While most people are anxious about the coronavirus, people with underlying conditions such as diabetes may be especially so.

On top of life's usual demands, new strain related to the pandemic is taking a toll, said Jacqueline Alikhaani, a Los Angeles resident and volunteer heart health advocate. Alikhaani has diabetes, a serious congenital heart condition called anomalous origin of the right coronary artery, and other chronic conditions.

She worries about safely getting food, medicine, protective and other supplies, family financial losses, maintaining her household and caring for loved ones. Since the coronavirus crisis began, she has not slept as well, had problems getting medication refills, recorded some high blood sugar readings and is consulting with her doctors about an increase in intermittent chest pain, which she attributes to the stress.

"It's really frightening these days. I'm seeing that the risks are higher for people who have diabetes and heart disease," said Alikhaani, who is focusing on watching her diet, exercising, monitoring her blood sugar and blood pressure, and keeping her doctor updated. "I'm trying to learn more, understand and take precautions, stay on top of diabetic and heart health needs, and encouraging others to do the same."

As of late March, preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for about 7 100 US coronavirus patients showed that along with older age, various health conditions most commonly diabetes, chronic lung disease and heart disease put patients at risk of developing severe viral illness.

Specifically, among intensive care patients with Covid-19, 32% had diabetes. For hospitalised Covid-19 patients not in the ICU, 24% had diabetes. Yet for people with Covid-19 who did not require hospitalisation, only 6% had diabetes.

Earlier, more extensive research from China published in JAMA showed a 2% fatality rate among Covid-19 patients. But this rate jumped to about 10% for those who also had cardiovascular disease and to about 7% among those with diabetes. A report from Italy found among 481 patients who died of the virus, about one-third had diabetes. That represents a risk of death five times higher than would be expected based on diabetes' overall prevalence in Italy, said Dr Robert Eckel, an endocrinologist at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

While there's much to learn about Covid-19, its course in people with diabetes appears to loosely parallel that of influenza. Outcomes are less stable, ventilators are more commonly needed, and severe complications are more likely in people with diabetes who get the flu, said Eckel, current president of medicine and science at the American Diabetes Association.

The reasons are complicated. In people with type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance gives rise to chronic, low-grade inflammation, leaving the immune system dulled by this ongoing state of alert. New infections are like "crying wolf" the immune system does not rally quickly and adequately, therefore allowing the virus to gain and maintain a foothold.

But the flu is not as dangerous as Covid-19 infection. And in Covid-19 patients with diabetes, additional risk factors such as heart disease, sometimes undiagnosed, are compounding the problem, said Eckel, who also is a past president of the American Heart Association.

Doctors' experience with bacterial infections indicates that controlling blood sugar before and during infection can be helpful. During the crisis, Eckel advises hospitalised Covid-19 patients who have diabetes to ensure their glucose is carefully managed and to monitor it themselves, with their own supplies, if they are able.

A diabetes complication called diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, is a risk with other viral infections and a concern in coronavirus patients, he said. DKA occurs when an absolute or relative insulin deficiency prevents cells from using glucose for energy and they burn fat instead, creating chemicals called ketones that build up in the blood and can be toxic.

Amid a serious infection, Eckel said, diabetes drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors contribute to an increased risk for DKA. Patients with Covid-19 should talk to their doctor about stopping these medications at the time of hospitalisation, and possibly sooner.

Another diabetes drug, metformin, also might need to be discontinued in hospitalised coronavirus patients, he said. Under extreme circumstances, including dehydration and kidney disease, metformin could foster acidosis and even exacerbate kidney disease when intravenous contrast agents are used in imaging.

Outside the hospital, the ADA recommends keeping blood sugar well controlled and consulting health care professionals about managing risk and any viral symptoms. If feeling very ill including higher fever with cough and shortness of breath people should seek emergency care.

"Patients with diabetes need to be alert about not delaying if they're getting sick, particularly over a short time interval," Eckel said.

Alikhaani is an ambassador for Know Diabetes by Heart, a joint initiative of the AHA and ADA to reduce cardiovascular complications in people with Type 2 diabetes. She believes that ultimately more knowledge about Covid-19 will help the public avoid infection and improve self-care.

"People can partner with their doctors better when they understand more about the mechanics of what's going on," she said.

For now, Alikhaani is leaning a lot on faith, family and community. She said when the crisis passes and everyday life resumes, there could be a silver lining. "Maybe when we go back, we'll see that we might not miss everything that right now we think we are missing."

READ | Why is coronavirus a bigger worry for people with diabetes?

READ | Certain health conditions increase risks for severe coronavirus cases

READ | Some steroid meds may raise coronavirus risk

Read the rest here:
Understanding the risky combination of diabetes and the coronavirus - Health24

Executive statement on opening of cemeteries

The Executive has today agreed that cemeteries will be allowed to open on a restricted basis.

An amendment has been agreed to The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 that will allow family members to visit the graves of their loved ones while adhering to social distancing.

Changes will be made to the Regulations later this evening. However, those responsible for burial grounds will need time to prepare so that they can put in place the necessary arrangements to manage access safely.

First Minister Arlene Foster said: This Executive has asked the people of Northern Ireland to put their normal daily routine on hold; to stay at home, keep their distance and wash their hands in the fight against Covid-19. This has been an extraordinary ask in what are extraordinary times and the vast majority have complied with the regulations which has helped to flatten the curve of infection and save lives.

Changes to the regulations, even modest changes, must be criteria-led and supported by scientific evidence.

On that basis, the Executive has today agreed to open up cemeteries on a restricted basis so that family members can visit the graves of their loved ones while adhering to social distancing. This will bring comfort to many at these difficult times.

The deputy First Minister, Michelle ONeill said: We are all very mindful of peoples mental health at this time and we recognise the comfort that visiting the graveside of a loved one brings. Thats why we had committed to keeping this issue under review.

We also recognise that there is a fine balance in making sure that people do not face additional burden in terms of their mental health and wellbeing; and making sure that people are not put at further risk from transmissions of Coronavirus.

The limited opening of cemeteries will only be allowed where those in charge of those burial grounds can ensure compliance with the regulations and appropriate social distancing.

As with all the regulations, which are in place to protect people and save lives, we will continue to keep this decision under review.

Health Minister Robin Swann welcomed the changes to the Regulations.

He said: The Coronavirus Regulations are cross-cutting, significant and controversial and any amendment must be discussed and agreed by the Executive.

The change we have agreed, informed by the expert advice from the Chief Medical Officer Michael McBride and Chief Scientific Officer, Ian Young, strike the balance between protecting public health and not inflicting further suffering on individuals.

There are a number of people in our community who get great reassurance, mental support and strength by visiting a grave and this step now is a proportionate and empathetic response at this time.

The Executive has also agreed to amend the Regulations to clarify the circumstances in which a person can leave the house to exercise, including reasonable travel to exercise.

For example, a drive to a safe space or facility would be permitted. However, taking a long drive to get to a beach, or resort where numbers of people may gather is unlikely to be regarded as reasonable, even for exercise.

Excerpt from:
Coronavirus Northern Ireland: Live updates as mass testing to begin from today - Belfast Live

Depression is usually treated with therapy or medication, but what you eat can also play a role in your mental health. Though more research is needed, some studies show that certain diets may prevent or reduce the severity of depression.

"The right kind of diet may give the brain more of what it needs to avoid depression, or even to treat it once it's begun," says Lisa Mosconi, PhD, Director of the Women's Brain Initiative at Weil Cornell Medical College and author of The XX Brain.

Here's what experts know about which foods are helpful and which may be harmful for depression.

There are many different factors that contribute to depression. Some are out of your control, like genetics or a traumatic life event. But the foods you choose to eat can also play a role.

Because food can influence certain chemicals in the brain, like serotonin, that help regulate mood. An estimated 95 percent of your serotonin is produced in your gastrointestinal tract. So, it makes sense that what you eat may influence mood.

For example, a 2014 review found that people who followed a Mediterranean diet of fruits, vegetables, fish, and whole grains were 16 percent less likely to experience depression compared to people who followed a typical high-carbohydrate Western diet.

The Mediterranean diet is thought to be effective against battling depression because it's rich in anti-inflammatory foods like leafy greens and fish, while also cutting down on processed foods that can cause inflammation.

Inflammation is known to contribute to a number of diseases including heart disease, Alzheimer's, and certain cancers like liver and cervix. How strongly inflammation contributes to depression is still unclear. But some studies, like the 2014 review, suggest that keeping inflammation at bay through your diet may help prevent depression.

Your brain needs certain nutrients to produce the chemicals used to regulate your emotions, Mosconi says. Some of these helpful foods and nutrients include:

Small, oily fish (salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, herring): These fish are all high in omega-3 fatty acids, a type of fat that has been shown to reduce the severity of depression symptoms by reducing inflammation.

Turkey: Eating turkey provides you with tryptophan, an amino acid that your body uses to produce serotonin.

Cacao: Certain compounds like flavanols and procyanidins, which are present in cacao in dark chocolate, can reduce inflammation in the body.

Probiotic foods: More research is needed to understand exactly how probiotics work and the different ailments they can treat. But what researchers have found is that probiotic-containing foods like yogurt and sauerkraut contain live bacteria that are helpful for balancing out your gut bacteria. That's important when it comes to depression because these bacteria can produce chemicals that regulate your mood, such as serotonin and gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA).

Fruits and vegetables: Eating foods like fruits and vegetables can be one of the most powerful ways to fight inflammation because they contain antioxidants, compounds that help protect your cells from the damage caused by inflammation. Here are some foods rich in antioxidants:

Many of the foods that are bad for your physical health can also affect your mental health. Below are some foods to avoid to help prevent and fight depression.

Processed foods: "Processed or deep-fried foods often contain trans fats and a variety of chemicals that can promote inflammation," Mosconi says, adding that inflammation is a possible cause of depression, as well as other brain illnesses like dementia.

Some examples of processed foods are:

Sugar: Eating a diet that includes a lot of sugary foods and drinks has been linked to higher rates of depression. This may be because sugar increases inflammation and can destabilize your blood sugar. When your blood sugar drops too low, you can have symptoms like nervousness and inability to concentrate, while high blood sugar can cause fatigue.

Getting treatment for depression often involves therapy or medication, but watching what you eat can also play an important role in your mood. Eating a Mediterranean style diet and avoiding processed foods may help you battle depression.

Read more:
The foods that fight depression and keep you happy - Insider - INSIDER

During lockdown weight gain is perhaps inevitable, and not necessarily the end of the world. But if you want to lose weight or at least not put on too much extra weight there is one thing you can do that is almost certain to help. It is very obvious when you think about it, and arguably not that easy, but it will give positive results, and perhaps it might not have occurred to you before.

So, you want to know how to avoid isolation weight gain at home? There is one item in a lot of people's diets that could be easily cut and would result in losing weight faster. You guessed it: alcohol, booze, and the drink. No one needs a lecture about why alcohol is bad for your health but I think a lot of you don't realise how consuming alcohol effects your diet and your weight loss. Or your weight gain, more accurately.

If Google Trends is anything to go by, everyone seems to be having more booze than usual now that we are in full lockdown. And in the case of the UK in particular, that is saying something.

Best protein shake blender: there are brands other than Nutribullet, you know

Let's get one thing out of the way right at the beginning: the best way to lose weight is not to exercise more, but to eat less. Especially now that we have to stay indoors almost all the time, eating the same amount of food as we used to will result in us putting on weight. Cutting back on calories of any sort will help you in your weight loss battle. No news there.

There are a lot of misconceptions about alcohol and as I mentioned above, I'm not here to lecture anyone about just how bad it is to consume alcoholic beverages. Sure, some types of alcohols contain certain micronutrients (like minerals) that can be beneficial for health, but this doesn't outweigh the negative effects of these drinks.

One very important thing to realise about alcohol is that it is basically pure carbohydrate. Carbs are one of the three main macronutrients your body needs to function; the other two are lipids (fats) and protein. This doesn't mean your body needs alcohol to function, on the contrary. Drinking alcohol adds nothing to your diet, alcohol calories are just 'empty calories'.

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Just how many calories, though? There are a few options that are considered 'low-calorie' drinks, like vodka and diet coke. Although diet coke can be considered free of calories (still pretty bad in every way) a double shot (50 ml) of vodka contains over 100 calories. You would have to run 10 minutes to burn off those calories and that is just one drink.

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How about beer? A small bottle (12 oz/355 ml) of Goose Island IPA is 208 calories, twice as much as what's in a double shot vodka plus diet coke combo. And whoever has only one small bottle of beer when they drink? That's right, no one.

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Maybe wine? A bottle (750 ml) of Cabernet Sauvignon is just under 600 calories, meaning that two medium glasses (approx. 175 ml) contain around 250-300 calories.

We used the Drinkaware Unit and Calorie Calculator to calculate the below numbers.

For the rest, we used MyfitnessPal's database and the manufacturers websites.

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The best idea, of course, is to keep your alcohol consumption to the minimum. As I mentioned in the 'how to lose weight at home' article, being mindful about your diet and food/drink intake can help. Before you pour yourself another drink, ask yourself: do I want another drink? Am I bored? Is there another task I'm putting off by drinking?

Admittedly, on some occasions, especially during social gatherings, it is pretty challenging to get out of drinking at least some alcohol. When everyone is having beers and wines around you, the social pressure on you to have one too could be immense. Even in these cases, there are ways to reduce consumption.

If you are a wine drinker, have a soda spritzer instead of just a glass of wine. You would still get the sensation of having a wine in a wine glass, but you also drink plenty of water, which dilutes the alcohol and makes it easier for your body to digest it more efficiantly.

If you are more of a beer drinker, see if there are any low calorie/alcohol-free beers in stock. A bottle of alcohol-free Holstein is only 8 calories (!) and there are plenty of low-cal options out there, especially if you live in the US.

And in any case, if you drink a glass of water after you had a drink, your stomach will fill up sooner and you will feel fuller sooner, making you less likely to drink too much alcohol. It also helps with hangovers, too.

Read the rest here:
How to lose weight in lockdown: one thing has GOT to go from your diet or at least reduced here's what you need to know - T3

Somewhere amid my thoughts about the uncertainty of tomorrow, someone's daughter called me and asked me about what I had eaten.

She always asks about these things and I know it's a sign of love. She's always worried about my eating habits because honestly, they're bad. I survive on a bachelor's diet and it's bad.

I want to stop but the truth is food has never been a priority. As I write this I am in the middle of cooking fries and the day before that I had a three days takeout after a saleswoman convinced me to not only get chicken and fries but also add two pizzas since there was a BOGOF offer. I'll cook better tomorrow, I hope.

This reminds me of an interesting conversation I had with a friend of mine, Alex Ikawah, about gender and diet.

I got lost somewhere midway when he started talking about feminism, food, and diet. I looked it up last week and it had interesting reads if you looked past the 10,000 academic papers.

Are academic papers made as digital paper to light fires when the internet is out? I don't understand how you can work that hard to make your writing unreadable.

The research made a lot of sense about how we men chose to nourish ourselves. Small things like the fact that we men, myself included, would scoff at the idea of a vegetarian diet.

If you want to kill me just shoot me, but don't force me to live like a rabbit. Or the fact that meat has been tied to masculinity.

That's why you chose some nyama choma and cold tusker and not milk and cookies or cabbage and a smoothie. See how odd that sounded even though you were just reading it?

Meat has been made to seem like a manly thing even though it causes increased risks of cancer, weight gain, kidney problems, and cardiovascular diseases. But it's not a battle against meat but so many more other things.

When a man starts looking healthier and gaining weight we all remark that there is a woman behind him doing a good job.

We know so because he's stopped eating an alternate diet of noodles and mutura from Njuguna's as a meal.

I'm now finishing this article drinking a beer and munching on eggs. So ironical! What sort of life is this that we live as men?

This is the reason why we're asking women 'utanipikia lini (when will you cook for me)?' We're living like we're auditioning to be walking adverts for malnutrition.

It also does explain why women constantly complain about the taste of our protein. That's how you end up tasting like battery acid and expired milk at the same time.

It also explains why men end up admitted to the hospital more than women and why the flu makes us feel like we're dying and need to write our wills.

There's nothing unmanly about eating well and I need to remind myself that a lot. My well-refined minimalist spice rack of salt and black pepper needs to do a bit better.

Go here to read the rest:
MAN TALK: Why is a good diet alien to men? - nation.co.ke

What do you do when you hit rock bottom? Well, 21-year-old Sameeksha Nagi knew that there was only one way to go-- it was to get up and get moving. She realised that when you dont take care of yourself, your health ultimately takes the beating. Sameeksha knew that she had to lose weight if she wanted to fit into the clothes of her choice and feel healthy again! Her weight loss story is an inspiration that no matter where you are or what you are doing, anything is possible if you set your mind to it.Name: Sameeksha NagiOccupation: Student

Age: 21 yearsHeight: 5 feet 3 inchesHighest weight recorded: 76.6 kgs

Weight loss: 21 kgs

Duration it took me to lose weight: 10 months

The turning point: There was a time I did not care about my health and weight at all and used to eat junk food without wondering about its consequences. Soon, the kilos started piling up, my clothes started getting tighter and my health began to take the beating of my unhealthy lifestyle. People started passing unsolicited comments about my weight and I realised that enough was enough. I knew I needed to get back in shape, so I started my weight loss journey and did not look back!

My Breakfast: I keep switching my breakfast between dalia, besan cheela, boiled eggs, omelettes and sandwiches (only brown bread).My Lunch: In lunch, I have a bowl full of vegetables, 1-2 chapatis, a portion of salad and a bowl of yoghurt.

My Dinner: When I had started working out initially, I just had yellow or green dal khichdi for my dinner for one whole month. Now, I have 1 chapati, a bowl of vegetables, a bowl of dal and a cup of milk.

Pre-workout meal: 1 banana or banana shake

Post-workout meal: I workout in the evening and eat my dinner afterwardsI indulge in: I eat whatever I feel like during my cheat days but make sure to maintain my diet accordingly for the coming week. Initially, I used to feel scared of taking cheat days or cheat meals but I have learnt to tweak my diet accordingly.

My workout: I feel that your workout should be tailored as per your needs and what you enjoy doing so that it doesnt feel like a burden. So my workout routine includes Zumba, HIIT and strength training, 3 alternative days a week, for 1.5 hours daily. I thoroughly enjoy my workout sessions!

Low-calorie recipes I swear by: Corns, black and nuts became my best friends during this weight loss journey!

Fitness secrets I unveiled: I had tried to lose weight a lot of times in the past but I never quite succeeded. After many failed attempts, I learnt the 4 essential secrets to lose weight. These secrets are dedication, will power, patience and a healthy diet. Even though working out is very important of losing weight and getting in shape, you cannot achieve this goal without strong willpower and dedication. You need to stick to a healthy and nutritious diet, instead of binge eating.

How do I stay motivated? The answer is pretty simple, it is the results that keep me going and motivated to move forward with my weight loss journey. Moreover, it feels incredibly amazing when people compliment you on your weight loss and say things like, Yaar, kitni patli ho gayi ho tum! Hume bhi weight loss tips dedo! Also, when I see my old clothes, it gives me a lot of confidence and makes me feel happy.

How do you ensure that you don't lose focus? There is no denying that everyone feels a little down and out at some point and can easily stray from their fitness goals. In my case, whenever I used to feel low, I used to listen to my body and understand what it wanted. As and when I would do so, my energy levels would go up and I would feel motivated to achieve my fitness goals.What's the most difficult part of being overweight? I think I speak for most of the girls when I say that the most difficult part of being overweight is the fact that it feels really bad that you cannot fit into the clothes of your choice when you go shopping. Hence, all the extra kilos that I had piled on over the years really put a dent on my self-esteem and self-confidence. Moreover, I used to feel lethargic all the time and used to fall sick very easily.

Original post:
Weight loss story: 'I lost 21 kilos in just 10 months and now people say, 'Hume bhi weight loss tips dedo - Times of India

Jen Hernandez RDN, CSR, LDN; Board-Certified in Renal Nutrition, recently shared her thoughts with The Beet on why she loves adhering to a plant-based diet. I have always found great importance in following a plant-based diet, no matter our environmental situations, she told us. Increasing [your intake of] plants gives us so many more nutrients, with fewer preservatives and unhealthy fats,while providing more stable energy.

For some of us, new-to-veganism (or, you know, mere mortals), sticking to a purely vegan diet can be tough. These anxiety-provoking times amid the coronavirus pandemic can make us want to speed dial a pizza. The upside of the scary times we live in is thatthey can also inspire us to double-down on our efforts to nourish our bodies and minds with wholesome, plant-based foodsto weather the storm. To help us figure out how to best tweak and modify our plant-based routine during the coronavirus outbreak, we reached out to plant-savvy nutritionists for their best advice.

Want more? Sign up for yourbeginners guide to going plant-basedfor 7 days of recipes, advice and inspiration.

Were all about following the lead of Julieanna Hever, MS, RD, CPT, co-author of The HealthSpan Solution, and making room for extra soups in our freezer right about now. I have been batch cooking soups more frequently and storing them in the freezer. Soups are the ultimate healthy go-to meal as they make delicious templates for some of the most nutritious and health-promoting food groupslegumes, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices, she shares. There are infinite ways to flavor these ingredients to please any palate, she adds noting that with certain items less consistently available when buying groceries, soups provide a great canvas to make your favorite recipe as you have ingredients handy and still be able to enjoy at a later time when the mood strikes, but grocery inventory may not.

For many nutritionists, they went into the field because of a love of cooking and/or because the joy of meal prep is ingrained into their very DNA. Right now, theyre cutting themselves some slack, and we think we all should, too.We are doing more prepped food, particularly bagged salads and stir-fry mixes. I have also been using pre-seasoned tofu and tempeh more frequently, shares Jennifer Hanes MS, RDN, LD, a vegetarian nutritionist with a plant-based ethos. Despite more time at home, we have less time to prep food because homeschool, and my own business pursuits, she continues. On the rare days when she finds herself with time to spare, shes relishing those hours to experiment with new cooking techniques and different types of cuisines.

The biggest change for me right now is making more homemade plant-based milks as options are decreasing at the grocery stores and going out may not even be an option. I prefer using oats because they are cheap (cheaper than cashews or almonds), require no soaking/prep time, and can be customized to be used as a flavored creamer for coffee, offers Hernandez. Her signature oat milk: Combine one cup of oats with four cups of filtered water and blend in a high-powered blender for several minutes. Strain through cheesecloth, a coffee filter, or even a fine t-shirt. Serve and enjoy. Bonus: You can use the pulp of the oats to add more fiber to oatmeal or mixed into baked goods as well, Hernandez adds.

With it harder to track down ingredients than normal, now is not the time to channel your inner Julia Child. Instead, turn to the pantry to make the most of your kitchen inventory. Im looking at using more pantry staples and keeping it as simple as possible. For example, a box of dried lentil pasta and a can of crushed tomatoes with some Italian spices like oregano, basil and parsley can make a filling, high-fiber, high-protein meal in one bowl, says Hernandez. For more ideas, check out the 5 best recipes to make at home using your pantry staples.

For many, were being far less active in our daily lives right now, even if were finding time to squeeze in workouts or make strength training adventures out of old textbooks. Since were not walking nearly as much as were used to, were also not burning as many calories as we typically do throughout the day (think of all those laps you do around the office or to-and-from the gym!).

I am eating slightly less food overall due to a decreased appetite from being more sedentary than usual, Hever admits. Because of this, I am being extra conscientious about making my meals nutrient-dense so that every bite matters. This means prioritizing vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds in tasty combinations of soups, salads, sides, and sweets and minimizing intake of highly refined foods. Were with ya, with one exception: Always save room for vegan chocolate peanut butter cheesecake. Always.

Not only do fruits and vegetables provide you with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals to protect your health, but they also provide you with plenty of fiber to keep digestion regularand we all sure dont want to deal with the added stress of constipation or other digestive woes right about now. Dont forget to use vegetables and fruits, whether theyre fresh, frozen or canned, advises Hernandez. If you have a local community-supported agriculture system (CSA), you may be able to get local produce delivered straight to your home! Plus youre supporting local farmers, which is always a feel-good win, she says.

These trying times present an opportunity to spin some things positively. One such realm? The kiddos diets. If you reframe this period as a chance to expand your kids palates, you may be surprised about how their tastes and food interests evolve. I have been working particularly hard towards broadening my son's diet. He's better than a lot of kids, but I would prefer him to have a much broader base of foods, says Hanes. This is because a greater variety in diet improves the gut microbiome which can help support the immune system more efficiently and also affect certain mood problems, such as depression and anxiety, she says.

To work towards this, Hanes and her son have struck a deal in recent weeks: IIf he eats well, and without whining during the week, he gets to pick what the household eats for dinner on Sunday nights. It has worked wonderfully so far! And his veggie intake has gone up as a result, she adds.

Read more:
7 Ways Plant-Based Nutritionists Are Making Changes to Meal Prep - The Beet

University of Saskatchewan (USask) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) researchers have mapped metals in bird feathers, a technique that could help make environmental monitoring less destructive.

In a recent paper published in X-ray Spectrometry, researchers used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron at USask to examine the level and distribution of zinc in feathers from birds that were fed high-zinc diets.

The same technique could be applied to toxic metals like mercury, even at low concentrations, says Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientist Fardausi Akhter. You could just take a feather from the bird and be able to show if it was exposed to toxic metals present in the environment.

Akhter, a toxicologist interested in applying synchrotron techniques to environmental questions, first started working on this project with Graham Fairhurst, a USask avian ecophysiologist, when they were both working as postdocs supervised by Catherine Soos. Soos is a wildlife health specialist and research scientist at ECCC, and adjunct professor at USask (Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine), whose research focuses on investigating impacts of large-scale environmental changes on wildlife health. Her team often uses feathers as tools to evaluate exposure to toxic metals, and impacts of exposure on health of wild birds.

More and more, ecologists are using feathers to measure exposure to toxic metals in the environment. Since feathers are replaced seasonally, they can provide insight into the changes in environmental toxins directly, without any harm to the animal. Further, the synchrotron technique leaves the feather intact, unlike traditional techniques that require the sample to be pulverized to see the quantity of the element.

Traditionally, exposure to heavy metals or trace elements is measured in samples of homogenized tissues, blood, or whole feathers, says Soos. This provides valuable information, but when it comes to feathers, it was still unclear how or where metals are distributed within the feather.

They turned to synchrotron techniques to investigate feather structures at a scale of a thousandth of a millimeter and to learn more about potential physiological mechanisms associated with trace element deposition within feather microstructures, says Soos.

Using the synchrotron gave us the opportunity to look into the feather in its original condition. We can look into exactly where the zinc is, down to the barbule, says Akhter. A barbule is the sub-unit of a feathers barb, and can be identified on the micron scale.

For this question, I dont know if any other tool would have allowed us to do this to look at the structures within something as tiny as a barbule, says Fairhurst. In fact, the barbules were where zinc was most heavily concentrated.

Previous research had shown that, like hair in humans, feathers can act as a sink for chemicals in the body, which in turn can contribute to the birds colouration and signaling, potentially affecting communication.

Zinc came up as nutritionally important, and it has a connection to melanin, which is involved in colouration of feathers, says Fairhurst. It can also be considered an emergent pollutant and could be problematic in some environments.

Using a technique called X-ray Fluorescence Mapping (XRF) at the CLS, the researchers showed that the darker areas of feathers contain more zinc, a strong sign of the relationship between the birds pigmentation and diet. Melanin produces deep auburn-like reds, browns and blacks, rather than the bright colours some birds display.

Because of the presence of these metals in the feather, the bird is able to form melanin pigment molecules that contribute to these colours, which is very important for mating purposes, says Akhter.

What this means for environmental pollutions effect on mating and other feather-based communication tools in birds has yet to be explored, but the team did study how elevated zinc exposure affects its concentration in feathers. To do so, collaborator Karen Machin, a USask professor, raised birds with higher levels of dietary zinc to compare.

As expected, the birds with more zinc in their diets also had more zinc in their feathers, a result with promising implications for environmental monitoring.

The VESPERS beamline at CLS is an incredibly powerful tool, and the scientists there are really a part of the team, says Akhter, whose work on these and other questions continues.

The researchers have many further avenues for research planned, particularly in developing XRF mapping techniques for looking at other contaminants in birds. Using the same techniques, they are currently comparing levels and distribution of multiple toxic metals in the feathers of tree swallow nestlings that developed in the oil sands region of Alberta, to those at reference sites.

University of Saskatchewan (USask) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) researchers have mapped metals in bird feathers, a technique that could help make environmental monitoring less destructive.

In a recent paper published in X-ray Spectrometry, researchers used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron at USask to examine the level and distribution of zinc in feathers from birds that were fed high-zinc diets.

The same technique could be applied to toxic metals like mercury, even at low concentrations, says Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientist Fardausi Akhter. You could just take a feather from the bird and be able to show if it was exposed to toxic metals present in the environment.

Akhter, a toxicologist interested in applying synchrotron techniques to environmental questions, first started working on this project with Graham Fairhurst, a USask avian ecophysiologist, when they were both working as postdocs supervised by Catherine Soos. Soos is a wildlife health specialist and research scientist at ECCC, and adjunct professor at USask (Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine), whose research focuses on investigating impacts of large-scale environmental changes on wildlife health. Her team often uses feathers as tools to evaluate exposure to toxic metals, and impacts of exposure on health of wild birds.

More and more, ecologists are using feathers to measure exposure to toxic metals in the environment. Since feathers are replaced seasonally, they can provide insight into the changes in environmental toxins directly, without any harm to the animal. Further, the synchrotron technique leaves the feather intact, unlike traditional techniques that require the sample to be pulverized to see the quantity of the element.

Traditionally, exposure to heavy metals or trace elements is measured in samples of homogenized tissues, blood, or whole feathers, says Soos. This provides valuable information, but when it comes to feathers, it was still unclear how or where metals are distributed within the feather.

They turned to synchrotron techniques to investigate feather structures at a scale of a thousandth of a millimeter and to learn more about potential physiological mechanisms associated with trace element deposition within feather microstructures, says Soos.

Using the synchrotron gave us the opportunity to look into the feather in its original condition. We can look into exactly where the zinc is, down to the barbule, says Akhter. A barbule is the sub-unit of a feathers barb, and can be identified on the micron scale.

For this question, I dont know if any other tool would have allowed us to do this to look at the structures within something as tiny as a barbule, says Fairhurst. In fact, the barbules were where zinc was most heavily concentrated.

Previous research had shown that, like hair in humans, feathers can act as a sink for chemicals in the body, which in turn can contribute to the birds colouration and signaling, potentially affecting communication.

Zinc came up as nutritionally important, and it has a connection to melanin, which is involved in colouration of feathers, says Fairhurst. It can also be considered an emergent pollutant and could be problematic in some environments.

Using a technique called X-ray Fluorescence Mapping (XRF) at the CLS, the researchers showed that the darker areas of feathers contain more zinc, a strong sign of the relationship between the birds pigmentation and diet. Melanin produces deep auburn-like reds, browns and blacks, rather than the bright colours some birds display.

Because of the presence of these metals in the feather, the bird is able to form melanin pigment molecules that contribute to these colours, which is very important for mating purposes, says Akhter.

What this means for environmental pollutions effect on mating and other feather-based communication tools in birds has yet to be explored, but the team did study how elevated zinc exposure affects its concentration in feathers. To do so, collaborator Karen Machin, a USask professor, raised birds with higher levels of dietary zinc to compare.

As expected, the birds with more zinc in their diets also had more zinc in their feathers, a result with promising implications for environmental monitoring.

The VESPERS beamline at CLS is an incredibly powerful tool, and the scientists there are really a part of the team, says Akhter, whose work on these and other questions continues.

The researchers have many further avenues for research planned, particularly in developing XRF mapping techniques for looking at other contaminants in birds. Using the same techniques, they are currently comparing levels and distribution of multiple toxic metals in the feathers of tree swallow nestlings that developed in the oil sands region of Alberta, to those at reference sites.

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Mapping metals in feathers - Yorkton This Week