Friday, 1 May 2015

Womb milk nourishes human embryo during early weeks of life

If the idea of a breast-milk smoothie grosses you out, how about a version made with milk from glands in the uterus? A tiny embryo wouldn't complain

via New Scientist - Health Read More Here..

Replacing sugary drinks with water may reduce diabetes risk

A major UK study, involving around 25,000 adults, looked at the association between drink choices and the risk of type 2 diabetes. It found that those who consumed more of their calories through sugary drinks, and those who drank more soft drinks or sweetened milk drinks, were more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

The study has a number of strengths, including its large size and use of multiple approaches to identify people who developed diabetes. But its main limitation is that other factors may be contributing to the effect seen, even though the researchers did try to reduce this as much as possible.

Based on their data, the researchers estimated that swapping water or unsweetened tea or coffee for soft drinks or sweetened milks could potentially reduce the number of new diabetes cases by up to 25%.

We know being overweight or obese is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, and ensuring we maintain a healthy weight will help reduce your diabetes risk.

Some sugary drinks contain a surprisingly high amount of calories – for example, a 330ml can of coke contains 139 calories, which would take around an hour of dog walking to burn off.

Reducing your calorie intake by swapping sugar-sweetened drinks for unsweetened drinks, such as tap water, could be one way to help achieve this goal.

Where did the story come from?

The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Cambridge, and was funded by The Medical Research Council UK and Cancer Research UK.

It was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Diabetologia.

The UK media's coverage of the study was accurate.

What kind of research was this?

This was an ongoing prospective cohort study called the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Norfolk study.

The current analysis looked at whether the amount of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) and fruit juice a person drank was linked to their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The researchers also wanted to estimate what impact swapping non-sweetened beverages for these sweet beverages would have.

A previous statistical pooling of prospective studies found that higher SSB consumption was associated with greater diabetes risk, while studies have had varying findings for ASBs and fruit juice.

However, the researchers note that these studies have largely relied on food frequency questionnaires, which do not collect very detailed information on drinks. They wanted to use food diaries (where people are asked to record their food consumption on a daily basis) in their study to better assess drinks intake.

This is the best way to assess this question, given that it would be unethical to randomly assign people to drink a lot of sugary drinks over a long period of time.

The main limitation of this type of study is that healthy (and unhealthy) behaviours and environments tend to cluster together, so picking apart their effects is difficult.

What did the research involve?

The researchers recruited adults in the UK who did not have diabetes and had them record their food and drink consumption over a week.

They then followed them up over almost 11 years to see who developed type 2 diabetes, and analysed whether people who drank more sweet beverages were at increased risk.

Using their results, they then calculated what impact it would have if people swapped non-sweetened drinks, such as water, for these sweet beverages.

The 25,639 participants in the study were recruited in the 1990s, when they were aged 40 to 79 years old. They filled out a food diary for a week, and the researchers used these to determine how much of the following they drank:

soft drinks – squashes and juice-based drinks sweetened with sugar
sweetened tea or coffee
sweetened milk beverages – such as milkshakes, flavoured milks, and hot chocolate
artificially sweetened drinks (ASBs) – such as diet sodas
fruit juice

The first three categories were classed as SSBs. The participants also provided other information on their lifestyles. During the study, they had health checks and filled in follow-up health and lifestyle questionnaires.

The researchers followed participants up until 2006, and identified anyone who developed type 2 diabetes through the health checks, questionnaires, and medical records. If a person reported they had diabetes but this could not be confirmed with medical records, they were not counted as having the condition.

The analyses included the 24,653 participants who did not have diabetes or a family history of diabetes and had reported all the information the researchers needed. The researchers looked at whether the number of servings of the individual drinks consumed was linked to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes during the study.

These analyses took into account a range of factors that could influence the results (potential confounders), such as:

age
gender
socioeconomic status
physical activity
smoking
intake of other sweet beverages
total calorie intake
body mass index (BMI)
waist circumference

The researchers used standard methods to estimate what impact it would have if people stopped consuming SSBs, based on their findings. They also calculated the potential impact of swapping water or ASBs for SSBs.

What were the basic results?

During the study, 847 participants (3.4%) developed type 2 diabetes.

After adjustment for all of the potential confounders, including total energy intake and BMI:

each additional serving of soft drinks was associated with a 14% increase in the risk of developing diabetes (hazard ratio [HR] 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01 to 1.32)
each additional serving of sweetened milk drinks was associated with a 27% increase in the risk of developing diabetes (HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.48)
sugar-sweetened tea and coffee, ASBs, fruit juice and water were not associated with type 2 diabetes risk

Overall, consuming more sweet drinks (measured as what percentage of a person's calorie intake came from these drinks) was associated with increased type 2 diabetes risk.

Substituting one serving a day of water or unsweetened tea or coffee for soft drinks or sweetened milk drinks was estimated to have the potential to reduce the number of new cases of type 2 diabetes by 14-25%. Substituting ASBs for SSBs was not estimated to have a significant effect.

If people who drank sweet beverages reduced their intake of these drinks so they accounted for less than 2% of their total calorie intake, this was estimated to have the potential to prevent 15% of new diabetes cases.

How did the researchers interpret the results?

The researchers concluded that, "The consumption of soft drinks, sweetened milk beverages and energy from total sweet beverages was associated with higher type 2 diabetes risk independently of adiposity [BMI and waist circumference]".

They suggest that, "Water or unsweetened tea/coffee appear to be suitable alternatives to SSBs for diabetes prevention", and feel their findings are of public health importance.

Conclusion

This cohort study has found an association between sugar-sweetened drink consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes. It estimated that swapping water or unsweetened tea or coffee for these beverages could have the potential to reduce the number of new diabetes cases by up to 25%.

The study has a number of strengths, including its large size and prospective collection of data. It also used multiple approaches to identify people who developed diabetes, which should help to make sure that most, if not all, cases were identified.

People also used a food diary to record food and drink intake, which is reported to provide more detailed information than the questionnaire-based methods used in many previous studies.

As with all studies of this type, the main limitation is that it is difficult to single out the impact of one factor and be sure that no others are contributing to the link seen.

For example, people who drank more sweetened tea or coffee and sweetened milk beverages tended to have less healthy diets overall.

The researchers did take into account a range of factors, such as diet and physical activity in their analyses, to reduce this as much as they could, but it could still be having some effect.

Another limitation is that the researchers only assessed drink intake once, at the start of the study, and this may have changed over time.

The figures for the percentage of cases of type 2 diabetes that could be prevented are estimates. They are based on the assumption that the risk factor (sugar-sweetened drinks in this case) is directly causing the entire link seen, which may not be the case.

This method can overestimate the impact of individual factors. However, these types of estimates are used to help public health policy makers decide which disease risk factors are most important for them to target.

Overall, we know that being overweight or obese is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Maintaining a healthy weight will help to reduce this risk.

Reducing your calorie intake by swapping sugar-sweetened drinks for unsweetened drinks could work towards this goal. And given that UK tap water is cheap, calorie-free and safe to drink, it would seem the obvious choice for a sugar swap.

Analysis by Bazian. Edited by NHS Choices. Follow Behind the Headlines on Twitter. Join the Healthy Evidence forum.

Links To The Headlines

Choosing water instead of sugary drinks could cut diabetes 2 risk by a quarter. The Guardian, April 30 2015

Swapping orange squash for a cup of tea cuts diabetes risk. The Daily Telegraph, April 30 2015

Cutting out one fizzy drink a day slashes diabetes risk by 25%: Replacing sugary beverages with unsweetened tea or coffee could combat epidemic. Mail Online, May 1 2015

A glass of water a day 'can cut diabetes risk by a quarter'. Daily Express, May 1 2015

Links To Science

O'Connor L, Imamuara F, Lentjes MAH, et al. Prospective associations and population impact of sweet beverage intake and type 2 diabetes, and effects of substitutions with alternative beverages. Diabetologia. Published online April 30 2015

via NHS Choices: Behind the headlines More READ

Black lives matter: premature deaths skew US election results

Not only do black people die sooner than whites in the US, but the premature deaths of these would-be voters affect election results

via New Scientist - Health Read More Here..

How Vegan Are You?

Give peas a chance.

Thinkstock

There's A "Bob's Burgers" Cookbook Happening

The Bob’s Burger Experiment, which creates recipes based on the show’s Burger of the Day chalkboard, is coming to print.

thebobsburgerexperiment.com

Fox

Working on exclusive recipes for The Bob's Burgers Cookbook!

I wish I could share them with you, because they've been delicious so far!

View Entire List ›

Here's What Happened When We Made A "Harry Potter" Star Try Our Butterbeer

Jason Isaacs, who currently is starring on USA’s Dig, stopped by the BuzzFeed Los Angeles offices to taste-test our enchanting concoctions.

All Potterheads know this to be true: There is no better wizarding beverage than Butterbeer.

You can try some at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, or the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in England. But what if you made your OWN Butterbeer at home, from scratch?

Luckily, we're always up for a challenge, so four "Hogwarts students" (JK, BuzzFeed employees) decided to test their Potions prowess and whip up their own interpretation of the drink, which has been described as a "less sickly butterscotch" by none other than J.K. Rowling herself.

Warner Bros.

But we couldn't just make four Butterbeers and call it a day. We needed to determine a WINNER, and who better to judge our efforts than Jason Isaacs, aka Lucius Malfoy himself?!?

Jason currently is starring on USA’s Dig — an “action-adventure, murder-mystery, conspiracy thriller,” as he described it, that travels across the world — and said it's “more real and more exciting than many things I’ve done” (also, you should be catching up on the show, he said, because “you don’t want people to spoil the huge, surprising fun shit that happens.”)

Luckily for us, he said he’s “always loved sweet things.”

Warner Bros.

Jason stopped by BuzzFeed's L.A. office to lend his discerning Death Eater taste to our Butterbeer taste test.

Our contestants, from left, representing the four Hogwarts houses of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, respectively: Sheridan, Kirsten, Brian, and Lara.

Our four Hogwarts students had 15 minutes to whip up their best interpretation of a Butterbeer for Jason to taste-test. Let's just say the competition was VERY heated!

Claire de Louraille / Christian Zamora / Sam Stryker / BuzzFeed

And they're off!

Claire de Louraille / BuzzFeed

View Entire List ›

21 Boozy Milkshakes That Will Get You Tipsy

Bring all those boyz to the yard.

Kahlua Mocha Milkshake

Calling all chocolate and coffee lovers! Recipe here.

Courtney / Via neighborfoodblog.com

Tipsy Caramel S'mores Milkshake

Basically an adult s'more. Recipe here.

Meg / Via thehousewifeintrainingfiles.com

Boozy Coconut Hot Fudge Milkshake

Treat yo self! Recipe here.

Jake Lemkowitz / Via blog.westelm.com

White Russian Milkshake

Happy hour anyone!? Find it here.

browneyedbaker / Via browneyedbaker.com

View Entire List ›

24 Brutally Honest Cakes We Can All Relate To

“Happy Birthday” just doesn’t cut it anymore. Warning: some NSFW cakes.

imgur.com / Via reddit.com

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Take BuzzFeed's Clean Eating Challenge, Learn To Make Real Food

This is a delicious two-week meal plan that will teach you to cook and eat healthy, feel awesome, and stay that way. Just like last year’s, but better.

Lauren Zaser / Justine Zwiebel / BuzzFeed

Everybody wants to look and feel their best for summertime, which is why so many people took BuzzFeed Food's Clean Eating Challenge last year. So with the help of nutritionist Dana James, MS, CNS, CDN, of Food Coach NYC, we put together another challenge for 2015. This year's challenge follows the same nutrition guidelines — low-carb, gluten-free, nonprocessed food, lots and lots of fresh produce — with all-new recipes and easy-to-follow instructions. Most important, it's all about eating super-healthy food that leaves you feeling happy and energized.

You'll eat three meals and two snacks every day. The in-depth instructions will guide you through everything from grocery shopping to cooking to exactly when and how to store leftovers. And don't worry: There's plenty of variety, so you won't get bored.

You'll learn to cook and eat healthy food. More important, you'll feel awesome.

ABC / giphy.com

1) Every meal and snack is homemade; if you don't know how to cook this challenge will teach you how. If you follow the scheduled prep, the making of meals is easy — and there are step-by-step photos for each day. The plan is low-carb and gluten-free with an emphasis on lean protein and fresh produce. There's no processed food allowed.

2) Each recipe is calculated for one person, as is the grocery list. Every day, you'll eat three meals and two snacks (one snack after lunch, one after dinner) for a daily total of 1,300–1,600 calories.

3) It's important that you follow the meal plan in order since most of the recipes call for leftover ingredients from previous days.

4) You can start the challenge on any Saturday. Day One of the challenge is actually Sunday, but there is some prep (like grocery shopping) to do Saturday.

5) There are two really helpful weekly calendars that you can print or bookmark online. It will help by giving you an overview of all your meals, prep work for the next day, and what uses leftovers. Print the Week 1 calendar here and the Week 2 calendar here.

6) All of the weekday lunches and snacks are portable so you can take them to work, to class, or wherever you need to go. There are instructions with each of the lunches and snacks on how to pack them to go. If you're packing lunches to go and eating at work, you might want to keep salt, pepper, and a paring knife at the office just in case, but our schedule has you prep everything at home beforehand.

7) You'll go grocery shopping twice: once on Saturday, the day before you start Week One of the challenge, and again the following Saturday before Week Two begins. The second shopping trip will be lighter, since you'll already have all the pantry stuff you need and will pretty much just be buying produce and protein. The grocery lists are a separate PDF file that you can print here.

8) You'll freeze some of your meat and fish since you're buying everything at the beginning of the week, which means we'll tell you exactly when to thaw the proteins, so make sure you stay on top of that! Nothing's worse than getting excited about salmon for dinner and coming home to a block of frozen fish. If you don't want to freeze your proteins, you can buy them the day you're scheduled to use them and put them right in the fridge if you have time for additional trips to the grocery store — that's up to you.

9) Protein amounts are different for men and women. Every serving of protein is 4 ounces for women and 8 ounces for men, and servings of nuts are also doubled for men. This is noted in every relevant recipe, so you'll get a heads-up every time. But all the calorie counts and nutrition breakdowns are calculated based on women's serving sizes.

10) You need to drink about six glasses of water per day. The specific amount is 60 ounces (7½ cups) of water per day, but there's no need to obsessively measure; just know that most water glasses hold about 10 ounces, so six of those will get you to your goal.

11) Salt amounts matter and they are specified in the recipes. Be sure to follow them to get the full results of the detox!

12) Aim to eat every three to four hours, and try not to eat within two hours of bedtime.

13) No coffee and no booze. Yes, you read that right. If you can't go two weeks without caffeine, you can drink up to 24 ounces (3 cups) of green tea per day. Alcohol is not allowed on the challenge. But we understand that even if we say that, some of you will cheat. So if you decide to break this rule, limit yourself to two glasses of wine, maximum, over the course of the two weeks.

View Entire List ›

Dropping One Sugary Soda a Day Could Cut Diabetes Risk

Drinking water, unsweetened tea or coffee instead lowered chances of blood sugar disease by 25 percent

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Carbohydrates, Diabetes Type 2 via MedlinePlus Health News Read More Here..

2-Minute Walk Every Hour May Help Offset Effects of Sitting

Study found short bouts of light activity seem to boost longevity

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Page: Exercise and Physical Fitness via MedlinePlus Health News Read More Here..

Breast Reconstruction Often Involves Multiple Operations

Study finds most breast cancer patients will need two or more procedures to complete process

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Page: Breast Reconstruction via MedlinePlus Health News Read More Here..

Many Pregnant Women Think E-Cigarettes 'Safer' Than Regular Cigarettes

But expectant moms shouldn't use nicotine in any form, experts say

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Page: Pregnancy and Substance Abuse via MedlinePlus Health News Read More Here..

Want to Stay Slim? Keep Food Out of Sight

Low self-esteem is also linked to obesity, study finds
Source: HealthDay
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Colorado Dog Key to U.S. Plague Outbreak, Study Confirms

Health officials detail rare, multiple-case infection
Source: HealthDay
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Study Casts Doubt on Use of Common Antibiotic for UTIs in Women

Canadian researchers find other antibiotics may beat nitrofurantoin, but one expert says drug still useful

Source: HealthDay
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Heart Failure Implant Tied to Weakening of Thinking, Memory

Research suggests left ventricular assist devices aren't a magic bullet

Source: HealthDay
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Heroin Use Surges Among Whites Who Abuse Prescription Painkillers

Efforts to curb illicit drug use should target this population, researchers say
Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Health Disparities, Heroin, Prescription Drug Abuse via MedlinePlus Health News Read More Here..

Sharing Breast Milk May Pose Risks Women Haven't Considered

Survey shows few ask about health of donor, discuss option with doctor

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Breastfeeding, Infant and Newborn Nutrition via MedlinePlus Health News Read More Here..

Cloudy Climes May Up Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

Shortage of vitamin D may be to blame

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Pancreatic Cancer, Sun Exposure, Vitamin D via MedlinePlus Health News Read More Here..

Drop in Drunk Driving Crashes May Have Boosted U.S. Economy

Study tallied savings from fewer medical bills, lower legal costs, lost productivity and property damage

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Health Statistics, Impaired Driving via MedlinePlus Health News Read More Here..

Where You're Treated for Heart Attack Matters

Study finds survival difference of about one year between high- and low-performing hospitals

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Health Facilities, Heart Attack via MedlinePlus Health News Read More Here..

Whole Blood Best for Youngest Heart Surgery Patients

Exposure to fewer donors may reduce lifelong risks

Source: HealthDay
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Blood Transfusion and Donation, Children's Health, Heart Surgery via MedlinePlus Health News Read More Here..

2-Minute Walk Every Hour May Help Offset Effects of Sitting

Study found short bouts of light activity seem to boost longevity

Source: HealthDay via Exercise and Physical Fitness New Links: MedlinePlus RSS Feed Read More Here..

3D windpipe 'saves children's lives'

Three babies have been saved from a life-threatening condition by using 3D printed windpipe splints to help them breathe, a pilot study reveals. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

VIDEO: 'Obesity killed my son'

Satish Appleby speaks about the death of her overweight son. via BBC News - Health Read More Here..

How to combine exercise and diet in one acivity: Should hospitals teach patients how to grow vegetables?

Google has a vegetable garden

Google was doing it in 2007: In Growing our connection to food, Google explained they launched a mini-farm on campus with 300 self-watering containers. The correct name for the containers is sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) and they can be purchased commercially ($30) or made from plastic totes.

Sports team has mini-farm

San Francisco Giants have a mini-farm on their stadium growing kale, Swiss chard, lemon grass, sage and more. The garden—one of the first of its kind at an American sports stadium—comes as a bizarre sight to some fans who associate stadiums with more traditional fare. But the Giants say that the Garden, as they call it, promotes healthy eating. In a city with no shortage of fussy foodies, it has attracted its share of devotees.

Hospitals could be next

The Giants garden may be an almost utopian oasis of tranquility, with its rows of lushly packed planter beds and water-conserving, vertical garden towers. But it is also a popular vantage point—complete with tables and seating. Fans who want to stay planted inside the garden can still watch the game action through a series of cutouts in the center-field wall or follow it on one of TVs.

Quoting the late author Lewis Grizzard, it reads: “It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.”

It is possible that hospitals that focus on wellness initiatives may be interested in launching their SIP-powered gardens as an educational initiative for patients and staff.

Related videos:

Google Garden Planting. Executive Sous-Chef Jennifer Johnston leads a team of volunteers to plant a Growing Connection garden on Google campus.

Google Garden Harvest. Rebecca Jepsen from Santa Clara County Master Gardeners helps Jennifer maintain and harvest the garden.

The Growing Connection Gardens at Google. Google Chief Internet Evangelist and Co-Chair of the Global Advisory Board of The Growing Connection Vint Cerf stopped in and helped unveil The Growing Connection's Gardens at the Googleplex on May 1, 2007.

References:

Official Google Blog: Growing our connection to food http://buff.ly/1oC2lkr

For San Francisco Giants, the Star of This World Series Is a Vegetable Garden - WSJ - WSJ http://buff.ly/1sY8qpM

"Food gardening is the most intelligent adult endeavor on earth and ought to be understood by anyone who eats. You eat healthier, fresher, tastier food, enjoy gentle exercise, and make new friends." Source: http://amzn.to/RpbdJx

Gardening helps you burn calories - 160 calories for 30 minutes of gardening http://buff.ly/1ekjB7L

Why Gardening is Good for Your Health (infographic) http://bit.ly/10JAhzU

He who plants a garden plants happiness. — Chinese proverb

http://doctorsgarden.blogspot.com via CasesBlog - Medical and Health Blog More READ

Leading charity calls for diabetes to be priority

Political leaders need to do more for UK’s 3.8m diabetics

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Much of NHS £10bn diabetes spend ‘wasted’
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Diabetes education is inadequate, survey finds
Poor state of diabetes care costs money and lives
Poor diabetes education leading to health complications

via OnMedica News Read More Here..

Midwives strike begins in run-up to general election

First strike in 134 years over 1% pay rise

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Doctors' anger at pay snub
Nurses vote to accept a 1% pay rise
Midwives join other health unions in planned strike action
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NHS says end to strike threat is ‘huge relief’

via OnMedica News Read More Here..

Nepal: WHO works with partners to prevent diarrhoeal diseases

WHO and partner organizations in Nepal have mobilized further resources including medicine and medical equipment to prevent the possible spread of diarrhoeal diseases among populations affected by the country’s devastating earthquake.

“After an earthquake of this magnitude, the water supply is often damaged and contaminated, increasing the risk that people drinking it could develop diarrhoeal diseases,” says Dr Lin Aung, WHO’s Representative to Nepal. “The crowded living conditions in temporary shelters increase the chance that these types of diseases could spread.” via WHO news Read More Here..