MONDAY, Nov. 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Worried about climate change? You can do something about it every time you lift your fork, a new study suggests.

Folks can reduce their personal carbon footprint by eating less red meat, nibbling fewer sweets and cutting back on tea, coffee and booze, according to the findings.

"We all want to do our bit to help save the planet," said senior researcher Darren Greenwood, a senior lecturer in biostatistics at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. "Modifying our diet is one way we can do that."

And the nice part the foods that are best for the Earth are also really good for your health, in general.

"Most food that's healthy for us is likely to be better for the planet, too," Greenwood said.

It's a timely message as we enter the holiday season of big meals with family and friends.

For the study, Greenwood and his colleagues performed a detailed analysis of more than 3,000 different foods, assessing the greenhouse gas emissions generated during the production of each source of sustenance.

Meat was linked to 32% of diet-related greenhouse gas emissions, which didn't surprise environmental experts.

Fossil fuels are utilized in the pesticides and fertilizer used to grow animal feed, and waste gases and manure from livestock also add to meat's carbon footprint, said Sujatha Bergen, health campaigns director for the Natural Resources Defense Council's health and food division.

"Animals like cows and sheep produce a lot of methane, which is a very powerful greenhouse gas," Bergen said. "Beef is actually the biggest source of emissions in the U.S. diet. If every American cut on average one burger a day from their diet, it would be like taking 10 million cars off the road a year. It's a huge climate impact."

But the researchers also found that other foods had a large impact on the climate:

Overall, nonvegetarian diets had greenhouse gas emissions 59% higher than vegetarian diets, the researchers found.

Men's diets produce 41% higher greenhouse gas emissions than women's diets, primarily due to greater meat intake, the study authors said.

Lastly, people who limited their intake of saturated fats, carbohydrates and sodium to recommended daily amounts contributed less greenhouse gas emissions than people with less healthy diets.

The study was published online Nov. 24 in the journal PLOS ONE.

"Reducing our meat intake, particularly red meat, can make a big difference," Greenwood said. "But our work also shows that big gains can be made from small changes, like cutting out sweets, or potentially just by switching brands."

Tea, coffee and chocolate are linked to deforestation, which reduces the planet's ability to process excess atmospheric carbon, said Bergen and Geoff Horsfield, government affairs manager for the Environmental Working Group.

The foods identified by the researchers also tend to require lots of water, degrade the soil, need refrigeration and transportation to market, and are sold in packaging that adds to their carbon footprint, Greenwood said.

Agriculture is actually undermining the success we're having in reducing carbon emissions from other industries, Horsfield explained.

"U.S. methane emissions have decreased 18% since 1990, but methane emissions from agriculture have increased by over 16% over that same time period," Horsfield said. "While we address methane from things like natural gas and oil, methane from agriculture is only increasing."

More information

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has more about greenhouse gas sources.

SOURCES: Darren Greenwood, senior lecturer, biostatistics, University of Leeds, United Kingdom; Sujatha Bergen, MPH, director, health campaigns, Natural Resources Defense Council's health and food division; Geoff Horsfield, government affairs manager, Environmental Working Group; PLOS ONE, Nov. 24, 2021, online

Originally posted here:
Your Plant-Based Diet Could Really Help the Planet - HealthDay

Lemurs were just one of the many exotic animals Cheryl Morris formulated diets for at Omahas Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska. Her expertise in comparative nutrition was essential to carrying out her work.

By Amber Friedrichsen

If youve ever been to a zoo, youll recall how an animals enclosure resembles its natural habitat. Zoo animals diets are similar to what they would eat in the wild, too; however, there is little information about nutritional requirements for many exotic species. So, how do zoos ensure their animals are being properly fed?

This situation calls for a skilled comparative nutritionist, and Iowa State University is lucky to call one of these hard-to-find scientists its own. Cheryl Morris, associate professor of animal science, spent the last 15 years working as the vice president of conservation sciences at Omahas Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska. She returned to Iowa State this year and currently has an appointment in teaching and outreach.

While nutritional requirements have been established for horses, chickens, beef, and pigs, the same cannot be said for exotic species. In her position at the zoo, Morris formulated zoo animal diets by using her knowledge of production and companion animal physiology and nutrient needs. She crafted feeding plans for exotic species by comparing them to their domesticated counterparts.

A cat is anatomically set up like a tiger, therefore I could extrapolate a cats requirements to a tiger, Morris said. Or for instance, I didnt know for sure what the nutrient requirements were for a rhinoceros, but I knew their digestive physiology looks like that of a horse.

Despite their similarities, a key difference between production and exotic animals is how they are managed. Zoo animals are managed for longevity, so if they develop a chronic disease, they receive specialized care to help them live in spite of it. Oftentimes, this could be accomplished by adjusting what they eat.

A lot of my work focused on clinical diets, Morris said. If we had a gorilla with heart disease, a lemur with diabetes, or a big cat with inflammatory bowel disease, I focused on those individual cases and formulated diets specific to them.

Understanding nutritional requirements and addressing medical issues made Morriss job complex. Another challenge Morris faced was finding the right ingredients to make each diet. Whether an herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore, the food a zoo animal consumes in its native environment is likely hard to come by in the Midwest.

To overcome this, Morris studied what these species eat in the wild and searched for suitable substitutes. I had to look at the nutrients that are in feeds that we can get here in the central part of the U.S. and see how they can be matched to a species needs, Morris said. Alfalfa hay, for example, is not going to be something grown in Africa, but we used it to help formulate the diet of a giraffe. It was like a big puzzle.

When zoos have limited options for ingredients in animals diets, it is important they make the most of what they have access to. Jake Sterle, graduate student in business administration, learned how to do this during his internship at Omahas Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium three summers ago. A project he worked on involved manipulating what shrimp eat in order to enhance the diets of the jellyfish.

Jellyfish technically dont eat shrimp in the wild, but in captivity its the most efficient way to feed them, Sterle said. I was working in an aquarium to see how you can feed baby brine shrimp to give jellyfish the most nutrition.

This semester, Sterle is a teaching assistant for Animal Science 320: Animal Feeds and Feeding one of the classes Morris instructs. While there likely wont be any lessons on jellyfish and shrimp, he said feed efficiency is a key concept students learn in this class, and it can be applied to all kinds of species in a variety of settings.

Another course Morris is teaching this fall is Animal Science 224: Companion Animal Science. In this class, Morris emphasizes the importance of animal training, and she offers students examples from her time at the zoo. In mixed species exhibits, such as an aquarium, Morris said animals were trained to eat the correct food so they would receive the appropriate nutrients.

With multiple species of sharks, sea turtles, and other fish all in a big tank, youre having to get everyone fed, and some of those animals have unique requirements, Morris said. There is animal training that has to go into it, and animals are essentially separated for feeding.

Ava Frase, graduate student in animal science, is the teaching assistant for this course. She admires Morriss enthusiasm and her ability to share her expertise with students. Frase also interned at Omahas Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and is happy to continue working alongside Morris. She hopes to pursue a career in wildlife conservation and exotic animal nutrition, and said Morris has been influential in helping her attain her professional goals.

Its really hard to get into a zoo career, and I think Dr. Morris is a really good resource for students who are interested in that because she is super knowledgeable about the industry and she has so much experience, Frase said. Im very excited to see what she is going to do in her classes and how she is going to introduce exotic nutrition and exotic everything to the students. She does a good job with that.

Although Morris is still settling in, she has plans for a new animal science course in the making. The basis of this class would be to examine how nutrition and reproduction techniques practiced on farms can be integrated into zoos. While it might be a few years before this course takes shape, Morris already has an idea of what it will look like.

The world of zoo management needs a lot of the same scientific disciplines that we need in animal science, Morris said. The point of this class would be to show how all the disciplines we teach students about cows and pigs and sheep are beneficial to our zoo animals, too.

See the original post:
Taking students on a walk to the wild side - College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

In 2015, Freya Robinson decided to go vegan. For more than a year, the 28-year-old from East Sussex did not consume a single animal product. Then, in 2016, on a family holiday in Bulgaria, she passed a steak restaurant and something inside her switched. I walked in and ordered the biggest steak I could have and completely inhaled it, she says. After finishing it, she ordered another.

For the previous year, Robinson had been suffering from various health problems low energy levels, brain fog, painful periods and dull skin which she now believes were the result of her diet. She says her decline was gradual and almost went unnoticed. Because its not an instant depletion, you dont suddenly feel bad the next day, its months down the line. Its very, very slow. In just over a year, the balanced plant-based food she cooked daily from scratch, using organic vegetables from the farm she works on, and legumes and nuts vital for protein, had, she felt, taken a toll on her body.

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The morning after the steak felt revelatory: I felt this surge of energy. My face was glowing again. I remember leaping out of bed and it was only in that moment I realised Id been slowly depleting my body of vital nutrients. She says that the days after the reintroduction of animal products to her diet saw her clarity and ability to cope with stress return. Minor inconveniences, such as dealing with a grumpy customer at the farms market stall, no longer seemed like a mammoth burden; the intense physical work on the farm felt less laboured. Having operated at what she describes as 60% both physically and mentally, she was now realising what normal should be.

In just over 75 years, veganism has grown from a fringe movement to a mainstream lifestyle choice practised by millions globally. In 2019, it was estimated that around 600,000 people in Britain were following a vegan diet up from approximately 150,000 people in 2014. This year saw the biggest number (more than 580,000 people) sign up for Veganuary, pledging to eat a plant-based diet for the month. Next year is likely to be even bigger. A host of new vegan brands, some owned by the major supermarkets, have made the once niche diet easy to follow.

Since its inception, the raison detre of western veganism has been the reduction of suffering caused to animals (the core value, according to the Vegan Society, is to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals). It has come to be thought of as a whole way of living, rather than a diet adherents typically eschew leather, honey and other things made from animal byproducts. But the food all plant-based, with no meat or dairy is what most people think of. And it is increasingly championed for its health benefits. Studies have shown a plant-based diet can be effective for losing weight. People do lose weight on a vegan diet. Thats quite common, says Tom Sanders, emeritus professor of nutrition and dietetics at Kings College London. It can also reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers, lower cholesterol levels and reduce cardiovascular disease.

Many athletes who have gone vegan praise the diet for rejuvenating their careers. In 2017, England striker Jermain Defoe said a vegan diet was partly responsible for his continued career in the Premier League in his late 30s. Though now a pescatarian, hes still playing for Rangers at 39. Tennis superstar Venus Williams said in the same year that her raw vegan diet had given her a new burst of energy, and credited it with the return of her endurance and strength. Other sporting vegans include Lewis Hamilton and ultramarathon champion Scott Jurek.

Environmental factors strengthen the argument for a plant-based diet as research suggests individuals can reduce their carbon footprint from food by up to 73% by cutting out meat and dairy. The popularity of plant-based alternatives is now big business: the UKs meat-free food industry is predicted to generate around 658m in retail sales this year.

But just as hundreds of thousands in the UK adopt veganism, many are giving it up and face a fierce backlash from die-hard vegans for doing so. British freerunner and YouTuber Tim Shieff, who made his name as a passionate vegan athlete, but then admitted he had given up, faced a barrage of abuse. Meanwhile, Canadian fitness blogger Maddie Lymburner, who built up a huge following for her vegan recipes and workout videos, and then admitted she was adding some animal products to her diet, was forced to stop posting about food due to the vicious backlash.

In dedicated online communities across Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and other platforms, large groups of ex-vegans are sharing stories of declining physical and/or mental health that they believe was caused by their diet. These groups provide support and offer advice for reintroducing animal products. They are also a place to navigate the social fallout that can come when a person leaves a major part of their identity behind.

At first, Tommy Kelly felt his vegan diet was having a positive effect. The 41-year-old from Ayrshire in Scotland made the decision to go vegan for animal rights reasons in 2016 during his recovery from a severe eating disorder. Overseen by a team of specialists, including a nurse, dietitian and psychiatrist, he was consuming a high-calorie diet in order to steadily increase his body mass. I was constantly gaining weight, says Kelly. My health just seemed to be getting better and better and better.

But around year three, despite taking all the right supplements, problems began to arise. Kelly began noticing he was struggling to put on weight despite eating a calorific diet of grains, fruits and vegetables, proteins and plant fats. Digestive issues left him passing blood and going to the toilet up to 16 times a day there is evidence that for some people foods high in lectins, like legumes, grains, certain vegetables and nuts, can damage the gut lining if eaten in large quantities over a sustained period of time. Then came the short-term memory loss, mouth ulcers, dry skin, low libido and slow hair growth.

The migraines hed previously suffered a handful of times a year became daily and debilitating. My wife actually thought Id had a stroke at one point, he says, I was slurring my speech and I had this facial droop.

In January 2020, Kelly reluctantly made the decision to reintroduce ethically sourced animal products under advice from his dietitian and wider team. They had become worried about his weight loss, and suspected his decline was linked to the diet. It was a choice that left him racked with guilt. I didnt want to do it, because I was obviously really about the ethics, says Kelly. It took four to six months for me to even introduce eggs.

Shortly after he started eating local salmon and oily fish, he noticed a significant improvement in his symptoms, which he says have totally reversed. Now, having put on weight on an omnivorous diet despite eating fewer calories, he feels the best hes ever felt.

For the almost five years Kelly was vegan, he was immersed in the community, organising vigils outside abattoirs, signing up to animal rights group Anonymous for the Voiceless, and undertaking vegan outreach under the name Tofu Tommy. The veganism kind of becomes your identity, he says. After reintroducing animal products, and speaking out about his experiences, Kelly was branded a murderer and received death threats from strangers. They lash out at everybody and call you every name under the sun. Theyre supposed to be compassionate and theyre really not.

When Lymburner announced in an Instagram post in August 2020 that she had reintroduced eggs and fish after six years of being vegan, saying it was something I needed to do for my health and overall wellbeing, she faced a barrage of horrible comments. She explained that she had been suffering terrible period pains, was losing her hair and had bad acne. Reintroducing a small quantity of animal products allowed her to be a functioning human again, she said.

Lymburner had built up a following largely around plant-based nutrition and fitness, and had a combined following of almost 900,000 on YouTube and Instagram. (She has since launched a fitness channel which has almost 6.5m subscribers.) Although most comments were posted in support, the 26-year-old was also labelled a snake, a sellout and, from another plant-based influencer, a selfish narcissist who is going back to killing animals again.

For Chloe Reed (not her real name), the change after she became vegan was less physical than psychological. In 2017, she and her husband decided to go vegan for ethical reasons; like many others, they were inspired by watching influential pro-vegan documentaries such as Earthlings, Cowspiracy, The Game Changers and Seaspiracy. Food and nutrition documentaries like these have boomed in the past few years with the help of global streaming platforms, though some have faced questions over their scientific rigour. (The Game Changers claim, for example, that simply drinking cows milk can reduce testosterone and increase oestrogen in men, was based on a study of just 18 participants, of whom only seven were male.)

Adopting a well-planned wholefood diet using ingredients that have been processed or refined as little as possible Reed and her husband both lost weight. I felt amazing, she says. But the initial euphoria was short-lived. What had previously been manageable, in the background, intrusive thoughts she had lived with her whole life, became impossible to ignore.

The intrusive thoughts got so much worse and started happening more, says Reed, 32, who lives in Wiltshire. And I developed the most horrendous anxiety. After a year or so of being vegan, it got really bad and led me to seek help. I was diagnosed with OCD and anxiety.

This year, after seeking advice from a dietitian, she made the decision to reintroduce some fish and eggs from a local free-range farm into her diet for the first time in four years. It wasnt easy. The fear and guilt were massive, she says. But shes since seen a marked improvement in her mental health. Im as sure as anyone can be that it was caused by the diet. Ive only noticed a real improvement since eating animal products. Conscious that some will say the two issues are not connected, the breastfeeding mother of two believes she has definitely had more energy and even seen her milk supply increase. I dont think that can be a placebo, she says. Friends and colleagues took the news in their stride, but when she shared her experience on online forums she faced an onslaught mostly from those she refers to as dickheads on Reddit. She describes the vegan movement as toxic. Whatever the intended effect, it ended up calcifying my views even further, she says.

While veganism has never been so popular, it is a diet that defies the western meat-eating culture. Research suggests that vegans face negative bias from non-vegans, with one 2015 study finding that the only disparaged group viewed more negatively than vegans were drug addicts.

This may explain why many vegans seek comfort and belonging in a community. Depending on why people have decided to become vegan, you might find that some start to identify more with other vegans and veganism as a kind of group, says Dr Madeline Judge, assistant professor in social and environmental psychology at the University of Groningen. Its not just about diet, its about a way of living, and because it requires diverging from the norm, you often have to learn a new way of eating, new places to eat, and you might find that you differ in your values from your friends and family.

For others, Judge explains, being part of a collective that shares the same belief system can bolster efforts and enthusiasm to make a positive difference. Its difficult to make a difference in the world on your own. Its a lot easier if you have a group, she says.

Rebecca Jones, a practising GP who runs an advice website, The Vegan Doctor, advocates for a vegan diet as a lifestyle change for some patients especially those who are overweight or have cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol or diabetes. I always offer a plant-based diet as one of the ways of changing your health, says Jones. For me, its an ethical choice a bit like religion or politics. I dont want my patient to feel like Im telling them this is the only way.

Jones, 39, became vegan in 2017 and was vegetarian prior to that. While she acknowledges that there are barriers that can make veganism difficult for some people (cost, climate, location), she believes a nutritionally balanced and well-planned plant-based diet is for everyone. I think the important words here are well-planned, Jones says. Vegan junk food, for example, is high in calories but has very little nutritional value if eaten routinely without the addition of legumes, fresh produce, nuts, wholegrains, it can lead to nutritional deficiencies and is a potential pitfall for newer vegans. When it comes to purported health issues associated with the diet, she suspects the current popularity of veganism may be to blame. Many non-vegans will also be deficient in some micronutrients, but because veganism is currently very topical, its often blamed as the sole reason why somebody might feel under the weather.

People have different motivations for eating a plant-based diet, but some staunch proponents of animal rights believe that anyone describing themselves as a vegan should be doing it for the animals. I think the word veganism is thrown around a little bit too easily, says Jones, adding that people quitting kind of gives veganism a bad name because its seen as faddy and fashionable. If you identify as a vegan, then you are into animal rights. Its a plant-based diet thats quite fashionable. Veganism is what it always was.

Responsible messaging within the vegan community would keep people healthier and prevent many from feeling they have to turn their back on veganism, says Sophie Medlin, chair of the British Dietetic Association for London. This, she says, extends to advice around nutrition. There is a misconception that a vegan diet is nutritionally complete and provides all essential nutrients in adequate quantities.

Vitamin B12, which is required in the production of red blood cells, is only found naturally in animal foods such as meat and dairy, so vegans must get their B12 from supplements. One study found vegans have lower levels of B12 than both vegetarians and omnivores, and were at higher risk of developing symptoms related to deficiency. The risks of not supplementing on a vegan diet can be devastating, Medlin warns. Other deficiencies, in vitamins and minerals including calcium and vitamin D, can manifest in different ways, affecting bone health, for example. What were seeing now in the long-term follow-ups of vegans, compared with vegetarians and omnivores, is they actually have a greater risk of fractures, says Sanders, who has been studying vegan nutrition for almost 50 years.

For Chloe Reed, having to take supplements of B12, as well as iron, iodine, DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid) and calcium contributed to her decision to quit. Something made me think, you probably shouldnt be taking that many supplements if you havent got an existing health condition, she says. Freya Robinson agrees: I dont really believe that supplements are the answer to a healthy diet.

Why does veganism work well for some, but appear to have a detrimental effect on others? According to Sanders, while we all require the same diversity of nutrients, theres individual variation in requirements. When a person switches to a plant-based diet, they eat a whole host of foods their gut may not have encountered frequently on an omnivorous diet, including grains, fruits and other carbohydrates. One of the first things that changes when someone becomes vegan is their gut flora, and it may take a bit of time to settle down, says Sanders.

Genetics plays an important role in how efficiently we can convert essential fatty acids, Medlin says. For some, its genetically more difficult to convert the essential nutrients our body needs from plant-based sources into bioavailable versions our bodies can actually absorb and use. Some of us need more, and some will feel well with less.

No diet is a miracle cure. But when what you eat becomes a lifestyle an identity, and with it a membership of a community people can be left feeling as though they cant change their habits without letting others down.

Robinson hasnt looked back since that fateful steak in Bulgaria. She now identifies as an ethical omnivore, and believes meat should be treated as an infrequent luxury rather than a daily commodity: once a week is ample, she suggests. But attempts to debate this point with sections of the vegan community on social media often descend into abuse.

Beneath the often vitriolic online war of words, the two groups may find that common ground still exists. The ex-vegans I spoke to all continue to be conscientious about what theyre eating, examine the conditions in which animals are raised, and consider the impact their food consumption has on the environment. They have found that the fight to restore their health does not have to completely compromise the principles that originally drew them to veganism. Theres the health side, but theres also the planet side, Robinson says. And what cost can you really put on the planet?

Read more from the original source:
Abuse, intimidation, death threats: the vicious backlash facing former vegans - The Guardian

news, local-news, canberra times editorial, diabetes, type 2 diabetes

It's hard to fathom how many more times we need to be told, and in how many more ways. We eat too much sugar, our diets are terrible, and type 2 diabetes is now one of Australia's major health problems. The COVID pandemic has forced many of us to reassess the way we've been living, working and socialising. And in many cases we're changing things for the better. Intense disruption is often followed by a sense of clarity, a whittling down of the things that really matter in life - time with family, work-life balance, quality interactions with our communities. We should also be adding diet and lifestyle to this list. It became clear early on in the pandemic that people with underlying health issues had a reduced chance of beating the virus without serious health complications. Type 2 diabetes, and associated health conditions like obesity and heart disease, were significant factors when predicting how an individual might cope with COVID. But it's an epidemic that had been creeping up on hundreds of Australians every day long before. Almost 1.4 million Australians are living with some form of diabetes, with someone diagnosed every four-and-a-half minutes. But Diabetes Australia - the country's peak body - has now acknowledged it is possible for adults with type 2 diabetes to manage their condition, and even send it into remission, through weight loss. IN THE NEWS: This can be achieved through intensive dietary change (not to be confused with extreme dieting) and bariatric surgery, and is more achievable for those who've lived with type 2 diabetes for less than five years. It's not always a realistic aim for those with long-term conditions. But the organisation also emphasised weight loss and a healthy diet were worth aspiring to even without the prospect of remission. We all have the means to address our own physical health, but it can be hard to know how and where to begin. In the past week this newspaper has examined the causes and consequences of what we're calling Australia's "silent assassin". With the help of a number of the country's leading experts on the subject, we are committed to helping our readers better understand type 2 diabetes. We've also taken the extra step of partnering with sports medicine clinician Dr Peter Brukner to offer every reader free access to his Defeat Diabetes app for three months - a practical way for us to help people potentially on the path to a diabetes diagnosis to reclaim their health. Eye surgeon and 2020 Australian of the Year Dr James Muecke, writing for us last week, said our poor diet - a diet packed with sugar - was responsible for more disease and death than tobacco and alcohol combined. Eating better and moving more takes time and effort. It's more difficult than a couple of jabs in the arm. But we need to arrest this other stalking killer. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/eV5wxSqxRk6zfLmD5bhc9J/25cc07cd-ce3a-4fd0-bdd6-2c7d75fdb0fe.jpg/r1_87_1697_1045_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

ANALYSIS

December 6 2021 - 8:00AM

It's hard to fathom how many more times we need to be told, and in how many more ways.

The COVID pandemic has forced many of us to reassess the way we've been living, working and socialising. And in many cases we're changing things for the better.

Intense disruption is often followed by a sense of clarity, a whittling down of the things that really matter in life - time with family, work-life balance, quality interactions with our communities. We should also be adding diet and lifestyle to this list.

We all have the means to address our own physical health, but it can be hard to know how and where to begin.

It became clear early on in the pandemic that people with underlying health issues had a reduced chance of beating the virus without serious health complications.

Type 2 diabetes, and associated health conditions like obesity and heart disease, were significant factors when predicting how an individual might cope with COVID.

But it's an epidemic that had been creeping up on hundreds of Australians every day long before.

Almost 1.4 million Australians are living with some form of diabetes, with someone diagnosed every four-and-a-half minutes.

But Diabetes Australia - the country's peak body - has now acknowledged it is possible for adults with type 2 diabetes to manage their condition, and even send it into remission, through weight loss.

This can be achieved through intensive dietary change (not to be confused with extreme dieting) and bariatric surgery, and is more achievable for those who've lived with type 2 diabetes for less than five years.

It's not always a realistic aim for those with long-term conditions. But the organisation also emphasised weight loss and a healthy diet were worth aspiring to even without the prospect of remission.

We all have the means to address our own physical health, but it can be hard to know how and where to begin.

In the past week this newspaper has examined the causes and consequences of what we're calling Australia's "silent assassin". With the help of a number of the country's leading experts on the subject, we are committed to helping our readers better understand type 2 diabetes.

We've also taken the extra step of partnering with sports medicine clinician Dr Peter Brukner to offer every reader free access to his Defeat Diabetes app for three months - a practical way for us to help people potentially on the path to a diabetes diagnosis to reclaim their health.

Eye surgeon and 2020 Australian of the Year Dr James Muecke, writing for us last week, said our poor diet - a diet packed with sugar - was responsible for more disease and death than tobacco and alcohol combined.

Eating better and moving more takes time and effort. It's more difficult than a couple of jabs in the arm. But we need to arrest this other stalking killer.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

View post:
The pandemic should be all the impetus we need to properly address diabetes, the other silent assassin in our midst - Newcastle Herald

Kinetio, a patented technology under the NutriOpt brand of Trouw Nutrition, the animal nutrition division of Nutreco, has been co-developed with Dutch feed compounder, ForFarmers; it is aimed at optimizing the digestion of nutrients in young pigs.

Kinetio gives us a better understanding of feed ingredients, allowing us to use inputs not typically used in piglet diets, which can result in reduced feed costs, said Peter Ramaekers, application and solution specialist swine, Trouw Nutrition.

The technology is currently being used in the companys Milkiwean product range - the concept behind it is that nutrient absorption and delivery can be improved by considering the speed at which different ingredients in the piglets diet are digested.

It uses degradation kinetics to analyze insoluble and soluble dietary protein, starch and fiber in the feedstuffs. This information is then used to provide nutritional recommendations and formulate a piglet diet that supports optimal pre-digestion in the stomach, maximizes nutrient absorption in the small intestine and ensures a low amount of undigested protein in the large intestine.

Looking at the nutrient kinetics, Ramaekers said diets can be adjusted and optimized for optimal animal performance during challenging times, while, in healthy animals, the technology gives better margins for the business and reduces the need for antibiotics.

The swine nutrition specialist, along with Neil Jaworski, global nutritionist database and matrix, at Trouw Nutrition, talked to us about the evolution of the formulation tool.

They, along with others at Trouw Nutrition, and experts at Wageningen University, started this journey over five years ago.

One trigger for the development of the concept was the need to control post-weaning diarrhea given that the industry was under pressure to reduce antibiotic, copper and zinc oxide inclusion levels in piglet diets.

But they also wanted to determine what gaps remained in terms of feed ingredient evaluation work, beyond assessment of the ileal digestibility of amino acids (AAs) or the prediction of total tract energy digestibility, and they eventually realized a key part that was missing was the digestion rate of ingredients, that is how fast or how slow the digestion of AAs or protein or other nutrients is.

The validation process involved in the development of Kinetio comprised both proof of concept in-vitro studies in the lab and in vivo trials, including commercial scale farm studies, explained the experts.

Trial results indicated that applying formulation based on this technology in stressful situations like weaning results in 25% reduction in diarrhea, and 4% improvement in body weight, they said.

In non-challenged situations, piglets fed balanced diets, formulated with Kinetio, were 0.8 kg heavier at the end of the nursery period and the farms margin over feed cost was increased by 3.5%, they added.

The company can use all feedstuffs much more effectively now because of the insights gleaned about their nutrient digestion kinetics, said Jaworski.

But some raw materials will prove more favorable than others, he explained.

We actually see that sunflower seed meal is quite attractive for piglet diets, along with wheat gluten meal, blood plasma and soybean meal, in addition to cereals such as wheat, barley and rye.

Some of the data generated by Kinetio are surprising, though, in that they indicate that corn, rapeseed meal, fishmeal, potato protein concentrate, and soybean protein concentrate (SPC), ingredients typically earmarked for use in piglet diets, can be less than ideal, based on the speed of their digestion in the piglet, said Jaworski.

We investigated why this might be the case, and we saw that it is a result of what is happening in the piglets stomach.

The team learnt that when the environment is not optimal for piglets, such as around weaning, when the young animals face multiple stressors including an abrupt switching to solid feed from sow milk, and placement in group housing, the conditions in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) are less favorable for digestion.

The piglet, as it is stressed, will increase passage rate, reducing the time available to digest the protein sources in those feed ingredients.

The poorly digested nutrients stay longer in the digestive tract of the animal and spur overgrowth of potential pathogenic bacteria in the large intestine. This in turn can lead to diarrhea, performance losses and mortality.

If that is our challenge, then we need protein sources that are rapidly digested, in the stomach, and in the presence of those stress-induced conditions in the GIT.

Using the Kinetio technology, the team has been simulating stressed piglet GIT conditions in an in vitro model. It involves a six hour incubation process, whereby we simulate the digestion in the stomach and also the small intestine of the piglet. We adjust pH and enzyme concentration to mimic that, and over the six hours, we take samples and we measure how much protein, starch, and fiber has been digested or fermented in that system to get the digestion kinetics.

They also work closely with key stakeholders, commercial nutritionists at compound feed players like ForFarmers and Nanta, to determine what the most beneficial ingredients might be.

Those nutritionists really challenged us on the science, they wanted to fully understand why the Kinetio metrics were showing that SPC, always perceived as a great protein source, and one that was highly digestible, was proving otherwise," saidJaworski.

The team, he said, investigated various SPCs, how they behaved in the Kinetio system, taking account of the processing technologies used to manufacture them, as well as how their findings differed from all other SPC research done to date, and a raft of other parameters. There was a lot of teeth pulling, but we learned together, and I think that was key, this co-development approach.

But the end goal of the Kinetio technology is not about discrimination against certain feed raw materials."What is important is that we set a formulation objective, whether that is gut health or feed efficiency, and we rely on the nutrient kinetics system to select which feed ingredients are optimal in that respect, explained Ramaekers.

Trouw Nutrition now has database of 200 ingredients that have been analyzed based on their nutrient digestion kinetics along with formulation recommendations for piglet diets.

Ultimately, the aim is to create feed formulations for piglets based on rapidly digestible nutrients and to have balanced fiber fermentation kinetics to ensure no post-weaning diarrhea and robust gut health in the young animals.

The company is planning to expand the application of the Kinetio technology in more countries.

More here:
Is nutrient kinetics the key to enhance piglet performance with lower production costs? - FeedNavigator.com

Ever notice how the last place we tend to lose fat is in the belly? Abdominal fat oftentimes seems impossible to lose and chances are it's because it's visceral fat"a type of body fat that's stored within the abdominal cavity between your vital organs: liver, intestines, pancreas, etc," says Jillian Michaelscreator of The Fitness App by Jillian Michaels. While it can be challenging to lose, there are ways to help reverse visceral fat and get rid of the stubborn excess weight. Eat This, Not That! Health talked to Michaels, a personal trainer, nutritionist, life coach and former Biggest Loser fitness instructor, who explained everything to know about visceral fat. Read onand to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.

In order to know how much visceral fat to lose, you should know how much you have first. Michaels explains how to measure. "Outside of an MRI or CT scan the best way to know if you have visceral fat is the waist to hip ratio calculation. You simply

In women, a waist circumference of 35 inches or larger is generally considered a sign of excess visceral fat. In men, it's 40."

Visceral fat can be difficult to lose. Michaels says, "There are several reasons why visceral fat is difficult to lose, but they all tie back to hormone imbalances. Visceral fat gets stored like all fat because we are eating too much and moving too little. However, the body first aims to store the fat subcutaneously (just under the skin). When we take on too much excess body fat it then gets stored viscerally. The habits that created this excess fat in the first place have hormonal consequences that then beget a bit of a catch 22.

For example, visceral fat is linked to insulin resistance from too much sugar and not enough fitness, elevated cortisol levels from too much stress, and the secretion of excess inflammatory proteins called cytokines. When it comes to metabolism (the rate we burn calories, when, how and where we store fat) are directly connected to our hormone balance. Once insulin resistance begins and cortisol levels surge it makes it that much harder to get our metabolism out of fat storage mode and into fat burning mode. Plus, the habits/lifestyle that got us into this position in the first place are often the hardest to break. From desk jobs and sugar addiction to long work days and age-related hormonal shifts it can seem like an uphill battle."

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You can absolutely lose visceral fat with diet and lifestyle changes. Michaels says, "there is a lot we can do. Let's sensitize your body to insulin again by cutting out processed carbs and refined sugars, so nothing white. No white flour and no white sugar. So avoid eating processed salty or sweet snacks. Choose whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes instead."

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Michaels states, "Drink your water and keep sodium intake at bay. Try to avoid over 2000mg a day unless you sweat a ton and are very athletic and generally people with excess visceral fat aren't engaging in intense fitness training. Studies have linked excess sodium intake with increased insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and glucocorticoid production. An easy way to do this is to choose reduced sodium products, up your water intake, and don't salt your food."

RELATED: The #1 Habit That Ages Your Skin Faster

Michaels stresses how important it is to stay active. "Start moving your body. Exercise is the best way to get the body sensitized to insulin and reverse type two diabetes. If you have the ability, techniques like HIIT training and Strength training are the most effective for this. The Fitness App has many programs for this including HIIT workouts for beginners so you can be effective and safe."

RELATED: 5 Warning Signs Your Brain is in Trouble

Michaels says, "Get your 8 hours of shuteye. Lack of sleep increases our hunger hormones and dampens our satiety hormones making us feel the need to eat more. In addition, it inhibits our HGH production, which is a key hormone for muscle maintenance and fat metabolism. Lack of sleep is also associated with higher cortisol levels which is a hormone notorious for belly fat storage. So make sure to shut off the screens and get 7 to 8 hours of shut eye every night."

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Taking a break from life's daily stresses isn't just good for us mentally, but physically as well. Michaels reveals: "Take your vacations, manage your stress levels, try meditating anything that helps you manage stress. Cortisol is our fight or flight hormone and when we are constantly stressed it's constantly surging so work to find your chill!"

Michaels says, "Up your vitamin C intake! Early studies have shown that vitamin C can help reduce our cortisol secretion. So consider a supplement or just eat your citrus!"

RELATED: The #1 Worst Supplements That Are a Rip-Off

"Last, we want to do what is going to help us reduce body fat overall and that is eating less calories and moving more often," Michaels explains. "Fat is stored energy and the calories in our food are units of energy. No matter how "healthy" a food is you can still eat too much of it. Take an organic avocado for example it's loaded with vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats with likely zero chemical residue from pesticides, fungicides, herbicides etc. But it's very high in calories. If you eat too many calories than your body is burning in a day you will store that energy in your fat cells. So be mindful of your overall calorie intake. Cut the booze. Booze dampens fat metabolism by up to 73%. And as I mentioned repeatedly EXERCISE it burns calories and helps to bring our hormones back into balance." And to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.

Read more here:
How to Reverse Visceral Fat, Say Experts Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

SUBMITTED BY THE TOWN OF MILLBURY| The Millbury-Sutton Chronicle

The Millbury Department of Planning & Development has announcedthat the funding necessary to advance the Armory Village Revitalization Project Phase II to construction has been secured through a combination of grants and municipal funds.

The town anticipates a construction start date of April 2022. The work will take approximately nine months to complete.

The Phase II project builds off the success, vision and aesthetic of the Phase I downtown improvements by extending the project benefits to the municipal parking lot between Elm and Grove streets and within the Elm Street right-of-way, from its intersection with Harris Place to its intersection with River Street.

Design of this project, which began in fall 2020 and will wrap up in January 2022, is funded by the town of Millbury and a $125,600 grant from the states Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program.

The town engaged BL Companies of Norwoodto work with municipal officials, downtown business owners and the public to design the project and prepare bid documents.

Specifically, the project features the following:

-- A reconfigured municipal parking lot that adds parking spaces & creates a more efficient traffic pattern;

-- Intersection diets that reduce the amount of pavement, vehicle speeds and pedestrian crossing distances;

-- A new sidewalk connection to the Senior Center and enhanced sidewalk connection between the municipal parking lot and the Common;

-- New ADA-compliant sidewalks, driveway aprons and ramps;

-- Epoxy crosswalks that are aesthetically pleasing and easier to see;

-- Vegetated curb extensions that will absorb stormwater while making it easier and safer for pedestrians to cross the street;

-- Porous pavers, rain gardens, bioswales, deep sump catch basins, treesand other plantings that will work together to reduce heatisland effects, provide animal habitat, reduce flooding through stormwater infiltration, and improve the Blackstone River by filtering out contaminants;

-- Two pedestrian plazas that will incorporate attractive porous pavers, colorful landscaping and seating for peaceful contemplation at the veterans memorials along Elm Street;

-- Decorative street and parking lot lights that will brighten public spaces and make the area safer;

-- Wayfinding signage and an information kiosk that will make the municipal parking lot easier to find and showcase the businesses and activities occurring within Millbury Center throughout the year.

As with the Phase I project, the primary goal of Phase II is to create welcoming public spaces that attract businesses, private investment, residents, and visitors.

The town thanks the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and Millburys taxpayers for their encouragement and financial support of this important project.

Combined, the town secured nearly $1.8 million in grants for construction activities through the following grant programs:

MassWorks Infrastructure Grant - $1,147,000

Municipal Vulnerabilities Preparedness Action Grant - $366,000

Complete Streets Construction Grant - $225,500

Shared Streets and Spaces Grant - $63,707

For more information about the Armory Village Revitalization Project, please visit https://www.millburyma.org/planning-development/pages/armory-village-revitalization-project.

Questions about this project should be directed to Laurie Connors, Millbury director of Planning & Development, at 508-865-4754 or lconnors@townofmillbury.net.

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Get ready for Phase II of Armory Village Revitalization Project - Millbury-Sutton Chronicle

Hyderabad: The 73rd Annual Conference of the Cardiological Society of India began here on Thursday with cardiologists advising people to focus on identification and prevention to ensure better heart health.

CSI2021 President, Dr P. Mohanan Padinahare stated that knowing cholesterol, diabetes, and blood pressure numbers is important because not every time does one require scans to assess heart health condition or medicines for treatment.

"Sedentary lifestyles have crept into daily routine, and unfortunately, sitting idle is the new smoking, hence one must do proper physical activity each day, and this will, in turn, ensure great heart health," he said.

The four-day conference, being attended by more than 1,000 delegates including heart specialists, scientists, engineers, and other subject experts, will deliberate various advancements in the field of heart care. About 350 faculty members from within India and overseas will take part in the sessions physically and virtually and deliberate on the latest developments in the field of cardiology.

At CSI 2021, the focus is also on predictive analysis to preempt potential risks to human hearts well in advance. "The Cardiological Society of India will closely work with scientists and engineers, and when needed with the Government machinery in this process," he said.

The Cardiological Society of India, along with scientists and engineers will be working towards developing 'Deep Neural Networks', and achieving the target of accurately predicting heart risks in advance by the year 2030. CSI will also work with the Centre and its Health Ministry, and provide necessary inputs to reaching the goal efficiently.

"Cardiology is one of the fastest developing fields of medical science. Many innovations and innovative practices emerge and are adopted by heart specialists on a continuous basis, and such conferences are very important for knowledge sharing," Dr Padinahare added.

The speakers at the inaugural session included Dr Rajendra Kumar Jain, Organising Secretary, CSI, Dr Debabrata Roy, Hon General Secretary, Dr P.S. Banerjee, Scientific Chairperson, Dr Dayasagar Rao, Organising Chairperson, and Dr K. Narasa Raju - Chairperson Reception Committee.

At the inaugural ceremony, Dr K.B. Bakshi of West Bengal and Dr Rajan Joseph Manjuran of Kerala were presented with the Lifetime Achievement Awards.

The speakers said that the CSI is always at the forefront in assessing newer challenges before heart specialists and in adapting the latest technological and scientific practices to overcome them. The advent of Covid-19 forced cardiologists to evolve better with their approach to treating heart patients infected with the virus. Additionally, with the support from the scientific community CSI is constantly developing means to detect potential heart risks in advance.

The Cardiological Society of India works towards the prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and the eradication of cardiovascular mortality to raise awareness among people about cardiovascular diseases and nutrition diets. Work towards increasing awareness about the correlation between cardiovascular diseases and the environment and lifestyle.

CSI is an active member of the International Society and Federation of Cardiology and the Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology and SAARC society of Cardiology and jointly working with the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC).

Read more:
Focus on identification, prevention needed to ensure better heart health | Lifestyle Health | English Manorama - Onmanorama

The paleo diet is one of the most sustainable diet plans which can aid weight loss, while promoting good heart health.

As one of the leading diets for long-term weight loss, the paleo diet hones in on the importance of whole foods - which really have proven to be the key to shedding the pounds.

Stripping back your diet to follow a paleo meal plan can be a little trickier than the Mediterranean diet as it restricts several nutritious and hard to avoid food groups, including:

With more vegan alternatives to choose from, the paleo diet is becoming easier to follow as plant-based nutrition becomes more popular.

Some easy swaps for whole grains and dairy include spiralised vegetables, cauliflower rice, corn bread, plant-based cheese and soya/oat/almond milk.

See the article here:
Weight loss diet plans: Three of the best diets to help you shed the pounds - Daily Express

By Jennifer WhitlockField Editor

Fall festivities are over, and many people wonder what to do with their decorative pumpkins and gourds.

Instead of throwing them in the trash, pumpkins can be added to a compost pile, or the seeds can be saved to plant for next year.

Some may also consider feeding pumpkins to livestock.

All livestockPumpkins are generally safe to feed to livestock. However, feeding a large amount of a new food to any animal may cause gastrointestinal upset or other digestive issues, so its best to consider it as a seasonal snack.

Paint and candlewax can be toxic, and the practice of dipping carved pumpkins in bleach introduces toxins into the flesh, as well. Pumpkins with any of these treatments should be disposed of properly.

Although some species may tolerate less-than-fresh pumpkins, it is important to not feed spoiled or rotting pumpkins due to risk of illness or disease transmission. Those pumpkins should also be safely disposed of instead of fed to animals.

It is always best to consult with your veterinarian before changing your livestocks diet.

CattleCattle find pumpkins palatable, according to Dr. Karla Jenkins, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska Extension cow-calf and range management specialist.

Pumpkins make a good supplemental protein and energy source, Jenkins wrote in an Extension report. The crude protein content tends to be between 14-17% on a dry matter basis and the in vitro digestibility (similar to total digestible nutrients or TDN) is 60-70%.

If cattle are grazing a pumpkin patch, they simply can be turned into the field to get to work munching the leftover gourds. Jenkins noted ranchers may also be able to negotiate loads of blemished or broken pumpkins prior to Halloween for an attractive price.

When feeding cattle leftover decorations as a treat, pumpkins may be set out in the pasture whole or smashed.

HorsesHorses can eat pumpkins, but only if theyre not rotting, painted or covered in candlewax, said Dr. Clair Thunes, equine nutritionist, in a recent The Horse magazine column.

One caveat is to consider the glycemic load of pumpkins before feeding too much pumpkin to horses with metabolic disorders.

Although Thunes said it can be safe to feed pumpkin to horses with equine metabolic syndrome or polysaccharide storage myopathy, its best to check with a veterinarian first to be sure it is appropriate for that horse.

She recommends feeding horses only one small pumpkin, or about two cups a day, per horse.

Since pumpkins are so high in potassium, she also recommends horses with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP)not be given any pumpkin. Too much potassium can cause HYPP episodes.

Larger pumpkins should be broken into pieces before being fed to horses to avoid choking.

PoultryChickens, turkeys and other backyard poultry can benefit from a little pumpkin in their diet, thanks to its wide variety of vitamins and minerals.

Chickens will need pumpkins broken into smaller pieces to access the innards because they will generally not consume the rind. Owners should be prepared to collect rinds on a regular basis to prevent attracting insects and other pests.

SwineA studyconducted by Washington State University suggests pumpkins are a good treat for pigs due to their highly digestible fiber content.

The study concluded poultry and swine seemed particularly well-suited to pumpkin consumption as a large part of the diet, with all animal owners participating in the study reporting widespread and thorough consumption of pumpkin when offered to the livestock.

Pumpkins may be offered whole to swine.

Sheep and goatsSheep and goat owners can safely feed pumpkin to their animals, too.

Sheep and goats may be fed whole pumpkins, but if theyre large gourds, it is best to smash or break them open first.

Read the original:
Is it safe for livestock to consume pumpkins after fall festivities are over? - Texas Farm Bureau