Many people who tried going meatless one day a week to call attention to food and climate change continued after the campaign ended, a new study says.
Researchers surveyed 320 households from Bedford, New York, that took part in the town’s “Meatless Monday” campaign in 2018. For 12 weeks, participants ate no meat one day a week.
Health fell as a reason
In a survey six months later, nearly 57% of respondents said they were eating less meat than before the campaign, and more than 70% said they skip meat every Monday or at least once a week.
Nearly 70% said it was easy or very easy to cut back, and 68% said they were more committed to going meatless on one day of the week.
Respondents said the biggest challenge was friend and family preferences for and/or eating habits around meat.
Participants were also surveyed at the start and end of the campaign. In all three surveys, health was the most common reason given for eating less meat.
At the end of the 12-week campaign, health fell as a reason while climate change, the environment, energy saving and water conservation moved up.
In the six-month follow-up survey, climate and environment fell slightly as reasons for reducing meat consumption but were still higher than at the start, according to the findings.
Most effective strategies
The study was presented last week at a meeting of the American Public Health Association, in Philadelphia.
Researchers noted that Bedford, New York, has a higher education and income level than the average US community.
“As a result, the results skew toward higher awareness and smaller levels of behaviour change because they were already eating less meat,” said study author Becky Ramsing. She’s a senior programme officer at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future at the Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
“At the same time, the findings can help us understand which strategies may be most effective in building community awareness and action around food and climate,” Ramsing said in a meeting news release.
Research presented at meetings is generally considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Many people around the world struggle with something that’s meant to come naturally – the simple act of falling asleep.
Leah Green is out to find out why curing insomnia is so hard when the problem seems so simple, especially when there are so many out there who dole out unsolicited, and often unfounded, advice.
Gut health is extremely important, and ensuring that you take in the right fuel means that your system will work optimally.
If you put the wrong kind of food into your body, you could end up suffering from gas, heartburn, bloating, constipation or diarrhoea – to name just a few.
In this video, a number of gut health specialists share their golden rules with us.
Dr Alison Bentley is a general practitioner who has consulted in sleep medicine and sleep disorders, in both adults and children of all ages, for almost 30 years. She also researches and publishes on a number of sleep-related topics both in formal research journals and lay publications including as editor of Sleep Matters, an educational newsletter on sleep disorders for doctors.
Sleep problems could increase your risk for heart attack, stroke and other heart and brain diseases, a new study suggests.
It included 487 200 people in China, average age 51, with no history of stroke or heart disease. They were asked if they had any of these problems three or more times a week: trouble falling asleep or staying asleep; waking up too early; or trouble staying focused during the day due to poor sleep.
Stronger link in young adults
Eleven percent said they had trouble falling asleep or staying asleep; 10% reported waking up too early; and 2% struggled to focus during the day.
During an average 10-year follow-up, there were just over 130 000 cases of stroke, heart attack and similar diseases.
Compared to those with no insomnia symptoms, people with all three were 18% more likely to develop these diseases.
“The link between insomnia symptoms and these diseases was even stronger in younger adults and people who did not have high blood pressure at the start of the study, so future research should look especially at early detection and interventions aimed at these groups,” said study author Dr Liming Li, from Peking University in Beijing.
Of people who had trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, 32% had a stroke or heart problem, compared to 26% of others.
The risk of these diseases was 7% higher among people who woke too early and could not get back to sleep, and 13% higher for those who had trouble staying focused.
Only an association
The findings were published online in the journal Neurology.
The study does not prove insomnia symptoms cause heart attack and stroke, only that there is an association between them. Li said the findings merit further investigation.
“These results suggest that if we can target people who are having trouble sleeping with behavioural therapies, it’s possible that we could reduce the number of cases of stroke, heart attack and other diseases later down the line,” he said in a journal news release.
Is there such a thing as “sex drive foods”? Seems so. One study shows that vitamin C may increase libido in women. Another finds that people who eat foods high in vitamin C report better moods and have more sex. We’ll take that as another good reason to eat more vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables.
Blood flow… where it counts
But there are many other sex and heart-healthy reasons to get enough of this antioxidant. It helps boost blood flow, meaning that both sexes can get friskier, faster. Something else to note, men who consume at least 200mg of vitamin C a day improve their sperm counts and motility, according to research at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
In the study, 75 men aged 20 to 35 (all heavy smokers with poor sperm quality) were divided into three groups: two that took 200mg and 1 000mg of vitamin C, respectively, and a group that took a dummy pill. The daily vitamin C takers significantly improved the quality of their sperm, with the 1 000mg group showing the greatest boost in sperm counts. In a later study, 30 infertile men were able to impregnate their partners after just 60 days of vitamin C supplementation. In some men, fertility was restored in just four days. Vitamin C also keeps sperm from clumping, so they have a better chance of reaching their destination, says Dr Marc Goldstein.
So, which “sex drive foods” should I add to my grocery list?
Grapefruit contains 120 percent of the recommended daily allowance of 90mg of vitamin C for men. Other excellent sources are kiwi, mango, oranges, spanspek, strawberries, broccoli, tomatoes, leafy greens and ascorbic acid supplements.
When in the produce aisle, also pick up some watermelon. They are filled with high concentrations of the good-for-your-heart, good-for-sex phytonutrients lycopene, beta carotene, and, the big one, citrulline, which is particularly exciting for its ability to relax blood vessels, according to studies at Texas A&M University in the US.
Watermelon for the win
When you eat watermelon, the citrulline is converted into the helpful amino acid arginine. “Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, the same basic effect that Viagra has, to treat erectile dysfunction and maybe even prevent it,” explainsDr Bhimu Patil, director of the Texas A&M’s Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Centre.
Patil says the citrulline-arginine relationship may be especially beneficial to people who suffer from obesity and type-2 diabetes because it may boost their circulatory and immune systems. You’ve known how to eat a watermelon since you were three, but there are other ways to enjoy summer’s sweet treat besides slurping and spitting seeds. Make a watermelon shake: put 1 cup seedless watermelon chunks into a blender, add 180ml plain Greek yoghurt, 1 teaspoon of either honey or agave sweetener and 6 ice cubes. Blend well. Makes one serving.
Cannabidiol (CBD), a compound derived from dagga, has taken off in South Africa since its legalisation in May this year with, among others, pharmaceutical stores Clicks and Dis-Chem rolling out the oil. (Prices start at R295, Business Insider reported last month.)
But for most people, the concept is still new, and what you don’t know can hurt you. When it comes to CBD oils, there are many to choose from, including low quality ones. And very importantly, you need to ascertain whether what you’re buying is legal.
Buying legal CBD
In a media statement by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and the South African Police Service (SAPS), the following warrants special attention:
12-month exclusion notice
According to the statement, products with low concentrations of CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the psychoactive substance that gives one a “high” – are legal, based on the 12-month exclusion notice published by the health minister in May this year.
This means that CBD-containing preparations for medicinal use are allowed to be sold when they contain a maximum daily dose of 20 mg of CBD with an accepted low-risk claim or health claims, and don’t refer to any specific disease.
The products cannot contain more than 0,1 % of THC when in a form that is not suitable for ingestion, smoking or inhaling purposes. CBD-containing processed products are legal when the naturally occurring quantities of CBD and THC contained in the product do not exceed 0,0075 % and 0,001 % of CBD and THC respectively.
Any CBD-containing products that are outside the parameters of the exclusion notice are subject to the provisions of the Schedules and registration as a medicine.
Marketing of illegal products
Although the sale of CBD oils has been legalised, there are hundreds of products being sold to the public, and SAPS warns that the establishment of illegal dispensaries/outlets, online sites and social media platforms which are marketing and selling cannabis and cannabis-related products to the public remain illegal, as these are in contravention of the act and the exclusion notice.
“In terms of the exclusion notice, the CBD-containing preparations, or medicines, are allowed a maximum daily dose of 20mg per day, and it can make a general health awareness claim.
“As soon as someone is making a medicinal or therapeutic claim to treat or cure a specific disease or symptoms, those need to be registered with SAHPRA, so stay away from products making therapeutic claims that aren’t registered with SAHPRA.”
The statement also points out that SAPS is mandated to and will act, not only against businesses that sell cannabis illegally, but also against the customers who buy these products.
When assessing the quality, or looking to buy the best quality CBD Hemp Oil, Dr Alison Richardson, neurologist and spokesperson for Oil Science – a company that specialises in the supply of premium CBD products – also cautions that knowing your source is key, and that you should remember the following:
There are different types of CBD out there
Since CBD was removed from South Africa’s list of highly-controlled drugs, there has been an influx of retailers stocking various CBD products. However, CBD oil comes in varying degrees of strength and quality.
Although you can find a lot of variations cheaply, they’ll be of lower quality and won’t really offer therapeutic benefits, which is essentially what you’re looking for. Ensure that the product you’re buying is cultivated naturally, contains no THC and is 100% organic and certified.
There are also two types of CBD oil that vary in colour:
Raw: the oil is black or dark green in appearance since it has been extracted from raw hemp material, with no further purification process implemented. This type will contain plant matter, and varying amounts of THC and chlorophyll.
Filtered: the oil is a light golden or amber colour because it has undergone decarboxylation and a filtering process where parts of the plant that were left over from the initial extraction process are removed.
Know your hemp from marijuana
Since hemp and cannabis come from the same plant, many people still confuse hemp with its narcotic cousin. But hemp contains higher levels of CBD and lower levels of the psychoactive element THC (that makes you “high”) than marijuana.
Check the label
Consumers need to look out for certified products and companies that are transparent about what goes into their products. Reputable CBD retailers use and publish Certificates of Analysis (COA) that will tell you the quality of the CBD source and list important information such as its potency and solvent levels.
The certification ensures that, through analysis, the natural integrity of the products is maintained. Check the labels and read the instructions carefully, as the dosages can have different strengths.
If the product doesn’t contain a COA, give them a miss, as you could end up buying a product that’s fraudulent or even toxic.
If you’ve noticed unregistered CBD items, SAHPRA and SAPS urge the public to make them aware of the products that contravene the act (and are illegal).
You can download the MySAPS App on any iPhone or android to have easy access to the police. You can also provide any information relating to the sale of cannabis to the SAPS through the SAPS Crime Stop number 086 00 10111. Callers may remain anonymous and all information will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Teen girls who play several sports have a lower injury risk than those who focus on just one, a new study finds.
It included more than 1 100 girls who play basketball, soccer and volleyball. Most were middle and high school students; some were in college.
Improved coordination
Girls who specialise too early in sports such as basketball, soccer and volleyball could find that a single-minded focus “may hinder motor development and lead to compromised hip and knee coordination during dynamic landing and jumping activities, which can lead to increased chance of potentially life-altering injuries”, said lead author Christopher DiCesare. He’s a biomechanist in the Division of Sports Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio.
The study also found that girls who focused on a single sport had a higher rate of hip and knee injuries and an increased risk of knee pain.
Researchers said playing multiple sports may improve girls’ coordination, and that those who specialise may not fully develop neuromuscular coordination patterns that can reduce the risk of injury.
Increasing emphasis on success
Due to uneven growth in bone mineral and muscular and connective tissue strength before and during puberty, young athletes may be less able than older ones to handle the physical stresses associated with focusing on one sport, the study published in the Journal of Athletic Training concluded.
“By understanding the influence that sport specialisation has on coordination and the potential for injuries, there is the potential to make better decisions of when it may be appropriate to safely specialise in a sport,” DiCesare said in a journal news release.
More than 30 million young people participate in individual or team sports, and an increasing emphasis on the success has pushed many to specialise.
