A & E

With the holiday season upon us, the Distilled Spirits Council is offering adult consumers an attractive, free brochure featuring tips on how to host responsible cocktail parties. The brochure can be viewed or ordered at the Distilled Spirits Council Web site. Among the tips:

• Designate a bartender who can serve your guests and keep an eye on how much everyone is drinking.

• Remember, alcohol is alcohol. It is important to understand that a standard drink of regular beer (12 fluid ounces), wine (5 fluidounces), and spirits (a cocktail with 1.5 fluid ounces of 80-proof spirits) each contains the same amount of alcohol -- 0.6 fluid ounces.

• Provide food to complement your cocktails. Fresh seafood and breads accentuate vodka cocktails, for example, spiced and smoked meats and cheeses complement bourbon and scotch whiskies, and fruit enhances rum and tequila flavors.

• Have nonalcoholic beverages available for your guests. Create festive nonalcohol punch for those guests who choose not to drink alcohol.

• Make sure your guests have a safe way home either through designated drivers or a taxi.

Ethnic eats

• Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Church, 214 Mansfield Blvd., Carnegie, is holding a Christmas Food Festival from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday. The menu includes award-winning pierogies, homemade soups and kolbassa and fire-roasted chicken. Details: 412-276-6234.

• The Waverly Presbyterian Church, 590 Braddock Ave., East End, will hold a cookie walk from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, offering for sale cookies and crafts. Details: 412-242-0643.

• A cookie walk and ethnic food sale will take place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at Sts. Peter and Paul Ukranian Orthodox Church, 200 Walnut St., Carnegie. Cookies will be sold by the pound to benefit the works of the St. Matrona's Ladies Society. Ethnic offerings include holubski, pierogies and halushka. Details: 412-327-8246.

New data not so sour on corn syrup

In 2004, three researchers published a paper in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" suggesting the rise in obesity might be linked to the rise in consumption of high-fructose corn syrup. The hypothesis was controversial and launched a backlash against the corn-based sweetener.

Now, the tide of research, if not public opinion, has shifted. This week, five papers published in a supplement to "Clinical Nutrition" find no special link between consumption of high-fructose corn syrup and obesity.

"People think high-fructose corn syrup is the devil and table sugar is natural," but that's not necessarily true, says Elizabeth Parks, a professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. She was not part of the research.

At high levels of consumption, fructose, whether from high-fructose corn syrup or from table sugar, increases triglycerides (fat) in the bloodstream, which could be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, says Peter Havel, an endocrinologist at the University of California-Davis who co-wrote one of the papers.

Thus far, the research appears to show that sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup are not that different, Parks says. She believes there's some evidence that the way they are metabolized in the liver is different, but not in a way that makes the calories from high-fructose corn syrup more likely to be stored as fat.

Nutrition IQ

We've seen some hillside salt licks with less sodium than many fast-food establishments. But last week, Burger King announced it is reducing the amount of sodium in its kids meals to 600 milligrams or less. In that spirit, we're dedicating this week's quiz to all things sodium.

1. According to the American Heart Association, the average adult should consume how many milligrams of sodium per day:

a.) 600, b.) 2,300, c.) 10,000

2. How much more sodium does an ounce of Triscuit crackers have compared with the "low sodium" Triscuits?

a.) 95 milligrams, b.) 72 milligrams, c.) 4 milligrams

3. If you're trying to limit sodium intake, which salty snack food is your best bet:

a.) Rold Gold Classic Style Pretzels, b.) Nabisco Original Premium Saltine Crackers, c.) Lay's Potato Chips

4. True or false? Sea salt has a lower sodium level than table salt because it is natural.

5. Which has the highest sodium level:

a.) 1 cup of cottage cheese, b.) 1 slice of American cheese, c.) 8 ounces of yogurt

6. How much sodium is in 1 teaspoon of table salt:

a.) 1,087 milligrams, b.) 2,300 milligrams, c.) 5,133 milligrams

ANSWERS: 1: B 2: A 3: C (pretzels, 560 mg; crackers, 380; potato chips, 180); 4: false (it's the same amount of sodium); 5: A (cottage cheese, 420 mg; American, 300 mg; yogurt, 160 mg); 6: B.

Sources: USDA, Center for Science in the Public Interest

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