Dow Jones Factiva

Six years ago, I was diagnosed with a low white blood cell count, but my GP said it was normal for me. I've been suffering from thrush and hives for around four-and-a-half years. Could these problems be linked?

John Dickie, Stevenston, North Ayrshire.

THANK you for asking this challenging question, which has prompted much thought.

I suspect it is more likely that something is causing both your low white blood cell count and the recurrent Candida (thrush) and urticaria (hives), rather than the low white blood cell count being the trigger for those two conditions.

White blood cells are a key component of the immune system. There are different types, but, when we speak of a low white blood cell count, we normally refer to neutrophils, which account for 60 to 70 per cent of all white blood cells.

Low levels of white blood cells, also called neutropenia, is when the count is below 1,500 cells per microlitre of blood.

The range is naturally lower in some ethnic populations. Apart from that, the most common cause of a low count is related to medications — these include the cancer treatment methotrexate and rituximab, a monoclonal antibody used to treat some autoimmune disorders, along with many anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular, antibiotic, anticonvulsant and diuretic drugs.

Some infections, nutritional deficiencies, rheumatological disorders and certain bone marrow disorders may also result in neutropenia, by inhibiting the production of white blood cells in the bone marrow. But, in a person of otherwise good health, a low neutrophil count is usually of no consequence, as your doctor has explained.

Indeed, if it was anything to worry about, then, over six years, your health already would have suffered noticeably.

So, on to your other issues.

Thrush, an overgrowth of the yeast Candida albicans, mostly occurs as a vaginal infection or  balanitis, an itchy rash on the penis, usually in men with diabetes. It may also occur in the mouth and throat.

Thrush is generally unrelated to the white blood cell count, and the most common cause is to have been taking antibiotics, because these can inadvertently eradicate the protective bacteria in the body (part of our natural microbiota, or balance of bacteria), allowing unfriendly yeasts to grow unchecked.

Hives, known medically as urticaria, are common, too, affecting at least 20 per cent of us at some stage in our lives.

This intensely itchy, raised rash occurs when a reaction activates immune cells in the skin known as mast cells, which release a number of chemicals including histamine, resulting in the symptoms.

However, a detailed search of the available literature has failed to show any link between that and a low white blood cell count.

My question is, have you been taking any regular medication over the past four-and-a-half years?

For example, if you have type 2 diabetes and are taking a sulphonylurea drug for it, this might cause a low white blood cell count and could, in theory, cause urticaria through an allergic reaction to the drug.

The diabetic state might itself lead to episodes of thrush.

In summary, the answer to your question lies not in your low white blood cell count itself,  but within other aspects of your health history — and I would be interested to hear from you again if any of the above prompts you to send me more details.

© Daily Mail

Move over, salmon cannon. Step aside, panda pornography. There's a new tool in the world of wildlife conservation that highlights just how profoundly humans have messed up natural ecosystems and the dramatic steps we must take now to correct them.

And that tool is koala poop transplants.

Fecal transplants - which involve taking helpful bacteria and inserting them into patients by way of a capsule or an enema - have made headlines in recent years for their use in treating intractable C. diff infections in humans. Some researchers also think tweaking the microbiome, in the form of encapsulated feces, might help us better tackle ailments including pancreatic cancer, melanoma and obesity.

But koalas?

It starts with marsupials' picky eating habits. Koalas survive on nothing but eucalyptus leaves. And though they have been known to consume 10 varieties of the plant, a species called manna gum is the koala's lip-smacking favorite.

This preference has led to some problems.

Thanks to habitat destruction by humans, koalas often find themselves in isolated islands of eucalyptus, said Ben Moore, an ecologist at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment at Western Sydney University. "And that sort of enables over-browsing to occur and the trees to get destroyed," he said.

In 2013, a koala population in Cape Otway, Australia, plucked the leaves off every manna gum tree in the area, triggering a die-off of trees and koalas. Over the next two years, about 70 percent of the approximately 8,000 animals in the area perished. That was bad news for a species considered vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The tragic thing is that near all the stripped manna gum trees, there was plenty of another kind of eucalyptus. Known as messmate, it's considered less nutritious, but it's eucalyptus all the same. "Some koalas eat nothing but messmate," Moore said.

Many of the Cape Otway koalas wouldn't touch the stuff and starved to death, with the messmate trees in plain view. Moore thought it might have something to do with the marsupial's microbiome.

To chip away at the mystery, Moore and his colleagues analyzed the feces of koalas that fed exclusively on manna gum and compared it with those that prefer messmate. This confirmed a hunch - that koala microbiomes vary by population and contain different species of bacteria depending on the kinds of eucalyptus they consume. (You are what you eat, it seems, even if you're a koala.)

Next, the team captured 12 wild koalas from a manna gum forest in Cape Otway. A control group received fecal transplants - poop pills, basically - from animals that fed on manna gum. The others got fecal transplants from wild-caught koalas living in and dining on messmate. The payloads were delivered via specially designed capsules that could stay intact until they reached the koala's hindguts, where their eucalyptus-munching microbes live.

After nine days of coaxing the koalas to swallow the pills and another 18 days monitoring them, the team found that the microbiomes of the animals in the control group didn't really change. But the bacteria found inside those that received messmate microbes changed a lot.

The presence of bacteria associated with messmate digestion skyrocketed, said Michaela Blyton, an ecologist at the University of Queensland and the lead author of a paper describing the findings. It was published in the journal Animal Microbiome.

Most important was that the koalas that had been seeded with the new bacteria actually went on to eat more messmate than the control group.

"We know through human studies and work in other animals that the diet influences the composition of the microbiome," Blyton said. "And our evidence suggests that it may go the other way as well."

Blyton and Moore's study is the first to provide evidence that fecal transplants can establish a new bacterial regime in koalas, which in turn helps the animals exploit a different food source.

In some ways, the idea of a fecal transplant for koalas isn't all that extraordinary. In addition to producing breast milk, koala mothers produce a goopy, green poop that their joeys lap up. It may sound revolting, but scientists surmise that it's nature's way of making sure the next generation acquires the microbes it needs to survive.

Zoos have also been gaming koala microbiomes for a while now.

Priya Bapodra-Villaverde, senior veterinarian at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio, said she and her colleagues often turn to fecal transplants to counterbalance the effects of antibiotics, which have a tendency to kill good bacteria along with the bad. It is especially important for koalas, who cannot digest their meals without their live-in digestion partners.

"So one of the things that we've started doing is we'll usually get a stool sample from a healthy animal and look at it under a microscope," Bapodra-Villaverde said. "Does everything kind of look okay? Is there a good mix of fungal organisms and bacteria and protozoa moving around?"

If so, the team mashes up the feces with water and eucalyptus to make a probiotic milkshake of sorts. If the koalas are feeling picky, they let fecal pellets soak in water and then squirt some of the soup into the animals' mouths.

Commercial probiotics are already available for many kinds of animals, from cows and goats to dogs, cats, birds and reptiles.

But these products encourage the growth of more general microbes, not the specific varieties known to inhabit koala guts. That matters, Blyton said, because "the microbes in a koala are quite different to those that are in a cow."

The fecal transplants Blyton and Moore are pioneering might have helped wildlife managers save some of the Cape Otway koalas in 2013, and targeted probiotics clearly would be useful for zoos. But the technology may have wider applications.

As human development encroaches on koalas' natural habitat in Australia, more of the marsupials are being struck by cars or attacked by dogs and are ending up in veterinary clinics. About half of the nation's koalas are also infected with a strain of chlamydia, which can cause blindness or genital tumors. In other words, koala hospitals never want for patients.

"And the first thing that happens when a koala is brought into a koala hospital is they get a big shot of antibiotics, and of course that disrupts their microbiome," Moore said. "So the hope now is that by using a modified version of this approach, it will give us a way to improve the number of koalas that recover from these sorts of treatments and get them back out there, where they need to survive if populations are going to persist."

health-science@washpost.com

 More at washingtonpost.com/animals

Sept 9 (Reuters) - Kaleido Biosciences Inc:

* KALEIDO BIOSCIENCES TO COLLABORATE WITH GUSTAVE ROUSSY CANCER CENTER TO DEVELOP MICROBIOME METABOLIC THERAPIES (MMT™) IN IMMUNO-ONCOLOGY Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:

Whatever you find yourself up against, the world of travel delivers plenty of possibilities for a midlife reboot – as our writers discover...

The empty nester

Fiona McIntosh

While technically not yet an empty-nester, I am well on the way. One down, one to go.

When my eldest daughter Ruby, 18, took the 270-mile trek to Newcastle University last September, it radically shifted the family dynamic. Suddenly, our house in London seemed a lot bigger, quieter and emptier without her crashing around.

“Great, now I’m stuck with you two,” said our youngest daughter Eadie, 16, summing up our own unspoken dread.

Launching children into adulthood is just one of the many rites of passage you face in your 50s – and like unwanted buses, they all seem to come at once. Many of us are questioning our careers and our relationships, or have lost a parent and are staring down the barrel of our own mortality.

One economist friend of mine rather bleakly calls this time of life “Q3”. If Q1 was eaten up by childhood and early adulthood and Q2 was subsumed by career and family, then what is Q3? The last-chance saloon before Q4? Of course, the self-help books tell us to look at this moment as a bucket-list opportunity rather than a slow, downward, slide. Seize the day! Relish your freedom! You could still have a good 30 years ahead of you, so don’t waste it!

But how exactly do you make that transition? Well, luckily, because it’s 2019, there is a retreat for that.

In fact, thanks to the staggering growth of the global wellness industry, now worth nearly $4.2 trillion (£3.4 trillion), you can find a retreat for just about anything. It is now possible to book a “grief retreat” when you have lost someone close to you, a “Painmoon” for emotional healing, a “Mumcation” for a well-earned break from the children and a “Divorce Holiday” (brutally self-explanatory). You can travel with a friend, a partner or become one of the growing number of solo travellers[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/comment/whats-behind-the-rise-in-solo-travel/] who are looking for somewhere beautiful to reflect and reset.

For me, the opportunity to spend some time alone was the most glorious luxury imaginable. Even more perfect, if it were somewhere properly hot and exotic, a long way – mentally and physically – from rainy London.

While India has historically been at the top of the destination list for healing retreats, Mexico is rapidly gaining ground as a hotbed of wellness. Much of this is down to the popularity of Tulum in Quintana Roo, where A-list celebrities spend their winters’ green-juicing and Instagramming.

But in the hinterlands of the Yucatan, over three hours’ drive from the nightlife of Cancun and the wildly expensive haute-hippie hotels strung along the Caribbean coast, you can find a more serene place to press the reset button. I found the perfect spot just outside Mérida, the inland, cultural capital of the Yucatan.

It was on the grounds of a sprawling, 19th century sisal estate that had fallen into ruin and had slowly been reclaimed by the jungle, but had recently been restored to its former grandeur.

Now you can take tea (or a chilled glass of tequila) on the yawning, stone terrace of the hacienda overlooking the lawns and the magnificent 130-year-old trees. If you look closely you can see iguanas scuttling across the paths, and at night fireflies blink on the lawns like fairy lights.

The Chablé Resort, named after the grand Yucatan family that once owned it, is not your typical, crunchy, Mexican wellness retreat. For a start, it is expensive and luxurious enough to keep the most demanding New Yorkers’ happy with impeccable, discreet service and top-drawer facilities.

You could book yourself into one of the 38 private casitas, in your own pocket of jungle, and do little else but lie in the sun and roll into your own plunge pool when it all gets too hot. Or you could eat and drink (you can book an epic tequila tasting experience) yourself stupid and smoke Mexican cigars in the humidor.

But, like many others, I came to Chablé to pick the eyes out of the wellness offering which is embedded in every part of the resort. More impressively, it’s embedded in a natural and unselfconscious way. If you want to be starved and subjected to punishing workouts, this is not the place. But if you want to be picked up, carried off and nurtured, then I can’t think of a better place to be.

It’s difficult to say exactly what makes this place so extraordinarily peaceful. It could be the way it has integrated Mayan culture into everything it does, from the outdoor kitchen where you learn to make your own tortillas to the state-of-the-art spa, where Mayan therapists treat your worn-out body with heated herb compresses and rubs.

This respect for Mayan culture and spirituality isn’t a gimmick, either. It’s why the spa was built around the estate’s most sacred site, a natural, limestone cenote or sinkhole which the Mayans believe is the entrance to the spirit underworld.

Luxury spa breaks around the world[https://cf-particle-html.eip.telegraph.co.uk/e2942672-6ece-41bf-a1a8-a5ea29014714.html]

On my first night at Chablé, after a long flight from London, I walked down the path through the steamy jungle, to the platform overlooking the cenote for a yoga nidra session. I didn’t quite know what I was letting myself in for and resident yogi Raoul reassured me that this was the most meditative form of yoga. “Just lie there and relax,” he said, “and think about your intentions – what do you want to lose from your life and what do you want to bring to it to make you happy?”

I thought about the children and the end of this chapter in my life as a gradual phase rather than an abrupt ending. “Wake up every morning and feel grateful for what you have and give thanks for the day,” he said.

It was a sobering thought: stop being a whiny, ungrateful cow and be thankful for what you have, not what you don’t have. This simple switch in thinking is the basis of all spirituality which we often forget. Being reminded of it is enormously humbling.

Raoul asked me to focus on the sounds of the jungle, the chirruping of strange, unseen birds and insects. I’m not sure if it was the jet lag, Raoul’s gentle chanting or the energy of the cenote, but I started drifting in and out of consciousness. I might have even snored.

I was so deeply relaxed that when I heard a furious thrashing in the undergrowth nearby, I couldn’t open my eyes. At the end of the session I asked Raoul about the noise. “Oh, yes that was an iguana,” he said matter-of-factly. “It was right beside you.”

“OK, it sounded quite big?” I asked. “Mmmm, about this big,” said Raoul, holding out his hands a good three feet apart.

Nature is at the heart of everything at Chablé. Every morning I bombed around the estate on a bicycle, past papaya and mango trees heavy with teardrop fruit, avocados, coconuts and sapota, a luscious, deep red local delicacy that would end up in my breakfast bowl. All the vegetables and herbs used in the estate’s three restaurants are grown on site, and you can choose from the formality of the Ixi’im restaurant to the, healthy food of the Wellness Café (detox juices, and fat, grilled shrimps served with slices of buttery avocado).

Nora Orozco, Chablé’s head of wellness and events, explained the Mayans have a deep connection with the natural world. Her grandmother was the healer in her village and taught her about the power of plants which she has incorporated into the treatments at Chablé. Top tip: drink cinnamon tea to “put love in your heart” and place a rue herb plant by the door of your house to cleanse bad energy.

When guests first arrive at Chablé, Nora asks them how they’d like to feel when they leave and then creates a bespoke wellness programme for them. Mine involved morning yoga sessions by the cenote, glorious massages, hydrotherapy baths, sound gong flotation and nutritious food, rich in fruits, fish and vegetables.

It culminated in perhaps the most unique (and mildly terrifying) spa experience I’ve ever had – a temazcal, or Mayan sauna.

The two-hour ceremony requires you to sit inside a domed, brick building – rather like a giant pizza oven – which is heated to an almost unbearable temperature by coals.

This ancient ceremony is conducted by Chablé’s spiritual guide Abuela Ak’bal, who took the edge off my fear simply by being the most gentle, serene, person I have ever met.

Sitting together inside the temazcal, or Mother Earth’s womb, in total darkness with sweat pouring down us, we shared our problems and called on our ancestral grandmothers for advice and direction.

It really was an extraordinary experience, like hot CBT therapy – stop feeling sorry for yourself, shed your sadness and gather your energy for your next phase in life.

Abuela later explained to me that in the Mayan calendar we complete our first cycle of life when we hit 52. After that we are ready to offer all our wisdom to the next generation.

“It’s a special moment to make that change in your life,” she told me with a beautiful smile.

Something I’ve been trying to do ever since.

Journey Latin America (020 8747 8315, journeylatinamerica.co.uk[http://www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk] ) is the UK’s leading specialist in travel to Latin America. A four-night stay at Chablé Yucatán Resort and Spa starts from £3,370 per person. The price includes international flights to Mérida via Mexico City with Aeromexico, private airport transfers, breakfast daily and some of the daily fitness and wellness experiences.

Read more | Telegraph Travel's true stories[https://cf-particle-html.eip.telegraph.co.uk/3e704d66-aa84-463d-9787-6cc06af00dbd.html]

The bereaved daughter

Kathryn Flett

There is no point spinning the facts: after a long illness, my father passed away peacefully at 7am in London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on a Monday morning in July… and by the following Saturday I was on my way to SHA, the luxury “Wellness Retreat” on the Costa Blanca. However, context is all; the trip was already in my diary and, after an emotionally and physically draining six months, I figured there was unlikely to be a better place on Earth from which to plan a funeral.

Inevitably, there was a polite inquiry from the Telegraph’s Travel editor as to my general fitness-for-purpose, however I knew that Pa would not only have understood my decision, he’d have applauded it.

I was met at Alicante Airport by a lovely Latvian driver, Eddy, who made the leathery-scented, mineral-watered 45-minute journey to SHA, high on a hillside overlooking the Bay of Altea, more comfortable than it might have been. On arrival, I suspect the staff spotted that this freshly bereaved 55-year-old – also about three stone overweight and running on empty while still highly adrenalised – was perfect for the four day “Discovery Programme”.

I’ve been to plenty of spas and assumed the difference between a spa and SHA was simply fashionable semantics: Seventies’s “Health Farm” to Eighties/Nineties “Spa” to millennial “Wellness Retreat”, right? Wrong! While SHA has all the usual spa perks, there’s far more on offer – from the predictable therapies such as acupuncture and osteopathy to medical and psychological treatments given by traditional doctors, via some cutting-edge Woo-Woo of the Goop variety – plus, of course, a good modern gym with personal trainers and equipment.

There are also three pools: an al fresco posing pool, plus two more indoors – one for swimming quiet and contemplative lengths, the other for hydrotherapy. I never saw more than three people indoors at any one time, so my early morning/last-thing-before-supper routine soon became 10 minutes in the steam room, followed by slathering myself in freshly-made ice, a few lengths of front crawl and finally a 20-minute pummelling from the options on the hydrotherapy circuit. When I win the lottery I will build a replica in my back garden.

My first appointments on Saturday included a fantastic 45-minute massage followed by a meeting with SHA’s fabulous dietitian, Melanie Waxman. “I wouldn’t be surprised if once your mind and body stop being so stressed the weight doesn’t start to fall-off,” Melanie observed, while deciding what I should eat.

The restaurant at SHA is macrobiotic and mostly vegetarian with pescatarian flourishes – all tailored to your specific needs.

Coffee and alcohol – my habitual morning/evening go-to – were replaced by juices, cleansing teas, miso soups and grain-based salads, with a bit of fish at supper time.

As a restaurant critic I expected to feel compromised, however even outside of a “clean-eating” context the food at SHA is outstandingly good and service arguably even better – restaurant manager Juan is a veteran of several top London hotels.

My room was airy and spacious with a big terrace and the bed was super-comfortable, so these were not the reasons I woke at 3am every night. I didn’t fight the insomnia, though – just read until my body and brain dictated they could sleep again. The next morning, after a delicious breakfast… “Your adrenals!” Dr Ana shook her head during my “Energy Health Assessment”, “Look at this graph!” My adrenal glands appeared to be the Himalayas, and not in a good way. “If I didn’t know how exhausted you were, I’d be worried about you,” said Dr Bruno Ribeiro.

Thus, over the next three days, wearing a dressing gown and pool slides, I drifted aimfully from appointment to appointment, feeling not only blessed to be in the right place, but also touched by how many of these professionals cared about my wellness – or lack of it.

If I were to be uber-pernickety, SHA’s 2001: A Space Odyssey aesthetic is, after 10 years, slightly past its sell-by; the sterility is a bit early-2000s and could do with refreshing by adding more natural materials and some interior planting. But that’s as far as I’ll go because every single doctor and therapist deserved a five-star review, while some went beyond even my very finest TripAdvisor moments.

Six-star reviews, then, to the wonderful “watsu” (underwater shiatsu – astonishing!) practitioner Alicia and to the amazing breathing and yoga instructor, Nieves, whom I suspect might have been able to teach me to fly.

Kudos, too, to all the super-skilled masseuses for unknotting me, to chef Florenzia for her entertaining and informative macrobiotic cookery class (the delicious bowl of millet, cauliflower, arame and shiitake is my new superfood-staple) to Juan Pedro’s Sound Massage (with Tibetan bowls!) for almost literally blowing my mind, and acupuncturist Philippa, who sent me on my way feeling zingy. Thanks also to fellow guest “Rachel X” for making our shared mealtimes such an entirely unexpected laugh. Collectively, these are the people who rebuilt an all-but broken-me in record time.

And in case you’re wondering… the day I returned I felt so physically invigorated and emotionally strengthened, so much more robust and resilient (especially when the insomnia had passed) that I planned Dad’s entire order-of-service in one sitting at my kitchen table.

Just a week later, the day itself was as perfect as any funeral could ever be, filled with music, laughter, food and drink, in celebration of a life well-lived. Thank you, SHA – my gratitude remains off-the-scale.

Room only rates at SHA Wellness Clinic start from €330 (£300) per night in a Deluxe Suite; packages within the ‘Discovery Programme’ cost from €1,500pp for four nights: shawellnessclinic.com[http://www.shawellnessclinic.com/en/] .

The world's most incredible new spa openings[https://cf-particle-html.eip.telegraph.co.uk/9d314d6c-bd9c-429a-b87a-edfc3eb8eae1.html]

The Diabetic

Tracey Woodward

The menopause (no peri) started in my late 40s, hitting me like a sledgehammer as I felt the old me fading and a new one taking her place: I was overweight, with high blood pressure and thyroid issues. A diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes was the icing on a particularly unpalatable cake. My doctor was loath to put me on the best medication for fear I would have a stroke.

Instead, I called on wellness guru Yvonne Wake. She entered my home like the Mary Poppins of health, looking at my family, our eating habits, my workload and put us all on what she calls the B Plan… Back to Basics (cooking from scratch, growing your own), Balance (energy in and energy out, gut microbes and bug colonies in the gut – all done by creating a meal plan from a list of foods you and your family enjoy), and Behaviour change. Yvonne advised chewing our food well, not eating and drinking at the same time, moving more and getting the right amount of sleep – not forgetting sticking to the meal plan.

She also encouraged me to start regular, invigorating walks. I increased my intake of fermented foods, brewer’s yeast and vitamin D and began taking a nighttime sleep supplement and Microbiz for women’s gut health. Several months later, and already sporting visible results, I joined Yvonne on her French retreat for an intense week of no temptation, just lots of learning about what your body truly needs for fuel, exercise and rest.

For the first two days, myself and the other 12 exhausted guests (mostly 40-something female execs and women going through great life changes, recovering from ailments or surgery, but mostly tired and a little overwhelmed by life, like me) subsisted on a juice fast for the first two days then less than 1,200 calories.

The food consisted of tasty salads, fruit, the occasional nibble of cheese and the most delicious fish dishes and a Michelin star-worthy meat-free menu for the week. On Friday there was a full breakfast, a walk into the village and a most enjoyable ice cream which, after the week, tasted divine. On the last night everyone had a delicious three-course meal, which included chicken (if you wanted it), an array of veggies and a clean and very healthy dessert.

There were two to three classes a day to choose from on diet, exercise and gut health (there’s no obligation to attend any or all of these). Yvonne’s Eighties’ aerobics class – an intense surge of oxytocin – made me smile for hours afterwards; I just wish I had brought my leg warmers.

We learnt that women of a certain age need to strength train and build muscle. We did assisted yin yoga, had massages and hot-stone therapy.

There was also a daily three-mile (5km) walk and quiet time in the well-stocked library, around the pool or in the airy and comfortable bedrooms. Stunning views made this a real treat for the spirit, too.

More controversially, Yvonne advocates optional (and uber-energising) caffeine enemas: the coffee is made the evening before and guests pick it up first thing in the morning. It’s then down to the individual to position themselves horizontally on plastic sheeting and towels (make sure you’re as close to the bathroom as possible. What goes up must, after all, come down…

A year later, I went on my second retreat and took my teenage daughter as well. It not only equipped her with knowledge and a health toolkit to take through life, it was a great bonding experience, too.

It was just after this visit that I got the amazing news that I had not only dropped three dress sizes, but also reversed my diabetes. I’m now less anxious, my skin constantly glows.

Your eyes become brighter, you feel less tired – my blood pressure is an exceptional 44/80. My thyroid medication is the minimum dose of 75mg and has never changed, which is usually not the case and I’ve taken back control of my own health – and my life. And as some cancers, as well as arthritis and heart disease, are now being termed as preventable diseases, these were not only the most effective retreats I could have done, but the most empowering, too.

How a gut health clinic changed my life[https://cf-particle-html.eip.telegraph.co.uk/5bac12d1-467d-4e84-b81c-c0900d664aaa.html]

We have a way of lifting each other up: at the retreat you walk a little further than you thought possible, squeeze in just one more exercise class and laugh so much. It really is fabulous for mind body and soul.

Yvonne Wake runs summer health retreats in the south west of France, from £1,200pp per week, excluding flights. For the first time next year there will be a men-only week: wellbeingandlifestyle.co.uk[http://www.wellbeingandlifestyle.co.uk] .

The anxious mother

Sarah Rodrigues

Let’s be clear: there was nothing wrong with me. Sure, I was a bundle of nervous energy, but this made me efficient, an achiever. Other people, I’d inwardly shrug, were just lazy.

And so I superpowered through my days. A mother of three, I’d uber-parent. When the children were at school, I exercised. On Tuesdays I’d have to – and I do mean “have to” – run a half marathon; other days, I’d cover maybe seven or 10 miles and feel a bit rubbish about it. Stopping short wasn’t an option, thanks to the constant abuse from my invisible running buddy.

Far from burning off my anxiety, I was actually feeding it. Exercise spilled over into food: I’d bake, meal prep, menu plan and throw lavish dinner parties; meanwhile I’d fast, avoid social situations that I couldn’t control and frequently abandon my shopping trolley because everything, from the labels to the tannoy, was screaming at me.

Needless to say, I fell ill. As my 5ft 10in frame shrank to 8½ stone, I’ve never been so complimented, which rendered terrifying the point when my appetite returned, but I was still too weak to exercise. Anxieties sprouted like Hydra heads and I had nowhere to channel them.

A slower runner than I’d been previously, I was late to a doctor’s appointment because I couldn’t stop until I’d made my required distance.

Instead of berating me, she listened, questioned and soothed – and prescribed Fluoxetine, an antidepressant used also to treat anxiety disorders. It wasn’t the prescription; it was her kindness. I collapsed, inwardly, just crumpled up into a heap that needed help. I was so very tired. The effects were gradual but, with hindsight, discernible. I was more present, less distracted. I laughed, acted silly. I relaxed around food, eased off on the exercise and started socialising again.

Gaining a rescue dog created new time outside, delighting in his antics and connecting with nature in positive, not punitive, ways: listening to the susurrations of the leaves and the scufflings of my hound in the undergrowth, not covering sweaty miles. Still, without Fluoxetine, surely the voices would start screaming again?

Fiona Arrigo’s Somerset retreat, Back to Nurture, promised to enhance that sense of connectedness by returning participants to the land, reigniting the ancient wisdom that’s woven into our DNA. I was woken with hot water and lemon, my phone was gently confiscated, three wholesome and delicious meals were prepared for me each day, and therapies, including acupuncture and breath work, addressed me as an individual.

Every aspect of the retreat sang of kindness: the care that the Earth gives to us and the benefits that we, in turn, receive, when we are kind to it. Care and compassion between humans. Space. Rest. It was day three before I realised that I’d neglected to take my medication – and I felt OK. Clearly I didn’t need my edges smoothed in such a safe and restful environment.

We are so starved of kindness that encountering it can be life-changing. It was kindness that encouraged me to medicate my anxiety, and kindness that gave me the reprieve to realise that I could try life without it. It’s been six weeks now; the cold-turkey insomnia has eased, but there are definitely moments of overwhelm, of paralysis, when all of the noises are too loud and everything feels too close. But, thanks to the techniques I learned with Fiona, deep breathing, resonant humming, quietness, crafting, communing – I think I can handle it.

My time with her has reassured me that I know, deep down, what I, my body and my psyche need. I’ve always considered myself a kind person, I think – but now I can extend that kindness to myself.

The Back to Nurture by Arrigo retreat costs £1,890 per person from Thursday to Sunday, including full-board accommodation. To book, visit thearrigoprogramme.com/group-retreats[http://www.thearrigoprogramme.com/group-retreats] .

The burnt-out professional

Anonymous

“What do you mean I won’t be able to drink?” This news, two days before my first health retreat, was less than welcome. With a four-hour daily commute, weekend family time is really important to me and I was already giving one up in the name of self care. I was intrigued, but unconvinced. Honestly, how much lasting change can anyone make in 36 hours?

Until, that is, we heard about a new clinic at the Lanesborough Hotel, run by award-winning wellness retreat experts Bodhimaya and aimed at time-pressed execs who want maximum impact for the minimum commitment. Just a 20-minute drive from the office, I wouldn’t even need to travel far.

Once there, I was massaged to within an inch of my life – a deep tissue massage on Friday and Saturday in one of the treatment rooms, which achieved a fine line between pleasure and pain. Sunday brought a bespoke treatment of salt scrub, Turkish rasul and then back and head massage.

I ate like a king – albeit one following a nutritionally-balanced diet. Friday’s dinner was room service steak and vegetables – with, surprise surprise, a glass of rather good red – delivered to the room. Which, frankly, was just as well as I couldn’t have walked anywhere. A butler then appeared to run me a bath full of salts and minerals.

I slept until nine the next morning – a full 10 hours’ sleep, deeper than any I can remember. Saturday breakfast was an omelette and a kale, pear and ginger smoothie – surprisingly delicious.

Maxim was more charming, and it turns out my one-time six-pack is still lurking there somewhere and this reassuring insight powered me through the session (though I might have had to take 10 to recover after a strenuous set of press-ups).

Cornelius, in person, is as calm and earnest as his phone voice: he’s also approachable and a good listener. The world, he explained, is moving at a faster pace and everyone needs to slow down a bit. When I’m in the garden, take the time to sit and enjoy it. Listen to the sounds and deeply breathe in the smells. When I next put a record on, sit down and listen to it to the end. Do not give in to the inner voice that says you should be doing something. Just take time to… be.

Lunch was Thai salad with chicken and a noodle dish. I passed on the wine – which I was glad about when I met Olga, my next appointment: a stern-faced Bond villain in high heels, with a hilarious sense of humour – just what you need when contemplating the serious business of nutrition and diet, and some simple tweaks to my diet aimed at eliminating snacking and preventing my energy levels “spiking”.

Buoyed by my future prospects, I chose freely but mindfully for my evening meal: three courses of fine dining that was as delightful to look at as it was to eat. And three glasses of wine. I’m still not sure if this was part of the actual programme – but no one told me off. I mean, it’s one thing fine dining on your own – but fine dining on your own without wine? No thank you.

And anyway, the success of the retreat is that its focus is what is individually achievable and realistic: a thrice-weekly 20-minute fitness routine, simple diet changes, and after my first weekend at home incorporating Cornelius’s relaxation rules, I actually feel like I’ve had a break.

My cynicism reversed, after 36 hours I stepped back out into the world, my transformation complete. I don’t have anything to compare this retreat to – but if its magic continues, I won’t need to.

Bodhimaya’s one-night “Restorative Retreats” at The Lanesborough start in September from £1,795 per person, including overnight hotel stay. “Meditation & Nutrition Retreats” from £1,499 per person, including overnight hotel stay. Day retreats from £750ppn: 020 7333 7064; lanesboroughclubandspa.com[http://www.lanesboroughclubandspa.com] .

Telegraph Travel Awards 2019: Win one of 15 luxury holidays worth £500,000[https://cf-particle-html.eip.telegraph.co.uk/523f0390-53d7-4026-bdd1-ad208af98335.html]Inspiration for your inbox

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Eating more whole fruits each day may help reduce chances of developing diverticulitis

If you're at risk for developing diverticulitis, you've probably been told to eat lots of fibre.

Since the 1990s, research has suggested that doing so can prevent the painful digestive disease, particularly in men.

But a study published online last month in the American Journal of Gastroenterology has found that a high-fibre diet guards against diverticulitis in women, too.

Getting extra fibre from grains and fruits, such as apples, pears and prunes, may be especially protective.

WHAT IS DIVERTICULITIS?

Diverticulitis occurs when small balloon-like pouches or sacs in the wall of the large intestine, called diverticula, become infected or inflamed. Symptoms range from mild to severe and can include abdominal tenderness and pain, fever, nausea, vomiting and constipation.

Most diverticulitis is treated with antibiotics, but 25 per cent of cases can lead to complications that require surgery.

The presence of diverticula in the colon is called diverticulosis, which is usually discovered by chance during a routine colonoscopy.

The biggest risk factor for diverticulosis is aging, which weakens muscles in the wall of the large intestine. A low-fibre diet, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and a high intake of red meat are also thought to contribute.

Diverticulitis is more common in men under 50, while women older than 50 experience it more often than men.

THE LATEST FINDINGS For the current study, researchers from Harvard Medical School in Boston followed 50,019 women for 24 years; participants were healthy and between the ages of 43 to 70 years at the outset. Their diets were assessed by questionnaire every four years.

Compared with women whose daily diets contained the least amount of total fibre (13 grams), those who consumed the most (27 grams) were 14 per cent less likely to develop diverticulitis requiring antibiotics or hospitalization.

When the researchers examined sources of fibre, they found that fibre from cereal grains and fruits, but not vegetables, were protective.

Women who ate the most fruit fibre (7.7 grams a day) had a 17 per cent lower risk of diverticulitis than their peers who consumed only 1.4 grams. Eating the most cereal fibre (9.8 grams versus 2.9 grams a day) was tied to a 10-per-cent lower risk of diverticulitis.

The results also showed that eating more whole fruits each day reduced the risk, as did eating apples, pears and prunes.

It's thought that fibre may guard against diverticulitis by preventing constipation and the pressure it exerts on the colon wall.

Fibre also nourishes beneficial gut bacteria, which, in turn, can help keep chronic inflammation at bay.

Eating more fibre from fruit and cereal grains has also been associated with lower levels of circulating estrogen, a hormone that may influence the risk of diverticulitis in women.

The study wasn't a randomized controlled trial and therefore can't prove that a high-fibre diet prevents diverticulitis. Still, its long-term follow-up and detailed and repeated collection of diet and lifestyle information are strengths.

HOW MUCH FIBRE?

The new findings suggest that a woman can lower her risk of developing diverticulitis by consuming 27 grams of fibre a day.

Current fibre recommendations for adults, established by the U.S. based Institute of Medicine, are 25 grams a day for women to age 50 and 21 grams for older women. Men, ages 19 to 50, require 38 grams of fibre each day; older men need 30 grams.

I recommend that adults aim for 30 grams of total fibre each day, twice as much as the average Canadian consumes. It's a target that's also been tied to a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke and colorectal cancer.

Eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains every day. Include beans and lentils in your diet, too.

To increase your intake of fruit fibre, choose apples (4.4 grams per one medium), apricots (3 grams per four), avocado (4.3 grams per one-quarter), blackberries (4 grams per half-cup), pears (5.5 grams per one medium), prunes (2.5 grams per four) and raspberries (4 grams for every half-cup).

Higher-fibre cereal grains (amounts for every half-cup) incude bulgur (4 grams), farro (6 grams), freekeh (5 grams), black rice (2 grams), whole wheat pasta (2.5 grams) and 100-per-cent bran cereals (12 grams). Choose 100-per-cent whole-grain bread with at least 3 grams of fibre a slice.

It's important to note that during a flareup of diverticulitis, a low-fibre diet is to be followed as the bowel heals.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private-practice dietitian, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan.

Aneisha Soobroyen, 31, launched health-focused pet food brand Scrumbles in June 2018 and recently featured on TV's Dragons' Den. She lives in London with her co-founder husband, Jack, their cat Boo and dog Smudge.

I'VE always been interested in nutrition. I was working in a grocer, selling healthy children's snacks, but I never imagined I'd become something of an expert in pet nutrition, too.

That is until 2015, when we adopted Siberian cat Boo. She hit it off with our dog, Smudge — but she didn't get on with conventional cat food, which made her poorly.

The vet gave us a probiotic supplement, but, when we tried to transition to a normal diet, we were back to square one. I'd spend hours boiling chicken and rice.

I scoured the internet for an alternative, gut-friendly pet food, but couldn't find anything. Boo would try to eat Smudge's food.

I knew we needed a solution for both cats and dogs — something that wouldn't make Boo ill and which would give them both all the nutrition they needed. I also wanted it to be responsibly made. That was my light bulb moment: Jack and I decided to make it ourselves. So I quit my job and called on pet nutritionists. It took almost three years to come up with recipes we were happy with — and that our pets (and a panel of furry friends) enjoyed.

The products avoid common allergens such as gluten, dairy and soy, and have probiotics. Sourcing the ingredients and manufacturing recipes as locally as possible avoids unnecessary carbon consumption.

We've committed food and 10 per cent of profits to charities such as All Dogs Matter and the Mayhew.

We knew we wouldn't be able to take a salary in the early stages, so saved to pay monthly expenses.

But it was worth it. So many people told us Scrumbles had changed their pet's life now we'd settled their sensitive stomachs.

We've now expanded into natural dog treats, baked in eco-ovens, with plastic-free, compostable packaging. We have 16 products and are stocked in independent pet shops, a select number of Co-ops and on Ocado, Fetch and Amazon.

We've just appeared on Dragon's Den. It was a slight test of our relationship — Jack turned down Deborah Meaden's offer for 20 per cent of our company! But, yes, we are still married — and our sales spiked 20-fold the morning after.

It's a joy to spend more time with Smudge and Boo, who are such an important part of the business.

Interview: Liz Hoggard

© Daily Mail

Re: Doctors in favour of fluoridation, Letters, Sept. 5 It was nice to see that 25 doctors have provided some science and common sense to the fluoride debate. This follows the city's dismissal of all submissions by the medical and dental professions in earlier debates. The city seems to base their decision on lobbying by the "tree huggers" and anti "mass dosing" protagonists.

If they are right, these folks should be lobbying against the use of chlorine in drinking water and the additions of vitamins and minerals to bread, milk, cereals etc., therefore mass dosing the general population.

I shudder to think what opinions they have on probiotics and the supplying of millions of nasty bacteria to our poor guts.

All joking aside, let's have meaningful discussion based on scientific facts and not on extreme and poorly researched opinions.

Bernard Bradford

Calgary

The upside to the waning of summer is nurturing food and fuller, heartier wines

The plane trees on my London street all suddenly dropped their leaves this week, depositing deep drifts of crunchy, brown foliage across the tops of parked cars and along the pavements. Together with the sudden nip in the morning air, the unexpected leaf-fall marked a seasonal shift that had me turning to the autumn section in all my recipe books when I planned the week's eating. Needless to say, it also awakened a thirst for different types of wine.

When it comes to white I naturally incline to dry, focused wines with a clean edge of acidity, but at this particular point in the calendar viognier suddenly appeals. I tasted a beautiful example last week. Domaine Vallet Ritou Viognier 2018 Vin de France (France; 13.5%; Haynes, Hanson & Clark, £14.45) is made in the Rhóne by a St Joseph producer whose viognier is planted right by his house in the village of Serrières. St Joseph is not just adjacent to Condrieu, the most famous of all appellations for viognier, its northernmost section overlaps it. Serrières, however, lies about 4km to the south of the Condrieu border and as the St Joseph AoP does not permit the use of viognier - white St Joseph may only be made from marsanne and roussanne - this wine bears the lowly Vin de France designation.

Viognier is tricky to get right. Never a high-acid grape, it can taste flabby and oily, and the floral aromatics don't always strike the right chord. This one, however, is spot on: it has rounded edges but is also refreshing. It's fermented in stainless steel to retain the freshness and there's a gentle smell of jasmine, honeysuckle and fragrant melons.

The overall effect is like dappled late-summer golden light shining through trees. It also has a succulence that makes for easeful and very attractive drinking. Just lovely. Another excellent viognier is the Vignerons Ardechois Viognier Grès du Trias, Coteaux de l'Ardèche 2018 (France; 14%, The Wine Society, £9.95). This is a more serious (ponderous, even, or somnolent) viognier: structured, with quite a weight of alcohol holding it together, and with more savoury, cologne-style florals and a flavour of peach and apricot skin.

Less easy to drink than the sheer delight that is the Domaine Vallet, but appealing to a different constituency.

Rosé? No need to call time for that yet, but I'd like to switch into a darker and more substantial pink wine. The richly coloured Contesa Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo 2018 (Italy; 13.5%, The Wine Society, £8.25) is perfect here and I saw when I logged on to the Wine Society website to check the price that someone else had had the same idea: "Think of this cherry-pink charmer not as the last rosé of the summer but as the first of autumn." Exactly. Try it with roast cauliflower and butternut squash flavoured with thyme and shavings of pecorino.

The deep cravings now are for red wine, though. I see that a new study supports the theory that drinking red wine is linked with healthy gut diversity, which makes me feel good about it too (let's not dwell on the fact that apparently one glass a fortnight is all you need to reap the benefits).

The red partner to the Domaine Vallet Viognier is my first choice here. Domaine Vallet Ritou Syrah 2018 Vin de France (France; 13%; Haynes, Hanson & Clark, £14.45) is a gleaming syrah, with a plume of bright scent, an underlying sensation of hard rock and bacon fat. It's a syrah for drinking in its youth but there is just a trace of a savage hinterland. As with the viognier, the grapes come from the village of Serrières which is inside the St Joseph appellation, but only the slopes, where the soils are mostly granite, are classified, and this syrah is from flatter vineyards, close to the river, where the soil is more clay and sand, hence the classification as Vin de France. The wine is immensely satisfying stuff.

Moving up-budget, a red I really enjoyed recently is Domaine du Grapillon d'Or Gigondas 2016 (France; 15%, Waitrose, £20.99, 76 branches and online at waitrosecellar.com). This is a big, saturating, grenache-based southern Rhóne red that is about as close as you could get to the Keatsian "beaker full of the warm south".

Expansive and sumptuous as crimson velvet, it picks you up and carries you into its warmth. I served it with a lamb and black olive casserole but it would be gorgeous with a roast duck and roasted root vegetables, or make a feast of sausages, onion gravy and mash. Now I feel almost ready to put the central heating on.

WINES OF THE WEEK HIDALGO LA GITANA MANZANILLA SHERRY NV Spain (15%, Waitrose, £9.69, down from £11.99 until Tues) Manzanilla is the lightest and finest of all sherries. This one is very dry, all sea-spray, dried camomile and yeast. Makes a great sundowner, especially with salted nuts or homemade croquetas.

PENFOLDS KOONUNGA HILL SHIRAZ CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2017 Australia (14%, Tesco, £8, down from £9 until Mon) Blackcurrants mingle with suede and baked raspberries in this shiraz-cabernet, a blend that Australia has made its own. A hug in a bottle, it's a great red for hunkering down on darker nights.

PAUL JABOULET AINÉ VENTOUX LES TRAVERSES 2017 Ventoux, Rhóne, France (14.5%, The Wine Society, £8.50) Ventoux lies east of Châteauneuf-du- Pape and is a great place to look for good-value reds like this one. A classic Rhóne blend, based on grenache with some syrah, it has clarity and warmth, all white pepper and juicy fruits.

The effect is like dappled latesummer golden light, shining through trees

Happy Friday, Sept. 6th!

Bringing you this week's fresh batch of healthcare and biotech news is me, Erin Brodwin[https://www.businessinsider.com/author/erin-brodwin?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest], subbing for the fabulous Lydia Ramsey[https://www.businessinsider.com/author/lydia-ramsey?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] while she wraps up her honeymoon festivities.

While my East Coast coworkers mourn the end of summer, the Bay Area is just starting to heat up. Hello, iced coffee — it's been too long.

Are you new to our newsletter? Sign up here![http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/health-insider?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

Earlier this week, buzzy Silicon Valley microbiome startup uBiome filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy[https://www.businessinsider.com/microbiome-startup-ubiome-files-for-bankruptcy-2019-9?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]. The company had previously convinced VCs[https://www.businessinsider.com/ubiome-poop-testing-startup-inside-story-what-happened-timeline-2019-5?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] that testing poop was a business worth $600 million. Among them: Andreessen Horowitz and 8VC, who now own 11% and 20% of uBiome, according to the bankruptcy filing:

Poop-testing startup uBiome was once valued at $600 million by Silicon Valley's top VCs. It just filed for bankruptcy.[https://www.businessinsider.com/microbiome-startup-ubiome-files-for-bankruptcy-2019-9?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

Chapter 11 bankruptcy isn't as extreme as other forms of insolvency: uBiome won't be liquidating as it would if it had declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy, for example. Instead, the company is looking for a buyer and attempting to save what it can of the business. That could be tough if uBiome's foundational science is flawed[https://www.businessinsider.com/ubiome-poop-testing-startup-problems-science-microbiome-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest], as insiders previously told me.

Which brings me to my next bit of news: Zachary Tracer[https://www.businessinsider.com/author/zachary-tracer?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] and I had the scoop[https://www.businessinsider.com/cvs-pharmacy-halts-plans-sell-ubiome-poop-tests-stores-2019-9?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] on an unfortunate turnout for uBiome's plans for salvation. The company was going to try selling its only product, a test called Explorer, at CVS stores. CVS, however, told us it's not feeling the deal[https://www.businessinsider.com/cvs-pharmacy-halts-plans-sell-ubiome-poop-tests-stores-2019-9?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]:

uBiome was banking on CVS selling its tests — but the chain just turned it down[https://www.businessinsider.com/cvs-pharmacy-halts-plans-sell-ubiome-poop-tests-stores-2019-9?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

Prospective uBiome buyers face other risks too, as my colleague Emma Court[https://www.businessinsider.com/author/emma-court?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] lays out[https://www.businessinsider.com/ubiome-bankruptcy-list-of-creditors-with-biggest-claims-2019-9?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] below. Among them: potentially millions of dollars in refunds from health insurers including Cigna, UnitedHealth, and Kaiser. Three of the claims exceed $1 million:

Some of uBiome's largest creditors are health insurers saying they're owed millions in refunds.[https://www.businessinsider.com/ubiome-bankruptcy-list-of-creditors-with-biggest-claims-2019-9?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

And in non-poop-related news, tooth-straightening darling SmileDirectClub is eyeing an IPO[https://www.businessinsider.com/investors-in-smiledirectclub-before-initial-public-offering-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]. The company's top investors stand to be smiling widely as each of them could make billions[https://www.businessinsider.com/investors-in-smiledirectclub-before-initial-public-offering-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] from the deal, as Lydia and Emma reported on Tuesday:

SmileDirectClub is set to go public at a $7.9 billion valuation. That could make the startup's top investors into billionaires.[https://www.businessinsider.com/investors-in-smiledirectclub-before-initial-public-offering-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

Does SmileDirect's bright news have you wondering what other lucrative startups are trying to transform the way we get care? You're in luck. Check out this round up of leading healthcare unicorns[https://www.businessinsider.com/healthcare-and-biotech-unicorns-going-into-2019-venture-capital-i2018-12?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] courtesy of Emma and Clarrie Feinstein[https://www.businessinsider.com/author/clarrie-feinstein?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]:

The 19 billion-dollar startups to watch that are revolutionizing healthcare in 2019[https://www.businessinsider.com/healthcare-and-biotech-unicorns-going-into-2019-venture-capital-i2018-12?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

* 19 healthcare startups have reached unicorn status, the $1 billion-and-over valuation mark.

* Johnson & Johnson bought robotics surgical company, Auris Health, and health insurance startup Oscar Health announced expansion in 12 new markets for next year.

* Some of the billion-dollar healthcare companies like 23andMe, Tempus, and One Medical are worth watching.

Speaking of bold plans to revolutionize healthcare, I learned this week that Jeffrey Epstein — yes, that Jeffrey Epstein — once had a plan to sequence people's genes[https://www.businessinsider.com/jeffrey-epstein-dna-genetics-research-drug-companies-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] and sell the data to drug companies.

That's according to a document obtained as part of a public records request. After outlining his DNA-sequencing plan[https://www.businessinsider.com/jeffrey-epstein-dna-genetics-research-drug-companies-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest], the late financier added, "I am not a mad man."

Jeffrey Epstein had a 'Frankenstein'-like plan to analyze human DNA in the US Virgin Islands[https://www.businessinsider.com/jeffrey-epstein-dna-genetics-research-drug-companies-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

I don't want you leaving our newsletter with only thoughts of bad news to fill your weekend, so I'll let you in on some more personal news. My dog, Dax (bonus points if you can guess who he's named after), just got off the waitlist at our SF bureau's WeWork. He'll be starting at his new post on Monday.

- Erin

NOW WATCH: Braces hurt so much because they are dissolving your jawbone[https://www.businessinsider.com/braces-hurt-straighten-teeth-breaking-down-jawbone-2019-7?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

See Also:

* Everything we know about uBiome, the startup that convinced Silicon Valley that testing poop was worth $600 million, and then filed for bankruptcy amid an FBI investigation[https://www.businessinsider.com/ubiome-what-we-know-microbiome-startup-fbi-raid-ceos-resigned-2019-7?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

* Bankrupt poop-testing startup uBiome was banking on CVS selling its tests — but the chain just turned it down[https://www.businessinsider.com/cvs-pharmacy-halts-plans-sell-ubiome-poop-tests-stores-2019-9?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

* Poop-testing startup uBiome was once valued at $600 million by Silicon Valley’s top VCs. It just filed for bankruptcy.[https://www.businessinsider.com/microbiome-startup-ubiome-files-for-bankruptcy-2019-9?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

* Greylock partner Reid Hoffman[https://www.businessinsider.com/reid-hoffman-career-life-2017-11?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] on Thursday posted a Hamilton-inspired rap battle video about cryptocurrency on LinkedIn.

* Hoffman explains in his post[https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bitcoin-rap-battle-hamilton-vs-satoshi-reid-hoffman/?trackingId=SbZqhHuPTPemZFfC8ZAcXw%3D%3D] that he thinks cryptocurrency is useful as an investment asset, a currency, and a technology, even though interest in cryptocurrencies has dropped.[https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-not-buying-cryptocurrency-facebook-libra-2019-6?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

* According to a Greylock spokeswoman, Hoffman "hopes the video gets more people talking about crypto and its evolving role in global commerce." Greylock invested in cryptocurrency startup Coinbase in 2017.

* You can watch the full video below.

* Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories[https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

NOW WATCH: Robots make burgers at this San Francisco start-up backed by Alphabet Inc.[https://www.businessinsider.com/robot-made-burger-creator-restaurant-san-francisco-2018-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

See Also:

* Microbiome testing startup uBiome is the fourth largest startup to crash and burn in 2019. Here are the top 11 startups that have crumbled so far this year.[https://www.businessinsider.com/here-are-the-top-11-startups-that-died-2019-2019-9?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

* These are the 28 hottest tech startups to work at, according to LinkedIn[https://www.businessinsider.com/best-tech-startups-companies-to-work-for-list-linkedin-2019-2019-9?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

* An early AngelList alumni is launching a new group at Ridge Ventures that aims to remove personal biases from early-stage tech investing[https://www.businessinsider.com/greylock-angellist-brendan-baker-ridge-ventures-new-hire-partner-2019-9?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

SEE ALSO: Before it was a smash hit, clothing resale app Poshmark struggled to convince investors that mobile was the future. Here’s the original, 2011 pitch deck that inspired one VC to bet on it.[https://www.businessinsider.com/clothing-resale-app-poshmark-first-investor-pitch-deck-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

We all love to potter. First thing on summer mornings to deadhead fading blooms; any time on crisper days to order corners of household chaos. It's often an ideal procrastination tactic of course but the mind often whirs while the body, crucially, is both upright and moving.

And now new research shows that sitting less and moving more[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2019/08/21/sitting-nine-hours-day-raises-risk-deathbut-brisk-24-minute/] often is associated with a lower risk of early death in midlife and older people. Conversely being sedentary for nine and a half hours or more a day was associated to a statistically significant increased risk of death, according to a review of data from over 36,000 people published in the British Medical Journal last month, led by Ulf Ekeland, Professor of Sports Science at the Norwegian School of Sports Science in Oslo.

In other words, although we all know exercise is essential for physical and mental health, now it seems that even light physical activity - a stroll, a bit of weeding, or a potter - also does something good for our bodies, provided it replaces time slumped on the sofa.

‘The evidence that physical activity has profound health benefits is comprehensive but there is something more subtle going on which is that being sedentary may have an independent detrimental effect quite separate from the positive effects of being active,’ says GP David Salman, research fellow in Primary Care at Imperial College and lead author of a recent editorial about sedentary time as an emerging risk factor for poor health in the British Journal of General Practice.

Researchers don’t yet know exactly why prolonged sedentary time is so bad for us but the effects are potentially part of an inflammatory process says Dr Salman. ‘One suggestion is that it affects cells lining blood vessels contributing to clogged up arteries and we have also seen studies where it can alter metabolism affecting both cholesterol levels and our sensitivity to insulin.’

Being sedentary may also weaken our immune response and possibly even affect the gut microbiome, the host of bugs that, it is increasingly being discovered, play a key role in physical and mental health.

But it’s not quite time to cancel your gym membership altogether: sadly we can’t simply junk the gym for re-arranging bookshelves, say exercise scientists.

Still, pottering is certainly better than doing nothing.

‘Pottering around isn’t a replacement for a fitness regime,’ says John Buckley, Professor of Applied Exercise Science and Director of the Centre for Active Living University Centre Shrewsbury. 'But so many people are so far off the mark of the ideal that the evidence shows some health value in encouraging people to the sit less, and at least potter more.

‘If you sit for most of the day, though, current evidence suggests you need to be doing more than 300 minutes per week of moderate-vigorous activity to off-set the effect. For people even meeting the government recommendations of 150 minutes activity per week, too much sitting the other 97.5% of their waking hours can counteract some of the benefits of their exercise routines.’

It would seem that with exception of the few high volume exercisers, pretty much every one else in the country would benefit from sitting less and doing more frequent bouts of even light activity.

Those whose work demands long hours sitting shouldn’t rush to get standing desks though. In fact, it may surprise some people to learn that there are no clear health benefits of standing versus sitting. Instead, experts favour simply getting up and moving around every hour.

‘A short three to five minute activity break like walking up and down the stairs every hour is more powerful, when compared with standing,’ says Ulf Ekelund. ‘If someone prefers working at a standing desk that’s perfectly fine but there is hardly any compelling evidence that standing provides any substantial health benefits compared with sitting.’

Another simple but beguiling way to reduce sitting time is simply to spend less time in the office. One creative marketing company called Made, which counts the NHS and the UN among its clients, has introduced a six-hour working day without cutting salaries or work-load.

‘Office days don’t need to be so sedentary or take so long,’ says Mark Merrywest, CEO of Made[https://madeagency.co.uk/] which employs 40 staff in Norwich and Cambridge.

‘I had other things I was involved in and wanted time for those, ‘ says Mark who started out doing 14 to 16 hour days in the city and also spent some time teaching. The change has cut days lost due to ill health and Mark believes most organisations can make changes that will benefit staff and business.

The new way of working was inspired by the concept of Lagom[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/mind/goodbye-hygge-hello-lagom-secret-swedish-contentment/] borrowed from Sweden (of course) which means not too much, not too little.

‘It is more than a word; it is a behavior, an operational framework,’ explains Emily West, the company’s business development manager. ‘We reviewed how long we wasted chatting, being distracted, arranging meetings, feeling tired, and so on. Most people only accomplish around six hours of actual ‘work’ in the usual eight-hour day.'

Change meant far more than just sending everyone home at 4pm though. The company had to impose a strict working structure they call ‘rigid flexibility’ to be productive enough to leave work an hour earlier than most of the U.K.

‘We arrive about 8.30, have a stand up meeting and coffee at 9 am to plan the day then one and a half hours of pure focus time (red time) which we repeat in the afternoon,’ said Emily. ‘ During this we all switch our emails off, don’t hold meetings or speak to each other. This ensures our team are as productive and efficient as possible in short, effective bursts.

‘At the end of each red time, we have ‘ fika[https://sweden.se/culture-traditions/fika/] ’ - what the Swedish call a ‘coffee break with friends’ - to move about and have a break.’

A one hour lunch break at midday is mandatory and two one hour sessions of ‘amber time’ in the morning and afternoon are for meetings and working collaboratively whilst still respecting each other’s focus (headphones on is a sign someone’s on a roll).

All very well, but if you can’t see your company getting the hang of Lagom any time soon Ulf Ekeland, who says he also spends long hours at his computer, advises finding ways to integrate activity into your life; tricks like taking the stairs instead of escalators, or getting off the bus a stop early.

It’s also worth working on the basis that anything is better than nothing. ‘Every minute of physical activity counts,’ says Ekeland.

So if you're the one of the one-in-four adults who do less than 30 minutes of light physical activity a week, the message is clear: stop sitting - and start pottering.

Sedentary lifestyle SOS

Experts don’t know enough to issue guidelines but these are their best tips so far:

Desk bound? Take a 3-minute break every hour and walk up and down the stairs if possible or around the office. This is better than a standing desk.

Long days? An hour a day plus of moderate activity seems to mitigate increased risk even if you sit for 8 hours current evidence suggests

TV addict? Swap screen time for pottering except fave must sees. TV viewing can be especially detrimental because we snack, drink and lengthy TV often accompanies sedentary lifestyle.

Limited mobility? If you or a relative has some movement, use it and try to increase whatever ability you have. Residential homes should offer exercise classes and trained support.

Hate exercise? If you do nothing at all start with a small walk and swap sitting for pottering of some sort.

ON SHELVES

Kellogg’s Off the Grid Waffles ($5/box of 8, grocery stores) deliver a whopping 12 grams of protein per serving, thanks to the addition of soy and whey protein. Sweet enough to serve without syrup, yet with only 4 grams of added sugar, the waffles come in Vanilla Buttermilk, Cinnamon Brown Sugar and Wild Blueberry.

Check the frozen aisle for Dole Spoonable Smoothies ($3.60, grocery stores), made of real fruit and in single-serve cups topped with granola. The Pineapple Banana and Strawberry Banana each has less than 200 calories and can be popped in the microwave or thawed at room temperature in about 30 minutes.

Gluten-free Kind Breakfast Probiotics bars ($13/16 packs, grocery stores) taste so good, you’d never know they contain probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that helps with digestion. Each pouch comes with two crunchy bars in Apple Cinnamon, Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate or Orange Cranberry.

Shake up your juice glass with Tropicana Watermelon or Pineapple Mango ($2.80/52 oz, Target). With no artificial flavors or sweeteners, the juices also make excellent spritzers with a splash of club soda.

Our correspondent offers a NYC guide to photogenic family holidays, hiring must-have domestics, medicating like a model and dressing your children meaningfully.

Probiotics for kids

With Gryph & IvyRose (a sort of mini Goop for kids), model Karolína Kurková joins a growing band of celebrity parents - including actor Jessica Alba - setting up shop. "When I was pregnant with my first son, I did a ton of research to see what natural products were available, and I wasn't impressed," says Kurková.

Now, Gryph & IvyRose's chocolate probiotic hearts for little tummies over one year of age are in hot demand (with tummies of all ages), as are herbal elixirs to improve junior sleep and moods.

gryphandivyrose.com[http://gryphandivyrose.com/]

The staff of dreams

Parent coaches are the new Manhattan family essential[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/womens-style/rise-parenting-coaches-big-apple-trend-way-uk/] - and they don't go near the kids. "We work with parents to show them how to manage their children," says NYC-based Meosha Williams of the Parent Coaching Institute.

Screen time is a hot topic: "We teach them to cope with anger issues when kids are told to turn off their devices. We encourage no screen time at all for under-twos." Yes, under-twos. Other NYC home-staffers include vegan chefs, school admissions consultants and eco-advisers.

thepci.org

Cute in cashmere

Mom-and-baby matching is a thing, and Le Lion, which makes the world's most-wanted custom sweaters, is partly to blame. "People want an emotional connection to the things they buy," says Laura Gelfand, who left boho-luxe brand Figue to launch the label.

Intricate monograms and motifs such as family pets are beloved by the fashion crowd - who await a collaboration for grown-ups on Net-a-Porter this autumn. From $295 for a kid's cashmere sweater.

lelion.com[http://lelion.com/]

Insta-camping

Airstream, the iconic American trailer company, is all the rage with a new upscale family demographic. "Outdoor adventure has always been popular," COO Justin Humphreys says. "But with platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest, the idea has been re-introduced."

Sleek mid-century styling - hardly changed over the years - is picture perfect, and the delightfully named Caravel and Bambi models are being relaunched to satisfy growing demand.

airstream-uk.co. uk

The gender agenda

Céline Dion is the latest star to collaborate with Nununu, the label spotted in Tribeca playgrounds - just be sure not to ask New York parents the gender of their clambering teenies.

Co-founders Iris Adler and Tali Milchberg cater to a city-wide anti-stereotyping movement: "It is so important children can express themselves through clothing," says Adler from company HQ in Tel Aviv. "We hope little ones are driven by their own true free spirit."

nununuworld.com[http://www.nununuworld.com/]

Sign up for the Telegraph Luxury newsletter[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/newsletters/Luxury/] for your weekly dose of exquisite taste and expert opinion.

Edward Stevenson, 40, from Scotland, adopted the new diet after constant agonising pain caused him a decade of misery

A dad has described how he eats just two racks of ribs a day and can only drink water because of chronic pain which left him suicidal.

Edward Stevenson, 40, even paid £4,000 to have a stranger's poo pumped into his intestines after his illness caused an endless cycle of misery.

The Scotsman, who now lives in London, told theDaily Record[https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-man-lives-two-racks-19337016]he battled through frequent pain in his rib cage and stomach area for a decade without a diagnosis.

In 2016 the dad-of-one was diagnosed with chronic pain, and now believes he has found a way of managing the agony he is in.

Six months ago, research into the red meat diet of Alaskan Inuits led Edward to transform his eating habits.

Mum with size L breasts struggles to walk and now desperately wants reduction[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mum-size-l-breasts-describes-19428035]

Every day, he now eats just two racks of ribs, only drinks water and claims it’s reduced his symptoms significantly.

Edward said: “My chronic pain feels like one person is scratching my rib cage while another person is setting it on fire.

“It’s pushed me to the brink of suicide, not because I’ve wanted to end my life, but I wanted to end my suffering.

“My relationships have been destroyed because of how it affects my mood.

“I’ve broken up with my partner, who lives in Slovakia with my son and I don’t really see my family.

Girl, 16, who suffered up to 100 seizures a day died from epileptic fit in bath[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/girl-16-who-suffered-up-19427937]

“I don’t want other people to endure the pain with me.

“Between 2007 and 2016 I didn’t know how to go on when I couldn’t find anything to help or a diagnosis.”

In 2014 Edward took extreme measures by paying £4k for a faecal microbiota transplantation (fmt), also known as a poo transplantation.

The costly treatment involves transferring a pressed mixture of a liquid stool from a donor into the intestines of the recipient.

“I felt like I had no other option,” he added.

“It’s used to put good bacteria back into your gut, which doctors thought could have been part of the problem but it didn’t work.

“I knew I had to try something completely different.”

Exploring everything from veganism to cutting out carbs, Edward discovered that Inuits in Alaska had a diet with lots of saturated fat and red meat, and rarely suffered from stomach problems.

“On social media I then saw the carnivore diets and gave one a go,” he said.

“To us it sounds strange but in countries like Alaska it’s quite normal.

Top news stories from Mirror Online

“Every day I have two meals, each meal consists of one rack of ribs and I only drink water.

“I’m getting a high meat and saturated fat intake, that’s what helps the gut.

“While I’m not cured it’s reduced the pain a lot.”

Determined to share his story and reach out to others going through a similar turmoil, Edward has written a book about his experience, Zero Days Off.

He added: “I started taking notes about my chronic pain in 2009 and it’s just gone from there.

“I want to let people know that there are alternative ways to help treat conditions like mine.”

Zero Days Off is available to buy from Amazon from Wednesday September 4.

If you need to speak to someone, Samaritans are available 24/7 by calling 116 123 or by emailing jo@samaritans.org

San Francisco-based microbiome testing company uBiome filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware on Wednesday. The filing comes as a series of allegations about the company’s practices has come to light, which resulted in its cofounders resigning from the company and an interim executive team being put in place.

Founded in 2012, uBiome began with a Kickstarter campaign for an at-home test kit that would enable customers to get the genomic sequences of the microbes found in their gut, the combination of which is commonly referred to as a microbiome. Its success in marketing the kit led to it raising over $100 million in venture capital, with firms 8VC and Andreessen Horowitz having the largest shares. After its last funding round, its valuation was estimated to be $600 million, according to Pitchbook.

The capital enabled the company to expand to other products such as a test for irritable bowel syndrome and a test for vaginal health, both of which required a physician’s order.

In April 2019, the company’s offices in San Francisco were reportedly searched[https://www.forbes.com/sites/bizcarson/2019/07/16/next-billion-dollar-startups-boom-or-bust/#5bfa36c3593f] by the FBI. According to reports in The Wall Street Journal and elsewhere, the searches were related to a criminal investigation[https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2019/05/01/microbiome-startup-ubiome-cofounders-on-administrative-leave-after-reports-of-fbi-raid/#2039cdd85829] into the company’s billing practices for those tests. The company’s bankruptcy filing lists over $7 million owed to a variety of health insurance company’s as “refund claims.”

The company’s cofounders and co-CEOs, Jessica Richman and Zac Apte, resigned their positions in July[https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2019/07/01/health-tech-startup-ubiome-founders-resign-interim-ceo-leaves-as-company-faces-multiple-investigations/#3f99bcc9459f] and were replaced by interim executives from New York-based Goldin Associates, a management consulting firm. Curtis Solsvig, a longtime restructuring expert[https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyfeldman/2019/07/03/new-ubiome-ceo-is-longtime-restructuring-expert-who-previously-worked-with-failed-drone-startup-lily-robotics/#3cbfb340abb1], is currently serving as interim CEO, and part of the bankruptcy filing indicates the company is pursuing a sale.

Potentially confounding the pursuit of a sale is an investigative report on the company that Business Insider published in August[https://www.businessinsider.com/ubiome-poop-testing-startup-problems-science-microbiome-2019-8]. That report indicated that the company may have dismissed concerns from its scientists that datasets that its microbiome tests depended on may have been tainted with samples from babies and pets.

London gallery intended as celebration of what it means to be human in 21st century

Some say it smells of modelling clay. Others that it has the vague aroma of talcum powder mixed with vanilla. Or perhaps a freshly painted room.

Members of the public will be able to decide for themselves when they rub a scented sculpture designed to evoke the smell of human breast milk. The bronze artwork, which goes on display on Thursday, is a celebration of bifidobacteria and part of a new permanent gallery at the Wellcome Collection in London[https://wellcomecollection.org/] exploring what it means to be human in the 21st century.

Curator Clare Barlow said the gallery was a celebration of the fact “we are all different, but also all connected. We all have an impact, both on each other and on the world around us. Each of the objects raises questions and brings in different perspectives.”

She hopes the 50 artworks and objects will encourage visitors “to think more deeply about things, to be surprised by things. We want people to encounter extraordinary research and ideas and art”.

There are a number of interactive artworks, including the breast milk bronze by Tasha Marks of AVM Curiosities[https://www.avmcuriosities.com/]. She has titled it 5318008; any bored teenager with a calculator will tell you what that spells upside down.

Elsewhere is an interactive panel called Resurrecting the Sublime, which, when rubbed, produces a floral, herby smell. It is in fact the lost scent of the extinct flower hibiscadelphus wilderianus, which grew on Mount Haleakala in Hawaii before its habitat was destroyed by colonial cattle ranching.

Music on a jukebox controlled by the public plays songs that relate to epidemics, such as The Streets’ He’s Behind You, He’s Got Swine Flu[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9hK45Are6w] ; Tan Tan B and Quincy B’s ebola awareness-raising [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pKK54rwVi8] State of Emergency[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pKK54rwVi8] ; and LaTour’s HIV-related People [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ImRyPymRAM] Are [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ImRyPymRAM] Still Having Sex[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ImRyPymRAM].

The new gallery, designed by the Turner prize-winning collective Assemble, is divided into four sections – genetics, minds and bodies, infection and environmental breakdown.

It contains a number of artworks commissioned by the Wellcome Collection, including Refugee Astronaut by Yinka Shonibare, a life-size sculpture of a galactic explorer carrying a ramshackle collection of earthly possessions.

“It is an extraordinary commentary on where we are and where we might be in the future,” said Barlow

Barlow hopes every section will have works that prompt “delight and wonder”. There is a tank of zebra fish, shining light on a fish with which humans share 70% of their genes, and a work by Antoine Catala, which looks like a blank canvas until the reassuring message “Everything is Okay” is pumped into it.

These are counterbalanced by less delightful works. Top of the list must be a display that includes eye wash, VapoRub, KY Jelly, a blender and a sieve, which the gallery says “is everything needed for a faecal transplant: where poo from a healthy person is swallowed or inserted into the gut to increase the variety of bacteria”.

Barlow said: “It is not something we recommend but at the same time it is a cultural phenomenon. One that says something about the symbiotic relationship we have with our gut bacteria.”

• The Being Human gallery at the Wellcome Collection, London, opens to the public on Thursday 5 September

As soon as you're rich and famous enough to buy whatever you want, people line up to give you free stuff.

Go figure. It's one of the great perks of celebrity - but behind the apparent generosity is the certain knowledge that if Ryan Reynolds drinks it or Jennifer Lopez wears it, everybody else will want it, too.

The Toronto International Film Festival starts Thursday and brings an army of celebrities to our town.

Local gift lounges invite influencers, filmmakers, actors and media types to come and get swag bags full of luxury items.

Here's our annual guide to where the gifts are for invited guests: ESSENTIALS LOUNGE Esther Garnick, head honcho of EGPR, marks a decade for the Essentials Lounge, a one-day event Wednesday that pampers the press before they begin the TIFF marathon.

EGPR offers posh products for hair and skin care, makeup, foot massages, reality TV binge-watching on hayu (first all-reality subscription video-on-demand service from NBCUniversal), and snacks.

Wait -no vodka? Invitees to the Essentials Lounge can get Aveda's new Brow Definer and a bottle of Good Girl Dot Drama Eau de Parfum (exclusively designed by Carolina Herrera de Baez and model Karlie Kloss) in a way cool stiletto-like bottle.

Goldwell hair specialists will be in the lounge with luxe Kerasilk hair care products and styling tips.

There's product from skincare experts This Works (and their Morning Expert Line), Sleep Plus Pillow Spray, super-duper sunscreen from Alumier MD, face wipes from Thursday Plantation, Roar Organic vitamin-infused/gluten-free beverages and munchies from Moxies Bar & Grill.

It's all at The Richmond, 477 Richmond St. W.

THIS IS IT! IT

House will celebrate film in style with the help of sponsors Swarovski, OGX Beauty, Sleep Envie, ShopNK and more.

They have a Rolling Stone portrait studio with a leading New York photographer, so you know celebs will turn up to have their picture taken.

This is the place such bright lights as Mila Kunis, Julianne Moore, Dev Patel, Natalie Portman, Elizabeth Olsen, Adrien Brody and Daniel Radcliffe have been spotted in the past, so gather 'round, star-gazers.

IT House x Producers Ball is a collaboration between Natasha Koifman (the NK in NKPR) and Drew and Jonathan Scott of Scott Brothers Entertainment.

You can shop like a celebrity year-round at the new NKPR pop-up shop, and give to charity while you're at it! Media are welcome Thursday at IT House x Producer's Ball in the Purman Building, 263 Adelaide St. W. And they have vodka! Hounds Vodka - which is black - to be exact.

BLUE ICE PARTY

Proud to be Canadian! The Blue Ice swag bag is always distinguished by its local flavour, and this year it's full of treats from Ontario suppliers: Ddelish shortbread from Eat My Shortbread (featured in the upcoming Winter edition of LCBO's Food & Drink), Toronto Popcorn Co., Trophy Nuts, Sanders chocolates, and a JiMMYBAR for protein.

Then there's Beaver Rub Seasoning for the barbecue and the Leslieville Farmers'Market favourite, Tropic Thunders Hot Sauce.

There's even a discount card for the fabulous Sassoon on Scollard and - because Canadians value intellectual activity - there's also a book from Simon & Schuster.

BASK-IT-STYLE

For the 11th year, Bask-It-Style hosts an annual media day Wednesday at their gifting suite at the Thompson Toronto Hotel.

Bask-It-Style (by PR firm, Glo Communications) also delivers its gift bags, via its hotel partners, to celebrities at TIFF - including Matt Damon, Jennifer Garner, Julianne Moore, Naomi Watts, Colin Farrell, John Legend, Sir Elton John, Rachel McAdams, Pierce Brosnan, Blake Lively, Rachel Weisz, Iggy Pop, Princess Charlotte of Monaco, Elle Fanning and Helen Mirren, among many others.

This year, the goodies come in plush swag bags from Amber & Ash and Brown Shoes.

Inside are wines from D.O. Rueda, a gift certificate for unique car rental service Turo and beautiful lotions in the Indigena Skincare's Glowing Travel Kit. Then there's Hollywood fave, Tru Niagen's B3 supplement, jewelry from Michael Hill, Monat hair products, a selection of Oteas tea and snacks: Todd's Protein Crisps, Welo probiotic bars, Green & Black's yummy chocolate. Plus Hanalei's Kukui Oil Lip Treatment, Dr. Bronner's Pure Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap and Liva Date Sugar. Something to read? How about Mira publishing's Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison and DK Publishing's Fashion, New Edition: The Definitive Visual Guide. It's like Christmas!

ELEVATION TALENT LOUNGE

This year, Elevation Pictures is setting up shop in the heart of the action on Festival Street (276 King St.). Along with media agency Vizeum, Elevation will welcome press, special guests and movie stars to a cool new space that's also home this year to the Twitter Canada #BlueRoom. What's on offer? Spiked Seltzer is the official vodka-soda (yay!) and there's Amore Pacific skin care products, Nandos chicken and Freshii salads and Soho Sweet Carts bearing treats, snacks and drinks, including Jura coffees, Kind bars, Coca Cola products, Flow water, Greenhouse juices, Starburst and M&M candy, Stella Artois beer, Arterra wines, Urban Decay makeup, fancy Nestle L'Atelier chocolate and plenty of other goodies. Are you famous? Jaguar and Range Rover will provide your ride. lbraun@postmedia.com @LizBraunSun

The secret to lustrous hair and glowing skin is being filthy rich - in bacteria and natural oils.

Skin experts say that when it comes to cleaning ourselves, less is more. This is despite the huge amount of cash Americans spend on their beauty products - the global industry was valued at $532 billion in 2017, according to Orbis Research.

"The No. 1 mistake Americans make is over-washing," Dr. Whitney Bowe, an Upper East Side dermatologist, tells The Post. "We are obsessed with this squeaky-clean feeling, but that sensation is a sign that you're doing some major damage."

Over-cleaning, as well as the overuse of synthetic oils and harsh chemicals, are doing more than messing up your hair and complexion - they're fueling "a dramatic rise in chronic skin conditions today," including eczema, rosacea, psoriasis and acne, says Bowe, author of "The Beauty of Dirty Skin."

Now, a growing chorus of pros and regular folks are advocating for less lather and more muck. Here, no-suds supporters break down the best washing practices for radiant and healthy skin and hair.

Face

As a young woman, Kasha Minzlaff, 26, struggled with acne. She used salicylic acid wipes to battle the bumps, and they went away - but not for long.

"If I went a day without using them, my whole face would break out," says the Tampa, Fla., resident. "My skin was addicted to it."

So she went cold turkey on all products, including makeup and regular face wash.

"I just faced the facts that my skin wouldn't look great for a while," she says. But after a few months of scrubbing with just a washcloth and water, she says her face was clean and clear.

Dr. Kenneth Howe, a Kips Bay dermatologist, says for certain patients he would recommend skipping face wash.

"Some people's skin is far too sensitive to tolerate any cleanser," he says.

But regardless of your skin type, Howe and Bowe say that the focus should be on keeping the good bacteria on your face alive, your skin's acidity balanced and your natural face oils intact.

How? For starters, most skin experts agree that the face should only be washed twice a day at the very most. For sensitive skin, even less.

"Anything more than that and you're really going into face-stripping territory," says Cindy Kim, an aesthetician and co-founder of Manhattan's Silver Mirror facial bar. "Over-washing will strip the skin of oils, leaving it unbalanced, tight and dry."

Everyone's safest bet is to opt for creamy cleansers that have words like "hydrating" and "gentle" on the label, says Bowe. She also tells shoppers to search for brands that clearly list a neutral pH level of 7 or a range of 5 to 7 to maintain the delicate acid balance of the face.

People also should check the ingredients on the back of their products and avoid the ones with sulfates - detergents in soap that cause them to foam and lather - as well as be wary of harsh acids such as the glycolic, lactic and salicylic varieties.

It's "really damaging to the microbiome when you're constantly nuking it with chemicals," says Jasmina Aganovic, a biochemist and the president of Mother Dirt, a microbiome-friendly product line. You end up leaving "just the cockroaches," she says, meaning the most resilient bacteria, and that "can worsen skin problems."

Body

Kelsey Hendershott of Minneapolis quit using soap for good eight months ago because she "didn't like all the waste hygiene and beauty products produced," she says.

"I just rinsed off more in the shower, and used coconut and essential oils," she says.

Now, the massage therapist feels that her "armpit smell has neutralized." Before, when she skipped a day of washing and wearing deodorant, the smell "was way worse."

For many, showers are a normal part of an everyday routine. And although some dermatologists, such as Dr. Arash Akhavan in Midtown, believe a daily full, soapy scrub-down is needed, others say only smelly areas - armpits, the groin and feet - need a daily wash.

"Armpits get sweaty, but it doesn't mean the rest of our body is dirty," says Aganovic. "Just a rinse on most places will do."

Aganovic advises that a plain bar of soap with no anti-bacterial ingredients works best.

Hair

Before Minzlaff quit shampooing, her hair was always a "frizzy mess," she says. But ever since she switched to apple cider vinegar - touted by experts as a great way to keep locks clean and fight product buildup - her "curls [are] really bouncy and shiny."

Twice a month, she pours a cup's worth on sections of her hair and scrubs it into her scalp.

Although weaning off shampoo was tough, she says, citing "super greasy" locks and an "itchy scalp," after the first five weeks, it was all good hair days.

"My hair has never been as happy as it is [now]," she says.

Katie Grossman, a hairstylist at Williamsburg's Hair Metal, is also a fan of apple cider vinegar.

"It works great as a clarifying agent and nourishes the scalp's hair follicles because it's anti- inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial," says Grossman.

Claudia Racos, of Sheepshead Bay, dropped shampoo a year ago for another kitchen-cabinet essential: baking soda.

"I automatically saw a difference," says Racos, 28. "It didn't get extremely oily anymore after a day or two not shampooing."

As with Minzlaff, the concoction transformed her tresses from "frizzy to shiny." Plus, she adds, "it's super cost-effective."

The bartender rubs 5 tablespoons of baking soda into her strands twice a month and finishes it off with a ½ cup of apple cider vinegar as "conditioner."

Grossman and Bowe say that you don't have to go cold turkey on shampoo, but you shouldn't be sudsing more than two or three times a week. They also suggest using sulfate-free brands to avoid stripping your hair of its natural oils.

"When in doubt, do less," says Bowe.

PRODUCTS FOR A GENTLER CLEANSE

- AO+ Mist for face and body by Mother Dirt

This probiotic spray is made with live bacteria called Nitrosomonas eutropha and is meant to bring dry, oily and unevenly textured skin back to life by promoting a healthy microbiome. Since the product is actually alive, the spray can be kept in the fridge for up to six months or can be left out for up to four weeks. $49 for 100 ml.

- Perfect Hair Day (PhD) shampoo by Living Proof

For all hair types, this shampoo cuts out common harsh ingredients such as sulfates, parabens and silicone and promises to help "you wash you hair less often." It's also formulated by scientists who've racked up 20 patents on their research. $27 for 8 oz.

- Gentle Cleansing Bar by Cetaphil

It's the classic soap every dermatologist, from washing enthusiasts to scrub-o-phobes, recommends. Made for sensitive skin, the detergent- and sulfate-free soap is an all-in-one cleanser that works for both body and face and is gentle enough that it won't strip the skin's natural oils. $3.57 for 4.5 oz.

- Melkorka Licea

As a nutritionist and mother of three great kids, one of my passions is healthy kids. Over the last couple of years, I've been hearing about more and more kids who are sick many times during the school year. As a result, they have been on multiple rounds of antibiotics in their few short years. This creates an imbalance in their digestive health and they just can't bounce back.

The odd cold or flu is good for the immune system. It's OK for us to get sick, what's not OK is when it always turns into an infection. Round after round of antibiotics isn't good for anyone's gut health. We have to be proactive and preventive when it comes to our health and the health of our kids.

Back to school is the perfect time to start fresh and to focus on boosting our kids' immune systems so they head into cold and flu season at the top of their game.

Nutrition plays a big role when it comes to boosting the immune system.

I'm going to do a three-part series focusing on how you can best fuel your kids for a healthy school year. Today we'll start with breakfast.

Most people think my kids are perfect eaters because I'm a nutritionist, but they're not perfect. They're healthy and balanced eaters though (still working on our littlest who is very particular). This is my approach and it's worked well for us.

My kids do not have perfect lunches, by any means.

I believe in the bookend theory. We start the day with a healthy and well-rounded breakfast, and bookend the day with a nourishing after-school snack and dinner.

That way I don't worry as much about how much they're (not) eating at school, and if they're trading my homemade cookies for something unhealthy and store-bought.

I know we're doing the best we can.

Fuelling the body begins with breakfast. It is the perfect time to refuel, to nourish, and to kick-start the body. Breakfast is the perfect time to fill up your child's "tank" with the right fuel for a quality day of learning.

I make sure my kids have some fruit every morning. Sometimes it's fresh fruit, other times it's frozen fruit. Then we add any of the following to make it a meal.

They also start the day with water and we don't drink juice - it's full of unnecessary sugar. My kids also get their vitamins at breakfast time.

Here are a few ideas for healthy breakfasts for kids and adults:

Oatmeal with grated apple, cinnamon, a drizzle of coconut oil, and a touch of maple syrup.

A slice of whole grain or gluten-free bread with coconut oil and nut or seed butter - try to avoid nut butters with added sugars. We usually add a sprinkle of ground chia seeds to their toast. Added brain fuel!

Whole grain or gluten-free toast with their favourite egg and a side of bacon or sausage. Add some sautéed, steamed, or raw veggies too.

Smoothies - frozen berries, banana, apple cider or milk, hemp seeds, chia seeds, a handful of spinach, dairy-free protein powder, avocado, add a homemade muffin and you have a great start to the day. I also put a probiotic powder in my kids' smoothies.

Breakfast burritos - scrambled egg plus toppings of your child's choice - avocado, tomatoes, sliced peppers, cheese, etc. Wrapped in a whole grain or gluten-free tortilla and enjoy! My kids also love omelettes for breakfast.

Homemade granola with milk of your choice topped with fresh fruit. My kids prefer cereal and some fresh fruit or an egg. Most kids have difficulty digesting cow's milk. We stick to unsweetened almond, coconut, or oat milk in our home.

Pancakes - I like to make a batch on the weekend and freeze them, then in the morning I can pop them in the toaster and top with some maple syrup.

Homemade muffins and a smoothie is also a popular breakfast at our house.

If your child is a vegan, there are meat and egg substitutes. Just beware of processed foods, as they're hard for our bodies to digest.

If you're looking for gluten-free, dairy-free, and often egg-free recipes, check out my website SheLetThemEatCake.com. I'll share some back to school lunch ideas in my next article. Stay tuned.

Maggie Savage is a holistic nutritionist who blogs about healthy gluten-free living.

Kathryn Mulkern's love of fast food was a full-on addiction as she feasted on her favourite McDonald's meals for breakfast and dinner every day

A self-confessed McDonald's addict has dropped 10 stone after ditching her 20 chicken nuggets-a-day habit.

Kathryn Mulkern would tuck into a sausage and egg McMuffin for breakfast every day before gorging on 20 McNuggets, a double cheeseburger and large fries for her dinner.

The 39-year-old office worker lulled herself into thinking that skipping lunch was a healthy option. But she soon suffered from bouts of depression and anxiety as she piled on the pounds.

Sometimes she would vary her diet with the occasional Burger King meal.

It was only when she visited her doctor that Kathryn was given a stark, but necessary, wake-up call.

She was eating her way to an early death.

Teen goes blind and deaf after living off chips, sausages and crisps for 10 years[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teen-goes-blind-deaf-after-19172005]

The medic warned her that herblood pressure[http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/ten-ways-banish-high-blood-9621402]had sky-rocketed to an all-time high and her cholesterol levels were reaching dangerous levels.

Determined to do something about her poor health andobesity[https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/obesity], she signed up to Weight Watchers in 2014.

Top news stories from Mirror Online

And five years on, she has shed almost half her body weight and found a new obsession - the gym.

She's lost an incredible nine stone and five pounds and dropped six dress sizes and says she feels 'more confident than ever' with her new-look physique and weighs just 10 stone 3lbs.

UK's fattest man who was housebound sheds 36 stone in one year[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uks-fattest-man-who-housebound-19115883]

The super-slimmer, from Maine, United States, said: "I feel disgusted by what I used to eat; I was slowly killing myself with every bite.

"As the weight dropped, I was shocked by what the human body was capable of and fell in love with lifting weights.

"It isn't about the number on the scale anymore for me, it is how I feel on the inside - which is healthy and good. I feel blessed to be alive."

She said she has always been overweight and there isn't one photograph from her childhood where she is not the big one.

Simon Cowell's weight loss stunned BGT judges after he returned 'same size' as Amanda[https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/simon-cowells-weight-loss-left-19027745]

"I am from an Italian and Irish background, so our diet was full of pasta and breads. It was so good for the soul, but not for my body."

She added that as she got older, she "continued eating sweets and then takeouts when I moved out of my family home.

"It was easier to grab aMcDonalds[https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/mcdonalds]on my way to work and on my return, I knew I was obese, but I thought if I skipped lunch then it would be OK to stuff my face on the evening," she said.

Red wine drinkers have healthier gut bacteria and are less likely to be obese[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/red-wine-drinkers-healthier-gut-19017597]

"I suffered with anxiety and depression because I hated the way I looked, so this would cause me to comfort eat."

She said the doctor warned her if she didn't lose weight, she would eventually die.

BREAKFAST Sausage and egg McMuffin with cheese, two large fries and a large fizzy drinkDINNER 20 nuggets, large fries and soda Double whopper and large fries and sodaEVENING SNACKS - doughnuts/cakes/ice cream

BREAKFAST Black coffee and protein shake Two low fat multigrain waffles half a cup of blueberriesSNACK Sliced cucumber and hummusLUNCH Grilled chicken salad with light dressing balsamicWorkout and protein shakeDINNER Salad or chicken, vegetables and cauliflower rice or fishFRIDAY - one doughnut

Should September mean laying down the fat for winter, or could it be a chance to get in three months of healthy habits before Christmas kicks in? If you don’t welcome the onset of the post-summer stone, here’s how to get fit this autumn...

Make changes manageable

Any change should be introduced slowly to make sure they can be maintained. “The best thing is to carry on as you normally would, rather than putting harsh and restrictive rules on yourself, like not touching alcohol until Christmas,” says Rhiannon Lambert, registered nutritionist and founder of Rhitrition.. “When we put pressure on, we’re more likely to fail.”

If you haven’t been to the gym all summer, don’t try to go every day. Set yourself a realistic goal of twice a week or, better still, take up a new activity such as dancing, walking to work or a local fitness class.

Look after your gut

Getting your insides in shape before the party season will help prepare you physically and mentally. Good gut health can help with the maintenance of a healthy weight, regularise the digestive system and boost serotonin levels.

“To give yourself an iron stomach in the lead up to the party season, introduce fermented foods into your diet, such as sauerkraut, kimchi and miso,” says Lambert. “Also include foods that contain live bacteria, such as Greek yoghurt, and prebiotic foods like onions, garlic, oats and banana.”

Keep it colourful

British people are failing to eat the recommended five a day of fruit and vegetables, as well as falling short on fibre: on average, we eat 18g of fibre rather than the advised 30g. One way to address this is to decorate your plate.

"Increase the colour and variety of vegetables with your dishes," says Lambert. "Fibre keeps you fuller and healthier.”

Having one meat-free day a week, on which you only eat plant-based foods, can improve health as well as being environmentally friendly. “It’s a good way to get creative and try different sources of protein and fibre,” she says.

Don’t neglect the basics

It may sound obvious, but staying hydrated and getting a good night’s sleep will make you feel less hungry while keeping your energy levels up. “When you’re not fully hydrated you can feel fatigued and have a lower mood,” says Lambert. “If you can aim for two litres a day, you’re doing a good job.”

Also get eight hours sleep per night. When you haven't had enough sleep, your body produces more of the hormone ghrelin, which makes you want to eat, and less leptin, which makes you feel full. “It leaves you wanting to eat everything in sight when you’re tired,” says Lambert.

Use your freezer

Preparing meals for the week on a Sunday and making use of your spare freezer drawers are good ways to make sure you don’t snack on unhealthy and expensive foods when you’re out during the day. Lambert recommends roasting a tray of vegetables on a Sunday and cooking a big batch of rice then eating it for lunch through the week. When you make a big meal, freeze a portion so it’s there when you’re in a hurry.

“Also stock your freezer with packs of fruit and vegetables,” she says. “As the weather turns and you don’t want to go to the shops, it’s much easier. Frozen can also be more nutritious than what you get on the shelf, especially now we’re out of season.”

Re-Nourish by Rhiannon Lambert (RRP £19.99). Buy now for £16.99 at books.telegraph.co.uk[https://books.telegraph.co.uk/Product/Rhiannon-Lambert/Re-Nourish--A-Simple-Way-to-Eat-Well/21071449] or call 0844 871 1514

Graham Sullivan, 59, is a company director, and lives with his wife Suzanne, near Arundel, West Sussex. Graham has two adult children. He says:

When I look in the mirror now, my skin looks so clear that it's hard to believe it's really me.

For 30 years I have lived with the skin condition rosacea. I've tried all sorts: alternative Chinese remedies, steroid creams — I have spent thousands on treatments but none helped. About a year ago I saw dermatologist Dr Justine Hextall, who gave me a laser treatment to get rid of thread veins. But she also said changing my diet — cutting down on sugar and booze — and taking probiotics would help.

I did have a sweet tooth: I could get through a family-sized bag of Maltesers and half a packet of biscuits a day. This, she said, was encouraging inflammation and making the rosacea worse. I took probiotics and made sure my meals were more wholesome — oily fish to help with the inflammation and more veg for good gut health. My skin is the best it's been in decades, and I no longer need treatment.

EXPERT COMMENT: Dr Hextall, a consultant dermatologist at the Tarrant Street Clinic in Arundel, said: 'We know alcohol and spicy food can be triggers for rosacea — they encourage inflammation, which causes flushing. There have been some encouraging small studies involving probiotics and rosacea [one Italian study found a group of patients who took probiotics with their medication had more improvement of their symptoms than those taking medication alone]. It may change the type of bacteria flourishing in the gut, having a knock-on effect on inflammation. I usually recommend the probiotic Symprove, as well as a general improvement to diet.'

© Daily Mail

Given a choice, would you rather take a pill or tweak your breakfast? We all know that a balanced diet forms the basis of good health. But for a growing number of people, what and how they eat is doing more than that — it is helping them combat chronic conditions.

Using food as medicine in this way is the focus of a brilliant new series, starting next week in the Daily Mail, by world-renowned expert Dr William Li, a Harvard biochemist and medical doctor. He will outline how you can eat to beat a variety of complaints, from arthritis to asthma and depression to dementia.

This is part of a month of life-changing guides in the Mail written by leading experts, which will look at how you can take control of your health.

We launch this Saturday with a unique Good Health for Life wellness journal devised by TV's respected medical experts Dr Chris van Tulleken and Dr Xand van Tulleken. This will show you simple tweaks you can make to your everyday life to achieve a new, healthier you.

And for inspiration about just what a difference changing your diet can make, read how these five people beat their chronic conditions simply by altering their food choices.

the high-fat route TO control epilepsy

Lee Morgan, 40, is a student and lives in Plymouth. He says:

I've been taking anti-epilepsy medication daily since I was diagnosed, aged 16. I've tried many types but they never stopped my seizures completely, and would leave me with terrible side-effects, such as drowsiness.

Three years ago the drugs I was prescribed were making me feel like a zombie — I worked in customer services at the time and could barely speak coherently on the phone.

I wanted to come off the medication, so saw my specialist, who suggested I be weaned off one of the pills (I continued to take two others) and try a ketogenic diet — a low-carbohydrate, high-fat programme which has been shown to improve control of epilepsy.

I was sceptical but agreed to try it. From then on I'd have no more than 20g of carbohydrates a day — which I initially weighed out using kitchen scales — and the majority of my food intake came from fats.

It was a pretty drastic change as I'd previously eaten lots of bread, chips and pasta. But to my surprise, I never felt hungry because I was eating more fats, which filled me up.

My meals now consist of chicken or oily fish such as salmon, with salad leaves or avocado.

Incredibly, my serious seizures stopped almost immediately — I've had no blackouts since I started the diet three years ago.

The drowsiness and other side-effects have gone, too, and this year I reduced one of my anti-epileptic drugs down from six tablets a day to two, under the supervision of a neurologist.

I have become so interested in how diets can change your health, that I'm now in my second year of a degree in dietetics. I've also lost 3st, dropping from 16st 7lb to 13st 7lb.

EXPERT COMMENT: 'The keto diet is individually prescribed as an add-on therapy for those with uncontrolled epilepsy,' says Sue Wood, a specialist ketogenic dietitian with the charity Matthew's Friends. 'Approximately 50 per cent of patients on a supervised medical keto diet achieve a 50 per cent reduction in seizures.

'It is thought to enhance brain reserves and stabilise brain electricity which, in turn, reduces susceptibility to seizures.'

Professor Helen Cross, an epilepsy specialist at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, says: 'The aim is for patients to eventually come off the diet, and around 80 per cent manage to do this without their epilepsy worsening.'

cut out sugars to BEAT IBS

Savannah Humphreys, 25, is a yoga teacher who lives in Hale, Cheshire. She says:

Despite being slim, some days extreme bloating would make me look three months pregnant. I'd also get frequent constipation, and if I was stressed, I'd suffer cramps and diarrhoea.

The bloating made me self-conscious, so I'd only wear baggy clothes; and the discomfort made me moody. It wasn't until last year — after eight years of gut problems — that I saw a GP. I'd got into yoga and realised it wasn't right that my tummy felt so tight all the time. The GP did some tests to rule out other conditions and told me I had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

He recommended I try the low FODMAP diet [FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols], where you cut out certain sugars and carbohydrates that are broken down by the gut and fermented by bacteria that release gas, which can cause bloating and pain.

I consulted a dietitian privately. She said people react differently to sugars in foods, so I'd have to adopt a trial-and-error approach to find my problem items.

I cut out lots of foods for four to six weeks, including wheat, broccoli, onions, milk, honey and apples; it was quite extensive. I'd have meat and fish with low FODMAP vegetables such as lettuce, peppers and aubergines, and was allowed hard cheese, but not soft, creamy ones. After about 12 days I had a flat stomach for the first time in my life.

After six weeks, the dietitian said I should start to reintroduce foods, one group at a time, to see what would trigger my IBS.

I discovered I reacted badly to sugary fruits such as mangoes, watermelon and apples, as well as honey, caffeinated drinks and green leafy vegetables. Wholegrain bread and pasta are OK as long as I don't eat too much.

I've stuck to the diet for the past year. Sometimes I'll react to restaurant food or stress, but for the most part I'm symptom-free.

EXPERT COMMENT: Kirsten Jackson, a consultant gastroenterology dietitian at The Food Treatment Clinic in Manchester, says: 'The low FODMAP diet works for IBS — at least ten high-quality trials involving hundreds of patients have confirmed this. FODMAP foods travel to the large bowel, where they are broken down by gut bacteria and fermented. This produces gas, causing bloating and pain in people with sensitive guts.

'But working out which FODMAP foods you are sensitive to is complicated, and the diet is initially restrictive. An expert dietitian can help you avoid deficiencies and guide you through the reintroduction phase.'

ditch SALT to CUT BLOOD PRESSURE

Alison James, 56, is an operating theatre nurse, who lives with husband David, 60, a retired civil servant, and son Connor, 23, in Belfast. She says:

Two years ago my weight hit 15st (I'm 5ft 5in, which made my body mass index 35: 'obese') and my blood pressure was shockingly high at 170/90 [a normal reading is 120/80].

My GP wanted to prescribe ACE inhibitors, pills that relax blood vessels to reduce blood pressure. But I asked if I could try to get my blood pressure down by changing my diet and taking more exercise. He agreed and said I had three months to turn it around or start medication.

I discovered the DASH (dietary approach to stopping hypertension) diet, where you cut out salt and eat more fruit and vegetables (which contain potassium to lower blood pressure) and wholegrains (to help weight loss).

I switched from white to wholemeal bread and limited myself to two slices a day. I started having fruit for breakfast and for snacks, salads at lunch and loads of vegetables with my evening meal.

David also followed the diet to support me. It was difficult at first, but we soon adapted and actually enjoyed cooking together. I also started running.

Within three months my blood pressure was 130/72. Two years on I've lost almost 4st and my blood pressure is 117/70. I'm surprised at how easy it is to reverse such a dangerous condition.

EXPERT COMMENT: 'The DASH diet is a low-salt diet, and one of the best ways to reduce your blood pressure, the leading cause of cardiovascular disease,' says Graham MacGregor, a professor of cardiovascular medicine and chairman of the charity Blood Pressure UK. 'It is also high in fibre and potassium, and low in saturated fat and sugar — all

proven to lower the risk of heart disease, along with exercise and not smoking.'

EATING OFTEN TO BEAT MIGRAINES

Rachel Alderson, 50, is a nutritional therapist and lives in Chiswick, West London, with her daughter, Georgia, 12 weeks. She says:

For years, my migraines were so horrendous that I was just surviving, not living. I had one three or four times a week, each lasting 24 hours or more.

I've tried numerous medications including triptans, which are meant to stop an attack. They helped some of the time, but gave me side-effects such as a dry mouth.

I was regularly waking between 3am and 5am with the start of a migraine. I went to the National Migraine Centre, a charity in London. They said hunger was pre-empting the attacks. So I should eat a banana if I woke at 3am to stop my body from thinking it was starving. Doing that really helped.

Since then I've been making other changes to my diet and I feel I've finally cracked it. For example, eating a lot of carbs tends to leave me vulnerable to migraines, so I've switched to a more protein-based diet: I have porridge and nuts for breakfast, and lunch is now chicken or egg salad instead of a ham sandwich. Alcohol and caffeine can also trigger attacks.

I've had only two migraines in three months and their severity has reduced, so I'm taking less medication. The migraines no longer control me.

EXPERT COMMENT: 'Irregular mealtimes, with big gaps between, are a common cause of migraines,' says Dr Andrew Dowson, a specialist for the East Kent NHS Headache Service.

'After eating, the body uses up glucose from the bloodstream for energy. If that runs out, it turns to stores in the muscles, then the liver and finally it burns fat.

'It's thought that it is the switch between these energy sources that can trigger a migraine in some people, so keeping to regular mealtimes that help avoid these switches can be beneficial.

'Alcohol is a common trigger. Some are sensitive to the alcohol itself, be it wine or beer; for others, it is the after-effects that alcohol causes — such as dehydration or lower fluid levels — that act as the trigger.

'Caffeine is another culprit, but this is more complex. Some find a strong coffee can help abort a migraine. But if you drink it too often, it can make attacks worse.'

© Daily Mail

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PUR COSMETICS FOREVER CLEAN GENTLE CLEANSER

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We say: This gel cleanser boasts a thick consistency that allows for a little to go a long way. Our tester was pleased with how it cleaned her skin, removing all traces of the day's makeup and grime, without leaving it feeling stripped. $29 Shoppers Drug Mart; beauty.shoppersdrugmart.ca

THE ORDINARY BUFFET

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We say: This thick serum applies easily and absorbs well. Our tester used it on freshly cleansed skin as the second step in her a.m. and p.m. routine (toner came first). Even with multiple products layered overtop, it remained comfortable and wore well throughout the day (no pooling of foundation). Skin felt calm and hydrated, which made our tester happy. $14.80 CurliQue Beauty Boutique, curliquebeauty.com

AKTAU, Kazakhstan — In most of the world, camels come in two types: two-humped Bactrian and one-humped dromedary.

But nothing is so simple out in the desert of Kazakhstan, where the camels roaming about, munching shrubs, come in a dizzying array of back shapes — most of them some version of one-and-a-half-humped. This is no accidental, naturally occurring oddity.

“All the best specialists in hybridization are in Kazakhstan,” Yuri V. Gabrov, director of the Moscow Ethnographic Society and an authority on camels, said in an interview. “They are way out in front.”

Kazakhstan, a vast and sparsely populated nation in Central Asia, is growing its camel herds by mating two-humped and one-humped camels, producing hybrids that are hardy to cold like Bactrian breeds, while producing copious milk like dromedaries.

Demand for the animals is driven by the improbable rise in popularity of a fermented camel milk drink known as shubat. It also stems from a push by the government to develop agriculture and diversify the economy away from oil; the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture provides loans to farmers to expand the hybrid herds.

This kind of camel husbandry was widespread[http://www.macroevolution.net/bactrian-camel-dromedary-hybrids.html] in pre-industrial Central Asia, where for centuries the most common form of hybrid, known as a “Nar camel,” was the preferred beast of burden for east-west trade with China. But the practice largely faded in the early 20th century, when the Soviet authorities confiscated livestock from nomads during collectivization.

As Kazakhstan pulled out of its post-Soviet economic slump, the camel herds also recovered. The number of camels in Kazakhstan[https://agriexpert.ru/ekspertyi/dastanbek-bajmukanov/razvitie-verblyudovodstva-v-kazaxstane] rose to 191,000 in 2017 from 96,000 in 1999, the last year for which figures are available, according to the state statistics agency.

At the same time, hybrids became more common, giving rise to the distinctive one-and-a-half-humped animals now seen roaming Kazakhstan’s arid landscape.

“Up until a decade ago, Bactrian camels were the norm,” said a 2017 study[https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jals/26/4/26_233/_pdf] on Kazakhstan’s camel herds, published in the Journal of Arid Land Studies. “The situation is changing.”

The study found that 80 percent of the country’s camels were hybrids.

“Now many people are keeping camels,” said Gulnara Uteniyazova, a camel milkmaid out on a recent, sweltering day, maneuvering through her grunting, snorting herd with a pail, at a camel farm on the steppe. She said her family owns about 80 head, mostly hybrids. “It’s good business.”

Kazakh veterinarians have documented 32 types of hybrid, of which about 20 are raised commercially. The hump arrangement depends on the degree of hybridization.

The most common hybrid is achieved by mating a Bactrian male, with its two distinct humps and a pronounced dip between them, with a female dromedary. Most other varieties are created by “back crossing” the resulting hybrids with other two-humped males. Unlike mules, donkey-horse hybrids that are almost always sterile, the offspring of a Bactrian and dromedary pairing are fertile.

The result is a great diversity out in the windswept desert.

A first-generation hybrid has a single but flattened hump. Subsequent generations have a variety of one-and-a-half humps: a single hump with two crests; two clearly articulated small humps; or one large and one small hump. The cross never results in a three-humped camel.

In another breakthrough in crossbreeding[https://sites.google.com/a/upei.ca/cross-species-mating/home/camel-llama-hyrbid], in the 1990s scientists bred a llama — a relative of the camel — and a dromedary, resulting in a beast called the cama.

Kazakhs have taken pride in their expanding, unusual herds. Kazakhstan is “the leader in selective breeding of camels, with nothing comparable elsewhere in the world,” a business news site, In Business[https://inbusiness.kz/ru/author_news/industrializaciya-apk-razmyvaet-geneticheskoe-raznoobrazie], wrote last fall.

Shubat, the fermented camel milk drink, is prized for being highly probiotic, not to mention a little bit alcoholic.

“If you let the milk sit for two weeks it becomes shubat all by itself,” Ms. Uteniyazova, the milkmaid, said cheerily. The milk is said to “stand up” and become the drink as it fizzes and curdles.

For longtime shubat drinkers, determining the number of humps on the camel that produced the milk is easy, because Bactrian milk is more fatty than dromedary milk. The closer the hybrid to Bactrian, the richer the milk. Which is better is a question of taste.

“This is not so good,” complained Sakin Murabayev, a bus driver at a highway rest stop in western Kazakhstan where shubat is served, after downing a pint and wiping the milky mustache from his upper lip. He preferred, he said, milk from breeds closer to Bactrian.

To be sure, a glass of shubat of any type, with its sour tang and mysterious globs of milk fat, can be difficult for the uninitiated to get down. But it is undeniably popular in Kazakhstan, creating demand for the crossbred camel herds.

Mr. Murabayev offered advice on storing the drink. “If you leave it out, it will start to bubble and you cannot drink it,” he said.

But rather than throwing it out, this extra-ripe shubat can be blended with fresh camel milk, thus yielding more shubat after a few days. “Then you can drink it.”

PHOTO: To diversify its economy away from oil, the Kazakh government has been financing herders who crossbreed one-humped and two-humped camels. (PHOTOGRAPH BY TARA TODRAS-WHITEHILL FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)

* Kazakhstan Prizes Its Cowboys, but Few Want to Saddle Up for Harsh Life[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/30/world/asia/kazakhstan-cowboys.html]

* Kazakhstan Cheers New Alphabet, Except for All Those Apostrophes[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/15/world/asia/kazakhstan-alphabet-nursultan-nazarbayev.html]

* Longtime President of Kazakhstan Surprises Region by Resigning[https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/19/world/asia/kazakhstan-nazarbayev-resigns.html]

Bariatric surgery may substantially lower the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other major forms of cardiovascular disease, in addition to helping patients lose weight, according to new research published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Analyzing the electronic health records over eight years of 13,722 obese patients with Type 2 diabetes and other high-risk health problems, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found that those who had bariatric surgery—also known as metabolic or weight-loss surgery—were 39% less likely to experience a heart- or stroke-related event than those who had standard medical care. The surgery patients were also 41% less likely to die from any cause.

Those effects were huge, said Ali Aminian, a bariatric surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and lead author.

The study was observational, he cautioned, meaning that it showed an association, but not that the surgery caused the effects. "The findings need to be tested in a randomized clinical trial," Dr. Aminian said.

Still, the study adds to previous research suggesting that bariatric surgery may be an effective treatment[https://www.wsj.com/articles/weight-loss-surgery-better-than-diet-and-exercise-in-treating-type-2-diabetes-study-finds-1435763877] for severe, costly chronic conditions in people with excess weight and diabetes, experts said. Studies over more than two decades have shown that bariatric surgery can rid some patients of their diabetes, or help them get off certain medications.

"This is an important contribution to the growing body of evidence showing that substantial weight loss, such as that produced by bariatric surgery, can reduce severe illness and death in people with excess weight and diabetes," said Charles Billington, chief of endocrinology and metabolism for the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, who wasn't involved in the study.

"It's a pretty impressive reduction in those cardiac risks—not a borderline finding at all," said Eric DeMaria, chief of the division of general and bariatric surgery at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. "It makes you wonder why we don't have wider adoption of these treatments." He is president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and wasn't involved in the study.

The findings offer a potential path for patients whose diabetes and heart conditions aren't helped by other means, said Steven Nissen, chief academic officer of the Heart and Vascular Institute at the Cleveland Clinic and senior author of the new study. Intensive lifestyle interventions didn't help overweight or obese adults with diabetes reduce their risk of heart disease, in a large study funded by the National Institutes of Health published in 2013. "I was terribly discouraged when that paper came out," Dr. Nissen said. "This is a very different result."

Bariatric surgery is generally recommended for patients who are 100 pounds or more over their ideal weight; have a body-mass index of 40, or a BMI of 35 along with diabetes, high blood pressure or other related condition; and can't lose weight and improve their health by other means. Patients with lower BMIs also get the surgery under some circumstances. Body-mass index is a calculation based on height and weight.

An estimated 228,000 bariatric surgeries were performed in 2017, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. More than half were sleeve gastrectomies, an increasingly popular procedure that involves removing most of the stomach and shaping the remainder into a small pouch.

Bariatric surgery isn't a cure-all. It has risks, though improved techniques have made the procedures safer, Dr. Aminian said. It is also expensive, costing as much as $30,000, and not always covered by insurance.

Even for those who get it, it isn't always a fix. Some patients gain weight again and go back on medications. "You have to think of the surgery as a tool, and not a magic wand that is just going to change you," said Steven Kaufman, 38, who had a sleeve gastrectomy at the Cleveland Clinic in July 2018 after struggling with weight for most of his life. "You have to actually change yourself and your habits."

Mr. Kaufman was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes after reaching 406 pounds and said he had borderline high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Related

* For Diabetes Patients, Skin Patches and Phones Are Replacing Finger Pricks[https://www.wsj.com/articles/devices-for-diabetes-patients-spur-growth-at-medical-firms-11564392603] (July 29)

* Diabetes Debate Leaves Little Consensus[https://www.wsj.com/articles/diabetes-debate-leaves-little-consensus-1520864350] (March 2018)

* New Weight-Loss Tactics for the Moderately Obese[https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-weight-loss-tactics-for-the-moderately-obese-1467652711] (July 2016)

* Weight-Loss Surgery Better Than Diet, Exercise in Treating Type 2 Diabetes[https://www.wsj.com/articles/weight-loss-surgery-better-than-diet-and-exercise-in-treating-type-2-diabetes-study-finds-1435763877] (July 2015)

He emphasizes proteins in his diet now, rather than pizza and other carbohydrates. He said he has lost more than 170 pounds since his surgery, his blood sugar is under control and he has more energy. "I can play with my son and throw him up in the air," said Mr. Kaufman, who lives in Middleburg Heights, Ohio.

Eleura Finley had high blood pressure and high cholesterol and was on insulin before she had a sleeve gastrectomy at the Cleveland Clinic in November 2016. Her doctor warned the 70-year-old diabetic, who weighed up to 375 pounds, that she was at risk of heart problems.

Now, she has lost weight, is off insulin and is on smaller doses of her other medications. "It's really done a lot for me," she said. "I've got so much energy."

How bariatric surgery works against diabetes and cardiovascular disease isn't entirely clear.

Researchers say more gut hormones are secreted after the surgery. One reason that may occur is that removing part of the stomach or bypassing part of the small intestine allows undigested or partially digested food to reach lower parts of the small intestine more quickly, Dr. Aminian said.

The cells that release important gut hormones are located mainly in that lower part, he said. Nutrients stimulate those cells, releasing hormones which in turn stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin, restarting a process that is blunted in Type 2 diabetics, he said. Studies also suggest the microbiome may also play a role, he said.

The study findings suggest that health problems related to obesity and diabetes should factor more prominently than they do currently into determining whether a patient qualifies for surgery, said Karl Nadolsky, an endocrinologist and specialist in obesity medicine at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine. "I feel like if anything we're underutilizing it right now," said Dr. Nadolsky, who wasn't involved in the study. "These studies continue to show the benefits are likely far outweighing the risks."

Write to Betsy McKay at betsy.mckay@wsj.com[mailto:betsy.mckay@wsj.com]

HEALTH

As hormone replacement therapy faces a supply crisis, Victoria Lambert looks at natural methods to ease the pain

HRT is rarely out of the news. But whether you're starting with the odd hot flush or already experiencing the full tidal wave of menopause symptoms, news of national shortages of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) will be most unwelcome.

The crisis over supplies of HRT ? thought to have begun after China forced some manufacturers to stop producing HRT patches ? is reportedly seeing some British women flying abroad, with warnings they could struggle to get hold of patches for nearly a year. It's thought that two thirds of HRT products have been affected.

To make matters worse, a report published this week revived the debate over whether HRT raises women's risk of breast cancer. The study published in The Lancet found a small increased risk for all types of HRT except topical vaginal oestrogens, and that for some, the risk remains for more than a decade after use stops.

Around one in 10 women going through the menopause are prescribed HRT ? which restores falling levels of hormones ? amounting to around 200,000 women in the UK. But worries over supplies, and a new breast cancer scare, will no doubt add to growing interest in alternative ways to manage the symptoms of the menopause. "This is an ideal time to look at all the latest ways to take care of yourself as you approach and go through the menopause," says Dr Louise Newson, a GP and menopause specialist based in Stratford-upon- Avon. For those who want to cut their reliance on HRT or try coming off it completely, a number of alternative methods are gaining attention.

Herbal solutions Cannabis oil has soared in popularity this year as a natural solution to problems ranging from epilepsy to anxiety, and now it's hoped it could offer an alternative to HRT, too. TV presenter Andrea McLean and Meg Mathews, the entrepreneur and ex-wife of Noel Gallagher, have both recently told how CBD hemp oil helped them overcome symptoms of the menopause including anxiety and hot flushes. The theory is that CBD may dampen down the menopause's effects on the endocannabinoid system, a collection of cell receptors in the brain, organs and other tissues in the body ? and may help to ease menopausal symptoms including poor memory, irritability, broken sleep and hot flushes.

If you're considering coming off HRT, Dr Marilyn Glenville, who specialises in women's health and hormonal balance, recommends gradual weaning, and trying herbal remedies to ease the symptoms. "Stopping HRT suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms. If you need extra help then you can use herbs like black cohosh, agnus castus, dong quai and sage, which have, been shown to help with the symptoms of the menopause." She recommends NHP's Black Cohosh Plus (£24.77, naturalhealthpractice.com).

Apps and mindfulness Increasingly, experts are showing that changing your psychological response to menopausal symptoms can reduce their impact. Research on 140 women by Prof Myra Hunter, a psychiatrist at King's College London, found that after four sessions of CBT ? where women were helped to replace negative thoughts about the menopause with positive ones ? 65 per cent reported reductions in flushes and night sweats, compared with 12 per cent in a control group.

They continued to experience fewer symptoms six months after they finished the treatment. Prof Hunter found women responded just as well from a self-help CD and book as they did to therapy sessions. Apps such as mySysters, which tracks symptoms and offers support network for women going through perimenopause or menopause, or one of the meditation apps like Headspace, may also prove useful.

Many experts argue that simply raising awareness around the menopause helps women feel less embarrassed about it, and thus perceive the symptoms differently. MPs recently called for workplaces to have "menopause policies" and allow female employees time off or changes to their shifts when necessary.

Gadgets and cosmetics One symptom getting more attention presently is vaginal atrophy: menopause causes skin in this intimate area to dry out and become painful. New products such as internal moisturisers like YES VM, which rejuvenate the dry or damaged tissues, are proving popular.

Dr Newson, author of the Haynes Menopause Manual, recommends YES, Sylk and Regelle but warns against shopping for scented moisturisers or using KY Jelly, which has no lasting effect. "You can also get a vaginal oestrogen," she says, "which is not HRT and is safe for most women to use". For fans of complementary therapy, the LadyCare Plus+ (£45, Boots) is an updated version of this popular, discreet magnetic product (about the size of a 10p coin) that attaches to underwear in the pelvic area to be worn day and night. Fans say it is useful for mood stabilising.

Diet and exercise A study in the journal Menopause in 2016 found women with sedentary lifestyles had significantly worse menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes, joint pain and anxiety. "Pick an exercise that works for you whether that is running or walking the dog. Especially if it helps strengthen the pelvic floor like yoga," says Newsom.

Diet matters, too, but while many women try to up their intake of soya and chickpeas, which are high in phytoestrogens ? compounds which mimic the effect of oestrogen in the body ? "there is little evidence they work". Instead, she advises to "cut back on added sugars and processed food and make sure you get adequate calcium to support bone strength. Think about improving your gut bacteria diversity as that's important for serotonin levels, to help stabilise and improve your mood". Cutting down on alcohol and caffeine can also help with insomnia and low mood.

NATURAL WAYS FOR MEN TO BOOST TESTOSTERONE

Testosterone begins to decline naturally in men after the age of 35, and some studies suggest that boosting levels with injections and other therapies can help improve muscle strength, energy and sex drive in middle age. Question marks remain over the benefits and safety profile of such treatments, however ? so is it possible to replace falling hormone levels naturally?

Try squats: "You are better to let your own body sort out your testosterone levels than resort to therapy," says Richard Sharpe, professor of reproductive health at Edinburgh University. "Eat a healthy balanced diet and do plenty of exercise so that you don't pile on the weight as you age."

Eat zinc: Bupa's Dr Luke Powles, who recommends a diet rich in essential nutrients, says: "Eating foods with more whole grains or shellfish including zinc may help regulate testosterone levels. Potassium ? which aids testosterone synthesis ? can be found in bananas, beets and spinach." Seek sunshine: In 2010, Austrian researchers found vitamin D helps the body produce testosterone.

The study also indicated that levels of testosterone peaked in August and were lower throughout the winter months. Jasmine Cameron- Chileshe

What some Doctors call 'intestinal permeability' or 'leaky gut' has been linked to a whole host of symptoms, so here's what it is and what it means for your heath

You may have heard someone complaining about about having a 'leaky gut' before but never thought too much about what it actually is.

But, if you're suffering from digestion issues, cramps, gas or even migraines and tiredness then it may be worth looking into.

The term essentially means an increase in the permeability – or penetrability – of the gut wall.

‘Inside our gut, we have a lining that forms a tight barrier.

'This controls what substances enter the bloodstream,’ explains Berta Corbera, nutritionist on behalf of Probio7.

‘When this barrier is compromised it allows partially undigested food, toxins and pathogens (bacteria) – which would not normally be absorbed – to enter into our bloodstream.’ It’s still not widely recognised as a medical term, but the NHS says some medications and certain conditions can cause a gut to become ‘leaky’ – though the individual symptoms aren’t agreed upon by all experts.

IBS symptoms and tips for getting gut under control when changing diet isn't enough[https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/ibs-symptoms-tips-getting-gut-18978590]

Sufferers will typically experience varying degrees of bloating, gas and cramps.

However, some experts say it can lead to more severe health issues.

‘It’s thought to be able to cause a whole host of other problems like food allergies and intolerances, migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome and inflammatory conditions such as asthma andeczema[http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/how-beat-itch-scratch-cycle-5640975],’ says Berta.

The undigested food and bacteria getting through the compromised gut lining can trigger an immune response, which some experts say can result in sensitivities or intolerances to certain foods.

‘It’s been suggested Crohn’s and Coeliac disease can arise or be made worse by leaky gut for this reason,’ explains Berta.

Medicines like the Pill, aspirin and antibiotics have hidden side-effects[https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/medicines-liked-pill-aspirin-antibiotics-18831909]

Some people are just unlucky enough to have a predisposition to a leaky gut – regardless of age or gender – but lifestyle factors could also be to blame.

‘Sometimes an overgrowth of yeast (candida) in the bowel – which can build up when our immune systems get compromised due to illness – can cause it,’ Berta says.

However, the NHS advises some practitioners believe a poor diet, heavy drinking, stress and overusing antibiotics can either weaken your gut’s lining or cause the unhealthy overgrowth of yeast or bacteria that can trigger symptoms.

It’s not something you can do overnight, as it takes the gut a minimum of 2-3 weeks to rebuild its lining, and the process will involve cutting out bad lifestyle habits and food aggressors which otherwise could keep on causing repeat damage.

Bloating and how to banish that constipated pain in your tummy[https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/whats-your-tummy-trouble-common-14232080]

Bad bacteria feed off sugar, so minimise the amount you eat or drink.

‘Gluten and dairy are often culprits for making a leaky gut worse,’ says Berta.

...with a high-quality probiotic that helps to balance out the bacteria levels in your gut.

TryProbio7 advanced, £19.08[https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/probio-7-advanced-formula-economy-size-60-capsules-60017095]for 60.

You can’t always avoid taking antibiotics, but speak to your doctor if you’re taking them regularly as they have been linked to weakening the lining of your gut.

You may also find your symptoms improve by cutting down your alcohol intake or by reducing stress.

Notebook’s Zoe went through the tricky process of fixing her gut problems...

'I had no problems until five years ago, when it came out of nowhere.

After every meal or snack I’d be doubled over with cramps, bloating and pain and, though I tried cutting out the main culprits – like dairy and gluten – in the hope it was a simple food intolerance, the pain didn’t get better.

'After a particularly bad week about a year ago, I decided to get help and saw a nutritionist.

'She asked me a lot of questions, like whether I suffered from extreme tiredness, whether I was experiencing skin problems like eczema and dryness.

'Yes to both.

'It was only then that I really learnt how a leaky gut can affect so many parts of my body.

'I did the IgG Food Intolerance Indicator Test, from £20[https://smartnutrition.co.uk/health-tests/food-allergy-food-intolerance/food-intolerance-tests-igg-200-foods/], at Smartnutrition.co.uk, which showed I reacted to gluten, dairy, rice, eggs, oats and most nuts – most likely caused as a result of a leaky gut.

Sunday Magazines

'My nutritionist also determined I had an overgrowth of candida.

'The steps to fixing it seemed straightforward: cut out those aggravating foods so they didn’t cause more damage, repair my gut lining and balance bacteria with supplements, then reintroduce foods.

'The whole process took me around eight months, so it was by no means a quick- fix.

'I struggled to follow the strict elimination diet, but I managed it, and I had to be regimented about taking supplements (I was put on probiotics as well as more targeted herbal remedies).

'I didn’t feel any difference until about three months in (which is apparently normal), then I started feeling a little better.

'I could get up earlier and exercise without feeling so tired, and my mood lifted a little.

'After six months I’d say I was 70% better, which to me was a miracle.

'I’m careful about eating the foods I know can aggravate symptoms, I try and avoid too much alcohol and only take antibiotics when I really have to – because life is just so much easier now I have a healthy gut.’

Veganism, the plant-based diet which shuns meat and dairy, is having its time in the sun. Since 2008, there has been a 350 per cent increase in the number of self-described vegans in the UK alone. Where this motivation stems from is varied, but includes concerns about animal welfare, worries about the environment and religious reasons.

Many people, though, seek a healthier diet. Research suggests that veganism can have health benefits [https://www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/vegetarianfoodfacts.pdf], if well planned. For those who have pursued a diet rich in meat and dairy for most of their lives, embarking on a vegan diet can lead to significant changes within the body.

The first few weeks

The first thing that someone starting a vegan diet might notice is an energy boost, due to the removal of the processed meat that is found in many omnivorous diets, in favour of fruit, vegetables and nuts. These foods will boost your vitamin, mineral and fibre levels. Thinking ahead about your meals and snacks rather than relying on convenience foods can also help to sustain consistent energy levels.

As time without animal products grows into weeks, there is likely to be a shift in bowel function either towards a more regular, healthy pattern or an increase in bloating, wind and loose motions. This is due to the higher fibre content of a vegan diet and the simultaneous increase in carbohydrates that ferment in the gut and can cause irritable bowel syndrome [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24076059] .

This may settle eventually and could lead to some positive changes [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5844980/] in the diversity of the bacteria in the colon, depending on whether a vegan diet is made up of processed food and refined carbohydrates or is well planned and balanced. Although not proven yet, scientists believe that a high species diversity for gut bacteria could be beneficial for the whole system, in the same way that ecosystems are stronger as a result of lots of different types of species thriving.

365 EOA [https://cf-particle-html.eip.telegraph.co.uk/729ee614-a326-4b21-a6a8-06d75a692ed2.html]

Three to six months later

Several months into a vegan diet and some people may find that the increase in fruit and vegetables and reduced processed food can help acne to clear up [http://www.jle.com/fr/revues/ejd/e-docs/the_influence_of_dietary_patterns_on_acne_vulgaris_in_koreans_286618/article.phtml] . By this point however, your stores of vitamin D might be dropping as key sources of it in our diet come from meat, fish and dairy, and it isn’t always noticeable until it’s too late. Vitamin D isn’t well understood but it’s essential in keeping bones, teeth and muscles healthy and deficiency has been linked with cancer [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24705652], heart disease [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29977597], migraines [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29971976] and depression [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29943744] .

This is because vitamin D stores are only thought to last about two months in the body. How long your stores last will depend on the time of year that you decide to go vegan because the body can make vitamin D from sunlight. Making sure you eat plenty of fortified foods or take a supplement is important, especially in the winter months.

Within a few months, a well-balanced vegan diet which is low in salt and processed food may have impressive benefits for cardiovascular health, helping to prevent [http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/8/848] heart disease, stroke and reducing the risk of diabetes. As the intake of nutrients like iron, zinc and calcium are reduced on a vegan diet, our bodies get better at absorbing them from the intestine [https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/%E2%80%98-Meat-or-wheat-for-the-next-millennium-%3F-%E2%80%99-Plenary-Nestle/662ea9e46511b06691fb33cd6ef8bfc136dfa804] . The adaptation may be enough to prevent deficiencies in some people but not for everyone, in which case supplements can fill the shortfall.

From six months to several years on

Approaching a year on a vegan diet, vitamin B12 stores may become depleted. Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that is essential to the healthy functioning of blood and nerve cells and can only be found in animal products. Symptoms of B12 deficiency [https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamin-b12-or-folate-deficiency-anaemia/symptoms/] include breathlessness, exhaustion, poor memory and tingling in the hands and feet.

B12 deficiency is easily prevented [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002822309007007?via%3Dihub] by eating three portions of fortified food per day or taking a supplement, but managing it is very important, as any deficiency would negate the benefits of a vegan diet for heart disease and stroke risk [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25195560] and can cause permanent nerve and brain damage.

A few years down the line and even our bones will start to notice the change. Our skeleton is a mineral store and up until the age of 30 we can add minerals to it from our diet, but after that, our bones can’t absorb minerals anymore [https://www.bones.nih.gov/health-info/bone/osteoporosis/bone-mass#a] and so getting enough calcium when we’re young is vital.

After the age of 30, our bodies harvest the calcium from our skeleton for use in the body, and if we don’t replenish the calcium in our blood through our diet, our bones fill the deficit and become brittle as a result.

Vegetables rich in calcium like kale and brocolli may protect bones, but many vegans don’t meet their calcium requirements and there is a 30pc increased risk of fracture among vegans [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17299475] when compared to vegetarians and omnivores. Plant-based calcium is also harder to absorb and therefore supplements or plenty of fortified foods is recommended.

When contemplating the years ahead on a vegan diet, balance is key. Well-balanced vegan diets may have major health benefits. Many of those benefits can be offset by deficiencies if the diet isn’t managed carefully, but supermarkets and food outlets are making it easier than ever to enjoy a varied and exciting vegan diet and our appetite for meat overall is declining [https://www.animalaid.org.uk/uk-meat-sales-decline-new-government-report-shows/] . With the right preparation, a vegan diet can be good for human health.

Sophie Medlin is a lecturer in nutrition and dietetics at King's College London

This article was originally published on The Conversation [http://theconversation.com]

Many travelers consider themselves to be "foodies," but what about "drinkies"?

Just like food, there are hundreds of thousands of drinks[https://www.cnn.com/travel/food-and-drink] to try around the world. Some of these are fairly common -- variations of tea, coffee, soft drinks or alcohol. But other beverages are mysterious, sometimes curious, concoctions with cultural significance, medicinal properties and/or mind- and body-altering capabilities.

A few other drinks are just plain weird. (Looking at you, Sourtoe[https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/frozen-toe-yukon-bar-intl-scli/index.html].)

If you happen to travel[https://www.cnn.com/travel] to any of the countries or regions discussed below, and you're feeling extra-adventurous, then you can stop into a pub or restaurant -- or find a way to partake in a local ceremony -- and sample one of the world's most unusual beverages.

Tuna tears soju: South Korea

If you're planning on traveling to South Korea, then chances are you already have a long list of foods and drinks you'll want to try, from Korean BBQ, to kimchi jjigae to soju -- the country's potent elixir. It's a must-try in a country that has a reputation for "going hard."

Soju, a distilled rice wine with a high alcohol content, can be found in nearly every restaurant, bar and convenience store in the country. It comes in many different flavors (peach and blueberry are some favorites) and Koreans love to mix the drink with beer to create another beverage called "maekju," which is put together like a Jagerbomb (a shot of Jagermeister dropped into an energy drink such as Red Bull).

Sometimes, they even mix it with tuna eye fluid.

The "tuna tears shot," or "chamchi nunmulju" in Korean, is typically served at Japanese-style restaurants or seafood spots, known as "tuna houses." The drink incorporates fluid from the eye of a tuna fish with the soju. The combination results in a beverage with a jelly-like consistency.

Anjee DiSanto, an American English teacher living in Jeonju, on South Korea's west coast, tells CNN Travel that trying soju this way is an unusual but exciting experience."The server pours the shot out of a tea kettle, but it's so thick that they have to cut it with scissors. Sometimes there are gold flakes inside of it, too."

Sinchicara: Ecuador

Sinchicara is an Ecuadorian drink produced in Sucumbios province in the northeast of the country.

While most Ecuadorians have bottles of the commercial version in their fridges, the natural version of the drink is popular with Amazonian communities.

You can buy the retail beverage or you can DIY it: simply find a recipe online and mix your own at home. You'll likely end up with a drink which is more similar to that enjoyed by indigenous communities.

Sinchicara is cane brandy fused with the bark of indigenous rainforest plants, and is unique to this region. While it's an alcoholic drink -- one of the main ingredients is "aguardiente de cana" (alcohol from sugar cane) -- sinchicara is also used as a cold medicine (great for those living in the Andes). It's used to soothe rheumatoid arthritis, and, believed to be an aphrodisiac and libido booster, it's also a bedroom aid.

If you just want to party Ecuadorian-style, take a shot of this straight (just one, as its 25% ABV is considerable). It's a much safer option than ayahuasca[https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/03/health/ayahuasca-depression-study-partner/index.html], a brew with hallucinogenic properties that's become popular among travelers in this part of Ecuador.

Tongba (millet beer): Nepal

If you're looking for a familiar beverage -- but consumed in a different manner -- then you'll want to try millet beer. A drink that comes from the Limbu people of Nepal, it's quite common among other Nepalese groups and foreigners who are eager to try it.

Tongba is made by a process of fermenting whole grain millet, which can take a few weeks. When it's ready to drink, it's typically served in a barrel-like cup, also known as a tongba.

To drink, you must pour in boiling water -- the appropriate amount of millet will already be in the vessel -- and let it settle. Then, you take a bamboo straw which acts as a filter, allowing you to essentially drink the alcohol -- the beer -- while leaving the millet and other not-so-delicious sediments behind.

Tongba is the "everlasting gobstopper" of beer. Keep adding the boiling water and you can continue drinking until you don't taste anything but lukewarm water. If you love those two-for-one or happy hour deals, then tongba is for you.

Though Tongba is easiest to find in Taplejung, Nepal, you can easily find it in Thamel, the downtown center in Kathmandu. It's essentially a warm beer that's perfect for those cold Himalayan evenings.

Boza: Bulgaria and the Caucuses

Dobrina Zhekova, a freelance journalist from Bulgaria, tells CNN Travel that she remembers drinking boza all the time growing up.

"I used to absolutely love the taste as a child. We'd also have it in the afternoon whenever we went to a pastry shop with my parents or grandparents, usually on the weekends. It was sort of a classic thing for Bulgaria -- a slice of cake and a glass of boza for the kids."

Made from fermenting boiled flour, giving it a slightly sour but sweet taste, boza -- a drink that's similar to milk in the States in terms of popularity and consumption, especially in the "milk man" days -- is somewhat of a national pastime in Bulgaria and other countries in the Caucuses.

Because of the microorganisms in boza, it's believed to be an excellent probiotic that's good for your gut.

It also contains a negligible amount of alcohol, though this doesn't stop children and pregnant women from drinking it. Some obstetricians, in fact, say boza is good during pregnancy, as it increases breast milk supply, according to Zhekova.

Zhekova also remembers her classmates giggling about how boza can help make your breasts grow bigger, too; somewhat of an urban legend in Bulgaria.

These days, boza has lost its sheen. "It was one of the first drinks I was introduced to as a child growing up in the then-communist dictatorship. As with everything, there were very few drinks one could choose from. But, now, drinking boza is seen as uncool," Georgi Georgiev, an online marketing consultant from Bulgaria, explains.

Despite the decrease in popularity, boza can still be found in most local grocery stores in Bulgaria.

Mamajuana: Dominican Republic

If you're heading to the Dominican Republic, then one drink you'll want to keep an eye out for is mamajuana.

Though it's a national drink, there isn't an agreed-upon single recipe for mamajuana, as each family makes their own. But one ingredient that every recipe contains is bark, which historically has been harvested by the country's indigenous people.

Red wine, honey and rum are poured over the bark -- along with any other ingredients the maker wants to add.

Mechi Annais Estevez Cruz, owner of a language school that teaches Dominican culture in the Dominican Republic is nostalgic about the beverage, saying: "We drink mamajuana, and in a way it's like we don't forget our past."

Mamajuana's purpose is wide-ranging: It's an aphrodisiac, can be used to treat digestive issues, cure colds, and get rid of the flu.

It's also consumed with the sole purpose of having a good old-fashioned time -- so long as you don't mind the licoricey (think Fernet Branca[https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/fernet-alcohol-argentina/index.html]) or floral taste.

Next time you're in the DR, you can always head to La Casita De Papi[http://www.dr-restaurants.com/restaurant.php?id=38] in Cabarete and ask about the local post-meal digestif.

Kava: Fiji

Kava is an important part of Fijian ceremonies and the roots -- sevusevu -- are often a main component of formal meetings and special occasions.

If you attend a kava ceremony while in Fiji, you'll have the unique opportunity to try this drink, which comes from an intoxicating pepper plant common across other countries in the region. The plant is pounded into a powder and then mixed with water.

Diane Selkirk, a Canadian travel writer and photographer, attended one such ceremony while traveling in Fiji. Selkirk sampled kava and describes the experience affectionately: "There are a bunch of reasons it affects people. Apparently, it has 18 active compounds. It made me extra-cheerful and very mellow and gave me a numb lips and tongue. It also makes people talkative and cooperative."

Kava is a psychoactive drink and while it's legal in Fiji, it's banned in some countries, so read up on the potential side effects before you decide to partake.

Meat breast mezcal (mezcal de pechuga): Mexico

In and of itself, mezcal -- a popular drink in Mexico -- doesn't meet our criteria for odd and unusual. You can find all kinds of mezcal in bars throughout the country and internationally too.

But there's one type that stands out from the rest.

Mezcal de pechuga -- "meat breast mezcal" -- isn't produced in the say way as your average mezcal.

In the mezcal de pechuga process, a raw chicken breast (or hen, rabbit or turkey) is hung over the still where the mezcal is being distilled and slow-cooks in the vapors. It's said to give the drink a fuller punch.

Miriam Rodriguez Gonzalez, whose grandfather owned a palenque (or distillery) in Oaxaca, tells CNN Travel, "He would take the chicken breast and put it inside a plastic bag with small holes. Then, he would place the bag inside of the huge container where the mezcal has been filtered, and leave it there for some time. We don't know many people who make it like my grandfather."

Mexicans believe mezcal can be good for several health reasons, such as digestion. But, this version -- and, mezcal in general -- is a great celebratory drink that shouldn't be messed around with.

The Sourtoe Cocktail: Dawson City, Canada

The Sourtoe Cocktail isn't a drink for the faint of heart. Served in a shot glass with Yukon Jack or tequila, the imbiber must take a swig and let the toe touch their lips.

By the way, this is a real human toe.

Legend has it the tradition started when a man named Louie Liken -- a rum runner -- lost his toe after it was frostbitten in the snow. His brother chopped it off, then he stored it in a mason jar. Decades later, it was found on a shelf in his cabin and served in drinks to brave bar-goers.

Photographer and writer Meghan Young tried the peculiar drink when she visited Dawson City. When asked about her experience, Young told CNN Travel, "I stared at the toe as it lay on a bed of salt. Clearly a hammer toe, it has a distinguishable nail. As gross as it looked, I felt surprisingly calm. I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all."

Since then, other toes have been generously donated and used in the cocktail, especially since several of its predecessors have been stolen and/or swallowed.

As a matter of fact, Terry Lee, the Toe Captain at the Downtown Hotel where the drink is patented and copyrighted (so, you can't have it anywhere else in the world) mentioned another drink called "The Foot."

It's going to be a double-shot with all five toes (from different humans) served in one drink, and will be ready once the toes are finished mummifying.

And, if you're secretly wondering what other mammals "taste" like in a beverage, Lee said that once a year in Dawson City, the Humane Society serves the Dog Ball Highball, a similar drink with a dog's testicle.

When you use affiliate links on this page, CNN may receive revenue. CNN is not responsible for the goods or services provided through such links.

Forget breakfast, lunch and dinner. In the space of a generation, Brits have tripled their consumption of snacks – and the options are endless

What was the first thing you ate this morning? Was it a sit-down breakfast – toast or a bowl of cereal eaten with your family? Or was it a protein bar, possibly an almond and spirulina nut ball grabbed on the run? Increasingly, it is likely to be the latter; according to The Grocer magazine, 30% of adults in the UK say they skip at least one meal a day[https://harris-interactive.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2015/09/HI_UK_FMCG_Grocer-report-bagged-snacks-February.pdf] in favour of snacking.

Elaine Malone, 28, a graphic designer based in London, tells me she “hardly ever” has breakfast. “I’m never very hungry at that time, and it saves me about 30 or 40 minutes a day by skipping it.” She might buy a protein bar on the way into her office or, more usually, she reaches into a secret stash of snacks once at her desk. “In my drawer I have a whole selection of Graze boxes, which I get delivered to work every two weeks.” Graze, launched just over a decade ago, is a subscription service that delivers its customers a snack selection taken from 200 different products – each package thin enough to be pushed through a letter box. “I love all their stuff – their fruity flapjacks, their Pro Bean box [a selection of dried edamame, broad beans and peanuts]. It’s just nice to have something healthy to hand when you are feeling hungry. It’s much better than a bag of crisps,” says Malone, who works for a company that hosts podcasts and events for Instagram and YouTube influencers. This year, Graze was sold for an estimated £150m to Unilever, the Marmite and Hellmann’s food conglomerate, a sign that Malone’s snack obsession has become very big business. “We’re all big snackers in this office,” she says, adding that dark chocolate rice cakes are a key afternoon regular among the mostly millennial-aged workers.

Britain has undergone many food revolutions over the last generation; olive oil has moved from pharmacist’s shelf to store-cupboard staple; we’ve seen a boom in gin, and an even bigger one in veganism. But there is one that has gone less remarked – what Praveen Vijh calls “the snackification of Britain”.

Vijh is co-founder of Eat Natural, the cereal bar company that has surfed the snack wave as effectively as Graze. We meet in its head office in Halstead, Essex, above a factory where 250 workers churn out 2m cereal bars every week, in a remarkably low-tech operation involving rolling pins and hundreds of baking trays. A former rice importer, Vijh moved into cleaning and packing dried fruit and nuts before asking himself, “Why not just stick all these fruits and nuts together?” In 1996, he developed a cereal bar with a university friend, at a time when “our only real rivals were the Tracker bar and the Cadbury brunch bar”. Since then, sales have climbed about 15% a year, hitting £45m in 2018. But last year, sales rose only 5%. Why? “Brands and supermarkets don’t want to be portrayed as purveyors of salt, sugar and fat. All these big boys are starting to get very worried, and there has been a plethora of new entrants. Everyone wants to get into snacking.”

Vijh is 52 and grew up in Solihull during the era of Monster Munch and Wagon Wheels, both launched in the late 1970s. “There was very little snacking,” he says. “You might have half a Twix. Snacking was a big treat.” Official figures bear this out. In 1977, the year Monster Munch was launched, the average adult in Britain consumed 29g of crisps, nuts, seeds, popcorn or savoury snacks each week, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) figures. That’s less than a bag of crisps. Fast-forward to 2015, the most recent year for which we have such detailed data, and the figure is 89g, the equivalent of very nearly three bags of crisps. In the space of a generation, we have tripled our consumption of snacks – if not more: Defra’s figures do not include the myriad of other products now sold in the snack aisles, from cashew quinoa bars at Aldi to Itsu crispy seaweed thins at Waitrose.

The size of the snacking market in Britain is hard to pin down, because all the market research companies and retailers measure it in different ways: do you include confectionery, an apple grabbed from a sandwich shop, or only savoury snacks? “Snacking is unlimited. You have one breakfast, one lunch and one dinner in a day. Maximum. But you could have as many snacks as you like,” says Katie Shade, consumer insight director at Kantar, a market research firm which estimates that snack sales – using a very wide definition – reached £11.1bn in the year to June 2019, up 4% on the previous 12 months. “In the UK we love snacking – we snack more than most other countries.” Her company estimates that British people snack 8.3 times a week, compared with 3.8 times in France and 3.1 times in China.

But if no one can agree on the size of the market, they can agree that there is one area growing faster than all others: healthy snacking. Kantar calculates that what it terms “better for you” crisps and snacks shot up 20% last year. This includes everything from Hippeas, a brand of chickpea puffs (tagline: “We think ‘tastes good’ and ‘do good’ can be in the same sentence”) to Walkers, Britain’s biggest snack company, whose oven-baked potato crisps claim to contain 50% less fat than the standard variety.

When did snacking become not only part of our everyday diet, but a fiercely fought battleground for supermarkets and food brands desperate to persuade us that their product can do us good? Even Cathedral City, Britain’s biggest cheese brand, has started packaging its product in 100-calorie “snack bars”. In reality, this is no more than a small slice of cheese, but one that the company describes on the pack as “high in protein, an ideal snack for on-the-go”, sold in Shell petrol stations alongside fizzy drinks.

At Eat Natural, Vijh argues that one thing above all others is driving this trend: we are working longer and harder than ever before. That means many consumers, such as Malone, are missing meals, especially breakfast. “Consumers are leaving home earlier in the morning. This is not only in London, this is also in Nottingham, this is also in Birmingham – everywhere that we can see it’s absolutely on the increase,” he says, explaining that he receives data from every WHSmith, supermarket and railway station shop detailing the time of day people buy an Eat Natural bar. He says a decade ago the peak time was 11am. “It is now from seven or even 6.30 in the morning. That’s the biggest trend I’ve seen over the last 10 years.”

The slow demise of the nuclear family has also played a part. “Living in individual, smaller-person households has meant we’re not sitting down to eat as a family as much,” Vijh says. Malone shares a house with four other people and says that though they may not all sit down to share a meal together, they do snack together. “In the evening when I come home from work, my flatmates and I will often sit and watch TV with a large pack of tortilla chips or popcorn.” While her snacking at work is strictly healthy, in the evening it’s not. “If we don’t have any snacks in the house, it’s a crisis and someone has to go out and buy some.” Malone and her flatmates are precisely the people the big brands are trying to attract: health-conscious, but willing to indulge.

It’s not only Unilever, with its purchase of Graze, that wants a slice of this. The past two years have seen a spike in snacking acquisitions: Kellogg’s bought the American protein bar company RXBar for $600m (£483m); PepsiCo, the parent company of Walkers, spent $200m buying Bare Snacks, which specialises in banana chips, as part of its mission to “make more nutritious products”; and Mars, the confectionery giant, took a large stake in Kind, the cereal bar company, valuing the latter at $4bn. Mars said the Kind acquisition would help anchor “a newly formed global health and wellness platform”.

And this is only the food giants; there are tons of smaller startups trying to muscle in on the market. According to Nielsen, the market research company, an eye-popping 1,780 different snacking products were launched on to Britain’s shop shelves last year – everything from sweet chilli black-eyed pea puffs to oven-baked spelt bites and salted caramel beans.

Olives in an on-the-go format means you can have a slightly indulgent, grown-up snack in your bag

One supermarket, in particular, has encouraged this snack explosion: Sainsbury’s. Like all of the “big four” supermarkets, it is under intense pressure from the two German discount chains, Aldi and Lidl, which have chipped away at its market share. Its failed attempt to merge with Asda has left it scrabbling around for a convincing approach. One answer is snacking – specifically, offering customers a large number of unusual treats. “Our strategy is to give more reasons for customers to choose us,” explains Rachel Eyre, head of Future Brands at Sainsbury’s. “And one of the ways we want to do that is by offering innovative, exciting brands that you can’t find in other supermarkets.” In return for putting these small, start-up labels on a prominent “Taste of the Future” shelf, these brands commit to supplying only Sainsbury’s for an agreed period of time.

Eyre is interested in everything from kombucha to craft gin, but focused on snacks. “Adult snacking in particular is very competitive. That’s because it sits at the intersection of this spaghetti junction of consumer trends, which means there is a huge amount of entrepreneurial heat,” Eyre says. The roads meeting in her junction metaphor are: our “busier on-the-go” lifestyles, and the joint rise of an interest in health and “premiumisation”, the phenomenon whereby consumers are occasionally willing to splash out on upmarket products. She adds: “I think of it as credits and debits: consumers are looking to make healthier and more considered choices. That means when they do indulge, they want to do so properly.”

Some of Sainsbury’s “future” snacks are far from radical. One is Olly’s Olives, which claims to be the “world’s first unpasteurised snack pouch of olives”, costing £1 for 50g in a small pouch – a 60% mark-up on olives in a plastic tub. “Olives, of course, aren’t new,” admits Eyre. “But the very simple idea of putting them in an on-the-go format means you can have a slightly indulgent, grown-up snack in your bag rather than a bag of crisps.”

Others are more outre, such as Sea Chips, “hand-crafted salmon skin crisps”, which boasts on the front of the pack of being “high in omega 3” and “62% protein”. On the back, the company explains that, along with donating some profits to charity, it is saving “tonnes of highly nutritious skin from going to waste”. The crisps are surprisingly tasty – a puffy, light snack with enough salt and vinegar to make your lips tingle. Even my 11-year-old daughter, whose most hated food is fish, judges them quite moreish.

A prominent protein count written on the front, combined with a message about the company either transforming you – or the world – into something better, has become a key strategy in the healthy snack market. And it works, according to Eyre. In a bid to understand its customers’ emotional reaction to marketing or packaging, Sainsbury’s has recruited volunteers and rigged them up with heart scanners, sweat detection monitors and even eye-tracking headsets, observing them as they wander through the aisles. “We know where they are engaged around the stores, and that they are drawn to these stories,” she says. “These messages definitely resonate and, crucially, they go on to put those items in their basket.”

One such brand is Yaar, which calls itself a “Nordic quark bar”, though it is made in Estonia by a Ukrainian who went to boarding school in England and then became a pharmaceutical entrepreneur in Singapore. Andrei Garbuz, 37, says the business of selling painkillers and selling snacks is very similar. “I saw a huge trend: the convergence of healthcare and food businesses. So I decided that if I was to start a new business, it would be a food business with a tilt into health. It’s a huge opportunity. Humanity is going back to Ayurveda – eating better for your health.”

Quark is a fermented high-protein dairy product similar to yoghurt or cream cheese. The problem is that it is nearly always eaten out of a pot – so Garbuz has coated his quark in chocolate to make it an “on-the-go, no-spooning snack format”, available from the chiller cabinet. I found them a bit sickly, like a rich mini-cheesecake, but I can see that for those with a very sweet tooth they might be a treat that, at 140 cals, doesn’t blow the daily calorie count. Garbuz argues that “no-spooning is a radical concept”, delivering nutrients “in a permissible dosage”.

His use of medical terminology is not an accident. Increasingly, snacks have become meal replacements and consumers do not want to have to scan the nutrient smallprint on the back; they want just a simple message on the front. And where once it was calories, it is protein that has become the most appealing shorthand for healthy. According to Anthony Fletcher, chief executive of Graze: “Consumers are willing to pay far more for high-protein snacks. It started in the fitness community, people who went to the gym and were interested in building muscle. But now it’s far more about feeling full. Protein, in the consumer’s mind, helps fill you up, so you can eat a high- protein snack and it satiates. That’s important if there’s a missed lunch.”

It’s all about good ingredients, and under 100 calories is what a customer will aim for if they are trying to be healthy

Where snacking used to be an impulse purchase, grabbed at the till, it is now planned. Fletcher says 60% of Graze’s sales are bought in advance, especially by women. “Female consumers are more interested in where their protein is coming from – am I getting that protein in a natural way, or is it a synthetic product?” His bestselling product is Veggie Protein Power, a 28g box with edamame beans, chickpeas and cashews, containing 7.3g of protein.

The protein fad helps explain the surprising rise of meat snacks; while they may be high in salt or fat, they are very high in protein and so, according to Rosie While, product developer at Marks & Spencer, represent “positive snacking”. While developed a new range of serrano ham, chorizo and salami crisps for this summer – not potato crisps, but actual slices of meat, air-dried and crunchy. While says the trend for air-drying has been particularly embraced by millennials, in contrast to their parents’ generation, who were more keen on calorie-counting. “It’s all about good ingredients, rather than bad ingredients that are being controlled by a certain calorie limit.” Still, she admits that the serrano ham crisp (99 calories a pack) is significantly outselling the chorizo and salami (130 calories). While points to 100 calories as the magic number many people still look for. “We do know that anything under 100 calories is something a customer will aim for if they are trying to be healthy.”

Now that protein has gone mainstream, the next big trend is fibre. Vijh at Eat Natural argues that consumers are increasingly interested in gut health, as well as the growing number of studies that have associated diets high in fibre with a lower incidence of heart disease. “Fibre isn’t very sexy, but we know that people aren’t consuming enough of it,” he says. “It’s nothing new – my parents used to give us prunes for breakfast.” Graze now has a large number of snack boxes flagged as high in fibre, while even Walkers has launched a premium range of snacks (dried vegetable and nut mixes, pea and bean sticks) called Off The Eaten Path, some of which highlight fibre content.

Vijh first experimented with a fibre bar a couple of years ago, and got it wrong. “We called the bar Better Inside, and did it a bit artificially using chicory root fibre,” a tasteless substance that Vijh admits had the texture of talcum powder. “That made the product taste a little bit weird, to be quite honest – just dry and powdery.” This summer he tried again, with a dark chocolate and sea salt bar called Fibre Packed, using figs as the main source of fibre. Is it still weird? “No, it’s delicious,” he says. “People have an aversion to highly processed ingredients. They want ingredients they recognise.”

We finish our tour of the factory and head up to Vijh’s office, where his desk is surrounded by boxes of cereal bars and jars of ingredients that his developers are experimenting with (tomato powder and rice syrup, hinting at the Willy Wonka-ish possibility of a savoury cereal bar). I ask Vijh if he’s excited by the “snackification” of Britain, expecting an enthusiastic response. But he answers rather wistfully: “Actually, I would love to go back to the days where we used to all sit down together and eat meals as a family. I hope we don’t become a nation where we eat nothing but snacks.”

But as the market intensifies, a return to the era of three square meals looks unlikely. I ask Malone if she could cope without her hit of Graze protein bites at work, or popcorn in the evening? “Good god! I am such a snacker. It’s something I do every day.” She laughs. “What would I do with my hands?”

Landmarks in modern snacking

2004

After decades of rectangular flapjacks and cereal bars, Bounce introduces the world to the spherical protein hit.

2008

Graham Bosher, a former executive at DVD subscription service LoveFilm, launches Graze, sending parcels of fresh fruit through the post. It moves into nuts and dried fruit after consumers complain about slices of pineapple sitting on their doormats.

2010

Joe & Seph’s, a gourmet popcorn brand inspired by Garrett Popcorn Shops in Chicago, launches in Selfridges. Sold in clear plastic pouches (to prove there are no unpopped kernels), its bestselling flavour is salted caramel, followed by goat’s cheese.

2011

Mondelez, the giant American parent company of Cadbury, introduces BelVita into Britain, claiming it is “the UK’s only specially designed breakfast biscuit”.

2014

Lentil crisps become mainstream thanks to Cofresh, a leading Indian snack company based in the UK, starting the Eat Real brand, promising snacks that are gluten-free, vegan and free from all 14 declarable allergens.

2016

Walkers, Britain’s biggest snack brand, introduces a new packaging format: Tear ’n’ Share bags, which turn into a bowl, aimed at consumers who want to stay in, watch TV and “snack socially”.

2017

Prime bars, made from 80% British beef and mixed with either apricot and sage, or chilli and red pepper, are marketed at ultra-marathon runners or those on keto or paleo diets, kickstarting a boom in meat snacks.

2018

Popped lotus seeds, a popular snack in India and China, hits the UK market thanks to the Nuto brand. The market research company Mintel predicts they will become “the new popcorn”. Many other brands have followed.

2019

Daniel Pawson, inventor of Sea Chips, crisps made from salmon skin, appears on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den. The company had sold 3,000 bags of the product. He turned down an offer of investment, but the publicity secured him a listing in Sainsbury’s, and he now makes 10,000 packets a day.

• If you would like a comment on this piece to be considered for inclusion on Weekend magazine’s letters page in print, please email weekend@theguardian.com[mailto:], including your name and address (not for publication).

That's one of the cool new bottled varieties. Just one problem: it'll cost you £75!

BY ALICE SMELLIE

Do you drink water purely to quench your thirst? If so, perhaps you're missing a trick — as various bottled varieties claim they can also boost levels of health, energy, vitamins and minerals.

The UK bottled water market is worth some £2 billion, so it's no wonder these products have been developed. And who wouldn't be seduced by the idea of on-the-go swigging to a healthier new you?

ALICE SMELLIE sipped some of the more extraordinary and asked nutrition therapist Ian Marber for his verdict . . .

icy . . . but pricey

Svalbarði Polar Iceberg Water, £74.25, svalbardi.com

WHAT is it? A water harvested from polar icebergs that have broken from the (shrinking) icecap by an icebreaker: talk about fiddling while Rome burns.

The maker says: 'Svalbarði is an award-winning, ultra low-mineral, superior purity, still Arctic iceberg water.

'With no nitrates or pollutants, the ultra low-minerality makes for a light mouthfeel, with a slight bite and sweetness. Svalbarði is an experience for the palate, much like a fine wine.'

To most of us, it's most notable for costing well over £70 a bottle.

But this is a carbon-negative company — for each bottle sold, it gives enough money to preserve 100kg of icecap.

TASTE: The water has won a serious taste award, however it's impossible to drink it without a wry grin. Pleasant — like melted snow, which it is.

EXPERT verdict: Eating and drinking locally sourced produce is preferable. Yet we are drawn to products from exotic locations, which have a higher carbon footprint.

It's great that the company is carbon-negative, but this is a tasteless concept.

LIVE LIKE GWYNnie

FLOW Alkaline Spring Water, £12.74 for 12 x 500ml, aqua-amore.com

WHAT is it? A naturally alkaline mineral water from artesian springs in a recyclable carton. It is also sold on Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle website Goop.

'Flow's naturally occurring magnesium, calcium, bicarbonate, and potassium are super-hydrating and balancing for your body,' it says.

TASTE: Just like water.

EXPERT verdict: A drink cannot change the body's pH. Suggesting a health benefit from alkaline water shows a lack of expert knowledge.

on-trend CBD

Love Hemp Water, 99p for 500ml, holland and barrett.com

WHAT is it: Bottled water infused with 2 mg CBD hemp extract.

CBD oil from cannabis plants is a big trend at the moment and has been added to everything from tea to face cream. Love Hemp's website claims that cannabidiol oil, added to the water has anti-inflammatory properties.

TASTE: It has a creamy, herby aftertaste, which is pleasant.

EXPERT verdict: There is some good emerging evidence for CBD oil. I just worry that it has become trivialised and unmonitored. Just be mindful of how much you consume.

FIZZ WITH ENERGY

Virtue Energy Water, Lemon & Lime, £1.49 for 250ml, hollandand barrett.com

WHAT is it? No sugar, just a bright, sparkling energy water.

The energy comes from natural sources such as the yerba mate plant, guarana and ginseng and there is about 80mg natural caffeine — as much as a cup of coffee.

TASTE: A pleasant fizzy drink.

EXPERT verdict: Yerba mate has caffeine, so no surprises on the energy front.

MAGNESIUM boost

Magnesia Still Water, £1.25 for 1.5-litres, halusky.co.uk

WHAT is it? A 1.5-litre bottle contains 255mg magnesium — the recommended daily amount for women is 270mg and for men 300mg. The water comes from a mineral spring in the Slavkov forest in the Czech Republic.

The website claims: 'Magnesium influences more than 300 metabolic reactions in your body. Its deficiency can, therefore, easily lead to health problems.'

TASTE: It feels like slightly flat mineral water on the tongue. However, it does have a pleasant, smooth flavour.

EXPERT verdict: It's better to get magnesium through your diet, rather than a drink. Excess magnesium can also cause diarrhoea, so I would limit to just one bottle a day.

good for the gut

Press London Water+ Probiotics, £3.50 for 330ml, press-london.com

WHAT is it? 'Pink Probiotic Water+ contains a special strain of good bacteria, baccilus coagulans, which can have a positive role on gut health,' it is claimed.

This water contains lemon, agave syrup, strawberry juice and dragonfruit juice, plus at least one billion live cultures in each bottle.

TASTE: Like melted raspberry ice lolly. Truly scrumptious.

EXPERT verdict: Not a bad way to take probiotics. It has minimal sugars and flavourings.

BLACK MAGIC?

Blk. Alkaline Fulvic Black Mineral Water, £2.12, vitalifehealth.com

WHAT is it? Nutrient-rich fulvic acid compounds are found in plants and the fertile top layer of the soil. When 77 naturally occurring minerals are added to spring water, it turns black. The website claims blk. will help athletes 'achieve and maintain optimal performance'.

TASTE: The black is off-putting, but it tastes like any water.

EXPERT verdict: Athletes need vitamins and minerals — but not necessarily from water.

quick collagen

WOW Hydrate Protein Tropical Water, £1.25 for 500ml, tesco.com

WHAT is it? Why have an egg or glass of milk when you can drink tropical flavoured water? This contains 20g collagen protein plus 33 per cent of the recommended daily intake of vitamins such as C, D and B6.

It 'delivers the essential ingredients, refuelling the body without carbs or sugar'.

TASTE: The tangerine-coloured water is incredibly sweet.

EXPERT verdict: This is like having a multivitamin and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. But 20g of collagen protein seems a lot.

© Daily Mail

‘If you must choose one alcoholic drink today, red wine is the one to pick,’ scientist says

Drinking red wine[https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/red-wine] could lead to a healthier gut, a new study suggests.

The occasional glass has been linked to lower levels of obesity[https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/obesity] and “bad” cholesterol[https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/cholesterol], also known as low density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Scientists from King’s College London[https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/king-s-college-london] ran an experiment on 916 pairs of female twins and examined the effects of wine, beer and spirits on the gut microbiome – the mixture of microorganisms found in humans’ digestive tract.

As well as breaking down food, gut microbes helps our bodies fight and prevent disease.

A more diverse gut microbiome is associated with a healthier digestive system.

The scientists found the gut microbiome of red wine drinkers was more diverse compared to those who had drunk other alcoholic drinks.

The UK[https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/UK] results matched up to three other groups tested in the UK, the US and the Netherlands[https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/netherlands].

Researchers have speculated this is due to higher quantities of polyphenol -an organic chemical compound found in the tannins from grapes' skin which play an essential role making red wine.

They are believed to have antioxidant properties and are also found in fruits, vegetables, chocolate, wine, coffee and tea, and are thought to contribute to protecting the heart and reducing cancer risks

“While we have long known of the unexplained benefits of red wine on heart health, this study shows that moderate red wine consumption is associated with greater diversity and a healthier gut microbiota that partly explain its long-debated beneficial effects on health,” Caroline Le Roy, one of the study’s authors, said.

Medical professionals said the negative impact of drinking alcohol should not be ignored, despite the study.

“No doctor would recommend drinking on medical grounds, as any potential benefits of red wine polyphenols should be considered alongside alcohol’s links to over 200 health conditions, including heart disease and cancers as identified in the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines review,” Sadie Boniface, research co-ordinator at the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said.

“Polyphenols are also available from a range of other foods besides red wine.”

The team behind the new study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, said if people wanted to consume alcohol, red wine was the healthiest option.

“Although we observed an association between red wine consumption and the gut microbiota diversity, drinking red wine rarely, such as once every two weeks, seems to be enough to observe an effect,” Ms Le Roy said.

“If you must choose one alcoholic drink today, red wine is the one to pick as it seems to potentially exert a beneficial effect on you and your gut microbes, which in turn may also help weight and risk of heart disease.[https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/HeartDisease]

Support free-thinking journalism and subscribe to Independent Minds

“However, it is still advised to consume alcohol with moderation.”

Professor Tim Spector, lead author from King’s College London, added: “This is one of the largest-ever studies to explore the effects of red wine in the guts of nearly 3,000 people in three different countries and provides insights that the high levels of polyphenols in the grape skin could be responsible for much of the controversial health benefits, when used in moderation.”

Additional reporting by agency

It might feel like summer’s only just getting started but give it a day or two and you’ll be back to packing a brolly and panicking over which new boot style to invest in (hint: get them now! The good ones always go before the weather turns).

In fact, put last weekend’s sweltering heat-wave[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/make-up/5-make-up-tips-need-beat-heat/] to one side and in less than a fortnight, children will be back to school which is code for: fresh new start.

While you mull over those new boots, the easiest and most affordable place to begin your autumn/winter 2019[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/style/autumn-winter-2019-fashion-trends-need-know/] style journey is within your beauty cabinet.

Personally, I find that subtly updating your make-up and hair is the fastest way to feel season-appropriate as it’s the area we get into a rut with the most. Who doesn’t have a friend who is parading the latest handbag yet still peddling the previous decade’s haircut?

Trends aside, your end-of-summer skin and hair will need some mild perking up, even if it’s just investing in a nourishing new face cream or detoxifying shampoo. These are my recommended end-of-summer beauty changes to make now - try to pick at least three...

Stella Smart Beauty awards[https://cf-particle-html.eip.telegraph.co.uk/b0bb9092-8a30-4be8-b820-41dab5e76d31.html]

1. It’s time for a classic bob

Long bobs (those that skim the shoulder) have been doing the rounds for a few seasons now. But as we approach an autumn of Brexit wrangling[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/hair/time-brexit-bob1/], we can expect hairstyles to go from safe to brave almost immediately. Lily James, Kaia Gerber and Julia Roberts have all recently lopped their long locks into a classic bob.

‘More and more women are going for statement bobs,’ observes celebrity hairstylist, Larry King. Jaw length is the cut of the moment but if that’s too big a leap, keep a small gap between the baseline of your cut and your shoulders.

Whether you opt for straight, wavy, a fringe, or layers is a matter of lifestyle, face shape and personality. Age, however, doesn’t come into it. ‘Any cut can suit anyone depending on how you tweak it. To soften facial features, chop into the ends a little. If you want to slim a round face then keep your fringe long so that it skims your cheekbones; it’s about asking your hairdresser to make small adjustments,’ says King.

2. Try mulbery eye make-up

Jam coloured eyeshadow? Sounds like a millennial fad, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s one of those seemingly tricky trends that looks incredibly flattering on all ages - especially if you’re clinging onto a leftover tan as deep berry shades will boost a warm glow.

A new take on brown yet much less boring, the only rule to adhere to is to ensure your eyeshadow has a teeny hint of sparkle to reflect the light, making it even more flattering. I like Charlotte Tilbury’s Luxury Palette in Vintage Vamp, £39[http://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=INH%2FSVPJb1Y&mid=40203&u1=customid&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charlottetilbury.com%2Fuk%2Fproduct%2Fluxury-palette-the-vintage-vamp] .

Or, try a liquid eyeliner in a berry hue for a gentler way in. L'Oreal Paris Matte Signature Liquid Eyeliner 05 Burgundy, £8.99,[http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=2041&awinaffid=73846&clickref=customid&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.boots.com%2Floreal-paris-matte-signature-liquid-eyeliner-black-10266885] is very elegant. And less costly.

3. The moisturiser to upgrade to is…

We are a good month away (here’s hoping) from turning on the central heating, so it would be wrong of me to recommend switching to a rich winter face cream just yet.

However, September is one of the most pivotal months for getting your skincare right; it’s time to re-feed skin with the vitamins and nutrients needed to repair a summer’s worth of sun damage and prepare skin for the colder temperatures ahead.

Choose a non-irritating (free from actives like retinol) nutrient-dense lotion like Venn’s All-in-One Age-Reversing Concentrate, £155, [http://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=INH%2FSVPJb1Y&mid=24448&u1=customid&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.net-a-porter.com%2Fgb%2Fen%2Fproduct%2F1212296%2Fvenn%2Fage-reversing-all-in-one-concentrate--50ml] which has 19 different peptides and antioxidants encapsulated into a smart delivery complex that deeply hydrates (without feeling greasy) while encouraging skin cells to slow down ageing and correct sun damage.

At night, firm and moisturise with a Bakuchiol serum, which is a natural alternative to retinol. I’ve been enjoying BYBI Beauty Bakuchiol Booster Olive Squalane Night Booster, £12[http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=56573&wgprogramid=347&clickref=customid&wgtarget=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.feelunique.com%2Fp%2FBYBI-Beauty-Bakuchiol-Booster-Olive-Squalane-Night-Booster-15ml%3Fcurr%3DGBP%26gclid%3DEAIaIQobChMIzsPa9L6j5AIVUeR3Ch1QGgdmEAQYASABEgI-VfD_BwE%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds] .

4. Invest in a foundation with skincare benefits

Summer was all about barely-there skin tints that highlight freckles and enhance a natural glow (see the Duchess of Sussex). Autumn however requires a harder working base that offers a touch more coverage (as exemplified by the Duchess of Cambridge).

The latest foundations have been blessed with the addition of skincare ingredients to nourish and hydrate so as not to look cakey or naff. Clarins Everlasting Youth Fluid Foundation SPF15, £35, [http://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=INH%2FSVPJb1Y&mid=37335&u1=customid&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.clarins.co.uk%2Feverlasting-youth-fluid%2FC080033157.html] is good for dry skin as it contains argan oil and organic oat sugars that firm and luminize.

While Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Foundation, £34,[http://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=INH%2FSVPJb1Y&mid=40203&u1=customid&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charlottetilbury.com%2Fuk%2Fproduct%2Fairbrush-flawless-foundation-shade-13-neutral%3FistCompanyId%3D3dfffc45-1529-45a3-a883-dba601d7c955%26istFeedId%3D531587ba-0c6c-4397-a202-a1570efe3443%26istItemId%3Dixlwprrql%26istBid%3Dtztt%26gclid%3DEAIaIQobChMI3fezkcKj5AIVkeF3Ch0MFQRCEAQYASABEgICavD_BwE%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds] is packed with peptides to firm ageing skin. I also highly rate Nude by Nature Radiant Loose Powder Foundation, £25, [http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=2041&awinaffid=73846&clickref=customid&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.boots.com%2Fnude-by-nature-radiant-loose-powder-foundation-10262918] for oily skin types, which aside from being synthetic and chemical free, contains vitmain C for brightening and jojoba oil for moisturising.

5. Switch to a PH balanced cleanser

If there’s one thing your skin needs ahead of the new season it’s a cleanser that respects its protective barrier. Alas The New York Times recently reported that our over-indulgent multi-step skincare regimes are stripping our ‘acid mantle’ thus making our complexions more vulnerable to damage and ultimately ageing.

One way to ensure you keep your skin healthy and strong this winter is to switch to a cleanser that is PH balanced. Elequra Pure Balancing Cleanser, £39,[https://www.elequra.com/shop/pure-balancing-cleanser/] respects the skin’s microbiome which stops nasties from getting in and moisture from escaping.

Or try CeraVe Smoothing Cleanser, £9, [http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=56573&wgprogramid=347&clickref=customid&wgtarget=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.feelunique.com%2Fp%2FCeraVe-Smoothing-Cleanser-236ml] which gently clears blemishes with salicylic acid without compromising the acid mantle due to its addition of hyaluronic acid and ceramides (the lipids that keep the skin barrier from erm, leaking).

6. Clean up your shampoo

In order to revive sun-damaged hair it is vital to detox it from hard water chemicals, pollution and old SPF remnants. And this must really be achieved with a clean shampoo that is at the very least SLS (sodium laurel sulphate) free.

I’ve recently been trialing Playa, a tightly edited range of haircare aimed at achieving a ‘grown-up’ beachy style, i.e. hair that’s effortlessly textured, soft to touch and has lots of bounce and movement, which after all, are the elements most needed for youthful looking hair.

Playa Everyday Shampoo, £22,[http://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=INH%2FSVPJb1Y&mid=35269&u1=customid&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cultbeauty.co.uk%2Fplaya-every-day-shampoo.html] is the hero of the range. A gentle coconut-derived cleanser that naturally detoxifies while infusing the hair and scalp with nutrients such as coconut water to detoxify, aloe vera to lock in moisture and sugar beet extract to stimulate the roots for more volume and growth. (cultbeauty.com).

FASTING every other day could be the secret to losing weight while staying healthy because it mimics humans' caveman diet, a new study suggests.

A trial showed that people who ate no food at all for 36 hours then anything they felt like for 12 hours lost more than half a stone within a month.

Crucially, their immune systems remained stable, even after six months, in contrast to many diets which aim to restrict calorie intake each day.

Scientists at the University of Graz in Austria believe the strength of alternate-day fasting (ADF) may lie in its adherence to hunter-gatherers' patterns of eating thousands of years ago, when food was not available every day.

However, they warn that it may not be suitable for everyone and that further studies are needed.

Published in the journal Cell Metabolism, the study recruited 60 participants who were enrolled either into an ADF group or into a control group where they were allowed to eat whatever they wanted.

The ADF group were required to fill in food diaries and also underwent continuous glucose monitoring to ensure they stuck to the routine.

The scientists found that, on average, the dieters ate normally during the 12 hours they were at liberty to eat an unlimited amount. Overall, they reached an average calorie restriction of around 35 per cent and lost an average of 7.7lb (3.5kg) after four weeks. "Why exactly calorie restriction and fasting induce so many beneficial effects is not fully clear yet," said Prof Thomas Pieber, head of endocrinology at the Medical University of Graz.

"The elegant thing about strict ADF is that it doesn't require participants to count their meals and calories: they just don't eat anything for one day."

Prof Frank Madeo, his colleague, added: "The reason might be due to evolutionary biology. Our physiology is familiar with periods of starvation followed by food excesses."

A further 30 participants were put on ADF for six months, to assess the safety of the diet over a longer period, with positive results.

Previous studies had suggested that consistent calorie-restrictive diets can result in malnutrition and a decrease in immune function. In contrast, even after six months of ADF, the participants' immune function appeared to be stable. They had a reduction in belly fat, which is increasingly linked to a higher risk of cancer.

The group also showed lower levels of triiodothyronine, a hormone that has been associated with longer lifespans in previous research.

The new study is likely to shift the continuing debate in favour of intermittent rather than consistent dieting. Many people find consistent calorie restriction difficult to sustain and often succumb to "yo-yo" eating.

Red wine is good for gut health and can lower cholesterol, but you only need it once a fortnight, a groundbreaking study has revealed.

The first major research of its kind found significantly higher diversity of friendly bacteria in the gut among red wine drinkers, but not among drinkers of white wine, cider or beer.

Scientists at King's College London believe the beneficial effect is due to polyphenols found in the skin of grapes that go into the red winemaking process.

'Our physiology is familiar with periods of starvation followed by food excesses'

The rise of drug-resistant urinary tract infections has been particularly burdensome for the significant subset of people who suffer from them on a regular, recurrent basis. These individuals, mostly women, can wind up on a carousel of antibiotics, sometimes the wrong ones, and many experiment with homeopathic alternatives that have not been scientifically validated.

These themes were echoed widely in accounts offered by readers of The New York Times in response to a recent article about the rise in U.T.I.s (as they are known) that are not cured by a growing list of commonly used antibiotics. Nearly 600 people responded to the paper's invitation to share their experiences with these infections.

As an alternative to antibiotics, some readers mentioned they have found relief using a supplement called D-mannose. This compound is a simple sugar, like glucose, that can adhere to bacteria, notably E. coli, which cause the majority of U.T.I.s of the bladder. By doing so, the supplement is intended to interfere with the germ's ability to adhere inside the bladder and grow into an infection.

D-mannose has provided hope to Margaret Finnegan, 67, from Charlotte, N.C., who seemed at wit's end over persistent U.T.I.s ''My urologist failed to culture a urine specimen and wound up with an antibiotic resistant UTI,'' she wrote. ''I was referred to an infectious disease specialist who couldn't see me for a week! I was already in pain for 3 weeks!''

''Finally I was given a very strong antibiotic,'' she continued. ''I still had the U.T.I., was put on another one and finally cured. I'm now on a low dose antibiotic for 6 months. I'm taking a probiotic and D-mannose to help fight this.''

In reality, there is only modest science to support the use of D-mannose to combat urinary tract infections. Among the research, a small pilot study from Italy said the compound showed ''promising results,'' but multiple experts in the field said research does not support reliance on the compound for prevention or cure. Also, D-mannose can have side effects: it can cause loose stools, and, because it is a sugar, it creates risk for diabetes, noted Dr. Lee Riley, a professor of epidemiology and infectious diseases at the University of California, Berkeley.

''It is option four or five to reach for when someone says, 'What else can I do?''' said Dr. Dimitri Drekonja, a specialist in infectious diseases and U.T.I.s at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

The rise of drug resistance in the germs that cause U.T.I.s does not mean that these infections are untreatable. Rather, it leads to higher hospitalization rates and complications. It also creates a societal risk because overall resistance can grow when antibiotics are overused, for example when someone with a U.T.I. is prescribed the wrong medication and has to take more than one course of antibiotics.

This has intensified a debate over whether to regularly encourage doctors to culture a patient's urine to determine which germ is causing the infection, and which drug can best treat it.

Cece Turner, 30, who described herself as a ''healthy mum'' from Scotland, wrote that she had learned the hard way to seek a culture after a harrowing first experience with a U.T.I. two years ago.

She said that she ''blindly followed orders, taking drug after drug with no reprieve.''

''I ended up being severely ill with a multi-drug resistant infection,'' she continued. ''Having tried 6+ different courses of antibiotics over the course of 4 months, my U.T.I. was eventually 'cured' in July by a 2 week course of antibiotics.''

Less than a year later, she got a second U.T.I. ''This time,'' she wrote, ''I was a bit more savvy and demanded a culture immediately.''

Doctors and researchers interviewed agreed that in an ideal world, it would be great to culture each infection for possible infection. But that is far from realistic because cultures cost money and take time, discouraging doctors, labs and insurance providers, and also because the usual practice is to quickly treat urinary tract infections with antibiotics.

Dr. Eva Raphael, a physician at San Francisco General Hospital who does research on U.T.I.s, said cultures should be taken more often. ''Yes, it takes manpower to send a urine culture, plate it, identify the colonies,'' she said, but she added that she believes it's worth doing ''if we're going to be judicious about the use of antibiotics.''

It might hearten some readers to know that the rise in resistance has spurred policymakers to think about whether to make getting cultures more standard. Dr. Drekonja, who is involved in discussing those kinds of issues with the Infectious Disease Society of America, said: ''I suspect it will be addressed in the next version of U.T.I. guidelines,'' although it is not clear when those will come out or what they will say.

Many readers who responded to The Times query were women in their 50s or older. Women who are postmenopausal are particularly susceptible to urinary tract infections because their falling levels of vaginal estrogen can interfere with the body's ability to fight off bladder infections.

The other peak period for U.T.I. infections for women is after puberty, during sexually active, child bearing years. Katrina Ramirez, 28, wrote that when she was in college at the University of Kansas, she experienced ''a U.T.I. that did not respond to three different rounds of antibiotics.''

''It got so bad that I was out of school for months and had to get a medical withdrawal,'' she said.

After moving to Chicago, she said she was getting the infections twice a year. ''At one point I went to an E.R. five or six times in a year!''

She said the problem has subsided now that she is working in the Peace Corps at the border of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. ''I get U.T.I.s much less frequently right now since, due to the logistics of my position, I am woefully celibate.''

Many readers wrote with stories of excruciating frustration, and some with the sort of life-threatening infections doctors fear could worsen in an era of drug resistance.

Aranzazu Dobbels Busto, 23, a native of Spain who lives in London, wrote that she got her first U.T.I. in 2015 and had a total of 10 that first year. ''Four years later U.T.I.s are still something I am constantly battling with,'' she wrote. ''The amounts of antibiotics that I have put my body through,'' she continued, ''have given me bad stomach problems to deal with. Additionally, it affected my intimacy with my partner, as I was always scared that anything we did would lead to a U.T.I. It has affected other parts of my life as well, such as attending university and going to work.''

''The frustration I have felt throughout the last four years is difficult to describe to someone who has never had a U.T.I.''

It is not only women who are at risk. Andrew Stephens, from Bakersfield, Calif., described the heart-wrenching experience of his son, who contracted a highly-drug resistant U.T.I. a week after birth.

Doctors thought the boy would not survive, said Mr. Stephens, 33. Finally, intravenous antibiotics saved his life.

''Luke is now 6 years old and a great joy, challenge, and everything a wonderful son should be,'' Mr. Stephens wrote.

He said he partly blames overuse of antibiotics in livestock for the drug-resistant illness. ''It's not worth squandering our antibiotics on slightly reducing the price of meat.''

For months I've had a sore tongue, and can't eat hot food, citrus fruit or spices. My GP prescribed drops, followed by a mouth gel, for thrush, but neither helped. At a walk-in centre I was told I have a dehydrated and cracked tongue, given a mouthwash and told to see a dentist.

Name and address supplied.

THIS sort of complaint can have a number of possible causes, so the diagnosis involves some medical sleuthing. Presented with a patient with a sore tongue, most doctors I know first prescribe antifungal treatments, such as the nystatin drops or fungicidal gel you were given on the assumption that the problem is oral thrush.

But I think sometimes they prescribe antifungal medication more out of hope than logical thought, as thrush has such a characteristic appearance — white, curdy flecks that leave an area of bleeding when displaced — that without seeing this, antifungals don't make sense.

People who develop oral thrush tend to have had a history of antibiotic use or other trigger factors such as the regular use of a corticosteroid inhaler (for asthma, for instance).

Both of these can reduce levels of healthy bacteria, which gives fungi — in this case the candida strain — the opportunity to take hold.

In your case, given the symptoms you have listed, I see no real reason to suspect thrush is the culprit.

The more likely possibilities include a condition called burning mouth syndrome. The soreness may involve just the tongue or the entire mouth. It can also affect taste, and the mouth may feel dry.

It is rare, and mysterious in that there is no proper understanding of what causes it.

Most of those who develop it are postmenopausal women.

A second possibility is fissured tongue, although this isn't usually associated with soreness. Here the fissures or cracks that appear, and the changes in the surface of the tongue, are permanent and don't respond to any treatment.

Its causes are unclear, though it is associated with underlying nutritional deficiencies, and syndromes such as Down's syndrome.

Another possible cause is atrophic glossitis, where the papillae — the tiny lumps and bumps found on the top and side of the tongue — become so thin and wasted that the whole surface of the tongue appears red and shiny.

The common causes are nutritional deficiencies, with a lack of iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid at the top of the list.

Coeliac disease, where the immune system reacts to the protein gluten — which can remain undetected until well into adult life — can also cause atrophic glossitis, as this can lead to serious difficulties when it comes to absorbing nutrients from food, especially iron.

Personally, I think it is atrophic glossitis that fits the description of your symptoms best.

I'd suggest consulting your doctor again in the expectation that a simple blood test might be carried out to check your blood cell count, iron levels, and inflammatory markers. This may shed some light on the exact diagnosis.

If the tests are all normal then I recommend asking your pharmacist to advise you of the best liquid probiotic, though there's only anecdotal evidence that this helps with a sore tongue.

It is possible that a change in the bacterial balance of the mouth and tongue is the cause of the problem.

A liquid probiotic, made up of 'friendly' essential bacteria, will coat the tongue. The bacteria it contains may alter the balance of bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract and mouth enough to bring about relief of your symptoms.

Take this for at least a month, as it can do no harm and it might resolve the soreness.

© Daily Mail

Improving American nutrition would make the biggest impact on our health care.

The Democratic debate on health care has to date centered around who should be covered and who should pay the bill. That debate, which has been going on for decades, has no clear answers and cannot be easily resolved because of two fundamental realities: Health care is expensive, and Americans are sick.

Americans benefit from highly trained personnel, remarkable facilities and access to the newest drugs and technologies. Unless we eliminate some of these benefits, our health care will remain costly. We can trim around the edges — for example, with changes in drug pricing, lower administrative costs, reductions in payments to hospitals and providers, and fewer defensive and unnecessary procedures. These actions may slow the rise in health care spending, but costs will keep rising[https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20190221.997607/full/] as the population ages and technology advances.

And Americans are sick — much sicker than many realize. More than 100 million adults [https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p0718-diabetes-report.html]— almost half the entire adult population — have pre-diabetes or diabetes. Cardiovascular disease[https://healthmetrics.heart.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/At-A-Glance-Heart-Disease-and-Stroke-Statistics-%E2%80%93-2019.pdf] afflicts about 122 million people and causes roughly 840,000 deaths each year, or about 2,300 deaths each day. Three in four adults are overweight or obese[https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity-overweight.htm]. More Americans are sick, in other words, than are healthy.

Instead of debating who should pay for all this, no one is asking the far more simple and imperative question: What is making us so sick, and how can we reverse this so we need less health care? The answer is staring us in the face, on average three times a day: our food.

Poor diet is the leading cause of mortality[https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2678018] in the United States, causing more than half a million deaths per year. Just 10 dietary factors[https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2608221] are estimated to cause nearly 1,000 deaths every day from heart disease, stroke and diabetes alone. These conditions are dizzyingly expensive. Cardiovascular disease costs $351 billion annually[https://healthmetrics.heart.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/At-A-Glance-Heart-Disease-and-Stroke-Statistics-%E2%80%93-2019.pdf] in health care spending and lost productivity, while diabetes costs $327 billion[https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/41/5/917] annually. The total economic cost of obesity is estimated at $1.72 trillion per year[https://www.milkeninstitute.org/reports/americas-obesity-crisis-health-and-economic-costs-excess-weight], or 9.3 percent of gross domestic product.

These human and economic costs are leading drivers of ever-rising health care spending, strangled government budgets, diminished competitiveness of American business and reduced military readiness[https://www.strongnation.org/articles/737-unhealthy-and-unprepared].

Fortunately, advances in nutrition science and policy now provide a road map for addressing this national nutrition crisis. The “Food Is Medicine” solutions[https://nutrition.tufts.edu/about/public-impact-initiative-friedman-school/food-is-medicine] are win-win, promoting better well-being, lower health care costs, greater sustainability, reduced disparities among population groups, improved economic competitiveness and greater national security.

Some simple, measurable improvements can be made in several health and related areas. For example, Medicare, Medicaid, private insurers and hospitals should include nutrition in any electronic health record[https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/040612_cept_ehrnutritionexerc.pdf]; update medical training, licensing and continuing education guidelines to put an emphasis on nutrition[https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(17)30527-2/abstract]; offer patient prescription programs for healthy produce[https://catalyst.nejm.org/prescribing-fresh-food-farmacy/]; and, for the sickest patients, cover home-delivered, medically tailored meals[http://www.fimcoalition.org/]. Just the last action, for example, can save a net $9,000 in health care costs per patient per year[https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2730764].

Taxes on sugary beverages[https://www.dropbox.com/s/bqbj501wgocor24/UNCGFRP_SSB_tax_maps.pdf?dl=0] and junk food can be paired with subsidies on protective foods[https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0175149] like fruits, nuts, vegetables, beans, plant oils, whole grains, yogurt and fish. Emphasizing protective foods represents an important positive message for the public and food industry that celebrates and rewards good nutrition. Levels of harmful additives like sodium, added sugar and trans fat can be lowered through voluntary industry targets[https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/sodium-reduction] or regulatory safety standards[https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/final-determination-regarding-partially-hydrogenated-oils-removing-trans-fat].

Nutrition standards in schools, which have improved the quality of school meals by 41[https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/resource-files/SNMCS_Summary-Findings.pdf] percent, should be strengthened; the national Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program[https://www.fns.usda.gov/pressrelease/2011/013311] should be extended beyond elementary schools to middle and high schools; and school garden programs[https://www.aft.org/childrens-health/nutrition/school-gardens] should be expanded. And the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which supports grocery purchases for nearly one in eight Americans, should be leveraged to help improve diet quality and health[https://bipartisanpolicy.org/report/leading-with-nutrition-leveraging-federal-programs-for-better-health/].

The private sector can also play a key role. Changes in shareholder criteria (e.g., B-Corps[https://www.danone.com/about-danone/sustainable-value-creation/BCorpAmbition.html], in which a corporation can balance profit versus purpose with high social and environmental standards) and new investor coalitions[https://www.fairr.org/] should financially reward companies for tackling obesity, diabetes and other diet-related illness. Public-private partnerships should emphasize research and development on best agricultural and food-processing practices. All work sites should demand healthy food when negotiating with cafeteria vendors and include incentives for healthy eating[https://www.johnhancock.com/news/insurance/2018/09/john-hancock-leaves-traditional-life-insurance-model-behind-to-incentivize-longer--healthier-lives.html] in their wellness benefits.

Coordinated federal leadership and funding for research is also essential. This could include, for example, a new National Institute of Nutrition[https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/28/opinion/nutrition-health.html] at the National Institutes of Health. Without such an effort, it could take many decades to understand and utilize exciting new areas, including related to food processing, the gut microbiome, allergies and autoimmune disorders, cancer, brain health, treatment of battlefield injuries and effects of nonnutritive sweeteners and personalized nutrition.

Government plays a crucial role[https://www.bmj.com/content/361/bmj.k2426]. The significant impacts of the food system on well-being, health care spending, the economy and the environment — together with mounting public and industry awareness of these issues — have created an opportunity for government leaders to champion real solutions.

Yet with rare exceptions[https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/30/us/politics/tim-ryan-farming-agriculture.html], the current presidential candidates are not being asked about these critical national issues. Every candidate should have a food platform, and every debate should explore these positions. A new emphasis on the problems and promise of nutrition to improve health and lower health care costs is long overdue for the presidential primary debates and should be prominent in the 2020 general election and the next administration.

Dariush Mozaffarian (@Dmozaffarian[https://twitter.com/dmozaffarian?lang=en]) is a cardiologist and dean of the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy. Dan Glickman (@DanRGlickman[https://twitter.com/danrglickman?lang=en]) was the secretary of agriculture from 1995 to 2001.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters[https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/opinion/letters/letters-to-editor-new-york-times-women.html] to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips[https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014925288-How-to-submit-a-letter-to-the-editor]. And here’s our email: letters@nytimes.com[mailto:letters@nytimes.com].

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ADRIANA DIAZ: In this morning`s Eye on Earth, we take a closer look at how climate change and drought have affected one of this country`s most important crops. The U.S. is one of the world`s leading cotton exporters with an industry estimated to generate more than twenty-one billion dollars of products and services a year. We`ve been following this story since last fall. We visited a cotton farm during harvest season, and we went to a lab where they developed new ways to reduce environmental stress.

(Begin VT)

ADRIANA DIAZ: When you think of cotton, you likely picture the white fluffy cloud-like so-called fabric of our lives. But here in Boston, cotton is growing in labs.

GEOFFREY VON MALTZAHN (Indigo Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer): Virtually, every major crop in the U.S. and around the world is at significant risk to climate change and cotton is no exception to that.

ADRIANA DIAZ: As the Earth gets warmer with climate change scientists have been looking to combat increasing environmental stresses on crops with innovation. Geoffrey Von Maltzahn and his team at a startup called Indigo say they`ve developed a breakthrough drought-resistant seed.

GEOFFREY VON MALTZAHN: Water stress and-- and drought in cotton is the most important stress in agriculture that has almost no solutions today. Remarkably, nature has found a whole bunch of solutions to that in-- in the microbiome.

ADRIANA DIAZ: Think of a microbiome as a plant`s "gut" filled with tiny microbes. They discovered which ones from within a cotton plant deal with water stress. They then coat the seeds with those specific microbes, to make them more resilient in dry conditions.

GEOFFREY VON MALTZAHN: It`s allowed us to grow cotton that is better able to withstand the stress that plant experiences with a given amount of water restriction.

ADRIANA DIAZ: They say their methodology is more natural than genetically- modified, mass-produced seeds. The plants are exposed to scorching temperatures in grow rooms then they`re tested in the hot fields. Outside cotton is trying to survive. Many farmers have abandoned the crop because of low profits and those challenging conditions. More than a century and a half ago, cotton dominated agriculture in the American South, first picked by generations of slaves and then share-croppers. Modern-day cotton farming continues in states like Texas, but dry and hot weather has pushed farmers to get creative.

STETSON HOGUE (Cotton Farmer): We were looking for any way to find an edge.

ADRIANA DIAZ: In Lubbock, Texas, Stetson Hogue, his family have been growing cotton for generations. They were one of the few cotton farms to survive a four-year drought that started in 2011.

STETSON HOGUE: We`ve definitely lost a few growers in the last few years. And I would say that certainly has more to do with kind of the whole economics of farming, the-- the kind of the farming environment that we`re dealing with.

ADRIANA DIAZ: Some people say that the weather is changing, that climate change is creating dryer conditions, which is making it harder to grow cotton. Has that been your experience?

STETSON HOGUE: You know, I couldn`t say that. We are kind of used to drought here. You know, it`s just something that we`ve always had to deal with.

ADRIANA DIAZ: Like many farmers, Hogue believes the droughts he`s experienced are part of normal weather trends, not the result of climate change. Still, he wants seeds that can perform better in dry conditions to provide a much needed lift to profits.

STETSON HOGUE: My grandad, thirty to forty years ago, could buy a new tractor for twenty thousand dollars. A new tractor today costs two hundred thousand dollars. Okay, so we`re selling our cotton today for seventy to seventy-five cents, he sold his cotton for seventy to seventy-five cents, so obviously there`s a-- there`s a big gap there and it`s just-- it`s been a real challenge.

ADRIANA DIAZ: But for many cotton farms, this innovation came too late.

Over the last few years, some cotton growers in this area have shut down completely. Others have diversified into other crops that can better survive these dry conditions, like grapes.

KATY JANE SEATON (Farmhouse Vineyards Owner): This land has been cotton, historically, for the last sixty years. A hundred percent of it. And we changed our minds and decided to take a chance with a vineyard here.

ADRIANA DIAZ: In 2015, with her cotton yields declining, Katy Jane Seaton poured her efforts into wine-making since grapes are more resistant to drought.

KATY JANE SEATON: There is much more vitality in grapes. If you can keep them alive you are not beholden to the marketplace.

ADRIANA DIAZ: That marketplace is sure to keep changing as the Earth gets hotter, which means more demand for seeds that can thrive in our warmer world.

(End VT)

ADRIANA DIAZ: You may be wondering how the higher cost of producing cotton will impact U.S. consumers, the farmers say it won`t. While the cost of producing cotton keeps increasing, they are the ones who bear the brunt of it.

TONY DOKOUPIL: Well, I don`t know how long that can last. At some point, customers are going to have to start paying more, too. I`m really curious about this. There`s a-- so there`s a new effort to create a more resistant- - drought resistant crop to address climate change, but do these farmers even believe in climate change?

ADRIANA DIAZ: Well--

GAYLE KING: He seems skeptical.

ADRIANA DIAZ: He-- he is skeptical. He says that the drought that they experienced that was devastating to their business, it`s just part of normal weather trends. So, we hear that a lot. I`m based in the Midwest, we interviewed a lot of farmers, they don`t believe in global warming. A lot of them, not everyone, but a lot of them believe that these are just normal weather patterns that their parents and grandparents have had to deal with. But what`s also interesting is how the tariff war with China is affecting cotton prices. It`s creating volatility in the cotton market and Chinese importers have to pay tariffs on imported cotton. U.S. imp-- U.S. importers of cotton fabric are now under threat of having to pay tariffs on cotton that`s coming back in the form of fabric.

TONY DOKOUPIL: Nothing beats a cotton shirt. It`s still true.

GAYLE KING: Yeah. I know. I know. Is he worried?

ADRIANA DIAZ: The fabric of our lives.

GAYLE KING: Does he seem worried to you?

ADRIANA DIAZ: He doesn`t. He says that what he is doing is he is investing in this drought resistance seed--

GAYLE KING: Mm-Hm.

ADRIANA DIAZ: --because he needs a-- he needs to make more profits because it`s costing hundreds of thousands of dollars for these combines. But the cotton is still being sold at the same prices as generations ago.

TONY DOKOUPIL: People need to pay a little more. The kind of fast fashion with two-dollar shirt, wear it once and throw it out.

GAYLE KING: Yes.

TONY DOKOUPIL: People need to pay a little more. They really do. Support your farmers.

ADRIANA DIAZ: Support your farmers indeed.

GAYLE KING: All right. Thank you, Adriana.

Coming up tomorrow, Jonathan Vigliotti shows us soaring natural treasures.

JONATHAN VIGLIOTTI: It`s a place unlike any other on this planet surrounded by giants in every direction. Tomorrow on CBS THIS MORNING, we`ll take you to another American wonder, the Sequoia National Park in California.

(ANNOUNCEMENTS)

END

Eat well while you're young, and you'll set up healthy habits for life - a good idea in theory, certainly, though trickier in actual practice. While the mainstays of a good diet apply no matter your age - everything in moderation, eating whole foods wherever possible and choosing from a wide range of ingredients - certain decades of life and the changes they bring, be they hormonal or lifestyle-based, can require us to sharpen our focus on particular areas. Here's what to look out for at every age and stage:

TEENS AND 20s

Your metabolism slows with age - a decline that begins, according to Michael Jensen, who researches the subject at the Mayo Clinic, at 18. While there may be no better time for us to be laying the groundwork for good eating patterns, adolescents today are "a generation we're a bit worried about," notes dietitian Helen Bond, pointing to the low-iron diets teenagers, who often choose ultra-processed foods, are consuming. The requisite amounts - 11.3 mg per day for boys and 14.8 mg for girls - from foods such as red meat, leafy greens and whole grains boost growth and muscle development while warding off "poor lethargy and concentration."

Research also shows that 16 per cent of teenagers overall (and 22 per cent of girls aged 11-18) fall short of the recommended amount of 800-1,000 mg of calcium per day, the best sources of which are in dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt, kale, pulses and fish.

As teens become young adults, student life, personal relationships and career-building can start get in the way of good living, yet healthy habits instituted during your 20s will have a lasting effect: a 2012 study found that those who maintained good eating and fitness regimens during this age had a lower risk of heart disease in their 40s, regardless of whether it ran in their family. The best means of defence is, says Dr. Giles Yeo, principal research associate at the University of Cambridge and author of Gene Eating, "keeping in mind the rules of moderation" and ensuring a diet rich in "fibre, which keeps our microbiome and bowel happy, and more unsaturated fats (i.e. avocados and oily fish) rather than saturated ones (such as processed meat and butter) - those are two golden rules."

30s

Eating for two may sound exciting, but it's actually one of many medical myths surrounding pregnancy, says Hollywood fitness instructor Simone De La Rue. "You will have cravings and that's natural, but like anything, you have to have discipline." Similar warnings have been echoed from other health authorities about the dangers of doubling your food intake, encouraging expectant mothers to maintain healthy levels of fruit, fat and fibre, while avoiding mould-ripened soft cheeses (Brie, Camembert), too much oily fish (no more than two portions per week) and partially cooked meat or eggs.

Stress is one of the biggest causes of weight gain, and workplace pressures and the need to balance the personal with the professional rise during this time of life.

Being consumed with work can cause either disaffection with eating right or a hankering for options that are low in nutrients but high in saturated fats "in an attempt to fulfil emotional needs," according to the Mayo Clinic, "even when you're not hungry."

40s

Middle age sees a "toxic mixture of sitting down all the time and having a lot of money to spend on food," Yeo says, "and if you are at risk of Type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease, you need to watch what you eat."

Yeo's preferred method for "keeping the tide back" is to ensure good levels of physical activity (if you haven't already), which will not only keep middle-age spread in check, but combat diminishing muscle mass.

Sam Gregory, co-founder of F45 Stratford fitness studio, suggests "two good resistance training sessions and two cardio" weekly, complemented by "plenty of healthy fats - nuts, seeds and good quality oils including olive and avocado."

50s

The average woman begins menopause in her early 50s, at which point estrogen production drops, raising heart disease risk to the same level as men's, as well as increasing susceptibility to osteoporosis. Weight, blood pressure and cholesterol must be monitored during this decade, which means cutting back on alcohol and caffeine, and choosing low-sodium options for soups and such, where available.

With more research drawing links between our lifestyles and serious diseases from cancer to inflammation and hypertension, renewed focus on eating well and moving as much as possible must override the natural inclination to take your foot off the pedal. "Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon," journalist Doug Larson once wrote: both a prescient nugget of truth, and a reminder that processed meats like those found in a BLT serve, sadly, very little nutritional purpose.

60s AND 70s

Retirement can provide a good point at which to recalibrate healthy regimens. Continuing a diet rich in calcium and protein sources remains crucial, due to the ongoing diminishment of bones and muscle: Bond advises plenty of kale, spinach, broccoli, eggs and brightly coloured fruits and vegetables. The latter, including oranges and carrots, are rich in carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which are believed to boost eye health and protect against conditions like age-related macular degeneration. London Daily Telegraph

Q: What’s the most nutritious rice to eat – brown, wild, black or red? Is enriched white rice a good choice?

If you’re trying to eat more whole grain foods, brown rice probably has a spot on your menu. But brown rice isn’t the only whole grain rice you should be eating.

Black, red and wild rice are whole grains, too, and boast impressive nutrient profiles. And some even rival fruits and vegetables when it comes to certain antioxidants.

Whole-grain benefits

Plenty of studies have found that a regular intake of whole grains protects against heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer. Whole grains are also part of a dietary pattern tied to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

And thanks to their fibre content, whole grains help nourish beneficial gut bacteria, microbes thought to help reduce the risk of allergies, inflammatory bowel disease and obesity.

Unlike white rice, which has been milled to remove the outer bran layer and the nutrient-rich germ layer, whole-grain rice packs in far more vitamins, minerals and fibre. It’s also a good source of disease-fighting phytochemicals.

Enriched white rice has added thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3) and iron to replace what’s lost during milling. But many other nutrients that were stripped away – e.g. B6, vitamins E and K and a long list of minerals – aren’t added back. (In Canada, enrichment of white rice is voluntary.)

Whole-grain rice, even though it’s not enriched, outranks enriched white rice when it comes to nutrition. Include the following varieties in your regular diet – toss them into salads, mix them into pilafs or stir into soups.

Brown rice

Compared with white rice, brown rice has more protein and five times more fibre, providing 5.5 g and 3.2 g of each, respectively, per one cup cooked.

Brown rice is an exceptional source of manganese (one cup supplies 88 per cent of a day’s worth), a trace mineral needed for normal nerve and brain function. The mineral is also used to make superoxide dismutase, an antioxidant enzyme that combats harmful free-radical damage in the body.

The whole grain also delivers plenty of blood-sugar-regulating magnesium and selenium, a mineral that’s used to make DNA and thyroid hormones.

And, like other types of whole-grain rice, brown rice scores low on the glycemic index scale, meaning it doesn’t cause blood glucose and insulin to rise sharply. White rice has a high glycemic index.

Try the pasta method to cook brown rice evenly; cook the rice in a large pot of boiling water until tender, then drain the excess water.

Red rice

This whole-grain rice is grown in France, Bhutan, Thailand and the Himalayas. It gets its burgundy colour from anthocyanins, phytochemicals with potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Also found in berries, red grapes and eggplant, anthocyanins are thought to help guard against cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

One cup of cooked red rice provides 4 g of protein and 2.5 g of fibre. It’s also an exceptional source of numerous minerals, especially magnesium and manganese.

To cook red rice, combine one cup of rice with 1.5 cups of water or broth. Boil, cover and reduce heat, and then simmer until cooked (20 to 40 minutes depending on the variety).

Black rice (Forbidden rice)

This medium-grain rice owes its deep purplish black hue to anthocyanins, and plenty of them. According to a study reported by the American Chemical Society in 2010, spoonful per spoonful, black rice bran contains more anthocyanins than blueberries.

Black rice has more satiating fibre (3 g per one cup) and protein (6 g per one cup) than red and brown rice. Like other types of whole grain rice, it also delivers lots of magnesium and manganese.

Black Japonica rice is a mix of Asian black short-grain rice and medium-grain mahogany rice grown together in the same field.

To cook black rice, use a 2:1 ratio of water to rice and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until cooked, 40 to 50 minutes. Consider cooking a batch of black rice and freezing it for later use. (Lotus Foods Forbidden rice takes only 30 minutes to cook.)

Wild rice

Technically, wild rice is an aquatic grass seed, but it’s considered a whole grain and used in dishes as you would rice.

Wild rice has slightly more protein than other whole grain rices (6.5 g per one cup cooked) and the same amount of fibre (3 g per one cup). It’s also a good source of folate, a B vitamin that’s needed to make and repair DNA in cells, along with magnesium and zinc.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is Director of Food and Nutrition at Medcan.

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The Globe and Mail

Plane Talk: the amount of fuel used is far higher than for a one- or two-stop trip

Qantas is working on Project Sunriseto develop what will be the world’s longest flight at over 10,500 miles[https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/qantas-london-sydney-long-haul-test-flights-human-body-new-york-a9074316.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=IND_Travel%2324082019&utm_term=IND_Travel_Newsletter_CDP]. These are the key issues.

What’s the biggest challenge for a London-Sydney nonstop?

Not the aircraft technology – the first 747 made the journey between Heathrow and Australia’s largest city in 1989, it just didn’t have any paying passengers onboard. The key to success:are there enough people desperate to get between the two cities as fast as possible to bankroll what will be a very expensive service?

Why is it so expensive?

Fuel and staff, two of the biggest costs for any airline. You need a lot more of both compared witha “normal” flight. That also makes a nonstop very environmentally unfriendly, because so much of the fuel is burntto carry fuel for later in the flight.

From the planet’s point of view it’s much better to stop a couple of times. It also means you can carry freight! And it’s much better from the passenger’s point of view, in terms of jetlag and experience.

But Qantas can minimise the environmental damage by restricting baggage (or charging a fortune for it) and by limiting choice of meals and drinks: flying lots of food and booze halfway around the world just in case someone prefers a shiraz to a cabernet sauvignon is expensive business.

Won’t passengers be expecting the height of luxury?

Qantas will aim to deliver wellbeing, so instead of red wine or white wine passengers will be encouraged to drink “organic kombucha by Remedy, a live cultured, sparkling drink full of natural probiotics that assist with digestion”.

You can also expect a “hot chocolate bedtime drink with the combination of warm milk and chocolate containing the sleep-inducing amino acid Tryptophan to help prompt the body’s sleep cycle”.

But however well you sleep onboard, there’s nothing Qantas can do about the 10-hour time difference – leaving London at lunchtime, you’ll arrive in Sydney at teatime but it will feel like breakfast time. And coming back, you’ll take off around 9pm, arrive at 6am but it will be late afternoon in Australia. It will deliver the ultimate in jetlag.

Read more

Qantas to run 20-hour test flights to see how human body copes

Qantas to launch Brisbane-Chicago flights

Qantas passenger accuses airline of fat shaming

Qantas flight attendant sacked for drinking vodka on flight

So who will be onboard?

Ultra-long-haul flights rely on a significant number of business travellers being prepared to pay a premium for the speed and ease of a nonstop trip.

Some leisure passengers who visit family in Australia frequently and have no interest in a stopover will also pay over the odds for the privilege – and they may be filling the premium economy cabin. Travellers with mobility issues, for whom the airport is an especially tough experience, will also be attracted to it.

During the first year of the Heathrow-Perth link, which opened in March 2018[https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/uk-australia-direct-flight-perth-nonstop-hour-by-hour-breakdown-qantas-a8273726.html], Qantas had an average “load factor“ of 94 per cent, meaning that only 14 seats are empty on a typical flight. The load factor is on a par with budget airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair, and way ahead of the airline’s system-wide average of filling four out of five seats.

Who won’t be onboard?

Budget travellers – it will be a premium product, though depending on loads, Qantas may occasionally offer discount flights to fill seats to people heading to other Australian cities – or onwards to New Zealand. But otherwise it will have little appeal to anyone who needs to change planes to reach their final destination.

There are relatively few major British airports – Belfast, Bristoland Inverness – without a one-stop possibility to Australia at the moment. For most of us, there are a range of connecting possibilities at attractive fares. And while in the opposite direction a few people will be connecting to Tasmania, again Melbourne, Brisbane, etc, are all accessible with one stop.

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Will British Airways or Virgin Atlantic do the same?

No. The view is that London-Sydney is a very limited market with absurd competition. Virgin Atlantic has abandoned the route, and for British Airways the token daily service is just a shadow of the multiple Boeing 747s that used to depart every day to all corners of Australia. Indeed once the Qantas nonstop is flying, you might see BA abandoning Australia altogether; the Sydney link is an outlier to the standard out-and-back pattern.

Wereeither British Airways or Virgin Atlantic to launch a new ultra-long-haul route, I reckon it could be to Honolulu.

There are many varieties of the whole grain that provide impressive nutrient profiles that rival those of fruits and vegetables

The question What's the most nutritious rice to eat – brown, wild, black or red? Is enriched white rice a good choice?

The answer If you're trying to eat more whole- grain foods, brown rice probably has a spot on your menu. But brown rice isn't the only whole-grain rice you should be eating.

Black, red and wild rice are whole grains, too, and boast impressive nutrient profiles. And some even rival fruits and vegetables when it comes to certain antioxidants.

WHOLE-GRAIN BENEFITS Plenty of studies have found that a regular intake of whole grains protects against heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer. Whole grains are also part of a dietary pattern tied to a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. And thanks to their fibre content, whole grains help nourish beneficial gut bacteria, microbes thought to help reduce the risk of allergies, inflammatory bowel disease and obesity.

Unlike white rice, which has been milled to remove the outer bran layer and the nutrient-rich germ layer, whole-grain rice packs in far more vitamins, minerals and fibre. It's also a good source of disease-fighting phytochemicals.

Enriched white rice has added thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3) and iron to replace what's lost during milling. But many other nutrients that were stripped away – e.g. B6, vitamins E and K and a long list of minerals – aren't added back. (In Canada, enrichment of white rice is voluntary.)

Whole-grain rice, even though it's not enriched, outranks enriched white rice when it comes to nutrition.

Include the following varieties in your regular diet – toss them into salads, mix them into pilafs or stir into soups.

BROWN RICE Compared with white rice, brown rice has more protein and five times more fibre, providing 5.5 grams and 3.2 grams of each, respectively, for each cup cooked.

Brown rice is an exceptional source of manganese (one cup supplies 88 per cent of a day's worth), a trace mineral needed for normal nerve and brain function. The mineral is also used to make superoxide dismutase, an antioxidant enzyme that combats harmful free-radical damage in the body. The whole grain also delivers plenty of blood-sugarregulating magnesium and selenium, a mineral that's used to make DNA and thyroid hormones. And, similar to other types of whole-grain rice, brown rice scores low on the glycemic index scale, meaning it doesn't cause blood glucose and insulin to rise sharply. White rice has a high glycemic index.

Try the pasta method to cook brown rice evenly; cook the rice in a large pot of boiling water until tender, then drain the excess water.

RED RICE This whole-grain rice is grown in France, Bhutan, Thailand and the Himalayas. It gets its burgundy colour from anthocyanins, phytochemicals with potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Also found in berries, red grapes and eggplant, anthocyanins are thought to help guard against cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

One cup of cooked red rice provides 4 grams of protein and 2.5 grams of fibre.

It's also an exceptional source of numerous minerals, especially magnesium and manganese.

To cook red rice, combine one cup of rice with 1.5 cups of water or broth. Boil, cover and reduce heat, and then simmer until cooked (20 to 40 minutes depending on the variety).

BLACK RICE (FORBIDDEN RICE) This medium-grain rice owes its deep, purplish-black hue to anthocyanins, and plenty of them.

According to a study reported by the American Chemical Society in 2010, spoonful per spoonful, black rice bran contains more anthocyanins than blueberries.

Black rice has more satiating fibre (3 grams for each cup) and protein (6 grams for each cup) than red and brown rice. Like other types of whole-grain rice, it also delivers lots of magnesium and manganese.

Black Japonica rice is a mix of Asian black short-grain rice and medium-grain mahogany rice grown together in the same field.

To cook black rice, use a 2:1 ratio of water to rice and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until cooked, 40 to 50 minutes.

Consider cooking a batch of black rice and freezing it for later use.

(Lotus Foods Forbidden rice takes only 30 minutes to cook.)

WILD RICE Technically, wild rice is an aquatic grass seed, but it's considered a whole grain and used in dishes as you would rice.

Wild rice has slightly more protein than other whole-grain rices (6.5 grams for each cup cooked) and the same amount of fibre (3 grams for each cup).

It's also a good source of folate, a B vitamin that's needed to make and repair DNA in cells, along with magnesium and zinc.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan.

Hello!

There's an old adage that the most valuable asset a financial institution has walks out the door every day. That may seem less true today, as Wall Street firms invest billions into their own tech and startups.[https://www.businessinsider.com/jpmorgan-goldman-sachs-citi-fintech-startup-investments-2019-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] But the denizens of Wall Street still have a significant part to play.

In dealmaking, star bankers are in high demand. As Alex Morrell reported this week, Bank of America Merrill Lynch has been on an investment-banking hiring blitz[https://www.businessinsider.com/bank-of-america-has-poached-dealmaker-jean-greene-from-lazard-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest], with the bank most recently landing a Lazard veteran who worked on a $100 billion beer merger[https://www.businessinsider.com/bank-of-america-has-poached-dealmaker-jean-greene-from-lazard-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

Barclays meanwhile has lost five bankers specialising in deals involving financial institutions in the past month[https://www.businessinsider.com/barclays-loses-five-financial-institutions-bankers-in-one-month-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest], according to Dakin Campbell and Trista Kelley. They reported that the bankers left because of a variety of individual factors, though some included the British bank's efforts to cut compensation costs in order to meet a year-end profitability goal[https://www.businessinsider.com/barclays-loses-five-financial-institutions-bankers-in-one-month-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

In related news, UBS sent its bankers an email listing books like 'Charlotte's Web' to help them deal with change as it reportedly mulls job cuts[https://www.businessinsider.com/the-reading-list-emailed-to-ubs-investment-bankers-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]. And we published Deutsche Bank's new org chart following a massive restructuring and 18,000 job cuts[https://www.businessinsider.com/deutsche-banks-2019-org-chart-after-restructuring-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

In the hedge fund world, Bradley Saacks profiled eight people with new ideas about data, fees, and tech who are shaking up the $3.2 trillion hedge fund game.[https://www.businessinsider.com/these-are-eight-people-doing-innovative-things-hedge-fund-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] And he reported that a Viking Global hedge fund that's helping turn startups into unicorns is hiring more people to ramp up investments[https://www.businessinsider.com/viking-global-invested-107-million-in-druva-in-recent-round-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

In private equity, Casey Sullivan reported that KKR has quietly started hiring college seniors[https://www.businessinsider.com/kkr-is-hiring-a-2020-analyst-class-in-private-equity-battle-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]. That comes as private equity pushes to recruit earlier and earlier to battle fierce competition for young talent. And whereas these firms used to send junior staff off for an MBA after a few years, they're now keeping some around to help spend all the money they've raised[https://www.businessinsider.com/private-equity-firms-top-associates-stay-on-not-get-mba-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

And in wealth management, you hear about the importance of a human touch all the time. We talked to wealth advisers about some of the next-level requests they've delivered for uber-rich clients, including herding cows and hiring private investigators,[https://www.businessinsider.com/wealth-management-executives-list-memorable-requests-from-rich-clients-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] all in the name of providing a personal service.

In related news, Rebecca Ungarino reported that the private-wealth-management arm at UBS has launched a group to help its US advisers provide family-office-style services to their ultrarich clients[https://www.businessinsider.com/ubs-wealth-management-family-office-focused-group-for-ultra-wealthy-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]. And Rebecca talked to Pepper Anderson, who joined $5 billion wealth manager Chilton Trust as CEO from JPMorgan's private bank this summer. She wants to double advisers at the firm's largest offices in two years[https://www.businessinsider.com/chilton-trusts-new-ceo-pepper-anderson-on-hiring-wealth-management-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

What have we missed? Let me know.

-- Matt

Webinars

We're hosting two webinars for Prime members in the coming weeks that you should check out:

* We'll be asking Patty McCord, the first chief talent officer at Netflix, to break down the most dangerous traps that bosses fall into — and how to avoid them. Check it out here[https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-first-chief-talent-officer-people-management-patty-mccord-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

* We'll be talking to Cy Scott, CEO of the buzzy cannabis tech company Headset, about his VC fundraising tips. Check it out here[https://www.businessinsider.com/webinar-pitch-deck-cannabis-headset-vc-tips-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

In conversation

* Dan DeFrancesco talked to Ediz Ozkaya, Goldman Sachs' head of AI strategies in securities, about the bank's investment in H20.ai and what makes the startup stand out in the crowded AI field[https://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-sachs-investment-h20-ai-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

* Rosalie Chan talked to David Heinemeier Hansson, cofounder and CTO of Basecamp, about why it ditched Google Cloud for Amazon this summer[https://www.businessinsider.com/basecamp-google-cloud-amazon-aws-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

* Ben Pimentel talked to Peter Ungaro, the CEO of Cray. He explained why, 14 years after taking over as CEO, it was time to sell to HPE for $1.3 billion[https://www.businessinsider.com/cray-ceo-ungaro-hpe-supercomputers-interview-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

* Ben also talked to Andy Purdy, Huawei's US chief security officer, who said he's been called a traitor for defending the Chinese tech giant. He says his goal is to "promote a safer cyberspace."[https://www.businessinsider.com/huawei-us-chief-security-officer-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

* Ashley Rodriguez talked to Andy Yeatman, a top exec at the kids entertainment company Moonbug and former director of kids and family content at Netflix. He said family shows stop subscribers from canceling, and talked through who the major streaming buyers are today[https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-former-kids-exec-on-moonbug-streaming-tv-battle-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

* Emma Court talked to Cameron Turtle, the 29-year-old chief business officer of the rare-disease biotech Eidos Therapeutics, who also who worked on the listing of BridgeBio, 2019's biggest biotech IPO. He told us the two key lessons that made it a success[https://www.businessinsider.com/ipo-tips-from-eidos-therapeutics-executive-cameron-turtle-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

Finance and Investing

WeWork might be painting itself as a tech company, but it's facing a bunch of old-school real estate worries[https://www.businessinsider.com/weworks-ipo-filing-showcases-its-real-estate-risks-ipo-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

WeWork parent The We Company's recent S-1 filing provided the clearest look yet at the coworking giant's impressive growth and wide losses[https://www.businessinsider.com/wework-s-1-prospectus-ipo-revenue-cash-flow-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

JPMorgan's quant guru says the main driver of recent stock turmoil has nothing to do with recession fears — and explains why it's now a bullish force[https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-market-sell-off-cause-why-its-bullish-marko-kolanovic-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

The yield curve[https://www.businessinsider.com/yield-curve-inversion-how-to-invest-stocks-to-buy-goldman-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]'s recent inversion sparked a frenzy of selling in the stock market because of the signal it has historically sent about a recession.

Recession fears from Trump's trade war have all but ensured the Fed will cut rates further. Here are the 12 stocks Goldman Sachs says could benefit most.[https://www.businessinsider.com/12-stocks-to-rally-on-fed-rate-cuts-dividend-growth-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

It's hard to find inexpensive stocks in today's market, and yield might be even harder to find. But David Kostin — the chief US equity strategist at Goldman Sachs — says one group of stocks might fit both criteria.

Tech, Media, Telecoms

Oracle is suing Larry Ellison and Safra Catz over the $9 billion NetSuite deal, thanks to letter written by 3 Oracle board members[https://www.businessinsider.com/oracle-board-members-support-lawsuit-against-larry-ellison-safra-catz-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

Thanks to a decision by three of Oracle's board members, Oracle is now suing its own founder-chairman, Larry Ellison, and CEO Safra Catz for billions of dollars.

Ad-industry insiders say one of Facebook's oldest and biggest marketing partners is selling its social business, and it's a warning sign for other ad-tech firms[https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-marketing-partner-nanigans-is-selling-its-social-business-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

The marketing-tech company Nanigans is shopping its social ad business to advertising and marketing companies, according to industry sources.

Sweeping regulations like California's upcoming privacy bill threaten to wipe out the advertising industry. These 10 tech companies are trying to help marketers survive.[https://www.businessinsider.com/marketing-advertising-companies-helping-ccpa-regulation-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

Regulators are starting to rattle the advertising industry.

Healthcare, Retail, Transportation

uBiome insiders say key science at the buzzy startup was flawed from the start. Now, the company and a top science journal are investigating.[https://www.businessinsider.com/ubiome-poop-testing-startup-problems-science-microbiome-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

When Elisabeth Bik, then the science editor at microbiome startup uBiome[https://www.businessinsider.com/category/ubiome?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest], told the company's CEOs that its primary dataset — an analysis of poop samples — was soiled with data that didn't belong, she was waved away, she said.

Health insurance startups like Bright and Oscar have raked in $3 billion in venture funding. Here's how they fared through the first half of 2019.[https://www.businessinsider.com/health-insurance-startups-oscar-clover-devoted-bright-q2-financials-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

Health insurance startups just came out with their second-quarter financial results for 2019.

NOW WATCH: Nxivm leader Keith Raniere has been convicted. Here's what happened inside his sex-slave ring that recruited actresses and two billionaire heiresses.[https://www.businessinsider.com/allison-mack-nxivm-alleged-sex-slave-ring-keith-raniere-seagrams-heiress-2019-4?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

See Also:

* New 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' footage unveiled to fans teases Rey with a double-bladed lightsaber[https://www.businessinsider.com/new-star-wars-footage-d23-summary-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

* UK PM Johnson seeks legal advice on five-week parliament closure: The Observer[https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-pm-johnson-seeks-legal-advice-on-five-week-parliament-closure-the-observer-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

* As Trump's trade war escalates to 'new heights,' Wall Street warns investors are in for more whiplash[https://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-warns-stock-market-volatility-amid-trump-trade-war-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

Dr. Rahul Shinde has been appointed the inaugural Caspar Wistar Fellow by The Wistar Institute, an international biomedical research leader in cancer and infectious disease. Shinde’s laboratory at Wistar will study how cancer is able to develop, progress and resist therapies by studying the role of specialized cells called macrophages that act as a front-line defense system for our immune systems, as well as the gut microbiome. The Caspar Wistar Fellows Program fast-tracks the most promising, earlycareer scientists to pursue creative, out-of-the box biomedical research for the benefit of humanity, by providing mentorship and freedom to pursue a strong, independent research program in their field.

Amy Martin’s 3-year-old twins were sick yet again — and the Anacortes, Wash., mom was fed up. “We were just getting cold after cold,” she says.

Her solution: Dietary supplements. She searched online for ideas, then picked up a bottle of elderberry gummies.

She wasn’t alone.

Google logged over a half-million searches for “elderberry for colds” in the past year, and the market for elderberry products is growing.

But Martin soon became disillusioned. Making her sons eat the gummies was a hassle, and they made no appreciable difference in the frequency of her family’s colds. She still gives her sons other supplements, including vitamin D, melatonin and probiotics, but “we do wonder if we are wasting money,” she says.

Martin is one of a growing number of parents who give herbal dietary supplements to their children. Most aren’t designed or marketed for kids: According to Innova Market Insights, a marketing research group of the foodand-beverage industry, just under 5 percent of dietary supplement launches target children. But supplement use among children is much higher.

About a third of children in the United States use dietary supplements, according to a nationally representative survey of American children and adolescents. Between 2004 and 2014, participants’ use of herbal and nonvitamin supplements nearly doubled, from 3.7 percent to 6.7 percent in 2013 to 2014.

Fish oil, melatonin and probiotics are the most commonly used dietary supplements outside vitamins.

Researchers still know little about whether or how dietary supplements can benefit — or hurt — kids. Studies of herbal and homeopathic remedies can have design flaws, and products can lack randomized clinical trials. Parents often rely on anecdotal evidence instead of reliable medical studies. And decisions to buy and administer vitamins and other products can be swayed by advertising or a parent’s own supplement use.

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, children with parents who use dietary supplements or other complementary health approaches are more likely to use them than kids whose parents do not.

“I am always very hesitant to recommend any supplements to patients, even when there is some evidence of effectiveness,” says pediatrician Natalie Muth, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. “In many cases, there is no evidence of effectiveness.”

Nevertheless, kids’ use of herbal supplements continues to rise. So do the number of calls to poison centers. “[Supplement-related calls] have been steadily increasing since 1994,” says Susan Smolinske, director of the New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center. That’s when legislation went into effect that allows the Food and Drug Administration to intervene only after products are already on the market.

“What that created in this essentially almost unregulated environment is an industry gone wild,” says S. Bryn Austin, a public health researcher and professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “The industry went from 4,000 products on the market when this law was passed to well over 80,000 products on the market.”

Austin warns parents that just because a product is on store shelves doesn’t mean it’s safe for children — or even that it contains what it claims on the bottle. The FDA has recalled 12 dietary supplements in 2019 alone; most of the recalls related to mislabeling or undeclared ingredients.

Austin and other researchers examined the FDA’s database of unwanted side effects of supplements in children and adolescents, known as adverse events. Of the 977 events reported between 2004 and 2015, about 40 percent involved severe medical outcomes such as hospitalization, disability or death. Supplements that promised energy, weight loss and muscle building were associated with nearly three times the risk of an adverse event than those that did not.

In a study published in the journal Hepatology Communications this year, researchers analyzed the ingredients of 272 herbal and dietary supplements associated with liver injury. Fifty-one percent of them had ingredients that weren’t listed on the label.

Todd Raymond and his daughter Abby, a 14-year-old team USA weightlifter, learned about that risk firsthand last year. After a family friend with a supplement company offered to make the athlete an ambassador for his fitness-related supplements, the Raymonds scoured the ingredient list for substances that might violate anti-doping rules. “Everything looked good to go,” Todd Raymond says.

But during a random drug test, Abby tested positive for ostarine, a non-FDA-approved substance that produces results similar to anabolic steroids. She was sanctioned by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and disqualified from medals, points and prizes she earned before the test.

“It was devastating,” Todd says. After product testing, the Raymonds learned that the supplements Abby had consumed were contaminated during production.

Today, Abby is 15. She has returned to competition, and the Raymonds share their story with other youth athletes through TrueSport, the USADA’s educational program.

Jennifer Royer, USADA’s TrueSport and athlete education director, says that the organization has recently seen a rise in supplement use among younger athletes.

“Because parents have access to these products at their local grocery store, they assume they’re safe, but the supplement market is unregulated and evidence suggests that the modest regulation in place does little to dissuade companies from manufacturing with ingredients that are prohibited or dangerous,” she says.

Adolescents aren’t the only group at risk. Thirty percent of supplement-related emergency room visits between 2004 and 2013 involved children age 10 or younger. The majority were kids who ingested the supplements without parental supervision. Child-resistant packaging isn’t required for dietary supplements that don’t contain iron.

So how can a parent responsibly navigate the slippery world of supplements? In written statements, representatives from the FDA and the National Institutes of Health urged parents to communicate with their child’s pediatrician before giving their kids an herbal remedy or other supplement. NIH also offers a series of tip sheets online, including one with questions parents might want to ask health-care providers.

As Bake Off returns, Xanthe Clay shows how cakes can be just as joyful with a little less sugar and a whole lot of flavourBake Off is back, but before you overdose on white sugar and refined carbs, consider Xanthe Clay's cakes, which have all the joy - with added good stuff

On your marks, get set - Bake! Yes, The Great British Bake Off is back on Tuesday, which is good news for those of us with a sweet tooth. Not for me the saintly expression and murmurs of "I'm more of a savoury person" when the dessert menu comes around. Bring on the cheesecake, the black forest gateau and the salted caramel brownies.

Much has been made of the youth of this year's set of contestants, who are fresher than a batch of Paul Hollywood's just-baked buns. Seven - more than half - are in their 20s, four are in their early-to-mid-30s and online project manager Helena only just hits 40. That leaves Phil Thorne the HGV driver, who at a mere 56 seems a bit young to represent the groovy grey brigade. And there's not one granny - or grandpa - among them.

I'll miss the steadying quality that the likes of retired head teacher Val Stones and Merchant Navy veteran Norman Calder gave the show - who could forget Stormin' Norman's Zulu Boats at Dawn in biscuit form? As one fan tweeted, "I like the older contestants who would knock out a decent but mediocre-looking cake, finish early, then sit there sipping tea whilst everyone else ran round like headless chickens."

Still, apparently millennials love their baking, so perhaps it makes sense to producers - and advertisers - to target that market. And, for all the beautiful Instagram shots, those makers of sprinkles and cup cake cases may be worried. According to The Grocer magazine, sales of baking ingredients and paraphernalia have dropped by £12million in the past year. It's not that we are going off cooking generally, but simply that we are more health-conscious, so making a stack of sugarpacked millionaire's shortbread or quivering pile of meringues just doesn't seem quite such a good idea.

Certainly I've been baking a bit more thoughtfully recently. Not healthily, exactly - all of these recipes are strictly in the treats category. But they are lower in sugar and refined carbs than many recipes because, while manufactured food gets insidiously sweeter and sweeter (often with artificial sweetener, so they can still claim to be lowsugar) at home it makes sense to roll it back and reset our taste buds a bit. And it turns out that cakes can be just as joyful with a bit less sugar. Adding some fibre too, from vegetables or brown flour, will help slow down the absorption of what sugar there is, making them more steady pleasures.

These cakes and bakes aren't sugarfree, mind. A bit of sugar is necessary for the structure of most cakes, although if you are adapting an existing recipe, a 25 per cent or even 50 per cent reduction usually works - just don't try it with meringues, which are essentially just puffs of sugar. In most cakes though, we need some sugar for the flavour, too - I've tried making a carrot cake without sweetener, and believe me, that route can only lead to disappointment.

When I say sugar, I mean sugar in all its concentrated guises. Beware of recipes that claim to be sugar-free, but contain agave syrup, or date syrup, or honey, or maple syrup or coconut sugar - they are all just forms of sugar, so a cake made with these is not sugarfree. They may contain traces of minerals, or have a marginally lower glycemic index than regular sugar, but it isn't enough to be meaningful. Use these alternatives to traditional sugar because you like the flavour or texture - and they are delicious - not because of any misplaced conception that they are any healthier.

TELEGRAPH THE FOR BERRY As for flavours, in this year's Bake Off I reckon they are going to be more varied than ever. There'll definitely be someone baking with brown butter - butter heated until it starts to caramelise - plus more in the way of fresh herbs hitting the mixing bowl (maybe lemon balm, this summer's "it" herb) as well as the obligatory wacky ingredients like avocado - which actually makes a surprisingly good creamy chocolate icing.

VALERIE & HAMILTON HAARALA Stand by your mixer, it's time to get baking again. And yes, I will see the dessert menu.

Fig and kefir cheesecake Kefir is full of healthy bacteria that are good for your microbiome. It generally has a thin drinking texture; mixed with cream and left to ferment, it becomes thick like crème fraîche.

SERVES eight to 12 INGREDIENTS For the filling 500ml double cream 250ml unsweetened live kefir 3 sheets of gelatin 6-8 figs 60ml apple/cherry juice, or water 1 tbsp runny honey, plus 2 tsp For the base 140g porridge oats 4 tbsp sunflower oil 2 tbsp water 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp sunflower seeds (optional) Method?Start this the day before, by mixing together the double cream and kefir. Cover the bowl and leave at room temperature for 18-24 hours until the mixture is thick and pleasantly tangy, like a rich crème fraîche.

For the base, preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4. Line a 20cm round loose-bottomed cake tin with baking parchment. ?Put the porridge oats in a food processor with the oil and blitz to rough crumbs. ?Add the water and tablespoon of honey and process to a rough paste. Pulse in the sunflower seeds if using them. ?Press this into the base of the cake tin and bake for 20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool completely. ?Now make the filling. Soak three gelatin sheets in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze the gelatin to get rid of the excess water. Heat the 60ml juice or water and stir in one tablespoon of honey along with the softened gelatin. Fold the mixture thoroughly into the kefir cream.

Thinly slice five of the figs horizontally. Press the fig discs around the sides of the cake tin

(they'll stick to the baking parchment)

Pour half of the kefir cream into the tin, then top with any remaining fig slices. Pour over the last of the cream, cover, and refrigerate for at least eight hours.

To serve, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and peel off the paper. Cut a deep cross in the stem end of the last figs and squeeze the bases so that they open out like petals. Arrange on top of the cheesecake, and trickle over the last two teaspoons of the honey.

Cherry hazelnut brownies Reducing the sugar in these makes them far less cloying, and makes the top a bit softer than classic brownies.

MAKES 12 INGREDIENTS 280g cherries 250g dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids)

100g light brown sugar 100ml hazelnut oil 80g ground hazelnuts 5 medium eggs, separated 1 tsp vanilla extract 120g blanched hazelnuts Method?Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4. Line a 20cm x 30cm baking tin that's 4cm deep.

Stone the cherries and cut them in half through their equators.

Chop the chocolate into sultana-sized pieces. Melt 100g chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of hot water, then take off the heat and stir in the sugar, followed by the hazelnut oil and the ground hazelnuts. Mix in the egg yolks and vanilla extract. ?Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Stir a spoonful into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest. Stir in the blanched hazelnuts and the remaining chocolate pieces. ?Spread the mixture in the baking tin. Scatter over the cherries, pressing them in lightly.

. ?Bake for 25-30 minutes, until dry on top but still a bit wobbly. Leave to cool. These are best eaten the next day.

Vanessa Kimbell's honey and muesli sourdough cake Vanessa Kimbell, at her Sourdough School (sourdough.co.uk), has been flying the flag for healthier baking for a decade. For her wholesome cake you'll need a sourdough starter, and a really lively one at that. If you don't have one, ask around or post a request on a sharing website like olioex.com, and feed it for a couple of days until very bubbly. Eat this with compote and Greek yogurt.

MAKES one Large CAKE INGREDIENTS 170g lively sourdough starter 30g muesli (with lots of fruit, nuts and seeds) heated with 200ml water for 5 minutes to make a cooked porridge, plus a little extra muesli for the tin if you like 75g courgette, grated 75g kefir 50g muscovado sugar Grated zest of 1 lemon 75g unsalted butter, melted and cooled to 28C, plus extra for greasing 60g olive oil 1½ tbsp vanilla essence 3 medium eggs, at room temperature 375g stone-ground spelt flour, plus extra for dusting 1¼ tsp fine sea salt 50-60ml runny honey mixed with the juice of 1 lemon, as a drizzle to finish Method?Two days before you intend to bake the cake, refresh your sourdough starter (10pm is a good time to do this).

The next morning (at 8am, say), refresh the starter again and make the muesli porridge.

That evening, make the dough: place all the ingredients (including the starter and muesli but not the honey and lemon), in a large bowl and stir to combine. Don't beat it; it just needs to be smooth. ?Depending on the fibre levels in your flour, you might need to let down the mixture slightly with a little water - 20-40ml. It should look like normal cake batter.

Grease and dust with flour a 2.4 litre bundt tin or a 24cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Sprinkle it with raw muesli if you like. Pour the batter into the tin. Cover and leave on the kitchen worktop overnight to prove.

By the next morning it will have doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/Gas 3½. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until it turns a lovely golden colour. If the cake is catching on top, cover with a baking sheet to prevent it burning. A skewer inserted into the thickest part of the cake should come out clean. A cake tin will take a little longer then a bundt tin. ?Turn the cake out onto a wire rack with a plate underneath. Lightly skewer the cake then gently drizzle the honey and lemon juice mixture over it, a spoonful at a time, allowing it to soak up the liquid. Reuse the liquid caught on the plate. ?Place a large mixing bowl over the cake to retain some of the steam while the cake cools, and serve when at room temperature.

Watermelon and almond layer cake Inspired by the watermelon cake made by Black Star Pastry in Sydney. Keep it in the fridge for up to 48 hours: the almond layer will soften as it sits.

SERVES eight INGREDIENTS 400g ground almonds 300g caster sugar 2 tbsp cornflour 6 egg whites, lightly beaten 1 large watermelon, about 750g 300g ricotta 120ml double cream, lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp rose water, or as needed Blackberries and pink rose petals (optional), to decorate Method?Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/Gas 3. Draw three 20cm circles on a sheet of baking parchment. Turn the paper over onto a baking sheet. ?Mix together the almonds, sugar, cornflour and egg whites. Spread the mixture inside each circle, levelling it off as much as you can. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and set. Leave to cool. ? Cut the watermelon through the equator and then make one 1.5cm slice on each side, so you have two 1.5cm thick discs. Trim away the rind, using a 17cm side plate as a guide to make a neat shape. It might not be possible to make an exact disc - in which case, overlap thin slices to make a circle.

Place on a rack to drain while you use the same plate to trim the almond bases to the same size. Cut a few small cubes of watermelon for decoration, and save the rest for another dish.

Mix together the ricotta, cream, vanilla and rose water. Taste and add a bit more rose water if you like: the strength does vary. ?To assemble the cake, put an almond disc on a plate and spread with a fifth of the ricotta mixture. ?Top with a circle of watermelon, then another fifth of the ricotta. Repeat with almond cake, ricotta and watermelon, finishing with a circle of almond cake topped with ricotta. Top with blackberries, cubes of watermelon and rose petals (if using).

Continued on Page 4.

Sweet potato cake with orange mascarpone frosting Like pumpkin, sweet potato gives a lovely softness to a cake's texture, as well as a warm glow. Its sweetness means you can scale back the sugar, too.

serves 16 INGREDIENTS 500g sweet potatoes 120g butter 110g caster sugar 2 eggs, at room temperature ½ tsp cinnamon 110g self-raising flour 110g spelt flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 90ml milk For the frosting 50g raspberries 250g mascarpone Zest of ½ orange 2-3 tbsp milk (if required) method?Turn on the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6 (there's no need to preheat it).

Put the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until tender all the way through, then leave to cool.

When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and purée the flesh in a food processor. Weigh out 225g: the rest can be added to soups or stews.

Turn the oven down to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4 and line a 20cm square cake tin with baking parchment. ?Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the cinnamon and potato purée.

Mix together the flours, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, and sift this over the egg mixture, folding it in. Gently stir in the milk.

Scrape the mixture into the tin and bake for 40 minutes, until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin, then remove to a wire rack.

Rub the raspberries through a sieve to make a purée. Beat the mascarpone with the orange zest. If it needs it, add a little milk for a spreadable consistency. Spread this over the cake and marble in the raspberry purée.

Beetroot and cardamom cake serves EIGHT INGREDIENTS 650g raw beetroot, tails trimmed 5 cardamom pods 170g light brown sugar, plus 1 tbsp 180g butter 3 eggs, at room temperature 165g plain wholemeal flour 165g self-raising flour 3 tsp baking powder 30g cocoa powder 140ml whole or semi-skimmed milk For the cream and chia jam filling 400g strawberries 100g raspberries 45g chia seeds 300ml double cream method?Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4. Line the base and sides of two 20cm round cake tins. ?Wash the beetroot and cook it until soft - this is simplest in the microwave: put the beetroot on the turntable and microwave for 10 minutes, turning every two minutes. Leave to cool. ?Trim the tops of the beetroot and purée the rest in a food processor, for about 350g smooth purée.

Smash the cardamom pods using a pestle and mortar and remove the papery skins. Grind the seeds with 1 tbsp sugar.

Cream the butter, sugar and cardamom seeds until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then fold in the beetroot purée. ?Mix together the flours, baking powder and cocoa in a bowl, and then sift a third of this over the cake mixture.

Fold in, then repeat twice more, adding in any bran that has gathered in the bottom of the sieve. Stir in the milk gently.

Divide the mixture evenly between the tins. Bake for 40 minutes until springy to the touch and a skewer pushed into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins, then remove to a wire rack.

Carefully slice the cakes in half horizontally for a four-layer cake, or leave as they are for two layers. ?To make the filling, put aside a few strawberries and raspberries for decoration. Purée the rest with a hand blender or food processor. Put the purée in a small pan with chia seeds. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for two minutes. Leave to cool. Lightly whip the cream. Sandwich the cake with the jam and cream and decorate with fresh berries.

It makes sense to reset our taste buds. Cakes can be just as joyful with a bit less sugar

From false lashes that stick to magnetic eyeliner to the first mascara created with artificial intelligence, there are some very bizarre new products launching

In a wacky world of 15-step skin regimes and vampire facials, it takes a lot to make us raise an eyebrow.

But it certainly seems to be silly season right now in beauty land.

There's a host of very unusual products launching right now, so we couldn't resist taking a closer look to try to sort out the brilliant from the downright bonkers.

Here's what we found...

They made WHAT?! False lashes that stick on with magnets.

But not the ‘impossible to sandwich your real lashes between two magnetised falsies’ variety you might have tried before.

To useEylure[https://www.eylure.com/uk/]Promagnetic Eyeliner & Lash System, £19.95, you apply three coats of a liquid liner made of (among other things) iron oxide, wait for it to dry and then - presto - the magnetised eyelashes are meant to cling on.

Physics lessons were never this fun.

Best new eyeliners for 2019: from L'Oréal to Kat Von D[https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/style/3am-fashion-celebrity-beauty/best-new-eyeliners-2019-loral-16194664]

And…? Far less fiddly than regular magnetic lashes but you do need to like wearing black liquid liner and quite a lot of it (luckily we do).

We found bending the lashes helped them sit better on the eyeliner, with less poking up at the ends.

The corner lashes looked pleasingly fluttery, and once on, they didn’t fall off.

They’re still not easier than Eylure’s (brilliant) pre-glued lashes, as they take five minutes to do, but you'll get up to 15 wears out of them.

They made WHAT?! Forget the blow-dry, here's the SUCK dry.

Unlike any hairdryer you’ve ever seen,RevAir [https://myrevair.co.uk/]works not by blasting your head with hot air but by actually hoovering up water from damp locks.

Pop a section of hair into the tube and the suction holds it taut so it emerges not just dry but also smooth and silky.

The big sell is that this requires far less heat so causes less damage, and also does away with the need to wield a brush as you blow.

Hairdryers claim to speed up drying saving you time in the morning - we test them[https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/style/3am-fashion-celebrity-beauty/can-clever-new-hairdryers-really-16219885]

And…? Good lord, this is the hugest, ugliest beauty gadget we’ve seen in our lives.

It has all the glamour of an industrial bug hoover for removing children’s nits.

We also had to overcome the bother of clipping and sectioning our hair as we dried, and using trial and error to work out our optimum setting.

It’s hardly versatile as it only does one look - smooth - and at £359 it’s crazy expensive (although there’s a 30-day money back guarantee).

However we can’t deny it excels at making hair sleek and smooth with very little heat or skill.

If you were expecting puns about how RevAir sucks we’re sorry.

It’s actually very good at what it does.

They made WHAT?! Avon didn’t just make a new mascara, they made it using a ‘genius algorithm artificial intelligence machine’.

Sounding like something you'd find in a Bond villain’s lair, this AI spy trawled zillions of reviews to find the ultimate mascara wish list - and Avon claim they’ve delivered on all our demands with their new lash launch.

Best eyelash serums to give you longer and thicker lashes[https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/style/3am-fashion-celebrity-beauty/best-eyelash-serums-give-you-14022023]

And...? Call us cynical old Luddites, but you hardly need a super-computer to reveal women want fuller, longer, lifted, defined and darker lashes.

Seriously, what were they expecting to find – we want our mascara-d lashes to dance the macarena?

Avon 5-in-1 Lash Genius Mascara[https://www.avon.uk.com/product/11726/true-colour-lash-genius-mascara], £9, is good but can’t fail to feel a bit underwhelming given that hyped-up intro.

We doubt it’s going to make Elon Musk tear up over his space tourism project and weep with envy.

They made WHAT?! Spot busters with spikes!

Zitsticka Spot Clarifying Patches[https://zitsticka.co.uk/]have hair-thin ‘microdarts’ on their surface that puncture the epicentre of your blemish.

The darts are coated with healing salicylic acid which goes into the spot as they prick your skin.

The stickers claim to shrink even a nasty cystic spot in hours.

New invisible zit patch promises to reduce the size of cystic acne spots in just two hours[https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/style/3am-fashion-celebrity-beauty/new-invisible-zit-patch-promises-14056126]

And...? We were sceptical but very impressed.

The stickers are clear and discreet (likecold sore[http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/how-rid-cold-sores-fast-11214611]patches), although we’d still prefer to wear one overnight to avoid the temptation to pick it off.

It stung a tiny bit when we pressed the patch onto our spot but by the following morning the volcano on our chin was at least 60% smaller.

They’re £27 for a box of eight (plus eight special cleansing wipes) which seems like a good deal to us.

They made WHAT?! Literally the coolest shower gel you’ll ever encounter.

Lush Shower Jelly, £5.50[https://uk.lush.com/products/vegan-shower-jellies/conga], can be popped into the fridge or freezer, and the brand suggests you chop them into little wash-sized fruity ‘ice cubes’ if you fancy a particularly invigorating shower.

Sunday Magazines

And...? Some people must like chilly beauty therapy, otherwise ice fountains would never exist in spas.

And other folk actually choose to have cold showers - weirdos.

If you like your morning shower set to masochist this is the perfect product for you because it’s a proper pain to use.

Regardless of whether you use it chilled or at room temperature, the lump of ‘jelly’ lathers but hardly dissolves so it’s like trying to wash your body with a slippery slug that shoots out of your hand.

Sorry, but we weren’t ready for this jelly.

You might think good bacteria are just important for your tummy but cult US brandMother Dirt[https://go.redirectingat.com?id=76202X1526515&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.co.uk%2FMother-Dirt-Sulfate-Shampoo-Preservative%2Fdp%2FB01JQRYBQG&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mirror.co.uk%2F3am%2Fstyle%2F3am-fashion-celebrity-beauty%2Fweird-new-beauty-inventions-tested-18960063]– now here in the UK – reckon there's no spare scrap of skin, inside or out, that doesn’t need friendly flora.

They’ve even made a shampoo (from £15) that delivers probiotics to your scalp, which claims to calm itching and boost hair growth.

Kefir is full of healthy bacteria which are good for your microbiome. It generally has a thin, drinking texture; mixed with cream and left to ferment overnight, it becomes thick like creme fraiche.


Prep time: 55 minutes, plus fermentation time | Cooking time: 20 minutes

SERVES

eight to 12

INGREDIENTS

For the filling

* 500ml double cream

* 250ml unsweetened live kefir

* 5 gelatine sheets

* 6-8 figs

* 60ml apple or cherry juice, or water

* 1 tbsp runny honey, plus 2 tsp

For the base

* 140g porridge oats

* 4 tbsp sunflower oil

* 2 tbsp water

* 1 tbsp honey

* 1 tbsp sunflower seeds (optional)

METHOD

* Start the day before, by mixing together the double cream and kefir. Cover the bowl and leave at room temperature for 18-24 hours until the mixture is thick and pleasantly tangy, like a rich creme fraiche.

* For the base, preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4. Line a 20cm round loose-bottomed cake tin with baking parchment.

* Put the oats in a food processor with the oil and blitz to rough crumbs. Add the water and honey and process again to a rough paste. Pulse in the sunflower seeds if using.

* Press this into the cake tin and bake for 20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool completely.

* For the filling, soak the gelatine in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze it to get rid of excess water. Heat the juice or water and stir in one tablespoon of honey along with the softed gelatine. Fold the mixture thoroughly into the kefir cream.

* Thinly slice five of the figs horizontally. Press the slices around the sides of the cake tin (they’ll stick to the baking parchment). Pour half of the kefir cream into the tin, then top with any remaining fig slices. Pour over the last of the cream, cover, and refrigerate for at least eight hours.

* To serve, carefully remove from the tin and peel off the paper. Cut a deep cross in the stem end of the last figs and squeeze the base so they open out. Set on top of the cheesecake, and trickle over the remaining honey.

RECIPES | Xanthe Clay's healthy bakes[https://cf-particle-html.eip.telegraph.co.uk/2e823687-79ec-4163-a8d4-b59203527df2.html]

Move over, salmon cannon. Step aside, panda pornography. There's a new tool in the world of wildlife conservation that highlights just how profoundly humans have messed up natural ecosystems and the dramatic steps we must take now to correct them.

And that tool is koala poop transplants.

Fecal transplants — which involve taking helpful bacteria and inserting them into patients by way of a capsule or an enema — have made headlines in recent years for their use in treating intractable C. diff infections in humans. Some researchers also think tweaking the microbiome, in the form of encapsulated feces, might help us better tackle ailments including pancreatic cancer, melanoma and obesity.

But koalas?

It starts with marsupials' picky eating habits. Koalas survive on nothing but eucalyptus leaves. And though they have been known to consume 10 varieties of the plant, a species called manna gum is the koala's lip-smacking favorite.

This preference has led to some problems.

Thanks to habitat destruction by humans, koalas often find themselves in isolated islands of eucalyptus, said Ben Moore, an ecologist at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment at Western Sydney University. "And that sort of enables over-browsing to occur and the trees to get destroyed," he said.

In 2013, a koala population in Cape Otway, Australia, plucked the leaves off every manna gum tree in the area, triggering a die-off of trees and koalas. Over the next two years, about 70 percent of the approximately 8,000 animals in the area perished. That was bad news for a species considered vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The tragic thing is that near all the stripped manna gum trees, there was plenty of another kind of eucalyptus. Known as messmate, it's considered less nutritious, but it's eucalyptus all the same. "Some koalas eat nothing but messmate," Moore said.

Many of the Cape Otway koalas wouldn't touch the stuff and starved to death, with the messmate trees in plain view. Moore thought it might have something to do with the marsupial's microbiome.

To chip away at the mystery, Moore and his colleagues analyzed the feces of koalas that fed exclusively on manna gum and compared it with those that prefer messmate. This confirmed a hunch — that koala microbiomes vary by population and contain different species of bacteria depending on the kinds of eucalyptus they consume. (You are what you eat, it seems, even if you're a koala.)

Next, the team captured 12 wild koalas from a manna gum forest in Cape Otway. A control group received fecal transplants — poop pills, basically — from animals that fed on manna gum. The others got fecal transplants from wild-caught koalas living in and dining on messmate. The payloads were delivered via specially designed capsules that could stay intact until they reached the koala's hindguts, where their eucalyptus-munching microbes live.

After nine days of coaxing the koalas to swallow the pills and another 18 days monitoring them, the team found that the microbiomes of the animals in the control group didn't really change. But the bacteria found inside those that received messmate microbes changed a lot.

The presence of bacteria associated with messmate digestion skyrocketed, said Michaela Blyton, an ecologist at the University of Queensland and the lead author of a paper describing the findings. It was published in the journal Animal Microbiome.

Most important was that the koalas that had been seeded with the new bacteria actually went on to eat more messmate than the control group.

"We know through human studies and work in other animals that the diet influences the composition of the microbiome," Blyton said. "And our evidence suggests that it may go the other way as well."

Blyton and Moore's study is the first to provide evidence that fecal transplants can establish a new bacterial regime in koalas, which in turn helps the animals exploit a different food source.

In some ways, the idea of a fecal transplant for koalas isn't all that extraordinary. In addition to breast milk, koala mothers produce a goopy, green poop that their joeys lap up. It may sound revolting, but scientists surmise that it's nature's way of making sure the next generation acquires the microbes it needs to survive.

Zoos have also been gaming koala microbiomes for a while now.

Priya Bapodra-Villaverde, senior veterinarian at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio, said she and her colleagues often turn to fecal transplants to counterbalance the effects of antibiotics, which have a tendency to kill good bacteria along with the bad. It is especially important for koalas, who cannot digest their meals without their live-in digestion partners.

"So one of the things that we've started doing is we'll usually get a stool sample from a healthy animal and look at it under a microscope," said Bapodra-Villaverde. "Does everything kind of look okay? Is there a good mix of fungal organisms and bacteria and protozoa moving around?"

If so, the team mashes up the feces with water and eucalyptus to make a probiotic milkshake of sorts. If the koalas are feeling picky, they let fecal pellets soak in water and then squirt some of the soup into the animals' mouths.

Commercial probiotics are already available for many kinds of animals, from cows and goats to dogs, cats, birds and reptiles. However, these products encourage the growth of more general microbes, not the specific varieties known to inhabit koala guts. That matters, Blyton said, because "the microbes in a koala are quite different to those that are in a cow."

The fecal transplants Blyton and Moore are pioneering might have helped wildlife managers save some of the Cape Otway koalas in 2013, and targeted probiotics clearly would be useful for zoos. But the technology may have wider applications.

As human development encroaches on koalas' natural habitat in Australia, more of the marsupials are being struck by cars or attacked by dogs and are ending up in veterinary clinics. About half of the nation's koalas are also infected with a strain of chlamydia, which can cause blindness or genital tumors. In other words, koala hospitals never want for patients.

"And the first thing that happens when a koala is brought into a koala hospital is they get a big shot of antibiotics, and of course that disrupts their microbiome," Moore said. "So the hope now is that by using a modified version of this approach, it will give us a way to improve the number of koalas that recover from these sorts of treatments and get them back out there, where they need to survive if populations are going to persist."

Read more:

Endangered panthers are stumbling as though they've been poisoned and scientists don't know why

Some of America's top zoos still use bullhooks on elephants. That's about to change.

This baby sea mammal captured people's hearts. She just died of eating plastic.

RUBBING statues for luck puts people at risk of developing sepsis and conjunctivitis, the first study of bacteria on monuments has shown.

Experts swabbed 24 statues in 13 European cities including the lions in London's Trafalgar Square and the Paddington Bear bronze at Paddington station and found huge levels of bacteria. Some of the bacteria detected, such as Staphylococcus, can lead to infections including sepsis, conjunctivitis, cystitis and endocarditis.

The team also discovered Pseudomonas, which may cause folliculitis and ear canal infections.

A statue of Sherlock Holmes, near Baker Street in west London, the feet of which are regularly touched by tourists, had a large presence of Staphylococcus. The Trafalgar Square lions also carried bacteria that are usually only found on people's shoes, suggesting people had been climbing on them.

The research showed that the Oscar Wilde statue at Charing Cross in London had the highest bacterial diversity of all the monuments tested.

Atlas Biomed, a DNA and gut microbiome screening company, which carried out the survey, said people with weaker immune systems should wash their hands immediately after coming into contact with a monument.

Internship at Harvard affiliate inspires students

CAMBRIDGE – Wearing purple latex gloves, safety glasses, and a white lab coat, 17-year-old Angel Muthemba dispensed a pipette filled with DNA into the ridge of a measuring device.

Seconds later, an adjacent computer flashed with a reading that showed a small concentration of the genetic material in the sample.

“It's an OK number," Muthemba said, with a hint of snark.

The rising senior at Revere High School had seen higher results after long hours spent with the DNA. Occasionally, she'll celebrate her hard work with a victory dance in the laboratory at the Forsyth Institute – a leading dental research center that is affiliated with the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

Through a competitive eight-week summer internship at the Cambridge lab, Muthemba and seven other high school students from the Boston area regularly witness the smallest successes that could eventually lead to public health breakthroughs. This year's cohort was selected from more than 200 applicants, organizers said.

Before attending medical school – and even college – the paid interns are exposed to the reality of the STEM field with the guidance of world-renowned scientists, said program director Megan Pugach-Gordon. For the young interns, the program could be a critical launching pad for a career in the sciences.

Interns are assigned mentors — many with PhDs or master's degrees — who establish research objectives and explain the fundamental science that students will eventually learn in introductory, or perhaps advanced, college classes. Their projects range from exploring how white blood cells from the immune system might affect gum disease to what triggers protein loss in salivary glands.

“It's amazing how quickly they pick things up — how much they understand," said Pugach-Gordon, smiling as Muthemba infused casual conversation with complex biological terms. “They're so intimately involved in cutting-edge research."

Bruce Paster, a senior staff member at Forsyth and internship mentor, said it is heart-warming to see the students' excitement at performing hands-on experiments.

“They're like sponges," Paster said of the interns. “I just feel proud that they get it, and they don't seem to have any fear. They have a certain degree of confidence that we try to build."

At debriefing sessions, interns – rather than the professional scientists – probe one another about why certain molecular techniques might have failed to produce valid results, Pugach-Gordon said.

The students said that they don't feel intimidated when they enter the Forsyth Institute — they feel empowered. They're catching a glimpse of their futures.

Cheyenne Stringfellow, a rising senior at Belmont High School, described every day at her internship as rewarding, regardless of the hundreds of repetitive experiments.

“There's a purpose — there's a cause," she said, adding the program signifies far more than a résumé boost. “It's very surreal."

On a recent visit to the lab, Stringfellow, 17, and Muthemba worked side by side, carefully growing bacteria swabbed from the mouths of lab mice.

Through an intricate, well-rehearsed routine, Stringfellow and Muthemba purified DNA samples, copied the genetic material through a technique known as polymerase chain reaction, and sent the batches to a separate lab to determine their subcomponents. After that, the students analyzed the results by comparing known bacterial species within an online database. In July, the National Institutes of Health awarded a federal grant to a Forsyth researcher to support the ongoing project.

The goal of Stringfellow and Muthemba's work is to identify new and existing species of bacteriathat comprise a mouse's oral microbiome, or repository of genetic material. That information, in turn, can ultimately help clinicians design and study treatments meant for oral diseases — such as tooth decay or dry mouth — in humans.

“We already have a tree that's been discovered," said Muthemba, who thought she too had struck a hidden branch earlier this summer – until a mentor informed her otherwise. “We're looking to see if we can add new things on there."

At a nearby lab bench, Anthony Kushta, an intern and aspiring cardiologist, monitored the livelihood of cells that eventually will be harvested and cloned to mimic the outer surface of the HIV virus. He “feeds" the cells nutrients on a controlled scheduled and uses a microscope to detect contaminated samples.

“Some cells don't like to be congested," said Kushta, 17, a rising senior at Brockton High School. “If the cell count is too low, you have to troubleshoot."

As Kushta explained it, researchers will use the matured cells to develop a new vaccine regimen. Whenever Kushta finds himself uncertain about trying a new procedure, such as suctioning older solutions out of cells' containers, he knows that Forsyth is replete with resources.

“You basically have a biology book right in your mentor," Kushta said with a laugh.

Through rigorous training at Forsyth, interns have deepened their sense of comfort — and belonging — in STEM. Many are self-proclaimed science nerds who revel in conducting professional laboratory work.

Stringfellow, for example, said she's always had a knack for science. Though she dreams about specializing in neurobiology, Stringfellow said she didn't expect to begin a research career so young.

Before the Forsyth internship program, Stringfellow said, she thought of data abstractly — not as pieces of information she could create herself.

“I feel proud that I'm working on something that's going to be used for a long time," Stringfellow said.

Alison Kuznitz can be reached at alison.kuznitz@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AlisonKuznitz.

Credit: By Alison Kuznitz Globe Correspondent

Aug 22 (Reuters) - Finch Therapeutics Group:

* FINCH THERAPEUTICS RAISES $53 MILLION TO ADVANCE MICROBIOME-BASED THERAPIES FOR RECURRENT C. DIFFICILE, AUTISM AND OTHER DISEASE AREAS

* FINCH THERAPEUTICS GROUP - COMPLETION OF A $53 MILLION SERIES C FINANCING

* FINCH THERAPEUTICS GROUP - WILL USE PROCEEDS TO ADVANCE ITS PIPELINE OF NOVEL MICROBIAL THERAPIES, INCLUDING CP101 Source text for Eikon: (Reuters.Briefs@thomsonreuters.com)

Cereal makers, under increasing competitive pressure, are struggling to improve sales of puffed rice, wheat flakes and oat clusters that were once a standard part of Americans' morning routines.

Fast-food chains are beckoning customers with new breakfast products and bacon-laden promotions. More people say they are eating less sugar and more protein, or forgoing breakfast altogether. Snack bars for on-the-go consumers are ubiquitous.

"There's a lot more competition for breakfast than there ever has been," General Mills Inc. Chief Executive Jeff Harmening said in an interview. The maker of Cheerios and Wheaties has reported flat cereal sales in the U.S. in its past three fiscal years, coming in at roughly $2.3 billion annually.

General Mills and its peers have tried before to revive cereal's fortunes. They doubled down on sugary versions and pitched cereal for dinner or as a late-night snack. Now manufacturers say they are stepping up spending by retooling marketing campaigns, ramping up product investments and developing new flavors to try to keep shoppers engaged.

Cereal's trials reflect broader challenges food makers face as they try to revitalize products that have been staples in American kitchens for decades to match changing tastes and heightened competition. Condensed-soup sales at Campbell Soup Co. have fallen for years. Kraft Heinz Co.'s meats and cheese products have been hurt by store brands from retailers and organic alternatives.

Likewise, cereal makers must demonstrate that they can draw higher demand as retailers review how they stock the shelves at the center of their stores. Cereal is a mainstay of those aisles. Grocery stores historically took much of their profit from this area, and sales there have been hit hard by trends toward online shopping and fresher foods. "Grocers are forced to be a little bit more selective as trips to center stores go down," said Hunter Williams, partner at consulting firm Oliver Wyman.

Retailers lowered the number of major cereal brands available in stores in each of the past three years, according to Nielsen data analyzed by Wells Fargo food-business analyst John Baumgartner.

U.S. consumers purchased about $8.49 billion of cold cereal last year, according to market-research firm IRI, down 6% from five years earlier. Sales of hot cereals, a smaller category, rose 1% over the same period. Market-research firm Mintel expects cereal sales to fall 5% between last year and 2023.

Food makers, however, have said their investment and marketing plans can lift cereal sales again.

Post Holdings Inc. said earlier this month that North American sales of its cereal brands rose 2% in the first three quarters of its current fiscal year, helped by demand for Honey Bunches of Oats and store-brand cereals it makes for retailers.

Kellogg Co., which makes Raisin Bran, Special K and Frosted Flakes, said sales of its cereal brands fell 5% in the first six months of this year, compared with a year earlier.

Chief Executive Steve Cahillane said in an interview that Kellogg had pulled back on promotions while transitioning to a more standard set of box sizes, a move meant to simplify factory operations and help customers find the company's cereals on store shelves. "It is a category in the United States that is showing a 1% decline," Mr. Cahillane said of cereal. "That can be turned around."

Kellogg is also trying to lift sales by developing new cereals, including a brand focused on gut health, and by adding new flavors of older brands, such as Wild Berry Froot Loops and strawberry-flavored Rice Krispies. Those are the first flavors Kellogg has added to those well-known brands in at least a decade.

General Mills is also aiming to jump-start U.S. cereal sales with more marketing and new products. It recently hired rapper Travis Scott to design boxes for its Reese's Puffs cereal. Boxes from the limited run are being sold as collectors' items on eBay.

Its newer products include a cereal that lists almonds as its first ingredient, meant to appeal to shoppers looking for protein, and blueberry-flavored Cheerios.

General Mills told investors last month that U.S. demographic trends are also working in cereal's favor. A growing population of adults aged 55 years and older and rising numbers of children in the U.S. should bolster cereal demand, executives said. Per capita consumption of cereal is relatively high among these two groups, the company said.

License this article from Dow Jones Reprint Service[http://www.djreprints.com/link/DJRFactiva.html?FACTIVA=WJCO20190821000069]

ANTIBIOTICS heighten the risk of bowel cancer but lower the chances of rectal cancer, a study claims.

Scientists say the risk disparity is influenced by type and class of drug and highlights the importance of 'judicious' prescribing.

The findings, published online by the journal Gut, suggest a pattern of risk that may be linked to differences in gut bacteria - known as microbiome - along the length of the bowel.

Antibiotics have a strong impact on microbiome, altering the balance of helpful and harmful bacteria.

The study drew on data suppiled over 20 years. Co-author Dr Cynthia Sears, of The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy in the US, said: 'Cumulative use of antibiotics for a relatively short period was associated with a heightened risk of bowel cancer. The reverse was true for rectal cancers.'

Dr Sears said the observational study has not established cause. 'Whether antibiotic exposure is causal or contributory to colon cancer risk, our results highlight the importance of judicious antibiotic use,' she said.

© Daily Mail

Marsupial is under increasing pressure from habitat loss, disease and climate change

Faecal transplants could save koalas by helping them expand their diet, new research has suggested.

Some koalas feed on just one type of eucalyptus tree which means they are extremely vulnerableto habitat loss.To make themdiversify their diet, scientists gave thempills containing faecal microorganismsfrom another koala that ate a different type of eucalyptus.

Researchers found the faecal inoculations changed the koalas’microbiomes, which meant they could eat different types of eucalyptus, according to thestudy[http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s42523-019-0008-0]published in

AnimalMicrobiome

.

The Australian marsupial is under increasing pressure from habitat loss, disease and climate change. They deal badly with droughts andheatwaveswhich are expected to become more common in the years to come.

“In 2013 the koala population reached very high densities, leading them to defoliate their preferred food tree species, manna gum," saidLead researcher DrMichaelaBlytonfrom the University of Queensland. "This led to 70 per cent mortality due to starvation, which was very distressing.

“What was interesting was that even though the koalas were starving, they generally didn’t start feeding on a less preferred tree species, messmate, despite the fact that some koalas feed exclusively on messmate.”

Researchers caught wild koalas that only ate manna gum and kept them in temporary captivity at the Cape Otway Conservation Ecology Centre.

They collected faeces from radio-collared wild koalas that ate messmate and concentrated the microorganisms within them. They then packaged them into acid-resistant capsules and gave them to the captive koalas that only eat manna gum.

Read more

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How Extinction Rebellion is leaving its mark at UK music festivals

World’s most endangered mammal ‘to be extinct within a year’

“We then monitored how much messmate the koalas were willing to eat over an 18-day period and assessed how the microbiomes changed after the inoculations, comparing their diets to those of control koalas that received manna gum microbes,” said Dr Blyton.

Scientists found after eating the pills of faeces,koalas could subsequently eat messmate.

“This could affect all aspects of their ecology including nutrition, habitat selection and resource use. Koalas may naturally have trouble adapting to new diets when their usual food trees become over browsed or after being moved to a new location,” said Dr Blyton.

“This study provides a proof of concept for the use of encapsulated faecal material to successfully introduce and establish new microbes in koalas’ guts. In future, capsules could be used to adjust koalas’ microbiomes prior to moving them to safer or more abundant environments, and as probiotics during and after antibiotic treatment.”

Koala becomes best friends with a kangaroo

Eucalyptus leaves are not nutritionally rich. They are so low in protein that koalas – which spend up to 20 hours a day asleep – have to eat 700g of them a day to survive.

Koala is an aboriginal word that means “doesn’t drink” – this is because koalas get more than 90 per cent of their moisture from eucalyptus leaves.

Forget about giantslippery mushroomsbetween two buns, these burgers will even charm the greatest meat-lover

Until recently, burger joints could get away with murder when it came to non-meat options. A giant slippery mushroom slathered in ketchup between two buns, or even worse, a nondescript sweetcorn mush reminiscent of deep-fried baby food.

But with around half a million people in the UK now identifying as vegan, rabbit food patties just don’t cut the mustard anymore.

Here are some of the best places to get a vegan burger in the UK, if you want to go meat free.

Vurger Co

In your face Wednesday  yes you really can get this in your face today and everyday  what a perfect shot of our Auburger ❤️ thank you @kippysnacks  See you all soon for all of this ☝ #humpdayfeels #macncheeseplease #thevurgerco #plantbased #auburger #burgersandfries #vegansofldn #vegansofig #instafood #foodie #foodgasm #londoneats #veganfoodshare #foodshare #veganfood #veganeats #veganeats [https://www.instagram.com/p/BhbVuPXn49b/]

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Apr 11, 2018 at 3:41am PDT

It’s all in the name at Vurger [http://www.thevurgerco.com/], where the burgers are vegan, and made out of vegetables, seeds, nuts and grains. They get pretty whacky, with the best-selling Tabasco Auburger made from aubergines, chickpeas, red onion and vegan cheese. Try the superb mac’n’cheese on the side too.

Then for those that really want to push the boat out, wash down your patty with a famous Vurger shake, and trust me, you’ll feel like a healthy million dollars.

Cut + Grind

Cut + Grind [https://www.cutandgrindburgers.com/] are famous for their meat burgers, grinding the mince up to four times a day to keep it fresh. Winner of the National Burger Awards last year, they even offer burger-making masterclasses at their restaurant in Kings Cross.

But unlike many conventional burger restaurants, they’ve made a splash on the vegan scene too. The miso-glazed aubergine, with sesame slaw, sweet pickles and homemade ketchup rivals any traditional patty, and hits the spot with the chargrilled broccoli. Maybe throw in an Oreo milkshake too for good measure.

Mindful Burger at Yeotown Kitchen

A fast food staple reimagined by Yeotown: your all-American burger made healthy & vegan ⠀ ⠀ It's the Yeotown Burger, made with beluga lentils, carmelized onions and local quinoa on a flax sundried tomato bun with probiotic aioli catsup with roasted sweet potato fries. Comfort food for your mind & body ⠀ ⠀ We named it after one of the most important character traits - Honesty. It's a very special trait, too, as it requires a lot of courage, respect, responsibility and a need of being true to yourself and others. Honest people lead fulfilling lives and are considered to be trustworthy. ⠀ ⠀ Next time you're at Yeotown Kitchen - ask for our Honesty Burger!⠀ [https://www.instagram.com/p/BaG2Vd3BtfE/]

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Oct 11, 2017 at 5:02am PDT

If being vegan isn’t doing enough for your soul, how about trying Yeotown Kitchen [http://www.yeotownkitchen.com/main-page/], London’s first mindfulness café, for your next meat-free hit.

Their Bounce Back Cheeseburger boasts beluga lentils, caramelised onions, vegan cheddar, quinoa, walnuts and cumin catsup. And don’t forget the roasted sweet potato fries and vegan aioli on the side.

If that isn’t too much of a mouthful, guests are invited to sip green juice and settle into a meditation pod for a quick mindfulness session afterwards. Or if you’re feeling a bit more indulgent I’d opt for some banana and coconut ice cream for pudding.

Patty & Bun

In the past vegans would have steered well clear of Patty & Bun [http://www.pattyandbun.co.uk/]. Heaven for carnivores, their menu has always been pretty beefy, with an impressive deep fried cheese fritter as the veggie alternative.

But last month they changed their tune and introduced the phenomenal Whoopi Goldburger. It’s a tempeh and mushroom fritter, topped with pickled cucumbers, diced onion, double smoked vegan cheese, mustard, ketchup and lettuce, in a tasty Bonsoy bun.

Redemption Bar

Our pulled jackfruit burger epitomises our philosophy: To spoil yourself without spoiling yourself... win win! Photo by @thenuttynoodle [https://www.instagram.com/p/BglfR2bH_Kk/]

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Mar 21, 2018 at 5:46am PDT

If you want a real health kick of a burger, try Redemption Bar [http://RedemptionBar.co.uk].

Founded by two female entrepreneurs who wanted to create the healthiest restaurant in London, their motto is ‘spoil yourself without spoiling yourself’.

Based in Shoreditch and Notting Hill, Redemption serves up all vegan, sugar-free and wheat-free food.

Their Buff Burger is a protein packed fibre-boosting shiitake mushroom, black bean and ruby beet burger in a gluten-free bun with tomato, lettuce and caramelised red onion marmalade.

There’s also a probiotic superslaw made of kohlrabi and coconut kefir dressing if you want to get really wholesome.

Biff’s Jack Shack

Hell-bent on serving the filthiest vegan food in town, the Shack [https://biffsjackshack.com/home] was founded last year when Biff was trying to cut out meat, but couldn’t find enough junk food to hit the spot.

Biff’s offers London’s first crispy fried jackfruit burgers, and wings with a sugarcane 'bone' if you’re up for some artful meat imitation.

Their most famous burger is the Samuel Hell Jackson. Made with the signature jackfruit patty, it comes with homemade maple chipotle hot sauce, lime slaw, vegan burger cheese and jalapeños, all sandwiched in a toasted seeded vegan brioche bun.

Mildred’s

The bleeding burger craze has taken LA by storm, even though the name could make even the most bloodthirsty carnivore feel squeamish.

Now it has arrived in London, with vegetarian chain Mildred’s [http://www.mildreds.co.uk/] adding the Moving Mountains B12 burger to its menu.

Totally plant-based, potatoes, peas, wheat and soy are used to create the patty. But despite these ingredients it looks like a rare beef burger, oozing beetroot juice for that Halloween fake blood effect.

Mooshies

Mooshies [https://veganburger.org/]began as a vegan supper club, started by husband and wife John and Nelly. Their plant-based burgers proved so popular that they soon moved to an old curry house on Brick Lane to bring their patties to the masses.

The Pulled Mooshie is made of barbequed jackfruit, while the Fillet-Om-Phish does vegan seafood with battered aubergine, nori seaweed, vegan cheese, Mooshies tartar sauce and lettuce.

Go for some guacamole and plantain chips while you’re waiting, and a matcha brownie if you’ve still got room at the end.

Vx

Founded as the first 100 per centvegan shop in London, Vx’s mission is simple: promoting a cruelty-free vegan lifestyle without sacrificing taste.

No quinoa in sight, their menu serves up supersize cheesy chips, vegan doner kebabs and soya BBQ ribs. But the Vx Burger is the pièce de résistance, a wheat burger patty with vayonnaise, tomatoes, gherkins and ketchup.

And with oreo donuts to top it all off, Vx is the hungover vegan’s paradise.

Though it originally opened in London [https://www.vx-london.com/], this vegan piece of paradise recently opened in Bristol [http://www.vxbristol.com/]too.

* Harvard nutrition expert Dr. Walter Willett[https://www.businessinsider.com/is-keto-healthy-dirty-bacon-eggs-keto-may-not-be-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] has been studying how the foods people eat impacts their long-term health for over 30 years.

* He says his own diet is "moderately low-carbohydrate[https://www.businessinsider.com/category/keto-diet?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]," and he never drinks sugar-sweetened beverages.

* His go-to breakfast combo is a high-fat, high-carbohydrate combination of oats, nuts, and yogurt that many other nutrition pros adore,[https://www.businessinsider.com/healthy-breakfast-mediterranean-diet-harvard-nutritionists-eat-2018-5?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] too.

* Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories[https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

Harvard nutrition expert Dr. Walter Willett is not a fan of orange juice with breakfast, and there are no boxed cereals, croissants, or cinnamon rolls at his morning table. He says there's no need to load up on carbs like that at the beginning of the day.

"I just had breakfast with steel cut oats, and nuts, and some yogurt," he told Business Insider one recent morning. "It is a low-glycemic kind of carbohydrates that does bring a lot of microfiber and micronutrients, which do appear to have health value."

Willett's breakfast is one that is beloved in various iterations[https://www.businessinsider.com/healthy-snacks-lunches-nutritionists-recommend-2018-5?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] by many nutrition pros[https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-lose-weight-without-dieting-2018-4?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]. It also reveals a central truth of healthy eating: weaponizing entire food groups, and shunning all carbs, or all fats — purely on principle — is not a science-backed way to eat.

Willett has been studying the diets of hundreds of thousands of people around the US and Canada for the past thirty years. He's noticed that low-fat diets[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4667723/] often backfire, even if certain types of fat, like saturated fat,[https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-good-fat-vs-bad-fat-fat-in-meat-fish-nuts-2018-4?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] can still be bad for human hearts[https://www.bmj.com/content/361/bmj.k2139.full] in large doses.

Recently, he authored a report for the EAT Lancet commission[https://eatforum.org/content/uploads/2019/01/EAT-Lancet_Commission_Summary_Report.pdf] at the United Nations[https://www.unscn.org/en/topics/sustainable-food-systems?idnews=1884], suggesting that people around the globe should double their intake of "fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes" for optimal health, while cutting back on red meat and sugar, the simplest carbohydrate of all[https://www.businessinsider.com/is-keto-healthy-dirty-bacon-eggs-keto-may-not-be-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

"We can tolerate small amounts of sugar," Willett said. But that doesn't mean he'd recommend fueling up on simple carbohydrates like white toast or waffles to get going in the morning, and he says he adheres to a "moderately low-carbohydrate diet" at home.

"When I do eat carbohydrates, it's almost all whole grains," Willett said.

He starts many days with a breakfast bowl of fat, protein, and some complex carbs.

Oats are both full of fats and carbs, and they do a body good

Willett's breakfast makes sense health-wise for a number of reasons.

Fiber-rich foods like oats not only helps keep things moving along in the body, they are also tied to fewer instances of liver cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity[https://www.businessinsider.com/foods-that-fight-cancer-2019-2?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]. Scientists think this is probably because fiber keeps our gut microbiome well fed[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29902436].

Fat, which is plentiful in both oats and nuts, helps us absorb vitamins[https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000104.htm], while the iodine in yogurt[https://www.businessinsider.com/foods-that-fight-cancer-2019-2?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] is an essential mineral bodies need to make the thyroid hormones that control metabolism.

Whole foods are better than ultra-processed foods, regardless of carb count

Nutrition experts are starting to come around to the idea that breaking foods down into specific nutrients and carb counts misses the larger point of healthy eating[https://www.bmj.com/content/361/bmj.k2139].

Eating whole foods that are prepared at home is better than filling up on ultra-processed junk, whatever the carb-to-fat ratio may be. A mountain of scientific evidence has shown that relying on more processed foods[https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-processed-food-2019-5?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] leads to weight gain over time, and that people who eat more of these foods tend to get more cancer[https://www.businessinsider.com/processed-food-cancer-bmj-2018-2?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] and die quicker[https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-processed-food-2019-5?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] than people who rely on fresh vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats[https://www.businessinsider.com/healthy-fats-in-food-2018-7?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] like olive oil.

"Your unrefined carbs, your fruits, your vegetables, your whole grains, beans, lentils, things like that. These are some of the most healthful foods on the planet," Dr. Shivam Joshi recently told Business Insider[https://www.businessinsider.com/keto-diet-high-fat-low-carb-health-risks-2019-7?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

The best carbs and fats tend to be the least processed ones. This can include whole grains like quinoa, oats, or teff, as well as fat sources like olive oil or fatty fish.

As is the case for fats, "it's not all bad, it's not all good," when it comes to carbs, Willett said.

NOW WATCH: 5 'healthy' breakfast foods that have more sugar than a glazed donut[https://www.businessinsider.com/healthy-low-sugar-breakfast-mcdonalds-starbucks-dunkin-donuts-yoplait-yogurt-2017-10?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

See Also:

* Rapid growth in the healthcare cybersecurity market may not be enough to stop breaches[https://www.businessinsider.com/healthcare-cybersecurity-market-growth-might-not-prevent-breaches-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

* A 35-year-old executive at health insurer Anthem was diagnosed with a kidney tumor 18 months ago. She told us how that's changed her approach to her work.[https://www.businessinsider.com/anthems-mariya-filipova-perspective-as-patient-and-executive-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

* $3.2 billion tooth-straightening startup SmileDirectClub just filed to go public[https://www.businessinsider.com/smiledirectclub-s-1-to-go-public-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

SEE ALSO: A bacon-and-eggs keto diet may not be good for long-term health, but a Harvard nutrition expert says there’s an oily alternative[https://www.businessinsider.com/is-keto-healthy-dirty-bacon-eggs-keto-may-not-be-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

Amy Martin's 3-year-old twins were sick yet again - and the Anacortes, Wash., mom was fed up. "We were just getting cold after cold," she says.

Her solution: Dietary supplements. She searched online for ideas, then picked up a bottle of elderberry gummies.

She wasn't alone.

Google logged over a half-million searches for "elderberry for colds" in the past year, and the market for elderberry products is growing.

But Martin soon became disillusioned. Making her sons eat the gummies was a hassle, and they made no appreciable difference in the frequency of her family's colds. She still gives her sons other supplements, including vitamin D, melatonin and probiotics, but "we do wonder if we are wasting money," she says.

Martin is one of a growing number of parents who give herbal dietary supplements to their children. Most aren't designed or marketed for kids: According to Innova Market Insights, a marketing research group of the food-and-beverage industry, just under 5 percent of dietary supplement launches target children. But supplement use among children is much higher.

About a third of children in the United States use dietary supplements, according to a nationally representative survey of American children and adolescents. Between 2004 and 2014, participants' use of herbal and nonvitamin supplements nearly doubled, from 3.7 percent to 6.7 percent in 2013-2014.

Fish oil, melatonin and probiotics are the most commonly used dietary supplements outside vitamins.

Researchers still know little about whether or how dietary supplements can benefit - or hurt - kids. Studies of herbal and homeopathic remedies can have design flaws, and products can lack randomized clinical trials. Parents often rely on anecdotal evidence instead of reliable medical studies. And decisions to buy and administer vitamins and other products can be swayed by advertising or a parent's own supplement use.

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, children with parents who use dietary supplements or other complementary health approaches are more likely to use them than kids whose parents do not.

"I am always very hesitant to recommend any supplements to patients, even when there is some evidence of effectiveness," says pediatrician Natalie Muth, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. "In many cases, there is no evidence of effectiveness."

Nevertheless, kids' use of herbal supplements continues to rise. So do the number of calls to poison centers. "[Supplement-related calls] have been steadily increasing since 1994," says Susan Smolinske, director of the New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center. That's when legislation went into effect that allows the Food and Drug Administration to intervene only after products are already on the market.

"What that created in this essentially almost unregulated environment is an industry gone wild," says S. Bryn Austin, a public health researcher and professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "The industry went from 4,000 products on the market when this law was passed to well over 80,000 products on the market."

Austin warns parents that just because a product is on store shelves doesn't mean it's safe for children - or even that it contains what it claims on the bottle. The FDA has recalled 12 dietary supplements in 2019 alone; most of the recalls related to mislabeling or undeclared ingredients.

Austin and other researchers examined the FDA's database of unwanted side effects of supplements in children and adolescents, known as adverse events. Of the 977 events reported between 2004 and 2015, about 40 percent involved severe medical outcomes such as hospitalization, disability or death. Supplements that promised energy, weight loss and muscle building were associated with nearly three times the risk of an adverse event than those that did not.

"The claims are not true," Austin says. "These products are not proven to turn anyone into an Olympic athlete or the highest scorer on their team. What they are proven to do is lead to serious adverse events when the products have dangerous ingredients, which too often they do. Parents cannot look at the bottle or box and read the label and know what's in there."

In a study published in the journal Hepatology Communications this year, researchers analyzed the ingredients of 272 herbal and dietary supplements associated with liver injury. Fifty-one percent of them had ingredients that weren't listed on the label.

Todd Raymond and his daughter Abby, a 14-year-old team USA weightlifter, learned about that risk firsthand last year. After a family friend with a supplement company offered to make the athlete an ambassador for his fitness-related supplements, the Raymonds scoured the ingredient list for substances that might violate anti-doping rules. "Everything looked good to go," Todd Raymond says. Abby began taking the supplements and promoting the brand.

But during a random drug test, she tested positive for ostarine, a non-FDA-approved substance that produces results similar to anabolic steroids. She was sanctioned by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and disqualified from medals, points and prizes she earned before the test.

"It was devastating," Todd says. After product testing, the Raymonds learned that the supplements Abby had consumed were contaminated during production.

Today, Abby is 15. She has returned to competition, and the Raymonds share their story with other youth athletes through TrueSport, the USADA's educational program.

Jennifer Royer, USADA's TrueSport and athlete education director, says that the organization has recently seen a rise in supplement use among younger athletes.

"Because parents have access to these products at their local grocery store, they assume they're safe, but the supplement market is unregulated and evidence suggests that the modest regulation in place does little to dissuade companies from manufacturing with ingredients that are prohibited or dangerous," she says.

Adolescents aren't the only group at risk. Thirty percent of supplement-related emergency room visits between 2004 and 2013 involved children age 10 or younger. The majority were kids who ingested the supplements without parental supervision.

"You should be very vigilant about keeping them out of reach until it's time to dispense them," Smolinske says. Child-resistant packaging isn't required for dietary supplements that don't contain iron.

Independent test providers such as ConsumerLab.com and certification programs such as the one offered by NSF International, formerly called the National Sanitation Foundation, can help direct parents toward higher-quality products. "You should look for trusted brands from trusted companies," says Andrea Wong, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade association representing dietary supplement manufacturers.

So how can a parent responsibly navigate the slippery world of supplements? In written statements, representatives from the FDA and the National Institutes of Health urged parents to communicate with their child's pediatrician before giving their kids an herbal remedy or other supplement. NIH also offers a series of tip sheets online, including one with questions parents might want to ask health-care providers.

Often, Muth says, parents don't realize a pediatrician might be able to address their kids' health concerns in ways that don't involve supplements.

"If a pediatrician learns that a parent is giving a child melatonin as a last-ditch effort to help a child sleep, it creates an opportunity for the family and pediatrician to troubleshoot why the child may be struggling so much," she says. "Or, if a pediatrician knows that parents are giving their toddler a multivitamin because they are so concerned the child will become malnourished due to picky eating, it creates an opportunity to discuss strategies to help increase a child's willingness to try new foods."

In turn, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians ask patients about which supplements kids are taking.

Smolinske's poison center handles tens of thousands of calls a year - and she has another reason to second-guess supplements: "Because of my experiences, I worry that giving these drugs to treat a disease may delay a diagnosis or evaluation by a physician. If [parents] decide to go it on their own, they may be ignoring something that should be evaluated by a physician."

During her career, Smolinske has seen children with brain tumors, severe anemia and other life-threatening conditions go untreated because their parent thought an herbal supplement could cure their symptoms.

"They think that Dr. Google has all the answers," she says.

health-science@washpost.com

The transplant will consist of taking a number of specially-prepared oral capsules

A team of Canadian scientists is exploring whether human poo transplants can be used to treat one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer.

Traditionally, melanoma is treated with immunotherapy drugs, which stimulate the patient's immune system to attack and destroy cancer cells.

But while these drugs can significantly improve survival outcomes in those with melanoma, they are only effective in 40-50% of patients.

Scientists believe that the human microbiome - the diverse collection of microbes in our body - may play a vital role in whether or not a patient responds.

"The gut microbiome helps establish immunity from an early age. It makes sense that a healthy gut could improve response to immunotherapy," explains Dr. Jeremy Burton, a Lawson Scientist who specialises in human microbiome research.

"This led us to consider the potential of fecal transplants."

New poo donors wanted as faecal donation banks run dry[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/new-poo-donors-wanted-faecal-16545470]

Fecal transplants involve collecting a stool from a healthy donor, preparing it in a lab and transplanting it to the patient.

The goal is to transplant the donor's microbiome so that healthy bacteria will colonise in the patient's gut, helping their body respond to the immunotherapy drugs.

Twenty melanoma patients from the London Regional Cancer Program at the London Health Sciences Centre in Ontario will take part in the first clinical trial of the new treatment.

The fecal transplant will consist of taking a number of specially-prepared oral capsules, which the patient will swallow before receiving immunotherapy as normal.

Patients will be assessed over time for any changes to their cancer, microbiome, immune system and overall health.

Poo transplants could have amazing health benefits for people suffering with serious illness[http://www.mirror.co.uk/science/poo-transplants-could-amazing-health-10270707]

The primary goal of the study is to evaluate safety of the novel treatment combination, but researchers will also evaluate patient outcomes.

"Melanoma is the least common skin cancer but it is the most deadly and rates are going up," says Dr. John Lenehan, Associate Scientist at Lawson and Oncologist at LHSC.

"Anti-PD1 immunotherapy drugs can be extremely effective but we want to help more patients respond. That's our goal."

While the team is studying the combination of fecal transplants and immunotherapy for melanoma, they see potential for other cancers as well.

"We're one of the first in the world to study fecal transplants in cancer patients," said Dr. Saman Maleki, a Lawson Associate Scientist who specialises in cancer immunology.

Could microorganisms in poo help treat the deadliest form of skin cancer?

'Poo transplant' man beats horrific bowel infection using faecal matter from his daughter[http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/poo-transplant-man-beats-horrific-5490619]

"This study is as cutting-edge as it gets with potential applications for multiple disease sites.

"With experts in microbiology, infectious disease, cancer and immunology, our institute is well-positioned to carry this forward."

Fecal transplants have already been used to treat patients with recurrent C. diff - thediarrhoea-causing superbug[https://www.mirror.co.uk/science/diarrhoea-causing-superbug-evolves-spread-18920517]that is common in hospital - saving countless lives.

The researchers are now starting to see its potential for the treatment of other diseases including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) and cancer treatment toxicity.

A reader, Tony, asked me, in short, if good things about sauerkraut outweighed the bad. I'm answering that query in my column today.

Sauerkraut, German for sour cabbage, is often thought of as a German invention; a place where it has been made and enjoyed for centuries. According to The New Food Lover's Companion, though, Chinese labourers building the Great Wall of China more than 2,000 years ago ate it as standard fare.

That style of sauerkraut, where shredded cabbage was fermented in rice wine, made its way to Europe. Germans and Alsatians enjoyed its taste, made their own and it became an important food in their cuisines and still is.

In brief, German-style sauerkraut is made by combining shredded cabbage with salt in a barrel or other vessel, covering and weighting it down and allowing it to ferment. Flavourings, such as spices, are also sometimes added. Wine is also featured in some sauerkraut.

According to The Oxford Companion to Food, pressing the cabbage helps squeeze out the juice, which is also extracted by the salt. The covering excludes air, so the fermentation is anaerobic (airless) and contamination by aerobic (airbreathing) organisms must be avoided.

During the process, lactic bacteria naturally present in cabbage ferments the sugars in the juice extracted from it and the taste of the cabbage evolves, becoming pleasingly sour and savoury.

In other words, it's an umamibomb of flavour that can compliment and lift up the taste of other foods, such as sausages and hot dogs, pork ribs and roasts, hot sandwiches and casseroles, such as the famous Alsatian dish, choucroute garni.

Beyond taste, the other good thing about sauerkraut is that cabbage contains nutritious things and the fermentation process further enhances that.

Sauerkraut is low in calories and fat and provides good amounts of dietary fibre and vitamins C and K, and minerals, such as calcium, iron and potassium. But, perhaps most importantly, during fermentation beneficial probiotics, bacteria and enzymes are produced. When consumed they, according to a number of sources, might help with such things as digestion and overall gut health, constipation, blood circulation, lowering LDL cholesterol and a host of other things.

There are good reasons to eat sauerkraut, but some say the bad thing about it is its sodium content, which can vary. I checked several brands sold in Victoria and all had different levels of it.

For example, when calculating a modest 1/4-cup serving from nutrition facts I found, Bick's brand wine sauerkraut had 400 milligrams of sodium, Bubbies sauerkraut had 290, Eden Organic sauerkraut had 440, Kuhne barrel sauerkraut had 220, Hengstenberg Bavarian-style sauerkraut had 280 and Karthein's traditional sauerkraut had 170.

If you fermented your own sauerkraut, that sodium content, of course, would vary depending on how much salt was used. But in Samuel Hofer's book, A passion for Sauerkraut, he suggests a 1/4-cup would contain about 365 milligrams.

According Health Canada, people ages 14 and over should not eat more than 2300 milligrams sodium per day. They describe that as the "tolerable upper intake level," and sodium intake above that is likely to pose a health risks.

As I noted in a recent story on cooking with salt, though, Health Canada says, ideally, adults 14 to 50 years of age should consume about 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day, those 51 to 70 years, around 1,300, and those over 70 years, 1,200.

For someone who, for medical reasons, must tightly control their sodium intake, they would have to avoid salted foods such as sauerkraut. But for those simply being careful about how much sodium they consume, given Health Canada's "tolerable upper intake level," it does seem possible to occasionally work sauerkraut into your diet, a good thing if you enjoy its taste and other heath benefits.

That is even truer if you use modest amounts and choose brands that are lower in sodium, and serve that sauerkraut with foods not rich in it. In Hofer's book, he says thoroughly rinsing sauerkraut can also reduce sodium content, but doing that might also rinse away some of the flavour and nutritious things it contains.

My recipe for pork tenderloin bunwiches shows how a more modest amount of sauerkraut, two tablespoons per serving, can still add plenty of flavour to a dish.

Pork Tenderloin Bunwiches With Sauerkraut, Cheese and Apples

Tender medallions of pork, tastily topped with sauerkraut, cheese and apples, sandwiched in buns spread with honey mustard flavoured mayonnaise. You could serve the bunwiches with local corn on the cob and beer.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 16 minutes

Makes: Four servings

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp honey, plus a bit for drizzling

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 whole pork tenderloin (550 grams), trimmed of any fat and silverskin

1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

freshly ground black pepper and dried sage leaves, to taste

4 leaf or butter lettuce leaves

1/2 cup sauerkraut, drained well, or to taste

1/2 cup grated Swiss or other tangy cheese, or to taste

16 thin wedges of apple

4 hamburger or kaiser buns, split and warmed

Combine mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp honey and mustard in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Cut pork tenderloin widthwise into four equal pieces, and then set them upright on a board, spacing each one a few inches apart. You'll have to press on the tail end piece of tenderloin to make it sit upright.

Cover pork with plastic wrap.

Now firmly press on each piece of pork with the palm of your hand, or use a kitchen hammer to pound it, into medallions, each about 1/2-inch thick.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat the oil in a skillet set over medium-high. Season the pork with pepper and sage (the sauerkraut and cheese will add a salty taste). Set pork in the skillet and cook three minutes on each side, or until just cooked through. Transfer pork to the baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Top each piece of pork with some sauerkraut, cheese and apple slices. Drizzle apples slice with a bit of honey. Set the pork in the oven and bake until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

Spread cut sides of each bun with some mayonnaise mixture. Set a lettuce leaf and piece of pork tenderloin on each bottom bun. Set on top buns and serve. Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.

* Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos both have grand plans for human space colonization.

* Elon Musk's company SpaceX hopes to take humans to Mars, while Bezos has talked about establishing moon bases and housing people in giant spinning space stations, called O'Neill cylinders.

* Business Insider spoke to three experts to uncover the scientific, physiological, and ethical challenges of space colonization.

* From bone-thinning atmospheres, to killer plants, and unchecked dictatorships, these are just some of the mind-boggling problems with people living in space.

* Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.[https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

We are currently in the middle of a new space race, except this time it's not between conflicting nation-states — it's battling tech billionaires.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Tesla CEO Elon Musk both have their own space exploration companies: Blue Origin and SpaceX respectively. Both are seeking to pioneer re-usable rocket technology, and both have patterned with NASA for further research into space-flight.[https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/30/20747530/nasa-artemis-moon-mars-missions-spacex-blue-origin-starship-aco]

But neither men are content to talk about near-term goals. Both have laid out grandiose visions for space colonization, and have even sparred with each other in trying to assert that their own plan is the best.

Read more: Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are in an epic, years-long feud over space travel. Here's a timeline of the billionaires' most notable battles.[https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-jeff-bezos-fights-disagreements-insults-list-2019-6?r=US&IR=T?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

In terms of settlement, Elon Musk's gaze remains fixed on Mars, where he claims he wants to start building a human settlement by the 2050s and where he has said he would like to die[https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/11/2/18053824/elon-musk-death-mars-spacex-kara-swisher-interview] (although, he noted, not on impact).

Bezos' rhetoric is no less modest. He has said he wants to develop a "sustained human presence"[https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-colonize-moon-2019-6?r=US&IR=T?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] on the moon, has proposed that heavy industry could be moved off-Earth[https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-space-travel-essential-because-destroying-planet-2019-7?r=US&IR=T?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest], and has said that humanity could live in O'Neill cylinders[https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-proposes-floating-colonies-with-weather-as-good-as-maui-2019-5?r=US&IR=T?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest] — huge spinning space stations which would simulate gravity.

So how close are we to actual space colonization? Business Insider spoke to three experts to sift through the tech moguls' bombastic rhetoric and uncover some of the real scientific challenges.

Low gravity thins our bones, weakens our muscles, and makes our hearts change shape

Being in space for long periods of time has a big impact on human bone density. A 2013 study of 35 astronauts[https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/42466766/Skeletal_health_in_long-duration_astrona20160209-8420-1rkccn6.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DSkeletal_health_in_long-duration_astrona.pdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A%2F20190724%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20190724T123025Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=b161d0be10ddf13793bffaeb417f41e246a070ff718f11b20af371ca5aa47833https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jbmr.1948] found that on average they lost more than 10% of bone density after flying missions of between 120 to 180 days.

"Mars has more gravity than the ISS [International Space Station] but not a lot, it's still about a sixth of Earth's. So you've got a serious issue there as to whether people can live there for any serious length of time at all. That doubles down if you want to try raising children and anything that approaches an actual colony," said David Armstrong, an astrophysics professor at the University of Warwick.

"If trained astronauts, who are prime people, are losing significant amounts of bone density — enough that you'd normally lose by the time you're 50 and 60 — how could someone live permanently in that environment?" he asked.

Another side-effect of microgravity is a drop in muscle mass. According to Prof. Kevin Moffat, who specialises in human physiology in extreme environments, there's no proven way of counteracting it.

"There's all sorts of debate over what happens with muscle conditioning. Tim Peake when he was up there you saw him conditioning himself on these running machines. The evidence is still pretty equivocal whether that really helps very much, but I suspect if I was up there I would do that as well just in case it worked," he said.

British astronaut Tim Peake used a treadmill to run the London marathon in 3 hours and 35 minutes on the ISS in 2016.

However, one observed change Moffat noted is that the lack of gravity on the ISS causes the astronauts' hearts to change shape. "In space your heart become rounder… because there's no gravity to pump against," he said. The shape-change is thought to lead to a higher risk of kidney stones[https://www.auajournals.org/doi/10.1016/j.juro.2009.07.010], and so Moffat concludes is likely to affect other bodily processes in ways we don't know yet.

Space changes our "natural killer cells" and the microbiome

Moffat said there are two more areas of human physiology in space which are too often overlooked. The first is the immune system[https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190123174405.htm] — specifically a kind of cell called "natural killer cells" which help guard the body against cancer.

"We know that their levels drop massively in astronauts that live in the ISS. If you're up there for six months, probably it won't make much difference. But if you're there for two years, five years, ten years, a lifetime, then there's a set of worries I would suggest that your immune system may not be functioning to monitor your body for rogue cells," he said.

While there's still research to be done on exactly why astronauts' immune systems dip, Moffat hypothesises it's due to the change in bone density. Specifically, he thinks it has something to do with bone marrow, which is where blood cells are generated.

A second change astronauts undergo is to their microbiome. "There is as many cells in you, and on you, as of you. You're made of just as many microbes and fungi and bacteria as you are of cells of yourself. So you're just basically a machine for other stuff," says Moffat. This collection of fungi and microbes makes up a healthy microbiome. A paper published in 2019[https://science.sciencemag.org/content/364/6436/eaau8650] compared the microbiomes of two twins — one who went to the ISS and one who stayed on Earth.

"There does appear to be changes in the bacterial community in their gut at least. That's a worry as well, because that will alter what you can eat," said Moffat.

Radiation poisoning

The Earth's magnetosphere and ozone layer protect us from radiation thrown out by the sun. Astronauts visiting the moon or the ISS receive higher doses of radiation than they do on Earth, but not deadly amounts. But venturing any further (to Mars for example) means facing deep-space radiation.

This poses a big problem for Bezos' O'Neill cylinders. "You need a huge amount of shielding material, way more than you need to build the actual structure, just to stop people getting essentially sterilized quite quickly... some of the estimates I've seen are for tens of millions of tonnes of shielding material essentially," said Warwick University's Armstrong. Getting that amount of material into space is "beyond economically feasible," he added.

A Musk-style expedition to Mars would need to make provisions for sudden bursts of radiation. "If you happen to be out during a time of high solar activity, so some sort of solar storm or a flare... things like that, that's particularly bad. There's talk of having high-shielded areas on spacecraft which astronauts could retreat to when events like that were occurring," Armstrong explained.

The problems with "terraforming" and the Biosphere 2 disaster

Musk has talked about terraforming the surface of Mars. The term is borrowed from science fiction, and means transforming the make-up of a planet to make it habitable for human life.

Armstrong doesn't dismiss the idea of terraforming out of hand, simply because it's so wild you would need to account for future technologies that don't yet exist. "For these projects we're talking thousands and tens of thousands of years really," he said.

Mars' atmosphere poses a big problem, as it is so thin and Mars' gravity is so weak, molecules easily escape off into space. "We think Mars' atmosphere is so thin because it was bombarded by asteroids early on and with that low gravity that led to a lot of the atmosphere escaping," said Armstrong.

"In any short, medium, or even somewhat long-term, we're talking living in domes. On the surface is just not plausible," he said.

But dome-living comes with its own dangers. Armstrong pointed to Biosphere 2, an experiment from the 1990s which was built to simulate a closed space-colony.

"The experiment crashed and burned in all kinds of ways, but one thing that came out of it was that there were just endless complexities people didn't really expect. The concrete slowly decaying and polluting the air over long timescales, this sort of thing," he said.

Toxic plants

Quite apart from its atmosphere, Mars' soil poses a big problem. The film "The Martian" popularized the idea of growing plant-life on the Red Planet, and according to Armstrong, it's not beyond the realms of possibility.

"The Earth's soil is a very complex thing that's been built from millions of years of organic material growing and dying, and Martian soil does not have that. There are various experiments growing things in simulated martian soil and they do actually tend to come out with positive results. The problem is that those stimulants aren't necessarily accurate," he said.

"Some of the most damaging materials in the Martian soil is something called perchlorate, which we think are really quite bad," he added. Chances are any Martian plants would take up these heavy minerals, which could ultimately kill people, depending on the level of exposure.

No room for democracy in space

Forgetting for a moment the considerable physical and engineering challenges that go with living in space, there's another important element Musk and Bezos don't tend to dwell on. Social structure.

Political philosopher Felix Pinkert of the University of Vienna believes that an off-world colony would not have room for democracy as we know it. The challenge as he sees it is that any mission to Mars, for example, would have to start with just sending a small handful of experts who specialise in particular areas, and could lead to a hierarchy of technocrats dictating people's lives.

On top of this, if private companies are in charge of shipping people out to these colonies you could end up with effective dictatorships. "Companies are already governments in themselves. They function like governments, but they're private governments in the sense that they are not governed by the people who are affected [by them]. They are governed by the shareholders or the CEO or whatever. So it's like a dictatorship."

Pinkert is surprised that the social structures of these futuristic colonies, as well as their relationship to Earth, isn't talked about more by Musk and Bezos.

"As a species, we've got to do this"

Despite the endless complexities associated with space habitation, none of the experts we spoke to seemed in much doubt that it's on the way — with varying degrees of trepidation.

"On the small scale it's probably closer than you think," said Armstrong. "And having four people on Mars in a terrible environment where they're probably all going to die quite quickly but nonetheless they're there. Given how many resources Elon Musk has, I wouldn't want to put a bet against him. It's alarmingly close on a small scale, it's ludicrously far off on a big scale."

He added in an email to Business Insider that the capacity of these colonies poses an ethical problem. "However successful these colonization programs are, it's worth remembering that the vast majority of currently alive humans are going to stay on the Earth. Bezos optimistically talked about O'Neill cylinders hosting a million people, and a Martian colony is going to be some way under that.

"One motivation for these ideas is the sense that the Earth is dead, we've polluted it too much, and we need a backup plan. If this is our backup plan, we're throwing away most of the human population. Choosing who goes is a hard ethical problem, and one which would functionally be led by a handful of US billionaires. It emphasises how much we need to look after the Earth," he wrote. It should be noted, Bezos has echoed this sentiment[https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-space-travel-essential-because-destroying-planet-2019-7?r=US&IR=T?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest].

Moffat's approach is more fatalistic. "As a species, we've got to do this. We're going to crucify this planet sooner or later. So you might as well die going to Mars," he said.

All three experts agreed that just because the challenges are Herculean, that's no reason not to try. "If the choice is between Elon Musk doing the space stuff and buying himself a lot of yachts, this is definitely better," said Pinkert.

NOW WATCH: How Area 51 became the center of alien conspiracy theories[https://www.businessinsider.com/area-51-american-conspiracy-theories-aliens-history-animation-video-2017-7?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

See Also:

* Jeff Bezos donated $100 million to fighting homelessness — and in an unusual move, he's letting the charities control how it's spent[https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-donation-fighting-homelessness-hands-off-approach-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

* 2 US senators wrote a letter to Jeff Bezos demanding answers about how Amazon recommends products[https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-asked-by-senators-letter-how-amazon-recommends-products-2019-8?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

* Here's what you need to know about Jeff Bezos' dramatic divorce, and how the leak of his affair with Lauren Sanchez has ties to Trump and the Saudi government[https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-national-enquirer-investigation-timeline-2019-2?utm_source=dowjones&utm_medium=ingest]

IT is known for helping maintain a healthy gut, but now scientists have found kimchi could be used to reverse hair loss.

The Korean dish of fermented cabbage, onions, garlic, fish sauce and spices is already popular with health-conscious consumers and known for its probiotic qualities.

But research shows a kimchi drink sold in South Korea helps thicken existing hairs and grow new ones within weeks.

Researchers at Dankook University near Seoul studied 23 men, some in the early stages of hair loss and others visibly thinning on top. They were told to have a kimchi drink before breakfast and at bedtime.

After a month, the average number of hairs had risen from about 85 per sq cm of scalp to 90, and then 92 after four months of drinking the liquid.

The scientists said this was a significant increase that appeared to have reversed hair loss in most of the men.

In a report on the findings, published in the World Journal of Men's Health, the researchers said: 'Current drugs can have adverse effects so their use is usually temporary.

'We found kimchi could promote hair growth and reverse baldness. It is a safer treatment strategy for patients.'

© Daily Mail

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. lawmakers push Mylan, Teva over drug pricing probe

The head of the U.S. House of Representative's oversight panel on Wednesday called on three drugmakers to turn over documents as part of an ongoing congressional review over generic drug price increases and accused the companies of "apparent efforts to stonewall" the probe. U.S. House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings, along with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee, sent the letters to Mylan NV, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd and privately held Heritage Pharmaceuticals, the lawmakers said in a statement.

Novartis replaces top scientists at Avexis after drug data manipulated

Novartis AG said on Wednesday it replaced the two top research and development executives at its Avexis unit after some data was manipulated from early testing of a gene therapy for infants that costs more than $2 million. Avexis' Chief Scientific Officer Brian Kaspar and Senior Vice President of Research and Development Allan Kaspar have not been involved in any operations at Avexis since early May 2019, Novartis said in a statement.

Air pollution, especially ozone, tied to worsening lung damage

The more exposure people have to air pollution, especially ozone, the more lung damage they develop over time, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers already knew that heavy air pollution makes lung disease worse in people who already have lung disease. The new study shows that even among people without lung disease, long-term exposure to air pollution even in relatively 'clean' areas can lead to signs of chronic lung disease, said Dr. Joel Kaufman, a co-author of the study and an environmental health researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Burundi starts Ebola vaccines for health workers: WHO

Burundi has started vaccinating its health workers against Ebola, beginning with those near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday. Burundi has had no reported cases of the deadly haemorrhagic fever, but the viral disease has been spreading in eastern Congo since August 2018 in an epidemic that has now killed at least 1,800 people. Efforts to control the outbreak have been hampered by militia violence and some local resistance to outside help.

U.S. FDA approves TB Alliance's treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved TB Alliance's treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis as part of a three-drug combination regimen called BPaL, the not-for-profit said on Wednesday. The decision comes two months after a panel of advisers to the FDA voted 14-4 in favor of the drug, pretomanid, in combination with linezolid and Johnson & Johnson's bedaquiline for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB).