Ignoring Hazards Leaves Little Hope for Longevity

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What is the greatest hazard to your longevity? Ask around and you will get a variety of answers: heart disease, cancer, genetics, or humankind’s own folly with warfare and planetary destruction. But it has become taboo to mention obesity. Yet, for decades, this column has stressed that obesity is the greatest health hazard of them all.
Amid all of society’s penchants for weight gain, daily unrelenting efforts of individuals to maintain healthy weights would save more lives than any other prescription. Supportive public policies and improved private sector responsibility would help.
Today, all over the world, people are disturbingly obese and ill. Among the root issues is one simple fact. People are devouring too many calories, too often combined with sedentary lifestyles. It’s not hard to see.
Why do we shy away from a focus on obesity and shine the spotlight instead on heart disease, diabetes or other conditions associated with obesity? In part, it’s because it’s wrong to play the blame game. That, and the medical world is designed to treat diseases, not prevent them.
Furthermore, whereas obesity is a state of being, diseases are downright awful. Take type 2 diabetes, for example. For many diabetics, the pandemic has been particularly brutal, killing many people having “underlying conditions”. But diabetes also has terrible complications of its own, causing blindness, kidney failure, and leg amputations due to gangrene.
Unfortunately, many families having lost a loved one think it has been due to coronary attack, stroke, pneumonia, a complication during surgery, or being elderly. But this is to miss the lifestyle factors that culminated over time to set the stage for drama. The death certificate never lists obesity at the cause of death. The deception is fooling families and the general public too.
There is a huge disconnect between what journalists and medical experts report in the news and the corresponding reality for most people. Eye-opening evidence presented by Our World in Data, a scientific online publication focusing on large global problems, shows that the news provides “a near-instantaneous snapshot of single events”, whereas persistent, large-scale trends never make the headlines.
To illustrate, the publication presents data on what caused deaths in the U.S. in 2016, side by side with data on Google searches and media coverage in the New York Times and The Guardian. In fact, 60% of deaths were attributed to heart disease and cancer, while only 0.9% and less than 0.01% of deaths were due to homicide or terrorism, respectively. But in both journals, homicide and terrorism combined for about 60% of coverage, and heart disease got only 2%. (Obesity wasn’t mentioned.)
Few people are trained nutritionists. But unless living like a mole, you should know that to lose weight you have to stop eating high quantities of high calorie meals and sugary desserts such as cookies, ice cream, cakes and pies. Combine smaller, smarter caloric intake with daily walking or other moderate exercise, and then you’ll be happy to see the scale numbers decreasing. This works.
Sadly, most people are largely unaware of how type 2 diabetes affects later life. Helpful medical advances are undergoing clinical trials. But there’s little hope for healthy longevity without losing weight and preventing the development of unnecessary complications.
Health authorities should be supporting this objective by alerting the public to the mind-boggling negative consequences of a do-nothing approach.
What is going to happen worldwide? With obesity unaddressed, we face a medical disaster that is bankrupting health care systems. And don’t believe this won’t affect you if you do not protect your own family.
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Tattoos and Piercings Still Come with Risks

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W. Gifford-Jones M.D. and Diana Gifford-Jones – Common Sense Health

Jack London, the American novelist who wrote Call of the Wild in 1903, said, “Show me a man with a tattoo and I’ll show you a man with an interesting past.” But in 2022, with tattoos found on more than a third of North Americans and on nearly one in two young people, what is the great allure? And what are the risks?

According to the Wellcome Collection, a museum and library specializing in the connections between medicine, life and art, tattoos date from 5000 BCE. They permeated ancient societies, often representing battle valour or sacrificial rituals. Some tattoos seem to have resulted from scaring from medicinal treatments and others seem to have been purely decorative in purpose.

Piercings have a long history too, especially in the ear and nose. Royalty in ancient Egypt used naval piercings to demonstrate their high-class status.

But injecting ink under the skin or stamping a metal pin through the skin is not without risk.

Infections are the most common problem. Tools that are not properly cleaned or mistakes in caring for the skin after treatment can lead to bacterial or viral infections.  There’s a danger of blood stream infections – hepatitis B or C viruses or tetanus.

Allergic reactions can also occur – immediately after the procedure or long afterward. Joint replacement surgery and other implant procedures have been associated with the onset of rashes at the site of tattoos. Sun exposure can cause problems.  Even the ink of temporary tattoos may cause allergic reactions.

The American Academy of Dermatology Association cautions, if you carry the genes for psoriasis, getting a tattoo can trigger a psoriasis flare or cause psoriasis to appear for the first time.

The list of potential complications from body piercings is long. The American Academy of Pediatricians advises parents and teens to weigh the risks. A common problem is a tear from a fall, sports activities, person-to-person violence, or the accidental pulling of jewelry.

Perceptions about tattoos and body piercings often depend heavily on whom you ask and when.  Recently, negative stereotypes, prejudice, and stigma seem to be giving way. Employers are adopting more open-minded policies and attitudes.  And societal movements are helping body modification establish footing as an empowering form of self-expression.

Nevertheless, the health risks should not be ignored. These risks are what inform the opinions of doctors – and this column has a doctor who has seen a thing or two.

Starting this week, in our e-newsletter, we begin an occasional “then and now” series.  We will rove through the archives of past Gifford-Jones columns, dating back to 1974, paring the current week’s topic with a past column on the same issues.

On this occasion, we are going back only to December 2001 for a column on “The Dangers of Tongue Piercings”. But we have a remarkable 2,400 past articles to draw on. We hope readers will enjoy the occasional journey through time and “no nonsense” health commentary.

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What was the column saying twenty years ago about body piercings?  And how did a gynecological practice have anything to do with it?

Body piercings have migrated to all parts of the human form, but in 2001 it was still unusual to find piercings in some places and it “made my white hair stand on end.”

Fair warning, that’s not the worst of it.

This father-daughter team, needless to say, is tattoo-free and the rebellious pierced teenage ears have long since healed over.Sign-up at www.docgiff.com to receive our weekly e-newsletter. For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us on Instagram @docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones

When Is the Right Time to Hang Up the Car Keys?

Helen Keller, the disability rights advocate who lost her sight and hearing at 19 months of age, famously warned of “having sight but no vision”. Hers was a metaphor on living. But what happens to our eyesight as we age? And how common is it to have sight, but poor vision?
More specifically, how do we know when we need to make changes in our lives because we are not seeing as well as we used to? Driving, for example, is an intensive visual undertaking. But glare sensitivity and reductions in visual field are significant predictors of involvement in a crash. No amount of wisdom will help in the seconds before an accident you did not see coming.
Macular degeneration is a leading cause of driving accidents involving seniors. It’s also the main reason for being classified as legally blind for those over 55 years of age. The macula is a pin-sized area in the retina at the back of the eye that transmits images to the brain. Like a rifle bullet, it can zero in on small-sized distant objects. When the macula develops degenerative changes, nighttime driving becomes especially hazardous.
Other changes occur in the eye as we age. Like other parts of the body, the eyelids begin to droop providing less peripheral vision.
The pigmented iris that makes us brown or blue-eyed involve tiny muscles that fail to increase the size of the pupil to let more light strike the retina. This loss of vision is not detectable during the day. But driving a car with droopy eyelids and small pupils has the same effect as wearing sunglasses while driving at night.
Older drivers are also unable to adapt as quickly to changes in intensity of light. On occasion we’ve all complained, “Why didn’t that idiot turn off the high beams?” In this situation an aging iris contracts more slowly to the blazing light. But once the car has passed, it’s also slow in dilating to provide more light for the dark road ahead. A light pigment called rhodopsin, that helps adjust to night vision, also decreases as we age.
Today, most people are aware of the risk of developing cataracts in the lens in later years. The less transparent lens decreases the amount of light striking the retina and worsens night driving.
The final problem for the aging eye is photoreceptors in the retina. These cells transmit the image of an upcoming car to the brain. Older adults have lost one-third of these cells.
What can you do to decrease the hazards of driving at night? Mother urged us to eat our carrots to maintain good vision and she was partly right. Carrots are rich in vitamin A needed to regenerate rhodopsin.
There’s no sure way to stop macular degeneration. Some authorities advise people to take a daily supplement containing lutein, a macular pigment based on research showing that this antioxidant helps to slow down this disease. Others say eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables makes more sense.
Cataract surgery can improve night vision.
A sure way to survive night driving is to be realistic about your ability to see well in the dark. Good sense dictates that as visual acuity decreases, it’s prudent not to drive after sunset.
Helen Keller embodied the triumph of perseverance over tragedy. She had youth and a good teacher on her side. There is honour, too, in accepting when you have sight but poor vision, and don’t get behind the wheel.
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Fainting Frightens, But Is Usually Benign

People have been swooning for joy since at least the 13th Century when the earliest recorded use of the word can be found. By the 20th Century, losing consciousness for love and rapture was a necessary attribute of a Southern belle. Even today, swooning has a positive connotation, defined as, “a few steps beyond being happy, but not so over the top that you scare children.”
But change the language describing the same loss of consciousness and “blacking out like a light” is not so glamourous. Parents fainting with a thud on the floor most certainly gives the kids a fright.
But how dangerous is fainting? And how common a problem is it?
There have been some famous faints. Most recently, the 74-year-old America guitarist, Carlos Santana, passed out temporarily on stage in Michigan. Hillary Clinton had an episode during her Presidential campaign in 2016. In presidential circles, POTUS14, Franklin Pierce, was known as “Fainting Frank”. Both Bush Sr. and Jr. had unglamorous occasions. And Obama and Trump interrupted speeches to help nearby fainters.
Fainting, otherwise known medically as syncope, is defined as a loss of consciousness followed by spontaneous recovery. It’s caused by a decreased flow of blood to the brain. People may feel nauseous or dizzy. Being in the hot sun or not being hydrated are risk factors.
Doing something as simple as standing up can cause a faint. Blood pressure drops, reducing circulation to the brain. For the elderly, it becomes harder for their bodies to regulate blood pressure when moving from a lying or sitting position to standing.
Among even the young and healthy, fainting might be caused by hunger, anxiety, emotional swings, or alcohol and drug use.
According to various estimates, about 20-30% of the population has fainted at some point in life.
In most cases, getting some rest is the easy prescription.
But as with most things medical, prevention is the most prudent course.
While the short loss of consciousness itself may not cause harm, seniors are prone to bad injuries when they fall from a faint. It can be disastrous if a faint occurs while driving.
To understand whether a fainting episode is a one-time event from a missed cue to slow down or a more serious problem involving heart trouble, doctors need to evaluate the patient. An important clue is the speed of recovery. If recovery is not swift, it’s essential to get quick medical care.
Doctors will want a full patient history. An important set of considerations will be the list of medications.
People taking beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors which lower blood pressure may be more susceptible to trouble on hot days or when exerting themselves.
Antihistamines are powerful allergy medications, but they can also be a factor in fainting episodes. These drugs interact with the nervous system and therefore have many side effects. A change in dose should always be discussed with a doctor, and people who self-medicate by boosting their dosage are playing games with their health.
Other considerations will be recent bouts with ill health, including COVID, pneumonia, or any other common respiratory infection. Getting back to good health is job number one before pushing the pace at work or in leisure.
It’s not easy to predict a faint or even to see it coming in the moments before it happens. But if you detect a person turning pale and their eyes glazing over, or if you notice someone’s speech slowing down or difficulty in collecting their thoughts, get to their side and sit them down safely. Lower their head and raise their feet to restore blood flow.
If recovery is slow, get medical help.
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Viruses love a weak immune system

Justin Bieber, the mega-successful pop icon, has had better days. His mental health and addiction issues are common to many superstars. He’s had Lyme disease and infectious mononucleosis. COVID infections interrupted concert dates. Now, he is suffering from a viral disease that has affected his speech and made him cancel more concerts. At only 28-years of age and all the wealth one could want, what’s going wrong?
Doctors have determined his latest problem, a condition known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome. It occurs when the same virus that causes chickenpox activates in the ear and facial nerves causing facial paralysis and hearing loss in the affected ear.
He is being treated and will be back on the stage soon.
But Ramsay Hunt syndrome is not the main culprit. It is the result of a weakened immune system that simply doesn’t have adequate store of resources to mount a successful fight against a virus.
In Bieber’s case, the chickenpox virus has likely been living dormant in his nerves since childhood. Now that it has resurfaced in a painful and potentially damaging shingles outbreak, doctors are probably treating him with a combination of anti-viral drugs, corticosteroids, anti-anxiety medications, and pain relievers.
How much better off would Bieber be, however, if the obvious risk factors were heeded prior to the development of the disease?
At his age, he should be in the peak of good health. But his occupation and fame come with a lot of pressure. It’s no wonder, without sufficient care, his immune health falls down.
Many North Americans had chicken pox in their youth. They ensure their children are immunized, and never think of it again. But when the virus comes out of hiding in the spine where it’s been hibernating like a bear for years, a shingles outbreak never leaves any doubt that something is happening. Victims usually detect a rash occurring along the rib cage. The degree of pain varies from person to person. The majority of patients suffering from shingles often say, “I can’t even stand the light pressure of clothing touching the skin.”
It also depends on where shingles strike. Shingles in the eye, for example, can be very serious – not just in terms of the debilitating pain, but also potential lasting vision impairment.
The best defence is a peppy immune response when the nasty virus surfaces. That pep comes from ample supply of the ingredients the immune system needs to fight viral infections.
What are the most important of these? Always remember, vitamin C is more than a vitamin. It’s also an antiviral, antifungal and antioxidant. During infections, or trauma such as surgery, when the body is under significant stress, vitamin C levels in the blood can be reduced by as much as 90 per cent!
Vitamin C can help prevent infections, shorten the stay, and ease the severity of symptoms. Likewise, vitamins E, A and D are essential. A balanced diet should include these vitamins and other key minerals like iron and zinc.
In addition, exercise regularly. Drink plenty of water. Get good sleep on a regular basis. And minimize stress.
In Bieber’s case, it’s doubtful he can achieve the prescribed balance. All the more reason he should be bulking up on the easier ingredients, like high doses of vitamin C, and the sooner the better.
Fortunately, most cases of Ramsay Hunt syndrome have a good outcome. But the stakes are high for a superstar. More focus on prevention could mean the difference between decades of artistry or a tragically early end to a career.
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Ease Arthritis Pain Naturally

“Why shoot a mouse with an elephant gun?” It’s a good question to ask those suffering from osteoarthritis (the wear-and-tear type of arthritis). Why is it that so many of these people have never been advised to try natural approaches before using strong drugs which can cause major side effects and complications?

Vitamin C
This vitamin is the most overlooked natural remedy in treating aging joints. Vitamin C is needed to produce healthy collagen, a vital component of cartilage. Deteriorated cartilage leads to bones grinding against one another causing pain. Researchers at Boston University Medical Center studied the vitamin C intake of 640 people. They discovered that those with a higher intake of vitamin C were protected against progression of osteoarthritis of the knee and slowed development of knee pain.

Remember, animals make vitamin C and humans do not. Linus Pauling, two-time Nobel prize winner, knew that humans receive more than enough C in the food they eat to prevent scurvy. But diet alone does not offer near enough vitamin C to prevent arthritis and coronary attack. Pauling took 20,000 milligrams (mg) daily. The recommended daily dose is 75 mg. If you decide to take high doses of vitamin C, you might experience diarrhea, in which case dial back the dosage. But your cardiovascular system and aging joints will thank you for a generous daily supply.

Exercise
If you don’t use your joints, you lose them. Exercise gets the heart going, and this is the pumping mechanism that pushes vitamin C and other nutrients into joints to nourish cartilage. It is under-use and poor maintenance, not just over-use, that causes so many people need hip and knee replacements.

Diet
A sound diet is powerful therapy for any condition and arthritis is no exception. Studies show that a mostly vegetarian diet has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect in improving joint pain. Patients with arthritis should concentrate on complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes and fruits. Fish oils contain omega-3 essential fatty acids, high in EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which have been shown to reduce morning stiffness and swollen joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease. They help ease arthritis pain by decreasing the production of prostaglandins, molecules made at sites of tissue damage or infection that control processes such as inflammation, which in turn causes pain. Take supplements if you are not getting enough fish oil in your daily diet.

Boswellia
Turn to herbal extracts used for centuries in Asia and Africa to treat pain. Boswellia, also known as Indian frankincense, is obtained from the Boswellia serrata tree. It’s a natural anti-inflammatory compound that in recent years has been attracting significant attention. Boswellia has undergone human trials for knee pain and can be used in the prevention and treatment of diverse chronic diseases. It is devoid of toxicities. Look in natural health food stores for Casperome®, a new form of Boswellia better absorbed by the body. Faster absorption also means faster pain relief.

Natural approaches to treating arthritis are safe and effective. But in North America every year, 26,000 people die from gastrointestinal bleeding due to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Aspirin, Tylenol, Advil (ibuprofen) Naproxen and others. Casperome® has been used safely and effectively together with NSAIDs, helping patients reduce the amount of NSAIDs needed to block pain.

Natural remedies can also have side-effects. After all it was hemlock that killed Socrates! But pound for pound, they are much safer than prescription drugs and it is logical to try them first.

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Canada should follow Québec’s lead with bill 38

How ironic that Québec, the most Roman Catholic province in Canada, is proposing progressive legislation for Alzheimer’s patients.
It’s time for other Canadian provinces and American states to show similar humanity.
Québec’s Health Minister, Christian Dubé, has tabled Bill 38 that would allow patients with severe Alzheimer’s disease to receive an assisted death by allowing written consent to be given before they are mentally and physically incapable of doing so.
Under the proposed rules, a doctor would have to be certain that the patient was requesting death without pressure from any other people. Moreover, patients would be able to reverse this request at any time including at the time of the procedure.
To provide extra precaution, the patient must choose a trusted third party to act on their behalf at the appropriate time.
As long-time readers know, this column has been fighting for a more common-sense approach to MAID (medical assistance in dying) for years.
Current laws across North America ignore so much suffering. The Canadian law is so poorly conceived that it is hard to imagine how it has lasted so long without revision. It allows Alzheimer’s patients to ask for MAID while being mentally coherent and to sign the needed legal documents. But as the disease progresses and patients lose capacity, the request become void.
Any reasonable person would acknowledge the inadequacy.
Alzheimer’s patients need an advanced directive or an advance request for MAID that will be legally valid after their health has deteriorated.
Readers can understand the frustration for Alzheimer’s patients who wish to access MAID. But despite extensive efforts by the medical community and advocates, Canada’s elected Members of Parliament and Senators have not resolved the issue.
Those having read this column for years may recall the suggestions that the Government of Canada be replaced by taxicab drivers, garbage collectors, or veterinarians! The people in these professions have ample common sense. They would change the law in 24 hours.
But it is not only politicians that have fought against access to MAID for Alzheimer’s patients. Ethicists, moralists, and religious people who believe that “only God can decide on life and death” are also responsible. While 80 percent of the population agrees with proposed changes to the legislation, the minority conspire to block access by any and all.
Yet the concerns of this minority can be addressed. First, to be clear, MAID is only an option for those who actively request it. It cannot be imposed on anyone. But if those who are opposed would like to do so, they are free to sign an affidavit stating that they wish never to participate in MAID. But instead, they blow bullhorns. And those in need of assistance languish.
There is something lost in today’s digital society when decisionmakers lack connection to the people. Gone are the days when readers responded to a call for better legislation with thousands upon thousands of handwritten letters. But it is impossible to forget reading those personal stories of anguish on stationary where tear marks lingered. And politicians had to respond when one such campaign, for the legalization of heroin to ease the pain of terminal cancer patients, resulted in 40,000 letters on the health minister’s desk.
Now it’s time for the rest of Canada to replicate this same Quebec legislation.
Congratulations to Québec’s Minister of Health, Christian Dubé and to Dying with Dignity Canada for continuing efforts to achieve access to MAID. For Alzheimer’s patience wishing MAID, let’s facilitate the dignity of a peaceful end of life, just as the law now allows for others.
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Can AI help fight cancer?

The short answer is yes – cancer and other health problems too. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a game-changer. Not only can this rapidly advancing technology improve the speed and accuracy of disease diagnosis and treatment, it has enormous potential to predict health problems, allowing for far more effective prevention programs that target at-risk populations.

Take, for example, children born with congenital heart defects. This fate currently falls to about 40,000 babies born in the U.S. each year, and about 1.35 million newborns worldwide. What causes defective heart structures in the developing embryo is open to debate. But genetics, diet, environment, medications, and smoking are all on the list.

But what if AI could analyse vast quantities of data and learn from patterns to predict a problem pregnancy even before conception? Neonatal cardiac surgeons are studying this possibility, in hopes of putting themselves out of a job. Instead of time in operating rooms, they are designing educational programs and delivering nutritional supplements to would-be mothers most as risk.

What exactly is AI? And how does it work?

Artificial intelligence refers to computer programs, or algorithms, that use data to make decisions or predictions. To build an algorithm, scientists instruct computers to follow a set of rules in the analysis of data. In machine learning (ML), an algorithm teaches itself how to analyze data and interpret patterns. With exposure to vast amounts of data, learning and interpretation improves.

The question becomes, to what extent can the decisions being made be trusted?
 
Dr. Hugo Aerts, Director of the Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, says, “AI can automate assessments and tasks that humans currently can do but take a lot of time.”

Scientists are developing AI tools that use screening images like mammograms to predict risk of developing cancer. To date, doctors used such images to detect if cancer is already present. Due to variation in the skill-level and experience of radiologists, results are highly subjective.

Aerts notes that relying on “a human making an interpretation of an image—say, a radiologist, a dermatologist, a pathologist —that’s where we see enormous breakthroughs being made.”

In 2018, an AI tool hit the news by outperforming 58 international dermatologists in the diagnosis of skin cancer, missing fewer melanomas and misdiagnosing fewer benign moles. AI models have shown impressive precision in identifying lung, breast, thyroid, prostate, and blood-related cancers.

With AI, medical professionals can cut costs, expedite clinical decision-making and significantly reduce wait times.

But despite these successes and benefits, there is reason to be skeptical about early computer models as stand-alone tools for screening cancers or predicting the onset of other diseases. One model, for example, was found to raise alarms not in accordance with the patients’ conditions but with the location where imaging equipment was used.

Yet, scientists are honing the instructions given AI tools by validating results against well known, trusted data. For example, the Framingham Heart Study has been collecting data from a large population cohort for over 70 years. This data provides an opportunity to assess AI findings against established records.

Will the technology become so astute that oncologists and pathologists become obsolete?

Not according to Dr. Olivier Michielin of University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland. “AI will enable oncologists, pathologists and other stakeholders to work more efficiently, it will not replace them,” he says.

But AI is undeniably improving the practice of medicine by having computers do what humans cannot – crunching huge amounts of data to expedite diagnosis and treatment. To what extent AI can help prevent disease remains to be seen.

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Flashy Marketing Deceives New Mothers

The global formula milk industry is huge and growing rapidly, at about US$55 billion and projected to reach US$110B by 2026. Aggressive and deceptive marketing by manufacturers is driving this growth. The World Health Organization (WHO) is ringing alarms. It charges the industry with using new digital marketing tactics to target pregnant women and new mothers with “personalized social media content that is often not recognizable as advertising.”
The Internet and smart phones are wonderful tools. But they can also be dangerous. Women have breastfed babies since the beginning of time. Animals thrive without Big Pharma. Human babies do too.
The WHO says the digital onslaught by industry reaches 2.47 billion people. The intention is to plant concerns in the minds of new mothers that their natural breastmilk is insufficient. They set out to convince new mothers that they’re nutritionally uneducated and irresponsible if they choose traditional breast milk.
Dr. Francesco Branca, Director of the WHO Nutrition and Food Safety department, goes on the offence. He says, “The promotion of commercial milk formulas should have been terminated decades ago.” He adds, “That formula milk companies are now employing even more powerful and insidious marketing techniques to drive up their sales is inexcusable and must be stopped.”
What are the natural benefits that breast milk has always given babies? For one, mother’s milk transfers antibodies to build immunity against infection.
Ameae Walker, Professor of Biomedical Science at UC Riverside School of Medicine, explains that copies of these cells will provide immunity to the baby for life. Breastfeeding protects mothers as well by reducing risk of breast and ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Apart from conveying immunity, extensive research shows that breastmilk offers increased long-term protection from a host of diseases. Breast-fed babies have less chance of developing ear, respiratory, and urinary infections. They are more resilient against bacterial meningitis, a serious condition that can lead to death. Breastfeeding decreases the risk of obesity, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, high blood pressure and heart disease.
While antibodies in breastmilk adjust to a growing baby’s evolving needs, manufactured formula is unchanging and has no antibodies. Instead, manufacturers add ingredients designed to foster good gut bacteria. This may help protect babies from illness, but not to the same degree.
It has also been found that vitamins and minerals added to manufactured milk cause increased gas in babies and more constipation. Bottle feeding affects mother-child bonding. And formula fed babies have an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
Expectant mothers have reason for confidence, not trepidation, in their abilities to breastfeed babies. At best, it should be deemed unethical to market misleading information about baby formula. At worst, given the lifelong health consequences at stake, and the duty to care for society’s youngest and most vulnerable members, such marketing should be criminal.
There are, of course, circumstances in which formula is the right choice. These mothers should be supported, not shamed. It’s an obvious fact that many babies raised on formula have fared just fine. There are geniuses, concert pianists, gold-medal athletes, doctors, lawyers and every other professional among them.
But the economics of the formula milk industry is the problem. This industry should not be allowed to profit at the expense of parental confidence and children’s health – yet profit is precisely the boardroom mandate of these companies. Looked at another way, the total cost of formula feeding is estimated to be US$900-$3,000 per year. Those funds would be better spent other ways.
It’s the WHO’s boring reports versus deceptive digital marketing. Not a good match up.
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Watch Out for Warm Summer Nights

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John sang about romance in “Summer Nights”, the opening song in the hit movie, Grease. But now, at 68, he, more so than she, may want to watch out for a different kind of summer heat. New research shows that warm summer nights increase the risk of heart-related death among men in their 60s.

The study involved analysis of 39,912 deaths due to cardiovascular disease in England and Wales between 2001 and 2015. After controlling for other factors, a rise of 1° Celsius (1.8° Fahrenheit) in summer nighttime temperature was associated with a 3.1% increase in the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease among men aged 60 to 64 years.

Replicating research results helps validate findings, and so a similar analysis was undertaken in a county within Washington State in the U.S. Here too, an increase of one degree in nighttime temperature resulted in a 4.8% increase in risk of heart-related death among men ages 60 to 64 years, although not older men above 65 years.

The research findings are concerning because they show an increase over recent years in the incidence of cardiovascular-related death occurring at nighttime rather than during daytime summer temperatures.

The details behind the study tell an interesting story. Why even think to study nighttime heat in mid-latitude settings? Is it not the soaring daytime heat shocks in places known for scorching sun that deserve attention?

Haris Majeed, a PhD student with the Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Toronto, is the study’s lead researcher. His motivation was both academic and personal. As an early-career academic, he was poring through his textbook readings when he noted that although heart attacks occur at any time of day, most take place in the early morning hours while people are still in bed. Over the course of the year, the warmest months of June and July contain the highest rates of death from cardiovascular disease.

Majeed looked at places like Wales and Washington State because these places have strong seasonality. In effect, people in these places need to cope both with cold winters and hot summers. In these regions, too, many residents may not have air conditioning.

Why would men face a higher risk of heart attack with an increase in nighttime temperatures, and not women? Majeed speculates it might be due to men being more exposed to daytime heat, sweating more, and becoming dehydrated. This can lead to lower blood volume and increase the risk of blood clotting.

On the personal side, Majeed’s father recently underwent a bypass surgery and remains at high risk for health trouble when air temperatures go up. Contributing to the body of science that will help his father is a motivator like little else.

Majeed will need to do more work to test his theories.

In the meantime, as the northern hemisphere heads into the summer season, it would be prudent for people with cardiovascular concerns to take simple precautions. Keep well hydrated. Stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day. Cool down with a quick cold shower before bed. And use a fan during the night when the heat is oppressive.

Going to sleep on a hot summer’s night should not be the most dangerous thing one does. But this research is highlighting two firm facts. One, cardiovascular disease is continuing to hold its place as a major killer. And two, air temperatures matter to human health.

Bottom line: keep cool when things heat up, especially at night.

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