This is s a well structured and relatable site that can teach us about the fascinating world of microbes and what they consist of including bacteria, archaea, fungi, protist and viruses:
http://www.microbeworld.org/what-is-a-microbe
Archive for the ‘Health’ Category
Washington Post: Women really are better doctors, study suggests
Published under Family, Health, Introspection Jan 03, 2017
The medical profession, like many others, undervalues women and obsesses about making women work full time and carry the same burden as men. Yet, as this article shows, there is a ton of value in respecting the role of women in the medical profession. There is also a ton of value to society to not force women to sacrifice their role as parents. We need to think more holistically, flexibly and creatively about this.
Article below by By Carolyn Y. Johnson:
I recently visited a friend in the hospital who just had a baby girl, and she showed me the congratulations gift from the “nutrition” department of the hospital. We both thought it was quite ironic!
The sugar industry paid scientists in the 1960s to play down the link between sugar and heart disease and promote saturated fat as the culprit instead, newly released historical documents show.
The internal sugar industry documents, recently discovered by a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, and published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, suggest that five decades of research into the role of nutrition and heart disease, including many of today’s dietary recommendations, may have been largely shaped by the sugar industry.
“They were able to derail the discussion about sugar for decades,” said Stanton Glantz, a professor of medicine at U.C.S.F. and an author of the JAMA Internal Medicine paper.
The documents show that a trade group called the Sugar Research Foundation, known today as the Sugar Association, paid three Harvard scientists the equivalent of about $50,000 in today’s dollars to publish a 1967 review of research on sugar, fat and heart disease. The studies used in the review were handpicked by the sugar group, and the article, which was published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, minimized the link between sugar and heart health and cast aspersions on the role of saturated fat.
John Oliver is hilarious, but the issue he explores is very serious. Not only are hundreds of millions of dollars being wasted because of the perverse incentives to sensationalize scientific findings, but also these “findings” end up harming humans’ health and progress in untold ways. Perhaps we need to start funding a Fact Checking Award or some form of incentive to discourage abuse and to encourage investment in true science.
How the sugar industry has distorted health science for more than 50 years
Published under Health Sep 20, 2016
The sugar industry has a long history of shaping nutrition policy in the United States, working to mask the potential risks of consuming too much of the sweet stuff.
It wasn’t until this year, for instance, that the US Dietary Guidelines finally recommended people keep their consumption of added sugars below 10 percent of their total calorie intake — decades after health advocates began pressing for the measure. The sugar lobby had fended off this recommendation all the while.
New research, published today in JAMA Internal Medicine, shows that Big Sugar may have done more than just advocate for favorable policies. Going back more than 50 years, the industry has been distorting scientific research by dictating what questions get asked about sugar, particularly questions around sugar’s role in promoting heart disease.
TIME: Here’s How a Diet Full of Fat Can Be Healthy
Published under Food Industry, Health Jul 27, 2016
“We can all avoid an excess of omega-6 fats by minimizing our intake of highly processed and fast, fried foods – and getting our fats from nuts, seeds, olives, and avocado; olive and canola oil.”
Dr. David Katz from Yale School of Medicine’s Griffin Prevention Center wrote a compelling piece that I just got a chance to catch up with that is worth reading. It highlights the importance of moderation in our food intake. It also reminds us of the importance of keeping things in perspective and not being an absolutist –even when it comes to issues like avoiding genetically engineered products. Full article below:
WSJ: FDA Seeks to Redefine ‘Healthy’
Published under Food Industry, Health, KIND Snacks May 10, 2016
FDA reverses stance, affirms KIND can use “healthy” on labels
Published under Food Industry, Health, KIND Snacks May 10, 2016By now we hope you know that there’s nothing more important to us than the relationship we share with you—our fans. You’ve been the fuel on this now 12-year journey to make healthy andtasty snacking a way of life.
You’ve also stood by us when we’ve faced challenges. One of these challenges came last year when KIND received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Most notably, the letter asked us to remove healthy from the back wrapper of four KIND bars, stating that our use of the term was in violation of a regulation (more info here). Fast forward 13 months. The FDA has now affirmed KIND can use healthy on our wrappers again—just as we had it before. While we’re pleased the FDA has reversed its stance, it doesn’t change what is and always has been our focus – to create delicious snacks made with wholesome ingredients.
