Gluten-free diet carries increased obesity risk, warn experts

Substituting everyday staples with gluten-free foods could increase the risk of obesity, experts have warned, after finding that such products often contain higher levels of fats than the food they aim to replace.

A gluten-free diet is essential to those with coeliac disease – an auto-immune condition that is thought to affect 1% of Europeans – while the regime is also proving increasingly popular among those without the disease. But while a host of gluten-free products are on the market, researchers have said they have a very different nutritional make-up to conventional staples.

“There is very little [consumers] can do about it,” said Joaquim Calvo Lerma of the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe in Spain and co-author of the research. “Unfortunately consumers can [only] eat what is available on the market.”

Calvo Lerma’s warning comes after he and his and colleagues compared 655 conventional food products to 654 gluten-free alternatives across 14 food groups including breads, pasta, breakfast cereals, biscuits and even ready meals, covering a range of brands.

The results – presented at the annual meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition – reveal that, overall, gluten-free products were more energy-dense than their conventional counterparts.

The team found that, on average, gluten-free bread loaves had more than twice the fat of conventional loaves, while gluten-free breads in general had two to three times less protein than conventional products. Gluten-free biscuits were also found to be lower in protein but higher in fat, while gluten-free pasta had lower levels of sugar and just half of the protein of standard pasta.

Calvo Lerma warned that gluten-free foods could be contributing to an increased risk of obesity, particularly among children who are more likely to eat products like biscuits and breakfast cereals. He urged consumers to compare gluten-free products across brands to find those with the lowest fat content.

Calvo Lerma also called on manufacturers to innovate. “It is the responsibility of the food industry to produce these type of gluten-free products from other materials that are much healthier or have a [more] enhanced nutritional profile than the current raw materials being used, like cornflour or potato starch,” he said, pointing out that healthier products could be made, for example, using grains such as buckwheat or amaranth.

He added that manufacturers should also add more complete and clearer labels to products to highlight their nutritional content, including levels of vitamins and minerals.

Benjamin Lebwohl, from the coeliac disease centre at Columbia University, who was not involved in the research, said that the study backs up previous evidence that gluten-free foods are nutritionally suboptimal. But while a gluten-free diet is essential for coeliacs, it is not intrinsically healthy or unhealthy, he added. “It depends on the choices you make as part of the gluten-free diet,” he said.

Sarah Sleet, chief executive of Coeliac UK, said the latest findings tie in with the charity’s own research, adding that further development of lower-fat, gluten-free products would be welcomed.

David Sanders, professor of gastroenterology at the University of Sheffield, noted that other studies have found gluten-free and conventional foods to have similar nutritional value. “The jury is out,” he said.

But Sanders cautioned that there is no evidence a gluten-free diet has benefits for those without gluten sensitivity or coeliac disease. “Once you go into the territory of dietary restrictions without medical symptoms then you are running the gauntlet of missing out on various vitamins or minerals without realising it,” he said.

Gluten-free diet carries increased obesity risk, warn experts

Increased risk of 11 types of cancer linked to being overweight, researchers warn

Being overweight could increase the risk of a host of cancers, including those of the colon, breast, pancreas and ovary, researchers have warned following a wide review of more than 200 studies.

According to previous figures from two leading charities, almost three quarters of people are expected to be overweight by 2035, with 700,000 new cases of obesity-related cancer expected over the next 20 years.

The new study by an international team adds weight to the warning, revealing that there is currently strong evidence for a link between excess body fat and an increased risk of 11 cancers: colon, rectum, endometrium, breast, ovary, kidney, pancreas, gastric cardia, biliary tract system and certain cancers of the oesophagus and bone marrow.

“I think now the public and physicians really need to pay attention to obesity with respect to cancer,” said Marc Gunter, a co-author of the research from the International Agency for Research on Cancer. “Telling people to avoid being overweight not only reduces their risk of, say, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, it also reduces their risk of many different cancers.”

Published in the British Medical Journal, the study examined evidence from 204 previously published studies which each looked at combined results from multiple pieces of research probing the link between body fat and the development of particular cancers.

Of the 95 studies which looked at obesity measures on a continuous scale such as body mass index, 12 were found to offer strong evidence of an association, encompassing a total of nine different cancers.

Analysis of these studies revealed that as BMI (weight divided by height squared) increased, so too did the risk of developing certain cancers. For men, for every 5kg/m² increase in BMI, the risk of developing colorectal cancer rose by 9%, while among women forgoing HRT, the risk of developing postmenopausal breast cancer increased by 11%. The figures were even higher for cancer of the biliary tract system, with risk increasing by 56% for every 5kg/m² increase in BMI.

The authors note the remaining 83 such studies were of mixed quality. While 18% were deemed “highly suggestive” of a link between excess body fat and cancer, 20% had only weak evidence while 25% had no evidence for a link.

When studies that looked at other measures of obesity were included in the analysis, the total number of cancers for which there was strong evidence of a link to body fat came to 11.

While the new study does not shed light on how excess body weight is linked to an increased risk of various cancers, a number of explanations have previously been proposed. “We know that if you are overweight it causes lots of disruption of hormonal and metabolic pathways,” said Gunter, noting that excess fat has been linked to higher oestrogen levels, higher insulin levels and increased inflammation – all of which can affect cell division.

Dr Rachel Orritt, Cancer Research UK’s health information officer, said: “This research uses very strict criteria to evaluate the evidence and confirms that obesity increases the risk of cancer, linking many of the same cancer types that have been linked before.”

Being overweight, Orritt adds, is second only to smoking as the biggest preventable cause of cancer. “Whether it’s taking the stairs or switching to sugar-free versions of your favourite drinks, small changes can make a real difference, helping you keep a healthy weight and reducing your risk of cancer,” she said.

Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, added that awareness was key. “Less than half the population realise that being obese increases the risk of cancer and, with almost two-thirds of adults carrying excess weight, this is worrying,” she said.

Paul Aveyard, professor of behavioural Mmedicine at the University of Oxford, agreed that the study highlighted the need for society to take steps to reverse the rise of obesity. “It is one more reason for people to be concerned about the excess body weight that they carry,” he said. “This risk isn’t confined just to people who are really overweight. All of us who carry excess fat, and that is most of us in this country, are at some degree of risk.”

Increased risk of 11 types of cancer linked to being overweight, researchers warn

Study Shows That Remote Workers Have Increased Risk for Burnout

Burnout is not a foreign concept for the workforce. Things like stress, lack of sleep, and repetition can all contribute to burnout, reducing productivity and diminishing quality of life. Interestingly, a new report reveals that burnout is much worse for those who work from home.

How Burnout Affects Remote Workers

UniqueIQ research showed that remote workers were among the most likely to suffer burnout. There are many factors that contribute to this problem.

For one thing, work-from-home employees are more detached from society. They spend hours without anyone around while they work on different tasks. Countless studies have revealed that social interaction is essential for mental health, and remote workers often find themselves deprived of such stimulation.

Freelancers are also more likely to put in extra hours than they might in an office, especially when there are looming deadlines. Their schedule is flexible, and the lines between working and personal time are often blurred. Productive, focused work at home is often more difficult to manage than at the workplace because you can usually fit more work into an hour at home. As a result, it’s easier to overwork yourself.

More research shows that when average in-office workers spend more than 50 hours per week in the office, their productivity declines. For freelancers, productivity decreases even faster, at 35-40 hours because of the extra focus required.

The average person can’t sustain this style of overworking for too long, and their health can suffer. They exercise less, eat out more often, choose unhealthy snacks, sleep odd hours, and have less social interaction.

Stop Burnout Before It Occurs

Burnout is obviously a problem and it needs a solution. Employees will see a drastic decrease in quality of life and companies will see less productivity if they continue to let their employees overwork themselves.

“Failing to recognize this need for wellness in the workplace, and the benefits that can be enjoyed from implementing appropriate strategies, could be detrimental to many companies in the future,” reports Eileen Brown of ZDNet.

Companies can’t sustain employees who become unproductive and make a lot of mistakes. For their health and job stability, employees should recognize the signs of burnout and develop some strategies to combat it.

Use Your Resources

Technology makes working from home possible, and it also eases the process. Take advantage of the tools available to make work faster and decrease working hours.

For example, certain communication tools can reduce stress and help you better organize your schedule. When it’s easier to communicate with your employers and collaborators, you’re less likely to experience burnout.

Solicit Flexibilty with Your Employers

Oftentimes, your employers are unaware that you’re getting more work than you can handle. Simply asking for some flexibility can make all the difference.

“Home working must be strategically implemented with the correct procedures in place in order to ensure the happiness and wellness of staff is maintained,” reports David Lynes, director of UniqueIQ.

“It is important for management to keep a close eye on the working routine of those that operate from home in order to become aware of those that may be at risk of burning out, but understandably this is difficult without any physical presence.”

Exercise and Socialize

Take care of your body physically and mentally. As you do this, you’ll realign your priorities to target better health, even if it means stretching out a deadline.

Spend time with people daily. You might talk on the phone with friends or go out to eat regularly with someone you’re close to. If you join a gym, you’ll have an opportunity for socialization and exercise at the same time. You can connect with people in fitness classes or go with a friend.

By taking time for yourself, your mental capacity will heighten, translating into more productive work.

Study Shows That Remote Workers Have Increased Risk for Burnout

Tories join NHS chiefs in call for increased social care funding

Philip Hammond is being urged by senior Tories to give the crumbling care system a double boost in his autumn statement, amid growing alarm that social care and the NHS will be unable to cope with demand this winter.

The chancellor is under intense pressure from health secretary Jeremy Hunt, local council leaders and NHS bosses to find some extra money to prop up the social care system in England. Well-placed sources say that, although Hammond has ruled out any unexpected increase in the NHS budget, he is examining a plan to plough between £700m and £1.5bn extra into social care services from April to help reduce numbers of older people being admitted to hospital. He is also looking into letting councils raise the amount they can add to council tax bills to fund social care through a precept introduced in April; it is currently capped at 2%. The autumn statement, on 23 November, may see the cash-strapped NHS get access to fresh capital funding to build new hospitals and health centres. to help deliver its promised revolution in how patients are cared for.

The Care Quality Commission warned last month that social care is “approaching a tipping point” and that greater numbers of frail elderly people will suffer falls or illness and add to the strain on hospitals and GPs unless urgent action is taken. Hunt and NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens have been lobbying the Treasury to bring forward to 2017-18 some or all of the £1.5bn it intends to put into the Better Care Fund, a scheme to bolster social care. Ministers have pledged to put £105m into the fund next year, and increase that to £825m in 2018-19 and to £1.5bn in 2019-20.

NHS organisations, the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Care have been making the same case. Sajid Javid’s Department for Communities and Local Government is understood to also be supporting it behind the scenes.

James Davies, a GP as well as a Tory MP and member of the health select committee, said growing numbers of Conservatives wanted Hammond to prioritise social care. The LGA said years of cuts to town-hall budgets have left the sector in crisis, with fewer people getting help with basics such as washing and eating at a time when need is rising. Also, care homes are closing, partly because councils cannot afford high enough fees to allow operators – whose costs have risen because of the national living wage – to make a profit.

“It is my view that, if further funding can be located, it should go into social care, with the expectation that this will indirectly relieve some of the difficulties being encountered by the NHS. I believe many of my colleagues are reaching the same conclusion,” Davies told the Observer. “The current pressures on social care are such that the prompt, safe discharge of patients from our hospitals is increasingly dysfunctional. So-called exit block is now a major challenge needing urgent attention. There is also evidence that hospital admissions could be reduced in number if community social care provision were to be increased in its extent.”

Such coordinated lobbying on behalf of social care by both the NHS and local government bodies is unprecedented. Health service bosses, ahead of a Whitehall spending decision, agree that social care should be the priority for extra resources. They are telling the Treasury that this would bring the double benefit of also reducing demand on the NHS. New figures last week showed “bed blocking” – patients being unable to go home because of inadequate social care provision – at a new record high.

Stephen Dalton, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “The critical and negative tipping point for the health and care system has been triggered by cuts to social care. It’s imperative the chancellor takes the opportunity, in the autumn statement, to prioritise investment in social care before the winter.”

Chris Ham, chief executive of the King’s Fund, agreed: “Six consecutive years of funding cuts have left thousands of older people, their families and carers without the support they need, and are exacerbating pressures on the NHS. With council services facing a funding gap of £1.9bn next year, social care must be a priority for the autumn statement. This is a key test of the prime minister’s promise of a more equal country that works for everyone. There is no more burning injustice today than older and disabled people being denied the care they need to live with independence and dignity.”

Tories join NHS chiefs in call for increased social care funding

Cervical cancer: gap between screenings ‘can be increased to 10 years’

The length of time between cervical screenings can safely be extended to a decade for some women, research suggests.

The findings from researchers in the Netherlands show that for women over the age of 40 who test negative for the human papillomavirus (HPV), the gap between screening rounds could be increased to 10 years.

Almost 900 women in the UK died from cervical cancer in 2014, with the disease the most common cancer among women aged between 15 and 34. Among the risk factors for the disease is infection with certain types of HPV.

Women in the UK are currently invited for their first round of screening at the age of 25, with three-year intervals between screening rounds until the age of 49. Women aged between 50 and 64 are invited for screening every five years.

While screening has traditionally involved looking for abnormal cells from a smear test, followed by HPV testing if abnormalities are found, in July it was announced that the UK will shift to an approach whereby smear test samples will be screened for HPV first.

As a result, the UK is reconsidering its stance on the length of screening intervals, while in the Netherlands – which is also pursuing an HPV-first approach – intervals between screening rounds are set to increase from five years to 10 years from 2017 for HPV negative women over the age of 40.

A team of researchers from the Netherlands has now confirmed that the extension is safe. Writing in the British Medical Journal, the researchers describe how they analysed outcomes for more than 43,000 women aged between 29 and 61 years who enrolled in cervical screening trials, with a follow-up period of 14 years.

The results reveal that for women over the age of 40 who test negative for HPV, the risk of having the highest level of abnormal cells in the cervix was 72% lower than for younger women. The research also found that HPV testing is more accurate than examination of cells from smear tests when it comes to assessing cervical cancer risk.

The results, the authors say, suggests that for HPV-negative women, the increase in screening intervals for over-40s is justified.

“Based on the results for the most severe pre-cancer endpoint we think it is safe to extend from five to 10 years,” said Johannes Berkhof, a co-author of the research, from the VU university’s medical centre in Amsterdam.

But, the authors add, with a lack of data available it is unclear if there is a link between the risk of developing cervical cancer and age. “Close monitoring of interval cancers in between these two screening time points that are 10 years apart is crucial,” said Berkhof.

Dr Anne Mackie, Public Health England’s director of screening, said: “The UK national screening committee is currently carrying out a review to identify how often a woman should be tested for HPV. A consultation on the review findings will begin next year.

“Testing for HPV first will be rolled out into the English cervical screening programme over the next few years and we are currently working with NHS colleagues to ensure an effective implementation into the existing screening programme,” she added.

Dr Jana Witt, the health information officer at Cancer Research UK, described the study as important and said it could help to inform future changes to cervical screening programmes.

“It’s important to remember that whatever your screening history, always tell your doctor if you notice any unusual changes to your body such as bleeding between periods, during sex or after the menopause,” she added.

Cervical cancer: gap between screenings ‘can be increased to 10 years’

Increased Drug Screening Approaches – Easy Way of Harmonizing the Society

Increased Drug Screening Approaches – Easy Way of Harmonizing the Society

Could Dark Chocolate and Green Tea be the Perfect Combination for Increased Concentration?

 

A new study has found that combining dark chocolate with green tea could be a better concentration pick-me-up than coffee.

Hershey Company sponsored a scientific study to find out whether their new product idea could become the ultimate concentration booster. A team of researchers at Northern Arizona University conducted the study, which included 122 participants between the age of 18 and 25.

What were the results?

Five different cacao concentrations were used to test the mental response of all participants, with 60% cacao counting as the minimum for the dark chocolate category.

It was found that those who ate chocolate containing at least 60% cacao were more alert and attentive, but also showed an increase in blood pressure. When green tea was added to the same chocolate, their blood pressure decreased!

“It’s remarkable! The potential here is for a heart-healthy chocolate confection that contains a high level of cacao with L-theanine that is good for your heart, blood pressure, and helps you pay attention”, says Larry Stevens, a professor of psychological sciences at North Arizona University who led the study.

The study was published in the Neuro-Regulation journal and claims to be the first to used electroencephalogram (EEG) technology, which measures electrical activity in the brain. By doing so, researchers were able to capture images of brain activity after the stimulants were given to participants, which helped them to prove the direct and positive effect of a green tea and dark chocolate combination.

What’s L-Theanine?

L-theanine is a type of amino acid found almost exclusively in tea and is especially potent in pure green tea.

It is known as a non-sedating relaxant, which helps to calm nerves, clear the mind, and reduce blood pressure naturally. Combined with dark chocolate, L-theanine is highly effective at reducing blood pressure while complementing the concentration and energy boost that the caffeine in both products gives.

Where to get it?

Professor Stevens says that green tea dark chocolate bars are not available on the market yet, but that Hershey’s was so impressed by the studies that they plan to include it in their new product launches.

Recent studies have already proven that including dark chocolate, red wine, and green tea in a healthy diet can boost weight loss, balance blood pressure, and increase energy and concentration, so the new findings come as no surprise.

Any other health benefits?

Dark chocolate is packed with iron, fiber, magnesium, caffeine, protein, antioxidants, and a range of vitamins and minerals, which has been proven to help with weight loss, anxiety, headaches, and preventing multiple diseases.

Green tea is packed with antioxidants, polyphenols, catechins, caffeine, and L-theanine, which helps with boosting mental, physical, and overall wellbeing.

While a variety of chocolate bars and green teas are available on the market, it’s best to stick to chocolate containing 60-100% cacao and pairing it with a cup of organic green tea.

The good thing is, the more intense the cacao concentration is, the less refined sugar you’ll get, which is excellent for promoting better health!

Could Dark Chocolate and Green Tea be the Perfect Combination for Increased Concentration?

US teen pregnancy rate drops to record low due to "increased contraceptive use"

A precipitous drop in the US teenage pregnancy rate to record lows was driven by improved use of contraception, a new analysis from the Guttmacher Institute found.

“There was no significant change in adolescent sexual activity during this time period,” Dr Laura Lindberg, a principal research scientist with the Guttmacher Institute and the paper’s lead author, said in a statement. “Rather, our new data suggest that recent declines in teens’ risk of pregnancy – and in their pregnancy rates – are driven by increased contraceptive use.”

Linberg and her co-authors found that while teenage girls’ sexual activity remained constant from 2007 to 2012, the percentage of sexually active teens who used at least one type of birth control the last time they had sex increased significantly, rising from 78% to 86%.

The researchers found the use of all “highly effective methods”, like the birth control pill or IUD, increased from 2007 to 2009. There was a marginal significant increase in the use of the IUD or implant from 2007 to 2009 and in use of the pill overall. There were non-significant increases in condom use and withdrawal, while use of the ring or patch declined significantly over the 2007 to 2012 period.

The changes in contraceptive use resulted in a 28% decline in pregnancy risk index from 2007 to 2012. Not only did improvements in contraceptive use drive that entire decline, but they were also responsible for neutralizing a 6% rise in risk over the same period due to increased sexual activity among teens. The pregnancy risk index is a calculation that “summarizes the risk of pregnancy among all adolescent women, estimating the influence of both changes in the level of recent sexual activity and changes in the level of contraceptive risk”, according to the study.

In April, the Guttmacher Institute reported that the national pregnancy rate declined 23%from 2008 to 2011 for women aged 15 to 19, falling from a rate of 68.2 pregnancies per 1,000 women to 52.4. That means about 5% of teens became pregnant in 2011. It was the “lowest rate observed in the last four decades”, they said, with declines across all 50 states and racial and ethnic groups, though some disparities remained. In 2011, they found a rate of 31.3 births per 1,000 teen women, down from 40.2 in 2008, and 13.5 abortions per 1,000 teen women, down from 18.1 in 2008.

The new study used data from the National Survey of Family Growth, a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on sexual activity, contraceptive use and contraceptive failures to estimate the pregnancy risk index for the years 2007, 2009 and 2012.

The authors noted it was important to ensure teenagers’ “access to comprehensive sexuality education that provides medically accurate information about contraception”. They wrote that the percentage of adolescents “who report receiving formal instruction about birth control has declined, while the share receiving only abstinence instruction has increased”. The American Academy of Pediatricians recently urged doctors to fill in the gaps of sexual health education with their patients. They noted that abstinence-heavy education is a concern for doctors when it comes to reducing sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies, as those programs can exclude information about contraceptives.

The internet, the authors suggested, can offer new opportunities for teenagers looking for information on sexual health, and recommend further research to examine that hypothesis. A separate study from last year found a correlation between decline in transmission of sexually transmitted infections and access to high-speed internet.

“Policy discussions should focus on supporting teen contraceptive use generally, including ensuring access to a full range of contraceptive education, counseling and methods,” Heather Boonstra, the Guttmacher Institute’s director of public policy, said in the release.

The Guttmacher Institute’s study used data up until 2012, however, more recent data from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey “shows sharp declines in sexual activity among high school students from 2013 to 2015 – after a long plateau from 2001 to 2013”, the authors wrote. “At this point, it is unclear whether these new data represent a new trend or are the result of other factors,” the authors wrote.

Another analysis from earlier this month found that millennials are having less sex than those in previous generations.

US teen pregnancy rate drops to record low due to "increased contraceptive use"

Increased type 2 diabetes risk linked to early or late menopause

An early or late menopause increases the risk of women developing type 2 diabetes, a study has found.

Researchers who analysed data on 124,000 women found that those whose fertility came to an end in their mid-40s or earlier were 25% more likely to become diabetic than women who reached the menopause between 46 and 55.

A menopause after the age of 55 increased the risk of diabetes by 12%.

In the UK, the average age at which a woman has her final menstrual period is 51.

Related: Everything you wanted to know about diabetes

Dr Erin LeBlanc, from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in the US, said: “Our study suggests the optimal window for menopause and diabetes risk is between the ages of 45 and 55.

“Women who start menopause before or after that window should be aware that they are at higher risk and should be especially vigilant about reducing obesity, eating a healthy diet and exercising. These lifestyle changes will help to reduce their risk for type 2 diabetes.”

After menopause, levels of the hormone oestrogen decline and this has been linked to increased body fat and appetite, slower metabolism and higher blood sugar.

While previous research has associated early menopause with an increased risk of diabetes, the new findings are the first to show that the condition is also linked to later menopause.

The new study, reported in the journal Menopause, also found an association between the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and the length of a woman’s “lifetime reproductive cycle” – the time span between her first and last period.

Women with a lifetime reproductive cycle of less than 30 years were 37% more likely to develop diabetes than those with “medium length” cycles of 36 to 40 years, the study found.

Long reproductive cycles of more than 45 years were associated with a 23% increased risk of diabetes.

The study formed part of the Women’s Health Initiative, a large US investigation of postmenopausal women focusing on the prevention of heart disease, bone fractures, and breast and bowel cancer.

Increased type 2 diabetes risk linked to early or late menopause