Evidence is growing that calorie-packed sweeteners – such as high fructose syrups found in fizzy drinks, biscuits and cakes – have major roles in disease.Public health campaigns are now recommending strict limits to the consumption of these “free sugars.”
Part of the problem is that guidelines target sugar only for its calories rather than as a potential cause of illness, says US science writer Gary Taubes who specialises in diet and nutrition.
In an essay published in The BMJ he says the idea sugar could be behind the global obesity and diabetes epidemics should be considered seriously again.
Mr Taubes, co-founder of the Nutrition Science Initiative in San Diego, said it has potential deleterious effects on the body that go beyond just high numbers of calories.
He said a 15-fold increase in death rates from diabetes in some US cities since the Civil War coincided with the growth of the sweets, chocolate and ice cream industries in the 1840s and the soft drink industries in the 1880s.
In the midst of such a huge public health crisis, Mr Taubes says: “We must do more to discourage consumption while we improve our understanding of sugar’s role.”
Doctors have long suspected sugar is not simply a source of excess calories but a fundamental cause of obesity and type 2 diabetes, he says.
Until recently, fat consumption and total energy balance have dominated the debate about obesity and the nature of a healthy diet.
Official estimates are that one in 11 people in the United States has diabetes; one in 16 in the UK.Latest estimates suggest that obesity and diabetes may now cost the US healthcare system as much as $ 1bn (£740m; Euro 850m) a day.
In 2016, World Health Organization (WHO) director general Margaret Chan described the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes worldwide as a “slow-motion disaster.”
She suggested the likelihood of preventing the current “bad situation” from getting “much worse” was “virtually zero.”In spite of all our best efforts these epidemics have gone unchecked, says Mr Taubes.
A simple explanation could be that our understanding of the cause of the disease is flawed – perhaps fundamentally so.
He said: “The US National Institutes of Health (crt Institutes) spent at least $ 750 million testing the hypothesis dietary fat consumption raises serum cholesterol and causes chronic disease.
“But it did not see the need to invest similar sums to answer the simple question, would we live longer and be healthier if we were given dietary advice to avoid sugar?”
The evidence that sugar has harmful qualities independent of its calories is still ambiguous.
Mr Taubes said: “If it is true, though, it changes how we must communicate the dangers of sugar consumption.”Setting an upper limit to the amount of sugar that should be consumed in a healthy diet is a good start.
“But we don’t know if the level recommended is safe for everyone.
“It could be that for people who have obesity or diabetes, or both, even a little is too much.”And the ubiquity of sugar rich products may make it difficult for many people to maintain a healthy level of sugar consumption.
“Given the scale of the obesity and diabetes epidemics “then a concerted programme of research to establish reliable knowledge on this subject should be among our highest priorities,” he concludes.
“Meanwhile, we can acknowledge the uncertainties while still recommending strongly against consumption.”
Mr Taubes is the author of The Case Against Sugar.
His previous books include the The Diet Delusion and Why We Get Fat.
]]>https://briefnews.eu/avoid-sugar-for-a-longer-life-fizzy-drinks-and-sweets-have-major-role-in-disease-2/feed/0Fracture warning: THIS lesser known type nicknamed 'marble bone disease' can be fatal
https://briefnews.eu/fracture-warning-this-lesser-known-type-nicknamed-marble-bone-disease-can-be-fatal/
https://briefnews.eu/fracture-warning-this-lesser-known-type-nicknamed-marble-bone-disease-can-be-fatal/#respondTue, 05 Sep 2017 14:47:00 +0000http://briefnews.eu/fracture-warning-this-lesser-known-type-nicknamed-marble-bone-disease-can-be-fatal/
Osteopetrosis can cause a number of serious, potentially life-threatening problems throughout the body.
According to the US’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), it is triggered by an imbalance in the formation and breakdown of bone.
This causes the bone to become overly dense, but also weak and at risk of breaking easily.
Unlike the similar-sounding osteoporosis – where bones become brittle and fragile from loss of tissue – people are born with osteopetrosis.
Bones that are too dense can interfere with important tissues and structures.
For example, compression of nerves in the skull can lead to vision loss, hearing loss, or paralysis of facial muscles.
The NIAMS warn that it can also trigger crowding of the bone marrow, which may lead to low levels of cells needed to fight infection, carry oxygen to the body’s cells, or control bleeding.
In some cases this case can prove deadly.
There are two main types of osteopetrosis – malignant infantile and adult.
The former is apparent shortly after birth and can reduce life expectancy.
In contrast, the adult form may not be diagnosed for decades.
According to the NIAMS, it is caused by defects in one or more genes involved in the formation, development, and function of cells called osteoclasts.
These cells break down bone tissue during a standard process called bone remodelling, where old bone is removed and new bone is created to replace it.
The most common symptoms of osteopetrosis are bone fractures, low blood cell levels, impaired vision and hearing, and dental problems related to infection.
However, their severity varies from person to person.
The condition can usually be posted on x-rays, where bones appear unusually dense or chalky white.
]]>https://briefnews.eu/fracture-warning-this-lesser-known-type-nicknamed-marble-bone-disease-can-be-fatal/feed/0Colbert: Trump Is Not a Symptom of American Politics, 'He Is the Disease'
https://briefnews.eu/colbert-trump-is-not-a-symptom-of-american-politics-he-is-the-disease/
https://briefnews.eu/colbert-trump-is-not-a-symptom-of-american-politics-he-is-the-disease/#respondFri, 30 Jun 2017 14:09:52 +0000http://briefnews.eu/colbert-trump-is-not-a-symptom-of-american-politics-he-is-the-disease/
On Thursday’s Late Show, Colbert addressed Trump’s attack on Morning Joe hosts (and real-life couple) Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, in which POTUS referred to the MSNBC personalities as “Psycho Joe” and “Crazy Mika,” before alleging that he turned Brzezinski away from a New Year’s Eve shindig at Mar-a-Lago because “she was bleeding badly from a face-lift.”
“First of all, someone bleeding badly at your door and you say no? It sounds like your health care plan,” Colbert observed. “This is shocking and vicious and so… on-brand.” Then, after showing his audience Brzezinski’s subtweet poking fun at the size of Trump’s hands (see below), Colbert argued that we should be “more worried about the size of his brain at this point.”
Afterwards, Colbert responded to Senator Lindsey Graham, who said that Trump’s tweet “represents what is wrong with American politics.”
“Hold it right there, Lindsey: This is not what’s wrong with American politics,” Colbert argued. “You don’t see Paul Ryan throwing shade at Chuck Schumer over his eye job. This is what’s wrong with the American president.
“Let’s stop pretending that Trump is a symptom of something,” Colbert continued. “He is the disease.”
Press PLAY on the video above to watch Colbert’s monologue in full, then sound off below.
]]>https://briefnews.eu/colbert-trump-is-not-a-symptom-of-american-politics-he-is-the-disease/feed/0Cancer news: Brisk walk each day 'may cut risk of dying from the disease'
https://briefnews.eu/cancer-news-brisk-walk-each-day-may-cut-risk-of-dying-from-the-disease-2/
https://briefnews.eu/cancer-news-brisk-walk-each-day-may-cut-risk-of-dying-from-the-disease-2/#respondTue, 06 Jun 2017 09:23:32 +0000http://briefnews.eu/cancer-news-brisk-walk-each-day-may-cut-risk-of-dying-from-the-disease-2/
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Exercise could be a powerful tool helping to slow down the disease and cut the risk of death
Two new studies presented at the world’s biggest cancer conference show that exercise could be a powerful tool, helping to slow down the disease and cut the risk of death.
Just 25 minutes a day of brisk walking is enough to drive improvements and lowers the chance of dying from cancer by up to 42 per cent, the research suggests.
Following a healthy diet with five portions a day of fruit and vegetables and eating whole grains was also shown to help.
The research, presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago, involved patients with bowel and breast cancer.
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In the first study, 337 women newly-diagnosed with breast cancer who had undergone surgery to remove tumours were split into two groups.
For eight months, one group was told to follow an exercise programme of 180 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise.
The second group received standard care.
Over a typical follow-up of eight years, the results showed that exercise had “clear potential to influence survival”.
Those in the exercise group were around half as likely to die as those in the usual care group and less likely to have their disease progress, the study, which has not yet been published in a journal, suggested.
Mon, December 5, 2016
Superfoods to help you live longer – Analysis suggests even a small daily serving of nuts can cut the risk of coronary heart disease by 30 per cent, cancer by 15 per cent and premature death by 22 per cent. Here are the best superfoods to eat for a healthy life.
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Sandra Haye, senior research fellow at the Queensland University of Technology, who conducted the study, said most women used walking as their most common form of exercise, with some adding resistance training – such as weights or cross trainer – into the mix.
She said studies on other cancers, such as bowel and prostate cancer, have also shown a beneficial effect of exercise.
“Engaging in some activity or exercise is better than none, and doing more is generally better than less,” she said.
Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, said: “These preliminary findings add to the increasing body of evidence suggesting that exercise could improve the chances of survival for people diagnosed with breast cancer.
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Just 25 minutes a day of brisk walking is enough to drive improvements
“Crucially, the benefits may also not just be limited to survival. Keeping active may also help patients cope with their treatments better, improving their quality of life and health and wellbeing both during and after treatment.“
In the second study, 992 people with stage three bowel cancer that had begun to spread were assessed twice over seven years for diet and lifestyle.
Researchers looked at how closely people followed American Cancer Society guidelines on nutrition and exercise for people with cancer.
The guidelines recommend patients keep to a healthy weight, exercise at a moderate-intensity level for 150 minutes per week and eat healthy food.
Processed and red meat should be limited, while people should aim for five portions of fruit and vegetables per day and a diet rich in whole grains.
The study found that compared to those people who adhered least to the guidelines, those who followed them closely had a 42 per cent lower risk of dying and a trend towards better disease-free survival.
The researchers concluded: “(Bowel) cancer patients with a healthy body weight who engaged in physical activity, ate a diet high in whole grains, vegetables, and fruits and low in red/processed meats, and drank moderate alcohol had longer disease-free survival and overall survival than patients who did not engage in these behaviours.“
Erin van Blarigan, associate professor in University of California San Francisco department of epidemiology and biostatistics, who worked on the study, said it was thought that exercise may affect cancer by lowering levels of insulin and insulin resistance.
Tue, June 6, 2017
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“It appears that high fasting insulin and insulin resistance and chronic inflammation likely contribute to many cancers, as well as other chronic diseases such as heart disease.
“Doctors absolutely should counsel patients to exercise.“
He said the study showed that three components of the guidelines – healthy body weight, physical activity, and diet – were important.
“I would recommend that patients build up to exercising for at least 150 minutes per week,” he said. “Brisk walking is a great exercise for everyone.“
Dr Vicky Coyle, a Cancer Research UK scientist at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “Patients with advanced bowel cancer could benefit from keeping a healthy weight, being physically active, and eating a healthy diet, as this study suggests.
“But it can be difficult to tease apart individual lifestyle factors and to see how they could affect bowel cancer survival.
“Evidence is stronger and more consistent for some lifestyle factors than others, physical activity being one of the stronger links.“
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https://briefnews.eu/cancer-news-brisk-walk-each-day-may-cut-risk-of-dying-from-the-disease-2/feed/0Hepatitis B and C 'may be linked to increased risk of Parkinson's disease'
https://briefnews.eu/hepatitis-b-and-c-may-be-linked-to-increased-risk-of-parkinsons-disease/
https://briefnews.eu/hepatitis-b-and-c-may-be-linked-to-increased-risk-of-parkinsons-disease/#respondWed, 29 Mar 2017 20:07:35 +0000http://briefnews.eu/hepatitis-b-and-c-may-be-linked-to-increased-risk-of-parkinsons-disease/
The study found that people with hepatitis B were 76 per cent more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, and people with hepatitis C were 51 per cent more likely to develop the crippling condition.
Hepatitis B is spread through contact with blood and body fluids of an infected person, such as unprotected sex, sharing needles, getting a tattoo or piercing with unsterilised tools or sharing razors or toothbrushes with an infected person.
Hepatitis C is spread through blood-to-blood contact such as sharing needles, razors and toothbrushes and is passed on at birth by infected mothers.
While both can lead to serious illness, many people have few symptoms and do not realise they have the virus, especially at first.
Oxford University researchers examined hospital records from a large British database.
They looked for records of people with a first case of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, autoimmune hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis and HIV from 1999 to 2011.
Those people were compared to the hospital records of people with relatively minor conditions such as cataract surgery, bunions and knee replacement surgery.
For all of the participants, researchers looked at the records to see who later developed Parkinson’s disease.
There were nearly 22,000 people with hepatitis B, 48,000 with hepatitis C, 6,000 with autoimmune hepatitis, 4,000 with chronic active hepatitis and nearly 20,000 with HIV.
They were compared to more than six million people with minor conditions.
The study, published online by the journal Neurology, found that a total of 44 people with hepatitis B developed Parkinson’s disease, compared to 25 cases that would be expected in the general population.
For people with hepatitis C, 73 people developed Parkinson’s disease, where about 49 cases would have been expected in the general population.
Study author Julia Pakpoor, of Oxford University, said: “The development of Parkinson’s disease is complex, with both genetic and environmental factors.
“It’s possible that the hepatitis virus itself or perhaps the treatment for the infection could play a role in triggering Parkinson’s disease or it’s possible that people who are susceptible to hepatitis infections are also more susceptible to Parkinson’s disease.
“We hope that identifying this relationship may help us to better understand how Parkinson’s disease develops.”
She said people with autoimmune hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis and HIV didn’t have an increased rate of Parkinson’s disease.
A previous study from Taiwan showed a relationship between hepatitis C and Parkinson’s disease, but it did not show any relationship for hepatitis B.
Ms Pakpoor said that limitations of the current study included that they could not adjust for lifestyle factors such as smoking and alcohol use, which could affect Parkinson’s disease risk.
]]>https://briefnews.eu/hepatitis-b-and-c-may-be-linked-to-increased-risk-of-parkinsons-disease/feed/0CANCER WARNING: Nine in 10 'not aware red wine can increase risk of getting disease'
https://briefnews.eu/cancer-warning-nine-in-10-not-aware-red-wine-can-increase-risk-of-getting-disease-2/
https://briefnews.eu/cancer-warning-nine-in-10-not-aware-red-wine-can-increase-risk-of-getting-disease-2/#respondThu, 09 Feb 2017 02:19:46 +0000http://briefnews.eu/cancer-warning-nine-in-10-not-aware-red-wine-can-increase-risk-of-getting-disease-2/
World Cancer Research Fund said that many people are not aware of the steps they could take to reduce their cancer risk
The comments come after a new survey found that 87 per cent of British adults are unaware that drinking the popular alcoholic beverage could increase a person’s risk of cancer.
Younger people were more aware of the risks with 27 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds identifying it as a risk factor, compared with just 6 per cent of people over the age of 55.
However, the charity found that three quarters of people are aware of the link between inherited genes and cancer, even though it accounts for less than one in 10 cases.
The charity said that not drinking alcohol is one of the most important things people can do to reduce their cancer risk, alongside not smoking and being a healthy weight.
Sarah Toule, head of health Information at World Cancer Research Fund, said: “It is very worrying, but not surprising, that so few people know that red wine increases cancer risk when there are so many contradictory messages out there.
“All types of alcohol increase the risk of a number of different cancers so we recommend for cancer prevention that people don’t drink any alcohol.
“In fact, around 21,000 cancer cases could be prevented in the UK every year if no one drank alcohol.
“We know that it can be hard for people to not drink at all so we’d encourage them to be ‘alcohol savvy’ if they do. For example, add a low-calorie mixer to your alcohol and, in between each alcoholic drink, have a glass of water.
“It’s also really important to not binge-drink and to spread your weekly limit of seven drinks over a number of days as well as keeping a few days alcohol-free.”
]]>https://briefnews.eu/cancer-warning-nine-in-10-not-aware-red-wine-can-increase-risk-of-getting-disease-2/feed/0Parents WARNED: Having more than one child 'can increase risk of heart disease'
https://briefnews.eu/parents-warned-having-more-than-one-child-can-increase-risk-of-heart-disease/
https://briefnews.eu/parents-warned-having-more-than-one-child-can-increase-risk-of-heart-disease/#respondMon, 06 Feb 2017 15:38:28 +0000http://briefnews.eu/parents-warned-having-more-than-one-child-can-increase-risk-of-heart-disease/
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Scientists found that having more than one child leaves parents in worse health
Scientists believe having one child is beneficial as the offspring can help look after the parents in old age.
However, the new study concluded having any more than one generally leaves both parents in worse health.
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Primarily, the new research concluded that experiencing multiple pregnancies increased a woman’s risk of developing the condition atrial fibrillation (AF) later in life – thus making them more prone to heart problems.
But there were also negative health effects on the male parent.
Mon, August 15, 2016
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Professor Vera Regitz-Zagrosek, chairperson of the European Society of Cardiology who oversaw the study, explained: “The authors describe a linear increase in AF with increasing number of children
The authors believe that socioeconomic factors are the explanation
Professor Vera Regitz-Zagrosek
“This is interesting by itself and an explanation could be given by biological and sociocultural factors.
“But the authors believe that socioeconomic factors are the explanation.
“Having one child is protective because parents have social support in older age, but if they have a large number of children this benefit goes away because it increases the economic and social pressure on the parents
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Giving birth to multiple children increased women’s risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF)
He added: “Number of children should be considered a new factor that may influence the risk for some cardiovascular diseases for women and men and included in research.”
Heart disease remains Britain’s biggest killer, resulting in 73,000 deaths. Some 188,000 people here suffer a heart attack every year.
The new study, published in the journal Circulation, was two part.
Firstly it looked at 34,000 women and examined the numbers of children against atrial fibrillation in the mums.
Whilst there was no statistically significant result, a further study of some 500,000 Chinese parents did find a connection.
GETTY
There were also negative health effects on the male parent
Prof Regitz-Zagrosek explained: “It means that the risk decreases with one child, then increases with two or more children
“In the AF study, a relationship was not statistically significant, but this may be because it was in around 34,000 women and relatively small in comparison with the Chinese study.
“The striking thing was that the Chinese study showed the same association for women and men.
“In a further study, they demonstrated the same association between number of children and risk of diabetes in women and men.”
She added that further research should investigate biological and socioeconomic mechanisms to explain the relationship between number of children and cardiovascular risk.
A separate study also in Circulation found that having a premature baby may be associated with later cardiovascular disease, regardless of other risk factors.
Researchers reviewed data on 70,182 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II and found that women who deliver a premature baby before 37 weeks gestation in their first birth have a 40pet cent greater risk of later CVD compared to women who deliver at term.
Those who deliver before 32 weeks are at twice the risk compared to full-term deliveries.
Professor Regitz-Zagrosek said: “This study confirms the results of previous research and adds new findings: the increased risk from preterm delivery is not explained by previous lifestyle or coronary artery disease risk factors, and it’s also not accounted for by the development of risk factors after delivery.”
GETTY
A study found the risk for AF decreases with one child, but increases with two or more
A spokesman for the British Heart Foundation urged caution, stressing that no direct link could be made between children and heart disease.
Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the BHF, said: “We cannot directly link pregnancy, or the number of children a mother raises, to an increased risk of developing heart disease.
“Many other factors need to be considered when thinking about this, such as where you live and your lifestyle choices, like smoking and diet.
“These are different here in the UK compared to China, where one of these studies was conducted, and so people with more than one child should not be worried.”