A very warm salutation to all readers of healthynewage. Here is a summary of key events that took place during the month of June. As you know research is ongoing and we will continue updating you on important studies that may have an impact in the health of individuals.
Drinking moderately during pregnancy may not harm the balance of the child.
In general it is advised to pregnant women not to get anywhere near alcohol during the period they are still carrying the baby in their womb. The recent research seems to suggest that when it comes to the health of the baby, drinking up to 7 glasses a week may not harm the fetus’ development at the neurological level, at least when evaluated by the child’s ability to balance.
The results of this study was drawn from a research conducted by a team at the University of Bristol and that was published in the online journal BMJ Open. The data seems to suggest that moderate consumption of alcohol during pregnancy might even be beneficial for the child. The researchers did add that social advantage may play a role too as women who usually drink on social occasion are known to be better educated and affluent.
How a child is able to balance himself is associated to neurological factors that underpin its motor skills. The study tried to see if there is a link between prenatal alcohol exposure and how a child is able to balance himself when he is 10 years old. Overall, from the analysis, when it came to static balance of the child, those who were born from women who drank during pregnancy had a really good balance.
Keep in mind that this should not be seen as an encouragement to drink during pregnancy. There have also been reports that have associated drinking alcohol to miscarriages. So it is important to drink cautiously. The Department of Health advices to take at most 2 alcoholic drinks a week.
You might also want to read this: Caffeine may affect the weight of the baby in the womb
Taking red meat can increase the risk of diabetes
A latest study on the factors that can trigger diabetes suggest that an increase in red meat intake can raise the chance for an individual to develop it. The same study also showed that one lower the risk of diabetes by lowering the amount or red meat consumed.
In this study 150,000 people were surveyed. They filled out questionnaires about their eating habits. Among the questions one had to do with the number of time they take red meat in a week. The survey was run every 4 years for a period of 16 years. Later on the researchers found out that 7,450 of the people under study developed diabetes. When they pulled out the data from the survey they realized that those who increased the amount of red meat intake over the course of a 4 year period were more likely to develop diabetes compared to those who limited themselves to the same amount.
The data also showed that those who reduced the amount of red meat consumption during the same time frame were less likely to get diabetes.
The only advice you can get out of this is to be really careful when picking what you eat. Again there is no proof that red meat causes diabetes but over-enjoying it can increase the chances of you developing the condition. There are obviously other factors that play, like abusing of sugar. Eat healthy and you will be fine.
5-Hour energy drink linked to 13 deaths
The FDA has confirmed the hospitalization of of 33 people and 13 death caused by the consumption of the 5-hour energy drink. It has also been confirmed that Living Essentials LLC, the maker of the drink received 92 reports from people who felt ill after taking the drink.
This may not necessarily be seen as proof that something is wrong with the beverage itself. Those who voluntarily reported an illness after consuming the drink can assume that it is caused by the drink that they took but until a real scientific investigation is run by the FDA, one cannot conclude yet. There are many factors that can affect the health of a person.
The 5-hour energy drink is not the only one under scrutiny, the FDA is also investigating five deaths linked to another drink called Monster Energy.
Even if the conclusion of the investigation is that the energy drinks did cause the injuries, that will not automatically imply that the products should be pulled out of the market. They will have to prove that the injury was caused in a case of proper use of the product. Indeed there are guidelines on the product’s label as to how it should be used and any person that does not follows those directives has to take responsibility for the consequences.
The advice is always read the label for energy drinks and never abuse of them.
The court rules: human genes cannot be patented
The U.S. Supreme Court has taken a decision for which the implication can affect businesses whose products involved genetic material. The court ruled that no company can patent a human gene.
This can be seen as a big blow to Myriad Genetics, a drug company who, all along, was trying to patent a gene that it was able to isolate to be able to foretell whether or not a person was more likely to develop cancer. But according to the High Court, the gene was not actually created and for that matter cannot be patented. The unanimous decision of the court was based on the fact that all Myriad did was just separating a gene for the rest of the genetic material. In other words they did not invent anything new.
The justice did argue that if a drug company is able to create a form of DNA without extracting it from a preexisting genetic material then they can patent it.
What do you personally think of the patenting of human genetic material? Share your thoughts below.
