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Daily Mail
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Bitter blow for diet soft drink lovers as groundbreaking Aussie research reveals what it's really doing to your body
Just one can of artificially-sweetened soft drink per day can drastically increase the chance of developing type II diabetes, a new scientific study claims. The research out of Melbourne's Monash University suggests artificial sweeteners could raise the risk of developing the disease by nearly 40 per cent. Drinks using these ingredients - which do not raise blood sugar as much as regular sucrose despite being sweeter - are often marketed as a healthier alternative to the traditional sugar-filled beverages they replace. Health agencies have been debating ways to decrease sugar intake - including a tax on the product to curb its demand - after it was linked with the obesity epidemic in the West. RMIT University teamed up with Monash University to produce the new study, led by Distinguished Professor Barbora de Courten, that followed more than 36,000 people over nearly 14 years. Professor de Courten said one of the most shocking discoveries was that even people who are a healthy weight have a significant risk of developing diabetes via sweeteners. In recent years there has been a rise of natural alterative sweeteners such as stevia and monk fruit instead of older artificial products like like the out-of-fashion aspartame and saccharin. The study did not specify between the different types of artificial sweeteners. The results of the study were adjusted based on the weight measurement of participants, which only impacted the results of the artificial sugar test group. This implied that these drinks increased the risk of illness regardless of how heavy the person was who drank them. Professor de Courten advised health professionals to be cautious about what they recommend to patients. 'Artificial sweeteners are often recommended to people at risk of diabetes as a healthier alternative, but our results suggest they may pose their own health risks,' she said. Co-author, Monash PhD student Robel Hussen Kabthymer warned, however, that the findings did not mean normal sugar drinks are suddenly any healthier. The study found regular sugary drinks increased the risk of type II diabetes by about 23 per cent and 'surprisingly' artificial sweeteners increased it by about 38 per cent. Researchers discovered adults who drank seven or more of sugar soft drinks per week had a 23 per cent higher chance of developing the disease. Those who drank the same amount of artificial sugar drinks had a 38 per cent chance of the same happening to them. Professor de Courten suggested other factors like artificial sweeteners' impact on gut bacteria might be to blame. More than 36,000 people took part in the research which was assisted by volunteers from Cancer Council Victoria. The research took place over 14 years and its final result has been published in the Diabetes & Metabolism journal. These findings follow experts having implored the Albanese government to tax sugar in order to make the country healthier. MP Michael Freelander has previously been a vocal advocate for the proposed tax which he said should come alongside a broader public education effort about the harms of excess sugar. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has specifically proposed a new tax at a rate of 50c per 100g of added sugar for each of these drinks to be paid by beverage manufacturers. The association believes this will curb Australia's dualling diabetes and obesity epidemics. If it were to be introduced it would mean a 375mL of normal Coke with 39.8g of sugar would be hit with a tax of 19.9c. The Albanese government has rejected the idea for a new tax and has instead said it will work with manufacturers to bring sugar contents down.
The Independent
40 minutes ago
- The Independent
A single injection for newborns could protect them against HIV for years, study suggests
A single injection at birth could shield children from HIV for years, a study has suggested. The study is one of the first to show that the first weeks of life offer a critical window where the immune system is naturally more tolerant, meaning it is the optimal time to deliver gene therapies that would otherwise be rejected at older ages. Researchers hope the gene therapy jab could be used in the future to fight against paediatric infections in high-risk areas. 'Nearly 300 children are infected with HIV each day,' said first author Amir Ardeshir, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Tulane National Primate Research Center in the US. 'This approach could help protect newborns in high-risk areas during the most vulnerable period of their lives.' The study, published in the journal Nature, created a gene therapy that programs cells to produce HIV-fighting antibodies. An animal study that tested the injection on non-human primates found it protected them from infection for at least three years without the need for a booster shot. But this was only if the injection was administered in the first month of life. In comparison, those that received the gene therapy between eight and 12 weeks after birth did not tolerate the treatment, study authors explain. 'This is a one-and-done treatment that fits the critical time when these mothers with HIV in resource-limited areas are most likely to see a doctor,' Dr Ardeshir said. 'As long as the treatment is delivered close to birth, the baby's immune system will accept it and believe it's part of itself.' Globally, an estimated 1.3 million women and girls living with HIV become pregnant every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). But if they do not receive medication, the rate of transmission of HIV from the mother to her child either during pregnancy, labour, delivery or breastfeeding ranges between 15 per cent and 45 per cent, according to WHO data. Although antiviral treatments can suppress the virus and limit transmission, adherence to treatment and doctor visits decline after childbirth, particularly in areas with limited access to healthcare, the study authors noted. This gene therapy uses a harmless virus that can deliver genetic code to cells, but is different to a vaccine. This virus was injected into muscle cells and delivered instructions to produce antibodies that are capable of neutralising multiple strains of HIV. Researchers explained that previous studies have found repeated infusions of the injection are needed for it to work. But by injecting it into muscle cells, researchers say they become 'micro-factories that just keep producing these antibodies'. Newborns showed greater tolerance to the jab, which prevented infection during breastfeeding. However, older infants and juveniles were more likely to have produced anti-drug antibodies that shut down the treatment. In addition, exposing a foetus to the antibodies from the gene therapy before birth helps older infants accept the therapy. However, because it has only been tested on animals, researchers still do not know if it will work on human children. If successful, this treatment could dramatically reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission rates in high-risk regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, where 90 per cent of paediatric HIV cases can be found. 'Nothing like this was possible to achieve even 10 years ago,' Dr Ardeshir said. 'This was a huge result, and now we have all the ingredients to take on HIV.'
Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Cancer-causing chemical hiding in incredibly common coffee machines should be 'avoided at all costs'
Your at-home coffee machine may be pushing you toward a cancer-related death, doctors say. Experts are warning against using coffee makers made of black plastic over fears the material contains high levels of cancer-causing chemicals and flame retardants. Kitchen utensils, electronics and coffee machines are made of recycled plastic that is melted together from different colored items, which gives it a messy and unappealing color. As a result, manufacturers commonly add a dye known as carbon black to the recycled products to turn them into a consistent black color to look sleeker and uniform. Studies have shown that carbon black contains numerous compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), that are carcinogenic. As a result, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified carbon black as a carcinogen in 2020, despite limited evidence on its effects on human health. To ensure that their now-black plastic products are immune to electrical fires, they also add in brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) during production A 2024 Chemosphere study has also found that exposure to items containing high levels of BFRs and OPFRs can increase the risk of cancer, cause neurotoxicity and hormone disruption. Megan Liu, study co-author and science and policy manager at Toxic-Free Future, said: 'Companies continue to use toxic flame retardants in plastic electronics, and that's resulting in unexpected and unnecessary toxic exposures. 'These cancer-causing chemicals shouldn't be used to begin with, but with recycling, they are entering our environment and our homes in more ways than one. The high levels we found are concerning.' Experts believe that if your black plastic coffee maker is damaged or is consistently exposed to boiling water for long periods of time, the cancerous chemicals may start melting during the coffee-making process and slowly trickle down into your coffee cup. Once they enter the body, these chemicals act as endocrine disruptors, interfering with the body's hormonal system. This causes damage to cells and could lead to mutations that may become cancerous. While there is no risk with occasional or rare exposure to carbon black, BFRs and OPFRs, all three of these carcinogens can accumulate in the body and cause damage to vital organs such as the thyroid, breasts, lung and heart. A 2022 Environmental Pollution study found that long-term carbon black exposure might damage lung cell DNA, cause inflammation and pave the way for lung cancer development. A 2017 Duke University study also noted that due to excessive exposure to BFRs and OPFRs through kitchen products such as coffee machines, doctors are now finding these chemicals in the blood, breast milk and urine in nearly all of the Americans they tested. An April 2024 study that tracked over 1,000 Americans over two decades found people with high levels of flame retardants in their blood had a 300 percent higher risk of dying from cancer than people with low levels of the substances in their blood. They also found people were most susceptible to developing thyroid and breast cancer, which are known to be linked to endocrine disrupting chemicals. Similarly, research from Harvard School of Public Health found that 80 percent of women who were undergoing the fertility treatment in vitro fertilization to get pregnant had higher levels of flame retardants in their urine as compared to those who were not. Those with the highest levels of the chemicals in their body had a harder time getting pregnant, staying pregnant and giving birth to a live child than people with lower levels of the chemicals in their body. Apart from damage to American adults, the NIH also warns that flame retardants and their byproducts are especially harmful to children as their organs are still developing and they are more likely to be repeatedly exposed to them by placing plastic items in their mouth or playing with them. 'The health of women and children must be prioritized over the chemical industry profits. We need less poison plastic, more safer chemicals and materials, and an end to plastic ingredient secrecy,' Liu said. To avoid exposure, experts suggest opting for shorter, cooler brews that are BPA-free and made of stainless steel or glass parts. Furthermore, they suggest cleaning your machine and using filtered water to stop mineral and dirt build-up to limit exposure.
