tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/healthy-8326/articlesHealthy – The Conversation2023-08-04T12:30:37Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2098102023-08-04T12:30:37Z2023-08-04T12:30:37ZCollege students with loans more likely to report bad health and skip medicine and care, study finds<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539773/original/file-20230727-29-hz1qlc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=70%2C151%2C7629%2C4428&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A new study found that those with student loans are more likely to delay medical, dental and mental health care. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/burnout-anxiety-and-fatigue-creative-student-royalty-free-image/1445373401?phrase=college+students+mental+health">PeopleImages/iStock via Getty Images </a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em> </p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Students who took out loans to pay for college rated their overall health and mental health as being worse than those who didn’t take out student loans. They also reported more major medical problems and were more likely to report delaying medical, dental and mental health care and using less medication than the amount prescribed to save money. </p>
<p>We <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2151840">reported these findings</a> in an article published in the Journal of American College Health. The findings are based on surveys collected in 2017 from over 3,200 college students at two public universities in the United States.</p>
<p>We asked students to rate their physical and mental health on a 4-point scale – excellent, good, fair and poor. We also asked if they had experienced any major medical problems in the past year or whether they had ever postponed medical, dental or mental health care to make ends meet since starting college. Those who indicated they were taking regular medication for physical health problems, such as for asthma or high blood pressure, were asked if they ever took less medication than prescribed to save money. </p>
<p>Students with loans reported worse outcomes than those without loans, even after accounting for differences between them in terms of race, age and gender, as well as their parents’ education level and marital status.</p>
<p>Despite their worse self-reported mental health, students with loans were equally likely as students without loans to have received a new mental health diagnosis or treatment for a mental disorder in college. They also were equally likely to have visited a mental health practitioner in the past year or to use mental health medication. But they were almost twice as likely as those without debt to report delaying mental health care. </p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Our findings suggest that student loans may have hidden costs in the form of worse physical and mental health, more medical problems and diminished use of medical and mental health care. Stress from student loans <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1141137">can affect students</a> while they are still in college, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000207">harming both mental and physical health</a>.</p>
<p>College students are often at a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/11381-002">crucial juncture</a> when they are first leaving their parents’ home and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2008.365">establishing habits</a> – such as those related to medical and dental care – that may persist beyond college. Declining to seek medical care <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jchf.2021.05.010">can result</a> in <a href="https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-114-4-325">worse medical problems</a>, potentially leading to diminished health and shorter lives for college graduates with loans.</p>
<p>One of the advantages of getting a college degree is <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300216">improved</a> <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2019/06/17/new-evidence-for-the-broad-benefits-of-higher-education/?sh=a4e88834c5c1">health</a>. But students who take out loans to attend college may not see those benefits, especially if they defer medical care or use less medicine to save money.</p>
<p>Previous generations had greater access to free or low-cost <a href="https://press.jhu.edu/books/title/12165/history-american-higher-education">public higher education</a> – access that has eroded as state budgets <a href="https://doi.org/10.1525/ctx.2009.8.1.76">failed to keep up</a> with the <a href="https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Anatomy-of-College-Tuition.pdf">rising demand for and costs</a> of higher education. The current system of higher education funding <a href="https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-statistics">requires most people to take on debt</a> to get a college degree; the <a href="https://ticas.org/affordability-2/student-aid/student-debt-student-aid/student-debt-and-the-class-of-2019/">most recent national data</a> indicates that among 2019 graduates of public or private nonprofit, four-year universities, 62% had student debt.</p>
<h2>What’s next</h2>
<p>We are writing a book that explores how debt affects life after college, including the consequences for health, housing, romantic relationships and career trajectories. So far, we have found that inequalities in health and delays in doctor visits persist after graduation. We have also found that college graduates who put off doctor visits to save money in college were a little over twice as likely to experience a recent major medical problem 15 months and 3.5 years after graduation. We also found they were over four times as likely to be be putting off medical care to save money after graduation, showing these habits persist well after they leave college.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209810/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Arielle Kuperberg receives funding from the National Science Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joan Maya Mazelis receives funding from the National Science Foundation.</span></em></p>College students who postpone medical care to save money end up paying for it down the line in the form of worse health, a researcher contends.Arielle Kuperberg, Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina – GreensboroJoan Maya Mazelis, Associate Professor of Sociology, Rutgers UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2000362023-07-19T12:22:54Z2023-07-19T12:22:54ZHip-hop and health – why so many rap artists die young<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537895/original/file-20230717-17-u3sao8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C38%2C2502%2C2483&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hip hop artists, from top left, clockwise, DMX, Lexii Alijai, Prince Markie Dee and Trugoy the Dove have all passed away within the past decade. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The song “Be Healthy” from the 2000 album by hip-hop duo dead prez, “<a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/dead-prez-lets-get-free/">Let’s Get Free</a>,” is a rare rap anthem dedicated to diet, exercise and temperance:</p>
<p><em>“They say you are what you eat, so I strive to eat healthy / My goal in life is not to be rich or wealthy / ‘Cause true wealth come from good health and wise ways / We got to start taking better care of ourselves”</em> </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/47757IZRc5c?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">“Be Healthy,” from the 2000 album “Let’s Get Free”</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In what’s widely recognized as <a href="https://www.grammy.com/news/2023-grammys-celebrate-50-years-hip-hop-star-performance-segment">hip-hop’s 50th anniversary</a>, an unfortunate reality is that several of its pioneering artists aren’t here to celebrate. The number of rappers who never live to see much more than 50 years themselves is astounding.</p>
<p>Rappers and rap fans can’t help but take notice that their peers and favorite rappers are dying young. Trugoy the Dove of De La Soul, 53, <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2023/02/de-la-soul-trugoy-the-dove-dead-at-54.html">passed away in February 2023</a> after a <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/trugoy-the-dove-member-of-hip-hop-trio-de-la-soul-dies-at-54">battle with congestive heart failure</a>. Gangsta Boo, hailed as the “<a href="https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/01/14/gangsta-boo-celebration-of-life-memphis-rap-railgarten/69804248007/">Queen of Memphis</a>” and known for her work with Three 6 Mafia, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/gangsta-boo-dead-former-three-6-mafia-rapper-dies-obituary-1235192876/">died at the age of 43</a> of a drug overdose in January 2023. Takeoff, a member of the Atlanta trio Migos, was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/01/arts/music/takeoff-migos-dead.html">killed in November 2022</a>. He was 28 years old. </p>
<p>Rapper <a href="https://www.vibe.com/news/entertainment/jim-jones-stands-on-rappers-have-the-most-dangerous-job-comment-1234672569/">Jim Jones has claimed</a> that rap is the most dangerous profession due to rappers <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/11/takeoff-death-hip-hop-rap-violence/672117/">being violently killed so frequently</a>. Similarly, <a href="https://www.complex.com/music/a/backwoodsaltar/fat-joe-rappers-endangeed-species-pnb-rock-death">rapper Fat Joe believes</a> rappers are an endangered species. In the 2022 song “On Faux Nem,” Lupe Fiasco put it more succinctly: “Rappers die too much.”</p>
<p>As a rapper, a fan of hip-hop’s art and artists, and a <a href="https://news.virginia.edu/content/meet-ad-carson-uvas-professor-hip-hop">professor of hip-hop</a>, I agree with Lupe Fiasco: Rappers die too much. Whether it’s from gun violence, heart disease, cancer, self-harm or drugs, the number of rappers whose lives have ended prematurely is alarming.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Rap star Nipsey Hussle looks out." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537537/original/file-20230714-17-t3lnuk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537537/original/file-20230714-17-t3lnuk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537537/original/file-20230714-17-t3lnuk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537537/original/file-20230714-17-t3lnuk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537537/original/file-20230714-17-t3lnuk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=635&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537537/original/file-20230714-17-t3lnuk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=635&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537537/original/file-20230714-17-t3lnuk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=635&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rap star Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed in Los Angeles in 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/rapper-nipsey-hussle-attends-a-craft-syndicate-music-news-photo/1080924940?adppopup=true">Prince Williams/WireImage via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The (un)exceptional spectacle of American gun violence</h2>
<p>Stories of rappers who die violently are well known. News media are quick to report on <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/11/01/gun-violence-has-killed-at-least-1-rapper-every-year-since-2018-2/">violence in hip-hop</a> to <a href="https://theconversation.com/scapegoating-rap-hits-new-low-after-july-fourth-mass-shooting-186443">support their view</a> that the music and the people who make it are exceptionally violent. Violence, death and conflict attract attention. Pair any of those with racial stereotyping and scapegoating and it’s easy to see why the murders of hip-hop stars such as Nipsey Hussle, the Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur and countless other artists garner so much attention.</p>
<p>Though they were all taken by the <a href="https://theconversation.com/rappers-are-victims-of-an-epidemic-of-gun-violence-just-like-all-of-america-194429">very American plague of gun violence</a>, news and historical accounts often amplify the spectacle of violent Black death, even when they claim to honor those who are killed. </p>
<p>I’ve <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2021/05/24/173838383/a-letter-to-my-mother-just-in-case">written extensively</a> about the trend of scapegoating rappers. It is also the topic addressed in the song “<a href="https://aydeethegreat.bandcamp.com/track/ankh-featuring-nathaniel-star">ANKH</a>” from my forthcoming mixtap/e/ssay, “<a href="https://aydeethegreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Illicit-Press-Release-6-23-pdf-232x300.jpg">V: ILLICIT</a>”:</p>
<p><em>“He died by the gun but they blamed the music. / They said, ‘What he said was evidence.’ And used it. …/ No compassion for the life torn apart when the bullets hit him, / cause he talked about the block in his art, so he’s not a victim. / Cameraman said, ‘They don’t value life too much.’ / He reported here before. Even twice some months. / Somewhere in his mid-twenties was his deadline (dying). / ‘Another N— Killed Here’ was the headline (crying).”</em></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 442px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=594009146/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=de270f/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" seamless="" width="100%" height="400"><a href="https://aydeethegreat.bandcamp.com/track/ankh-featuring-nathaniel-star">ANKH (featuring Nathaniel Star) by A.D. Carson</a></iframe>
<p>An awful byproduct of this culture of consuming carnage is that the kinds of violent gun tragedies people are experiencing <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2022/gun-deaths-per-year-usa/">all across the U.S.</a> are being spotlighted in hip-hop and used as <a href="https://theconversation.com/scapegoating-rap-hits-new-low-after-july-fourth-mass-shooting-186443">excuses to criminalize and pathologize</a> certain people and the music they enjoy, the art they create, the neighborhoods they live in or the places they grew up.</p>
<p>Another heartbreaking consequence is that some rappers only gain wide popularity and realize financial success <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/07/23/posthumous-albums-by-young-rappers-are-topping-the-charts">after they’ve died</a>. Deceased rappers are an unfortunately abundant commodity. Juice WRLD and Pop Smoke are prime examples: They both sold four to five times as much music after their deaths than when they were alive.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538103/original/file-20230718-21-dohcve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538103/original/file-20230718-21-dohcve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538103/original/file-20230718-21-dohcve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538103/original/file-20230718-21-dohcve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538103/original/file-20230718-21-dohcve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538103/original/file-20230718-21-dohcve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538103/original/file-20230718-21-dohcve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Before and after death sales.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">The Economist</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Along with being alarmed by these tragedies, it’s important to examine the conditions that affect mortality and attempt to get to the actual causes rather than scapegoating a musical form.</p>
<h2>Deadly diseases</h2>
<p>While violence brings about headlines, guns are not the only cause for concern. Diseases – many of them preventable – are also a factor.</p>
<p>Heart disease, lung disease, cancer, diabetes, strokes and renal disease are among the top 10 causes of death <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/lcod/men/2017/nonhispanic-black/index.htm">among Black men</a> and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/lcod/men/2018/byrace-hispanic/index.htm">Hispanic men</a>, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It makes sense that these causes also prominently figure in the deaths of hip-hop artists. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537899/original/file-20230717-210016-dd9z7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Rapper Big Pun performs on stage." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537899/original/file-20230717-210016-dd9z7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537899/original/file-20230717-210016-dd9z7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537899/original/file-20230717-210016-dd9z7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537899/original/file-20230717-210016-dd9z7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537899/original/file-20230717-210016-dd9z7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537899/original/file-20230717-210016-dd9z7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537899/original/file-20230717-210016-dd9z7i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rapper Big Pun, who sold a million albums, died at 28.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/big-pun-and-fat-joe-performing-at-les-poulets-on-may-13-news-photo/547402373?adppopup=true">Hiroyuki Ito/Hulton Archive via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Gone before retirement</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/14/arts/music/james-yancey-producer-known-for-soulful-hiphop-dies-at-32.html">Rapper and producer J-Dilla</a> (32), rappers <a href="https://www.chron.com/entertainment/music/article/houston-rappers-remember-big-moe-dead-at-33-1797262.php">Big Moe (33)</a>, <a href="https://www.complex.com/music/a/complex/black-the-ripper-dead-at-32">Black the Ripper (32)</a> from the U.K., <a href="https://www.vibe.com/news/entertainment/founding-three-6-mafia-member-lord-infamous-dead-40-199175/">Lord Infamous (40)</a>, <a href="https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.20369/title.big-hutch-releases-statement-on-passing-of-above-the-law-member-kmg?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#">KMG the Illustrator (43</a> from Above the Law, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2021/04/09/dmx-hip-hop-legend-dies-50-after-heart-attack/7074550002/">DMX (50)</a>, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/big-t-death-cause-texas-rapper-age-52-wanna-be-a-baller-a8343506.html">Big T (52)</a>, <a href="https://onthisdateinhiphop.com/news/april-3-tweedy-bird-loc-passes-away-2020/">Tweedy Bird Loc (52)</a>, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/black-rob-dead-1157364/">Black Rob (52)</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/09/arts/christopher-rios-28-rapper-recorded-under-name-big-pun.html">Big Pun (28)</a> all died from heart attacks. <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/heavy-d-cause-death-pulmonary-embolism-276405/">Heavy D (44) experienced a pulmonary embolism</a> that led to his death. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/arts/music/prince-markie-dee-fat-boys-dead.html">Prince Markie Dee (52) of the Fat Boys</a> passed away from congestive heart failure. <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/craig-mack-flava-in-ya-ear-rapper-dead-at-47-127656/">Craig Mack (47)</a> died from heart failure. And Brax (21) <a href="https://variety.com/2020/music/news/brax-dead-influencer-rapper-1234823912/#">died from cardiac arrhythmia</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://ew.com/article/2016/03/23/phife-dawg-dead-dies/#">Phife Dawg (45)</a> of A Tribe Called Quest, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/tim-dog-f-k-compton-rapper-dead-at-46-98451/">Tim Dog (46)</a> and <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/biz-markie-dead-1191772/">Biz Markie (57)</a> all passed away from complications related to diabetes. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest performs at a music festival." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537822/original/file-20230717-210447-vwdxnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537822/original/file-20230717-210447-vwdxnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537822/original/file-20230717-210447-vwdxnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537822/original/file-20230717-210447-vwdxnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537822/original/file-20230717-210447-vwdxnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537822/original/file-20230717-210447-vwdxnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537822/original/file-20230717-210447-vwdxnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In 2016, Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest died at 45 after a long battle with Type-1 diabetes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/phife-dawg-of-a-tribe-called-quest-performs-at-2013-h2o-news-photo/176730972?adppopup=true">Rodrigo Vaz/FilmMagic via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/arts/music/21guru.html">Guru (48) of Gangstarr</a>, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bushwick-bill-geto-boys-rapper-dead-obituary-846047/">Bushwick Bill (52) of the Geto Boys</a>, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-11-07/hurricane-g-death-rapper-lung-cancer">Hurricane G (52)</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/18/arts/music/kangol-kid-dead.html#">Kangol Kid (55)</a> died from cancer. <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/dj-kay-slay-55-dead-covid-19-battle-obituary-1235060195/">DJ K Slay passed away at 55</a> from what was described as COVID-19 complications.</p>
<p>Eazy-E <a href="https://deadline.com/2021/07/the-mysterious-death-of-eazy-e-docuseries-wetv-1234793623/">died of AIDS at 30</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/arts/music/nate-dogg-hip-hop-collaborator-dies-at-41.html#:%7E:text=He%20was%2041.,on%20the%20songs%20of%20rappers.">Nate Dogg’s death at 41</a> was attributed to a stroke. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-pimpc5feb05-story.html">Pimp C’s death at 33</a> was attributed to sleep apnea and an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/06/arts/06arts-DRUGSKILLEDP_BRF.html">overdose of cough syrup</a>. <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/01/28/autopsy-st-paul-rapper-lexii-alijai-died-of-accidental-overdose">Lexii Alijai (21)</a>, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/philadelphia-rapper-chynna-rogers-dies-25-n1180051">Chynna (25)</a>, and <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/digital-underground-shock-g-cause-of-death-9585758/">Shock G (57)</a> all reportedly died of accidental drug overdose.</p>
<p><a href="https://ew.com/article/2012/07/19/ms-melodie-rapperdead-at-43/">Ms. Melodie passed away</a> in her sleep at the age of 43. <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-06-18/big-pokey-death-houston-rapper-texas#">Big Pokey collapsed onstage</a> and passed away at 48. <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/whodini-john-fletcher-dead-1107571/">Ecstasy of Whodini died at 56</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537824/original/file-20230717-243941-wecfnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Artist Ms. Melodie performs on stage." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537824/original/file-20230717-243941-wecfnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537824/original/file-20230717-243941-wecfnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=890&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537824/original/file-20230717-243941-wecfnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=890&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537824/original/file-20230717-243941-wecfnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=890&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537824/original/file-20230717-243941-wecfnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1119&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537824/original/file-20230717-243941-wecfnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1119&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537824/original/file-20230717-243941-wecfnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1119&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ms. Melodie of Boogie Down Productions passed away in 2012.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/late-rapper-ms-melodie-of-boogie-down-productions-performs-news-photo/465938029?adppopup=true">Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A renewed focus on health</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, this list of tragic lives halted from ages 21 to 57 is not a comprehensive account of all the rappers who have passed away well before the age of retirement.</p>
<p>The occasion of celebrating 50 years of hip-hop provides a moment to reflect and honor some of the artists who contributed to the culture and are not here to celebrate this golden anniversary. It’s also, perhaps, an opportunity to consider some of the outcomes of systemic barriers to health and wellness, such as <a href="https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health/literature-summaries/access-health-services">access to affordable health care</a>, varied dietary options and mental wellness resources.</p>
<p>Given the number of rappers and other prominent hip-hop artists who have died young, ultimately it may come down to seriously taking heed to dead prez’s instructions from “Be Healthy”: “We got to start taking better care of ourselves.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200036/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>A.D. Carson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As hip-hop turns 50, an unfortunate reality is that so many of its pioneering artists never live to see much more than 50 years themselves, a professor of hip-hop writes.A.D. Carson, Associate Professor of Hip-Hop, University of VirginiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1660222021-08-18T22:53:42Z2021-08-18T22:53:42ZIndividual dietary choices can add – or take away – minutes, hours and years of life<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416466/original/file-20210817-27-105w4xv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=130%2C74%2C6064%2C3130&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Eating more fruits, vegetables and nuts can make a meaningful impact on a person's health – and the planet's too.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/ingredients-for-the-healthy-foods-selection-the-royalty-free-image/1179272859?adppopup=true">kerdkanno/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Vegetarian and vegan options have become standard fare in the American diet, from upscale restaurants to fast-food chains. And many people know that the food choices they make affect <a href="https://theconversation.com/confused-about-what-to-eat-science-can-help-118745">their own health</a> as well as that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth">of the planet</a>. </p>
<p>But on a daily basis, it’s hard to know how much individual choices, such as buying mixed greens at the grocery store or ordering chicken wings at a sports bar, might translate to overall personal and environmental health. That’s the gap we hope to fill with our research.</p>
<p>We are part of a team of researchers with expertise in <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vVPGeT0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">food sustainability and environmental life cycle assessment</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JKdT2e0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">epidemiology and environmental health</a> and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Victor-Fulgoni">nutrition</a>. We are working to gain a deeper understanding beyond the often overly simplistic animal-versus-plant diet debate and to identify environmentally sustainable foods that also promote human health. </p>
<p>Building on this multi-disciplinary expertise, we combined 15 nutritional health-based dietary risk factors with <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229466">18 environmental indicators</a> to evaluate, classify and prioritize more than 5,800 individual foods.</p>
<p>Ultimately, we wanted to know: Are drastic dietary changes required to improve our individual health and reduce environmental impacts? And <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evL7GvmaQWo">does the entire population need to become vegan</a> to make a meaningful difference for human health and that of the planet?</p>
<h2>Putting hard numbers on food choices</h2>
<p>In our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00343-4">2021 study</a> published in the research journal Nature Food, we provide some of the first concrete numbers for the health burden of various food choices. We analyzed the individual foods based on their composition to calculate each food item’s net benefits or impacts. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://myumi.ch/pdryj">Health Nutritional Index</a> that we developed turns this information into minutes of life lost or gained per serving size of each food item consumed. For instance, we found that eating one hot dog costs a person 36 minutes of “healthy” life. In comparison, we found that eating a serving size of 30 grams of nuts and seeds provides a gain of 25 minutes of healthy life – that is, an increase in good-quality and disease-free life expectancy. </p>
<p>Our study also showed that substituting only 10% of daily caloric intake of beef and processed meats for a diverse mix of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and select seafood could reduce, on average, the dietary carbon footprint of a U.S. consumer by one-third and add 48 healthy minutes of life per day. This is a substantial improvement for such a limited dietary change.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416694/original/file-20210818-13-1enqh5y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Relative positions of select foods on a carbon footprint versus nutritional health map" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416694/original/file-20210818-13-1enqh5y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416694/original/file-20210818-13-1enqh5y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416694/original/file-20210818-13-1enqh5y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416694/original/file-20210818-13-1enqh5y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416694/original/file-20210818-13-1enqh5y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416694/original/file-20210818-13-1enqh5y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416694/original/file-20210818-13-1enqh5y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Relative positions of select foods, from apples to hot dogs, are shown on a carbon footprint versus nutritional health map. Foods scoring well, shown in green, have beneficial effects on human health and a low environmental footprint.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Austin Thomason/Michigan Photography and University of Michigan</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How did we crunch the numbers?</h2>
<p>We based our Health Nutritional Index on a large epidemiological study called the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32366-8">Global Burden of Disease</a>, a comprehensive global study and database that was developed with the help of <a href="http://www.healthdata.org/gbd/about">more than 7,000 researchers around the world</a>. The Global Burden of Disease determines the risks and benefits associated with multiple environmental, metabolic and behavioral factors – including 15 dietary risk factors. </p>
<p>Our team took that population-level epidemiological data and adapted it down to the level of individual foods. Taking into account more than 6,000 risk estimates specific to each age, gender, disease and risk, and the fact that there are about a half-million minutes in a year, we calculated the health burden that comes with consuming one gram’s worth of food for each of the dietary risk factors.</p>
<p>For example, we found that, on average, 0.45 minutes are lost per gram of any processed meat that a person eats in the U.S. We then multiplied this number by the corresponding <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10101441">food profiles</a> that we previously developed. Going back to the example of a hot dog, the 61 grams of processed meat in a hot dog sandwich results in 27 minutes of healthy life lost due to this amount of processed meat alone. Then, when considering the other risk factors, like the sodium and trans fatty acids inside the hot dog – counterbalanced by the benefit of its polyunsaturated fat and fibers – we arrived at the final value of 36 minutes of healthy life lost per hot dog. </p>
<p>We repeated this calculation for more than 5,800 foods and mixed dishes. We then compared scores from the health indices with 18 different environmental metrics, including carbon footprint, water use and air pollution-induced human health impacts. Finally, using this health and environmental nexus, we color-coded each food item as green, yellow or red. Like a traffic light, green foods have beneficial effects on health and a low environmental impact and should be increased in the diet, while red foods should be reduced.</p>
<h2>Where do we go from here?</h2>
<p>Our study allowed us to identify certain priority actions that people can take to both improve their health and reduce their environmental footprint. </p>
<p>When it comes to environmental sustainability, we found striking variations both within and between animal-based and plant-based foods. For the “red” foods, beef has the largest carbon footprint across its <a href="https://doi.org/10.1201/b19138">entire life cycle</a> – twice as high as pork or lamb and four times that of poultry and dairy. From a health standpoint, eliminating processed meat and reducing overall sodium consumption provides the largest gain in healthy life compared with all other food types. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416696/original/file-20210818-19-rjp2yz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Cattle in feedlot or feed yard" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416696/original/file-20210818-19-rjp2yz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416696/original/file-20210818-19-rjp2yz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416696/original/file-20210818-19-rjp2yz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416696/original/file-20210818-19-rjp2yz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416696/original/file-20210818-19-rjp2yz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416696/original/file-20210818-19-rjp2yz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416696/original/file-20210818-19-rjp2yz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Beef consumption had the highest negative environmental impacts, and processed meat had the most important overall adverse health effects.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/feedlot-cattle-29-royalty-free-image/1303979847?adppopup=true">Clinton Austin/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Therefore, people might consider eating less of foods that are high in processed meat and beef, followed by pork and lamb. And notably, among plant-based foods, greenhouse-grown vegetables scored poorly on environmental impacts due to the combustion emissions from heating.</p>
<p>Foods that people might consider increasing are those that have high beneficial effects on health and low environmental impacts. We observed a lot of flexibility among these “green” choices, including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and low-environmental impact fish and seafood. These items also offer options for all income levels, tastes and cultures.</p>
<p>Our study also shows that when it comes to food sustainability, it is not sufficient to only consider the amount of greenhouse gases emitted – the so-called carbon footprint. Water-saving techniques, such as drip irrigation and the reuse of gray water – or domestic wastewater such as that from sinks and showers – can also make important steps toward lowering the water footprint of food production.</p>
<p>A limitation of our study is that the epidemiological data does not enable us to differentiate within the same food group, such as the health benefits of a watermelon versus an apple. In addition, individual foods always need to be considered within the context of one’s individual diet, considering the maximum level above which foods are not any more beneficial – one cannot live forever by just increasing fruit consumption. </p>
<p>At the same time, our Health Nutrient Index has the potential to be regularly adapted, incorporating new knowledge and data as they become available. And it can be customized worldwide, as has already <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12092745">been done in Switzerland</a>.</p>
<p>It was encouraging to see how small, targeted changes could make such a meaningful difference for both health and environmental sustainability – one meal at a time.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166022/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research was funded by an unrestricted grant from the National Dairy Council and the University of Michigan Dow Sustainability Fellowship. Olivier Jolliet. has received funding on unrelated projects from US EPA, USDA, American Chemistry Council Long-Range Research Initiative, and Unilever, and became part, after submission of the present manuscript of the Sustainable Nutrition Scientific Board created with the unrestricted support from Nutella. The funding organizations did not have a role in the manuscript development.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research was funded by an unrestricted grant from the National Dairy Council and the University of Michigan Dow Sustainability Fellowship.</span></em></p>A new study puts numbers to the health and environmental benefits – or impacts – of individual foods and shows how small changes can make a significant difference.Olivier Jolliet, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, University of MichiganKaterina S. Stylianou, Research Associate in Environmental Health Sciences, University of MichiganLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1582652021-03-31T21:20:51Z2021-03-31T21:20:51ZMost trans and non-binary youth are supported and healthy despite stigma and discrimination<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392887/original/file-20210331-19-16retq5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C0%2C2986%2C1985&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">March 31 marks International Transgender Day of Visibility</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Stephen Groves)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Trans and non-binary youth in Canada continue to experience targeted violence and discrimination, however, according to the 2019 <a href="https://www.saravyc.ubc.ca/ctyhs2019/">Canadian Trans and Non-binary Youth Health Survey</a>, they are thriving despite these experiences. </p>
<p>We see this experience of thriving through more prominent representation of trans and non-binary folks such as Elliot Page, Laverne Cox, Janelle Monáe and more, who <a href="https://time.com/5947032/elliot-page/">share their joy but also share the struggles they have faced</a>.</p>
<p>At the <a href="https://www.saravyc.ubc.ca/">Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre (SARAVYC)</a>, a research centre at the University of British Columbia, our goal is to identify factors that foster youth resilience in spite of stigma. Since 2006, we’ve been conducting research that studies how stigma, discrimination, violence and trauma affect young people’s health. </p>
<h2>Role models and healthy behaviours</h2>
<p><a href="https://apsc-saravyc.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2020/12/Being-Safe-Being-Me-2019_SARAVYC_ENG_1.2.pdf">According to the survey</a>, most trans and non-binary youth have a positive sense of self. Over half (68 per cent) of respondents were able to think of something they were good at such as art, singing, writing, sports, gardening and taking care of others. This is important because these passions can spur positive change, as seen by the actions of many trans and non-binary artists who are <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/trans-artists-representation-1.5970644">shifting media representation</a>. </p>
<p>With this increased representation in mainstream media, 77 per cent of youth who took the survey now have a trans or non-binary person they look up to, and 64 per cent have a trans or non-binary person they really want to be like. <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0222752">Research shows</a> that youth who have strong associations with role models have higher self-regulation. This means they’re able to manage energy, emotions, thoughts and behaviours in ways that garner positive results such as well-being, loving relationships and learning.</p>
<p>Despite the stigma and discrimination experienced by these youth, 61 per cent reported good or excellent health and healthier behaviours, such as not smoking (84 per cent) or vaping (85 per cent), in the past 30 days. Furthermore, among youth who drank alcohol, the majority did not binge drink in the past 30 days (70 per cent). </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/trans-day-of-visibility-offers-chance-for-community-to-stand-in-solidarity-and-support-157213">Trans Day of Visibility offers chance for community to stand in solidarity and support</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Supportive families and schools</h2>
<p>Family and school supports are important for the health of all youth, and our survey revealed that the majority of trans and non-binary youth have support in these areas: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>75 per cent of trans and non-binary youth often or always feel safe at home,</p></li>
<li><p>73 per cent feel their teachers care about them,</p></li>
<li><p>84 per cent feel their teachers treat them fairly, and</p></li>
<li><p>76 per cent intend to go on to university and graduate school. </p></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.sogieducation.org/">SOGI 123</a> (SOGI stands for sexual orientation and gender identity), an education initiative that helps educators make schools inclusive and safe for students, and the implementation of gender-sexuality alliances (GSAs) are good examples of this type of support.</p>
<p>Youth also reported having a variety of people they could turn to for help with serious problems — friends (88 per cent), family (65 per cent), a friend’s parent (68 per cent) or teachers (72 per cent) — and the majority found those people helpful. </p>
<p>Adolescents need adults they can turn to for help regardless of their gender identity. Supportive families and schools make a difference. Youth who reported strong family or school connectedness were more likely to thrive as they were less likely to report emotional distress or suicidal thoughts, compared to their peers who did not have these advantages.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Sign saying support trans youth" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392912/original/file-20210331-15-1bxymen.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392912/original/file-20210331-15-1bxymen.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392912/original/file-20210331-15-1bxymen.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392912/original/file-20210331-15-1bxymen.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392912/original/file-20210331-15-1bxymen.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392912/original/file-20210331-15-1bxymen.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392912/original/file-20210331-15-1bxymen.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Supports allow trans and non-binary youth to flourish and better equip themselves to deal with targeted violence and discrimination.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Ensuring trans and non-binary youth flourish</h2>
<p>With these supports, trans and non-binary youth can flourish and are better equipped to deal with targeted violence and discrimination — which is still a critical concern. </p>
<p>Our research indicates that 35 per cent of trans and non-binary youth have had similar experiences of being physically threatened or injured in the past year. A community in Mission, B.C., recently <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vehicle-parade-in-mission-draws-strong-support-for-transgender-student-attacked-and-beaten-by-peers-1.5877139">rallied in support</a> of a transgender student who was targeted by violence.</p>
<p>Protecting trans and non-binary youth from discrimination <a href="https://www.cba.org/Publications-Resources/Practice-Tools/Child-Rights-Toolkit/theChild/Sexual-Orientation-Gender-Identity-and-Gender-Expr">is part of Canada’s human rights law</a>, in every province and territory. </p>
<p>Canada needs to <a href="https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0229567">ensure safer public spaces</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/MED.0000000000000227">improved access to health care</a> (especially in rural areas) and <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2147%2FAMEP.S147183">more training for health-care professionals</a> on how to effectively support trans and non-binary youth. </p>
<p>We need to commit to creating these safe and inclusive environments for trans and non-binary youth, because when they have those supportive environments, they thrive. </p>
<p><em>Stephanie Hall, community relations manager at UBC’s Stigma & Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre (SARAVYC), contributed to this piece.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/158265/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Saewyc receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the US National Institutes of Health. She is a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, and the Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ace Chan and Ashley B. Taylor do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We need to commit to creating safe and inclusive environments for trans and non-binary youth, because when they have those supportive environments, they thrive.Elizabeth Saewyc, Director & Professor, School of Nursing, University of British ColumbiaAce Chan, PhD Student, School of Population and Public Health & Research Assistant, Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Research Centre, University of British ColumbiaAshley B. Taylor, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Research Centre, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1396702020-07-28T03:37:53Z2020-07-28T03:37:53ZCurious Kids: how does the Sun help your body make vitamin D?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345729/original/file-20200706-33926-14yysqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=137%2C77%2C5613%2C3742&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Shutterstock</span> </figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p><strong>How does the Sun help your body make vitamin D? Wesley, aged 7</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/curious-kids-36782"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291898/original/file-20190911-190031-enlxbk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=90&fit=crop&dpr=1" width="100%"></a></p>
<p>Thanks for this great question, Wesley.</p>
<p>Vitamin D is created when the chemicals in our skin react to an invisible type of light from the Sun. </p>
<p>In Australia, most of our vitamin D is made in our skin, but we can can also get a little bit of vitamin D from some of the food we eat like fish, eggs and mushrooms.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-what-does-the-suns-core-look-like-141785">Curious Kids: what does the Sun's core look like?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It’s important we have vitamin D in our body as it helps to strengthen our bones and make our muscles work properly. </p>
<p>It’s especially important in young people when their bones are growing. </p>
<h2>Invisible and visible light</h2>
<p>Let’s first talk a little bit about sunlight. </p>
<p>Sunlight isn’t just the golden light that wakes you up in the morning or shines on your skin on a summer’s day. Sunlight actually exists in many colours, some we can see and some we can’t see.</p>
<p>A rainbow is an example of visible light, or sunlight you can see. Droplets of water in the sky split the light into all of its different colours. </p>
<p>But not all light is visible like the many colours of the rainbow.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345731/original/file-20200706-33926-ff6han.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A rainbow in a blue sky." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345731/original/file-20200706-33926-ff6han.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345731/original/file-20200706-33926-ff6han.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345731/original/file-20200706-33926-ff6han.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345731/original/file-20200706-33926-ff6han.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345731/original/file-20200706-33926-ff6han.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345731/original/file-20200706-33926-ff6han.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345731/original/file-20200706-33926-ff6han.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rainbows are an example of visible light, but not all light is visible.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nikki Zalewski/ Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some types of sunlight are invisible. Infrared sunlight is one of these. If you could see infrared sunlight it would sit just above the red in the rainbow. </p>
<p>Infrared light makes us warm as it produces heat. You might have felt it heat up your skin on a warm sunny day.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-does-the-sun-spin-as-well-as-the-planets-119877">Curious Kids: does the Sun spin as well as the planets?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Another type of invisible light is ultraviolet. If you could see ultraviolet light it would be below the violet colour in the rainbow.</p>
<p>Ultraviolet light is also called UV light, or UV radiation. </p>
<p>You might be interested to know that while we can’t see infrared or ultraviolet light, most animals can. In fact, <a href="https://sciencing.com/animals-can-see-infrared-light-6910261.html">goldfish can see both infrared and ultraviolet light</a>. Imagine what that might be like!</p>
<h2>Which light is important in making vitamin D?</h2>
<p>We often use something called the UV index to tell us how much UV light is outside. The UV index is sometimes reported with the weather forecast, and tells us how strong the UV radiation will be that day.</p>
<p>There are two types of UV light that reach us from the Sun, called UV-A and UV-B. But it’s only the UV-B light hitting our skin that causes vitamin D to be made. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345937/original/file-20200707-18-9el3s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A simplified UV index ranging from low to high." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345937/original/file-20200707-18-9el3s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345937/original/file-20200707-18-9el3s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345937/original/file-20200707-18-9el3s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345937/original/file-20200707-18-9el3s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345937/original/file-20200707-18-9el3s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345937/original/file-20200707-18-9el3s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345937/original/file-20200707-18-9el3s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The UV index can tell you how careful you need to be about protecting yourself from the sun.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sudowoodo/ shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>UV-B light is full of energy, a bit like a child who can’t sit still. It has more energy than UV-A and that extra energy is needed to make vitamin D. </p>
<h2>So how exactly is it made?</h2>
<p>When the UV-B light hits your skin, the energy in the light combines with chemicals in the very top layer of your skin. </p>
<p>Sometimes this results in your body making vitamin D. Other times the combination makes bad chemicals that lead to sunburn, and maybe later to skin cancers. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-dont-burns-bleed-130792">Curious Kids: why don't burns bleed?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>When the UV-B energy is taken into a chemical, it gives the chemical more energy – scientists describe this as the chemical being “excited”.</p>
<p>When the heat from the infrared light is added, it gives the excited chemical even more energy – so much that the links holding the chemical together break apart and it changes into a totally different chemical.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345954/original/file-20200707-27852-1oxub7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A paper chain of people in a circle." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345954/original/file-20200707-27852-1oxub7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345954/original/file-20200707-27852-1oxub7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345954/original/file-20200707-27852-1oxub7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345954/original/file-20200707-27852-1oxub7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345954/original/file-20200707-27852-1oxub7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=596&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345954/original/file-20200707-27852-1oxub7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=596&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345954/original/file-20200707-27852-1oxub7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=596&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A chain like this is a bit like the structure of the chemicals in your skin before UV-B energy makes them excited and they change shape.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345956/original/file-20200707-27833-z87mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A paper chain of people in a line formation." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345956/original/file-20200707-27833-z87mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345956/original/file-20200707-27833-z87mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345956/original/file-20200707-27833-z87mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345956/original/file-20200707-27833-z87mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345956/original/file-20200707-27833-z87mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345956/original/file-20200707-27833-z87mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345956/original/file-20200707-27833-z87mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">When the chemicals become excited the chain changes shape and becomes vitamin D.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Imagine joining hands with all your friends and making a big circle, then running madly around. Some people lose their grip and their hands come apart. Suddenly it’s not a circle anymore, but a different shape. </p>
<p>This is what happens in the skin. The chemical that takes in the UV-B changes, because the links between atoms in the circle break, to become vitamin D. </p>
<p>The vitamin D is then picked up by the blood that flows through the skin. </p>
<p>But before it works properly in the body it has to go to the liver and then to the kidneys where it turns into the form that can help our bones and muscles.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-is-the-sun-orange-when-white-stars-are-the-hottest-120216">Curious Kids: why is the Sun orange when white stars are the hottest?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>But be careful not to get sunburned</h2>
<p>So getting some sun on your skin is really important, but you don’t want to get too much or you’ll get sunburned.</p>
<p>In summer in Australia, the sun is so strong that you only need to be outside for a few minutes every day to keep your vitamin D up. </p>
<p>But it’s still good to get plenty of time outside, especially in the morning and afternoon. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349496/original/file-20200727-33-1uir4zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Young girl rubbing sunscreen on her face, wearing a bucket hat and sunglasses." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349496/original/file-20200727-33-1uir4zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349496/original/file-20200727-33-1uir4zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349496/original/file-20200727-33-1uir4zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349496/original/file-20200727-33-1uir4zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349496/original/file-20200727-33-1uir4zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349496/original/file-20200727-33-1uir4zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349496/original/file-20200727-33-1uir4zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If the UV index is 3 or higher it’s very important to consider sun safety. Seek shade if possible and make sure you have a hat and sunscreen on.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Make sure you use sun protection like a hat, clothing, and sunscreen if the UV index is 3 or higher. </p>
<p>In summer it’s best to stay indoors or in the shade in the middle hours of the day because the Sun is very strong. But in winter the Sun’s not as strong, so the middle of the day is a good time to get outside in the sun to get your vitamin D.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Hello, curious kids! Have you got a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to <a href="mailto:curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au">curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/139670/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robyn Lucas receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and Multiple Sclerosis Research Australia.</span></em></p>A light invisible to humans makes chemicals in our skin very excited. In fact, the chemicals become so excited they change shape and become vitamin D.Robyn Lucas, Professor of Epidemiology, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1243252019-10-01T11:36:51Z2019-10-01T11:36:51ZSugary drinks tax is working – now it’s time to target cakes, biscuits and snacks<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294837/original/file-20190930-194866-1uisnqu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C420%2C3215%2C1749&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/shah-alam-malaysia-12-august-2019-1495389632?src=z5QWbvkxRSgdZM2GIvU4Hw-1-36">shutterstock/Zety Akhzar</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A sugar tax on soft drinks has now been in operation in the UK for more than a year and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-report-shows-further-sugar-reduction-progress-by-food-industry-1">results so far</a> seem to indicate it’s working. But campaigners say more still needs to be done and that the next target should be <a href="https://bakeryinfo.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/21808/Study_adds_weight_to__sugar_tax__on_cake_and_biscuits.html">biscuits, cakes and snacks</a> –- many of which contain high amounts of sugar.</p>
<p>Such taxes have been implemented <a href="https://www.wcrf.org/int/policy/our-publications/lessons-implementing-sugar-sweetened-beverage-tax">in 28 countries and 12 cities as of 2019</a>. Initial results suggest such taxes have the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/obr.12868">potential to reduce consumption of sugar</a> and so may help to reduce <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/260253/WHO-NMH-PND-16.5Rev.1-eng.pdf;jsessionid=08FDDAF12DA8F933992B0516CCFC6151?sequence=1">obesity, diabetes and dental decay</a> in the future. </p>
<p>The number of people living with obesity has almost <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)32129-3/fulltext">tripled over the past 40 years</a> – and continues to rise. Obesity is increasing most rapidly in <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031816-044604">low- and middle-income communities</a>. And this is leading to a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26448573">dual burden of malnutrition and obseity</a>, when a population has both too much food and not enough of the right foods.</p>
<p>Excess sugar consumption has been linked with increases in obesity and, as a result, the World Health Organisation recommends that people should consume less sugar. Sugary drinks, such as carbonated soft drinks, sports drinks and <a href="https://theconversation.com/young-people-in-the-uk-drink-more-energy-drinks-than-those-in-any-other-countries-in-europe-93028">energy drinks</a>, are one of the major sources of dietary sugar, especially for children and adolescents. So they have become a key target for sugar reduction – but more still needs to be done.</p>
<h2>The UK picture</h2>
<p>In 2018, the UK became one of the latest countries to implement a tax on sugary drinks. But unlike most other taxes that <a href="https://www2.illinois.gov/rev/questionsandanswers/pages/252.aspx">simply increase the price of products</a>, the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/soft-drinks-industry-levy-comes-into-effect">UK Soft Drink Industry Levy</a> works by encouraging soft drink manufacturers to reformulate and reduce the sugar content of their products. This means that consumers do not have to change their purchase habits to benefit from reduced sugar consumption.</p>
<p>These taxes can also make revenue that can be used to fund public health programmes such as physical activity in schools or tooth brushing interventions.</p>
<p>A recently published <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-report-shows-further-sugar-reduction-progress-by-food-industry-1">Public Health England report</a> highlighted how the UK levy has indeed resulted in reductions in the sugar content of sugary drinks – a 29% reduction per 100ml in retailer own-brand and manufacturer-branded products. And it has also pushed consumers towards low or zero sugar products.</p>
<p>But, that said, the sugar content of non-taxed drinks such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/13/milkshakes-freakshakes-targeted-by-sugar-campaigners">milkshakes</a> and non-taxed sweet snacks such as biscuits and cakes <a href="https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/news/72340/variation-sugar-calories/">remains high</a>. Indeed, a team of researchers at Queen Mary University of London found that <a href="http://www.actiononsugar.org/news-centre/surveys/2018/2018/new-bmj-open-study-reveals-wide-variation-in-sugar-and-calories-in-cakes-and-biscuits-as-industry-is-accused-of-not-complying.html">97% of cakes and 74% of biscuits</a> contain unnecessary amounts of sugar. This means that the consumption of sugar (at least in England) <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/sep/20/britons-consuming-more-sugar-despite-tax-and-anti-obesity-drive">is still a major problem</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294839/original/file-20190930-194876-1112zff.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294839/original/file-20190930-194876-1112zff.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294839/original/file-20190930-194876-1112zff.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294839/original/file-20190930-194876-1112zff.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294839/original/file-20190930-194876-1112zff.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294839/original/file-20190930-194876-1112zff.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294839/original/file-20190930-194876-1112zff.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">They might look tempting, but there tends to be a wide variation in sugar content in cakes and biscuits.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-cakes-on-shopwindow-supermarket-651197608?src=ecG6O30-1v9TxZ9Y1DR_-w-1-23">Shutterstock/Kristina Kokhanova</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is despite <a href="https://www.sustainweb.org/news/sep19_sugarreduction19/">voluntary sugar reduction initiatives</a> that were implemented to encourage manufacturers of sweet drinks and snack products to reduce sugar content by 20% by 2020. These initiatives have resulted in <a href="https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/news/72340/variation-sugar-calories/">a reduction of sugar in some products</a> (showing that it is possible) but almost no change in others, highlighting the limitations of voluntary industry self regulation.</p>
<h2>Snack taxes</h2>
<p>Sugary drink taxes have the potential to reduce sugar consumption. And in the longer term, especially if combined with “snack taxes”, may also help to reduce obesity and diabetes – as supported by <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/snack-tax-twenty-per-cent-obesity-soft-drinks-tax-sugar-health-a9092786.html">a recent study published in the British Medical Journal</a>. But there are a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6069556/">number of barriers</a> to the implementation of more sugary drink and snack taxes globally.</p>
<p>Opposition from the well resourced and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jan/10/sugar-tax-why-health-experts-want-it-but-politicians-and-industry-are-resisting">powerful food and drink sector</a>, and associated lobbyists, is a critical barrier. Their arguments against taxation include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Obesity is a condition of individual responsibility, so education and increased physical activity should be encouraged rather than taxation.</li>
<li>Taxation is “regressive” meaning that it affects lower socioeconomic groups more than those in higher socioeconomic groups.</li>
<li>Taxes can result in profit and job losses, negatively impacting the economy.</li>
</ul>
<p>These arguments, which are targeted both at the government and the public, are similar to those used by the <a href="https://www.tobaccotactics.org/index.php/Tobacco_Industry_Arguments_Against_Taxation">tobacco industry against tobacco taxation</a>. And these arguments are pushed directly at meetings with policy makers and indirectly via the media. </p>
<p>Industry groups also argue against taxation <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/16/health/ilsi-food-policy-india-brazil-china.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FSugar&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection">and have influenced food policy globally</a>, for example by funding and conducting research used to support or oppose health policies, or by becoming members of nutrition research panels that advice policy makers. </p>
<h2>Reducing obesity</h2>
<p>But on top of taxes, <a href="https://www.wcrf.org/sites/default/files/Curbing-Global-Sugar-Consumption.pdf">governments do have other options</a>. Actions such as better labelling and the restriction of junk food advertising can make a difference. But it is not just governments who should be responsible for reducing sugar consumption.
<a href="http://www.emro.who.int/noncommunicable-diseases/publications/questions-and-answers-on-reducing-sugar-consumption-to-prevent-and-control-noncommunicable-diseases.html">Everyone has a role to play</a>, including the private sector and wider society. </p>
<p>Retailers, for example, could reduce the promotion of high sugar products in favour of healthier alternatives. And schools or community centres could increase the provision of quality nutrition education. Ultimately, this is a societal problem and so it needs a <a href="https://www.wcrf.org/sites/default/files/Curbing-Global-Sugar-Consumption.pdf">societal solution</a>.</p>
<p>And while taxing sugar and sugary drinks is not going to prevent obesity, diabetes and dental decay overnight, these taxes do have the potential to reduce the sugar content of products on the shelves. They can also help to generate revenue and spark conversations that may lead to changes in social norms around sugar, changes that can make a big difference to the health and wellbeing of millions of people.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124325/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gemma Bridge is affiliated with the World Federation of Public Health Associations. </span></em></p>Sugar taxes may not prevent obesity and associated conditions overnight, but they can be part of the solution.Gemma Bridge, PhD Candidate, Leeds Business School, Leeds Beckett UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1220722019-08-28T11:45:48Z2019-08-28T11:45:48ZWhy a glass of red wine is good for your gut<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288696/original/file-20190820-170956-1ubedl0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">'To gut microbes.'</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-friends-having-fun-outdoor-young-486675022?src=8N-mDdqI3XzeMhmXh-bzTQ-1-2">View Apart/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Alcohol consumption guidelines <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2016/jan/08/how-do-the-uks-new-alcohol-guidelines-compare-with-the-rest-of-the-worlds">vary widely between countries</a>. In the UK and Netherlands, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2016/jan/08/how-do-the-uks-new-alcohol-guidelines-compare-with-the-rest-of-the-worlds">no more than one glass</a> of wine or a pint of beer a day is recommended. In the US it is <a href="https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/appendix-9/">double these levels</a>, and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/add.13341">in Mediterranean countries and Chile</a> it’s even more relaxed when it comes to drinking wine. </p>
<p>Though there is generally a consensus that everyone should drink less and levels of alcohol use are reducing in most countries, <a href="https://theconversation.com/baby-boomers-are-keeping-booze-britain-afloat-but-the-young-are-drinking-less-121659">especially in young adults</a>, more than 3m (or one in 20) deaths globally are attributed to alcohol consumption – making it <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4311234/">100 times more harmful than cannabis, cocaine and heroin</a>. </p>
<p>Drinking any amount of alcohol is said to increase the <a href="https://theconversation.com/drinking-a-pint-of-beer-may-lower-your-life-expectancy-by-the-same-amount-as-smoking-a-cigarette-new-research-90346">risk of many diseases</a>, including cancers, and liver disease. Yet a number of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/86728">studies</a> also seem to suggest there might be <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9949793">health benefits to a low intake of red wine</a>. </p>
<h2>Red wine and the gut</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(19)41244-4/fulltext">Our new research</a> also adds support to the idea that a small glass of red wine a day might actually be beneficial to your health – specifically to your <a href="https://theconversation.com/gut-microbes-are-tiny-sensors-of-your-general-health-99098">gut bacteria</a>. </p>
<p>This community of trillions of microbe inhabiting our lower intestines is known as the gut microbiota. Research shows that our gut microbiota <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/361/bmj.k2179">can affect multiple aspects of our general health</a> and play a role in many illnesses but also dictate how <a href="https://theconversation.com/belly-fat-gut-bacteria-checks-could-lead-to-personalised-diets-120035">the food we eat</a> or the drugs we take affect us. This is partly due to the fact that gut microbes are responsible for producing thousands of chemical metabolites, that have <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-gut-bacteria-ensure-a-healthy-brain-and-could-play-a-role-in-treating-depression-33041">effects on our brain</a>, metabolism and immune systems.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/moving-to-another-country-could-mess-with-your-gut-bacteria-106095">Moving to another country could mess with your gut bacteria</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Previous research in small studies <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/95/6/1323/4568378">in humans</a> and in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996913000616">artificial gut models</a> has suggested that red wine could impact our gut bacteria. And in our recent study we investigated this relationship on a large population scale in different countries to understand how drinking red wine may impact gut health compared to other alcoholic drinks.</p>
<p>We looked at food and drink questionnaire responses and gut bacteria diversity (that is recognised as <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-spent-three-days-as-a-hunter-gatherer-to-see-if-it-would-improve-my-gut-health-78773">a marker of gut health</a>) in almost a thousand female twins in the UK, and then checked our results against two other studies of similar size in the US (<a href="http://humanfoodproject.com/americangut/">the American Gut project</a>) and the Belgium (<a href="http://www.vib.be/en/research/Pages/The%20Flemisch%20Gut%20Flora%20project.aspx">Flemish Gut Project</a>). </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289627/original/file-20190827-184234-1nu7r3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289627/original/file-20190827-184234-1nu7r3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289627/original/file-20190827-184234-1nu7r3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289627/original/file-20190827-184234-1nu7r3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289627/original/file-20190827-184234-1nu7r3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289627/original/file-20190827-184234-1nu7r3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289627/original/file-20190827-184234-1nu7r3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Looks moderate to me.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portrait-senior-vintner-young-winemaker-tasting-327865286?src=-1-7">Kinga</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We found that drinking red wine (even if combined with other alcohols) is linked with an increase in gut bacteria diversity in all three countries. And as a check on other possible genetic or family biases, we also found that twins who drank more red wine than their co-twin also had more diverse gut bacteria. White wine drinkers who should be socially and culturally similar, had no significant differences in diversity, as did drinkers of other types of alcohol, like beer and spirits.</p>
<p>There were other associated benefits of drinking red wine too. Twins who drank red wine had lower levels of obesity and “bad” cholesterol, which we also think is partly because of the associated changes in the gut bacteria.</p>
<h2>Precious polyphenols</h2>
<p>Our study adds to the growing body of evidence that <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-compound-behind-all-those-stories-about-red-wine-being-good-for-you-35291">red wine</a> can, when drunk in moderation, have positive effects on health. The benefits of red wine likely boil down to one key agent: <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2835915/">polyphenols</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289626/original/file-20190827-184222-1nllcvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289626/original/file-20190827-184222-1nllcvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289626/original/file-20190827-184222-1nllcvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289626/original/file-20190827-184222-1nllcvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289626/original/file-20190827-184222-1nllcvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289626/original/file-20190827-184222-1nllcvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289626/original/file-20190827-184222-1nllcvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/289626/original/file-20190827-184222-1nllcvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Guts love the polyphenols.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bunch-grapes-on-vine-sunshine-winegrowers-346371485?src=-1-17">Marako85</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These molecules are natural defence chemicals found in nuts and seeds as well as many brightly coloured vegetables and fruits, including grapes. In grape, polyphenols are mostly found in the skins that are in much longer contact in the making of red wine than white. They include the tannins that have a drying effect on your tongue or <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-compound-behind-all-those-stories-about-red-wine-being-good-for-you-35291">resveratrol</a> that promotes good health in people, and they also act as a fuel for our gut bacteria. This probably explains why red wine has a much stronger effect on gut bacteria than white wine. Although non-alcoholic grape juice also contains polyphenols, the fermented version contains more. </p>
<p>While our results are very consistent, as an observational study – where we see if factors are associated more than by chance – we cannot prove causality. To show this we’d ideally need some form of intervention study to test whether red wine directly causes an increase in gut microbiota diversity that leads to improved health. This may be popular, but difficult in practice, however. So for now, all the evidence suggests that if you have to choose an alcoholic drink today, it should definitely be a small glass of red wine.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/122072/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caroline Le Roy receives funding from the CDRF. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Spector receives grants from multiple organisations including MRC, Wellcome Trust, NIHR, NIH, CDRF, Danone. He is a scientific founder of ZOE (global) ltd and receives royalties from a book on diet and microbiome "The Diet Myth: the real science behind what we eat" Orion 2016. He also drinks red wine.</span></em></p>We found that drinking red wine is linked with an increase in gut bacteria diversity.Caroline Le Roy, Research Associate in Human Gut Microbiome, King's College LondonTim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology, King's College LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/841402018-01-26T11:00:56Z2018-01-26T11:00:56ZThe simple cholesterol test that says if you need statins — and why doctors in UK aren’t using it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203398/original/file-20180125-107971-1egjzch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/medical-equipment-blood-test-tube-laboratory-537711568">Shuttertstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Heart disease stubbornly remains one of the biggest killers in the UK, where there are <a href="https://www.bhf.org.uk/about-us/press-centre/facts-and-figures">7m people</a> living with the condition. During the past 60 years, the management of cholesterol has become an important weapon in the fight against this – and drugs called statins are often used in treatment. </p>
<p>But as <a href="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2018/01/16/bjsports-2017-098497">a new review highlights</a>, statins can often cause crippling side-effects – and may actually result in more harm than good. Writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Australian science reporter Maryanne Demasi claims that doctors and patients are being misled about the true benefits and harms of these drugs. She also suggests that raw data on their efficacy and safety are being kept secret and have not been subjected to scrutiny by other scientists. </p>
<p>But despite <a href="https://www.nice.org.uk/Media/Default/News/NICE-statin-letter.pdf">concerns about patients taking them unnecessarily</a>, the use of statins is so widespread that they are now the <a href="https://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/treatments/statins">most prescribed drug in the UK</a>. There have even been <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j3674.long">recent calls</a> for all males over 65 and females over 75 to be prescribed them. If this were to happen it would mean they were used by almost 12m people across the country. </p>
<p>One of the key diagnostic tests to decide if a person should be put on statins is often a <a href="http://heartuk.org.uk/health-and-high-cholesterol/cholesterol-tests---know-your-number?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm--zrPfy2AIVCLftCh3A5QQOEAAYASAAEgIrePD_BwE">blood cholesterol test</a>. If the results show raised levels, the patient will generally be thought of as being at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and prescribed statins. But there is <a href="http://www.onlinecjc.ca/article/S0828-282X(16)30732-2/pdf">mounting evidence</a> which shows this test alone is insufficient in its predictive power. </p>
<h2>Cholesterol explained</h2>
<p>To make sense of this it helps to understand how cholesterol is transported around our bodies. A simple analogy may be to think of how boats move cargo around waterways. But rather than rivers and canals, our bodies have a network of arteries and capillaries, with “lipoprotein” particles which act like minuscule vessels, constantly shuttling cholesterol back and forth.</p>
<p>These particles exist in a variety of distinct types, with perhaps the most well known being low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL). LDL particles are commonly referred to as “bad cholesterol” as they ship cholesterol to the arterial wall where it can potentially form a plaque. Whereas HDL is often known as “good cholesterol” as it removes cholesterol from arteries. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203404/original/file-20180125-107946-g7aif9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203404/original/file-20180125-107946-g7aif9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=343&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203404/original/file-20180125-107946-g7aif9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=343&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203404/original/file-20180125-107946-g7aif9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=343&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203404/original/file-20180125-107946-g7aif9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203404/original/file-20180125-107946-g7aif9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203404/original/file-20180125-107946-g7aif9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A clogged artery with platelets and cholesterol plaque.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/clogged-artery-platelets-cholesterol-plaque-concept-259675388">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Despite these simplistic explanations it is important to realise that when doctors test for LDL they are actually observing the amount of cholesterol stored on board the boat (or particle), rather than looking at the actual vessel itself. This seemingly minor detail is where problems can arise. </p>
<p>Although conventional wisdom holds that there is a positive relationship between the cholesterol on board LDL particles and cardiovascular risk, we have known for some time through <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16467234">large-scale</a> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7050440?dopt=Abstract">studies</a> that this is not always the case. </p>
<p>In reality some people with high LDL cholesterol may actually be at a low risk of heart disease and are therefore potentially treated unnecessarily. And in the same way, some individuals with low LDL cholesterol levels can be at an extremely high risk – yet remain untreated due to a lack of diagnosis. The number of people who fall into these categories is substantial – <a href="http://www.lipidjournal.com/article/S1933-2874(11)00027-4/fulltext">studies suggest</a> up to 20% may be affected. </p>
<p>To address these issues, doctors have now been told to use “non-HDL” cholesterol as a determinant of cardiovascular risk. This encompasses all cholesterol stored in lipoproteins which contribute towards cardiovascular disease, except for HDL. </p>
<p>But although this has been shown to be a better predictor, <a href="http://circoutcomes.ahajournals.org/content/4/3/337.long">problems remain</a>. This is mainly because non-HDL is also determined from the cholesterol content of particles, rather than by measuring the particles themselves. </p>
<h2>The test</h2>
<p>Returning to our earlier analogy, if an enemy armada was approaching at sea, surely it would be better to gauge the threat by counting the number of boats, rather than trying to determine the amount of cargo contained on board. Remarkably, we can do something similar with our lipoproteins.</p>
<p>Attached to each LDL particle is a single molecule of a protein called apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB). And by determining how much ApoB is in the blood we can “count” exactly how many LDL particles are present. </p>
<p>Determining LDL in this way is better than measuring the cholesterol stored inside, because ApoB <a href="http://circoutcomes.ahajournals.org/content/4/3/337.long">has been shown</a> to be a superior predictor of cardiovascular disease than measuring both LDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203406/original/file-20180125-107963-qpv52x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203406/original/file-20180125-107963-qpv52x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203406/original/file-20180125-107963-qpv52x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203406/original/file-20180125-107963-qpv52x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203406/original/file-20180125-107963-qpv52x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203406/original/file-20180125-107963-qpv52x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203406/original/file-20180125-107963-qpv52x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Experts have raised concerns that those using statins see next to no benefit.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/479441023?src=q3FyiDbRkQYEYm4eG6dMJQ-1-87&size=huge_jpg">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But despite this, tests for ApoB aren’t routinely used – partly because of the cost. An ApoB test is more expensive than using non-HDL alone – which can be quickly and cheaply calculated using data derived from routine lipid checks. </p>
<p>Many doctors may also be simply unaware of the importance of ApoB – despite countries such as Canada incorporating ApoB testing into their <a href="http://www.onlinecjc.ca/article/S0828-282X(16)30732-2/pdf">guidelines</a>. The UK, for example, has been reluctant to make such recommendations. All of which further perpetuates the hesitance of health care professionals to incorporate the measure into their assessments. </p>
<p>But this is highly shortsighted, given the scale of the burden that cardiovascular disease places upon the NHS – and the mass prescription of statins and their widely documented side-effects.</p>
<p>Perhaps then, it is time to ask if the current diagnostic method for blood cholesterol really is the best option.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84140/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Webb does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Current cholesterol tests in the UK are outdated and are putting lives at risk.Richard Webb, Postdoctoral Researcher in Nutritional Science, Liverpool John Moores UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/825202017-09-26T11:00:56Z2017-09-26T11:00:56ZSecret to a healthy appearance? Smiling, says science<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187079/original/file-20170921-21001-12cfk5m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletter">kurhan/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For thousands of years, we have been obsessed with having a healthy and attractive facial appearance – by any means necessary. The Egyptians crafted eyeliner from kohl, <a href="http://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/ancient-egyptian-eye-makeup-doubled-germ-protector-was-poisonous-007098">containing lead</a> (definitely not good for you), and at the turn of the last century, people eagerly applied night cream fortified with <a href="https://clickamericana.com/topics/beauty-fashion/radium-vanishing-cream-face-powder-1919">radium</a> to achieve a healthy glow (even worse).</p>
<p>We know how dangerous these practices are today, but are modern day beauty trends all that different? With acid peels that can permanently damage skin, to injections of the most acutely lethal toxin known to man – under its brand name Botox – the quest for a healthy-looking face has always been fraught with danger.</p>
<p>The reason we put our faces through all of this is straightforward: a healthy looking face brings huge benefits. Healthy looking people <a href="http://www.mensfitness.com/women/dating-advice/men-healthy-looking-complexions-seem-more-attractive-even-if-theyre-not-healthy">are more attractive</a>; we’re more likely to vote for <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2822289/Looking-healthy-key-successful-work.html">healthy-looking politicians</a>, and a healthy appearance is <a href="http://www.ehbonline.org/article/S1090-5138(10)00116-9/pdf">preferred in faces across the globe</a>. </p>
<p>Scientists have uncovered numerous facial qualities that <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-our-faces-can-tell-other-people-about-the-state-of-our-health-60592">are linked to health</a>, and have found that people rely on these to judge who is healthy and who isn’t. Some you’re stuck with, like your facial symmetry, or how close your facial shape is to the average shape of the population. These have been shown to be <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11182573">related to health</a> but are fixed aspects of your face.</p>
<p>Others you can change, with a bit of effort. Facial adiposity – the weight that’s carried in your face – for example, is related to your BMI and how <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20120267">many colds you have a year</a>. </p>
<h2>Glowing appearance</h2>
<p>More recently, I and others have been interested in facial colouration and its links with health. Carotenoids, found in fruit and vegetables, are only obtained from eating a healthy diet. When deposited in your skin, they make you look much healthier – even more so than if you have a tan. So a change in diet to include more of these can be good for your <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140827091958.htm">health and appearance</a>. Similarly, getting enough sleep can get rid of dark circles under eyes, and a good circulatory system from exercise can redden your cheeks.</p>
<p>But there may be an even easier way to look healthier. And this one is totally free, and very quick. </p>
<p>Consider the faces below. These represent averages of 15 faces rated least healthy (left) and most healthy (right). Which one looks healthier to you? </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182125/original/file-20170815-29240-ca8ojd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182125/original/file-20170815-29240-ca8ojd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182125/original/file-20170815-29240-ca8ojd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182125/original/file-20170815-29240-ca8ojd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182125/original/file-20170815-29240-ca8ojd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182125/original/file-20170815-29240-ca8ojd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182125/original/file-20170815-29240-ca8ojd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Which face do you think is healthier?</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Do you think it is the one on the right, which has a more positive expression than the left face? Well, that might be because we have found <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13506285.2017.1369202">strong links</a> between looking healthy and how happy your neutral expression is.</p>
<h2>Happy smiley people</h2>
<p>Our first experiment for this research was to try to predict the health rating a face would receive. We used a measure of how happy others thought the face looked, as well as an objective measure of positive expression, obtained by measuring how open the eyes were and how upturned the corners of the mouth were on the faces. </p>
<p>From this, we were able to predict how healthy a face looked based on its expression alone – with a good degree of accuracy. We found that the effect of having a positive expression on the ratings was similar to that from having a good BMI, using makeup, or looking young rather than old.</p>
<p>We decided to investigate further, and look at what the effect on perceived health would be if the expression were a genuine smile, rather than merely looking a little cheerful, and how it would work across different age groups and sexes. </p>
<p>We discovered that faces look healthier when they are smiling, compared to a neutral expression, and that it doesn’t matter whether the faces are male or female. We also found that this effect increased with the age of the face: while younger adults look healthier when they smile, older adults look much healthier. A smile was a more important cue than how old the face appeared to be, and more recent research has shown a happy expression is even more important than cues like <a href="http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/royptb/371/1693/20150380.full.pdf">adiposity or skin colouration</a>. Scientific proof that a smile really is the best accessory.</p>
<h2>Health appeal</h2>
<p>But why do we find smiling faces healthier? The answer may be due to a genuine link between smiles and actual, underlying health. Incredibly, the length of people’s lives have been predicted from photographs of them in their youth. Those photographed with genuine smiles <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2010/03/25/grinning-for-a-longer-life/">lived longer</a> than those photographed with polite smiles or none at all. New university students who were <a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/your-facebook-smile-can-predict-your-happiness-years-down-the-line/">smiling in their Facebook photos</a> report better social lives and satisfaction upon graduating, and smiling during a stressful experience can <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/simply-smiling-can-actually-reduce-stress-10461286/">calm rising heart rates</a>.</p>
<p>These amazing associations are linked to an aspect of our psychology known as “<a href="https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/positive-affectivity/">positive affect</a>”. This is a highly desirable trait to have: it means you live a longer and healthier life by virtue of being optimistic and cheerful. People with greater positive affect look happier and smile more often too, and we think our perceptual systems are on the lookout for individuals with this kind of appearance. </p>
<p>There is a simple message here: looking good costs nothing, and need not be dangerous. All it takes is a smile to look healthier, and the more you do it, the healthier you’ll likely be.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82520/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Jones carried out this research as a postdoctoral researcher at Gettysburg College, as part of a research project funded by CE.R.I.E.S./CHANEL PB.</span></em></p>Is a smile really the best accessory? Science says yes.Alex Jones, Lecturer in Psychology, Swansea UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/760962017-04-13T09:01:05Z2017-04-13T09:01:05ZHow to eat chocolate without piling on the pounds
this Easter<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164834/original/image-20170411-26706-s0ffgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Easter is once again upon us and for many people it is a time when a little more chocolate than usual is consumed. Chocolate gives many of us pleasure mainly because it has physiological effects that make it moreish – if not downright addictive. </p>
<p>Some <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002822302000329">research studies</a> even claim that certain types of chocolate are a “super food” – something that’s particularly good for us. After all, one of the ingredients of chocolate is cocoa, which is a good source of iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous and zinc. But is this really the case?</p>
<p>In dark chocolate – which has a high cocoa level – there is some evidence to show that small amounts may reduce the risk of heart disease. This is because of the <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07315724.2004.10719361">presence of flavonoids</a> – a type of plant chemical. </p>
<p>Flavonoids are said to be a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and immune system benefits. Health benefits include better blood sugar control and better insulin sensitivity – which are both indicators of protection from diabetes. </p>
<p>There are, of course, a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter_Hollman/publication/40131264_Content_of_potentially_anticarcinogenic_flavonoids_of_28_vegetables_and_9_fruits_commonly_consumed_in_The_Netherlands/links/547ee64d0cf2d2200edeb065/Content-of-potentially-anticarcinogenic-flavonoids-of-28-vegetables-and-9-fruits-commonly-consumed-in-The-Netherlands.pdf#page=44">lot of other foods that contain flavonoids</a> – vegetables, for instance – but maybe they are not as marketable as a bar of dark chocolate.</p>
<h2>Other ingredients</h2>
<p>But despite this evidence, few neutral studies have been done, and work has only ever been done over the short term. </p>
<p>So before we can say for certain whether chocolate is actually a super food, there need to be far longer trials – that are not funded by chocolate manufacturers. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164835/original/image-20170411-26712-ov61qp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164835/original/image-20170411-26712-ov61qp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164835/original/image-20170411-26712-ov61qp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164835/original/image-20170411-26712-ov61qp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164835/original/image-20170411-26712-ov61qp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164835/original/image-20170411-26712-ov61qp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164835/original/image-20170411-26712-ov61qp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Easter egg bounty.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There is also the issue of the other ingredients apart from cocoa – given that your average Easter egg is likely to contain more sugar and saturated fat than plain cocoa. </p>
<p>There’s also the fact that there is little or no nutritional benefit to standard milk chocolate. So the only reason to eat it is because it gives us pleasure.</p>
<p>But whether its dark, milk or white, if you only binge on it once a year, the type of chocolate is not going to make much difference. What matters most is the rest of your lifestyle – what your diets like over the rest of the week, and how much you move around and exercise. </p>
<h2>Healthy chocolate?</h2>
<p>Maybe instead of worrying about the health benefits of chocolate, we should just see it for what it is – an indulgence or a treat – leaving us to get on with enjoying it occasionally.</p>
<p>With this in mind, we recently <a href="http://www4.shu.ac.uk/mediacentre/trevor-simper?filter=Food-and-nutrition">conducted an experiment</a> that split people into three groups. The first group consumed a drink which contained calories from sugar only. The second group drank the same beverage but then did some gentle walking. And the third group drank a beverage with the same calories but from protein and a little fat, and not so much sugar. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164836/original/image-20170411-26730-1x68duo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164836/original/image-20170411-26730-1x68duo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164836/original/image-20170411-26730-1x68duo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164836/original/image-20170411-26730-1x68duo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164836/original/image-20170411-26730-1x68duo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164836/original/image-20170411-26730-1x68duo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164836/original/image-20170411-26730-1x68duo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The joys of spring.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When we traced everyone’s blood sugar levels over the next two hours, we found that the second and third groups had a much lower spike in blood sugar. </p>
<p>This is a good indicator that gentle exercise after eating or consuming foods which contain a mixture of protein and fat – rather than sugar alone – helps us to maintain steady blood sugar levels. </p>
<p>So maybe rather than worrying about chocolate as an occasional treat you should just enjoy it this Easter – and combine it with a nice spring walk.</p>
<p>Because at the end of the day, Easter is once a year, and your annual chocolate egg is unlikely to make a huge difference to your overall health or weight. So go ahead and enjoy – because that’s what Easter eggs are for. Just take advantage of the bank holiday to go for a walk as well.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/76096/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Trevor Simper does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s all about what you do after you indulge.Trevor Simper, Senior Lecturer/Researcher in nutrition and health, Sheffield Hallam UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/729702017-03-21T01:41:42Z2017-03-21T01:41:42ZTo be ill is human: why normalising illness would make it easier to cope with<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160281/original/image-20170310-3687-vm027y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">We often hide behind a mask of wellness when we're really sick. Maybe it's time to be more open about our health.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/success?src=p9qu7dP7M-sqD6MbWJaglg-1-4">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Why are we so shocked when we, or someone we know, becomes ill? Why are many people scared of illness and unable to support their loved ones when illness strikes? And why do so many people still think “it won’t happen to me”?</p>
<p>These questions strike at the heart of our relationship between sickness and health and our reluctance to confront illness as part of our everyday lives.</p>
<p>Many people do not talk openly about illness because they fear it will make them seem weak or <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pon.2048/full">self-indulgent</a>.</p>
<p>People also keep illness a secret because they worry they will be <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01322.x/full">blamed</a> or <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-your-fault-you-got-cancer-the-blame-game-that-doesnt-help-anyone-66995">judged for developing it</a>, which is surprisingly common. For example, think about the stigma patients and their families experience if they are affected by <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/328/7454/1470.long">lung cancer</a>, <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0046924">obesity-related illness</a> or <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=2006-07278-007">mental illness</a>.</p>
<p>This fear of being judged or blamed may also contribute to people hiding their symptoms, even from health professionals, delaying <a href="http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v112/n1/abs/bjc2014516a.html">diagnosis</a> and proper <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/24/5/761/474150/Delays-in-diagnosis-and-treatment-of-breast-cancer">management</a>. </p>
<p>Perhaps we don’t talk about illness because of the global <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/liyanchen/2015/12/21/the-most-profitable-industries-in-2016/#675590f37a8b">multi-billion dollar health industry</a> reinforcing a message that we must be healthy if we consume the right <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2008.01121.x/abstract">food and drinks</a>. </p>
<p>Or perhaps we don’t talk about our illness because we believe modern medicine will cure us.</p>
<p>All of these factors mean remaining quiet about illness becomes normal, illness is often hidden and many people cope with illness alone. While it may be acceptable to talk about having a common cold, it seems that speaking about more serious illness is not. Sometimes we hide away our health troubles behind a mask of wellness. </p>
<p>About a <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pon.3679/abstract">quarter</a> to a <a href="https://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us/News_Landing_Page/One-million-risk-health-by-keeping-diabetes-secret/">third</a> of people with serious physical illnesses hide their illness from colleagues and even family and friends. The data is even more striking when considering mental health problems, with studies suggesting more than <a href="http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1074.html">two-thirds</a> of people would conceal a mental illness from their co-workers or classmates.</p>
<p>So, it is hardly surprising people are not prepared when they, or a loved one, become ill; they can find it hard to <a href="http://www.jclinepi.com/article/0895-4356(90)90123-7/fulltext">cope</a> psychologically with, and adjust to, their and other people’s illness.</p>
<h2>Serious and chronic disease is common</h2>
<p>Society seems in a state of denial that illness is a fact of life for most families. It is part of the human condition.</p>
<p>Serious and chronic illness is <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/chronic-disease">becoming more common</a>. At any one time, about half of us will be managing a serious health condition and around one in five of us will be experiencing <a href="http://www.aihw.gov.au/media-release-detail/?id=60129552034">two or more serious illnesses</a> at once. </p>
<p>No family is immune: serious illness can affect people of all ages, wealth, professions and education levels. Celebrities also develop serious <a href="http://www.livescience.com/36251-celebrity-health-illness-diseases.html">illnesses</a> (although many likely keep their health problems private).</p>
<p>Look around you. Who in your family is ill? Who is off work because they are sick with something other than a common cold? Who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening condition (cancer, diabetes and heart disease spring to mind) or with a chronic condition such as inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis or depression?</p>
<h2>Living with illness</h2>
<p>We are now coming to understand that many life-threatening diseases are in reality long-term conditions rather than a death sentence. Many people are managing multiple serious illnesses at once, while others are told they are at risk of developing a serious illness in the future. If your family, friendship circle and workplace is anything like ours, then being ill is surprisingly common.</p>
<p>There are a number of different psychological approaches to help us cope with these long-term health problems.</p>
<p>So-called <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD008704.pub2/abstract">third wave psychological therapies</a> promote the idea of accepting rather than avoiding illness, and the pain and suffering that often accompanies it. These types of therapies may help us to cope when illness strikes. They can help patients to clarify their values and make choices that align with them.</p>
<p>Other more traditional psychological approaches (such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-cognitive-behaviour-therapy-37351">cognitive behaviour therapy</a>) may also help people who are struggling with their health to re-frame their illness as part of the normal experience and identify effective coping strategies. They may also help people to identify their needs and seek help to meet these needs.</p>
<p>For young people who are ill, more modern approaches, using internet-delivered support may meet their needs well, for instance this <a href="https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2407-12-339">online intervention</a> for young cancer survivors. </p>
<p>And when an illness becomes terminal, psychological therapies and bereavement counselling can help patients, families and friends to face the end of life. </p>
<p>These forms of support may help people thrive with illness rather than despite their illness. But society also needs a “therapy” to cope with people being ill. </p>
<p>For starters, we need to see people who are not 100% healthy represented in the government, workplace and media, in fact in all areas of social life. This should lead to greater acceptance of illness and position ill health as the new normal.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>If this article has raised issues for you or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/72970/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gill Hubbard currently receives research funding from Chief Scientist Office ( Scotland) and the charity, Melanoma Focus</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Claire Wakefield receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council Australia. Her research is supported by a Harry McPaul Cancer Council NSW Program Grant (PG16-02), as well as other research grants from Cancer Australia, Children's Cancer Institute and The Kids Cancer Project. The Behavioural Sciences Unit is supported by the Kids with Cancer Foundation. </span></em></p>Why are we so shocked when we, or someone we know, becomes ill? It’s time to reclaim sickness as a normal part of life.Gill Hubbard, Reader in Cancer Care, University of StirlingClaire Wakefield, Associate Professor, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/693212017-01-04T03:36:49Z2017-01-04T03:36:49ZDoes a healthy diet have to come at a hefty price?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/148618/original/image-20161205-19401-gz9lg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Eating healthfully adds up quickly.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Fruits and veg via ww.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Imagine you’re in the aisle of your favorite grocery store, bombarded with hundreds of the latest and greatest products on the market. After grabbing a box of your favorite pasta off the shelf, you notice a new organic version of the spaghetti sauce you usually buy. Strikingly, you notice that the price is <a href="https://mic.com/articles/144522/organic-food-expensive#.goBlOVkpk">at almost a 50 percent premium</a> compared to what your usual sauce costs. </p>
<p>Here we go again, you think: You have to empty your wallet to buy the “healthy” stuff. </p>
<p>If this describes how you think about the relationship between food health and price, you’re not alone. This belief is so pervasive that tips on how to eat <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy/packages/healthy-eating-on-a-budget.html">healthy on a budget</a> are everywhere, implying that most consumers think this is a truly difficult task. Who hasn’t heard Whole Foods’ nickname, “<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-18/whole-foods-seeks-to-shed-whole-paycheck-rap-with-new-format">Whole Paycheck</a>,” or seen incredibly cheap pricing on <a href="http://time.com/money/4208250/fast-food-deals-winners-losers/">unhealthy fast food</a>? </p>
<p>Measuring the relationship between health and price of food is in fact <a href="http://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/eib96/19982_eib96_reportsummary_1_.pdf">difficult</a> as it can be evaluated in a variety of ways, from price per calorie to price per average portion. </p>
<p>So how pervasive is the view that “healthy = expensive” and why do consumers think this way? </p>
<p>In a <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucw078">series of studies</a> recently published in the <a href="http://www.ejcr.org/">Journal of Consumer Research</a>, we found that consumers do tend to believe that healthy foods are in fact more expensive. While this may actually hold true in only <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/03/11/10-reasons-organic-food-is-so-expensive/">some product categories</a>, we discovered that many consumers tend to believe this relationship holds across all categories, regardless of the evidence.</p>
<h2>Consumers and lay theories</h2>
<p>Consumers appear to have a lay theory, or an intuition, that healthy foods are more expensive. </p>
<p>Discussions around <a href="http://americannutritionassociation.org/newsletter/usda-defines-food-deserts">food deserts</a> – low-income geographical areas with <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/12/07/millions-of-food-desert-dwellers-struggle-to-get-fresh-groceries">limited access to affordable nutritious foods</a> – also suggest that healthy foods are indeed more expensive than unhealthy ones.</p>
<p>The marketplace and the media appear to have taught most U.S. consumers to expect foods with special health properties to command a premium price. While this is the case in some instances (for example, the USDA notes a price premium for many <a href="http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/natural-resources-environment/organic-agriculture/organic-market-overview/">organic foods</a>), in other cases a general positive relationship between price and healthiness <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/16/news/la-heb-healthy-cheap-food-usda-20120516">may not exist</a>.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/applied-and-social-sciences-magazines/lay-theories">lay theory</a>, in psychology, is the term for a nonexpert’s belief about how the world works. We can have lay theories about how everything from <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/25674423?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">self-control</a> to <a href="http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/index1.html">intelligence</a> works. And these lay theories influence how we behave. </p>
<p>Consumers also have lay theories about food: for example, believing that <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sapient-nature/201104/the-unhealthy-tasty-intuition-are-you-under-its-subconscious-influence">unhealthy foods are tastier</a>, regardless of whether this is objectively true.</p>
<p>In our research, we document a new lay theory consumers have about food: that healthy foods are more expensive. In other words, unlike other research exploring whether there is a <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/19320248.2015.1095144">true relationship between food health and price</a>, we were interested in understanding how this belief (regardless of whether it is objectively true) influences our food choices. Across five studies, we showed that even in food categories where there is no relation between price and health, the healthy = expensive intuition affects how consumers make decisions about food.</p>
<h2>How a food’s price equates to health</h2>
<p>Diving deeper into understanding what’s going on in the mind of the consumer, we wanted to know: Do higher price points drive consumers to think of something as healthier? Or do cues about healthiness lead consumers to believe that the price is higher? </p>
<p>In our studies, we found that the intuition seems to operate in both directions. That is, in our first study, we showed that when consumers were presented with price information only, perceptions of the healthiness of a breakfast bar varied with the price: higher price = healthier, lower price = less healthy. Similarly, when given a nutrition grade of an “A-,” the sort of summary analyses provided by various websites, including <a href="http://www.caloriecount.com">CalorieCount.com</a>, the breakfast bar was estimated as more expensive than when the same bar was graded as a “C.”</p>
<p>In another study, consumers were asked to choose the healthier of two similar chicken wraps. When the “Roasted Chicken Wrap” was priced at US$8.95 versus a “Chicken Balsamic Wrap” for $6.95, people chose roasted over balsamic. But when the prices were flipped, so were the choices. That is, people were actively choosing the more expensive option because they believed it was healthier.</p>
<p>Another study showed that food products running counter to the healthy = expensive intuition – that is, a product claiming to be healthy but offered at a less expensive than average price for the product category – led consumers to seek out more supporting evidence before they bought into a generic health claim. Specifically, study participants presented with a $0.99 protein bar (after being told that the average price for protein bars is $2 per bar) chose to view, on average, more than three online reviews before rating how likely they would be to buy the product themselves compared with two reviews when the protein bar had a $4 price tag. </p>
<p>It simply took more convincing when the price seems too good to be true for stated health claims.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/148632/original/image-20161205-19362-15yjala.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/148632/original/image-20161205-19362-15yjala.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/148632/original/image-20161205-19362-15yjala.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/148632/original/image-20161205-19362-15yjala.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/148632/original/image-20161205-19362-15yjala.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/148632/original/image-20161205-19362-15yjala.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/148632/original/image-20161205-19362-15yjala.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Would you pay more if this included DHA?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Trail mix via www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What is healthy?</h2>
<p>The impact of belief in the healthy = expensive intuition, however, goes beyond just general inferences about price and health. </p>
<p>In another study, we found that consumers used this intuition when valuing the importance of an unfamiliar specific ingredient in a food product. We asked participants to assess the importance of the inclusion of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) – which we told them helps reverse <a href="http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/macular-degeneration">macular degeneration</a>, an age-associated eye disease that can lead to vision loss – in a trail mix. When the DHA trail mix was sold at a premium price, participants put a higher value on both <a href="http://www.blindness.org/blog/index.php/can-dha-save-your-vision/">DHA</a> and the underlying health condition. When it was sold at an average price, participants weren’t as persuaded that their diet should include DHA or that preventing macular degeneration was as important.</p>
<p>Interestingly, it was the unfamiliarity of DHA that drove these inferences. When vitamin A was associated with the same health claim, a relative price premium didn’t alter perceptions of how important vitamin A is as an ingredient. This study suggests that people are more likely to rely on their lay theories when assessing health claims that are unfamiliar – a situation they likely face often at the grocery store as food manufacturers frequently introduce new products <a href="http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20599288,00.html">claiming to include the latest health ingredient</a>.</p>
<h2>Ignore your gut</h2>
<p>Together, our studies reveal that consumers have a pervasive tendency to associate healthier food products and higher prices. </p>
<p>If one is operating with an unlimited budget while trying to cook and serve healthy meals, then perhaps this isn’t a problem. However, those trying to manage a food budget and feel good about the healthiness of their family meals may pay too much for their nutrition. This can occur despite ready availability of both pricing and <a href="http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm248732.htm">nutritional information</a>.</p>
<p>What is the takeaway for consumers? We all know that price and quality aren’t perfectly correlated, but it doesn’t stop us from <a href="http://journals.ama.org/doi/abs/10.1509/jmr.12.0407">using price to judge quality</a> when we don’t have other information.</p>
<p>So if you’re truly concerned about choosing healthy foods without overpaying, stop and think next time you see a health claim paired with a high price rather than relying on your gut feelings. A simple solution to overcoming the influence of the intuition is to seek out more information before you buy. </p>
<p>Getting more information, which mobile devices let consumers do easily, even while shopping in a store, will enable you to rely on more careful, systematic thinking about the health claim being presented – rather than just your gut’s take that a healthy idea requires emptying your wallet.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/69321/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Consumers tend to think that healthy foods have to cost more than their less nutritional counterparts. New psychological research looks at how pervasive this is.Kelly L. Haws, Associate Professor of Marketing, Vanderbilt UniversityKevin L. Sample, Ph.D. Candidate in Marketing, University of GeorgiaRebecca Walker Reczek, Associate Professor of Marketing, The Ohio State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/628112016-08-05T09:48:47Z2016-08-05T09:48:47ZNo time to exercise? Then this training programme might be for you<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132780/original/image-20160802-17190-5dsr8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Too busy to work out? Not anymore.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">BLACKDAY/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When it comes to exercise, what’s your excuse? Whether it’s lack of time, money or motivation – sometimes the lure of the sofa can just be too strong – it can be all too easy to put off that run for another day. But whatever your reason, <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults.aspx">it’s still recommended</a> that adults aged between 19 and 64 should be getting at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise a week. This roughly works out at about half an hour of brisk walking or cycling five times a week.</p>
<p>While this doesn’t sound like a lot of exercise in the grand scheme of things, <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40279-015-0365-0">research shows</a> that you could actually do even less exercise and still maintain a good level of fitness – with the use of high intensity interval training (HIIT). </p>
<p>A typical HIIT session involves doing multiple intervals, or bursts of relatively short, intense exercise separated by rest or light exercise, and can last anywhere between a few minutes, right up to half an hour. It tends to involve many forms of exercise such as cycling, running or even resistance based training. All of which can be completed in a typical gym or health club setting. </p>
<p>Although high intensity interval training has been around for a while, it is receiving increased attention from researchers. This is because of its “time efficient” approach and the many health benefits it can offer such as <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40279-015-0365-0">increased cardiovascular fitness</a>, <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/obr.12395/full">lower blood pressure</a> and <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.2165%2F11630910-000000000-00000">improved blood results</a> like “glucose tolerance” – how the body deals with sugar throughout the day and “<a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/hdl-cholesterol/art-20046388">good</a>” cholesterol.</p>
<p>The downside of the typical HIIT programme is the intensity of the exercise – HIIT sessions usually involve “maximal sprints” – such as <a href="http://jap.physiology.org/content/98/6/1985.short">running or cycling as fast as you can, for 30 seconds</a>. These sprints can be tough to complete especially for a lesser trained participant. This means that although HIIT is effective at improving fitness, lots of people are put off actually doing it because of the intense levels of exercise required. </p>
<h2>A different approach</h2>
<p>This is why at the University of Hull we have developed a <a href="http://www.ecss2006.com/asp/CONGRESS/00_X_Display_Abstracts_Text.asp?MyAbstractID=2025">modified HIIT programme</a> which offers the important health benefits often associated with prolonged exercise, while saving time and being easier to complete. In our research, we used lower intensity, longer intervals for the protocol – which are different to the short, very intense intervals of traditional HIIT.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132784/original/image-20160802-17190-1mo6q0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132784/original/image-20160802-17190-1mo6q0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132784/original/image-20160802-17190-1mo6q0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132784/original/image-20160802-17190-1mo6q0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132784/original/image-20160802-17190-1mo6q0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132784/original/image-20160802-17190-1mo6q0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132784/original/image-20160802-17190-1mo6q0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lack of time is one of the most common reasons for not exercising.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jacob Lund/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="http://www.ecss2006.com/asp/CONGRESS/00_X_Display_Abstracts_Text.asp?MyAbstractID=2025">programme involves a 28-minute HIIT workout on a stationary bike</a>, featuring five two minute intervals, with only ten minutes of “hard” work, and the remaining 18 minutes light exercise. Over six weeks, we compared three sessions a week of our 28-minute HIIT protocol, with a continuous moderate intensity cycling programme and a gym based resistance exercise programme – which were both 55 minutes in length. </p>
<p>We discovered that our 28-minute HIIT programme gave the same fitness improvements as the longer 55-minute moderate intensity cycling sessions. This was shown as a fitness increase of 13% over six weeks – and was measured by a VO₂max test of participants before and after the six-week training intervention. This exercise test allows us to measure how well the body is able to deliver oxygen to, and use oxygen in the working muscles during exercise. The higher the participant’s oxygen consumption (VO₂max), the fitter the participant is. So of course we would expect this value to increase after completing an exercise training intervention. </p>
<h2>Getting fit with HIIT</h2>
<p>Our training study adds to the growing body of <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40279-015-0365-0">evidence</a> which suggests HIIT is effective at improving markers of health. Although it is still unclear why exactly HIIT works so effectively, researchers have been able to show that it <a href="http://journals.lww.com/acsm-essr/Fulltext/2008/04000/Metabolic_Adaptations_to_Short_term_High_Intensity.3.aspx">activates similar biological pathways and mechanisms</a> traditionally related to endurance type exercise – such as an increase in muscles ability to use oxygen.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132785/original/image-20160802-17185-15u4l0s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132785/original/image-20160802-17185-15u4l0s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132785/original/image-20160802-17185-15u4l0s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132785/original/image-20160802-17185-15u4l0s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132785/original/image-20160802-17185-15u4l0s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132785/original/image-20160802-17185-15u4l0s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/132785/original/image-20160802-17185-15u4l0s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Time efficient exercise?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dean Drobot/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But while HIIT does appear to be effective at improving markers of health, more research – especially larger studies looking at the safety, adherence rates and participant enjoyment – are needed. These studies could examine the real world potential and application of HIIT, as much of the current research is conducted under controlled laboratory conditions.</p>
<p>So while it is clear there is still a lot that is unknown about HIIT, what is known is that by using a modified HIIT protocol you may be able to increase your fitness while spending less time at the gym. And in a <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-we-sleep-deprived-or-just-darkness-deprived-49412">time poor world</a>, where more people need to engage in regular physical activity, that is definitely not a bad thing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62811/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Damien Gleadall-Siddall does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Why less is more when it comes to exercise.Damien Gleadall-Siddall, PhD Student in Sport, Health and Exercise Science, University of HullLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/504692015-11-16T04:16:02Z2015-11-16T04:16:02ZHow understanding microbes can help farmers manage Africa’s soil crisis<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/101707/original/image-20151112-9362-tyrb0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tens of millions of smallholder farmers across sub-Saharan Africa have a stake in improving the health of the soil their cattle graze on.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters/Goran Tomasevic</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>To harness the potential of soil <a href="http://www.microbeworld.org/what-is-a-microbe">microbes</a> Africa must move quickly. As soil degrades, so too does microbial life. </p>
<p>Understanding the microbial diversity of Africa’s soils is important for another reason as well. At least some portion of this diversity is indigenous to particular soils, crops and ecosystems developed over thousands of years of farming. </p>
<p>At a time when multinational corporations are investing to identify, develop and patent soil microbial uses and inventions, Africa needs to understand the value of microbes. </p>
<p>The commercial value of its diversity should be realised. </p>
<p>At the same time, many of the agronomic products developed are based on soil microbes. This will benefit farmers elsewhere who face similar challenges, whether arid soils or crop diseases.</p>
<h2>Root-based evidence</h2>
<p>At an <a href="http://www.auburn.edu/main/welcome/">Auburn University</a> laboratory, we have <a href="http://www.ag.auburn.edu/enpl/directory/faculty/kloepper/">demonstrated</a> that soil microbes can help corn and cotton plants withstand insect damage and water stress. Research has been directed at basic and applied aspects of using beneficial bacteria as microbial innoculants to promote plant growth and provide biological disease control. This enables plants to grow better, with bigger roots. </p>
<p>Research points to the possibilities: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>In Mexico, results from a <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479712000540">three-year field trial</a> showed that application of beneficial microbes could help restore eroded soils in the southern Sonoran desert. </p></li>
<li><p>In Egypt, researchers <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0048479">showed</a> that enriched populations of beneficial microbes enable pepper plants to survive and grow in the desert. </p></li>
<li><p>In Colombia, farmers have used soil <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0070633">microbes</a> to increase the yield of cassava plants by 20%. And in India, microbes were used to enhance drought <a href="http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajb/article/view/115777">tolerance</a> in rice.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Creative solutions</h2>
<p>Africa’s soil crisis calls for quick and creative action. In addition to a citizen soil knowledge initiative, we need to use all the techniques already available to protect and restore soil, particularly through applying integrated soil fertility management. </p>
<p>This is the approach widely promoted by organisations such as the <a href="http://www.gatesfoundation.org/How-We-Work/Resources/Grantee-Profiles/Grantee-Profile-Alliance-for-a-Green-Revolution-in-Africa-AGRA">Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa</a>. </p>
<p>The alliance invests in agriculture as a way in which to help tackle poverty. It combines farming methods and materials available to farmers to improve soil health, whether manure, fertilisers or crop residue left in the field.</p>
<p>Promotion of integrated soil fertility management can go hand in hand with engaging farmers in citizen science networks. It will connect them to agricultural universities, research institutions and agricultural enterprises.</p>
<p>Citizen science enlists people who care about the issue and involves them in the process of inquiry and discovery of new knowledge. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), for example, is using citizen science to <a href="http://phys.org/news/2015-07-citizen-scientists-soil-moisture-conditions.html">map</a> global soil moisture.</p>
<p>Citizens collect, weigh, dry, and reweigh soil samples to determine soil moisture content. They add this data to a central information hub on the internet. Participants get feedback about the quality of their soils and how best to care for them.</p>
<p>There are tens of millions of smallholder farmers across sub-Saharan Africa. They all have a stake in soil health. </p>
<p>Given the opportunity through a citizen science initiative, they could revolutionise understanding of African soils. This would increase the continent’s ability to use the soil microbes that are essential for agriculture and life. </p>
<h2>Sowing the citizen science seeds</h2>
<p>Farmers must be encouraged and supported through a broad-based citizen science initiative. NASA’s work is a good example of citizen science having the <a href="http://science.nasa.gov/citizen-scientists/">desired effect</a>.</p>
<p>Such a campaign on African farms must be coordinated with agricultural universities, research institutes and agricultural enterprises.</p>
<p>A citizen science initiative to identify and analyse soil microbes could combine the use of simple field lab testing of soils and mailing duplicate soil samples to national or regional laboratories for deeper analysis. </p>
<p>Clearly, much would need to be hammered out for the network, including the designation of laboratories; staffing and funding; principles for the sharing and use of data; and communication of findings back and forth between citizens and scientists.</p>
<p>But this is crucial. Africa’s future food security depends on how we protect and restore its soils today. The problem is so extensive that doing so will take every tool at our disposal, and the support of every ally. </p>
<p>As an African soil scientist, I know that there is an army of biological allies in the soil itself – soil <a href="http://www.microbeworld.org/what-is-a-microbe">microbes</a>. There are more microbes in teaspoon of soil than there are people on earth. They are all constantly at work.</p>
<p>Microbes enable soils to cycle nutrients and water and to maintain a healthy structure. They also promote plant growth, even under stressful conditions. Soil microbes offer new tools for the revitalisation of degraded soils, and for strengthening the resilience of crops subjected to increasing levels of environmental and climatic stress, diseases and pests.</p>
<p>Soil is the base of our food, income and economy. </p>
<p>But across 65% of African farmland, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3194045/">soil</a> is in trouble. Most of it is depleted. What gives the soil life, threatens its very existence. Soil lacks life-giving nutrients, organic matter and rich microbial communities.</p>
<p>The solution should start with farmers. A comprehensive knowledge of soils, especially their little-known but crucial microbial life, must be developed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/50469/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Esther Ndumi Ngumbi works for Auburn University.</span></em></p>Africa’s soil crisis calls for quick and creative action. This includes deepening farmers’ knowledge about soil microbes.Esther Ndumi Ngumbi, Research Fellow, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/203442013-12-13T03:30:45Z2013-12-13T03:30:45ZThe ACT’s food environment plan is good – here’s why<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37556/original/rtwgz9hs-1386818372.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Our food environment could influence the type of food we buy. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hopkinsii/flickr</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government has introduced a <a href="http://www.health.act.gov.au/c/health?a=sendfile&ft=p&fid=1381709538">Healthy Weight Action Plan</a> aimed at curbing the number of obese people in the territory. As its name suggests, the plan seeks to create a healthier food environment for local people.</p>
<p>Acknowledging the <a href="http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/715">multiple domains of influence</a> on food choice, the initiative is aimed at promoting food environments supportive of healthy choices and to enhance the <a href="http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/13/466/">skills and resources</a> of people to make best use of those environments. </p>
<h2>Understanding the food environment</h2>
<p>We’re exposed to a vast range of food stores, products, advertisements and other promotions every day. In fact, on a typical day, we have access to food stores near our home as well as near our workplace or school and during commutes in between. </p>
<p>Supermarkets are flooded with food promotions. And at sporting venues and events, food is prominent through stalls, advertising, and sponsorship. Fundraising efforts for schools and community groups involve the sale of food items, and food and beverage advertisements dominate commercial television breaks.</p>
<p>Of these seemingly endless exposures to food over the course of a typical week, how many are to healthy food? Very few, in most places. Most people, most of the time, are exposed to a disproportionate number of unhealthy foods on a regular basis. </p>
<p>This exposure to food constitutes our food environment. </p>
<p>The food environment doesn’t force us to make unhealthy choices, but unbalanced and repeated exposure to unhealthy food is likely to influence food purchasing decisions. </p>
<p>We are all influenced by the fact that the unhealthy choice has become the easy choice in our society. Indeed, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20604870">researchers have observed</a> higher rates of obesity in people who have greater access to unhealthy food, such as what is commonly sold in fast-food stores. </p>
<p>While much of the research in this area to date has been concerned with <a href="http://www.researchgate.net/publication/257946983_Monitoring_the_availability_of_healthy_and_unhealthy_foods_and_non-alcoholic_beverages_in_community_and_consumer_retail_food_environments_globally">residential neighbourhoods</a>, it’s increasingly recognised that factors in other places where we spend our time may also be important.
We now know that the availability of fresh fruit near workplaces, for instance, may <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1353829213001111">encourage consumption of these items</a>.</p>
<h2>What’s the plan?</h2>
<p>The ACT government initiative represents a positive step towards the reversal of the obesity-promoting food environment. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37558/original/7v57ydpn-1386819224.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37558/original/7v57ydpn-1386819224.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37558/original/7v57ydpn-1386819224.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37558/original/7v57ydpn-1386819224.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37558/original/7v57ydpn-1386819224.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37558/original/7v57ydpn-1386819224.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37558/original/7v57ydpn-1386819224.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People with greater access to unhealthy food options are more likely to have higher rates of obesity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Fridy/flickr</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Its plan is to increase the supply and promotion of healthy foods and reduce the supply and promotion of unhealthy foods. Importantly, it appears to recognise that these actions need to be rolled out in a range of environments, including schools and workplaces. </p>
<p>There’s even a plan to enact a mandatory code for supermarkets to have at least one checkout aisle free of energy-dense, nutrient poor-foods. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3660266/">Research shows</a> this is currently rare within Australian supermarkets. </p>
<p>Perhaps the most ambitious part of the proposal is to “explore options” for regulating the sale of sugar-sweetened drinks. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://theconversation.com/smaller-drink-sizes-mean-better-health-lessons-from-new-york-city-7540">plan by the mayor of New York</a> to limit the size of sugary drinks sold in the city was <a href="https://theconversation.com/lessons-from-new-yorks-overturned-sugary-drinks-ban-12799">rejected earlier this year</a> by courts in the country; a decision applauded by the American Beverage Association. </p>
<p>By proposing to regulate sugar-sweetened drink sales, the ACT government should expect to face similar battles to those faced by New York city.</p>
<p>Knowledge, values and skills also play a key role in food choices, and this is reflected in the plan which includes strategies aimed at improving food-related skills, awareness and capabilities of local people. </p>
<p>Healthy eating education sessions will be provided for people with low income, and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.</p>
<p>The intention here is to enable people to identify and prepare healthy foods. And <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17288623">research has shown</a> that greater attention to the planning and organising of meals is associated with healthier eating. </p>
<p>In essence, the ACT proposal is aiming to make the healthy choice the easier choice. Opponents are likely to continue to invoke the “nanny state” argument, as objections to such proposals often do. </p>
<p>But the Territory’s goals are based on a solid and ever-growing body of evidence that acknowledges the environment plays a strong role in determining eating behaviours and health.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/20344/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kylie Ball receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council; Australian Research Council; and the World Cancer Research Fund.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lukar Thornton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government has introduced a Healthy Weight Action Plan aimed at curbing the number of obese people in the territory. As its name suggests, the plan seeks to create…Lukar Thornton, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Deakin UniversityKylie Ball, Professor, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.