HIGH LIFE: A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Postage Stamps That Go Pop; New Clue in Eating Disorder

From Grenada, the island-state in the West Indies, comes a colorful set of postage stamps bearing the pictures of rock ‘n’ roll stars. The eight musicians selected by the Grenadian postal authorities are Bob Marley, the late king of reggae; Bruce Springsteen; Madonna; Elton John; Joan Armatrading; Whitney Houston; Lionel Richie and Tina Turner.

If your local stamp or hobby store can’t supply you with the stamps, a set can be ordered for $8 from the Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corp., Dept. P, 460 W. 34th St., New York, N.Y.

An addiction to opiates produced by the brain while dieting may be the cause of anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder in which patients starve themselves--sometimes to death--Michigan researchers said last week. The scientists say their research, presented at the 40th annual meeting of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, suggested that anorexics may have “abnormal biological responses” to diet-triggered opiates.

Typically, these opiates, called endorphins, produce a “high” and an increased appetite. But in anorexia patients, those effects may be out of balance, so hunger is overridden by the euphoria, said Wayne State University pharmacologist Mary Ann Marrazzi.

In their study, the researchers discovered that some mice demonstrated decreased appetite and increased activity when given morphine, an opiate. If a person responded similarly to his own opiates, released during dieting, it would mimic the behavior of anorexia nervosa patients, she said.

“I talk to myself because I like dealing with a better class of people.”

--Jackie Mason, comedian