Red flag raised on environmental health

The World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Living Planet Report has raised a red flag over the state of our planet’s health. Published every two years since its inception in 1998, the report has served to be an alarming reflection of the damage that’s been done to our wildlife, wild places and the natural resources we need to survive. In over 40 years, using data ranging back to 1970, they showed a “60% decline in the size of populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians” worldwide. The WWF’s findings highlight the urgency of the need to change how we live to protect our planet, and that banning single use plastic (as proposed by the EU) is no longer enough and a "dangerous distraction". We as human beings have a duty and responsibility to change what resources we use and consume to protect our planet for all of its future generations.

Fracking: energy solution or environmental nightmare?

UK oil and gas company Cuadrilla had to suspend its fracking operations for the second time in recent weeks following a tremor of 0.8 magnitude. This comes just 11 days after it was given the go ahead to restart operations following earthquakes in 2011 linked to the site. Worried citizens have mounted widespread opposition to the increasingly apparent effects of fracking for shale gas in the UK, with concerns not just for human health, but also the environment. In light of the WWF’s Living Planet Report, it is more urgent than ever that we reduce our reliance on fossil fuels to preserve our precious planet.

EU war on vaccine hesitancy continues

A new study, published by the European Commission, highlights the growing numbers of parents who are questioning the safety and efficacy of vaccinations. This comes at a time when more and more EU member states are bringing in mandatory vaccination schedules. In April the EU proposed a Joint Action designed to prevent citizens from expressing their concerns around vaccine safety. Rather than stopping to listen to parents’ concerns, Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis has announced the intention to convene a Coalition for Vaccination to “protect the more vulnerable”, despite mounting evidence as to the potential harms to the more vulnerable of vaccination itself!

Obesity raises risk of premature death

An analysis by Diabetes UK of recent NHS figures has revealed type 2 diabetes sufferers, aged between 35 and 64, are twice as likely to die prematurely from complications. Despite evidence showing obesity and type 2 diabetes are both preventable and resolvable, governments continue to promote the ‘calories in, calories out’ myth. In reality, however, citizens are still progressively getting fatter and sicker. This news lends further weight to the predictions that being overweight and obese is set to become the single biggest cause of cancer in UK women in the next 25 years, pushing smoking down into second place. Our 2-part video series, 'The (drug-free!) Obesity Fix’, will give you an insight into how metabolic health and flexibility can be restored by following an eating plan more in keeping with our evolutionary norm. You can take back control of your health and wellbeing using diet and lifestyle principles.

Natasha’s Law

In the aftermath of two tragic deaths from allergic reactions to food bought from global food chain Pret a Manger, 'Natasha’s Law' is set to be introduced in the UK to tighten food allergen labelling. Environment secretary Michael Gove has told the parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who suffered anaphylactic shock from an unlabelled sandwich allergen in 2016, that new laws could be introduced as early as next summer following a review and consultation. If you suffer from a severe allergy, your best protection still lies in focusing on whole, unprocessed, organic (where possible) foods - without a laundry list of potentially unknown ingredients or contaminants, and in having your own home-prepared foods with you where possible.