Study raises doubt about benefit of low-calorie diet
Canadian researchers analysed data from 28,525 participants in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), noting that nearly 8 per cent reported depressive symptoms.
The study found that depressive symptom scores were higher among those restricting calories, which contradicts previous studies that suggested low-calorie diets improve depressive symptoms.
Researchers suggest that real-life calorie-restricted diets can lead to nutritional deficiencies and physiological stress, exacerbating depressive symptoms, unlike controlled trials with balanced diets.
Professor Sumantra Ray said that the study raises questions about restrictive diets lacking nutrients beneficial for cognitive health and that further well-designed studies are needed.
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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
US pediatricians contradict US government for first time in 30 years over Covid vaccine advice for babies
For the first time in three decades, the American Academy of Paediatrics has significantly diverged from official US government vaccine recommendations, issuing new guidance on Covid -19 shots for children. The move comes amid a tumultuous year for public health, as vaccine sceptics have gained influence within the current US administration and government guidance has become increasingly confusing. "It is going to be somewhat confusing. But our opinion is we need to make the right choices for children to protect them," acknowledged Dr James Campbell, vice chair of the AAP infectious disease committee. The AAP is now strongly recommending Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged six months to two years. Shots are also advised for older children if their parents wish for them to be vaccinated, the organization stated. This contrasts sharply with guidance established under US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which does not recommend the shots for healthy children of any age, instead suggesting they may receive them in consultation with physicians. Dr Campbell, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Maryland, emphasized that children aged six months to two years are at high risk for severe illness from Covid-19, making continued vaccination recommendations crucial for this age group. Vaccinations are also recommended by the AAP for older children with chronic lung diseases or other conditions that elevate their risk for severe disease. The 95-year-old Itasca, Illinois-based organisation has been issuing vaccination recommendations for children since the 1930s. In 1995, it aligned its advice with recommendations from the federal government's CDC. While there have been minor differences since then – for instance, the AAP advising HPV vaccinations from age nine, while the CDC emphasized ages 11 and 12 – this marks the first time in 30 years that the recommendations have differed "in a significant or substantial way," according to Dr Campbell. Until recently, the CDC, following expert advice, had been urging annual Covid-19 boosters for all Americans aged six months and older. However, in May, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that Covid-19 vaccines were no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. Days later, the CDC adjusted its language, stating that healthy children may get the shots, but removing the previous "should" recommendation. The notion that healthy older children might skip Covid-19 boosters has been discussed among public health experts as the pandemic has waned, with increasing focus on vaccinating those aged 65 and older, who face the highest risk of death and hospitalization. A CDC expert panel was set to make recommendations for autumn shots in June, considering options such as suggesting shots for high-risk groups while allowing lower-risk individuals the choice. However, Mr Kennedy bypassed this group, dismissing the 17-member panel and appointing his own, smaller panel, which included vaccine sceptics. He subsequently excluded the AAP, the American Medical Association, and other leading medical organizations from collaborating with these new advisers on vaccination recommendations. Mr Kennedy's new vaccine panel has yet to vote on Covid-19 shot recommendations. The panel did endorse continuing to recommend autumn flu vaccinations, but also made a decision that led to another notable difference with the AAP. The new advisory panel voted that individuals should only receive flu vaccines packaged as single doses and free of the preservative thimerosal. The AAP, however, stated there is no evidence of harm from the preservative and recommended that doctors use any licensed flu vaccine product appropriate for the patient. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
US pursuing stake in struggling chipmaker Intel, commerce secretary says
The US government is pursuing a stake in Intel, the US commerce secretary said on Tuesday, confirming reports of discussions between officials and the company that have circulated for the better part of a week. The Trump administration wants to convert funding from the Chips and Science Act, which funds research and manufacturing of semiconductor chips in the US, into equity in the struggling tech company, according to Howard Lutnick. Intel was once a leader in producing computer processors, but is now seen as a laggard behind the likes of Nvidia, which last month became the first public company in history to scale a $4tn valuation after a stratospheric stock market rise. Lutnick criticized the structure of the Chips Act, signed into law in 2022 under Joe Biden. 'Why are we giving a company worth $100bn this kind of money? What is in it for the American taxpayer? And the answer Donald Trump has is we should get an equity stake for our money,' he told the CNBC financial news network. 'So we'll deliver the money which was already committed under the Biden administration, we'll get equity in return for it.' Shares in Intel rallied 7.5% in New York. The conversion of the funding would not confer governing rights typical of a company's largest shareholder to the federal government, according to Lutnick. 'It's not governance, we're just converting what was a grant under Biden into equity. Non-voting,' he said. Lutnick did say the goal of the equity stake would be much the same as that of the Chips Act, bluntly stating: 'We need to make our own chips here. We cannot rely on Taiwan.' A large portion of the world's semiconductors originate from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), based in the city of Hsinchu. TSMC has also received Chips Act funding to build semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the US, with construction beginning in Arizona. The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, also said on Tuesday that a potential stake would not oblige US businesses to purchase Intel chips. Sign up to TechScape A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives after newsletter promotion 'The last thing we're going to do is take a stake and then try to drum up business,' he told CNBC. 'The stake would be a conversion of the grants and maybe increase the investment into Intel to help stabilize the company for chip production here in the US. There's no talk of trying to force companies to buy from Intel.' The prospect of large US investment in Intel has reinvigorated investor interest in the company, whose stock value has declined by half over the past five years. Shares jumped last week after initial reports of discussions with the US government, and the Japanese conglomerate Softbank announced late on Monday that it would take a $2bn stake in the company. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post If you can safely use the tor network without being observed or monitored you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform. Finally, our guide at lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each.
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Researchers discovered by accident a possible alternative to LASIK surgery
LASIK eye surgery has been performed successfully in the U.S. since the late 90s, helping nearly 40 million patients to improve their vision through a procedure that cuts into the eye using lasers. Some 600,000 of the Food and Drug Administration-approved surgeries are carried out on American adults each year. Now, researchers say they have come up with an alternative method that wouldn't need invasive incisions and could be cheaper. It uses a process called electromechanical reshaping, which helps to reshape the cornea using electrical current. The cornea is a dome-shaped, clear structure at the front of the eye that helps us to process images. Irregularly shaped corneas are the cause of nearsighted and farsighted vision and astigmatism, and LASIK fixes that by burning away tissue to reshape it. 'The whole effect was discovered by accident,' Brian Wong, a professor and surgeon at the University of California, Irvine, explained in a statement. 'I was looking at living tissues as moldable materials and discovered this whole process of chemical modification.' While the work is in its early stages, it could offer an alternative to LASIK. Although the surgery has been safely performed for nearly 30 years with rare complications, it has some limitations and risks. The surgeons say that cutting the cornea compromises the structural integrity of the eye. This procedure has yet to be performed in humans, but researchers previously used electromechanical reshaping to alter scars and skin in pigs and reshape cartilage-rich rabbit ears. Working with rabbit eyeballs, they constructed platinum 'contact lenses' that served as a template for the corrected shape of the cornea, placing them over a rabbit eyeball in a saline solution meant to mimic natural tears. After about a minute following a small electric charge to the lens, the cornea's curvature conformed to the shape of the lens. That happened in the same amount of time as LASIK, with fewer steps, no incisions, and less expensive equipment. Then, they repeated the step on 12 other rabbit eyeballs. Of those dozen, 10 were treated as if they had nearsighted vision, and the researchers found success. In others, they saw that their technique might be able to reverse some chemical-caused cloudiness to the cornea, which is currently only treatable through a complete transplant of the cornea. In the future, the researchers are planning tests on living rabbits, and looking at far-sightedness and astigmatism. Uncertainties in the team's scientific funding have put those plans on hold, but Michael Hill, a professor of chemistry at Occidental College, will present their findings this week at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society. 'There's a long road between what we've done and the clinic. But, if we get there, this technique is widely applicable, vastly cheaper and potentially even reversible,' said Hill.
