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PEOPLES DAILY, WENESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013
Digest
Sugar is ‘the most dangerous drug of our time’
By Emma Innes
S
ugary foods and drinks should come with a smoking-style health warning, according to a leading Dutch health expert. Paul van der Velpen, head of Amsterdam’s health service, said that sugar is ‘the most dangerous drug of our time’. The health chief - from a city that has a famously liberal attitude to cannabis - added that sugar is a drug like alcohol and tobacco and that its use should be discouraged. Writing on a public health website, he said that users should be made aware of the dangers. He wrote: ‘This may seem exaggerated and far-fetched, but sugar is the most dangerous drug of this time and is easy to obtain.’ He added: ‘Just as with smoking labels, soft drinks and sweet products should come with the warning that sugar is addictive and bad for the health.’ Mr Van der Velpen wrote that more and more people are becoming overweight and that this is increasing healthcare costs at a time when many governments are trying to save money.
Paul van der Velpen, head of Amsterdam’s health service, said that sugar is ‘the most dangerous drug of our time’ and that it is the main cause of the obesity epidemic Sugary foods and drinks should come with a smoking-style health warning, according to a leading Dutch health expert. They should also be taxed and regulated, he added
He added that obesity could be tackled by encouraging people to take more exercise, but that changing people’s diets would be more effective. He cites research which
suggests that when people are eating fats and proteins they stop when they are full, but that when they are eating sugars they will keep eating until their stomachs hurt.
He believes this is because sugar is addictive and is ‘as hard to give up as smoking’. As a result, he says sugar should be taxed in the same way alcohol and cigarettes are.
He also suggests that the amount of sugar that can be added to processed food should be regulated. Source: Dailymail.co.uk
38 minutes of exercise every day ‘cuts cancer of the womb risk by half’
K
eeping active for half an hour a day can reduce the risk of cancer of the womb by nearly half, according to a study. Just 38 minutes of daily physical activity, combined with maintaining a healthy weight, could help to prevent 44 per cent of new cases in Britain. The World Cancer Research Fund’s Continuous Update Project found strong evidence that about 3,700 cases could be prevented every year. Only 56 per cent of UK women are active for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week, and only 39 per cent are a healthy weight. Womb cancer mostly affects women aged over 60. The most common is endometrial – affecting the womb lining – which is fourth most common of all cancers
affecting British women. Doctor Elisa Bandera, a CUP panel member and Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Rutgers Cancer Institute in the United States, said: ‘Endometrial cancer is one of the most common cancers among women, but a significant proportion of cases could be prevented every year by maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active. Fellow CUP panel member Professor Hilary Powers, of Sheffield University, said: ‘It is not just the individual who can make changes to reduce their risk of cancer. ‘Governments and other organisations can do a lot to make a healthier lifestyle an easier option for us all.’ Researchers at Imperial College London collated and reviewed all
the scientific research available on womb cancer, diet, physical activity and body weight in the first global review since 2007. An international panel of experts judged the evidence and scientists at WCRF estimated that about 44 per cent of UK cases could be prevented through physical activity and body weight. Scientists believe there are several reasons for the link between body fat and cancer, such as fat cells releasing hormones that can increase the risk of some cancers. Regular physical activity can help to keep these hormone levels healthy as well as strengthening the immune system and maintaining a healthy digestive system. World Cancer Research Fund executive director Karen Sadler said: ‘To reduce the risk of womb and other cancers, World Cancer
Study: Regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight could cut the risk of womb cancer
Interesting: The study also suggests drinking coffee can help cut the risk of developing womb cancer
Research Fund recommends being as lean as possible without becoming underweight and being active for at least 30 minutes every day. The study also revealed evidence that drinking coffee can cut the risk of womb cancer, but
not enough to recommend it as a protection. Karen Sadler of the WCRF said: ‘The evidence on coffee is very interesting, but a lot more work still needs to be done.’ Source: Dailymail.co.uk