rated the drinkers lower than the non-drinkers.

In a report in Behaviour Research And Therapy, experts said two or three drinks may settle the nerves but are also just enough to interfere with the mental processes needed to give a good speech.

PENNY Lancaster has revealed how she keeps in shape – by tending to her garden at the home she shares with husband Rod Stewart. Penny, 46, left, and Rod, 72, live in a £4.6million house in Harlow, Essex, set in 46 acres of woodland with swimming pool, croquet lawn and walled garden. Penny admits she is constantly active and it keeps her weight down. She says: ‘I love gardening. We spent two years renovating the house and now it’s the garden’s turn. It’s tough, physical work but it keeps me trim.’ At 6ft 1in, she has managed to hold on to her model figure despite having two sons – Alistair, 11, and Aiden, six – with Rod. And she reveals how the boys join in with the gardening. ‘I have built raised beds and it’s my first year planting vegetables, so the kids eat the peas and pick the strawberries.’ Rod, however, is more reticent. ‘He sits in the garden writing lyrics, but he does water the plants. Meanwhile, my nails are ruined!’