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Launch of new food fortification programme
A new public-private partnership, the Global
Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), has
been launched. The GAIN initiative is intended
to deliver food fortification to the poorest
and most vulnerable in developing countries,
and is intended to help eliminate the
devastating effects of vitamin and mineral
deficiencies. Micronutrient deficiencies - in
particular, deficiencies in vitamin A, iron,
folic acid and iodine - cause a wide range of
serious health problems including birth
defects, maternal death, childhood mortality,
impaired physical and mental growth,
blindness, anaemia and increased
susceptibility to infections. “More than two
billion people - mostly women and children -
still suffer from micronutrient deficiencies,”
said Anne Peterson, assistant administrator,
USAID Bureau for Global Health. “Yet
experience proves that well-designed food
fortification programmes can not only
dramatically improve health, they can reduce
stifling national healthcare costs and boost
intellectual potential and domestic
productivity.” The alliance is composed of
diverse groups, including foundations, the UN,
developing country governments, private sector
companies, NGOs and academic institutions. For
more information, visit the GAIN website
www.gainhealth.org
Carrots with built in hepatitis B vaccine
German scientists have grown genetically
modified carrots that contain the vaccine
against hepatitis B. Development has reached
the stage where the carrots are ready to begin
pre-clinical trials and researchers believe
that vaccine carrying carrots could be
available within three years. Carrots are a
particularly suitable vaccine carrier because
they can be grown in a wide variety of soil
and climate types, are readily storable and
can be consumed raw (an important factor as
cooking destroys the vaccine). Giessen
University, where the work was done, estimates
that around 350 million people globally are
infected with hepatitis B virus, which can
severely damage the liver. One million people
are believed to die from the disease annually.
The current vaccine against hepatitis B is
expensive and requires multiple jabs. Results
of research and development to date are due to
be published later this year.
Breakfast is key to successful weight loss
A study of 3,000 individuals found that those
who successfully maintained weight loss,
nearly 80 percent ate breakfast regularly. It
is thought that eating breakfast provides
valuable appetite control later in the day.
Ironically many people trying to lose weight
skip breakfast, in an effort to reduce their
energy intake - but perhaps eat more later in
the day, as hunger pangs set in. Research was
conducted by the US National Weight Control
Registry and results were published earlier
this year in Obesity Research.
Electrolyte drinks may provide better
hydration on long haul flights
Researchers from Japan Airline’s Medical
Services found that a branded isotonic
electrolyte drink provided more effective
hydration on simulated long-haul flights than
pure water. Dehydration is a known risk factor
in for the development of deep vein thrombosis
and potentially fatal pulmonary embolism. The
study was carried out on 40 healthy men over a
9 hours period, and urine and blood samples
were used to assess key criteria such as
plasma volume. Those who drank the electrolyte
drink had a greater net fluid balance at the
end of the flight. They were also less likely
to show an increased thickness in the blood in
their legs. The preliminary findings were
published in a letter in the Journal of
American Medical Association earlier this
year.
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