Eating cheese might be the cause of bad dreams, scientists say
Dr. Tore Nielsen, the lead researcher from the Université de Montréal, indicated that adjusting eating habits for individuals with food sensitivities could potentially alleviate nightmares.
The research involved surveying over 1,000 students at Canada's MacEwan University regarding their sleep patterns, dietary habits, and any perceived links between the two.
Findings showed that women constituted the majority of participants reporting poor sleep and nightmares, and they were also more prone to recalling dreams and reporting food allergies or intolerances.
The study concluded that improved awareness of food intolerances could lead to better sleep quality, although further research is needed to confirm these links across diverse populations.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Canada races to build icebreakers amid melting ice and geopolitical tensions
For millennia, a mass of sea ice in the high Arctic has changed with the seasons, casting off its outer layer in summer and expanding in winter as it spins between Russia, Canada and Alaska. Known as the Beaufort Gyre, this fluke of geography and oceanography was once a proving ground for ice to 'mature' into icebergs. But no more. A rapidly changing climate has reshaped the region, reducing perennial sea ice. As ocean currents spin what is left of the gyre, chunks of ice now clog many of the channels separating the northern islands. Canada's coast guard has an expression for this confounding phenomenon: less ice means more ice. 'Most people think climate change means that you won't need heavy icebreakers,' said Robert Huebert, an Arctic security expert at the University of Calgary. 'And the experience of the coast guard is: no, you need far more icebreakers.' To address the problem, Canada is building a new fleet of ships to fight through the once-impenetrable sea ice. It is not alone, with the prospect of new shipping routes opening up – and with them access to critical minerals in the Arctic – Russia, China and the United States are also rushing to build new icebreakers. At Seaspan's shipyards in north Vancouver, bound on one side by ocean and the other by mountains, teams have started cutting steel for the Arpatuuq – a 520ft ship that will operate in temperatures near -50C (-58F). The project is expected to take at least five years to complete and cost C$3.15bn ($2.32bn). When finished, the heavy icebreaker will be the centrepiece of Canada's recently announced national shipbuilding strategy that looks to further entrench its presence in the Arctic – and distance itself from decades of delay, bureaucratic fumbling and broken promises. The challenge of building an icebreaker is that the end result must operate in some of the most inhospitable places on Earth with little risk of failure, experts say. 'Shipbuilding is one of the older industries, but it's still it's one of the last industries to perfect, because the reality is, you're building a one-off floating city,' said Eddie Schehr, the company's vice-president of production. Walking through the hangar-like 'shops' where pieces are gradually welded with the aim of eventually crafting a hull, he likens the complex assembly to a costly, often error-ridden form of Lego. 'And so it's often not until the very, very end that you find problems. And you will find them.' Even the supposedly simpler parts require steel that often measures 60mm thick and requires special machinery to stress-test. 'Because of the strength and capabilities the ships needs to have, it's twice the thickness and really, twice the ship,' he said. 'You have to operate and think at a whole different level.' The Arpatuuq will be a class 2 icebreaker, meaning it can operate year-round and push through ice as tall as 10ft. The last time Canada built a similar vessel domestically was in the 1960s and that ship, the Louis St Laurent, still remains the larger of Canada's only two heavy icebreakers. Canada first announced it would replace Louis St Laurent in 1985, but those plans were scuttled. It wasn't until 2008, when the prime minister, Stephen Harper, announced his government would build another replacement: a heavy icebreaker called the John G Diefenbaker. It too was never built, but Schehr recalls studying plans for the boat in university. 'Time's a big circle. Now I'm here and we're now actually finally building that very ship,' said Schehr. 'It just has a different name now, [the Arpatuuq].' For sceptics, Seaspan can point to the Naalak Nappaaluk, an offshore oceanographic science vessel it recently finished that can operate in ice nearly 4ft thick and is tasked with 'identifying the true impact of climate change' when out at sea, says Schehr. Canada's federal government has also commissioned another company, Quebec's Davie shipyards, to build a second icebreaker, framing the decision as one that reflects the gravity of the moment: large icebreakers, incredibly slow to produce, are needed fast. In 2024, Davie purchased a shipyard in Helsinki. And in mid-June, the company also purchased a shipyard in the US, part of an effort to bring future production down south as a way around restrictive American legislation that prohibits foreign companies from building ships. 'If we were building two icebreakers and two shipyards, that's the surest way to make it inefficiently,' said Huebert. 'The coast guard is going to have to train on two different ships. And for the next 50 years, there will be little commonality in repairs and parts. If you asked me what is the most expensive and inefficient way of building more than one vessel, just look to Canada and its icebreakers.' Internally, Canada's historic inability to marshal the resources to build a new ship has become both a running joke and embarrassment. But the recently signed Ice Pact, a tripartite agreement between the Finland, Canada and the United States, could shift global production as Canada looks to revive its shipbuilding industry. Finland has already built 80% of the world's ice-capable ships operating in frigid waters. But the deal, announced during the Nato summit in Washington, will see as many as 90 icebreaker ships produced in the coming years, by the three countries. Both Seaspan and Davie hope to be a supplier to the US Coast Guard in coming years if they can successfully produce a heavy icebreaker. Russia is believed to have at least 50 icebreakers and more than a dozen can operate in the harshest climates. China probably has four that are suitable for the Arctic ice, though which seasons it can operate in is unclear. Donald Trump has signalled he wants as many as 40 icebreakers, suggesting allied Arctic nations are entering an arms race for the ships. Shipping experts say the president's interest in a fleet of icebreakers reflects a fervour in the multibillion-dollar shipping industry: clearing the North-West Passage of ice for more of the year could year could trim weeks off of shipping times between Europe and Asia. But it's not just about money. In recent months, Canada's federal government has pledged significant investment for the Arctic in a show of military force. 'We see the centrality of the Arctic for the Russians, and as the Russians become a much more aggressive state, the importance of that capability becomes much more clear,' he said. 'But if you're building icebreakers for sovereignty, it starts going beyond the icebreakers. Now you need to invest in satellite, radar and submarines. They're all part of a system. Icebreakers alone aren't enough.' Some are sceptical that the push for new icebreakers reflects a burgeoning arms race. 'We need Canadian government ships that can operate in the Canadian Arctic when there is other shipping there. There is no question about that,' said Michael Byers, a professor of political science at the University of British Columbia. 'But politicians and pundits often escalate the concern: 'Oh my God, the Russians are coming,' or 'The Chinese are coming.' I see no evidence of that. The Russians already own half of the Arctic. They don't need any more.' Byers notes that Russia has a different, larger coastline it needs to maintain for year-round shipping, necessitating more ice-worthy vessels. Instead, Byers points to a reality in which more ships clamour for Arctic passage. 'With less ice in the Arctic, it actually becomes more challenging and risky.' When ships moving in open water encounter gale-force conditions and cold air temperatures, ocean spray can freeze on to the vessels and in some cases, accumulate so much it capsizes them. 'We'll always need icebreakers because the Arctic will always remain a dangerous place. And that's why we will always need the Canadian government to make or buy these ships.'
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Is exercise really better than drugs for cancer remission? It's an appealing idea – but it's misleading
You might have seen the recent headlines on a new study on exercise and cancer recovery suggesting that 'exercise is better than a drug' in preventing cancer returning. Cue a wave of commentary pitting 'big pharma' against fitness, as if we must choose between pills and planks. It's an appealing narrative – but it's also misleading. We don't need to choose between the two. In fact, the best health outcomes often come from combining medicine with a broader view of health that includes movement, diet, social connection and mental wellbeing. Let's consider what the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, actually looked at. It focused on colon cancer – the third-most common cancer and second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Between 2009 and 2024, researchers set up a randomised trial across 55 centres – mainly in Australia and Canada – where 889 patients who had had surgery for colon cancer, and who had completed chemotherapy, were split into two groups randomly. Over a three-year period, one group received a structured exercise programme (the exercise group of 445 patients) and the other received health education materials alone (the health education group of 444 patients). One thing you may already have clocked here is that the patients all received chemotherapy after their cancer surgery. So nothing about the experiment put exercise head-to-head with cancer medicines. Instead, they asked what kind of exercise support after surgery and chemotherapy treatments might improve overall health, and potentially keep the cancer from recurring. The structured exercise group received health education materials, such as an exercise guidebook for colon cancer survivors, and support from a certified personal trainer for three years. In the first six months, they received 12 mandatory in-person behavioural-support sessions, 12 mandatory supervised exercise sessions plus 12 optional supervised exercise sessions. Over the next two and a half years, the frequency of in-person and supervised sessions slowly decreased to help patients transition to more independent exercise routines. In contrast, the health education group received only general health education materials on the benefits of physical activity and a healthy diet. At a median follow-up of almost eight years, disease-free survival was significantly longer in the structured exercise group (90.3%) than in the health education group (83.2%). Both groups increased their physical activity levels over the three years, but the structured exercise group met the goal of increasing moderate to vigorous physical activity. This roughly added to their existing activity levels about an hour of brisk walking three to four times a week or a 30-minute jog three to four times a week. The better health outcomes could also be linked to the social contact that patients in the exercise group had, given they were enrolled in a structured and supervised programme with a personal trainer to support them and not left on their own. What struck me, and the authors, from their study is that knowledge alone – even among those who have had colon cancer and have been advised to exercise – isn't enough to shift activity levels. Structure, supervision and social contact matter. Being told to 'move more' is easy. Actually changing your habits – especially after cancer treatment – is hard. That transition requires coaching, encouragement, and the support and time to build confidence. We have known for a long time that a generally physically and socially healthy life can be very effective in warding off disease, even cancer. What this study actually gives us is some direction for the best way to make that happen, and a look at how positive the effects can really be. Perhaps I'm biased as a personal trainer, but structured exercise is one of the best investments you can make for your health – whether it's in recovery from cancer or trying to prevent getting cancer. This doesn't have to be one-on-one gym sessions, which can be costly and out of reach for many. It could be joining affordable boot camps in the park – that cost as much as your morning latte – or free classes in discount gym chains. Plus, you might make a few new friends and improve your social life too. The real headline isn't that exercise is better than drugs for cancer recovery. It's that just telling people to move without offering support – ie the health education movement – isn't enough. Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, and the author of How Not to Die (Too Soon)
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Young athlete woke up and couldn't move...two hours later she was paralyzed from neck down
A 20-year-old rising curling talent from Canada woke up one morning unable to move - just two hours later, doctors confirmed she was paralyzed from the neck down. Brooklyn Aleksic, 20, of Abbotsford, B.C., was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition shortly after arriving at Regina General Hospital in June. The condition, which causes inflammation of the spinal cord, has left Aleksic, the daughter of well-known curler Shannon Joanisse, paralyzed from the neck down. 'Basically, within two hours of waking up that morning, she was completely paralyzed from her neck down,' Joanisse told CTV News. Since her diagnosis, the 20-year-old University of Victoria student has undergone several plasma exchanges in hopes of one day walking - and curling - again. 'At the end of this week, she will have had 14 plasma exchanges, and each exchange takes approximately almost 13 donors to provide enough plasma for one,' her former curling coach, Diane Dezura explained to CTV. 'Brook will have had 14, and that totals 175 donors. So it's really important to her (to get the message out about plasma donation).' Brooklyn Aleksic, 20, of Abbotsford, B.C., was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition shortly after arriving at Regina General Hospital, having awoken one morning in June unable to move. Pictured: Brooklyn Aleksic in the hospital The condition, which causes inflammation of the spinal cord, has left Aleksic, the daughter of well-known curler Shannon Joanisse, paralyzed from the neck down. Pictured: Brooklyn Aleksic (left) with her well-known curler mother, Shannon Joanisse (right) A GoFundMe campaign launched by her former coach has already raised $60,679 (CAD $82,425) toward its $66,256 (CAD $90,000) goal. According to the fundraising page, the donations will help ease the financial burden of Aleksic's care, covering medical services such as transportation, rehabilitation, wheelchair equipment, and more. 'She remains in hospital far from home and requires medical transport to Vancouver to begin long-term rehabilitation and be close to her friends and family. But this is just the start. From wheelchairs and equipment to adaptive modifications and 24/7 support, the costs are overwhelming,' the fundraising page reads. 'We've launched this GoFundMe to ease the financial pressure on Brook and her family, so they can focus on healing, not hardship.' While the funds will help with her care, the family says plasma donations are just as critical. The family remains hopeful that Aleksic will be able to begin long-term rehabilitation in the near future, CTV News reported. In addition to her mom's athletic prowess and stardom, Aleksic has had her own fame as well, appearing in the 2024 documentary Curl Power, which followed her Maple Ridge-based curling team. Pictured: Brooklyn Aleksic with her Maple Ridge-based curling team A GoFundMe campaign has since been launched by her former coach and has already raised $60,679 (CAD $82,425) toward its $66,256 (CAD $90,000) goal. Pictured: Brooklyn Aleksic (center right) with her family 'She has a huge circle of friends, she's a ray of light in everybody's life,' Joanisse told the outlet. 'She's positive. She's a fighter, and Brooklyn thrives academically. She's going to UVic to become an elementary school teacher.' In addition to her mom's athletic prowess and stardom, Aleksic has had her own fame as well, appearing in the 2024 documentary Curl Power, which followed her Maple Ridge-based curling team. The film was screened in theaters across Canada, tracking the ups and downs of the team as the girls pushed to compete in the Canadian Junior Curling Championships. Transverse myelitis, the condition Aleksic was diagnosed with, is extremely rare - affecting only about one in a million people per year.
