7 Things You Need To Know About GMO Salmon

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It’s taken nearly 20 years but AquAdvantage salmon will soon be served in restaurants and appearing at your local fish counter. AquAdvantage is a man-made breed of salmon that’s part Atlantic salmon and part Chinook salmon with a few genes from other fish thrown in that rev up the animal’s growth processes so they’re active most of the year, as opposed to only part of the year. With these changes, AquaAdvantage’s developer, AquaBounty Technologies, says the salmon grow at twice the rate of farm-raised fish.

 

 

The approval by FDA is controversial and contested. Here’s what you need to know for now.

 

 

Is the genetically modified salmon safe to eat?

 

 

The Food and Drug Administration says it “rigorously evaluated extensive data submitted by the manufacturer, AquaBounty Technologies, and other peer-reviewed data…” and determined that it “is safe to eat by humans and animals.”

 

 

Most studies on animals that are fed genetically modified foods don’t show serious health effects, though there are a few that hint at potential harm to organs like the kidneys, liver and heart, as well as increased risk of cancers and early death in these animals.

 

 

Will I know which salmon is genetically modified and which are not?

 

 

Not necessarily. There is no regulation requiring that AquaAdvantage fish be labeled as being genetically altered fish. Any labeling would be voluntarily by the companies’. The FDA issued two recommendations asking manufacturers to voluntarily label their products, along with guidance about how to note the genetic changes.

 

 

Some groups are calling for mandatory labeling. Scott Faber, executive director of a campaign called Just Label It said this in a statement: “The decision to approve GMO salmon without a mandatory disclosure is yet another example of how FDA’s outdated policy keeps consumers in the dark.”

 

 

Is it the first approved GMO animal approved for sale in the United States?

 

 

Yes. But up to 80% of the processed foods sold in the U.S. contain GMOs, mostly from plant crops. Corn, soy, potato and even some apple crops are genetically engineered to either produce more or to resist insects and drought. (See here for a chart of these crops.)

 

 

Why are some people against GMOs?

 

 

There are three major concerns about changing genes in wild plants or animals. First, the alterations could change the plant or animal in ways that could be harmful for people who eat them. The changes could also harm the plant or animal and make them less fit to survive. Finally, on a broader level, introducing new hybrid species could alter the environment in unpredictable and potentially worrisome ways.

 

 

In the salmon’s case, if the genetically altered fish were to make its way into rivers and oceans, it could outcompete the wild salmon, which is smaller, for food and breeding grounds.

 

 

What if the GMO salmon gets into the wild somehow?

 

 

For now, AquaBounty says that’s unlikely to happen since it plans to grow AquAdvantage in land-based tanks. The company will also use only female fish that are sterile so breeding in the wild is also unlikely.

 

 

But some environmentalists point out to NPR that the company’s egg production facility, on Prince Edward Island, is near an estuary that feeds into the ocean and that the fish will be allowed to mature in a location in Panama that is located near a river, making escape a remote but nevertheless real possibility.

 

 

Will changing the genes harm the fish?

 

 

The data isn’t clear on this yet. While AquaBounty’s president once told Reuters that AquAdvantage is “an Atlantic salmon in every measurable way,” studies by researchers who have compared genetically modified salmon to their wild counterparts have shown that the fish behave differently. The genetically altered fish tend to eat more to support their growth-promoting genes, and prefer spending time near the surface of the water alone, as opposed to swimming in groups. They also show some reduced immune functions.

 

 

Where will the genetically modified salmon be sold?

 

 

AquaBounty says it may take as long as a year to raise enough fish to supply supermarkets. But certain retailers, including Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Aldi, have said in the past that they will not sell the genetically modified fish.

 

 

 

 

 

This article originally appeared on Time.com.

 

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6 Nighttime Habits That Make You Look Older

Sleeping This Way on These Types of Sheets

Why it’s making you look older: Sleeping on your stomach or side can lead to wrinkles, says Lauren Ploch, MD, an Augusta, Georgia-based board-certified dermatologist and Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, which is why she and pretty much any dermatologist will tell you it’s best to sleep on your back. If you’re a stomach/side sleeper with cotton or flannel pillowcases though, you could be making matters even worse, as those two fabrics tend to cling and pull on the skin, says Rachel Nazarian, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. 

The fix: Becoming a back sleeper isn’t easy; plus, you can’t control whether you move and turn over in your sleep. A do-able first move is to switch to silk or satin pillowcases.

Using a Gentle Cleanser to Remove Your Makeup

Why it’s making you look older: Thanks to today’s long-wear, budge-proof makeup formulas, “which require more than water and a gentle cleanser to remove,” says Nazarian, you’re probably going to bed with some makeup still on your face. That can lead to clogged pores, dull skin and accelerated skin aging, says Nazarian. 

The fix: If you use long-lasting makeup formulas, start your cleansing process with a makeup-removing wipe or cloth (which will have ingredients that break down long-wear formulas better than a regular cleanser can. Look for ones that say “makeup-removing” on the packaging); then use your gentle cleanser to catch any traces the wipe left behind. The two-step combination is much more likely to get all of your makeup off before you hit the hay.

Turning the Thermostat Up to Toasty

Why it’s making you look older: You know that heat can dry out your skin, and that exacerbates wrinkles. It can also lead to eczema and atopic dermatitis flare-ups, and is a known trigger for rosacea, an inflammatory condition that accelerates the aging process, says Nazarian. 

The fix: Everyone’s ideal sleeping temperature is different, but a good rule of thumb is to find a temperature where you’re just a little bit cool without a blanket, not straight-up cold. (You could also try using a humidifier in the bedroom to keep the air moist.)

Applying Retinol Immediately After You Wash Your Face

Why it’s making you look older: Retinol (the gold standard among anti-aging ingredients) can be irritating. Because it penetrates even deeper into damp skin, you may experience increased tenderness or feel it more sharply, says Nazarian. You’re less likely to use it consistently if you can’t stand the way it makes your skin feel; and, if you don’t apply it regularly, you won’t see the benefits. 

The fix: If you’re new (or even new-ish) to retinol, make sure your skin is dry before you apply it. Only seasoned retinol users should consider using it on damp skin.

Not Including Hand Cream in Your Nightly Routine

Why it’s making you look older: Along with your chest/neck area (and your face, of course) your hands are one of the first areas to show the signs of aging. Using a rich, hydrating hand cream is a great way to combat dryness and crepey skin; but, if you put it on in the morning, you’ll likely wash and rinse it off over the course of the day, says Nazarian. 

The fix: Make hand cream part of your nightly anti-aging routine, applying it just before bed.

Putting Your Anti-Agers on Haphazardly

Why it’s making you look older: First, kudos for using anti-agers at night, when your skin makes the best use of them. But they need to be applied in the right order to make sure all of the ingredients can actually reach your skin. Generally speaking, products should be put on in order of heaviness—gel, lotion, cream, serum, ointment, etc.—to prevent thicker products from blocking the lighter ones. 

The fix: Start with serums or gels, then lotions, then creams, then ointments, says Nazarian. Don’t go overboard with products, though. Ploch recommends using no more than three or four per night, to minimize skin irritation. If you’ve got a long nightly routine full of products that only do one thing each, consider switching to multitasking products instead.

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Health24.com | Woman has 1kg hair ball removed from stomach

After complaining about severe abdominal pain and constant vomiting, an Indian woman had an enormous ball of hair removed from her gut.

The 20-year-old suffers from a condition known as Rapunzel syndrome, also known as trichophagia, where one is compelled to eat one’s own hair.

Emotional or psychiatric conditions

The condition is often associated with another condition – trichotillomania – where people feel compelled to pull their own hair out.

The hairball that doctors removed from the Indian woman’s abdomen weighed just under 1kg.

The procedure was done at the General Hospital in Rajawadi, a suburb of Mumbai, India. The Daily Mail reported that the mass of hair had a “tail”, because the larger mass stays in the stomach while the rest tapers off into the small intestine.

Trichstop reports that trichophagia involves eating pulled out hair, or simply eating the ends of one’s hair. The condition is said to be triggered by several emotional or psychiatric conditions, such as depression, stress or abuse.

Another 25-year-old woman had started complaining about severe abdominal and stomach pain a few days after giving birth. The Daily Mail reported that doctors initially thought her pain was caused by complications with her uterus or placenta as a result of giving birth, they found a hairball weighing 1.5kg in her stomach.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

A review from the US National Library of Medicine states a hairball is medically classified as a “bezoar”, which means an indigestible mass. It is most commonly found in the stomach, but it can be found in the gastrointestinal tract as well.

Accumulated fibres

The hairball continues to grow as more indigestible foods or fibres are accumulated, and hair isn’t the only fibre which can form an indigestible mass in the gut.

Phytobezoars consist of indigestible fruit or vegetable fibres and lactobezoars consist of indigestible milk curd.

In order to treat the condition, one needs to find the underlying condition or the reason behind eating and pulling out one’s hair.

Burst ulcer

A couple months ago, a UK teen died from peritonitis – inflammation of the thin tissue in the abdomen and most of the organs.

Lincolnshire Live reported that according to Jasmine Beever’s post mortem she had a hairball in her stomach, which became infected and caused an ulcer. The ulcer subsequently burst, which caused her organs to shut down.

Beever was at college when she collapsed, and after going home to rest in bed, she woke up to find her skin blotchy. After losing consciousness she was taken to hospital by ambulance. Hospital staff tried to resuscitate her, bit only briefly succeeded – 15 minutes later she passed away.

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Health24.com | Are we giving too much ‘weight’ to body mass index?

Chances are, if you are conscious of your weight and health, you will know what the body mass index (BMI) is and you will know whether you are in a healthy range, according to the index.

No? Let us explain. According to Health24, BMI is a simple index of height-for-weight, and is commonly used to indicate overweight and obesity. It is calculated as follows:

BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared. For example, if you are 1.65m tall and weigh 85kg: weight ÷ height squared = 85 ÷ 1.65 x 1.65 = 85 ÷ 2.72 = 31.25. The result is a BMI of 31.25.

 According to the BMI, between 18 and 25 is a healthy weight; between 25 and 30 is overweight; and anything over 30 is obese.

The problem with BMI

Although the BMI is a simple mathematic formula to use as a guideline, people have been questioning its accuracy. If you’re extremely muscular and your number is over 30, would you still be classified as obese?

While a number can be a good guideline, it has often been said that doctors and medical practitioners cannot solely diagnose patients as “obese” because of a number. They would need to take factors such as medical history, body fat percentage, muscle-to-fat ratio and overall fitness and diet into account.

Let’s take a theoretical case: A 30-year old woman is 1.69 m tall and weighs 72 kg. She eats healthily and exercises five times a week, including strength exercises and marathon training. Her body fat percentage is 20% and her waistline is within the healthy region of less than 80cm in circumference.

If we do the maths, her BMI is 25.21 which is technically overweight – a term you would definitely not use if you saw her in person.

This also means that many professional sportsmen would be placed into the obese category, as their muscle density is greater than that of a regular person.

Why BMI is not that good

According to research, nearly half of the people classified as overweight or obese are actually healthy when other factors are taken into account.

And Robert Shmerling from Harvard’s Health publication wrote in this article that BMI itself cannot measure health, but is simply a number representing a person’s size.

But size still matters

While BMI might not be the be-all and end-all of health, we should keep in mind that a healthy body weight lowers your risk for chronic illnesses and other medical problems.

Doctors and health professionals will still use BMI along with your medical history to determine whether you are overweight or obese, but you will get a more accurate analysis by having your overall body fat and muscle mass measured as well, according to Bodybuilding.com.

A healthy, happy medium

Instead of obsessing about the numbers too much, you can maintain a healthy body weight by eating a balanced diet and doing regular exercise without quick fixes or fad diets. It is also important to monitor your weight as you grow older and to realise that your metabolism is slowing down.

This article is provided through a sponsorship from Pfizer in the interests of continuous medical education. Notwithstanding Pfizer’s sponsorship of this publication, neither Pfizer nor its subsidiary or affiliated companies shall be liable for any damages, claims, liabilities, costs or obligations arising from the misuse of the information provided in this publication. Readers are advised to consult their health care practitioner for specific information on personal health matters as this is not the intention or purpose of the publication. Specific medical advice or recommendations on the clinical management of patients will not be provided by Pfizer. In this regard Pfizer does not support the use of products for off label indications, nor dosing which falls outside the approved label recommendations and readers must refer to the Package Insert of any product for full prescribing guidelines. 

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