Dear Friends,
Welcome to my July news update with the pick of the most interesting stories in health and wellbeing over the last month. Please explore these new findings and be sure to share them with your friends, families and colleagues.
With warmest good wishes, – Dr Rosy Daniel
Environmental Updates
Dartington Trust: Educating a new generation of agroecological farmers
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation advocates a widespread transition to agroecological farming in order to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development goals. But we can only achieve this if we change the way we educate the next generation of farmers and producers, writes Regenerative Food and Farming lead, Caroline Aitken.
Read an extract from this Sustainable Food Trust Article
WHO joins the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration on World Environment Day
On the occasion of World Environment Day 2021, WHO has joined the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a partnership aimed at preventing, halting and reversing the degradation of our ecosystems and the diversity of life they sustain. WHO has joined the partnership as a collaborating agency, along with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and a large number of partners. Ecosystem restoration can significantly contribute to supporting health and well-being by helping to regulate infectious diseases, supporting food and nutrition security, and contributing to climate mitigation and adaptation.
Let’s make Britain energy independent
Moving to 100% green energy is essential if we’re going to beat the climate crisis. But it also has other benefits, helping countries across the world be self-reliant when it comes to the energy they need. Our founder, Dale Vince, outlined his vision for energy independence in the Daily Express newspaper as part of their Green Britain campaign. “Fighting the climate crisis is usually presented from a perspective of morality: our obligation to look after the planet, to think of future generations – or even polar bears.
Click here to read the full Ecotricity Article
Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine
Being vegetarian makes you less likely to develop cancer and heart disease, major study finds
Being a vegetarian makes you less likely to develop cancer and heart disease, a major new study has found. Scientists at the University of Glasgow analysed more than 177,000 adults in the UK to find out whether their dietary choice affected the level of disease markers in their bodies. They looked at 19 health indicators, known as biomarkers, in their blood and urine related to cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and kidney function, as well as liver, bone and joint health.
BANT welcomes the BJGP article on the ‘lifestyle medicine movement’ and opens the door to further discussions
BANT welcomes the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) May 4th article on lifestyle medicine (1) and is encouraged by the acknowledgement of well-informed drivers validating this movement. “There are numerous drivers for lifestyle medicine. Our analysis does not aim to argue against the importance of these drivers as many of them are well informed”. Since its foundation in 1997, BANT, as a professional association, has been at the forefront of nutritional therapy (NT) and personalised nutrition in support of its nearly 3,500 members.
Gut to brain: Nerve cells detect what we eat
Nerve cells of the vagus nerve fulfill opposing tasks. The gut and the brain communicate with each other in order to adapt satiety and blood sugar levels during food consumption. The vagus nerve is an important communicator between these two organs. Researchers now took a closer look at the functions of the different nerve cells in the control center of the vagus nerve, and discovered something very surprising: although the nerve cells are located in the same control center, they innervate different regions of the gut and also differentially control satiety and blood sugar levels.
Read the full Science Daily Article
To see lots more exciting news and evidence go to www.health-e-learning.org.uk and see the health-e-information platform.
Researcher – Sophie Daniel, Health and Wellbeing Trust
Images bought from iStock Getty images – https://www.istockphoto.com