By almost any measure, meat alternatives are rapidly gaining in popularity.

The explosion of innovation in plant-based meat alternatives is evident along grocery store aisles and on restaurant menus – and the products aren’t only for vegetarians and vegans. Nielsen data show 98% of people who buy meat alternatives also buy meat.

Getting enough protein

But whether people are choosing so-called alt-meats for ethical or health reasons, they should be careful to compensate for the loss of nutrients, experts say. That goes double for people moving away from animal products entirely.

“You do have to be more intentional about it,” said Jo Ann Carson, a retired professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “People can easily find protein elsewhere, but if they’re not having any animal products – if they’re not having any dairy, meat or eggs – they might have a hard time getting enough grams of protein in the foods they’re eating.”

For example, regular tofu contains about 8g of protein per 100g. The same amount of ground beef includes about 19g of protein, and ground chicken contains about 17g. Federal dietary guidelines recommend that 10 to 35% of daily calories come from protein. That’s equivalent to 46g of protein a day for adult women and 56g for adult men.

But there’s more to meat consumption than just protein.

“Iron from beef is very well absorbed, but plant iron not so much so,” said Mary Ellen Camire, a professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Maine. “The big thing is vitamin B12 because you can only get that from animal products or supplements. So for some people, that is a risk factor. They may be at risk for developing anaemia.”

Food that is more processed

According to restaurant consulting group Baum+Whiteman, 31% of Americans practice meat-free days, and 83% say they’re adding plant-based foods to their diets to improve health and nutrition. But in the case of many alternative meats, perception may not mirror reality.

“Using vegetable-based meat substitutes, you typically are eating food that is more processed,” Carson said. “I don’t think we know all of the ramifications of that.”

People should be aware of the tradeoffs if they choose meat alternatives for health reasons, Camire said.

“A lot of them are designed so that they are more comparable to some of the more structured proteins, but they’re a blessing and a curse,” Camire said. “It might have as much protein as the real meat, but it probably has a lot more sodium, and it may even have more saturated fat.

“Some of the fake burgers are actually putting little globs of coconut fat in there to make it juicy when you bite into it.”

A lot of additives

According to news reports, many new meat substitutes smell, feel and even “bleed” like meat because they are genetically engineered or highly processed.

“It’s a little bit ironic today, when everyone is wanting clean labels, that some of these meat alternatives actually have a lot of additives in them,” Camire said.

Beans and legumes such as chickpeas, lentils and soybeans can be a healthy alternative to meat, she said. In addition to protein, they are good sources of other nutrients such as fibre and iron.

In general, as with most dietary choices, the key is to strive for a balance between animal products, fruits, vegetables and other dietary choices that satisfy nutrition requirements, Camire said.

But that’s challenging, she added, because “moderation and variety are not sexy topics.”

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If you’re getting anything under the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep a night, it could lead to several chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, and put you at risk for obesity.

A previous Health24 article notes that sleep deprivation can also affect the digestive system and immune system, and that “catch-up” sleep on the weekend does not reverse the effects on your metabolism.

A new study now adds to the evidence of the harmful effects of lack of sleep on our health. 

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University report that just a few days of sleep deprivation had made participants feel less full after eating. More than this, it caused the fat in their food to metabolise differently.

Restricting participants’ sleep

While many existing studies focus on lack of sleep’s effects on glucose metabolism and its link to diabetes, there are only a handful that have assessed digestion of lipids from food.

The study, published in the Journal of Lipid Research, had 15 healthy men in their 20s checked into a sleep lab for ten nights. This was after they had spent a week getting plenty of sleep at home. For five of the ten nights, participants spent no more than five hours in bed each night.

Sleep deprivation affects fat metabolism

Participants received a standardised high-fat dinner which consisted of a bowl of chilli mac after four nights of sleep restriction. This was to assess whether an uncomfortable schedule could affect their metabolism.

“It was very palatable – none of our subjects had trouble finishing it – but very calorically dense,” said Kelly Ness, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington who ran the study.

Researchers found that most participants felt less satisfied after eating the same rich meal while sleep deprived than when they had eaten it well-rested.

Insight into digestion

Participants’ blood samples were also analysed. It was found that that sleep restriction led to a faster clearance of lipids from the blood after a meal. This could predispose people to put on weight. 

“The lipids weren’t evaporating – they were being stored,” explained Orfeu Buxton, professor at Penn State and a senior author of the study.

Although the study has its limitations in that it was highly controlled and focused on healthy young people, it gives worthwhile insight into digestion, said Ness.

Bottom line: if you’re watching your weight, make sure you get enough shuteye.  

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Compiled by Zakiyah Ebrahim

Falling school grades could be a sign of hearing loss in children, according to the American Academy of Audiology.

“A child with just minor hearing loss can be missing a significant amount of the classroom discussion,” said academy president Lisa Christensen.

Signs often unrecognised

“There are children who have been diagnosed with a learning disability when really what they need are hearing aids,” Christensen added in an academy news release. She’s with Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

Along with struggles in the classroom, hearing problems can lead to behavioural issues, lack of focus and even depression in children.

Many children with hearing loss don’t recognise that they have a problem, and parents may not recognise the signs.

• Look for difficulty following through with assignments and often seeming unable to understand the task. Other tipoffs include not understanding questions and either not responding or not responding appropriately.
• Children with hearing problems may struggle to pronounce simple words or repeat a phrase. They may also have articulation problems or language delays.
• Does your child often ask you to repeat things, watch your face intently in order to understand what you’re saying or have difficulty hearing on the phone? Those could be signs of hearing loss, too.
• Some other red flags: speaking loudly when not warranted, having chronic ear pain, complaining of noises they can’t identify, and struggling to keep up in school.

“Often parents and teachers overlook the fact that a child’s behaviour may be a sign of hearing loss,” Christensen said.

Total number unknown

“If parents suspect an issue, they should have their child evaluated by an audiologist. Audiologists have the tools and training to identify hearing loss, degrees of hearing loss, and can recommend solutions,” she said.

About two to three of every 1 000 children in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears, according to the US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

However, many cases go undiagnosed, and the total number of US children with some type of hearing loss is unknown.

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A vaccine against the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia appears safe and potentially effective, an early trial suggests.

The phase 1 study included 35 healthy women. Those who were given injections of two possible vaccines developed antibodies to the chlamydia bacteria, but a lot more testing is needed before the vaccine would be ready for the public, the researchers added.

Promising first step

“An effective vaccine against chlamydia would have enormous public health and economic impact,” said lead researcher Frank Follmann. He is director of infectious disease immunology at the Center for Vaccine Research at Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“This is a promising first step on the road to develop a vaccine,” he said. “The success of the HPV [human papillomavirus] vaccine has shown us how effective vaccination can be against a sexually transmitted infection. We hope to do the same with chlamydia and, in the long term, combine the two vaccines.”

The results of this study are encouraging, and larger trials are planned, Follmann said. “The goal is to vaccinate girls [and potentially boys] before they become sexually active,” he explained.

One expert said the findings show promise.

“Developing a vaccine against chlamydia has been challenging,” said Fred Wyand, a spokesman for the American Sexual Health Association. “The study gives reason to be hopeful that vaccination to prevent chlamydia will someday be possible, but that goal lies in the future.”

In the meantime, Wyand added, “it’s important to keep in mind that chlamydia is easily diagnosed, treated and cured. This is why it’s so important to test, and experts like the CDC recommend annual chlamydia testing for all sexually active women age 25 and under.”

Nearly six times more antibodies

In the vaccine trial, the women were randomly assigned to one of two different vaccines or a placebo.

All of the women who received the vaccine produced antibodies to chlamydia, but one of the vaccines, called CTH522:CAF01, produced nearly six times more antibodies than the other vaccine, the investigators found.

That’s the formula the researchers think should be pursued. From these results, however, it isn’t a certainty that the vaccine will protect someone from chlamydia or if the protection will last over the long term, the researchers noted.

The most common side effect was reactions at the injection site, including pain and tenderness. These were mild and lasted only two to four days.

“Research shows that the combination of antibodies and T-cells can protect against chlamydia, but the vaccine needs to be tested in larger and more long-term clinical trials to see if it protects against infection in humans,” Follmann said.

Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world. It’s caused by bacteria and infects 131 million people a year. It is mostly found in teens and young adults.

Likelihood of other STIs

Because most cases don’t have symptoms, the actual number of people infected might be much higher, the researchers said.

Both men and women can get the infection. Women get chlamydia in the cervix, rectum or throat. Men can get it inside the penis, rectum or throat. Chlamydia can be easily cured with antibiotics.

But one in six women who get the infection will suffer from pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause chronic pelvic pain, infertility or ectopic pregnancy, where the egg is implanted outside the uterus, in the oviduct or fallopian tube.

Chlamydia is also associated with a likelihood of contracting other sexually transmitted infections, such as gonorrhoea and HIV.

Women who are infected with chlamydia during pregnancy also have a higher risk for miscarriage, stillbirth and preterm birth.

The report was published online in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Protection despite infection

Dr Toni Darville is a professor of paediatrics, microbiology and immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Although clinical vaccine testing for chlamydia is in its infancy, this trial suggests optimism for the future,” she said.

Questions that remain include whether the vaccine could protect women against upper reproductive tract damage, even if it can’t prevent infection, she added.

“If the immune cells can kill the chlamydia infection before it reaches the oviducts or fallopian tubes, it could provide protection from the disease despite infection,” said Darville, who co-wrote an accompanying editorial.

Darville also wonders if the vaccine were given to both men and women if it could protect women, who bear the brunt of the disease, from the infection.

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HealthDay

There are many factors that play a role in heart health and preventing heart disease.

Factors such as physical inactivity, high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol and diabetes play a greater role than genetics in many young patients with heart disease, according to research presented at the ESC Congress 2019.

Findings showed that healthy behaviours should be a high priority in reducing heart disease, even for people with a family history of early onset. 

The study enrolled a total of 1 075 patients under the age of 50, of whom 555 suffered from coronary artery disease (premature CAD). Specific conditions looked at were stable angina, heart attack and unstable angina. The average age was 45 years old and 87% were men.

Factors assessed

Risk factor genetics and levels were then compared to a control group consisting of 520 healthy participants (of which, the average age was 44 and 86% were men). Both sets of participants were recruited from the Genes in Madeira and Coronary Disease (GENEMACOR) database.

There were five modifiable factors which were assessed:

• Physical inactivity
• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes

73% of patients had at least three of the risk factors compared to 31% of the control group. The likelihood of developing CAD increased with each additional risk factor in both groups. It was estimated that the probability of CAD respectively was:

• 3 times higher with 1 risk factor
• 7 times higher with 2 risk factors
• 24 times higher with 3 or more risk factors

Genetics – an important factor, but not an excuse

Dr Joao A. Sousa of Funchal hospital on the island of Madeira said, “Genetics are an important contributor to premature heart disease but should not be used as an excuse to say it’s inevitable.”

He added, “In our clinical practice, we often hear young patients with premature heart disease ‘seek shelter’ and explanations in their genetics/family history.

“However, when we look at the data in our study, these young patients were frequently smokers, physically inactive, with high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure – all of which can be changed.”

He concluded: “Our study provides strong evidence that people with a family history of premature heart disease should adopt healthy lifestyles, since their poor behaviours may be a greater contributor to heart disease than their genetics.

“That means quitting smoking, exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet and getting blood pressure and alcohol levels checked.”

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Deeanne Daniels