A new study conducted by UC Riverside suggests that exercise and healthy diet in childhood lead to adults with bigger brains and less anxiety. The study aimed to examine the long term benefits of a healthy diet and exercise as the two are usually examined separately, or short term.

Researchers divided young mice into four groups, those with access to exercise, those without, and those with a standard healthy diet, and those with a standard western diet.

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Mice were put on their assigned diet as soon as they were done weaning and stayed on the same diet for three weeks until sexual maturity. The mice then went through an additional eight weeks of “washout” where they were kept with out wheels on the standard healthy diet. Researchers then measured aerobic capacity, did behavioral analysis, and testes different levels of hormones.

Previously, the research team found that eating too much fat and sugar as a child can alter the microbiome for life, even if they later eat healthier. Going forward, the team plans to investigate whether fat or sugar is more responsible for the negative effects they measured in Western-diet-fed mice.

Childhood diet and exercise creates healthier, less anxious adults

Researchers concluded that early life exercise resulted in less anxious behaviors in adult mice and led to increases in adult muscle and brain mass. When fed standard western-style diets the mice became fatter and grew into adults with a preference for unhealthy foods.

Research has shown high levels of forever chemicals, arsenic, and lead in water samples across the U.S. This data comes from a nine-month investigation by Consumer Reports and The Guardian.

The passage of Clean Water Act in 1972 has made access to clean water a Government priority but millions of people are without safe drinking water. Contamination, deteriorating infrastructure, and inadequate treatment of water plants are all to blame for the lack of safe water. Inadequate drinking water is more common in lower-income areas across the country.

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Consumer Reports and The Guardian looked at water from 120 people across the U.S and tested for arsenic, lead, PFAS, and other contaminants. The samples collected come from water systems that service more than 19 million people. The data collected showed that 118 of the 120 samples had PFAS, arsenic levels above Consumer Report’s recommended maximum, or detectable levels of lead.

In response to the findings, Environmental Protection Agency spokesperson Andrea Drinkard says that 93% of the population supplied by community water systems gets water that meets “all health-based standards all of the time” and that the agency has set standards for more than 90 contaminants. That includes arsenic and lead but does not include PFAS.

We sampled tap water across the US – and found arsenic, lead and toxic chemicals

The Guardian breaks down all the data collected and goes into the health concerns the findings bring up. You can read that article here.

With the coronavirus vaccine’s initial rollout at the end of last year, I wasn’t sure how vaccine administration would go. If I had to guess, I would have assumed that front-line workers would have started to get vaccinated, and then vaccines wouldn’t be widely available for those who wanted it beyond essential workers.

From what I’ve seen, that hasn’t been the case. The majority of the people I know have been able to get the vaccine if they wanted it. That being said, the group of people I’ve talked to is not necessarily representative of the whole population, so I can’t speak for everyone.

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As many people begin to get vaccinated, the Biden administration has begun discussing how to set standards for proof of vaccination. There are as many as 17 different initiatives in the works to develop their own “vaccine passport” namely, The World Health Organization, the International Air Transport Association, and a tech company called the Vaccination Credential Initiative.

New York recently started using a digital pass developed by IBM that shows both vaccination status and COVID-19 test results. Madison square garden has displayed interest in implementing the digital pass for admissions to events.

While not ‘mandated,’ governments appear to be pulling off a bait and switch, easing public tensions with verbiage that makes them feel they have a choice, when in reality their freedom to do almost anything in life will be hindered unless they roll up their sleeve and take a new, experimental vaccine that still hasn’t been fully approved by the FDA. The FDA has only provided approval via the Emergency Use Authorization.

Biden Admin Pushing ‘Vaccine Passports’ – Here’s What You Need To Know

Proof of vaccination will likely be required to travel internationally. While there is talk of vaccination being required for major gatherings it is currently unknown how far the vaccine passport concept will extend.

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Health Canada has warned about potentially toxic masks that were distributed to schools and daycares and other facilities. A certain model of masks (SNN200642 masks) distributed by a Quebec-based manufacturer but made in China, contains a toxic material that shows potential for long-term lung damage. They warned that inhalation of “microscopic graphene particles” can cause long-term health problems such as lung damage.

This has happened before in Quebec. In December the Quebec Government announced that the masks they had been distributing did not meet safety standards. More than 31.1 million of those masks were distributed between May and November.

The provincial government put out a notice stating, “if you have this type of mask in stock, we ask that you stop distributing them and keep them in a safe place now.”

Potentially Toxic Masks Were Distributed In Quebec Daycares, Schools & More

Wearing a cotton face covering is likely the best thing you can wear to avoid toxicity, if you have to wear a mask.

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Lockdown has had many consequences on the health of the population since it’s beginning, ranging from weight gain, to an increase in mental health problems.

A recent survey conducted in the U.K examines the effects of lockdown on people’s sex life. Researchers surveyed 565 people between ages 18-32 at the end of peak lockdown in May. Those surveyed were part of a convenience sample and thus were not necessarily representative of the whole population.

Participants were asked if they engaged in intercourse, solo masturbation, and watching pornography, and were then asked to rate their health and wellbeing.

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A quarter (25.5%) of respondents who engaged in intercourse prior to lock down stopped having intercourse. There was a decrease in all activities across the board.

Within those participants who continued to engage in sexual activities a quarter of people reported masturbating more regularly, and 20% reported more intercourse with their partners. That being said, a third of participants reported having less sex with partners, and a quarter reported masturbating less.

Men who did not identify as heterosexual, and were in a serious relationship, were the most likely to report an increase in sexual activity. Women, on the other hand, were more likely to report lower sexual desire than men.

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Our findings, which are published in the Journal of Sex Research, support other reports into the effects of lockdown restrictions. Lockdown measures have disproportionately affected some groups more than others. The reported increase in domestic chores and stress for women during the lockdown may explain the decrease in sexual desire and the negative effect on wellbeing.

How lockdown changed the sex lives of young adults – new research

The effects of the lockdowns also disproportionately affected younger adults, those less likely to be in a serious relationship and more likely to be exploring their sexuality.

The effectiveness of lockdowns and strict covid-19 regulations has been questioned many times by many people, but effectiveness aside, an even bigger debate is rather or not lockdowns are constitutional. With the fear of moving into an authoritarian state, many people around the world have protested strict lockdowns measures. More often than not lockdown measures benefit corporations and the government, while they jeopardize the lives of the average citizen.

Recently a Belgian court rules that the current Covid-19 restrictions being put in place do not have a sound legal basis. The Belgian state will face fines if they do not lift the restrictions within 30 days, or provide proof of what law they are abiding by with the current restrictions. Currently, the state is acting based on the Civil Safety Act of 2007 which allows the government to move quickly during “exceptional circumstances”, but the judge ruled that the government “cannot act from ministerial decrees while using these laws.”

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Shortly after this ruling the Finnish government withdrew its proposal for lockdown measures. Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced the news last week after a statement from a constitutional committee deemed the lockdown “vague and not in compliance with the constitution”.

“The committee said the wide-ranging proposal should be changed to targeted restrictions for where the risk of contracting the virus was significant, such as private gatherings and crowded places such as shops. The Nordic nation of 5.5 million people has recorded 77,452 coronavirus infections and 844 deaths. It has been praised for its handling of the pandemic and has been among the least-affected countries in Europe. It has 295 people in hospital with COVID-19.”

Finland Withdraws COVID Measures After Law Committee Deems Them Unconstitutional

With the ever-present threat of climate change, many people are constantly talking about the most important thing we can do to cut carbon emissions. New research shows that cycling could be 10 times more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero emissions cities.

In 2020, one in 50 new cars was fully electric, globally. Even if all new cars were electric, it would still take an estimated 15-20 years to replace the world’s cars running on fossil fuels.

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The emissions savings from switching to zero-carbon alternatives isn’t enough to make the difference we need in the time we have left to spare. Not to mention, electric cars aren’t completely emissions-free. The materials for the batteries, manufacturing, and the electricity used to run them all produce emissions.

Active traveling on the other-hand (walking and biking) is cheaper and better for both you and the environment. Research has shown that those who walk or cycle have lower carbon footprints than those who don’t even if they just walking and biking on top of motorized travel.

Researchers observed 4,000 people in London, Antwerp, Barcelona, Vienna, Orebro, Rome, and Zurich over a two-year period. Over the two years, participants logged a total of 10,00 travel diary entries documenting all the trips they make each day.

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We also estimate that urban residents who switched from driving to cycling for just one trip per day reduced their carbon footprint by about half a tonne of CO₂ over the course of a year, and save the equivalent emissions of a one-way flight from London to New York. If just one in five urban residents permanently changed their travel behavior in this way over the next few years, we estimate it would cut emissions from all car travel in Europe by about 8%.

Cycling is ten times more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

People who cycled on a daily basis had 84% lower carbon emissions from their daily travel than those who didn’t. Additionally, if the average person switched from a car to a bike just one day a week, they cut their emissions by a carbon footprint o 3.2kg of CO2. Research showed that emissions from cycling can be 30 times lower than a fossil fuel car, and 10 times lower than an electric car.