Prof Noakes exonerated!

After 4 long, gruelling years of legal challenges - and despite the Health Professions Council of South Africa’s best efforts – Prof Tim Noakes has finally been found not guilty on all counts brought against him during his latest appeal in defence of Low Carb High Fat dietary advice. In what can only be described as a victory for common sense, he has now been acquitted on all counts by two different judging panels. The Noakes Foundation issued a statement calling on all dieticians and nutritionists, “…to revise the advice they give clients, especially diabetics and those with insulin resistance.” Now is the time for governments around the world to take notice of not just the science, but clinical data from practitioners showing the efficacy of a low carb approach to meet the health needs of an ever-sickening population.

Is the future bright for Golden Rice?

After nearly 20 years in development, Golden Rice has taken one step closer to entering the Asian market after receiving approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Canadian authorities and Food Standards Australia New Zealand – none of which are countries where the modified rice will be sold. However, approval still remains to be given by regulators in the Philippines and Bangladesh. Golden Rice has long been touted as a solution to the problem of vitamin A deficiency in developing countries, despite continuing controversy over whether the rice contains sufficient levels of beta-carotene (vitamin A precursor), the degradation of the beta-carotene content during storage and lack of safety tests. Regardless of assurances from the creators of Golden Rice, the safety and appropriateness of the product is still under discussion.

Meditation, music and acupuncture for breast cancer

In welcome news for cancer patients, the American Society for Integrative Oncology (ASCO) has endorsed guidelines from the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) for the use of integrative therapies during and after treatment for breast cancer. The guidelines recommend use of music therapy, meditation, stress management, yoga, acupressure and acupuncture along with a variety of herbal medications to address conditions such as stress/anxiety reduction, relaxation, depression and reduction of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Our practical infographic has been designed for those wanting to reduce their risk of developing cancer, those awaiting possible diagnosis or undergoing treatment for cancer to help make properly informed decisions when navigating the myriad of options available.

JCVI U-turn - HPV vaccine for UK boys

The UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) previously found that providing the HPV vaccine for boys would not be cost effective. Following a media campaign amid concerns of increased cases of head and neck cancer in men, it has been reported that the Committee have accepted their calculations were flawed and they have revisited and revised their model. It is now very likely that they will recommend the HPV vaccine for boys in future. Given the number of serious adverse events affecting those given the vaccine, ANH-Intl has serious concerns about exposing boys to the potential risk of serious damage to their health as well. We urge parents to become fully informed before signing consent forms.

Protein and heart disease

A Finnish study looking at the association between protein intake and heart failure in men has triggered more ‘red meat will kill you’ and ‘Atkins diets will kill you’ type headlines around the world. What’s most remarkable about this and its reporting is the strength, or otherwise, of the association between total protein intake and increased heart failure risk. It wasn’t statistically significant. Translating this main finding into plain English means the relationship wasn’t a meaningful association. This echoes a lot of other work. Having said this, there is definitely a threshold above which too much protein can be harmful – but it also depends on what sources of protein are involved, if it’s animal protein how the animals are reared, how animal proteins (meat and dairy) are treated prior to consumption, what else accompanies them – and multiple other factors. At ANH-Intl, based on a detailed evaluation of the literature we continue to support the consumption of diverse, plant-based diets that are rich in healthy fats and contain moderate amounts of undamaged, uncontaminated protein sources. These principles are central to our Food4Health guidelines.

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