Daily Mail - 03.03.2020

Page 12

Brushing teeth

3 times a day

‘cuts diabetes’

Brushing your teeth three or more

times a day could make you less likely to

develop diabetes, a study found.

Equally, those with poor oral health

are more likely to suffer from the dis-

ease. researchers collected data from

almost 190,000 people between 2003

and 2006. Of those, 17.5 per cent were

found to have periodontal disease –

a gum problem associated with not

brushing frequently.

After an average follow-up time of ten

years, 31,545 of the people monitored

had developed diabetes.

The south Korean study, published in

the journal Diabetologia, found that on

average those who brushed their teeth

at least three times a day were 8 per

cent less likely to have become diabetic

after ten years.

researchers also found that those with

gum disease were 9 per cent more likely

to have developed diabetes – and peo-

ple who had at least 15 missing teeth had

an increased risk of 21 per cent.

The researchers said: ‘improving oral

hygiene may be associated with a

decreased risk of occurrence of new-

onset diabetes.’ While carrying out the

study, researchers did not differentiate

between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Fed-up family

let boy, 11, drive

A BOY of 11 was pulled over by police –

after a parent gave him a driving lesson

to stop him playing video games.

The adult told officers they were so fed

up with him spending all day playing

grand Theft Auto that they took him out

to practise his driving skills in a real car.

Tweeting about the incident in Black-

pool on sunday, a police spokesman

said: ‘The driver of this car was 11 years

old. Yes, eleven! A family member was

fed up with the child playing grand Theft

Auto on the Playstation, so brought him

out to practise driving on a car park.’

Many were horrifed at the incident, in

which no one was named, but one

tweeted: ‘Back in the day this was nor-

mal, apart from the gaming.’ The adult

has been reported for traffic offences.

World champion sprinter dina Asher-

Smith – the fastest woman in British his-

tory – has been made into a Barbie doll.

She is latest sporting ‘Shero’ to be to

celebrated by Barbie maker Mattel in an

attempt to inspire a generation of girls.

Gold medallist and four-time European

champion Miss Asher-Smith, pictured

above, said: ‘I’m so proud to have my own

one-of-a-kind dina Barbie doll.

‘Growing up, sportswomen were less vis-

ible in the media.

‘For Barbie to champion female athletes

and different sports shows future genera-

tions that anything is possible. I hope lit-

tle girls will see my doll and be inspired to

take up and continue to enjoy sports.’

Barbie has created ‘Sheroes’ since 2015,

including dolls of model Adwoa Aboah in

2019, and boxer Nicola Adams in 2018.

Sprinter Dina’s

Barbie accolade

Woman ‘sacked

from £200k a

year job because

she didn’t talk

about football’

Tension: Adrienne

Liebenberg and

stefano rossi, circled.

right: Mrs Liebenberg

arrives at the tribunal

A £200,000-a-year sales

d i r e c t o r w a s s a c k e d

because she failed to dis-

cuss football over boozy
dinners like ‘one of the

lads’, a tribunal heard.
Adrienne liebenberg was
fired from international pack-
ing conglomerate dS Smith
after being told her ‘leader-
ship style was not working’.
But 45-year-old Mrs lieben-
berg – who previously worked at
oil and gas giant BP Castrol –
claims she lost her job because
of her gender.
In a witness statement to the
Central london Employment
Tribunal, Mrs liebenberg said
she was marginalised at the
FTSE 100 firm because she did
not want to join in with the male
banter and work style.
She claimed key business deci-
sions were often taken over
‘boozy dinners’ with a ‘gang’ of
senior male employees – where
the norm was ‘bonding, drink,
and football’. Mrs liebenberg

said she found it difficult to join

in with these events, because

she felt ‘alienated by the focus

on drinking and talking about

football’.

She said she felt pressure to

join in and added: ‘I did not

believe that I was accepted as

“one of the lads” and I did not

feel that I was capable of play-

ing such a role.’

She was hired as director of

global sales, marketing and inno-

vation in March 2017 – and was

given a ‘special joining award’ of

£100,000 to spend on shares on

top of her six-figure salary.

But tensions quickly grew

between Mrs liebenberg and her

line manager Stefano rossi, the

company’s packaging chief exec-

utive – and she was sacked in

december 2018. Mrs liebenberg

claimed Mr rossi was a huge

football fan, and would often

interrupt meetings to discuss

football or watch highlights.

She said she could not ‘remem-

ber a single day’ where Mr rossi

did not follow the football scores,

watch videos on his phone or

interrupt ‘to discuss Inter Milan

or a particular player’.

Mrs liebenberg, who has since

co-founded a digital time cap-

sule company called NotForgot-

ten, noted that she was often

the only woman in the room at

‘male-dominated’ dS Smith.

out of the 35 leadership roles

in sales and operational posi-

tions, only eight were reportedly

filled by women.

She added: ‘I believe that at

the time of my dismissal, I was

the most senior and highest-

paid woman.’

Zimbabwe-born Mrs lieben-

berg, who lives in south-west

london, said she was upset as

she felt she had been treated

differently for being a woman.

She claimed it ‘destroyed’ her

belief that working hard pays off

and said it filled her with a ‘deep

sense of despair that women

and men are not equals’.

Mr rossi and some of his sen-

ior colleagues, including the

company’s chief executive Miles

roberts, are respondents to the

discrimination claim.

They are adamant that Mrs

liebenberg was sacked because

of poor performance rather

than sexism.

In a statement to the tribunal,

Mr rossi said she had a ‘dictato-

rial approach’ and a ‘lack of

respect for senior colleagues’.

The firm, Mr rossi, Mr rob-

erts and Hr director Tim Ellis

all deny sex discrimination.

The hearing continues.

By Inderdeep Bains

‘Deep sense

of despair’

to 25 per cent – taken by the sites drives up

prices. It said the way booking sites operate

in the UK is rigged against consumers.

They impose so-called parity clauses,

which do not allow hotels to offer cheaper

prices through their own sites. However,

this does not prevent the hotels offering a

lower price if a customer contacts them

directly by telephone or email.

Which? found the biggest saving by going

direct was 12 per cent – £20 – off the cost

listed on Booking.com, as well as a free

upgrade. It said: ‘online travel agents are

often thought to be the most convenient

way to get the best price on a hotel room.

‘However, when we contacted ten hotels,

eight were able to offer a better price or

other incentives such as free breakfasts.’

Booking.com said: ‘Properties choose

whatever prices they want to list.’

Expedia said: ‘our focus is on ensuring

that the best rates and availability are pre-

sented to consumers.’

The hotel booking sites that cost you more

HoTEl booking websites claim to offer
the best prices by comparing a range of
deals across the market.
But if you want to bag a real bargain, noth-
ing beats picking up the phone and calling
the hotel directly, research suggests.
Eight in ten UK rooms were cheaper or
came with extras if a booking was made
with the hotel over the phone.
Sites such as Booking.com and Expedia
claim to search all deals to provide the
cheapest rooms. But consumer group
Which? found the commission – typically 15

By Sean Poulter

Consumer Affairs Editor

(^) Daily Mail, Tuesday, March 3, 2020