Breast implants contain either saline or silicone. (The recalled devices aren't pictured.) Donna McWilliam/APPhoto

On July 24, 2019, breast implant manufacturer Allergan removed itsBIOCELL textured breast implants from the market after the Food and Drug Administration requested the manufacturer do so for safety reasons.

The request came afterU.S. health officials urged doctors to stay on the lookout for breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, or BIA-ALCL, a rare form of cancer that's been linked to Allergan's textured breast implants.

In aletter the FDA sent to healthcare providers published in February 2019, the FDA said it wanted to increase awareness of BIA-ALCL, which the administrationfirst reported was linked to implants in 2011. Since then, more research has been published on this link, the letter said.

As of September 2018, the FDA had received 457 unique reports of BIA-ALCL, including nine deaths "which may be attributable" to the cancer, the letter added.It also called for doctors to report any cases of the condition to the FDA.

Currently, research estimates that the incidence of BIA-ALCL in people with implants can vary widely, from 1 in 3,817 patients to 1 in 30,000 patients, the FDA letter said.

The Allergan recall reminded consumers and doctors alike that breast implants, although common, are medical devices with potentially life-threatening side effects.

Some women began pursuing explants, or breast implant removal procedures, and some doctors have even stopped offering breast implants altogether thanks to thousands of women's reports of a mysterious "breast-implant illness" that gave them rashes, nausea, hair loss, and chronic inflammation.

In October, the FDA also urged all breast implant manufacturers to put black box warnings, the most serious type of medical warning, on all breast implants going forward.

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12 health revelations, innovations, and movements that changed how we live in the 2010s - INSIDER

Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition where the insulin your pancreas makes cant work properly, or your pancreas cant make enough insulin.

This impaired mechanism may seem harmless at first, but, if left untreated, it can raise your risk of developing life-threatening complications such as heart disease and stroke.

Luckily, there are alternative ways to control your blood sugar levels and diet is one key aspect of blood sugar management.

One tried-and-tested way to keep rising blood sugar levels at bay is to eat foods that rank low on the glycemic index.

The glycemic index measures the speed at which your body absorbs carbohydrates because this food group is broken down into glucose relatively quickly and therefore has a more pronounced effect on blood sugar levels.

Nuts are a great snack because they rank low on the glycemic index so your body absorbs the carbohydrates slowly.

Evidence suggests upping your intake of almonds in particular can bring blood-sugar lowering benefits.

READ MORE:Type 2 diabetes: Eating more of this type of food could naturally lower blood sugar

Type 2 diabetes: Almonds rank low on the GI index and have been shown to lower blood sugar (Image: Getty Images )

Although, as Diabetes.co.uk points out, is still preferable to swap out white bread for whole grain bread for optimal blood sugar management.

A another study found that eating almonds may help increase insulin sensitivity in people with prediabetes.

Prediabetes means that your blood sugars are higher than usual, but not high enough for you to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes so you are at a greater risk of developing the condition than the average person.

An additional benefit of eating almonds is that they are packed with magnesium a mineral that has been shown to have a positive effect on blood sugar levels.

Type 2 diabetes symptoms: Feeling thirsty all the time is a warning sign (Image: Getty Images )

According to Holland and Barrett, magnesium plays an important role in helping your body convert glucose from your food into fuel.

If you dont have enough magnesium in your body, your cells can become less effective at using insulin, explained the health site.

A study of 219 women published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that those with higher magnesium intakes had lower fasting insulin levels this means that they were more sensitive to the insulin in their bodies, so their blood sugar levels were more stable.

In addition to nuts, other rich sources of magnesium include:

Type 2 diabetes: What are the common warning signs? (Image: Getty Images )

According to the NHS, many people have type 2 diabetes without realising because symptoms do not necessarily make you feel unwell.

Symptoms include:

You should speak to your GP if you have any of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes or youre worried you may have a higher risk of getting it, advises the health body.

It added: The earlier diabetes is diagnosed and treatment started, the better. Early treatment reduces your risk of other health problems.

Originally posted here:
Type 2 diabetes: Include this type of nut in your diet to lower blood sugar - Invest Records

As Streetsblog readers know, we mark the end of the year with our annual Streetsie awards for the best and worst people, projects, ideas and efforts in the livable streets movement. Well be rolling out our year-end awards every day until New Years Eve, so sit back,look back, and enjoy

Two thousand nineteen was a year in which Not in My Back Yard groups fought vital transportation projects tooth and nail often taking to the courts to stop them.

Yet even so, the citys Department of Transportation inaugurated some sterling additions to the urban landscape that will make New York safer, cleaner and faster-moving. Heres a review of the most exciting transit projects of the year:

At some points this year, the busway appeared mired in court as NIMBY lawyer Arthur Schwartz and his band of wealthy-neighborhood associations plotted to foil the rollout of a transit project that benefits thousands of daily riders by brandishing specious claims about the need for environmental review. The project debuted in October and has not caused the massive traffic spillover onto side streets that its opponents predicted.

Its the exact kind of stand-out project that urbanists hope will revive the fortunes of cities by cutting carbon emissions, eliminating parking, and reclaiming streets from single-occupancy vehicles.

The results have been even more exciting than we thought, and its lifted our spirits to see the positive response, not just that the buses are moving faster, but the street feels calmer, DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said. Amen!

Finally waking up to the streetscape changes wrought by e-commerce and for-hire vehicles, DOT gingerly began a program designating some curb space in residential areas for trucks to load or unload all the parcels that people have been ordering. The need for such zones everywhere is obvious the glut of double-parked delivery truck, private vehicles and taxis, often blocking bus and bike lanes, has contributed to noise, pollution, crashes and even a number of traffic deaths.

Even so, some car-loving residents of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, complained loudly enough about losing a few places where they stored their private cars for free that the DOT backed off on some streets. But Trottenberg defended and strengthened the program. It should be expanded citywide.

Along Morris Park Avenue in the Bronx, a small group of business owners led by anti-street safety Council Member Mark Gjonaj won a court order that for a time halted the DOTs safety redesign of a roadway where 426 pedestrians and cyclists have been injured, with one fatality, since 2010. The road diet plan to tame speedway-like conditions would make it more difficult for residents and delivery trucks to unsafely double-park.

But, again, residents and some business owners objected to a loss of parking on the specious grounds that the city had not conducted enough of an environmental review. But the city prevailed, and an overjoyed Trottenberg heralded the safety benefits.

As we have seen dozens of times under Vision Zero, simple road diets like this save lives, she said.

Fat, fatal Eighth Avenue in Manhattan went on a road diet that will give its pedestrians and cyclists more protection by taking room away from drivers on the Theater District thoroughfare.

The DOT is transforming the area between 38th and 45th streets by reducing car lanes by 20 feet, extending a northbound protected bike lane that ended at 39th Street, and widening, by 10 feet, the overcrowded sidewalk from 39th to 41st streets.

The changes cant come fast enough for the deadly roadway. Between 2013 and 2017, drivers killed one pedestrian on the70-foot-wide avenue between just 38th and 45th streets, and severely injured 15 pedestrians and five cyclists. There were 220 total injuries in those five years on just seven blocks! Cyclist Chaim Joseph was killedat 45th Street earlier this year.

In yet another instance of the few NIMBYs car owners blocking progress for the many transit riders, some Queens residents (again represented by Arthur Schwartz) took to the courts to try to stave off a part-time, dedicated bus lane on Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood because it would take some metered parking.

But a sensible judge didnt take their word for it. He went to the street and looked for himself, andruled for the city. Now thousands of riders are enjoying bus speeds that have risen from the snails pace of 2.6 m.p.h. to 6 m.p.h, a 125-percent improvement.

The Central Park West protected bike lane which now extends north from Columbus Circle to 77th Street, despite the hindrance of a NIMBY lawsuit was a blood issue for safe-streets advocates. The death in 2018 of cyclist Madison Lyden, who was forced out of the streets then-unprotected bike lane by an illegally parked cab, then run over by a truck galvanized the bike community, which came out in force to protest the NIMBYs action.

Not only was the NIMBY crowds well-funded suit thrown out of court, cars were kicked from the curb through the repurposing of public space that many drivers think belongs to them. Now activists are asking DOT to make the lane even safer, by installingsplit-phase turning, a design that gives pedestrians and cyclists a separate signal phase from drivers so they can get through intersections, and bus boarding islands, to ensure that northbound buses can safely pick up passengers without having to fight through traffic.

The busway! Nothing gets Streetsblog more excited transportation-wise than this ultimate win-win: a road design that banishes cars in order to help bus riders. May it be the template for further such efforts.

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Streetsies 2019: The Best Transportation Project of the Year - Streetsblog St. Louis

A horn player (left) in this detail from a 1694 altar carving by Francesco Antonio d'Alberto in Piedmont, Italy, clearly has a swollen neck that signifies goiter, medical historians say. The thyroid condition was a sign of poverty in those days. Renzo Dionigi hide caption

A horn player (left) in this detail from a 1694 altar carving by Francesco Antonio d'Alberto in Piedmont, Italy, clearly has a swollen neck that signifies goiter, medical historians say. The thyroid condition was a sign of poverty in those days.

Shepherds in Christmas Nativity scenes that were painted, carved or sculpted hundreds of years ago sometimes have throats with large, abnormal growths.

These are realistic depictions of goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland caused by iodine deficiency. The condition was common in those days in northern Italy, where the soil and water are depleted of iodine.

"Goiter is more often seen in poor people," says retired surgeon Renzo Dionigi of the University of Insubria in Varese, Italy, who notes that the working classes in this region would historically not have a varied diet that might supply this vital nutrient.

"That's why, probably, the poor shepherds are depicted with goiters," he says.

He and his son, an endocrine surgeon named Gianlorenzo Dionigi, have for years enjoyed studying art and looking for signs of medical conditions. In the Sacri Monti ("Sacred Mountains") of Piedmont and Lombardy, they have visited chapels and churches created in the 16th and 17th centuries.

"In all the Sacri Monti that I and my son visited, we have been able to observe representations of goiters very, very often," says the elder Dionigi.

In one Nativity tableau from 1694, for example, a young horn player with a large goiter plays for the Holy Family. And in one fresco over the main door of the Aosta Cathedral, a shepherd with goiter plays his bagpipe for the newborn Jesus.

Finding goiter among the painted characters in the gorgeous exterior portal of the Aosta Cathedral in Aosta, Italy, isn't easy. Hint: Check the Nativity scene. Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty hide caption

Found it! The shepherd who gladdens the Holy Family with his bagpipe in the 16th-century Nativity fresco over the main door of the Aosta Cathedral has the swollen throat typical of a greatly enlarged thyroid gland. Renzo Dionigi hide caption

Dionigi and his son also recently reported on two wooden shepherds, both with enormous goiters, that were once part of a 16th-century Nativity scene.

This father and son are not the only surgeons interested in spotting goiter in artwork. Another recent report noted a large, obvious goiter on one of the shepherds visiting the baby Jesus in the 16th-century Adoration of Shepherds by Renaissance painter Alessandro Bonvicino.

Beyond Nativity scenes (where goiter isn't actually all that common, according to Dionigi), some historians of art and medicine seem to see almost any thick neck as evidence of goiter.

"The representation of thyroid swelling in art is a debated issue and has found considerable attention in the medical literature," one review article noted in 2018.

Dionigi thinks a putative goiter should count only if the artwork clearly and unambiguously shows the disease state.

"The real goiter is when the painter or the sculptor wants to depict the person with the goiter," he says.

Massive goiters sometimes show up on artists' portrayals of tormentors and executioners, apparently as a symbol of evil. But often, goiter just indicates that a person is poor or needy.

In one 17th-century terra-cotta sculpture from northern Italy, a person with an enormous goiter begs St. Francis for healing. "That's the hugest goiter I have ever seen in any sculpture," says Dionigi. "The size of that goiter in that sculpture is something like half a meter."

Dionigi's favorite artistic goiter appears on a woman portrayed in The Crucifixion of St. Andrew, by Caravaggio, at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Not too long ago, goiters were a common sight in the United States. Before iodized salt became available in the 1920s, the U.S. had a "goiter belt" around the Great Lakes and the Northwest region of the country.

And iodine deficiency isn't just a medical condition of the past.

Caravaggio's painting The Crucifixion of St. Andrew portrays an enlarged thyroid in one of the bystanders. Caravaggio/Cleveland Museum of Art hide caption

Caravaggio's painting The Crucifixion of St. Andrew portrays an enlarged thyroid in one of the bystanders.

About a third of the world's population currently lacks adequate iodine, says Angela Leung, an endocrinologist at UCLA and the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.

"That just ranges from very mild forms of iodine deficiency to more moderate subtypes," she says, noting that the body needs iodine to make thyroid hormone. Goiter seems to occur when the thyroid tries to bulk up to create more of it.

Goiter is one manifestation of not having enough thyroid hormone, she says, but other symptoms include fatigue, weight gain, sluggishness and dry skin.

In addition, thyroid hormone is needed for fetal brain development. The World Health Organization says that iodine deficiency is "the world's most prevalent, yet easily preventable, cause of brain damage."

The most common and effective public health measure to counter iodine insufficiency is to iodize salt. "Not all countries have chosen to universally iodize their salt," says Leung.

In the U.S., about 70% of household salt available in grocery stores is iodized. Nonetheless, certain groups might be vulnerable to iodine deficiency, such as pregnant women or people on restricted diets, like vegans, says Leung.

It is possible to overdo iodine consumption and end up with too much thyroid hormone.

"Getting the right balance is what we are striving for," says Leung, "but we're certainly not there yet on a global scale."

Overdoing iodine was clearly not a danger for the folks who lived in Italy during the Renaissance at least not for those influencing the religious artists who wanted to depict shepherds.

More:
Why Nativity Scene Shepherds Sometimes Have Goiter : Shots - Health News - NPR

WITH 2020 just round the corner, the New Year health is looming.

And the low-carb and keto diets are the two most popular diet plans, touted for weight loss.

Getty - Contributor

Keto involves eating no more than 30g of carbs a day plus a high amount of good fats, meat, dairy, nuts and oil.

It works by persuading the body to start burning its own fat supplies putting the body into a state called ketosis rather than burn the carbs in your diet.

A low-carb diet, on the other hand, means you can eat more carbs but without the generous portion of fats that you get with keto.

With both keto and low-carb diets being recommended by celebrities, friends and experts you may be left wondering which one to try.

To solve this, top nutritionists Terri-Ann Nunns and Helen Bond have shared their tips with us on which one really is the most effective

Many people claim a low-carb diet is the best way to get quick and easy weight loss results.

And nutritionist Terri-Ann, founder of theTerri Ann 123 Diet Plan, has now shown her support for this diet which has helped hundreds of her clients lose weight.

She emphasises that this regime will help speed up weight loss as by increasing your intake of proteins youll feel fuller.

Low-carbohydrate diets are a very successful way to lose weight sustainably, she says.

In a low carbohydrate diet, you reduce your intake of items such as bread, pasta, potatoes and sugary foods whilst protein foods such as meat, fish and vegetarian alternatives should be increased.

Having a high-protein element in your diet will help you to feel full

Reducing carbohydrates, for example bread, potatoes, pasta and sugars, is known to be effective in helping people to lose weight.

Having a high-protein element in your diet will help you to feel full despite consuming a lower amount of calories.

As well as blitzing body fat, Terri-Ann also stresses that low-carb diets can have other health benefits like lowering diabetic markers.

The obvious health benefit of following a low carb plan is weight loss, she adds.

Carbohydrates themselves are not necessarily the cause of weight gain.

The NHS says theres no evidence that eating bread and other wheat-based foods causes weight gain more than any other type of food.

If you eat more energy than your body uses, you will put on weight, regardless of what you eat.

The NHS says: Cutting out carbohydrates from your diet could put you at increased risk of a deficiency in certain nutrients, leading to health problems, unless youre able to make up for the nutritional shortfall with healthy substitutes.

Replacing carbohydrateswith fats and higher fat sources of protein could increase your intake of saturated fat, which can raise the amount of cholesterol in your blood a risk factor for heart disease.

Reducing the amount of carbohydrate in the diet can also help to improve blood sugar levels and insulin response which means it could be an effective diet for people with diabetes, pre-diabetes or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Despite this, Helen Bond,registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association, says she isnt keen on a low-carb diet as carbs are part of a healthy diet.

She adds: I am not a fan of low carbs carbs are a key part of a healthy balance diet and bring with them B vitamins for energy and fibre for a healthy gut.

Carbs and fibre are also the food for our gut microbes which new research also links to better weight and health overall.

Kim Kardashian, Gwyneth Paltrow and Tyson Fury are just a few of the celebrities who have credited the keto diet for keeping them in shape.

And while it can help people lose weight, Terri-Ann says it isnt the most sustainable of diets.

The keto or ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet, she says.

This means that the body uses fat for energy instead of carbohydrates, producing ketones an alternative energy source.

The keto diet, if done correctly, can help people to lose weight.

For weight loss that can be maintained, keto is not something I would recommend

Although it works for some, I dont often recommend it because many people arent able to sustain it in the long-term.

In particular, Terri-Ann says the keto diet is more for people looking for something to stick to in the long-term, rather than quick results.

She adds: You need to be very committed to stick to this diet for life.

Because of the nature of this type of diet, people tend to find it work best for a quick fix, however long-term and for weight loss that can be maintained, it is not something I would recommend.

There are four common mistakes people make on a keto diet that could be making them fatter

1. Dramatically cutting carbs

People go from a diet that is probably consumed moderate or high amounts of carbs to an extremely low amount, and this is a drastic change for the body. This is when theyre at risk of theketo flu.

2. Not drinking enough water

The body is washed-out of a lot of fluid especially when losing fat mass. The body flushes out the ketones in the urine which also depletes not just water but sodium, an important electrolyte, from the body.

3. Eating the right veg

Vegetables have carbohydrates and for a lot of people, this means watching how much is actually consumed. If youre not careful of the types of carbs on theketo diet, the affect is that people wont stay in that ketosis state.

4. Checking with a GP

Its important to check with a local doctor or a dietitian when thinking about undergoing the keto diet for the first time. People who are pregnant and breastfeeding should not undergo the keto diet because the risk follows in becoming insufficient in nutrients not only for yourself but for the infant.

On top of this, Helen Bond says that completely removing carbs from your diet can trigger other health drawbacks.

She adds: The aim of keto is to force the body to use fat as its main energy source when this happens a person produces ketones to fuel parts of the body that cannot use fat as an energy source like the brain.

Side effects of this are tiredness, fatigue, low mood, lack of concentration and bad breath.

Overall, both diets come with health benefits, including weight loss and an improvement of diabetic markers.

However, if you want to blitz body fat and not have a completely restrictive diet low-carb is probably the best way to go.

In particular, low-carb seems to be more sustainable whereas keto can be unrealistic for people who actually like eating carbs and who struggle to get enough fibre.

On top of this, a low-carb diet does not involve putting the body into an unnatural state like ketosis which is difficult to maintain and can trigger the keto flu and poor moods.

However, as Helen Bond says, carbs are a key part of our daily diet and provide us with energy and fibre for a healthy gut.

So, if you are going to opt for the low-carb diet, make sure youre still having a healthy balanced diet.

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Weight loss: Low carb vs keto diet experts reveal which helps you shed pounds faster - The Irish Sun

This post was written for Daily Hive byElizabeth Emery. Follow along on her plant-based adventures onVancouver with Love.

Thinking of going vegan for the new year?

I know how difficult it can be to make that change, from reading ingredient labels and explaining your new diet to friends to craving regular dairy-packed ice cream and cheesy pizza.

If youre wondering how to go (and stay) vegan, here are some tips on how to make it happen, and stay on track.

The most common mistake people make when going vegan is thinking they have to do it overnight. You dont! Its fantastic if you want to adopt a vegan diet cold turkey (excuse the pun), but why not start by simply reducing your consumption of animal products a little bit at a time?

Friends chatting/Shutterstock

There is a lot of support out there for anyone wondering how to adopt a more plant-based diet.Veganuaryis a great resource, as are local vegan meet-ups and social events with other plant-based peeps.

Changing your diet doesnt have to be hard work, and with a little organization, it can be simple.Plan the meals youre going to cook ahead of time, make a list, and grocery shop intentionally just for the ingredients. (Oh, and ALWAYS shop on a full stomach so thay youre less tempted by all the treats.)

Beyond Meat Burgers/Shutterstock

Most people focus on what theyre cutting out of their diet when they go vegan. For every food youre worried about giving up, take time to find an alternative you love. Foods like theBeyond Burgerhave grown incredibly popular in the last year, and there are tons of good meat and dairy replacements out there.

Its tempting to live off vegan junk food when there are so many good options these days (were looking at you, Tostitos). Whilst its great to indulge in treats and fast foods now and again, aim to focus on eating nutrient-dense foods and lots of fruits and veggies to keep yourself feeling great and energized.

Vegan restaurant/Shutterstock

There are a variety of vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants in cities across the country. If youre fed up with thinking about what to cook and you have the budget, going out to eat can provide a welcome break and inspiration for your next meal too.

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Here's how to go (and stay) vegan in the new year | Dished - Daily Hive

Only about a quarterof the people who start a diet and exercise plan stick with their resolutions for more than a month. Experts atThe Ohio State University Veterinary Medical CenterandThe Ohio State University Wexner Medical Centersay that partnering with your pet when implementing healthy habits can be a great way to find motivation and make you both happier and healthier.

A balanced diet and regular exercise are extremely important for pets, just like they are for humans, and many of the health benefits of a healthy lifestyle are the same said Arielle Markley, a veterinarian in theCanine Physical Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine Centerat Ohio State Veterinary Medical Center.

Markley acknowledges that there are many creative ways to get active with your pet, such as dog yoga, dog Pilatesand couch-to-5K programs, but she urges people to start slowly. Just as someone shouldnt run a full marathon without training, the same holds true for pets. Its important to introduce an exercise routine slowly, especially if petshavent been active.When starting a diet and exercise plan with your pet, Markley says to rememberPAWS:

Liz Weinandy, a registered dietitian at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, acknowledges that change can be hard but says forming a partnership with your pet could be the motivation you need.

Making a commitment to your pet to go for a walk every single day means that youre not only making those changes for yourself, but now also for your pet. We know that the numerous health benefits from embracing a healthier lifestyle, like weight loss, better sleepand overall enhanced mental health, can translate to your pet as well, Weinandy said.

Both experts stress the importance of getting clearance from your doctor and veterinarian before starting any diet and exercise program. Its important to make sure that there arent any other health conditions that might keep either of you from your goals and to have a plan that is tailored to your individual needs.

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Partner with your pet to succeed with diet and exercise... - ScienceBlog.com