In this week’s article, we provide a roundup of some of the most recent health and nutrition related articles in the news, five items comprising:
- Gut bacteria may damage liver by turning carbs into alcohol
- Why the world is becoming more allergic to food
- Probiotic supplements may help obese children lose weight, study claims
- Effort to cut sugar out of food way off target
- Study reveals Omega-3 is gold standard in mental health nutrients
Gut bacteria may damage liver by turning carbs into alcohol
Researchers found that strains of the gut bacterium Klebsiella pneumonia can raise a person’s blood alcohol level in the absence of alcohol consumption. They link this to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in mice and humans.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common condition in which excess fat accumulates in a person’s liver. A 2019 study in the Journal of Hepatology estimates the global prevalence of NAFLD to be around 25%.
In the United States, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NDDK), which is part of the Institutes of Health (NIH), puts the number of adults living with NAFLD at between 30 and 40%. They estimate the number of children aged 2-19 with NAFLD at close to 10%.
Read the full article here.
Related Cytoplan blog
The gut ecosystem and microbial diversity
Why the world is becoming more allergic to food
Around the world, children are far more likely than ever before to develop food allergies.
Inquiries into the deaths of British teenagers after eating buttermilk, sesame and peanut have highlighted the sometimes tragic consequences. Last year, a six-year-old girl in Western Australia died as the result of a dairy allergy.
The rise in allergies in recent decades has been particularly noticeable in the West. Food allergy now affects about 7% of children in the UK and 9% of those in Australia, for example. Across Europe, 2% of adults have food allergies.
Read the full article here.
Related Cytoplan blog
Food allergies – symptoms, mechanisms & nutritional interventions
Probiotic supplements may help obese children lose weight, study claims
Obese children who take probiotic supplements alongside regular exercise are more likely to lose weight, a new study has claimed.
Scientific researchers investigated whether probiotic supplements are beneficial for children who are overweight. The team assessed 54 children aged between six and 14, all of whom were classed as obese.
The scientists measured the participants’ weight and metabolic health markers – which includes attributes such as their blood glucose levels – at the beginning and end of a 12-week period.
Read the full article here.
Related Cytoplan blog
Probiotics – what are they and how do they work?
Efforts to cut sugar out of food way off target
Efforts to cut a fifth of the sugar out of our food by next year are way off target, figures from Public Health England show.
Between 2015 and 2018 the average sugar content of shop-bought food fell by just 2.9% and the amount of sugar we actually eat has gone up. This is despite a tax on sugary drinks leading to 29% fall in their sugar content.
The food industry said the voluntary target was too ambitious. But experts said parts of the industry were “asleep at the wheel” and not tackling obesity. Obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease and is putting millions of people at risk of cancer.
Read the full article here.
Related Cytoplan blog
Sugar intake in Children – more than just a weight issue
Study reveals Omega-3 is gold standard in mental health nutrients
Omega-3 has been revealed as the most effective supplement for improving mental health in the world’s largest review of research into nutrient supplementation in people with mental disorders.
The meta-synthesis, published online yesterday (September 9th) in World Psychiatry, aimed to create a clear overview of the benefit of specific nutrient supplements – including dosage, target symptoms, safety and tolerability – across different mental disorders.
An international team of scientists led by Sydney’s NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, used a 33 meta-analyses of randomised control trials (RCTs) and data from 10, 951 people with mental health disorders including depression, stress and anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, schizophrenia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Read the full article here.
Related Cytoplan blog
Omega-3 supplements – making the appropriate choice
If you have any questions regarding the topics that have been raised, or any other health matters, please do contact me (Clare) by phone or email me at any time.
clare@cytoplan.co.uk, 01684 310099
Clare Daley and the Cytoplan Editorial Team
Last updated on 3rd November 2022 by cytoffice
