It costs the government a lot when you just sit

Spending large amounts of time sitting or lounging around during the day is linked to around 50,000 deaths per year in the United Kingdom.

April 27, 2019 Fitness, Health, Wellness

By Star2.com

The workplace unfortunately is an unavoidable cause of sedentary behaviour for many people. — AFP

In addition, the UK National Health Service (NHS) spends in excess of £0.7 billion (RM3.78bil) per year treating the health consequences.

This is suggested by research from Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University, both in the UK, published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

A large proportion of the British population have sedentary jobs and leisure activities, and official physical activity recommendations regarding sedentary behaviour are vague.

Previous studies have shown that spending large parts of the day sitting down increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and death, and is a burden on health services.

But no estimate of the financial impact that sedentary behaviour has on the UK NHS has been calculated, so the authors set out to do just that.

Figures calculated by other researchers on the impact sedentary behaviour has on the relative risks of five specific health conditions (type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, endometrial cancer and lung cancer) and deaths from all causes, were combined with figures on the percentage of adults who are sedentary on any given day of the week, to estimate the overall impact sedentary behaviour has at a British population level.

Figures on sedentary behaviour were taken from the Health Survey for England 2012, which reported that 30% of adults in England spent at least six hours/day sedentary on weekdays, which increased to 37% on weekends.

Actual overall UK NHS spending on each of the five conditions, adjusted for inflation, was used to estimate the financial impact sedentary behaviour had on the UK NHS for each of the conditions in 2016-17.

For all five conditions combined, this amounted to £0.8bil (RM5.4bil).

As a proportion of patients will have more than one of the five conditions, e.g. around 30% of people with type 2 diabetes will also have cardiovascular disease, the researchers revised their figures to adjust for double-counting caused by comorbidity.

This reduced the overall cost of sedentary behaviour to £0.7bil (RM3.78bil).

Next, they took the figure calculated for the fraction of deaths from all causes that could be attributed to a sedentary lifestyle and multiplied it with the actual numbers of deaths that occurred in the UK in 2016.

The researchers say their results suggest that 11.6% of all deaths were associated with sedentary behaviour, and that 69,276 deaths might have been avoided in 2016 if sedentary behaviour was eliminated.

This is an observational study, and as such, can’t establish cause, and it also relied on estimates of people’s self-reported activity levels, which may not be accurate.

The study was also limited by the evidence available for the link between sedentary behaviour and health outcomes.

The authors point out that these costs are probably a conservative estimate of the true burden of sedentary behaviour because sedentary behaviour is likely to be associated with several other cancers, musculoskeletal disorders and mental health disorders, which are not included in their analysis.

Lead investigator Leonie Heron from the Centre of Public Health at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “Many individuals in the UK spend their leisure time in sedentary behaviour, and the workplace represents a significant proportion of unavoidable daily sitting time for many people.”

Measures should be taken to reduce sedentary behaviour with the aim of improving population health and reducing the financial burden to the health service, they conclude. – The BMJ

Read more at https://www.star2.com/health/2019/04/27/it-costs-the-government-a-lot-when-you-just-sit/

Type 2 diabetes can be reversed by Low-calorie soups and shakes, research finds

Nearly five million people in the UK have diabetes, with 90 per cent of them suffering with the type 2 strain which is linked to poor diet and lack of exercise

By Greg Wilford

7th March 2019, 2:27 am

Updated: 7th March 2019, 2:29 am

A LOW-CALORIE diet of soups and shakes can reverse Type-2 diabetes.

More than a third of patients who followed the regime were found to be free of the illness after two years.

GETTY - CONTRIBUTOR

1

The NHS is planning to trial the soup and shakes diet and may consider a national rollout if it's successful

The research showed 46 per cent of patients who took part were in remission after one year, the Daily Mail reported.

Those who managed to stay diabetes-free lost an average of 1st 9lb each — adding to growing evidence that the condition can be defeated with weight loss.

The NHS is planning to trial a fat-free soup and shakes diet with 5,000 participants. If successful it may be rolled out nationally.

Nearly five million Brits have diabetes with 90 per cent of them living with the type 2 strain — linked to poor diet and lack of exercise. It can lead to liver failure, strokes and blindness.

Newcastle University professor Roy Taylor co-led the study, which involved nearly 300 people in Tyneside and Scotland.

He said: “Type 2 diabetes is not a life sentence.

“We now know how people can return to normal despite developing this serious threat to health and happiness.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8580176/diet-soup-shakes-reverse-type-2-diabetes/

The most polluted towns and cities in the UK have been named and the list will surprise you

There are 47 towns and cities in the UK which match or exceed air pollution limits, a report has revealed.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the Welsh steel town of Port Talbot is the most polluted place in Britain.

Ross McGuinness

Yahoo News UK2 May 2018

View photos

There are 47 towns and cities in the UK which are polluted (Picture: Rex)

It recorded pollution levels of 18 micrograms per cubic metre, well above the WHO limit of 10.

Researchers looked at fine particle emissions – called PM 2.5 – which travel deeply into people’s respiratory systems and can lead to health problems.

The tiny particles, which come from sources such as transport, industry, coal plants and burning wood, fuels or waste, are linked to conditions including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and disease, and respiratory infections.

View photos

Port Talbot in Wales was top of the pollution list (Picture: PA)

Many of the country’s main cities exceed the WHO limit, including London, Manchester, Liverpool and Nottingham.

Port Talbot, home of the Port Talbot steelworks, recorded 18 micrograms per cubic metre in the last recorded data from 2015, the same as Marseille in France, Singapore and the Ecuadorian capital Quito, and higher than Belgian capital Brussels (16).

The figures show varying levels of pollution in Port Talbot over time, with the figure at 16 in 2013, down to 10 in 2014 and on the rise again in 2015.

Scunthorpe and Salford recorded the second-worst levels of pollution in the UK, with 15 micrograms per cubic metre recorded, followed by Gibraltar and Thurrock on 14.

Manchester and Swansea were on 13, and cities including Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Plymouth, Sheffield and York recorded 12, one above London which showed 11 micrograms per cubic metre in 2015.

This figure represents a drop from 17 in 2013, while in Carlisle the levels have gone up from eight in 2013 to 12 in 2015.

Cities on the WHO limit of 10 include Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Newcastle, Portsmouth and Southampton.

The most polluted city in 2015 according to the WHO data is Muzaffarpur in India, with a figure of 197 micrograms per cubic metre, although this figure is under revision.

Below that is Pasakha in Bhutan (150), Delhi in India (123) and greater Cairo in Egypt (117).

View photos

London is still among the most polluted places in the UK – but it isn’t the worst (Picture: PA)

The government has been urged to take action in the wake of the report, which said seven million people a year worldwide are dying due to poor air quality, and nine out of 10 people are exposed to levels of air pollution that are dangerous to their health.

Environmental law charity ClientEarth chief executive James Thornton said: “These new statistics show a worrying level of this dangerous air pollution across the country.

“People shouldn’t have to breathe air on a daily basis which the WHO deems unhealthy.”

He added ministers should commit to a new Clean Air Act, adding: “Without it, many people across the UK will continue to pay with their health.”

Alison Cook, director of policy at the British Lung Foundation, said: “This report reconfirms that air pollution is one of the leading environmental public health crises in the UK today.

“Action to reduce the toxic particles in the air we breathe can no longer be delayed.

“How much more evidence do we need to see before the Government sets new legal limits on pollution levels to protect the nation’s lung health?”

Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, said: “The UK government needs to show leadership by adopting WHO air quality guidelines into national legislation and in doing so, help to protect the nation’s heart and circulatory health.”

View photos

Port Talbot has a pollution level of 18 micrograms per cubic metre (Picture: PA)

THE 32 UK TOWNS AND CITIES (AND GIBRALTAR) WHICH EXCEED THE WHO AIR POLLUTION LIMIT

Port Talbot: 18 micrograms per cubic metre

Scunthorpe: 15

Salford: 15

Gibraltar: 14

Thurrock: 14

Manchester: 13

Swansea: 13

Gillingham: 13

Carlisle: 12

Chepstow: 12

Leeds: 12

Leicester: 12

Liverpool: 12

Grays: 12

Eccles: 12

Nottingham: 12

View photos

Nottingham is one of the cities with a pollution level over the WHO limit (Picture: PA)

Plymouth: 12

York: 12

Prestonpans: 12

Royal Leamington Spa: 12

Sandy: 12

Sheffield: 12

Stoke-On-Trent: 12

London:11

Coventry: 11

Hull: 11

Londonderry: 11

Middlesbrough: 11

Norwich: 11

Southend-On-Sea: 11

Stockton-On-Tees: 11

Storrington: 11

Wigan: 11

THE 15 PLACES THAT ARE AT THE WHO LIMIT

Armagh:10

Birmingham: 10

Brighton: 10

Bristol: 10

Cardiff: 10

Eastbourne: 10

Harlington: 10

Newcastle: 10

Newport: 10

Oxford: 10

Portsmouth: 10

Preston: 10

Saltash: 10

Southampton: 10

Stanford-Le-Hope: 10

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/polluted-towns-cities-uk-074241076.html

Genetically modified food safe?

FARMERS have been modifying crops for millennia. They introduce new and desirable qualities to improve the food's taste, colour or smell; and eliminate unfavourable traits. All this has been done through conventional breeding – using selective breeding or artificial cross breeding of plants within a species.

Posted on 13 June 2017 - 08:07am
Last updated on 17 June 2017 - 01:17pm

Gurdial Singh Nijar

Now there is modern biotechnology. It inserts new traits into plants and animals by "cutting" a specific gene from an organism (say a plant or animal) and "pasting" it onto another organism. Things that never happen in nature. For example, a particular fish gene can be introduced into a tomato to preserve its shelf life.

Loads of food crops have been thus modified. A common soil bacteria that produces toxins has been introduced into plants to make them resistant to insects or herbicide tolerant.

A large part of some crops produced in the US (and shipped overseas) are thus modified – soy, sugar beet, canola and corn (88%). Other crops include papaya, tomato and sweet potato. This makes it much easier to spray them with Monsanto's weed killer, glyphosate. There is a raging controversy over a probable causal link between exposure to glyphosate and cancer.

Consumers are concerned about adverse health impacts of eating these genetically modified (GM) foods, despite the producers' assurance that they are as safe to eat as non-GM food. Some big food retailers in the UK – like Sainsbury and Safeway – have pledged that none of their house brand products contain GM ingredients.

Last month, the European Parliament passed a resolution opposing plans to authorise imports of products made from GM herbicide-resistant maize and cotton. And it called for an overhaul of the EU's authorisation procedure for these genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The position in Malaysia

Malaysia has approved GM soybeans and corn for human consumption. Lecithin (from soya) is used in a very large number of products that we consume – such as ice cream.

Malaysia imports GMOs, mainly from the US. Almost all of the feed for animals in Malaysia is genetically modified.

We are also experimenting to create GM crops – such as rice, papaya, bananas, pineapples and chillies; to resist virus infection, prolong shelf life, and delay ripening. We are also developing genetically-engineered oil palm to increase its beneficial oil content and create nutraceuticals (vitamin A and E); not quite into commercialising it for export yet, as European consumers oppose GM products.

Protection

We have enacted the Biosafety Act 2009 – to protect the environment and consumers from the health risks of GMOs and their products. Now any GMO intended for cultivation, contained use, field trials or consumption must be approved by the National Biosafety Board – assisted by an advisory committee. A large number of products have been approved.

In 2010, GM mosquitoes were released for field trials by the Institute of Medical Research to control dengue. The expectation was that the offspring of the GM mosquito would die before reaching adulthood. The plan was shelved shortly after – because, reportedly, its implementation was not cost effective.

Improvements

There remain several areas for biosafety improvement as highlighted in a recent Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment seminar.

First, GM products should be labelled – as mandated by the Act. So that consumers have the right to choose what they eat.

Second, the advisory committee – though doing a commendable best-effort work – must be beefed up with full-time professionals. Presently, they work part-time, in addition to their present heavy work-load. Besides the committee mainly assesses materials submitted by the industry. There is no independent verification or evaluation – as done by countries such as India.

Third, the committee should include civil society representatives to provide consumer perspectives.

Fourth, our laws on feed for animals must require disclosure of the possible GMO content of any imported GM feed – as required under the UN Cartagena Protocol.

Finally, we should explore non-GMO options before embarking on, what turned out in the case of the GM mosquitoes, to be a costly and wasteful project.

Industry measures

Commendably, the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers has formulated best-practices to prevent non-GMO food crops from GMO contamination; from the selection of the seed for planting until the final crop reaches the consumer.

The measures include: ensuring that pure seeds are used for planting; the sowing machinery is free from any contamination and not co-mingled with GM seeds; maintaining an adequate distance and buffer zone from fields planted with GM crops – to avoid wind and insect-borne cross pollination contamination; cleaning thoroughly harvesting equipment; sealing harvested crops to reduce the risk of contamination as the products are transported through a number of operators in the supply chain; inspecting and cleaning the elevators (used to load the grains for storage); making sure the mills used are cleaned; and avoiding contamination at the processing stage of food and feed through careful monitoring by trained staff buttressed by an efficient raw material analysis.

These, however, are voluntary non-binding, industry guidelines. There is no official regulatory oversight for their enforcement.

Unfortunately, as a National Biosafety Board study showed, most Malaysians (88%) are not aware of GMOs, their potential impact and our biosafety regulations.

It is time then to address all these shortcomings. To ensure that our food chain is not contaminated; and our environment not adversely affected.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/2017/06/17/genetically-modified-food-safe

Cod fish saved

image

Cod fish in the North Sea off the United Kingdom were once heading towards extinction.

But these fish are now recovering, thanks to years of conservation measures, according to a report in The Guardian.

North Sea cod fish were once heading towards extinction. But tough conservation steps have helped them recover. Photo: Filepic

ENVIRONMENT

August 12, 2017 

By ANDREW SIA

The North Sea was once one of the world’s great fisheries. But due to overfishing, stocks of cod there plummeted by 84% between the early 1970s and 2006.

It was nearly as bad as the total collapse of the Grand Banks fisheries off Canada in the early 1990s (which has still not recovered).

But the fate of Canada was averted thanks to tough but necessary actions such as:

• Decommissioning fishing boats

• Ban on catches in nursery areas

• Limits on days when fishing is allowed

• Larger holes in nets to allow young cod to escape

In 2001, parts of the North Sea were closed to cod fishermen under emergency European Union rules. Cod fishing was banned for 12 weeks during the crucial spawning period in a desperate bid to revive dangerously depleted stocks.

Some of these measures hit fishermen hard, but there was no choice as their catch of cod was dwindling away (anyway).

Now, all these efforts have paid off.

The stock of cod has increased by fourfold since its lowest point in 2006. And last month, North Sea cod was awarded sustainable status by the London-based Marine Stewardship Council.

Sustainable North Sea cod in supermarkets will carry the MSC’s blue label. To obtain the MSC certification, fishermen are also required to protect cold water corals from damage by trawlers.

On a global level, overfishing is still a major threat.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation says that 90% of the world’s fisheries are either being fully exploited, or are at risk of collapsing. This is what makes the turnaround of North Sea cod a rather rare but inspiring example of how conservation can work.

Mike Park, chair of the Scottish Fisheries Sustainable Accreditation Group, told The Guardian, “This is a testament to the power of collective action. The years of commitment to rebuilding North Sea cod has shown that fishermen are responsible and can be trusted to deliver stable and sustainable stocks.”

Lyndsey Dodds, head of UK marine policy at WWF, agreed that the improvement in cod stock showed what was possible when the fishing industry, managers and scientists worked together. But she added that the recovery remains fragile and work to sustainably manage fish stocks must be continued.

Up till now, about 90% of cod in the UK has been imported, mostly from Iceland and from Norwegian and Russian boats fishing in the Barents Sea, which have all gained MSC sustainable certification in recent years. But now cod caught and landed in the UK will also be labelled sustainable.

UK citizens eat about 70,000 tonnes of cod a year – 1kg per person. Industry group Seafish estimated there are over 10,000 takeaway fish and chip shops in the UK, serving about 380 million meals a year.

http://www.star2.com/living/living-environment/2017/08/12/cod-fish-saved/

PRINCE PHILIP, 96, TO BID ADIEU TO SOLO CHARITY APPEARANCES

For over 65 years, he has been the unwavering presence alongside Britain's longest-serving monarch, the consummate consort and royal representative.

Aug 2, 3:57 AM EDT
ASSOCIATED PRESS

BY DANICA KIRKA

AP Photo/Matt Dunham

On Wednesday Prince Philip will make his 22,219th - and final - solo public engagement. He will be meeting Royal Marines who have completed a 1,664-mile (2,678-kilometer) trek to raise money for charity.

After that, the Duke of Edinburgh will still appear at Queen Elizabeth II's side - from time to time - as the 91-year-old monarch soldiers on. In the meantime, the man known for his quips and gaffes has already been joking about his big retirement day.

"I'm discovering what it's like to be on your last legs," the 96-year-old Philip told celebrity chef Prue Leith at a recent palace event.

Philip is patron, president or a member of over 780 organizations, with which he will continue to be associated - but he won't play an active role by attending engagements. The queen supported the decision, which was greeted with an international press flurry when it was announced in May.

The occasion marks a major landmark for the man born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in Corfu on June 10, 1921, to Princess Alice of Battenberg and Prince Andrew of Greece. Amid the upheaval of the military coup that overthrew his uncle, King Constantine, in 1922, the family fled.

King George V, the queen's grandfather, sent a Royal Navy cruiser to evacuate Philip's family and he was whisked to safety in a cot made from an orange box. Later, he rarely saw his parents and went to school in Germany and Britain.

Philip has had a long association with the military and had once had promising military career. He joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1939 and served during World War II, winning mention in dispatches for service aboard the battleship HMS Valiant at Cape Matapan, on Greece's Peloponnesian peninsula. He rose to the level of commander.

Two years after the war ended, Philip married the future queen at Westminster Abbey when she was 21 and he was 26. He renounced his Greek title and King George VI made him the Duke of Edinburgh. His career came to an abrupt end with George's death in 1952. At the queen's coronation in 1953, Philip swore to be his wife's "liege man of life and limb." He settled into a life supporting Elizabeth in her role as queen and they had four children - Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward.

And ever since, the milestones just kept falling.

Philip has given 5,496 speeches, written 14 books and gone on 637 solo visits overseas.

He's championed environmental and conservation issues, and has interests in science, engineering and industry. An accomplished sportsman, he played polo regularly until 1971. 

He earned his RAF wings in 1953, his helicopter wings in 1956 and his private pilot's license in 1959.

All that activity has led to overall good health. But Philip has been admitted to the hospital on a number of occasions in the last few years for abdominal surgery, bladder infections and a blocked coronary artery.

Many of his health issues are related to sports. He has arthritis in his right wrist and broke a bone in his ankle from playing polo. He developed a rheumatic condition of the tendon in the hand after a taking a fall in polo.

He takes the stairs rather than elevators and can still fit into the uniform he wore for his wedding. He was only seen wearing hearing aids for the first time at a palace reception in 2014 at the age of 93.

The palace says his health wasn't behind the retirement decision.

Philip, who enjoys a slightly wicked turn of phrase, has poked fun at himself and his advancing years. In a letter to The Oldie magazine in 2011, he said he appreciated being named "Consort of the Year."

"There is nothing like it for morale to be reminded that the years are passing - ever more quickly - and that bits are beginning to drop off the ancient frame," he wrote. "But it is nice to be remembered at all."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_BRITAIN_PRINCE_PHILIP?

Also See:

• A LOOK AT PRINCE PHILIP, THE QUEEN'S MOST LOYAL SUBJECT
• Wince Philip: Prince's most famous comments and clangers