It’s been a good week for …

Burger fans

A CHEF has revealed the secret to the perfect burger: a ruler. The ideal filled bun should measure precisely 7cm high. The filling should account for no more than 5cm with a fluffy bun making up the other 2cm.

It sounds like a recipe for indigestion but it all adds up to the ideal size to allow plenty of filling without rendering it impossible to eat, says Charles Michel.

If you find that hard to swallow before you bite into that mouth-watering tower of meat, melted cheese and salad sitting on your plate, bear in mind the advice came from a chef turned sensory researcher at Oxford University. He may have come up with the formula to burger nirvana but eating it might be another matter.

His advice was offered on National Burger Day, another opportunity for PR companies to pull a ridiculous stunt. How many of us have been told by scientists the formula for everything we need to do for the perfect night’s sleep or even how to make the perfect cream tea?

Toasted bun at the ready, get your hands covered in hot sauce and dripping grease as you dig into your favourite burger – whatever the size.

It’s been a bad week for …

Supplement takers

FISH oil does nothing to boost the brain apparently, according to research. A study over five years learned there was no evidence to suggest that omega-3 capsules kept people any sharper witted as they aged.

“Contrary to popular belief, we didn’t see any benefit of omega-3 supplements for stopping cognitive decline,” said Emily Chew of the US National Eye Institute, who led the study.

Let’s face it, this is a bit of a no-brainer when you consider the intellectual capacity of the average goldfish. Who thought there was a compelling argument for plundering the deep blue sea if you want to be smarter?

It is all a bit sad that the “worried well”, as those who spend a fortune every year in brightly coloured capsules offering the promise of eternal youth are referred to, haven’t seen anything fishy in claims of the brain-enhancing powers of omega-3 supplements.

Rather than popping useless pills, we should keep the grey cells in good shape by learning something new, taking an evening class or getting to grips with a new language. With the money saved on fish oil, book a holiday and put those new language skills to use. And do a crossword or Sudoku puzzle while you’re there to stop your grey matter going off colour.