Latest news with #healthcampaign
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Experts' warning over 'silent' cancer most people have never heard of as cases soar in under 50s - the symptoms everyone MUST know
A kidney cancer campaigner has urgently warned people not ignore the early signs of the disease that most people either don't know about or don't take seriously. In the UK, around 13,000 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer—38 every day. The 'silent' cancer, which is among the fastest growing, is often symptomless in early stages so is often not diagnosed until later stages, when it has spread to other areas of the body and survival rates plummet. This warning has come over fears a lack of awareness of seemingly harmless symptoms is putting lives in danger. Despite being the sixth most common cancer, Malcolm Packer, CEO of Kidney Cancer UK, told the Huffington Post, it is 'dangerously under-recognised'. 'Kidney cancer is one of the fastest-growing cancers in the UK,' he said. He warned a lack of awareness and funding to tackle the condition which has no routine screening programme has 'real consequences'. 'Unlike some other cancers, there are no routine screening programmes and symptoms can be vague or easily dismissed. 'As a result, many people aren't diagnosed until stage two or three—at which point treatment becomes more complex,' he said. Mortality rates for kidney cancer have risen by 73 per cent in the UK since the 1970s, with cases soaring among those under 50. However, the CEO, highlighting the importance of knowing the early signs, said: 'Catching kidney cancer early can dramatically improve outcomes.' He shared the key symptoms to look out for, including those that 'seem mild or unrelated at first glance'. Blood in the urine—even once— is the most common and potentially most telling early sign. And the discolouration is not always obvious, according to Mr Packer. It may appear bright pink or red, but it can also feature a very slight tinge. Either way, it shouldn't be ignored. A dull or persistent discomfort in the lower back or either side of your spine below the ribs, known as the flank, can be caused by kidney cancer, he added. As can a mass or swelling in your side, which could be a tumour in or near the kidney area. If weight loss is sudden and unexplained, particularly if you are experiencing other symptoms, this is also a red flag. This warning comes not long after high profile former American basketball point guard Dwayne Wade revealed he had kidney cancer. NBA legend Dwayne Wade, 43, revealed subtle stomach pains and a routine check-up led to his kidney cancer diagnosis. He shared earlier this year that he had 40 per cent of one of his kidneys removed in December 2023, after finding a stage one cancerous tumour. He said: 'I talked about just having a slow stream, like sometimes when I would go to the bathroom, my urine would come out little slow. 'I had some cramps, some pain, a little bit at times in my stomach that I did not understand. 'But I didn't think nothing of it. And so, once I finally went in, I was like, 'OK, I just want to know everything''. Both Wade's father and grandfather had battled prostate cancer—a fact that had always kept him worried about his health. He told TODAY: '[The doctor] expressed to me that it was very early, but they thought they saw something on my kidneys. 'I didn't go in for my kidneys. I went in to check what was going on my stomach and my prostate'. A report by Kidney Cancer UK published earlier this year revealed that almost all cases of the disease are spotted by accident. That means patients are only being diagnosed when they have a scan for an unrelated condition or in an emergency department. Just one in five of the patients polled by the charity said their condition was spotted because they were sent for relevant tests by their GP. Risk factors for the cancer include smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease or family history. Treatment may include surgery, cryotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, targeted medicines, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. But, individual treatment plans depend on what type of cancer you have, where it is, how big it is, if it has spread, and your general health.
New York Times
21-05-2025
- Health
- New York Times
American Breakfast Cereals Are Becoming Less Healthy, Study Finds
Breakfast cereals, a heavily marketed, highly processed mainstay of the American diet, especially among children, are becoming less healthy, filled with increasing amounts of sugar, fat and sodium, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Network Open. The study also found that cereals' protein and fiber content — nutrients essential for a healthy diet — have been in decline. The findings, based on an analysis of 1,200 new or reformulated cereal products introduced in the United States between 2010 and 2023, are likely to add fuel to the ongoing debate about the relationship between processed food, mounting childhood obesity and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases. The debate has gained greater prominence in the months since health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began using the federal bully pulpit to excoriate ultra-processed foods as part of his 'Make America Healthy Again' campaign. Mr. Kennedy, who has declared that 'sugar is poison,' last month announced that the Department of Health and Human Services would work to remove some artificial dyes from the U.S. food supply, citing concerns about their impact on children's health. Shuoli Zhao, a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Kentucky and a co-author of the new study, said the findings were especially notable given evolving consumer awareness about the links between excess consumption of sugar, salt and saturated fat and chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and cancer. 'What's most surprising to me is that the healthy claims made on the front of these products and the nutritional facts on the back are actually going in the opposite direction,' he said. The analysis, based on data gathered by the marketing consultancy Mintel, did not identify brand names, nor did it capture information on purchasing and consumption habits. The vast majority of the 1,200 products it analyzed were relaunches of existing cereals, including so-called reformulations that alter a product's taste or nutritional content, Professor Zhao said. The study found that the total fat content per serving of newly launched breakfast cereals increased nearly 34 percent between 2010 and 2023, and sodium content climbed by 32 percent. Sugar content in the newly introduced products rose by nearly 11 percent, according to the analysis. So-called ready-to-eat cereals are the most commonly consumed food product among children aged 5 to 12, according to Department of Agriculture data, and nearly a third of all American children eat cereal each morning. In contrast, only 15 percent of children have fruit with their breakfast, and just 10 percent consume eggs, according to the data. Kellogg Company, General Mills and Post Holdings, the three largest makers of breakfast cereals in the United States, did not respond to requests for comment. Peter Lurie, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nutrition advocacy group that was not involved in the study, said he was surprised to learn that large food companies have not made a more concerted effort to reduce the sugar, salt and fat content of their breakfast cereals. 'It's extraordinary that, at a time when Americans are becoming more health conscious, a product often marketed as offering a healthy start to one's day is actually getting less healthy,' he said. Although the category is not inherently unhealthy, many nutritionists take a jaundiced view of American breakfast cereals given the sky-high sugar content of some products, like Lucky Charms and Cap'n Crunch. Dr. Josephine Connolly-Schoonen, executive director of the nutrition division at Stony Brook Medicine, said the findings of the study highlighted the dilemma many parents face when navigating supermarket aisles. 'It reinforces my belief that the food marketplace is very confusing, and that's not by accident,' said Dr. Connolly-Schoonen, who was not involved with the study. 'The food industry engineers the confusion.' Her breakfast recommendations to parents include overnight oats, fruit, eggs, peanut butter and whole grain breads. 'We need to continue to try to break through the noise and give very strong messages about what is healthy, and that includes whole foods; foods that look like they did when they were alive,' she said. Some of the cynicism voiced by nutrition experts stems from the fact that many food companies offer healthier versions of the same cereal brands in Canada and in Europe. More recently, the sugar and sodium content of breakfast cereals served in American schools has also been declining, a result of federal legislation passed in 2010 that set new nutrition standards for the meals, which sustain 14 million students each day. Stricter limits on sugar content go into effect this summer, and the standards tighten even further in 2027, according to the School Nutrition Association. Diane Pratt-Heavner, a spokeswoman for the association, said she hoped food companies would begin voluntarily offering those healthier school-based products to the general public. 'If we're encouraging kids to eat healthier at school,' she said, 'then we want them to be eating healthier at home too.'
CNA
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - Doing Financial Wellness, Well
CNA938 Rewind - Explore mental wellness and eye-catching art at Paragon Shopping Mall In 'Made in SG', Melanie Oliveiro speaks with the key people involved in shopping mall Paragon's 'Spring Soiree' campaign. The campaign transforms the mall into a sanctuary of art, nature, and wellness – in support of mental health causes. Koh Pei Li, a renowned Singaporean artist fronting her brand PeiPer, talks about 'Blooming Windmill', a 4.5-metre-tall windmill flower installation symbolising various mental health messages. Mosscape's creative director, Shannon Eng, will describe 'A Botanical Escape' an 18-metre landscape featuring greenery and intricate floral arrangements. Paragon's centre manager, Chan Shuk Ling, will highlight other installations and workshops available to visitors, beyond those led by PeiPer and Mosscape. 33 mins CNA938 Rewind - Bouncing to a healthier and better you The age of mundane fitness plans are out, and jumping on trampolines are now in. What kinds of health benefits come with this jumping activity and why shouldn't adults shy away from it? Hui Wong jumps on the details with Pang Zan, a long-time casual coach with BOUNCE Singapore Pte Ltd - located at Cineleisure. 16 mins CNA938 Rewind - An Omakase - but European-style How would you like some petite-sized bites from one of the best pastry chefs in Singapore? Chef Makoto Arumi shares with Hui Wong how he turned his fine pastry online shop to now, AMI Patisserie - where he blends French and Japanese nuances into one gastronomical experience. 18 mins
Washington Post
08-05-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
Federal purge guts infant death prevention campaign, alarming doctors
A decades-long campaign to prevent infants from dying in their sleep has become a casualty of the Trump administration's federal workforce cuts, and doctors fear it could contribute to more infant deaths at a time when mortalities have already been rising. The office within the National Institutes of Health that led the Safe to Sleep campaign, a public information effort to prevent sudden unexpected infant death, was shut down on April 1, according to two former NIH officials and two program partners who spoke with The Washington Post.
