Proven: no scientific basis to government UK and US low fat guidelines

An article by a group of UK and US researchers published in the journal Open Heart has found that public health advice by the UK and US governments to consume less fat had no evidence base, was wrong and should never have been introduced. The review examined randomised controlled trials (RCTs) available to the US and UK regulatory committees at the time that national dietary guidelines were introduced in the 1970s and 1980s. The advice was given because it was thought that it would help reduce coronary heart disease (CHD). The paper’s authors concluded: “Dietary recommendations were introduced for 220 million US and 56 million UK citizens by 1983, in the absence of supporting evidence from RCTs.” They also stated: “…clinicians may be more questioning of dietary guidelines, less accepting of low-fat advice (concomitantly high carbohydrate) and more engaged in nutritional discussions about the role of food in health.”

The newly released ANH Food4Health Plate offers guidance that is significantly different from those of the UK or US government ‘plates’. Based on a strong scientific evidence base, fat and protein levels are higher, whilst the contribution of energy from starchy carbs vastly lower. The Food4Health Plate is intended to help create a strong base for metabolic resilience and flexibility, both which are known to reduce the risk of both chronic and infectious diseases.

UK flu jab barely works

UK health officials have finally admitted that the flu jab barely works, and is working in just 3% of people who have the shot. Public Health England (PHE) has said that it has no effectiveness at all against the dominant strain of flu in circulation this winter, which is particularly dangerous in the elderly, and that those who were vaccinated were slightly more likely to get the most common A(H3N2) strain than those who did not have the jab at all. However officials also pointed out that this did not mean the vaccination could increase the chance of flu. Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, commented on the situation saying, “It beggars belief that health officials weren’t aware just how badly the vaccine was working a long time ago. If they didn’t realise the scale of the problem until now they aren’t doing their job properly.” Defending the vaccine, PHE’s head of flu surveillance Dr Richard Pebody said, “The current vaccine is still expected to protect against flu A(H1N1)pdm09 and flu B – both of which may yet circulate this season, so anyone in an at-risk group should still get vaccinated if they have not already.”

For those concerned about vaccines being made mandatory, there is a petition that you can sign to underline that “no human being should be FORCED to be vaccinated against their will and/or personal/religious beliefs.”

Discrimination against the probiotic industry

The secretary general of leading probiotic association, Yoghurt and Live Fermented Milk Association (YLFA), Carine Lambert, has spoken out with regards to the EU health claims regime saying it is “discriminatory, confusing and shameful”. She also commented, “after 10 years of growth we are now declining. It is really really dramatic.”  She blames this on the fact that the probiotic industry is being discriminated against in comparison with other sectors. A representative from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said that the industry may be helped by a new gut and immunity guidance that was due “very soon”, and Lambert said that having probiotics recognised as generic descriptors under article 1.4 of the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation (NHCR) would certainly help.

EFSA have to revise their conflict of interest rules

UK NGO GeneWatch complained to European Ombudsman that members of the GM working group had failed to provide full details of their indirect links to the biotechnology industry. European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, received the complaint saying that 5 out of 14 of the working group had indirect links to the biotech industry that they had failed to disclose. She responded that “EFSA failed to ensure that those experts who work in academia declare all relevant information to EFSA” and that “EFSA should revise it’s conflict of interests rules”. EFSA has also been criticised for not taking into account the possibility of accidental human ingestion of GM animals in its risk assessment, and for other conflict of interest cases.

Wales rejects fracking

Just one week after Scotland announced a temporary fracking ban, the Welsh parliament has voted in favour of preventing fracking from taking place “until it is proven to be safe in both an environmental and public health context.” This makes it impossible for shale gas projects to receive planning permits in Wales. North Wales assembly member Llyr Gruffyd, of the Plaid Cymru party, described the day as “historic” and the move as a “clear statement from the National Assembly for Wales that we want a frack-free Wales”.  British Prime Minister David Cameron has promoted fracking thus far but Friends of the Earth’s Energy Campaigner, Donna Hume, believes that following the Welsh vote, “The Westminster Government needs to catch up with Scotland, Wales and many other areas of the world and bring in a moratorium on controversial fracking.”

Healthy diet linked to lower risk of chronic lung disease

Research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) investigated the association between the Alternate Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI-2010) and the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and concluded that a healthy diet is associated with a lower risk. The researchers pointed out that efforts to prevent COPD should continue to focus on smoking cessation, but that their findings support the importance of a healthy diet in multi-interventional programs to prevent COPD. The diets that were associated with lower COPD risk were those that were high in whole grains, polyunsaturated fatty acids, nuts, and long chain omega-3 fats and low intakes of red/processed meats, refined grains, and sugar sweetened drinks.

CDC MMR vaccine whistleblower given immunity

Dr William Thompson, the whistleblower who came out in August 2014 and spoke about the vaccine-autism fraud at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been granted immunity by the Obama administration.  The federal government scientist is working closely with Republican Florida Rep. Bill Posey’s office to tell his story to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Posey staffer, Anna Schartner, said they are “working with the Science Committee to get a hearing” but there is no further news as to when the hearing might happen, or if it will still go forward amid the current national controversy.  

ANH-Europe Homepage