Latest news with #NationalDietandNutritionSurvey
Scottish Sun
02-06-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
The 84p supplement that can ‘FLUSH out cancer-causing microplastics' revealed
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A CHEAP supplement made from oats could help flush deadly "forever chemicals" from your body, US scientists have found. These toxic substances - known as PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) - are found in non-stick pans, food wrappers, plastic containers and even stain-proof carpets. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Oat beta-glucan fibre could help flush deadly 'forever chemicals' from your body Credit: Getty They build up in the body over time and have been linked to cancer, infertility, liver damage and hormone disruption. But a new study by researchers at Boston University suggests a simple dietary fibre could help reduce PFAS levels in the blood. In the trial, 42 men were given 1g of oat beta-glucan fibre, a soluble oat bran fibre before every meal for four weeks. Another 30 took a placebo made from rice. The fibre is found naturally in oats, mushrooms and seeds. After a month, blood tests showed the fibre group had an 8 per cent drop in two of the most dangerous forms of PFAS: PFOA and PFOS, both linked to cancer and hormone disruption. Scientists believe the fibre works by binding to bile in the gut, which PFAS attach to, and helping excrete it all through poo, rather than letting it seep into the bloodstream. The study, published in Environmental Health, in March 2025, is the first real evidence that something as simple as oat fibre could help clear out chemicals once thought to stay in the body for decades. But PFAS take years to break down, so longer studies are needed to confirm how effective fibre is in the long term. Experts also warned not all fibre works the same - beta-glucan is the key type used in the trial. Previous research has shown that the fibre can also support heart health by lowering cholesterol. What are PFAS? Like other forms of fibre it it also helps ease constipation by keeping bowels moving and reduces the risk of bowel cancer. More than 90 per cent of adults in the UK don't eat enough fibre, according to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), with NHS guidelines recommending 30g of fibre a day. 2 The supplement is found naturally in oats Credit: Getty Oat beta-glucan supplements are available in the UK from health shops and online, often marketed for heart health or cholesterol. You'll need around 3g per day to match the study dose, typically taken as 1g before each meal. Holland and Barrett are selling a 14-day supply of Oatwell Original Oat Bran Powder with Beta-Glucan for £10.12 - which works out to 84p per dose.
The Guardian
28-04-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Ultra-processed food increases risk of early death, international study finds
Consuming large amounts of ultra-processed food (UPF) increases the risk of an early death, according to a international study that has reignited calls for a crackdown on UPF. Each 10% extra intake of UPF, such as bread, cakes and ready meals, increases someone's risk of dying before they reach 75 by 3%, according to research in countries including the US and England. UPF is so damaging to health that it is implicated in as many as one in seven of all premature deaths that occur in some countries, according to a paper in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. They are associated with 124,107 early deaths in the US a year and 17,781 deaths every year in England, the review of dietary and mortality data from eight countries found. Eduardo Augusto Fernandes Nilson, the lead investigator of the study, from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil, said that additives such as sweeteners and flavourings harm health not just UPFs' high levels of fat, salt and sugar. The authors found 'a linear dose-response association between the ultraprocessed food consumption and all-cause mortality' when they examined official surveys previously undertaken in the UK and US, as well as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile and Mexico. While 4%, 5% and 6% of premature deaths in Colombia, Brazil and Chile respectively are 'attributable to UPF consumption', the equivalent percentage is 10.9% in Canada, 13.7% in the US and 13.8% in England – the highest proportion among the eight countries. 'Premature deaths attributable to consumptions of ultraprocessed foods increase significantly according to their share in individuals' total energy intake. A high amount of UPF intake can significantly affect health,' the researchers concluded. Death rates are highest in the countries where the population gets the largest amounts of total energy from eating UPF. In England that is 53.4%, according to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey undertaken in 2018-19. But it is even higher in the US – 54.5%. 'We first estimated a linear association between the dietary share of UPFs and all-cause mortality, so that each 10% increase in the participation of UPFs in the diet increases the risk of death from all causes by 3%,' said Nilson. 'UPFs affect health beyond the individual impact of high content of critical nutrients – sodium, trans fats and sugar – because of the changes in the foods during industrial processing and the use of artificial ingredients, including colourants, artificial flavours and sweeteners, emulsifiers and many other additives and processing aids, so assessing deaths from all causes associated with UPF consumption allows an overall estimate of the effect of industrial food processing on health.' While the burden of ill-health from UPF is highest in high-income countries, it is growing in low- and middle-income nations, added Nilson. The authors urged governments worldwide to introduce bold measures to tackle UPF, including tighter regulation of food marketing and the sale of food in schools and workplaces, and also taxes on UPF products to reduce sales. The findings add to the growing body of evidence linking UPF to a higher risk of both specific illnesses, such as cancer and heart disease, and a increased risk overall of dying before 75. However, they found an association between UPF and early death, not that one definitely causes the other. For example, US research published last year in the BMJ found that people who consume the most UPF have a 4% higher risk of death overall and a 9% greater risk of dying from something other than cancer or heart disease. It identified processed meat, sugar and ultra-processed breakfast foods, such as cereals, as the unhealthiest UPF products. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'We have already taken action to end the targeting of junk food adverts to children, across TV and online, and we have handed local authorities stronger powers to block applications for new takeaways near schools. 'We are also commissioning research to improve the evidence on the health impacts of ultra-processed foods. Through our Plan for Change, we will shift the focus from sickness to prevention, reducing the burden of obesity on public services and the NHS.'
