Carol tops list of 'ideal women'

She is outgoing, cheerful, sexually confident and willing to share the housework. And while she's good at finances, she isn't a career woman.

In other words, she's Carol Vorderman. An International Match.com poll reveals that the ideal British woman has all the characteristics of the Countdown celebrity.

Clever Carol received the most male UK votes (17 per cent) for ideal woman in a 6,0000-strong European-wide survey, closely followed by Fearne Cotton.

Both women are similar to the ideal descriptions given by British men.

British men's conservatism with their women is very different to their chums across the Channel.

In France and Spain, the ideal woman is the Latin type with jet black hair and an immaculate sense of style. French men desire a woman who enjoys going out and likes to experiment in bed.

In Germany, 40 per cent of men want their women to be slim and sporty with long blonde hair and blue eyes.

However, right across Europe, women are agreed on gorgeous George. Clooney is the ideal man in France, Germany and Spain. Surprisingly, Brits say they prefer Dermot O'Leary.

Healthy diet helps stop osteoporosis

Osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease menopausal women and the elderly are prone to, could also be striking younger women who have yo-yo dieted for years.

There are growing concerns that some women never achieve a high bone density in their early years, due to dieting and low intakes of nutrients.

A bone-friendly diet should be rich in calcium - the best sources of calcium are milk and dairy products like cheese and yoghurt. It should also include plenty of leafy green vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds and dried fruit. These also contain the mineral magnesium, which helps the body use calcium efficiently.

Other important nutrients include zinc, which is often found to be deficient in osteoporosis sufferers, folic acid, B6 and B12. The mineral Boron is said to slow down the loss of calcium in the urine.

Holland & Barrett Absorbable Calcium capsules provide the mineral in a liquid form. They also contain vitamin D, which is required for the absorption of calcium. The suggested dose of two capsules each day provides 100mg of Calcium. A bottle of 100 costs 6.49.