World Health Organization (WHO) researchers recently published an analysis of energy drink consumption in Europe that takes into account relevant scientific literature published through June 2014. Joao Breda, et al., “Energy drink consumption in Europe: a review of the risks, adverse health effects, and policy options to respond,” Frontiers in Public Health, October 2014. Noting that most adverse events associated with energy drink consumption are caffeine-related, the study reports that some energy drinks contain “extreme caffeine levels much higher than mainstream brands as they try to establish themselves in the market.” “Consumption of energy drinks among adolescents is associated with other potentially negative health and behavioral outcomes such as sensation seeking, use of tobacco and other harmful substances, and binge drinking and is associated with a greater risk for depression and injuries that require medical treatment,” suggest the study’s authors. “There is an increasing amount of research linking energy drink…
Tag Archives WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its first global report on antimicrobial resistance, warning that the threat has spread to every region in the world and is attributable, in part, to inappropriate use of antibiotics in animal husbandry. Among the report’s key findings are (i) “standard treatments no longer work”; (ii) “infections are harder or impossible to control”; (iii) “the risk of the spread of infection to others is increased”; (iv) “illness and hospital stays are prolonged, with added economic and social costs”; and (v) “the risk of death is greater—in some cases, twice that of patients who have infections caused by non-resistant bacteria.” According to the report, even “last resort” antibiotics have become ineffective in certain populations. The report also discusses information gaps, noting that surveillance of antimicrobial resistance “is neither coordinated nor harmonized.” To address the issues identified, WHO is developing a global action plan that will…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a public consultation on its draft guidance for sugar intake that aims to help countries limit sugar consumption and address public health issues such as obesity and tooth decay. The action follows increasing concern that consumption of free sugars, particularly in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages, “may result in both reduced intake of foods containing more nutritionally adequate calories and an increase in total caloric intake, leading to an unhealthy diet, weight gain and increased risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).” The organization also cites concern about the role free sugars play in the development of dental disease, noting that they are the most prevalent NCDs globally despite the treatment and prevention improvements of the last decade. WHO estimates that the cost to treat dental disease—5 to 10 percent of the health budgets in many industrialized countries—would exceed the financial resources available for all…
The World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe (WHO/EU) reportedly warned attendees of a February 25-26, 2014, health conference held by the European Commission and the Greek Presidency of the Council of the European Union that “being overweight is so common that it risks becoming a new norm.” According to a February 25, 2014, press release, WHO/ EU reported that 27 percent of 13-year-olds and 33 percent of 11-year-olds are now overweight, while 30 percent of boys and girls ages 15 and older “are not getting enough physical activity” in 23 of the 36 countries profiled by the organization. Although it noted the role of physical inactivity in rising obesity rates, WHO/ EU ultimately urged national governments to consider implementing stricter labeling and food product regulations that would require “the food industry to take responsibility.” “We must not let another generation grow up with obesity as the new norm,” said…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported the first documented case of avian influenza A (H10N8) in a human patient from Jiangxi Province, China. Reiterating that no evidence yet indicates human-to-human transmission, WHO noted that the 73-year-old patient visited “a live bird market four days before date of onset” and eventually died from the disease. “Although China has previously detected H10N8 in wild and domestic birds, this is the first ever report of H10N8 isolated from a patient,” states the organization’s December 2013 fact sheet. “Given the potentially unpredictable behavior of influenza viruses, vigilance and close monitoring is needed… The Chinese government is actively investigating this event and has heightened disease surveillance for early detection, prevention and control measures.” See NBC News, December 18, 2013. Issue 508
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a new report, “Marketing of foods high in fat, salt and sugar to children,” that calls the marketing of “unhealthy” foods to children “disastrously effective,” alleging the food industry is driving rising obesity rates in children by using “cheap new marketing channels, such as social media and smart phone apps” to promote fat-, salt- and sugar-laden foods. “Millions of children across the European Region are subjected to unacceptable marketing practices,” said Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO regional director for Europe. “Policy simply must catch up and address the reality of an obese childhood in the 21st century. Children are surrounded by adverts urging them to consume foods high in fat, sugar and salt, even when they are in places where they should be protected, such as schools and sports facilities.” According to a WHO news release, although all 53 member states in the European Region…
A Reuters special report has claimed that the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO), has accepted “hundreds of thousands of dollars” from food and beverage companies to combat obesity. According to journalists Duff Wilson and Adam Kerlin, WHO and five of its regional offices already prohibit industry funding, but PAHO—“founded 46 years before it was affiliated with WHO in 1948—had different standards allowing the business donations.” In particular, the report cites contributions from Nestlé and Unilever as evidence that PAHO and other WHO entities are partnering with industry out of necessity since the international agency “cut its own funding for chronic disease by 20 percent since 2010—an even bigger decline than for the agency as a whole.” “The recent infusion of corporate cash is the most pointed example to date of how WHO is approaching its battle against chronic disease. Increasingly, it…
NBC’s Open Channel blog has reported “an inexplicable epidemic in Central America, where more than 16,000 people—mostly sugarcane workers— have died from incurable chronic kidney disease [CKD].” According to Open Channel, “hundreds, if not thousands” of people in the sugar-producing city of Chichigalpa, Nicaragua, have allegedly contracted CKD, which has apparently increased “five-fold in the last two decades” throughout the region and turned up in parts of India and Sri Lanka. Citing the Center for Public Integrity (CPI), NBC’s Kerry Sander and Lisa Riordan summarize the unique profile of CKD in sugarcane workers who do not exhibit the obesity, diabetes and hypertension often linked to the disease in developed countries like the United States. “It affects people who don’t have diabetes or hypertension, which are the usual risks factors for chronic kidney disease,” one CPI reporter told the blog. “No one can figure out what it is that’s making all…
The World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have continued to address public concerns about food produced in Japan, where a recent earthquake and tsunami compromised the Fukushima prefecture’s nuclear power plant, releasing radiation into the atmosphere. According to WHO, which has published a list of frequently asked questions about the disaster, “[f]ood safety issues are an additional dimension of the emergency,” with some products likely to be deemed unsafe for human consumption. In areas where contamination has occurred, the organization has specifically urged citizens to avoid consuming milk or vegetables, slaughtering animals, hunting, harvesting aquatic animals and plants, or collecting other wild foods such as mushrooms. It has also asked producers to take numerous precautions to protect vegetables, livestock and rice harvests from fallout. “The presence of radioactivity in some vegetables and milk has been confirmed and some of the initial…
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization will hold expert and stakeholder meetings to discuss bisphenol A (BPA) on November 1-5, 2010, in Ottawa, Canada. Supported by the European Food Safety Authority, Health Canada, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the November 2-5 expert meeting will address the toxicological and health aspects of BPA, assess its safety, and consider alternatives to the ubiquitous plasticizer. The November 1 stakeholder meeting will provide an opportunity for interested parties to present their views on specific questions, which will also be considered during the expert session. The main topics slated for discussion include (i) “General chemistry of BPA and analytical methods for detection in food”; (ii) “Occurrence of BPA in the diet, including studies on migration of BPA from food contact material”; (iii) “Metabolism and toxicokinetic studies of BPA”; (iv) “Toxicity of BPA…
