US households with at least one user of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are spending 6-9% less on groceries, with the sharpest declines seen in ultra-processed categories.
For Ozempic users, chips, baked goods, calories, and grocery bills are all on the decline, according to a new study by Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business.
Using data from Numerator, the research has found that American households with at least one user of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs typically spend 5.5% less in supermarkets within six months of taking the medications, with high-income households seeing a sharper 9% decrease.
These reductions are primarily driven by a shift away from ultra-processed foods (UPFs) like savoury snacks, baked goods, cheese, cookies and soft drinks. UPFs have become central to Americans’ food decisions – they make up 73% of the national food supply and contribute to 60% of calorie consumption.
While there were modest increases in spending on fresh produce and yoghurts, grocery baskets generally become healthier through the removal of calorie-dense products, rather than the addition of fruits and vegetables.
And while the impact on grocery bills softens after the first six months, spending trends remain “negative and statistically significant”, according to the researchers.
“Our findings highlight the potential for GLP-1 medications to significantly reshape consumer food demand, a trend with increasingly important implications for the food industry as adoption continues to grow,” the report suggests.
What Ozempic users are spending less on
Courtesy: Cornell SC Johnson College of Business Research
The researchers analysed shopping data from 2,623 households with at least one GLP-1 drug user, accounting for 11.6% of the total tracked households.
While the average monthly spend on groceries totals $630, adoption of GLP-1 medications leads to a reduction of $416 annually on these purchases. But there is a big discrepancy between high-earners and lower-income households.
Those earning over $125,000 a year reduce their supermarket spending by $690 every year after starting on a weight-loss drug, an 8.6% decrease. This is more than double the reduction seen by households earning less than $125,000 annually (a 4.2% fall to $270).
The analysis identified 40 product categories with the highest expenditures, and found that snacking – both savoury and sweet products – bears the brunt of the shift, with expenditure reducing between 6.7-11%. “GLP-1 users reduce spending on high-calorie, high-sugar, or high-fat items,” the study reads. “Spending on products such as chips, sweet bakery, sides, and cookies show some of the largest reductions.”
It adds: “A closer examination across grocery categories reveals that the impact of GLP-1 use extends beyond just calorie-dense products, with most categories experiencing declines.”
Increased spending is observed only for yoghurt and fresh produce (and only among those who take GLP-1 for weight loss, not diabetes). Meat snacks and nutrition bars were the only other categories with even a minor increase in spending – this underscores that climate-friendly foods aren’t too much of a consideration for these consumers.
At the same time, GLP-1 users are also spending less on restaurants, with breakfast bills declining by 4% and dinner by 6%.
Food companies must adapt to GLP-1
Courtesy: Fotolia/Green Queen
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro have become massively popular in the US – one in eight adults have now tried using these medications. They work by replicating incretin, a natural hormone found in our bodies that boosts the GLP-1 hormone, which in turn regulates blood sugar, fulfils the appetite, and manages weight.
Analysts say that the number of users could rise to anywhere between 10 to 70 million by 2028, boosting America’s GDP by 1%. By the end of the decade, GLP-1 drugs are expected to command a $105B market.
The study results chime with research by Morgan Stanley from last year, which found that 31% of Americans were spending less on groceries after taking GLP-1 medications (and 23% were shelling out more). There was a bigger difference when it came to eating out, with 63% of respondents spending less on restaurants, and only 9% forking out more.
Another poll showed nearly a third of weight-loss drug users were eating fewer carbs and snacks than before, and spending 4% less on groceries overall.
“Companies that rely heavily on calorie-dense, processed, or indulgent foods are likely to face declining demand and need to reassess their product portfolios to remain competitive,” the Cornell study states. Giants like Walmart and Hershey have already admitted that GLP-1 drugs have hit their bottom lines.
It notes that the effects of these drugs will likely prompt “targeted adjustments” in product formulations, packaging, and portion sizes. “Consumers on GLP-1 medications are expected to gravitate toward smaller portions and products emphasising health and convenience, such as single-serving or portion-controlled options for nutrient-dense items like fresh produce, yoghurt, and nutrition bars,” it adds.
Big Food is already making moves to compete in the Ozempic era. Nestlé has a new brand dedicated to GLP-1 users, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are planning prebiotic launches, and Birds Eye and Slim Jim owner Conagra Brands is introducing ‘GLP-1 friendly’ labels on packaging for some of its Healthy Choice ready meals.
As 2025 begins, a significant portion of the American population is focusing on dietary changes to enhance health and well-being. A recent survey by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and Morning Consult reveals that nearly half of US adults have resolved to adopt a new diet this year. Among these individuals, 40 percent intend to reduce calorie intake, and 26 percent plan to follow low-carbohydrate diets like keto, Atkins, or South Beach. Notably, only 7 percent are considering a plant-based or vegan diet, despite substantial evidence supporting its effectiveness for weight loss and overall health improvement.
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The growing interest in dietary changes aligns with broader health trends in the US. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only one in 10 adults consumes the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, indicating a significant gap in nutritional intake. This deficiency contributes to various health issues, including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Consequently, many Americans are seeking effective dietary strategies to address these concerns.
Benefits of plant-based diets
Plant-based diets have gained attention for their potential health benefits. Research indicates that such diets can aid in weight loss, improve cardiovascular health, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Additionally, plant-based diets are associated with lower body mass index (BMI) and reduced prevalence of obesity.
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Beyond weight management, plant-based diets offer other health advantages. They are linked to improved heart health, with studies showing reductions in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. A review in Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases reported that vegetarian diets are associated with a lower risk of ischemic heart disease. Furthermore, plant-based diets may decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes and certain cancers, contributing to overall longevity and quality of life.
Despite these benefits, the PCRM survey indicates that only a small fraction of individuals planning dietary changes in 2025 are opting for plant-based diets. This reluctance may stem from a lack of awareness or misconceptions about the practicality and nutritional adequacy of plant-based eating.
Dr. Roxanne Becker of the Physicians Committee notes that counting calories can be time-consuming and may create a negative relationship with food for some people. She emphasizes that plant-based diets are effective for weight loss without the need for calorie counting, as plant foods are naturally lower in calorie density and higher in fiber, promoting a feeling of fullness.
Plant-based diet and gut health
The composition of the gut microbiome, which plays a crucial role in digestion and overall health, is significantly influenced by diet. A new study published in Nature Microbiology analyzed biological samples from more than 21,000 individuals and found that dietary patterns strongly affect the gut microbiome. Notably, plant-based diets were associated with a higher presence of beneficial bacteria involved in fiber fermentation, leading to the production of short-chain fatty acids that reduce inflammation and support metabolic health.
In contrast, omnivorous diets showed an increased presence of bacteria linked to meat digestion and associated with inflammatory bowel disease and a higher risk of colon cancer. The study underscores that the quality and diversity of plant-based foods are vital for a healthy microbiome, suggesting that increasing the intake of such foods can be beneficial regardless of overall dietary patterns.
The benefits of plant-based diets extend beyond individual health; they are also more environmentally sustainable, requiring fewer natural resources and producing lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to diets rich in animal products. This environmental advantage adds another compelling reason for considering a shift towards plant-based eating.
Both studies come on the heels of the US News & World Report’s annual diet ranking, which saw the plant-forward Mediterranean diet in the top spot for the eighth straight year.
This post was originally published on VegNews.com.
Californian food tech startup Minus Coffee has debuted a new beanless instant oat milk latte with calibrated caffeine, L-theanine and pea protein to support women’s health.
As the demand for functional drinks expands, women-led startup Minus Coffee – which makes coffee without the bean – has entered the space with a dairy-free instant latte powder that prevents caffeine crashes, provides complete protein, and enhances sleep.
The San Francisco-based firm’s Instant Oat Milk Vanilla Latte is geared towards women’s wellness and cortisol balance, featuring half as much caffeine as the average cup of coffee, a dose of L-theanine to improve focus while avoiding jitters and brain fog, and 6g of pea protein.
And by eschewing coffee beans for a variety of upcycled and lower-carbon ingredients – think date seeds, chicory and lentils – it’s much better for the planet, as well as a coffee industry facing high demands and strained supplies.
It marks the brand’s second beanless coffee line, following its canned cold brew and vanilla oat milk latte. “Instant coffee allows us to innovate and offer consumers an energising product that doesn’t compromise their wellbeing,” Maricel Saenz, founder and CEO of Compound Foods – Minus’s parent company – tells Green Queen.
“Minus has always reflected my personal journey. After struggling with anxiety and burnout, I realised my love for coffee needed balance – less caffeine and more support for my mind and body,” she adds. “Powdered formats are also convenient, customisable, and sustainable, aligning with our vision to create products that are better for people and the planet.”
How Minus makes its functional beanless coffee
Courtesy: Minus Coffee
Saenz explains that Minus’s process is similar to traditional instant coffee, starting by roasting date seeds, chicory, sunflower seeds, carob, lentils, grape seeds, and millet malt. These are then put through a fermentation process to bring out coffee-like notes of berries and dark chocolate, giving the product a flavour advantage over mushroom-based beverages.
Over 40% of the ingredients are upcycled, and the caffeine content is extracted from tea leaves. “We then brew and freeze-dry the coffee. For select SKUs, we enhance flavour and functionality by incorporating our proprietary fermented inputs,” notes Saenz.
“We source an oat milk creamer from a trusted partner and further customise it to perfectly complement our unique latte formulation,” she adds. The addition of oat milk – which comprises avocado and MCT oils – allows Minus to lend the product a creamy and naturally sweet profile, while catering to the allergic to soy, nuts and dairy. It’s also rich in fibre, and requires minimal water and energy to produce.
The beanless instant coffee contains 50mg of caffeine per 8oz serving, supplying antioxidants and a gentle energy boost. There’s also 100mg of L-theanine, which helps slow caffeine absorption, sustain energy, balance cortisol spikes, reduce stress, and improve sleep. Meanwhile, its protein content rivals that of an egg and provides all nine essential amino acids.
“From the inception of this product, we relied on scientific literature to evaluate which ingredients to include. Among the adaptogen-like ingredients we tested, L-theanine and protein have the strongest scientific backing for their effects on the body, particularly when combined with caffeine. We pride ourselves on using evidence-based decisions for product design and messaging,” says Saenz.
A product designed for women
Courtesy: Minus Coffee
As consumers deepen their focus on sleep amid rising stress and anxiety levels, they’re increasingly turning to functional beverages. The US is already the world’s largest market for functional energy and sports drinks, representing around one in every three dollars spent.
This formed the basis of over 250 functional beverage launches in 2023, contributing to a market that is already valued at $230B globally. One in eight people have consumed beverages with nootropics like L-theanine, with intake levels higher in Gen Zers (20%) and millennials (17%).
But a third of women say they don’t consume functional drinks at all, compared to 27% of men. This also mirrors coffee consumption trends in the US. However, with the functional coffee market set to approach $8B by the end of the decade, there are plenty of opportunities for brands like Minus to make a mark.
“People are seeking functional foods and drinks to help them feel their best and support their specific health and wellness goals,” says Saenz. “Consumers are becoming more aware of how what they consume impacts how they feel. There’s a growing recognition of caffeine’s effects on the body and a deeper understanding that not all bodies react to it the same way.”
She outlines Minus’s goal to support women’s health, which is “often overlooked”, through balance and sustained energy. “We designed this product with their unique needs in mind – whether it’s reducing caffeine jitters, increasing protein intake, or supporting energy transitions during perimenopause,” she says.
“We believe this product resonates with women in their 30s seeking a more balanced, grounded lifestyle, and with women experiencing perimenopause, where less caffeine and more protein can support the body’s natural transitions.”
Why we – and farmers – need beanless coffee
Courtesy: Minus Coffee
Coffee is one of the most carbon-emissive food items, with its GHG impact only surpassed by red meat and dark chocolate. And producing a single cup of joe requires up to 140 litres of water. Minus is among a number of beanless coffee startups hoping to safeguard the future of the industry and the planet – its version uses 92% less land and 94% less water, while producing 86% fewer carbon emissions.
At the same time, climate change is wrecking the world of coffee. Extreme weather events, combined with increasing demand, are leading to crop failures and shortages, pushing up arabica prices by 80% last year, with wholesale prices reaching a nearly 50-year high.
The area suitable for growing arabica – roughly forming a ‘belt’ between the tropics – is shrinking, and could be cut in half by 2050. This puts it among the 60% of endangered coffee species, with experts suggesting arabica could become extinct in the next 60 years.
Industry giants like Starbucks and Nestlé, meanwhile, have developed climate-resilient arabica varieties to protect farmers and the coffee economy. This is a major criticism of beanless coffee – 80% of all coffee is grown by smallholder farmers, and 125 million people are dependent on the industry for their livelihoods.
But startups in this space argue that they’re presenting an alternative to complement the existing supply chain, not displace it. “Our goal isn’t to replace coffee, but to offer an alternative way to make it – one that addresses supply chain challenges exacerbated by climate change,” says Saenz.
Asked about comparisons between conventional and beanless versions, she states: “We hold our products to the highest quality standards, conducting blind taste tests and comparing ourselves to premium coffee.”
A plant-based dietary invention rich in fibre may slow the spread of multiple myeloma, a rare, incurable blood cancer, in at-risk individuals.
In yet another scientific nod to the health benefits of eating plants, a first-of-a-kind analysis demonstrates the potential of a high-fibre vegan diet to halt the progression of a currently incurable blood cancer in people at risk.
Researchers at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) have reported results from a clinical trial featuring 20 people with a precancerous blood disorder and an elevated body mass index (BMI) at risk for developing multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer that affects the bone marrow.
The participants of the Nutrivention study received 12 weeks of high-fibre plant-based meals and 24 weeks of coaching, and exhibited positive results in the disease progression trajectory.
“This study showcases the power of nutrition – specifically a high-fibre plant-based diet – and unlocks a better understanding of how it can lead to improvements in the microbiome and metabolism to build a stronger immune system,” said Urvi Sha, a myeloma specialist at MSK who led the study.
Plant-based, fibre-rich diet delays progression
Courtesy: Luchezar/Getty Images
The second most common type of blood cancer, multiple myeloma affects seven in every 100,000 people, and arises from precursor conditions called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (or MGUS) and smouldering myeloma (which is symptomless). People with these conditions have a protein called the M protein in their blood, putting them at risk of developing multiple myeloma.
Recent research has also shown a greater risk of multiple myeloma in people with poor diet quality and a low intake of plant-based food. Individuals with these conditions as well as a high BMI have been found to be twice as likely to progress to multiple myeloma as those with these conditions and a normal BMI.
Experts have been aiming to discover interventions that can prevent these conditions from progressing to cancer, and the MSK study found dietary change to be a major point of difference.
The trial encouraged participants to eat as much as they wanted, so long as the food came from whole-plant sources like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains.
The researchers found that consumption of unprocessed plant-based food was at 20% at the start of the trial, but jumped to 92% at the end of the 12 weeks. And even after a year, this adherence was high at 60%, suggesting that the changes made were sustained beyond the period of intervention.
People lost 8% of their body weight on average after 12 weeks, while there was a sustained BMI reduction of 7% after a year. There was also a significant improvement in quality of life, insulin resistance, gut microbiome health, and inflammation.
For two of the participants whose disease was progressing prior to the study, the intervention stabilised the trajectory, suggesting that a high-fibre, whole-food vegan diet may have delayed progression. Additionally, none of the participants had progressed to multiple myeloma one year after enrolment.
“These findings further support how we as physicians can empower patients, especially those with precancerous conditions, with knowledge on reducing their cancer risk through dietary changes,” said Shah.
Fibre in focus amid GLP-1 rise
“We think that a high-fibre plant-based diet can help with weight management, insulin resistance, microbiome composition, immune changes, enhanced anti-tumour immunity, and potentially also slow progression for patients,” Shah said in an interview with the Video Journal of Hematology and Hematological Oncology.
Following the positive results of the study, the myeloma expert is now enrolling for a larger trial with 150 participants and multiple centres, entitled Nutivention-3.
The study outline explains that the gut microbiome produces butyrate, an important substance that works against cancer and inflammation. A plant-based diet may raise butyrate levels in the body, while omega-3 fatty acid and curcumin supplements can have a positive impact on gut wellness too.
A trove of research has shown that plant-based diets can reduce the risk of developing multiple types of cancer, while processed meats have been classed as carcinogens by the WHO (and red meat has been named a possible carcinogen).
The MSK study comes just as gut health becomes more and more prominent in consumers’ eating choices. Its rise has been aided by documentaries like Netflix’s Hack Your Health, personalised nutrition apps such as Zoe, and the mainstreaming of GLP-1 agonist drugs – which have been used by 30 million Americans.
The latter medications replicate incretin, a natural hormone found in our bodies that boosts the GLP-1 hormone to regulate blood sugar, fulfil the appetite, and manage weight. Incretin is naturally regulated in our bodies by fibre, and with 62% of Americans more receptive to dietary change than injectable weight-loss drugs, the food industry has been scrambling to cater to the demand for high-fibre and GLP-1-supportive offerings.
Nestlé, Conagra, Kroger and Daily Harvest are all getting in on the act, while fibre-focused startups like Supergut, Olipop and Uplift Food stand to benefit too. And despite previously downplaying the impact of weight-loss drugs on their bottom lines, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are reportedly planning prebiotic launches for 2025.
Meanwhile, a 3,000-person survey last year found that after protein, fibre is the nutrient Americans were most interested in consuming, and over nine in 10 were getting it from food products (instead of beverages or supplements). Could whole-plant foods be the solution?
Researchers in India highlight how microplastics harm the human gut microbiome, and subsequently our overall health.
From takeaway coffee cups and washing machines to sea salt and tap water, microplastics are omnipresent in the environment. And they’re a threat not just to the Earth and its oceans, but also its inhabitants.
These are plastic particles smaller than 5mm that emerge as breakdown products of larger plastics. They’re primarily composed of polymers – including polyethylene and polystyrene – and absorb armful environmental chemicals like pollutants and heavy metals.
There are 14 million tonnes of microplastics on the ocean floor and 24 trillion pieces of microplastic on the ocean surface, damaging water bodies and affecting the survival, growth and fertility of aquatic life. But these particles have also been discovered in the human body, which they enter mainly through food and beverages, as well as inhalation.
One study suggests that 97% of children and teenagers have plastid and microplastic debris in their bodies. These are linked to a host of diseases and health issues, from gastrointestinal disorders and systemic inflammation to antimicrobial resistance and chronic conditions.
But a new study by Indian researchers focuses on their impact on the gut microbiome, which is becoming more and more important in consumer health discourse, thanks to the rise of GLP-1 agonist drugs, documentaries like Netflix’s Hack Your Health, and personalised nutrition apps like Zoe.
The dangers of microbial imbalances in the gut
Courtesy: Frontiers
The research, published in the Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology journal, outlines how microplastics are present in personal care items, paint, sewage sludge, car tyres, and more, but ingestion is their primary route inside the human body.
Fish and seafood are considered among the main sources of ingested microplastics, whose concentration in the ocean reaches up to 102,000 particles per cubic metre. Additionally, sea salt, table sugar, fruits and vegetables, and tap water allow microplastics into the body.
The study argues that these adversely affect our gut health, a key focus point for today’s food industry. Awareness about the gut has exploded since drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy came into the mainstream. These replicate the GLP-1 incretin hormone in the human gut, which can be regulated with dietary fibre and fermented foods, prompting manufacturers to come up with new innovations in line with the trend.
According to the researchers, the presence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract (where they remain for a long time due to their resistance to digestion) can lead to gut dysbiosis, a state of imbalance between beneficial and harmful bacteria.
Microbial dysbiosis can lead to many health impairments, like poorer gut function and immunity, and a greater risk of gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and autism.
This imbalance may also trigger inflammatory responses and increase gut permeability, causing a condition called leaky gut. It allows harmful substances such as including toxins, pathogens, and undigested food particles, to pass from the gut into the bloodstream.
This pathogen transfer can lead to autoimmune diseases, and the presence of microplastics further worsens leaky gut – their sharp edges cause microabrasions in the gut lining and disrupt the gut barrier’s integrity, while releasing harmful chemicals that lead to oxidative stress and inflammation.
Collaboration, education and dietary shifts key to fighting microplastics
Courtesy: iVector
Microplastics are a detriment to the different gut networks in the body, disrupting the axes with the liver, heart, kidneys, and brain.
In the gut-brain axis, for example, dysbiosis can cause neuroinflammation, leading to neurological and psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline. It can further reduce the production of short-chain fatty acids, which are crucial for brain health.
Microplastics were found to affect intestinal function too, trigger inflammatory responses and induce oxidative stress, which in turn impact liver function and overall metabolism.
“The altered microbiome compromises the gut’s critical role as a barrier and regulatory organ, setting the stage for systemic inflammation and chronic diseases that affect the entire body,” the study notes. “The pervasive presence of MPs in the environment and their ability to infiltrate the human body underscore the urgent need for further research to fully understand their health implications.”
To minimise the impact of microplastics on our health, researchers advocate for a multifaceted strategy. Governments and industries should collaborate to regulate plastic production, enhance waste management, and develop alternatives that are friendlier to people and the planet.
At a policy level, stricter regulations for plastic disposal and recycling are required, while microplastic levels in water, air and food need to be monitored. Lawmakers should also encourage innovations in filtration technologies, public education, and dietary shifts, such as support for plant-based and cultivated seafood.
Microplastic exposure can also be reduced by the minimal use of plastic packaging, avoiding single-use plastics, filtering drinking water, and improving air quality. “Standardised monitoring methods, better waste treatment technologies, and stricter controls on plastic production are essential steps forward,” the study suggests.
But in a blow to the authors’ recommendations, leaders across the world failed to agree to an international plastics treaty that would have legally required countries to curb plastic pollution, particularly in marine environments, after oil-producing states lobbied against the move during talks last month.
Gaza’s Health Ministry has confirmed that close to 46,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s ongoing assault, but Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah estimates the true number is closer to 300,000. “This is literally and mathematically a genocidal project,” says Abu-Sittah, a British Palestinian reconstructive surgeon who worked in Gaza for over a month treating patients at both Al-Shifa and Al-Ahli Baptist hospitals. Israel continues to attack what remains of the besieged territory’s medical infrastructure. On Sunday, an Israeli attack on the upper floor of al-Wafa Hospital in Gaza City killed at least seven people and wounded several others. On Friday, Israeli troops stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital, northern Gaza’s last major functioning hospital, and set the facility on fire. Many staff and patients were reportedly forced to go outside and strip in winter weather. The director of Kamal Adwan, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, was arrested, and his whereabouts remain unknown. “It’s been obvious from the beginning that Israel has been wiping out a whole generation of health professionals in Gaza as a way of increasing the genocidal death toll but also of permanently making Gaza uninhabitable,” says Abu-Sittah. “On the 7th of October, the Israelis crossed that genocidal Rubicon that settler-colonial projects cross.”
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
A growing body of research suggests that plant-based diets may help to reduce the risk of developing, and even reverse, type 2 diabetes. But according to many experts, plant-based diets may be beneficial for those with type 1 diabetes, too.
Earlier this year, one study by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), published in the journal Clinical Diabetes, found that following a diet rich in plant-based foods may help people with type 1 diabetes manage their condition. Here’s more about the study—plus, we spoke with an expert who frequently works with type 1 diabetes patients to find out more about exactly why a plant-based diet may be beneficial for many people with the condition.
Plant-based diets and type 1 diabetes: the PCRM study
While similar, type 1 and type 2 diabetes are two distinct conditions with different underlying causes and characteristics. Type 2 diabetes is primarily characterized by insulin resistance—the body’s cells become resistant to the effects of insulin, and the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce enough insulin to overcome this resistance. However, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.
Adobe
Multiple studies have concluded that plant-based diets can help to prevent, manage, and even reverse type 2 diabetes; however, there hasn’t been as much research into whether eating predominantly plant-based foods could benefit those with type 1 diabetes.
“With the cost of insulin remaining a concern for many, our groundbreaking research shows that a low-fat vegan diet that doesn’t restrict carbs may be the prescription for reducing insulin needs, managing blood sugar levels, and improving heart health in people with type 1 diabetes,” said Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, lead author of the study and PCRM’s director of clinical research.
The PCRM study, which was published in March, however, found that a plant-based diet could potentially help those with type 1 diabetes. Among its findings, the study concluded a low-fat plant-based diet could help to reduce the amount of insulin that people with type 1 diabetes require by 28 percent. It may also increase insulin sensitivity (which, basically means how well the body responds to insulin) by 127 percent and reduce total LDL cholesterol. This, in turn, could help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is higher among those with type 1 diabetes.
Notably, the study participants had no calorie or carbohydrate limits. People with type 1 diabetes often pay close attention to their carbohydrate intake because carbohydrates have a direct impact on blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels drop too low in people with type 1 diabetes, it can lead to hypoglycemia, which includes symptoms like nausea and blurred vision, or even neuroglycopenia, which may result in loss of consciousness.
Why a plant-based diet might help people with type 1 diabetes, according to a dietitian
We spoke with kidney health dietitian Melanie Betz MS, RD, CSR, FAND, who frequently works with people with type 1 diabetes, due to the link between type 1 diabetes and kidney disease, to find out more about why a plant-based diet might help some with the condition. However, if you suffer from type 1 diabetes, it’s vital to speak with a medical professional before making any major changes to your diet.
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1 It’s rich in fiber
“One of the biggest benefits [of a plant-based diet] is fiber,” says Betz. “Fiber is found exclusively in plant foods. A fiber-rich diet helps slow the absorption of glucose in the intestines and helps prevent big blood sugar spikes after eating. This can really help keep blood sugar consistent throughout the day.”
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2 It can help control inflammation
“Although we typically think of inflammation related to type 2 diabetes, it is important to help prevent or control inflammation in type 1 diabetes as well,” explains Betz. “High blood glucose causes inflammation, and inflammation can make blood glucose worse. It is a vicious cycle!”
“Fruits and vegetables are key for anyone to help control inflammation,” she noted. “They are packed with antioxidants, phytochemicals, and inflammation-busting vitamins and minerals. If a vegan diet is done right, it will be rich in all of these things to help control inflammation in type 1 diabetes.”
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3 It’s packed with healthy protein sources
“Protein is especially important for a vegan diet for type 1 diabetes,” notes Betz. “Although it is absolutely possible to get enough protein on a vegan diet for diabetes, people do have to be more mindful and diligent to include at least one higher protein food with all meals and snacks. Eating enough protein can also help control blood sugar levels. Beans, nuts and nut butters, seeds, lentils, and tofu are wonderful plant-based protein sources for type 1 diabetes.”
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4 It’s rich in whole foods
“My best advice for following any more plant-based diet is to really hone in on whole plant-based foods,” says Betz. “The benefits of a vegan or plant-based diet really come from eating lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and whole food plant proteins like beans, nuts, seeds, and lentils. There absolutely can be a place for processed plant-based meat alternatives such as Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods’ meat products. But we ideally want to focus on more of those whole-food vegan options.”
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5 Plant-based snacks are healthy and accessible
“Another key to healthy eating with type 1 diabetes is eating consistently throughout the day,” says Betz. “Most people should aim for three meals and two to three small snacks to help prevent large blood sugar spikes and keep blood sugar steady. Incorporate plenty of snacks like nuts, apples and peanut butter, plant-based yogurt and berries, or whole grain crackers and fruit.”
Irish startup Nuritas has closed a $42M Series C investment round to scale up its AI-powered discovery platform for plant-based peptides.
In its bid to greenify the peptide industry and improve public health, Dublin-based biotech firm Nuritas has received fresh funding to the tune of $42M.
The oversubscribed Series C round was led by M&G Investments, with participation from McWin Capital Partners and current investors Grosvenor and ECBF. It takes Nuritas’s total funding above $117M, and follows a $45M Series B round three years ago.
The startup, whose early investors include Bono and The Edge from U2, will use the funds to scale up its artificial-intelligence-led (AI) Magnifier platform, through which it identifies and commercialises rare plant-based peptides faster than the industry standard. It further aims to expand its B2B client base, and reach a wider range of consumers across the globe.
“We are thrilled to welcome M&G’s Catalyst team and McWin Capital Partners, who share our vision of making healthier ingredients accessible to billions of people globally,” said Nuritas founder and CEO Nora Khaldi. “This investment, alongside the addition of experienced board members, will propel our mission to new heights.”
Nuritas to launch new peptide ingredients in 2025
Courtesy: Elio
Peptides are a class of short-chain amino acids that act as building blocks of proteins like collagen, keratin, and elastin. They provide a host of benefits to the body, including anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory, skin-repairing, and muscle-building properties.
These protein precursors can be sourced from both animals and plants, but despite their health benefits, most peptide ingredients today fail to meet the wellness demands of consumers, according to Nuritas. Moreover, developing new health-centric products can take decades and costs tens or even hundreds of millions.
The Irish company is hoping to change that by discovering new bioactive peptides in various plants, which can then be integrated into food products, supplements, cosmetics, and other functional offerings.
It claims to have built the world’s largest peptide knowledge base, and its Magnifier platform leverages proprietary data and genomics to identify peptides 10 to 50 times faster than traditional methods. It is said to have an “industry-leading clinical success rate” of over 80%, far higher than the industry standard of low single digits.
Nuritas’s flagship product, PeptiStrong, is derived from fava beans and supports recovery, improved strength, and muscle generation and repair. It received GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status from the Food and Drug Administration in the US earlier this month, and is already part of consumer products across multiple continents, including its own Elio Restore brand.
It recently added PeptiYouth to its lineup, which reduces wrinkle depth and smoothes the skin by promoting collagen production. The ingredient is featured in skincare products in the US and Asia, and Nuritas plans to introduce three new clinically validated vegan peptide offerings in 2025.
Science-first approach wins over major clients
Courtesy: Nuritas
Having been around for a decade, Nuritas has some big names in its client list, from Nestlé and Mars to Givaudan and Sumitomo Corporation. And its peptide ingredients are present in products spanning pharmacies, retail outlets, online platforms, and specialty stores.
The company says its ingredients help partners increase their market penetration and differentiation with innovative, evidence-based products, as well as address consumer needs with solutions validated by clinical trials.
“Our mission is to improve the lives of billions by creating ingredients that address pressing global health challenges,” said Khaldi. “Through our science-first approach, we are fundamentally shifting the paradigm of ingredient discovery, enabling our customers to deliver healthier, differentiated products that meet the needs of today’s consumers.”
Martin Davalos, partner and head of food tech at McWin Capital Partners, added: “We are passionate about healthier, safer and more sustainable products and believe consumers worldwide should have the right to access these with ease – and Nuritas are at the forefront of developing technology and products to meet that need.”
Other startups working with vegan peptides include VeCollal, Geltor, and Active Concepts. Meanwhile, Croda Beauty is leveraging plant cell culture for its active ingredients, while Avant has rolled out skincare actives made from cultivated marine cells.
Meanwhile, Shiru is also using AI to discover plant-derived and microbial proteins, which it sells to corporate partners on its ProteinDiscovery.ai marketplace.
In its bid to reduce the climate footprint of the medical industry, the World Health Organization has issued a call for action to fuel sustainability in the pharmaceutical sector.
New standards, a digital transformation and more collaborative regulatory procedures for pharmaceutical companies are among the steps policymakers need to take to greenify the medical sector, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Through its Department of Regulation and Prequalification, the global health authority is calling on regulators to establish new standards to enable a “quick and supported transformation” of the medical products industry.
In the document titled ‘Greener pharmaceuticals’ regulatory highway’, the WHO notes how climate change is a major threat to human health, jeopardising progress in development, global health, and poverty reduction, and creating new health risks disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable communities.
A quarter of all deaths and disease burden globally are caused by known avoidable climate risks. On top of that, modern health systems are responsible for 5% of global carbon emissions, including through the entire supply chain, from product manufacturing and distribution to use, waste creation and disposal. This is what makes it so important for the industry to be transformed into a more sustainable operation.
A three-step plan for a greener pharma sector
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/CC
“Addressing the environmental impact of healthcare products is no longer optional – it is imperative,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO assistant director-general for access to medicines and health products.
The UN body is calling on healthcare regulatory bodies and stakeholders to adopt innovative eco-friendly practices, and has laid out three key proposals for the same.
New standards and guidance documents to support these approaches in the manufacturing, distribution and use of medical products are imperative, helping contribute to significant reductions in their emissions. This will also improve sustainability within the health industry and demonstrate the co-benefit of these interventions on public health.
The WHO is also advocating for a digital transformation of all regulatory services to set up standards for adequate reliance mechanisms between regulators on the exchange of relevant information, including a strong support programme for capacity building in low- and middle-income countries.
Moreover, procedures that allow regulators to get involved earlier to help consider innovative approaches will help too. This would support the streamlining of regulatory reviews for new products that have a lower climate impact.
“The transformation of regulatory practices will be pivotal in shaping a pharmaceutical industry that meets today’s health needs without compromising the planet’s future,” said Nakatani.
The WHO states that the pharma sector can lower its environmental threat by adopting cleaner production techniques, redesigning synthetic processes, and investing in renewable energy for manufacturing, in addition to greater supply chain transparency and greener procurement standards.
Sustainable pharma practices to be discussed at 2025 summit
Courtesy: Joe Brusky/Flickr/CC
A review of 10 key health products by global health initiative Unitaid last year found that materials acquisition, pre-processing, and manufacturing accounted for about 95% of their greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) alone made up 70% of these emissions.
The evidence reveals the need for investment in R&D for greener API manufacturing, as well as more sustainable packaging, transportation, and procurement standards, the WHO says.
Its call for action aligns with other major frameworks, like its Global Strategy on Health, Environment, and Climate Change, and is boosted by global agreements like the COP28 Declaration, in which 140 countries pledged to promote climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems.
As part of proposals for the UN plastics treaty, which sought to curb plastic pollution and phase out plastics, the WHO floated the idea of delaying prohibitions on plastics and polymers that are essential for affordable health services, instead of an exemption for the industry. This, it argues, would leave room for the development and regulation of sustainable alternatives in the meantime. But world leaders failed to reach an agreement on the draft during the final rounds of discussions in South Korea this month.
The WHO says innovation in the pharma sector necessitates the engagement of regulators with active measures that would enable suitable timelines for the adoption of greener approaches. It will work with stakeholders from the regulatory, public health and industrial areas to publish a white paper on sustainable pharma practices, set to be discussed at a global summit in late 2025.
“Health systems should lead by example in mitigating environmental impact,” said Dr Rogerio Gaspar, WHO director for Regulation and Prequalification. “This initiative will catalyse the global transformation required to align health sector operations with sustainability goals. It represents a critical step toward a greener, healthier future.”
In addition to regulatory reform, the WHO is also supporting the European Network on Climate & Health Education, a 25-university network to train medical students to deal with the disease impacts of the climate crisis, which could kill 450,000 Europeans every year even if the world keeps temperature hikes under 1.5°C (an increasingly unlikely possibility).
The US Food and Drug Administration has updated the labelling requirements for companies to market their foods as ‘healthy’ for the first time in 30 years.
To combat the “ever-growing epidemic of preventable diet-related chronic diseases” plaguing the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revised rules for what foods constitute as ‘healthy’.
The update is said to be in line with “current nutrition science” and intends to make it easier for Americans to identify healthy food from packaging labels, with added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium now in sharp focus.
Diet-related chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in the US, with many of these chronic conditions experienced at higher rates by racial and ethnic minorities and low-income groups. The FDA’s rule, part of the White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, aims to give consumers access to “complete, accurate, and up-to-date nutrition information”.
The agency is also looking to create a ‘healthy’ symbol that manufacturers can choose to use on food labelling of products that fit the new criteria. This could be helpful for people “less family with nutrition information”.
Aside from the limits on salt, sugar and saturated fat, products must contain a certain amount of ingredients from at least one of the food groups online by the Dietary Guidelines of America, like fruits, vegetables, protein foods (such as beans), grains, dairy and dairy alternatives, and water.
The national dietary recommendations are themselves due for an update next year, and scientists on the advisory committee have urged the US Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services to advise Americans to eat less red meat and emphasise vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and unsaturated fats.
White bread out, trail mixes in
The definition of the ‘healthy’ claim was first set in 1994, and based on the nutrition science and federal dietary guidelines of the time, it solely focused on individual nutrients. There were limits for saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, and sodium, and the requirement of a certain amount of vitamins, minerals, protein and fibre.
But the FDA began working on an update in September 2022, aiming to align the definition with current science. “Today, we have a greater understanding of dietary patterns and their effects on health, and we recognise that foods are made up of a variety of nutrients that work together as part of a healthy dietary pattern,” the department says. “For example, we now know that the type of fat in the diet is more important than the total fat.”
Under the previous definition, foods like fortified white bread, highly sweetened yoghurt, cereals, and snacks, and fortified fruit punch could all claim to be healthy on their packaging. But under the new 318-page rule, these products can’t anymore. On the flip side, olive oil, avocado, trail mixes with nuts, seeds and dried fruits, and water couldn’t qualify as ‘healthy’ earlier, but can now bear the claim.
Other foods that manufacturers can market as healthy include canned, frozen and pre-prepared fruits and vegetables, and certain peanut butters. Ready meals that want to use the claim can’t have more than 10g of added sugar and 4g of saturated fat, and must contain three food group equivalents (how much of a particular food is required).
The shift of focus from individual nutrients to food groups that contain an array of nutrients is consistent with current nutrition science, according to the FDA. “Focusing on food groups better reflects the overall nutrient content of a food rather than focusing on one individual beneficial nutrient in isolation,” it says.
Manufacturers who choose to use the ‘healthy’ claim can start doing so from February 25 next year, but have been given three years to comply with the updated definition.
Courtesy: FDA
FDA ‘healthy’ label update met with praise and criticism
To explain why it has made the decision to update the ‘healthy’ foods definition, the FDA cited data that showed how Americans don’t meet current dietary recommendations across a host of foods and nutrients. For instance, 77% exceed the daily advised intake for saturated fat, 63% do so for added sugar, and 90% for sodium. Conversely, three-quarters of Americans eat fewer fruits and vegetables than recommended.
This has contributed to a rise in preventable conditions like type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Over two-thirds (69%) of Americans are overweight and 36% are obese, while one in 10 have diabetes (mostly type 2). And cardiovascular disease is the main cause of mortality in the US, leading to the death of one person every 33 seconds. “Improving nutrition is one of the best public health interventions for reducing these and other chronic illnesses and premature death,” says the FDA.
The food safety body has signed a deal with online grocery company Instacart to help consumers find healthy products through shopping filters and a virtual storefront.
Jim Jones, the agency’s deputy commissioner for human foods, said food labels like ‘healthy’ can be a “powerful tool for change”. “[They] may help foster a healthier food supply if manufacturers choose to reformulate their products to meet the new definition,” he said. “There’s an opportunity here for industry and others to join us in making ‘healthy’ a ubiquitous, quick signal to help people more easily build nutritious diets.”
The move was met with a polarising response. Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association, said the update would give people more confidence when shopping for healthy food, and hoped that it would “motivate food manufacturers” to develop new, healthier products.
But the Consumer Brands Association, a trade group representing some of the country’s largest food and drink companies, criticised the new definition as a violation of the First Amendment, since it excludes some packaged foods “despite countless years of industry innovation to provide healthier options”. “We remain concerned that this government regulation is not based on clear and unambiguous scientific evidence,” said Sarah Gallo, senior VP of product policy for the consortium.
It’s a pertinent point with the impending appointment of Robert F Kennedy as incoming president Donald Trump’s health secretary. Kennedy has made his disdain for processed foods clear, promising to remove them from school lunches. But the new rule wouldn’t be immune from intervention from Congress or executive branches, and with Trump’s penchant for fast food, it will be interesting to see whether it can be successfully implemented.
A whistleblowing Pennsylvania oil and gas worker, together with the state’s former lead environmental regulator, are ringing the alarm bell on an unregulated and shadowy network of pipelines at least hundreds, and perhaps even thousands of miles long. The pipeline system was constructed over the past decade by oil and gas operators in Pennsylvania to transport toxic and radioactive fracking wastewater.
“There is no oversight,” says Robert Green, who works in southwestern Pennsylvania as a hydrostatic tester, a niche job in the industry that involves assuring pipelines can appropriately handle the complex and often hazardous fuels and waste streams they contain.
When leaders of Florida’s most populous county met in September to pick a site for what could become the nation’s largest trash incinerator, so many people went to the government center to protest that overflow seating spilled into the building’s atrium.
“MIRAMAR SAYS NO TO INCINERATOR! NOT IN OUR BACKYARD,” read green T-shirts donned by some attendees who wanted to stop the new industrial waste facility — capable of burning up to 4,000 tons of garbage a day — from being built near their homes.
Residents feared the site would not only sink their property values and threaten the environment, but also potentially harm people’s health.
Even more, the locations appeared to have been selected in a way that worried civil rights and environmental advocacy groups. All four sites considered that day were in, or near, some of the region’s most diverse communities, and the state is arguing in federal court that race should not be a consideration in permitting industries that pollute the environment.
“Historically, communities of color have suffered the impacts of toxic plants near our cities, affecting our health and well-being,” Elisha Moultrie, a 30-year Miramar resident and committee leader with the Miami-Dade NAACP, told the county commissioners.
It’s “environmental injustice and racial injustice,” she said.
Residents of Miramar, Florida, gather in Miami on September 17 to voice their opposition to Miami-Dade County’s plan to build a trash incinerator capable of burning up to 4,000 tons of garbage a day near their community.
Daniel Chang / KFF Health News
Miami-Dade leaders see a different challenge: the need to effectively manage trash. The county produces nearly double the national average per person of garbage, in part due to one of the region’s major industries: tourism.
Yet, throughout 2024, Miami-Dade’s elected officials delayed a decision on where to build the planned $1.5 billion incinerator, as the county mayor and commissioners wrestled with politics. County leaders are scheduled to vote on a new site in February.
“There is no perfect place,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a recent memo to county leaders.
The conundrum unfolding in South Florida is indicative of what some see as a broader trend in the national fight for environmental justice, which calls for a clean and healthy environment for all, including low-wealth and minority communities. Too often land inhabited by Black and Hispanic people is unfairly overburdened with air pollution and other emissions from trash incinerators, chemical plants, and oil refineries that harm their health, said Mike Ewall, director of Energy Justice Network, a nonprofit that advocates for clean energy and maps municipal solid waste incinerators.
“All the places that they would consider putting something no one wants are in communities of color,” he said.
More than 60 municipal solid waste incinerators operate nationwide, according to data from Energy Justice. Even though more than 60 percent of incinerators are in majority-white communities, those in communities of color have more people living nearby, burn more trash, and emit more pollutants, Ewall said.
And in Florida, six of the nine existing incinerators are in places where the percentages of people of color are higher than the statewide average of 46 percent, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s EJScreen, an online tool for measuring environmental and socioeconomic information for specific areas.
Before Miami-Dade County’s old trash incinerator burned down in February 2023, the county sent nearly half of its waste to the facility. Now, the county is burying much of its trash in a local landfill or trucking it to a central Florida facility — an unsustainable solution.
Joe Kilsheimer, executive director of the Florida Waste-to-Energy Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for owners and operators of trash incinerators, acknowledges that choosing a location is hard. Companies decide based on industry-accepted parameters, he said, and local governments must identify strategies to manage waste in ways that are both safe and efficient.
“We have an industrial-scale economy that produces waste on an industrial scale,” Kilsheimer said, “and we have to manage it on an industrial scale.”
Florida burns more trash than any other state, and at least three counties besides Miami-Dade are considering plans to build new facilities. Managing the politics of where to place the incinerator has especially been a challenge for Miami-Dade’s elected officials.
In late November, commissioners in South Florida considered rebuilding the incinerator where it had been for nearly 40 years — in Doral, a predominantly Hispanic community that also is home to Trump National Doral, a golf resort owned by the president-elect less than 3 miles from the old site. But facing new opposition from the Trump family, the county mayor requested delaying a vote that had been scheduled for December 3.
President Joe Biden created a national council to address inequities about where toxic facilities are built and issued executive orders mandating that the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice address these issues.
Asked if Trump would carry on Biden’s executive orders, Karoline Leavitt, the incoming White House press secretary, said in an email that Trump “advanced conservation and environmental stewardship” while reducing carbon emissions in his first term.
“In his second term, President Trump will once again deliver clean air and water for American families while Making America Wealthy Again,” Leavitt said.
However, during his presidency, Trump proposed drastic reductions to the EPA’s budget and staff, and rolled back rules on clean air and water, including the reversal of regulations on air pollution and emissions from power plants, cars, and trucks.
That’s a big concern for minority neighborhoods, especially in states such as Florida, said Dominique Burkhardt, an attorney with the nonprofit legal aid group Earthjustice, which filed a complaint against Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection in March 2022.
The complaint, on behalf of Florida Rising, a nonprofit voting rights group, alleges that Florida’s environmental regulator violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by failing to translate into Spanish documents and public notices related to the permitting of incinerators in Miami and Tampa, and by refusing to consider the impact of the facilities on nearby minority communities.
“They’re not in any way taking into account who’s actually impacted by air pollution,” Burkhardt said of the state agency. The EPA is now investigating the complaint.
Conservative lawmakers and state regulators have been hostile to laws and regulations that center on the rights of people of color, Burkhardt said. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has signed into law bills limiting race education in public schools and banning public colleges and universities from spending money on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
“They want to be race-neutral,” Burkhardt said. But that ignores “the very real history in our country of racism and entrenched systemic discrimination.”
Historical racism like segregation and redlining, combined with poor access to health care and exposure to pollution, has a lasting impact on health, said Keisha Ray, a bioethicist with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
Studies have found that neighborhoods with more low-income and minority residents tend to have higher exposure to cancer-causing pollutants. Communities with large numbers of industrial facilities also have stark racial disparities in health outcomes.
Incinerators emit pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and fine particulate matter, which have been associated with heart disease, respiratory problems, and cancer. People living near them often don’t have the political power to push the industries out, Ray said.
Ignoring the disparate impact sends a clear message to residents who live there, she said.
“What you’re saying is, ‘Those people don’t matter.’”
Florida is one of 23 states that have petitioned the courts to nullify key protections under the Civil Rights Act. The protections prohibit racial discrimination by organizations receiving federal funding and prevent polluting industries from overburdening communities of color.
Those rules ask the states “to engage in racial engineering,” argued Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody in an April 2024 letter to the EPA, co-signed by attorneys general for 22 other states. A federal court in Louisiana, which sued the EPA in May 2023, has since stopped the agency from enforcing the rules against companies doing business in that state.
Miami-Dade’s incinerator, built west of the airport in 1982, was receiving nearly half the county’s garbage when it burned down in February 2023. Though the facility had pollution control devices, those measures did not always protect nearby residents from the odor, smoke, and ash that the incinerator emitted, said Cheryl Holder, an internal medicine physician who moved into the neighborhood in 1989.
A fire at a municipal trash incinerator in Miami-Dade County, Florida, burned for nearly three weeks in February 2023, releasing smoke and pollution into the surrounding community. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue
Holder said every morning her car would be covered in ash. Residents persuaded the county, which owned the facility, to install “scrubbers” that trapped the ash in the smokestack. But the odor persisted, she said, describing it as “a strange chemical — faint bleach/vinegar mixed with garbage dump smell” — that often occurred in the late evening and early morning.
Holder still started a family in the community, but by 2000 they moved, out of concern that pollution from the incinerator was affecting their health.
“My son ended up with asthma … and nobody in my family has asthma,” said Holder, who in 2018 helped found Florida Clinicians for Climate Action, a group focused on the health harms of climate change. Though she cannot prove that incinerator pollution caused her son’s illness — the freeways, airport, and landfill nearby also emit toxic substances — she remains convinced it was at least a contributing factor.
Many South Florida residents are concerned about the health effects of burning trash, despite assurances from Miami-Dade Mayor Cava and the county’s environmental consultants that modern incinerators are safe.
Cava’s office did not respond to KFF Health News’ inquiries about the incinerator. She has said in public meetings and a September memo to county commissioners that the health and ecological danger from the new incinerator would be minimal. She cited an environmental consultant’s assessment that the health risk is “below the risk posed by simply walking down the street and breathing air that includes car exhaust.”
But some environmental health experts say it’s not only a facility’s day-to-day operations that are cause for concern. Unplanned events, such as the fire that destroyed Miami-Dade’s incinerator, can cause environmental catastrophes.
“It might not be part of their regular operations,” said Amy Stuart, a professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health. “But it happens every once in a while. And it hasn’t been that well regulated.”
In addition to Miami-Dade’s planned incinerator, three other facilities have been proposed elsewhere in the state, according to Energy Justice Network and news reports.
State lawmakers adopted a law in 2022 that awards grants for expansions of existing trash incinerators and financial help for waste management companies losing revenue on the sale of the electricity their facilities generate.
A bill filed in the Florida Legislature by Democrats this year would have required an assessment of a facility’s impact on minority communities before the state provided financial incentives. The legislation died in committee.
As local governments in Florida and elsewhere turn to incineration to manage waste, the industry has argued that burning trash is better than burying it in a landfill.
Kilsheimer, whose group represents the incinerator industry, said Miami-Dade has no room to build another landfill, though the toxic ash left behind from burning trash must be disposed of in a landfill somewhere.
“This is the best solution we have for the conditions that we have to operate in,” he said.
But University of South Florida’s Stuart said that burning trash isn’t the only option and that the government should not ignore historical and environmental racism. The antidote cannot be to put more incinerators and other polluting facilities in majority-white neighborhoods, she said.
The focus of public money instead should be on reducing waste altogether to eliminate the need for incinerators and landfills, Stuart said, by reducing communities’ consumption and increasing recycling, repurposing, and composting of refuse.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.
French consumers are eating more legumes, vegetables, and vegan meat and dairy – but concerns about prices and health are major barriers to the latter.
Veggie burgers have been at the centre of a fierce debate in France, where legislators have been trying to ban companies from using meat-related terms on plant-based products. Their efforts are proving to be unsuccessful, with the proposal being reprimanded by the EU’s highest court.
But while meat analogues continue to divide opinion in the republic, whole foods like legumes and grains enjoy a more favourable perception among the French.
Having grown up on boeuf bourguignon and coq au vin, meat still remains king in France. But more than a third (35%) of its residents now rate legumes and pulses among the richest sources of protein, and two-thirds (66%) eat foods like beans, grains, lentils and wheat weekly, according to a new survey.
This is driven by a perception that these foods are healthy (a view shared by 73% of respondents), natural (67%), and contribute to a balanced diet (66%).
While separate research suggests that meat intake has fallen over the last two decades, this poll reveals that nearly a quarter (23%) of French nationals have been eating more legumes recently, with 34% citing their nutritional benefits as the key consumption driver. That said, 27% of them are unaware of these health gains, and 44% are not familiar with the environmental advantages of these foods over animal proteins.
Courtesy: Tijana Drndarski/Unsplash
It’s reflective of a larger challenge facing the plant protein ecosystem – six in 10 people in France aren’t familiar with vegan alternatives to meat and dairy, and two-thirds view them as trendy. Crucially, 44% feel they don’t taste as good as animal proteins.
“French consumers often lack sufficient knowledge about nutritional recommendations. The benefits of plant-based proteins, while significant, remain underappreciated and misunderstood by the broader public (daily protein intake, how to combine them, etc.),” says Alice Meullemiestre, CEO of plant-based consortium Protéines France, which conducted the survey in collaboration with vegetable oil and proteins association Terres Univia.
The 1,000-person poll is the seventh edition of their joint Consumer Barometer project, which aims to analyse the knowledge, perceptions, and practices of French consumers around traditional plant proteins as well as novel sources.
Why the French are swayed by cost and nutrition
The survey revealed that 65% of French consumers still identify as omnivores, but the number of flexitarians is growing and now makes up 31% of the population.
A quarter of respondents say they’ve changed their eating habits. For 45% of this section, rising costs have been the primary motivator for this shift. Health and nutrition concerns have pushed another 41% to do so, while 11% have changed how they eat to reduce their environmental impact (diets are responsible for 22% of France’s emissions).
At the same time, French people’s dietary priorities revolve around balanced nutrition (cited by 59%), diversity in food products (47%), and seasonality (43%). And over a third of them are eating more vegetables now.
Meullemiestre believes the importance of cost and nutrition is driven by both economic and societal factors. “Many consumers are facing an economic context of inflation, making affordability a key consideration in their food choices,” she says.
Courtesy: Swap
“Simultaneously, there is growing attention to the quality of diets, with individuals prioritising nutritionally balanced foods that contribute to their health and carefully considering the origin and sustainability of the products they consume. This has brought plant-based proteins into focus, as they are often perceived as healthier, more sustainable, and cost-effective options.”
France’s citizens eat about 1,600g of meat per week, much higher than the current dietary guidelines, which recommend a maximum of 500g of red meat and 150g of processed meat weekly.
The French Nutrition Society (SFN), a group that comprises public and private sector nutrition experts, has called on the government to suggest cutting meat consumption by at least 25% each week – a total of 450g – in the forthcoming update to the national guidelines.
But the poll suggests that French consumers generally remain poorly informed about nutritional guidelines, with three in four not knowing the daily protein recommended.
Meeting labelling expectations can drive plant-based consumption
Interest in plant-based products is growing, with a quarter of people eating meat and dairy alternatives weekly, and 14% doing so several times a week – a three-point increase from the 2022 and 2022 Consumer Barometers.
French consumers seem to have a sweet tooth, with 31% consuming vegan desserts at least weekly. This is followed by meat analogues (28%), ready meals (22%) and plant-based milk (22%).
The respondents also showcased an interest in newer protein sources, albeit with some caution. Half would be willing to try products derived from algae, while four in 10 say the same for mycelium or yeast-based proteins.
But as indicated above, there’s a knowledge gap around the nutrition and sustainability of plant proteins, combined with a perceived inferior taste. So how can brands overcome this barrier?
One way would be to meet consumers’ expectations on product labelling – though, with the legislative battle around meaty terms, this remains a thorny subject. The survey found that France’s population places high emphasis on ingredient lists, with 47% of respondents calling them key purchase drivers.
Courtesy: La Vie
Similarly, the origin of products and ingredients is important for 41%, and vegan labels and certifications like Nutri-Score are key for another 37%. Nutritional information, meanwhile, on food products influences a further 35%.
“Consumers need transparency and to be informed,” says Meullemiestre. “Addressing this gap is a priority for Protéines France and Terres Univia. Together, we are working to improve consumer education through enhanced communication, awareness campaigns, and broader initiatives to promote plant-based proteins, aiming to engage and better inform the public.”
She adds: “We are investing in educational initiatives to raise awareness of the nutritional, environmental, and economic benefits of these solutions. Diversifying product offerings and improving their accessibility in terms of taste, affordability, and availability is a critical focus. Significant efforts are being made to innovate in taste and texture, which remain vital factors for gaining broader consumer acceptance.”
If you don’t live anywhere near an export terminal for liquified natural gas (LNG), you could still feel big impacts from the industry’s planned construction boom in the U.S. – and not just because the fossil fuel is rapidly worsening the climate crisis.
That’s according to a new study on LNG export authorizations by the Department of Energy (DOE), which finds that the average U.S. household will pay an additional $122.54 a year in utility bills if LNG export expansions go forward unchecked. Some households could see rates go up by over $360 a year.
A stagehand appeared, whispering to David Tennant, who quietly exited. Moments later, the house lights came up, and the audience was informed that understudy Gemma Laurie would take over the role. Laurie stepped in seamlessly, yet the disruption may have underscored a haunting reality for the world of live performance: COVID and its aftereffects are reshaping theatre in ways audiences rarely see.
Until the damage has already been done.
The dramatic scene followed an earlier upheaval for Macbeth at the Harold Pinter Theatre. A month before, in November, the production was forced to cancel four consecutive performances due to “illness within the company.” When it returned, it was only through the extraordinary efforts of six understudies, including for lead actor Tennant himself. The illness was never officially disclosed, but the severity, contagiousness, and population-wide prevalence strongly suggest COVID-19.
While the company appeared to’ recover’, last week’s incident with Lady Macduff raised a disturbing question: could the illness that swept through the cast in November still be exacting its toll weeks later? Emerging research on COVID-induced dysphonia suggests the answer might be yes.
Research published in the American Journal of Otolaryngology found that 25% of COVID-19 patients experience vocal impairment during their illness, and a staggering 70% of those individuals continue to suffer from long-term effects, including dysphonia. In 2022, a Journal of Voice study revealed that 30% of Broadway singers continued to experience vocal fatigue, reduced range, or chronic inflammation after recovering from COVID-19. The study, conducted well into the post-vaccine era, demonstrates that long-term vocal impairment persists despite vaccination.
For singers and actors, who depend on vocal precision, these aftereffects can be career-ending.
These symptoms often appear weeks or months after the initial illness, complicating diagnoses and obscuring the connections between cause and effect. Yet despite these findings, the industry’s response has remained fragmented, leaving performers to navigate the stigma and uncertainty alone.
A culture of silence: stigma of vocal injury and the pressure to perform
Vocal injuries carry a stigma in the performing arts. The industry mantra, “the show must go on,” often leaves little room for performers to rest or recover. Acknowledging illness—especially COVID-19—can lead to lost income, missed opportunities, and even career jeopardy.
This silence is further compounded by economic pressures. Funding cuts have put enormous economic pressure on UK theatres, incentivising productions to continue performances even when the performers fall ill. With Macbeth, performances were cancelled as little as two hours before their scheduled to begin, suggesting there was an effort to continue despite illness in the company. Performers, meanwhile, may be discouraged from testing or disclosing symptoms, knowing that admitting to illness could bring a production to a halt. But pushing on is now leading to an epidemic of vocal injuries across the performing arts and an abrupt end of performers’ careers.
An epidemic of silence: voices lost since 2020
Lady Macduff’s mid-performance voice loss is not an isolated incident.
The list of high-profile performers silenced by vocal injuries since the pandemic began grows longer by the day. Earlier this year, Sam Smith was forced to abandon their Manchester concert mid-performance, cancelling subsequent dates in Glasgow and Birmingham after doctors warned they risked permanent damage without immediate rest.
Similarly, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler saw his decades-long touring career come to an end after severe vocal cord damage and a fractured larynx rendered his recovery “not possible.” The band’s farewell tour was cancelled, leaving fans heartbroken. In the UK, legendary singer Rod Stewart has also faced a prolonged battle to regain his voice after contracting COVID and strep throat in quick succession.
Each case highlights a disturbing trend: the cumulative toll of illness, long-term strain, and inadequate recovery is pushing performers to their limits.
Vocal cord injuries and lost voices aren’t unheard-of in the performing arts, but COVID induced dysohonia is exponentially worsening the strain already put on performers’ voices. If this is ending careers and cancelling shows, why isn’t more being done to protect performers?
Breaking the silence: clean air, safer stages
Advocacy groups like Protect the Heart of the Arts are calling for immediate reforms, including better air quality in theaters through HEPA filtration, audience masking, and regular, accurate on-site molecular testing, like PlusLife. The National Theatre and the Barbican have already implemented advanced air filtration systems, but these remain exceptions rather than the rule.
Theater unions must also for more humane schedules that allow performers to recover fully between shows. The days of punishing performance runs with no room for illness must give way to policies that prioritise long-term health over short-term profits.
There must also be greater awareness about COVID, its true prevalence, and best practices for testing and recovery. Though many consider COVID to be rare, data from the CDC’s respiratory virus dashboard highlights the overwhelming prevalence of COVID-19. In late August 2024, 96.5% of all positive tests for COVID, flu, and RSV (the “big three” respiratory viruses) were COVID cases. These findings challenge assumptions about other illnesses and reinforce COVID’s dominant role in ongoing health disruptions.
Making matters worse, research shows that, post-vaccines, lateral flow tests—the primary diagnostic tool for many—may not detect SARS-CoV-2 until several days after symptoms appear. This delay in detection increases the risk of unintentional spread and complicates efforts to trace the impact of infections within tightly knit communities, such as theatre companies.
This means that even for theatres and performers who do test for COVID, the mistaken belief that it’s rare, or at least seasonal, or that a single lateral flow test can rule out COVID are incorrect. COVID is omnipresent in the arts and accurate, on-site molecular testing is needed.
The ghost of illness past and future – not just Macbeth
The disruptions at Macbeth are emblematic of an industry struggling to reconcile its pre-pandemic practices with the realities of a post-pandemic world. Despite the theatre’s outward recovery, the silent legacy of COVID-19 lingers, affecting performers in ways audiences rarely see until a performance is disrupted and the damage has already been done. The risk is no longer limited to one-off illnesses or vocal injuries—it has become a systemic issue with far-reaching implications for health, career longevity, and the cultural landscape.
As the theatre world grapples with this new reality, Macbeth may offer an unsettling lesson: the consequences of COVID do not end when the initial symptoms resolve. The question is no longer whether the show can go on but whether it should, without first addressing the invisible toll it’s taking on those who make it happen.
The Portuguese government has committed to developing a national plant-based action plan as part of its climate strategy. Here’s how it happened.
Already considered one of the most vegan-friendly countries in the world, Portugal is taking a big step towards a low-carbon food system.
In its National Climate and Energy Plan (NCEP), the government has earmarked the creation of a national strategy to reduce meat consumption in favour of plant-based proteins, both to reduce the country’s agricultural emissions, and promote healthier nutrition.
The plan would involve “concrete measures” to boost the production and consumption of plant proteins, with an amplified focus on legumes. The idea is to use this integrated approach to ensure self-sufficiency and food security.
There will be a focus on implementing training programmes and bolstering the supply of plant-based meals in public canteens, as well as reducing food waste. Moreover, the strategy will promote the implementation of short food chains, which would help reduce energy use and emissions thanks to lower packaging, transportation and cooling needs.
The strategy is yet to be developed, but it’s a major win for years of activism from climate groups, and a laudable step by the Portuguese government amid calls for the EU to develop a similar strategy.
So how did we get here?
A concerted, long-term effort
Courtesy: Associação Vegetariana Portuguesa
Efforts to convince lawmakers to create a national plant-based protein plan have been ongoing since 2021, when the Portuguese Vegetarian Association (AVP) kickstarted the Proteína Verde project. Over the years, it teamed up with 17 organisations and produced comprehensive reports, a joint letter, and several other documents stressing the need for such a policy.
The consortium made a concerted effort to work together with policymakers – three parties have previously presented proposals to the Portuguese parliament based on the project’s recommendations.
The breakthrough came during the negotiations for the NECP. “We held a meeting with the Portuguese Secretary of State for the Environment and the Secretary of State for Energy at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, where we agreed to collaborate on drafting a document with proposals for changes to the NECP,” explains Joana Oliveria.
She is the former co-director of the AVP, which evolved into ProVeg Portugal earlier this year, with Oliveria taking the helm in the merged organisation.
“Among these recommendations was the proposal to create a strategy promoting plant-based protein consumption,” says the ProVeg Portugal director. “The General Secretariat for the Environment then sent us an official letter indicating that it would take our contributions into account.”
She adds: “Following this, we mobilised citizens to advocate for the inclusion of the plant-based protein strategy by participating in the subsequent NECP public consultation. Their engagement further underscored the importance of this strategy, contributing to its incorporation into the final plan.
“We have since had the privilege of commending the Ministry of Environment and Energy for thoughtfully considering all contributions and evidence.”
Countries like Denmark and South Korea have led the way with government-backed protein transition strategies, and experts have been calling on other countries to follow. Portugal will hope to join that list once its strategy is finalised.
Meat and seafood consumption trends ‘alarming’
Courtesy: Plantz
There were several reasons why Portugal decided to go ahead with a plant-based strategy – chief among them the energy ministry’s approach of engaging with civil society and considering statistical data, according to Oliveria.
“It recognised the need to address the environmental impact of the agricultural sector, which has been diverging from its national greenhouse gas reduction targets,” she says.
Agriculture accounts for 12% of Portugal’s emissions, 72% of which come from livestock in the form of enteric fermentation and manure management, linked with the release of methane and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. “Encouraging a shift toward plant-based diets was identified as a key measure to significantly reduce these emissions,” suggests Oliveria.
“The Portuguese Environment Agency, a state body, has also consistently underscored the substantial role of animal farming in national agricultural emissions and has highlighted a troubling trend of rising emissions driven by increasing populations of cattle, sheep and chicken,” she adds.
Portugal is one of Europe’s largest meat consumers, and its leading market for seafood. This presents both challenges and opportunities to “raise awareness about urgent dietary issues”. Apart from the climate footprint, poor dietary habits are among the top five contributors to the loss of healthy life years, and the third-highest risk factor for mortality in Portugal.
“The overconsumption of animal-based products contributes to this situation,” says Oliveria. “These alarming trends and opportunities are beginning to capture the attention of political decision-makers.”
She points out that the NECP doesn’t mention alternative proteins like cultivated meat, yet public acceptance of these foods is high. In fact, the Portuguese are the most welcoming of cultivated meat among EU countries, and also among the most opposed to banning it.
Oliveria adds: “At the same time, Portugal highly values the Mediterranean diet, which prioritises plant-based foods. As Portuguese eating habits increasingly diverge from this diet, public health and environmental organisations are becoming more concerned.”
The legume focus, and what the NECP means for dietary guidelines
Courtesy: Plantz
This is where legumes come in. Beans have become central to the food conversation this year – not just for their versatility and flavour, but also for their contribution to improving public and planetary health.
“Legumes are quite typical of traditional Portuguese cuisine and stand out as a versatile, healthy and eco-friendly source of plant-based protein. Yet, Portugal produces only 14% of the legumes it consumes,” Oliveria says when asked why the government namechecked legumes in the NCEP.
“The emphasis on legumes in Portugal’s strategy to promote plant-based protein consumption highlights not only their role as a traditional and widely accepted food in Portuguese cuisine, but also their potential for innovation and development,” she explains.
Being a familiar and culturally significant source of plant-based protein, they can facilitate broader acceptance of plant-based diets among the population. But does this also indicate a lack of confidence in meat alternatives?
“At the same time, legumes are the foundation for many meat analogue products, offering a versatile and sustainable solution for food innovation. One of our key objectives is to foster research and development (R&D) in food products, with a particular focus on legumes,” she says.
“These ingredients are rich in protein and have significant potential for creating new, eco-friendly, healthy and innovative plant-based alternatives. By leveraging legumes, we aim to support the development of products that meet the growing demand for healthy, sustainable food options while respecting local culinary traditions.”
This strategy of showcasing traditional plant proteins as key sustainability and innovation drivers encourages a “diverse range of solutions, from familiar legume-based dishes to cutting-edge meat alternatives”.
This year, several European countries have updated their dietary guidelines to promote plant-based foods. Is Portugal’s move a sign of things to come? “Yes, perhaps,” Oliviera replies.
“The Portuguese Directorate-General of Health recently shared a recommendation on its Instagram to include some meat- and fish-free meals during the week. At ProVeg Portugal, we are collaborating with the country’s main nutritionists’ association to present a proposal in January for updating the national dietary guidelines.”
Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been charged with first-degree murder and second-degree murder as an act of terrorism. Thompson’s assassination has brought renewed attention to the practices of the health industry and especially UnitedHealth Group, which reported $22 billion in profits last year. For more, we speak with Kevin Dwyer, who has firsthand experience with UnitedHealthcare denying him lifesaving medication for cystic fibrosis. “The thought of getting this medication that could stop my decline was everything to me. And it was devastating when I got the denial,” says Dwyer, who only got approved after his case became a national news story. “It shouldn’t take this, but unfortunately it does,” says Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of health initiatives at the Community Service Society of New York and co-founder of the Health Care for All New York campaign.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Tate & Lyle has collaborated with BioHarvest Sciences to develop plant-based sweeteners that are better for human and planetary health.
British ingredients giant Tate & Lyle – which manufactures the sugar substitute Splenda – has partnered with Canadian botanical synthesis specialist BioHarvest Sciences to develop planet-friendly, better-for-you sweeteners.
Through the collaboration, the two entities will create next-generation plant-based molecules that can help reduce the sugar content in food and beverage products, while addressing consumer demand for affordable, sustainable and nutritious sugar alternatives.
It is the latest effort in Tate & Lyle’s sugar reduction mission. A legacy sugar producer, the 165-year-old company sold its sugar business to American Sugar Refining in 2010, pivoting to produce health-forward ingredients for food and beverage manufacturers.
The company says it will leverage its years of research and applications, nutrition and regulatory expertise, to fuel the partnership, which forms part of its open innovation programme.
“Our open innovation programme is all about creating cutting-edge solutions for the food and beverage industry,” said Tate & Lyle CEO Nick Hampton. “By partnering with entrepreneurial innovators like BioHarvest, we aim to disrupt the future of food for the better.”
All the benefits of plants – without the plants
Courtesy: Tate & Lyle
For Yochi Hagay, co-founder and CTO of BioHarvest, the Tate & Lyle deal is a “major milestone” in the firm’s history. “It follows more than 15 years of intensive R&D and manufacturing scaling of our Botanical Synthesis technology process,” he said.
This Botanical Synthesis platform produces plant-based ingredients that are non-GMO, climate-friendly, and economically viable, allowing companies to scale up the production of botanical ingredients.
The process grows targeted plant cells that can mirror and magnify the phytonutrients contained in specific plants, delivering patentable molecules that present all the benefits of the plant, without having to actually grow it.
“BioHarvest provides the first and only fully validated industrial-scale plant cell technology platform for production of plant metabolites. Initial exploration will focus on our sweetener platform, but our partnership also provides for expansion into other areas,” said Victoria Spadaro-Grant, Tate & Lyle’s chief science and innovation officer.
Tate & Lyle will use BioHarvest’s technology to develop botanical sweetening ingredients that meet consumer desire for sugar-like flavours (with no aftertaste), and expand the availability of healthier and more affordable alternatives.
Ilan Sobel, CEO of BioHarvest, said Tate & Lyle’s “regulatory and nutrition expertise, industry knowledge and complementary research initiatives” will speed up the commercialisation of these future-friendly sweeteners. “We aspire to improve human wellness by availing our plant-derived molecules to hundreds of millions of people and Tate & Lyle represents an ideal partner,” he stated.
Tate & Lyle on track for sugar reduction target
Courtesy: Tate & Lyle
It might be a $66B market that employs over 100 million people, but sugar looms as a giant public health and planetary problem. Today, roughly 8% of our calories come from the ingredient, whose consumption has quadrupled in the last 60 years.
But added sugars are empty calories linked to a host of ailments, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and yes, obesity and type 2 diabetes. In the last three decades, the number of people with diabetes has doubled, and 95% of them have type 2 diabetes. And in another 10 years, half of the world could be overweight or obese.
Governments have been imploring their citizens to cut back on the sweet stuff – and not just for health. Sugarcane and sugar beets are the largest crops by mass, but their cultivation has caused massive land use changes, water uptake, and agrochemical runoffs. This, in turn, has resulted in significant biodiversity loss – but sugar’s impact on the climate has largely been overlooked.
Research suggests that keeping added sugar intake to the recommended value of 5% of daily calories (as prescribed by the WHO) would free up 483 million tonnes of sugarcane and 128 million tonnes of sugar beets, opening up opportunities for land rewilding, carbon sequestration, diversifying into non-sugar crops and increasing carbon efficiency.
According to Tate & Lyle, the sweeteners it will create with BioHarvest are set to use a “fraction of the land and water required in traditional extraction and land-based growing practices”.
And in 2020, the company set a goal to remove nine million tonnes of sugar from people’s diets by 2025 through its low- and no-calorie sweeteners and fibres. Using the volume sales of these products, Tate & Lyle calculates the equivalent amount of sugar and calories – so far, it has been able to cut out 7.9 million tonnes of sugar from diets, totalling 31 trillion calories.
Cancer is one of the most complex and challenging diseases, and having the right diagnosis and treatment is essential for survival and recovery. Many patients seek a second opinion to ensure their diagnosis and treatment plan are the best options available. A second opinion can provide peace of mind, confirm a diagnosis, or suggest alternative treatment approaches. Germany has become a prominent destination for patients seeking expert oncology care and second opinions.
This article explores why some patients opt for a second opinion for cancer diagnoses in Germany, the benefits, process, and top cancer centers. It also touches on how platforms like Airomedical are facilitating access to top oncologists in Germany for international patients.
Why Are Some Patients Opting for a Second Opinion for Cancer Diagnoses?
For cancer patients, a second opinion can serve as an important step in the decision-making process. Below are some reasons why patients seek a second opinion:
Diagnosis: Obtaining a second opinion can help verify the initial diagnosis.Some cancers share symptoms with other conditions, and a second opinion from an expert may help validate or refine the diagnosis, potentially recommending additional tests.
Treatment Options: Different oncologists may suggest various treatment plans. Seeking a second opinion may introduce patients to newer therapies, clinical trials, or alternative treatment options that were not considered previously.
Better Decision Making: Cancer treatments are often intense, and having additional insights can help patients make more informed decisions about their care, reducing uncertainty.
Personalized Care: A second opinion can offer a more individualized treatment plan tailored to a patient’s specific needs and preferences.
Why is Germany considered as the cancer care leader?
Germany is known for its advanced medical research, technology, and patient care, making it a top choice for cancer patients seeking specialized treatment. Here’s why Germany is considered a leader in oncology care:
Technology: German hospitals have the latest diagnostic and treatment tools, such as proton therapy, robotic surgery and AI driven diagnostics. This means more accurate and effective treatments with fewer side effects.
Top Oncologists: Germany has a long history of medical education and research. Many of its oncologists are pioneers in cancer treatment, especially in immunotherapy, gene therapy and precision medicine.
Holistic Cancer Care: Cancer treatment in Germany is comprehensive. Multidisciplinary teams of specialists, including oncologists, radiologists, surgeons and pathologists work together to create a personalized treatment plan for each patient. This means all aspects of the patient’s care are covered.
Access to Clinical Trials: Germany’s research institutions offer many patients access to clinical trials, which might include the latest drug therapies or new cancer treatments not yet available elsewhere.
Germany is famous for its healthcare and a popular destination for cancer patients looking for a second opinion. The country has many specialized cancer centers that offer top-notch care
Top Cancer Clinics in Germany
Germany has many world-class hospitals and clinics for oncology. These centers not only have the latest technology but also some of the best oncologists in the world. When looking for a second opinion in Germany, it’s important to choose a clinic that fits your cancer type and treatment. Here are some top cancer clinics for second opinions:
Charité University Hospital, Berlin: Charité is one of the biggest and most famous university hospitals in Europe. It’s known for its research and expertise in oncology.
University Hospital Heidelberg: Heidelberg is famous for its cancer treatment and has access to highly specialized therapies and clinical trials.
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg: DKFZ is a leader in cancer research and treatment, focusing on new therapies and comprehensive care for cancer patients.
LMU University Hospital, Munich: This hospital is known for its advanced cancer care, especially for rare and hard-to-treat cancers.
German oncologists are renowned for their work in precision medicine, where treatment is tailored to the genetic profile of the individual patient. This approach has led to higher success rates and fewer side effects for many patients.
Airomedical is an online platform that helps international patients connect with top oncologists in Germany. Through Airomedical patients can consult withGerman doctors for cancer treatment consultation and book appointments online or in person. Airomedical alsohelps international patients to navigate the German healthcare system by providing support in finding the right doctor and clinic for their needs.
Cancer Care in Germany vs. Other Countries
One of the main reasons patients seek a second opinion abroad is the level of care and technology in their home country. Here’s a comparison between cancer care in Germany and other countries.
Aspect
Germany
Other Countries
Accuracy of Diagnosis
State of the art imaging, genetic testing, AI tools
Many countries still use old diagnostic tools.
Treatment Options
Latest treatments, clinical trials and therapies
New treatments may not be available in some countries.
Medical Expertise
Top experts with many years of experience
Expertise can vary, with fewer oncologists in some regions.
Technology
Proton therapy and robotic surgery
Limited access to advanced technology in some areas.
Patient Support
Comprehensive support for international patients, including interpreters and logistics.
Limited resources for foreign patients.
Airomedical: Connecting Patients to German Oncologists
Airomedical is an online platform that helps patients connect with specialists in Germany, including leading oncologists. The platform offers the following services:
Access to Top Oncologists: Airomedical connects patients with renowned cancer specialists in Germany for second opinions and personalized consultations.
Support for International Patients: The platform offers assistance with travel, accommodation, and language translation, ensuring smooth communication between patients and doctors.
Medical File Review: Patients can upload their medical records for review by German oncologists before the consultation.
Consultations: Airomedical offers both virtual and in-person consultations, making it easier for patients to connect with German experts.
How to Seek a Second Opinion in Germany
Collect Medical Records: Gather all necessary documents, including diagnosis reports, imaging scans, and pathology results.
Research Clinics and Oncologists: Platforms like Airomedical can help find reputable cancer centers and oncologists in Germany who specialize in your type of cancer.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a consultation with an oncologist who specializes in your specific cancer type, either online or in person.
Review the Second Opinion: After receiving the second opinion, compare the suggested treatment plan with your current one to make an informed decision.
Conclusion
For many cancer patients, seeking a second opinion can be a crucial part of their treatment journey. With its advanced medical technologies, renowned oncologists, and comprehensive care, Germany is a leading destination for cancer treatment. Services such as Airomedical provide valuable assistance for international patients looking to access the expertise of Germany’s top oncologists, helping them make informed decisions about their care.
If you or someone you know is considering a second opinion for cancer, services like Airomedical can help connect patients with leading oncology specialists in Germany, guiding them toward more informed and confident treatment decisions.
The UK is taking a big stand against what it deems to be “junk food.” Recently, the government announced that as of October 2025, TV and social media adverts for candy, cakes, soda, and other similar foods will have new time restrictions, while some will be banned completely. The idea is to improve the entire nation’s health, but particularly that of children. According to Health Minister Andrew Gwynne, the UK is dealing with a “childhood obesity crisis.”
The country’s ban even includes foods that might have been previously considered healthy, like packaged instant porridge and muesli, for example. This is likely because they fall into the ultra-processed category, and can be high in salt, saturated fat, and sugar.
“This is the first step to deliver a major shift in the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention, and towards meeting our government’s ambition to give every child a healthy, happy start to life,” Wes Streeting, the UK’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care said in a statement about the new regulations.
There is no doubt that reducing the intake of foods high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat, and adopting healthier eating habits can help improve public health. A growing body of research confirms that a plant-forward, Mediterranean-style eating pattern, low in ultra-processed foods, is one of the healthiest ways to eat. It has been linked with everything from a lower risk of cancer to improved brain health, for example.
But one new study suggests that treating ourselves to some of the very foods that are being banned from advertising in the UK might actually come with some health benefits. The takeaway? While reducing ultra-processed foods is important for public health, moderation and nuance are also key when it comes to healthy eating.
New study says indulging in sweet treats is good for our health
The new study, which was conducted at Sweden’s Lund University and published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, examined the dietary habits of more than 69,700 people over the course of 22 years using surveys.
The findings suggested that indulging in sweet treats, like ice cream, chocolate, and pastries, could have some significant benefits, particularly for cardiovascular health. In fact, the occasional indulgence was associated with a reduced risk of seven cardiovascular diseases, which included ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, heart attack, heart failure, aortic stenosis, atrial fibrillation, and abdominal aortic aneurysm.
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However, it wasn’t all good news for treats. Drinks sweetened with sugar (like soda and fruity drinks) increased the risk of cardiovascular diseases, while sweet toppings (like honey, jam, and table sugar) were linked with a reduced risk of heart failure and aortic stenosis, but a higher risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Ultimately, the findings bring into focus the importance of nuance when discussing food choices.
A need for nuance in health guidance
Research also shows that indulging in our favorite foods can be good for our mental health. “Pleasure of any kind, including pleasure from food, leads to a release of dopamine in the brain,” Aleta Storch, RDN, MHC told Healthline. “Dopamine is often referred to as the ‘feel good hormone’ because it activates the reward pathways in the brain, which helps to promote happiness, calmness, motivation, and focus.”
The conversation around ultra-processed foods, or UPFs as they’re often known, also lacks a little nuance, according to some experts. Many people enjoy instant porridge, for example, and while it can be high in saturated fat, salt, and sugar, it also provides important nutrients like protein and fiber.
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“Believe it or not, some UPFs can actually play a role in a well-balanced diet,” Sapna Peruvemba, MS, RDN of Health by Sapna recently told VegNews.
“Some fortified cereals offer fiber, iron, and essential B vitamins,” she added. “Then there are foods that technically count as UPFs because of an ingredient or two but still bring nutritional benefits to the table. Think store-bought hummus, whole grain bread, or certain plant-based protein bars or powders.”
Whole foods are always best at the center of the plate, research suggests, but snacking on sweet treats and enjoying UPFs every now and again isn’t always a net negative for health. “Sometimes we just want a treat,” says Peruvemba. The key is to indulge mindfully.”
Fellow dietitian Brigitte Zeitlin, RD, also told Well+Good: “Food is nourishment in a lot of different ways. It is actual nourishment for our bodies, but it also nourishes our soul a little bit, and we should be eating foods we like, foods that feel good to us.”
This post was originally published on VegNews.com.
In the stillness of London’s Harold Pinter Theatre, as David Tennant crouched on stage to deliver a pivotal soliloquy in Macbeth, chaos erupted.
A patron, incensed after being asked to wait before returning to his seat after a loo break, began shouting indignantly from the wings. Demanding immediate access, he disrupted the performance with his cries of, “two hours without a loo break! I paid £250 to see David Tennant in Macbeth and I was really looking forward to it!”
Macbeth chaos
Staff intervened, but the situation escalated when the man shoved security personnel. Frustrated, fellow theatergoers began slow-clapping and chanting “out, out, out!” until he was forcibly removed, booed all the way to the door.
The incident spread rapidly across social media, sparking debates about audience etiquette. One commenter encapsulated the frustration many felt:
Some people just do not know how to behave in public, and at the theatre, they feel they should be able to get up and move around, talk, and even look at their mobiles. They behave as if they are at home.
Others, however, sought to clarify the sequence of events, pointing to a misunderstanding that framed the outburst. Another user explained:
The disgruntled ticket holder caused a furore when he was told he would have to wait to return to his seat after returning from the toilet. He wasn’t refused re-admission completely, just asked to wait for a suitable moment to retake his seat. All this person’s rage was because he couldn’t sit back down immediately – he HAD to wait a few minutes.
This raises a troubling question: How could such a minor inconvenience – a short wait for an appropriate pause in the performance – escalate into such aggression? And why does this kind of behaviour seem to be happening in theatres more frequently?
An epidemic of antisocial audiences – not just at Macbeth
The Macbeth incident is part of a broader trend of escalating audience disruptions. Theatres across the UK have reported an increase in violent, aggressive, and antisocial behaviour since the pandemic.
Earlier this year, a performance of the Bodyguard at Manchester’s Palace Theatre ended in chaos. Audience members, determined to sing over the cast during the final number, sparked a confrontation so intense that the production was stopped and police were called, arriving in riot vans.
Disruptions have ranged from heckling and shouting to physical altercations and even instances of public urination in seats. One front-of-house worker described to the Guardian how, since the beginning of the pandemic, she and her colleagues have faced escalating violence and abuse, breaking up fights and enduring verbal attacks on a weekly basis.
A recent survey by the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph, and Theatre Union (BECTU) found that 90% of theatre workers had experienced or witnessed unacceptable behavior from audiences, with 70% saying such incidents have worsened since the beginning of pandemic.
What’s driving this rise in impatience, aggression, and disregard for others? The answer may lie in the lingering neurological effects of Covid-19 (coronavirus).
Covid-19 and the brain: an insidious loss of moral reasoning
Initially dismissed as a result of post-lockdown awkwardness or direct sales of alcohol to audiences at theatres, this behavioural shift now appears to have a biological component. Covid-19, widely understood as a respiratory illness early in the pandemic, is now recognised as a vascular disease that affects multiple systems in the body, including the brain.
Even infections whose symptoms appear ‘mild’ can lead to long-term neurological changes, with symptoms such as emotional dysregulation, impulsiveness, and aggression becoming more common.
Neuropsychiatrist Dr. Adam Kaplin of Johns Hopkins University describes a phenomenon he calls “Covid-induced disinhibition,” in which individuals exhibit drastic personality changes after infection.
According to Kaplin, it is not the virus itself but the immune system’s inflammatory response to Covid-19 that can alter brain function, particularly in areas governing impulse control, empathy, and emotional regulation. These changes can manifest as uncharacteristic aggression, a diminished capacity for social norms, and a skewed sense of entitlement.
Covid isn’t just changing how we feel physically, it’s reshaping how we think and act.
A neurological drama
Impatience, like that exhibited by the audience member who refused to wait for an appropriate moment to return to his seat, might seem like a minor issue. But in the context of Covid-19’s neurological impact, it represents something much larger: a fundamental shift in the way we think, process emotions, and interact with the world.
One person’s impatience at a play can be irritating, but in other contexts it can be lethal.
A 2024 study published in Neurology revealed that Covid-19 survivors were 50% more likely to be involved in car accidents compared to those who had never been infected. Researchers compared this increased risk to driving under the influence, linking it to heightened impulsivity and reduced attention spans.
Traffic fatalities in the U.S., which had been steadily declining for decades, have risen sharply since the pandemic. Between 2018 and 2023, speeding-related deaths increased by 21%, while fatalities linked to distracted driving climbed by 16%.
Brain imaging studies have revealed that Covid can thin the gray matter in the frontal and temporal lobes – areas critical to moral reasoning, impulse control, and empathy. Thinning of these areas doesn’t necessarily result in cognitive symptoms or forgetfulness in the early stages. Instead, it often manifests as disinhibition, with individuals exhibiting uncharacteristic impulsivity, poor judgment, or aggressive behaviour that might not seem immediately related to intelligence or memory.
Damage to these regions of the brain can induce what has been called ‘a slow and insidious loss of the capacity for moral rationality’. What begins as disinhibition – minor lapses in patience or self-control – can escalate over time into more sociopathic behaviour, with profound consequences for society at large.
A call for prevention and accountability
This crisis extends beyond theatre etiquette; it is a public health issue. If the whole of society are experiencing cumulative damage to our nervous systems, the consequences for society, even geopolitics, are cause for alarm. Theatre can lead the way, not only with protecting performers, crew, venue staff and audiences, but in modelling how governments and institutions can prevent further damage to the nation’s health and intellectual capital.
Advocacy groups like Protect the Heart of the Arts argue that addressing these disruptions requires tackling their root cause: COVID itself.
Theatres can lead by example by adopting measures that prioritise clean air and accurate on-site testing.
In 2021, the National Theatre in London upgraded their ventilation with HEPA air filtration. In April 2024, this may have allowed performances to continue when Michael Sheen, the lead actor of Nye, fell ill. Instead of the illness spreading to the rest of the cast, Sheen was replaced with understudy Lee Mungo for several performances.
By contrast, David Tennant’s Macbeth was cancelled for four consecutive performances and returned with the support of six understudies. Other venues can follow suit, combining air quality improvements with on-site molecular testing, like PlusLife, that delivers PCR-level accuracy in minutes.
Audience masking, though politically contentious, is a cost-effective measure that could protect both patrons and performers.
But the responsibility extends beyond theatres.
It’s not just Macbeth that’s a tragedy
Governments, institutions, and individuals must recognise Covid’s connection to anti-social behaviour and invest in policies which will curb transmission, including face masks in healthcare settings and on-site molecular testing, such as PlusLife.
If Covid is contributing to the erosion of moral reasoning and impulse control, then preventing further infections isn’t just about health—it’s about preserving the fabric of our social lives.
Theatre has always reflected our individual and collective struggles, and Macbeth itself serves as a cautionary tale about moral decay.
Today, the challenge is to confront the slow erosion of our collective empathy and impulse control, not from ambition, but from infectious disease.
The question cannot be more urgent: if Covid-19 is silently reshaping our brains and behaviours, what kind of society will we become? The answer, as always, lies in our willingness to confront the truth and to act before we find ourselves having lost our grasp on morality – just like the play’s titular character.
A family from South London are making a desperate appeal on behalf of their 19-year-old daughter. Natassa urgently needs to find a stem cell donor after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The family, who run a fish and chip shop at the heart of a local community, are urging people to register to help save their daughter’s life.
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and Natassa
Natassa has been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, and her only chance of survival is a stem cell transplant.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a fast-growing cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. It primarily targets lymphoblasts, which are immature white blood cells. These cells normally develop into lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infections. However, in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia these lymphoblasts multiply uncontrollably, crowding out healthy blood cells and impairing the bone marrow’s ability to produce normal blood components.
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia occurs when genetic mutations in bone marrow cells cause the abnormal production of lymphoblasts. These mutations can be spontaneous or arise due to risk factors such as radiation exposure, certain chemical exposures, or inherited conditions like Down’s syndrome.
However, in Natassa the story was slightly different. Her sister Sofia said:
Everything all started when Natassa had a seizure last Christmas. After multiple tests and a bone marrow biopsy, Natassa was initially diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in April. Our family’s world was turned upside down.
Initially, Natassa started a tablet form of chemotherapy and she was reacting well. However, two weeks ago, she started experiencing stomach pain and extreme tiredness.
We assumed it was the flu but, three days after another blood test, we were told the cancer had developed to acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. In the last two weeks, our lives have turned upside down even more.
The uncontrolled growth of lymphoblasts reduces the production of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, leading to symptoms such as:
Fatigue and weakness due to anemia.
Frequent infections as a result of decreased healthy white blood cells.
Bleeding and bruising caused by low platelet counts.
Bone pain or tenderness, swollen lymph nodes, and an enlarged spleen or liver.
Because ALL progresses rapidly, prompt diagnosis and treatment are critical. However, in Natassa’s case the failure of the chemotherapy means a stem cell transplant is the only option.
Stem cell transplant: the only option
A stem cell transplant involves replacing damaged or cancerous bone marrow with healthy stem cells from a donor. This can be life-saving, but finding a suitable donor remains one of the biggest challenges.
Stem cell or bone marrow donations require a genetic match between the patient and donor. This match is determined by human leukocyte antigen (HLA) markers, which are proteins found on the surface of blood cells. HLA types are inherited, making close family members—particularly siblings—the most likely matches. However, only about 30% of patients find a match within their family.
For the remaining 70% of patients, the search extends to unrelated donors. Finding a match outside the family is extremely difficult due to the following factors:
HLA Diversity: HLA types vary widely, particularly among different ethnic and racial groups. Individuals of mixed ancestry or minority groups often face greater challenges in finding suitable donors due to the limited diversity in donor registries.
Donor Availability: Even if a match is identified, donors may not always be available or willing to proceed with the donation process.
Registry Gaps: While international registries exist, many regions still lack comprehensive donor databases. Increasing donor participation globally is essential to overcoming this challenge.
Moreover, people from UK ethnic minority communities such as Natassa sadly face longer waits if they need to find a compatible stem cell donor match because they are currently under-represented on the register.
We must find Natassa a match
However, for Natassa’s family there is still hope. Sofia said:
It takes less than 5 minutes to register as a stem cell donor. Of course, we want my sister Natassa to find a donor – but this appeal is also for everyone else out there who is in desperate need of a match. We want to be strong for them too.
It takes less than 60 seconds to repost Natassa’s story – you don’t realise how much you’re helping a family like ours.
Natassa’s mum Tina told the Canary:
I have no words to describe what it would mean to me to find a match for my daughter. You will be saving her life, and for that I’d be eternally grateful.
Her father Adam said:
Finding a stem cell match for my daughter would be worth more anything else; more than all the money in the world.
Help save Natassa’s life from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
The family run Marlow Fish Bar near Penge in South London. It’s been a firm fixture in the local community since the 1960s – and on social media, locals have been rallying round sharing Natassa’s story.
Her and her family are being supported by charity DKMS. It is one of the most significant non-profit organisations in the world dedicated to the fight against blood cancer. Founded in Germany in 1991 by Dr Peter Harf, DKMS and the organisation’s over 1,200 employees have since relentlessly pursued the aim of giving as many patients as possible a second chance at life.
With more than 12.5 million registered donors, DKMS has succeeded in doing this over 120,000 times to date by providing blood stem cell donations to those in need.
DKMS spokesperson Deborah Hyde says:
If you are found to be a match for someone needing a transplant, then in nine out of ten cases, donating your stem cells is a simple process similar to giving blood. Every 20 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer, so you could be giving someone like Natassa a second chance at life.
The process is family straightforward. Registering as a stem cell donor is indeed a quick and easy process involving a simple mouth swab, offering hope to blood cancer patients who are still urgently in need of a compatible stem cell match. If you are aged 17-55 and in general good health, you’re eligible to join the register with DKMS.
Natassa is such a fun, bubbly girl – she’s just a little ball of light. She’s super creative and loves singing and dancing. Plus, she’s a talented makeup artist – before her diagnosis she had studied makeup artistry. She is hoping to pursue this as her career – but has had to put this on hold due to her illness.
If you or anyone you know can help Natassa and her family, then please contact DKMS here.
On Tuesday 17 December, a grand jury charged Luigi Mangione – the internets favourite CEO assassin – with murder “as an act of terrorism”. This is in addition to his murder charge:
Luigi Mangione is being charged with 1st degree murder & terrorism for allegedly “influencing the policies of a unit of government by intimidation or coercion.” But it’s ok that for-profit insurance companies kill us for profit and bribe our govt to prevent change to the system.
Under New York law, a terrorism charge can be brought when an alleged crime is “intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policies of a unit of government by intimidation or coercion and affect the conduct of a unit of government by murder, assassination or kidnapping”.
Luigi Mangione a terrorist? Really???
First of all, is this an admission that private health insurance companies are a unit of government?
Omg did the feds say the quiet part out loud by accident when they referred to health insurance companies as a unit of government!!!!!???!?! https://t.co/kTs9JHah64
I think it’s important to know that US law just admitted the capitalist CEO structure and it’s members are part of the government. Hm!
US Law, politicians, the labor aristocracy, healthcare CEOs, etc combine to be the bourgeoisie. https://t.co/mh0mgXjUgP
Secondly, since Trump’s die hard supporters stormed the US Capitol in 2021, they have charged more than 1,265 people. Not one of these charges relates to terrorism or domestic terrorism. Talk about double-standards?
Speaking of double standards, X users pointed out that usually it’s “thoughts and prayers” for school shooter victims, instead of justice or gun reform. Given there’s just over a month until Trump takes office, its going to be more like ‘concepts of thoughts and prayers’:
So when it’s a CEO it’s terrorism, but when it’s a second grader it’s thoughts and prayers? https://t.co/dtIV8XHMHJ
What do you call corporate criminal health insurers’ mass murder of people to make a profit?
I demand they bring every health insurer up on Genocide charges now. If Luigi is a terrorist, then health insurers are committing genocide by systematically denying and delaying claims.
They have charged Luigi Mangione with terrorism, yet for over a year the US has been sending weapons to Israel – a literal terrorist state. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, for:
crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024
Clearly, the US government need to check the definition of terrorism. Only last week, Yoav Gallant was able to visit Washington DC. More than that though, US officials welcomed him. This is an insult to the 45,000 Palestinians who Israel have murdered:
The past year and genocide in Gaza should let you all know that the word “terrorist” means next to nothing when it comes from the mouths of Western superpowers.
They will utilize it to enforce every act of barbarism and lack of humanity their minds can conjure up. https://t.co/WIX7JxWKiC
The swift response of US law enforcement in bringing terrorism charges to Mangione while simultaneously inviting genocidal war criminals to the White House is the US all over.
As expected, the gears of the criminal justice system turn extremely quickly when its time to protect the rich, white, and powerful. It’s working exactly as it was designed. That same system will never hold CEOs of health insurance companies to account for their necro-capitalist profiteering.
We do not condone violence of any kind. However, history has shown that it’s only things of this scale that ever bring about change. Mangione has blown a hole in the stark hypocrisy of the whole system.
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Citing a recent ProPublica investigation, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., urged the Environmental Protection Agency in a letter this week to issue a final report on the health risks of formaldehyde that is “science-based” and “as strong as possible,” adding that “the agency has an obligation to protect the public from the chemical.”
Formaldehyde, used for everything from preserving dead bodies to binding wood products and producing plastic, is extremely widespread and causes far more cancer than any toxic air pollutant. ProPublica’s analysis of EPA air pollution data showed that, in every census block in the U.S., the risk of getting cancer from a lifetime of exposure to formaldehyde in outdoor air is higher than the goal the agency has set for public exposure to air pollutants.
The EPA issued a draft of the formaldehyde risk evaluation in March and, after receiving feedback from the public and a committee of experts, is expected to release the final version by the end of the year. The forthcoming evaluation will be used to inform future restrictions the agency puts on the chemical. But the ProPublica investigation found that the draft version of the report used unusual techniques to underestimate the risk posed by formaldehyde.
In one case, the agency determined whether concentrations of formaldehyde in outdoor air posed an “unreasonable risk” — a level that requires the agency to address it — not by measuring them against a health-based standard, but rather by comparing them to the highest level of the chemical measured outdoors in a five-year period. The measurement the agency chose as a reference point was a fluke, ProPublica found, and had not met the quality control standards of the local air monitoring body.
The EPA did not immediately respond to questions from ProPublica about Sen. Blumenthal’s letter and when the agency plans to release its final report.
The EPA is evaluating the health risks of formaldehyde under the Toxic Substances Control Act, the main federal law that governs chemicals. That process typically relies on toxicity estimates calculated by a separate division of the agency. In the case of formaldehyde, the EPA released the final toxicity values in August of this year, decades after it began the process of calculating them. Throughout that time, companies that make and use the chemical — and could lose money if it is restricted — criticised the agency’s numbers and worked to delay their release.
Some industry-affiliated members of the expert committee that reviewed the draft evaluation of formaldehyde this year have continued to find fault with the EPA’s toxicity estimates and have suggested that the agency weaken them in its final report.
In his letter, Blumenthal advised EPA Administrator Michael Regan against taking this route. “Throughout your tenure, EPA has been steadfast in upholding its vital mission of protecting human health and the environment,” he wrote. “I urge you to continue this commitment and issue a final risk evaluation for formaldehyde that is rooted in the best available science.”
This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by by Sharon Lerner.
The children’s bladder and bowel charity ERIC has just launched its Radio 4 appeal for this Christmas, which is being read by TV star Mollie Pearce. Appearing in a broadcast on 22 December (which will be repeated throughout the festive period), the Traitors star will raise awareness on behalf of ERIC.
Mollie Pearce: supporting ERIC
Best known as one of the finalists on BBC One’sThe Traitors Series 2 and soon to be appearing in ITV’sDancing on Ice, Mollie Pearce has lived with a stoma since she was 18 years old, after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 11. Ulcerative colitis is a condition that causes inflammation and ulcers in the colon and rectum.
In her broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on behalf of ERIC, Mollie will share a story from Eva, one of the many children the charity helps, who has struggled with bowel and bladder issues.
Mollie Pearce said:
Growing up, it completely ruled my life. I struggled going to school because I was scared I couldn’t make the five-minute walk. I was always rushing to the loo, terrified I wouldn’t make it.
When I was 18 I was fitted with a stoma and I’ve learned to live with my condition. It doesn’t stop me living my life and I’m able to talk about it now. But there are so many young people suffering in silence, feeling scared and alone. That’s why ERIC exists. They offer a listening ear, advice and support to families struggling with bowel and bladder issues. They need our support to keep being there for young people who have nowhere else to turn.
Left untreated, they can cause long-term damage to children’s health and wellbeing.
Shining a light
CEO of ERIC Juliette Rayner said:
We are so grateful to Mollie for helping to shine a light on these issues, which many children and young people deal with every day. She, more than most people, understands what it’s like to suffer in silence, and we hope that by telling this story, she will encourage more people to seek out support.
It’s also essential for us as a charity to raise awareness of the work that we’re doing, and just how much goes into supporting the many children and young people who need us. ERIC relies on the support of donors to run our free helpline and provide online resources which act as lifelines for families who have nowhere else to turn.
It costs around £40 for a continence expert to provide 30 minutes’ telephone support to a young person, and we get thousands of calls every year. By doing this broadcast, Mollie will be helping us to encourage more people to donate and support the work that we are doing day in, day out.
Meet Eva
In her BBC Radio 4 broadcast, Mollie Pearce will tell the story of 14-year-old Eva, a young person supported by ERIC who experienced issues after a blood clot on her spine burst, damaging not only her spinal nerves but also her bowel and bladder.
Eva had to learn how to walk again and manage regular toilet accidents which she found embarrassing and had no control over.
Eva had to change a catheter and do a bowel irrigation every other morning, which involved using water to flush out the stool. Just getting to school seemed like a struggle and after suffering an accident in front of her friends, she lost all her confidence. Leaving the house became difficult and she felt anxious and low.
“When I first heard Eva’s story, I felt a sharp sense of recognition because when you’re struggling with these kinds of issues at such a young age, it can feel lonely. You can’t always talk about it and you live in fear of having an accident in front of your friends,” said Mollie Pearce.
Eva said:
Living with a bowel or bladder condition can really affect your mental health, as well as your body. It was a long time before I felt able to talk to someone about it. Finding ERIC, and realising there were other young people out there living with these things like I am, really helped me.
Meeting Mollie and sharing our experiences was absolutely brilliant and I am so glad she is telling my story, which I hope will help other people feel not so alone, and raise money to help ERIC continue to help other people who are struggling like I was.
Mollie Pearce: faithful to ERIC
Mollie’s broadcast will first air on 22 December on BBC Radio 4, before being repeated twice throughout the festive period and will be available to listen again on BBC Sounds.
Listeners can give via the Radio 4 Appeal website https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00268js or by calling 0800 404 8144. Or you can write a cheque to ERIC, that’s E.R.I.C. and send it to Freepost, BBC Radio 4 Appeal. Please mark the back of your envelope ERIC. Please ensure that you make your donations between 22 – 28 December – donations made outside of that window may not reach ERIC.
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