Saturday 15 December 2012

Organic 'has no health benefits'



Organic food is no healthier than ordinary food, a large independent review has concluded.
There is little difference in nutritional value and no evidence of any extra health benefits from eating organic produce, UK researchers found.
The Food Standards Agency, which commissioned the report, said the findings would help people make an "informed choice".
But the Soil Association criticised the study and called for better research.
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine looked at all the evidence on nutrition and health benefits from the past 50 years.


Among the 55 of 162 studies that were included in the final analysis, there were a small number of differences in nutrition between organic and conventionally produced food but not large enough to be of any public health relevance, said study leader Dr Alan Dangour.
Overall the report, which is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found no differences in most nutrients in organically or conventionally grown crops, including in vitamin C, calcium, and iron.
The same was true for studies looking at meat, dairy and eggs.
Differences that were detected, for example in levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, were most likely to be due to differences in fertilizer use and ripeness at harvest and are unlikely to provide any health benefit, the report concluded.
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Organic food



Eating organic food will not make you healthier, according to researchers at Stanford University, although it could cut your exposure to pesticides.
They looked at more than 200 studies of the content and associated health gains of organic and non-organic foods.
Overall, there was no discernible difference between the nutritional content, although the organic food was 30% less likely to contain pesticides.
Critics say the work is inconclusive and call for more studies.
The research, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, looked at 17 studies comparing people who ate organic with those who did not and 223 studies that compared the levels of nutrients, bacteria, fungus or pesticides in various foods - including fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, milk and eggs.

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None of the human studies ran for longer than two years, making conclusions about long-term outcomes impossible. And all of the available evidence was relatively weak and highly variable - which the authors say is unsurprising because of all the different variables, like weather and soil type, involved.
Fruit and vegetables contained similar amounts of vitamins, and milk the same amount of protein and fat - although a few studies suggested organic milk contained more omega-3.
Organic foods did contain more nitrogen, but the researchers say this is probably due to differences in fertiliser use and ripeness at harvest and is unlikely to provide any health benefit.
Their findings support those of the UK's Food Standards Agency, which commissioned a review a few years ago into organic food claims.
Prof Alan Dangour, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who carried out that work, said: "Consumers select organic foods for a variety of reasons, however this latest review identifies that at present there are no convincing differences between organic and conventional foods in nutrient content or health benefits.
"Hopefully this evidence will be useful to consumers."
Dr Crystal Smith-Spangler, the lead author of the latest review, said there were many reasons why people chose to eat organic, including animal welfare or environmental concerns.
"Some believe that organic food is always healthier and more nutritious. We were a little surprised that we didn't find that.
"There isn't much difference between organic and conventional foods, if you're an adult and making a decision based solely on your health."
But the Soil Association said the study was flawed.
"Studies that treat crop trials as if they were clinical trials of medicines, like this one, exaggerate the variation between studies, and drown out the real differences.
"A UK review paper, using the correct statistical analysis, has found that most of the differences in nutrient levels between organic and non-organic fruit and vegetables seen in this US study are actually highly significant."
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "Evidence has not yet emerged that there are nutritional benefits from eating organically produced foods compared to conventionally produced foods. We will continue to review research on this subject."
READMORE:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19465692
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Alcohol dependency



Alcohol-related health issues among baby boomers are on the rise. Daily drinking can start off as a social event but turn into dependency, addiction experts say. So when does social drinking become alcoholism?
In the festive season, with office parties, Christmas, and new year, there is opportunity aplenty for yet another tipple.
Since the 1950s, alcohol consumption in the UK has gradually increased. The NHS now spends more on alcohol-related illness among baby boomers than any other age group, with £825m spent on 55 to 74-year-olds in 2010-11 compared to £64m on under-24s.
Estimates also suggest about nine per cent of men and three per cent of women in the UK show signs of alcohol dependence.
But it is the functioning alcoholic that can slip under the radar - before their health issues are severe enough to need treatment.
Straight vodka
Dr John Marsden, an alcohol and drug dependency expert from King's College London, says a typical functioning alcoholic can manage to hold down a job despite having a "very severe drinking problem that they have been incubating over a very long period".
"Alcohol problems are difficult to understand because they do not occur overnight. They are hidden from view which makes functioning alcoholics a group we cannot easily help."
Rob C, who is 61, was one of them. At his worst he was drinking 1.5 litres of straight vodka per day.
"Then I began to suffer blackouts, losing whole days and not remembering anything."
He would be first to arrive at work, which made him able to set out his "drinks for the day with what looked like a bottle of mineral water".
"I would hide bottles around the office. You think nobody else knows, that it doesn't smell, that you're getting away with it. But of course they did notice."
Life saver
For several years, maintaining a full-time finance job, he drank increasingly more during the day.

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There was work, there was money and increasingly the motivation to alter ones mood quickly. Alcohol has been the drug of choice to do that”
Dr John MarsdenAddiction expert
What started as a social pastime nearly cost him his relationship. Now sober for eight years, looking back he says that even if a colleague had said something at the time, he would not have listened.
"I resented the changes at work and told myself I deserved a drink. I would buy wine at lunchtime and drink it from a polystyrene cup."
Wine turned to vodka for a "bigger kick" and lunchtime turned to morning through to night.
Early retirement on medical grounds made his addiction worse. It was only when his partner threatened to kick him out that he sought help with Alcoholics Anonymous, who he says saved his life.
Rob is not alone. In the last decade there has been a 63% increase in prescriptions for the treatment of alcohol dependency in England, as well as a 20% rise in deaths from liver disease.
Prof Sir Ian Gilmore, a liver specialist and chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, believes the number of people dying from liver disease will keep rising.
The majority of people who have alcohol-related health problems are middle-aged, which Sir Ian says is a consequence of chronic alcohol misuse - many years of frequent heavy drinking, rather than binge drinking - a session of drinking large amounts of alcohol in a small space of time.
But he says that though there is a big overlap, it is important to remember not all heavy social drinkers are dependent on alcohol.
"Some people can control their drinking after work, others can't. If people are frequently drinking harmful levels of alcohol - over 50 units a week for men, 35 for women - most will end up suffering some form of physical, mental or social harm."
A lifetime's worth of drinking is catching up with baby boomers, says Emily Robinson from the Alcohol Concern.
The charity hopes that their campaign, Dry January, will help get people thinking about how much they drink, especially at home when units are harder to measure, and crucially, before they reach a stage where drinking is affecting their health.
"The issue of people drinking every day is worrying as it's a way of slipping into dependency, as you need to drink a little more each time to feel the same effects," she says.
Dr Marsden suggests the line between social drinking and dependency are clear. He says the first question that needs to be asked by clinicians or family members is: "Has anyone expressed concern to you about your drinking?"
This question assesses whether a person's behaviour has negatively impacted on someone close to them, he adds.
"If your alcohol consumption has caused a problem for someone else - I'm not rushing to label you an alcoholic but suggesting you need to take a closer look at your behaviour."
There is a clear reason the baby boomer generation is now most at risk from alcohol-related problems, argues Dr Marsden.
A hard-working generation led to an appetite for entertainment and relaxation.
"There was work, there was money and increasingly the motivation to alter one's mood quickly. Alcohol has been the drug of choice to do that."
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'Action needed on vitamin D levels'




There is growing awareness about the importance of the "sunshine vitamin" - vitamin D - for health.
But Professor Mitch Blair, from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, says more action is needed - potentially including fortifying more foods and even cutting the cost of the vitamin to make it more easily available,
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that contributes to healthy, strong bones and helps to control the amount of calcium in the blood.
Unlike many other vitamins, getting your recommended daily amount of vitamin D is not that easy.
The main source is sunlight; but with short days, long nights and limited sunlight even during the summer, it's not easy to get your fix that way.
Vitamin D can be found in some foods such as oily fish, eggs and mushrooms - but only 10% of a person's recommended daily amount is found naturally in food.
Put bluntly, eating more fish and getting out in the sun a bit more won't make much of a difference to your vitamin D levels.
Unfortunately, there is limited national research on the true extent of vitamin D deficiency in the UK population.
But we do know that there has been a four-fold increase in admissions to hospital with rickets in the last 15 years and that some groups are more 'at risk' than others - namely children, pregnant women and certain ethnic minority groups.
Broken bones
Pilot studies and regional monitoring suggests that vitamin D deficiency is likely to affect at least half the UK's white population, up to 90% of the multi-ethnic population and a quarter of all children living in Britain.

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In some countries, supplements are free for all”
A recent study in Australia revealed that a third of under-25% are vitamin D deficient - perhaps surprising in a country blessed with plenty of sunshine.
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a range of debilitating diseases in children and adults - including diabetes, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis and rickets, a bone disease associated with poor children in Victorian England.
Lack of vitamin D is often cited as a contributory factor in broken bones and fractures, with obvious implications for some child protection cases.
The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends supplements for pregnant or breastfeeding women and their children from six months to four years.
The Chief Medical Officer recommends supplements for children up to the age of five and the government's Healthy Start programme provides vitamins free for people on income support.
'Out of the shadows'
But we believe more needs to be done.
Firstly, Vitamin D supplementation should be widely available at low-cost.
In some countries, supplements are free for all.
Whilst the Healthy Start programme of free supplements for low income families is a positive step, evidence suggest the vitamins are in short supply and uptake is low - with many eligible people unaware that they are available or of the need to take them.
Secondly, we need to look at fortifying more foods with vitamin D.
Currently, many brands of cereal and orange juice contain added vitamin D which helps boost daily intake.
In the USA most milk is supplemented with vitamin D, which has helped reduce deficiency, particularly in children. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition is currently looking into this.
We also need to make sure healthcare professionals - including GPs, paediatricians, doctors and nurses - know the signs and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, but more importantly give appropriate advice to patients who are 'at risk' to prevent problems developing.
And it's important that the public are aware of the implications of vitamin D deficiency, where they can get supplements and how they can boost their intake.
In addition, we need more research into the links between vitamin D deficiency and bone disease - and there must be better surveillance to monitor the prevalence and incidence of vitamin D deficiency across the population.
Only by knowing the true extent of the problem can we develop the most appropriate preventions - and ensure that vitamin D is brought out of the shadows and into the sun.
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