Alcohol guidelines in Australia have been updated for the first time since 2009, and it’s no longer considered safe to drink 2 standard alcoholic drinks a day. Telling adults how much alcohol to drink or not drink has the potential to blow up in your face, but the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC, the Australian equivalent of the U.S.’s National Institutes of Health) has ruled that reducing alcohol intake from 2 to 1.4 drinks a day can decrease instances of alcohol-related harm and improve quality of life. Anne Kelso, the chief executive of the NHMRC, observes…

We’re providing advice about the health risks from drinking alcohol so that we can all make informed decisions in our daily lives – for ourselves and for our children,” she said.

It’s 10 years since our last review of the guidelines and we now know more about the effects of alcohol. We know that alcohol continues to have significant direct health consequences for many Australians.”

Too High

A standard drink in Australia is 10 grams of alcohol (roughly .35 ounces). A bottle of wine contains 7 standard drinks, and under the previously recommended Australian guidelines, one could drink safely drink two bottles of wine a week. A Danish study from 2008 suggested that people drinking that much wine were less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who did not drink at all. The study also measured participants’ levels of physical activity, cautioning that the benefits of alcohol were best achieved with regular exercise.

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More recent research contradicts those findings, though. Britain lowered it’s recommended safe levels of alcohol in 2016 to the equivalent of seven glasses of wine a week. Two years later, a Cambridge University study found that more than five glasses of wine was dangerous. The 2018 study linked drinking 10 or more drinks a week to reduced life expectancy, a higher risk of stroke, heart failure, fatal aneurysms, and fatal hypertensive disease.

Can’t Come Down

No one disagrees with the toxicity of alcohol in large quantities. But as a species, we like alcohol. We like the way it makes us feel. There is a long, storied history between humans and alcohol. But we also have trouble knowing when we’ve had too much. Is the Australian government babying their public? Or is reducing the recommended daily amount of alcoholic drinks from 2 to 1.4 enough to combat the negative effects of alcohol?

Sources:

• Two Standard Alcoholic Drinks a Day No Longer Safe, Health Officials Say – The Guardian
• What is a Standard Drink – Alcohol and Drug Foundation
• Drinking more than five glasses of wine a week ‘could knock years off life – The Telegraph

The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety has taken away the marketing licenses for 36 glyphosate-based products. The products will no longer be available for purchase in France, which accounts for almost three-quarters of glyphosate products sold in France. Several Roundup products are included on the list, another blow to pharmaceutical giant Bayer. France is not the only country to ban glyphosate-based products recently, as there is increasing scrutiny on the herbicide worldwide.

Bayer Problems

Since Bayer acquired Monsanto in June 2018, public questioning of glyphosate has drastically increased. The company has been on the losing side of three major decisions in the U.S., with the initial payout amounts totaling more than 2 billion USD (the awards would later be reduced by judges).

Increasing Bans

France is the European Union’s largest producer of cereals, poultry, beef, and wine. Losing a large portion of business from French farmers is not ideal for Bayer, but bans or restrictions on glyphosate are becoming a more common occurrence. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a group of nations in the Middle East consisting of Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has banned the chemical completely since last year. Austria is the first European country to approve a total ban of glyphosate while Germany has announced plans for total bans in the future. Several smaller municipalities around the world have enacted restrictions on public and non-commercial use of glyphosate.

The United States is not included in the number of countries planning to limit glyphosate usage. Quite the opposite, actually. When the government of Thailand announced plans to ban glyphosate on December 1st, U.S. officials warned that the regulations would interfere with grain trade, as U.S. crops are heavily sprayed with that herbicide. Once again, the U.S. government puts profit over citizen health, even over those in other nations.

Sources:

• France to ban dozens of glyphosate weedkillers amid health risk debate – Reuters
• France bans dozens of glyphosate weedkillers – France24
• Where is Glyphosate Banned? – Baum Hedlund Law
• Thailand wants to ban these three pesticides. The US government says no – The Guardian

Scientists all over the world are becoming increasingly aware of the damage air pollution does to human health, and a new study from researchers at Harvard has found a link between airborne fine particulate matter and increased hospitalizations for common blood, skin, and kidney conditions. Researchers saw higher instances of hospitalizations for septicemia, urinary tract infections, kidney failure, skin and other tissue infections, and electrolyte disorders. The biggest culprit here is PM2.5, extremely fine particulate matter generated by fossil fuel combustion, power plants, airplanes, wildfires, and other combustion reactions. The study also determined that a little goes a long way. Scientists saw hospitalization numbers rise, even with short-term exposure and at PM2.5 levels lower than current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

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PM2.5?

PM2.5 is defined as particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter. The smallest particles visible to the human eye are 50 micrometers, and at 2.5 micrometers, these particular particulates are smaller than pollen, plant, or mold spores. Due to their tiny size, these particles bypass the nose and throat, settling in the lungs or even circulatory system. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 can result in heart disease, stroke, asthma, and chronic kidney disease, among other conditions.

Air Conditions

American air quality is greatly improved over the last twenty years. PM2.5 levels, in particular, have dropped 39 percent since 2000. That will likely change, as the Trump administration continues to undermine the Clean Air Act. Recent attempts have moved to disregard methane emissions from power plants, rollback mandates that require states to minimize smog production, and challenge zero-emissions vehicle standards in California. This study and countless others have made the case that this will not be good for our health.

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According to the WHO, 7 million people die each year from conditions caused or exacerbated by fine particle matter in the air. The United States has remained relatively unscathed, but if air quality standards are relaxed, that could change very quickly.

Sources:

• Short term exposure to fine particulate matter and hospital admission risks and costs in the Medicare population: time stratified, case-crossover study – The BMJ
• Study Links Short-Term Air Pollution Exposure to Hospitalizations for Growing List of Health Problems – Inside Climate News
• What is PM2.5 and Why You Should Care – Bliss Air
• Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Trends – EPA.gov

In a recent report released by World Animal Protection (WAP) entitled U.S. Pork and the Superbug Crises, 80 percent of the samples tested from Walmart Stores in the Mid-Atlantic region contained bacteria resistant to at least one antibiotic. On the samples that tested positive for antibiotic-resistant (AR) bacteria, 37 percent exhibited resistance to at least three classes of antibiotics. More than a quarter of AR bacteria found on Walmart pork was resistant to Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials (HPCIA), the treatments the World Health Organization (WHO) has determined to be the most essential for human medicine. WAP concludes their report…

This retail pork testing revealed the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria on pork products. The findings complement strong existing research on how excessive antibiotics use on farms is creating the conditions for superbugs to thrive, and the opportunities for transmission to the food chain.”

Sad Walmart

Researchers began with a total of 160 pork samples, 80 of them purchased from a number of different Mid-Atlantic Walmart locations and 80 from a competing national retailer. After dividing samples into 32 batches and testing them at a Texas Tech University Laboratory, they found Enterococcus in 27 batches, E. coli in 14 batches, Salmonella in six batches, and Listeria in four batches. 41 of those 51 bacteria were resistant to at least one class of a medically important antibiotic. 21 were multi-drug resistant (resistant to three or more classes), and three bacteria were resistant to six classes of antibiotics.

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Samples of Walmart pork were more likely to test positive for two or more bacteria in a batch than the other national retailer. All of the batches that had three or more bacteria were obtained from Walmart. All of the seven strains of bacteria displaying resistance to the WHO’s highest priority antimicrobials were found on Walmart pork samples. We reached out to Walmart in regards to this report. According to Blair Cromwell, a senior manager for Global Responsibility Communications at Walmart’s Corporate Affairs,

We don’t agree with their findings. To my knowledge, we really don’t have a record of them reaching out to us.

The company also released an official statement in regards to their Swine Assurance Program.

“Walmart and Sam’s Club are committed to providing our customers with access to safe, affordable, and sustainable food as well as promoting the humane treatment of animals.  We only accept fresh pork from animals raised under the standards of the National Pork Board’s (NPB’s) Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus Program.

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We value our relationships with US pork producers who are dedicated to providing the highest in quality and safety through practices that promote animal well-being. Our priority is to advance humane treatment of farm animals in accordance with 5 Freedoms of Animal Welfare.

The goal of our Swine Assurance Program is to build more transparency and confidence in the fresh pork supply chain, and in the pork industry overall, through our tracking and audit program. We can report that by the end of 2018, based on supplier reports, 100% of our fresh pork suppliers have implemented video monitoring in a manner that is estimated to cover the volume supplied to Walmart U.S.

Additionally, as the world’s largest grocer, we are committed to playing a leading role in upholding food safety laws and regulations applicable to our global businesses, and to providing access to safe, high-quality foods. To reduce food-safety-related risk in our supply chain, we require all private-brand suppliers and select categories of national-brand suppliers to achieve certification to one of the Global Food Safety Initiative’s internationally recognized food safety standards, which often exceed applicable regulatory requirements.

Through regular independent, third-party food safety audits of our stores and clubs that prepare fresh food, we assess adherence to Walmart food safety standards, processes, conditions and expected behaviors. These risk-based audits help us receive independent assurances that our stores are operating in a safe and legal manner. In FY2019, we conducted more than 140,000 independent food safety audits at our stores and clubs globally.

Sad Hogs

Pigs destined for the American supermarket are not treated well. Sows spend their frequent pregnancies confined to small gestation crates, piglets often have their tails docked, ears notched, and teeth removed without anesthesia, and unsanitary living conditions leave factory-farmed pigs susceptible to a wide range of infections. These are among the reasons that factory-farmed pigs in the U.S. are given almost as many antibiotics as people (27.1 percent for pigs, 27.6 for people). The 75 million factory-farmed pigs consume the same amount of antibiotics as 375 million people.

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Sad Truths

This is not a new problem. Sulfonamides, the first effective antimicrobials, were introduced in 1937, and resistance to that treatment was reported before the end of that same decade. This problem has been happening since the beginning of antimicrobials. Yet here we are, repeating the same process over again.

Depending on your sources, 70 to more than 80 percent of antibiotics sold in the U.S. are destined for food animals. The flagrant use of these drugs has been a huge factor in the development of AR bacteria and the resulting health crises the world faces. If something doesn’t change, these microbes will kill an additional 10 million people a year by 2050. We are perilously close to being out of time.

Sources:

• U.S. pork and the superbug crisis: how higher welfare farming is better for pigs and people – World Animal Protection
• Walmart pork contained bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics, report says – Food Dive
• Factory Farmed Pigs – National Humane Education Society
• Report: US pigs consume nearly as many antibiotics as people do – CIDRAP
• Origins and Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance – NCBI

Keeping your mind engaged is often suggested as a way for your mind to stave off dementia, and something as simple as reading and writing can make a huge difference. Dr. Jennifer J. Manly, Ph.D., of Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York says,

Being able to read and write allows people to engage in more activities that use the brain, like reading newspapers and helping children and grandchildren with homework…Previous research has shown such activities may reduce the risk of dementia. Our new study provides more evidence that reading and writing may be important factors in helping maintain a healthy brain.”

The Study

Dr. Manly is the author of a new study examining dementia that’s been published in Neurology, the journal published by the American Academy of Neurology. The study administered memory and thinking tests to 983 people in Northern Manhattan with low levels of education and an average age of 77 to determine if literacy affects dementia risk levels. Of those evaluated, 237 people were illiterate.

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The test subjects who hadn’t learned to read or write began at a disadvantage. Thirty-five percent of test subjects who couldn’t read began the study with dementia as opposed to only eighteen percent of the literate subjects. The gap between literate and illiterate continued throughout the study. After follow-up evaluations that occurred an average of four years later, 48 percent of the illiterate group had developed dementia while 27 percent of the literature group registered dementia.

Healthy Brain While Aging

Maintaining an active brain is a crucial strategy for lowering the risk of dementia. Crossword puzzles or learning new skills are frequently mentioned as viable options. Researchers at the University of Michigan published a 2017 study that attributed America’s decline in dementia to an increase in levels of higher education. While getting a college degree might not be an option or even something you want, Dr. Manly’s study suggests that even mental activities we take for granted can provide surprising benefits.

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Sources:

• People who cannot read may be three times as likely to develop dementia – Science Daily
• Does Higher Learning Combat Dementia? – Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Cognitive Enrichment: Lifelong Learning May Help Prevent Dementia – Cognitive Vitality

A recent study done by an international research team led by Nanyang Technological University in Singapore finds that microorganisms in the gut may alter the aging process. With research like this, the goal is to eventually be leading to food-based treatment to slow it down. Over the last 20 years research has already shown the important role the microbial species are playing in our nutrition, physiology, metabolism, and behavior. The study was conducted using mice. The medical team transplanted gut microbes from 24-month-old mice to germ-free 6-week old mice. After just 8 weeks the young mice showed production of neurogenesis (Neurons in the brain) and increased intestinal growth.

Professor Brian Kennedy, director of the Centre for Healthy aging at the National University of Singapore, who provided an independent view, said, “It is intriguing that the microbiome of an aged animal can promote youthful phenotypes in a young recipient. This suggests that the microbiota with aging have been modified to compensate for the accumulating deficits of the host and leads to the question of whether the microbiome from a young animal would have greater or less effects on a young host. The findings move forward our understanding of the relationship between the microbiome and its host during aging and set the stage for the development of microbiome-related interventions to promote healthy longevity.”

Bacteria in the gut may alter aging process

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The increased neurogenesis was caused by an enrichment of gut microbes that produce a specific short-chain fatty acid (Butyrate). Butyrate is produced through microbial fermentation of dietary fibers in the lower intestinal tract and stimulates the productivity of a pro-longevity hormone called FGF2, which contributes to regulating the body’s metabolism, While we age butyrate is decreased. It was found that microbes collected from old mice had the ability to support neural growth in younger mice. These results can lead to conducting research into rather or now Butyrate might be able to help repair and rebuild in case of stroke and spinal damage. 

New research presented at the American Heart Association conference in Philadelphia found that common heart procedures like stents and bypasses don’t have actually lower the risk of heart attack or death. Spearheaded by Dr. Judith Hochman from New York University and funded with $100 million from the federal government, the study examined two strategies used for treating heart disease. The conservative strategy focused on medication and lifestyle changes without invasive treatments unless necessary, and the invasive strategy made use of stents or bypass surgeries. According to Dr. Hochman:

It’s also important now for patients to know if they have no symptoms, if their angina is completely well controlled and they’re going for a routine stress test, or for someone who’s never had symptoms and gets a stress test and it’s abnormal or is diagnosed with narrowing in the coronary by another test, they should know that there was no benefit to routinely doing an invasive strategy if they don’t have symptoms.”

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More is not More

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. There is also a huge swath of the American population managing heart disease. There are more than 35 million people in the U.S. currently prescribed statins like Lipitor and Crestor, and the majority of them will be taking those medications for the rest of their life. Many doctors also suggest other forms of disease management, including stents and bypasses. This study is not the first to suggest those procedures should be recommended with caution, but those surgeries are likely to chest pain. Many doctors also feel the pressure to do something right away, even if continuing with medication or implementing a truly healthy lifestyle can produce the same or better results.

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Unnecessary for Whom?

More than 1.8 million stents are implanted in the U.S. every year. Some estimates say that thirty percent of those are unnecessary. For the uninsured, that procedure can cost a patient anywhere from 11,000 to 41,000 dollars, and that does not include separately billed professionals and institutions. There is a problem with heart disease in the United States, but there is no way our current system can be the answer. Managing symptoms is not the same as fixing issues.

Sources:

• Big study casts doubt on need for many heart procedures – AP News
• Stents no better than drugs for many heart patients: U.S. study – Reuters
• Over 1.8 Million Stents Implanted per Year in the U.S. – iDataResearch
• Statins for high cholesterol: Are the benefits worth the risk? – Drugs.com