Soft drinks can cause obesity, tooth wear: Study

Agencies

October 28, 2019

London, Oct 28: The consumption of sugar-sweetened acidic drinks -- such as soft drinks -- is the common factor connecting obesity and tooth wear among adults, according to a study which suggests that dentists should be concerned about the calories their patients get from carbonated beverages.

The researchers, including those from King's College London, found that being overweight, or obese, was strongly associated with having worn out teeth.

The findings of the study, published in the journal Clinical Oral Investigation, suggests that the increased consumption of sugary soft drinks by obese patients may be the leading cause of the erosion of the tooth enamel, and dentine -- the hard bony structure forming the bulk of a tooth.

The researchers analysed a sample of survey participants of 3,541 patients in the United States based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004.

For the study, the researchers took into account patient BMI, their intake of sugar-sweetened acidic drinks, and their levels of tooth wear.

"It is the acidic nature of some drinks such as carbonated drinks and acidic fruit juices that leads to tooth wear," said lead author Saoirse O'Toole from King's College London.

According to the researchers, tooth wear ranked as the third most important dental condition -- after cavities and gum disease -- and its leading cause is the consumption of acidic foods and drinks.

"This is an important message for obese patients who are consuming calories through acidic sugar-sweetened drinks. These drinks may be doing damage to their body and their teeth," O'Toole said.

The researchers said that changing consumption habits can help patients prevent tooth wear, or at least stop it before it gets worse.

"There is also an important message for dentists. We should be asking our patients who are obese and have tooth wear what calories they are drinking as this may be having an effect on their full bodies - not just their teeth," O'Toole said.

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No evidence suggests BCG vaccine can protect against COVID-19: WHO

Agencies

April 14,2020

There is no evidence that the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, which is primarily used against tuberculosis, protects people against infection with the novel coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

The WHO therefore didn't recommend BCG vaccination for the prevention of COVID-19 in the absence of evidence, according to its daily situation report on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"There is experimental evidence from both animal and human studies that the BCG vaccine has non-specific effects on the immune system. These effects have not been well characterized and their clinical relevance remains unknown," WHO stated.

Two clinical trials addressing the question are underway, and WHO will evaluate the evidence when it is available, it noted.

BCG vaccination prevents severe forms of tuberculosis in children and diversion of local supplies may result in an increase of disease and deaths from the tuberculosis, it warned.

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Pasteurising breast milk may inactivate novel coronavirus, claims study

News Network

July 10,2020

Toronto, Jul 10: Pasteurising breast milk at 62.5 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes inactivates the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19, making it safe for consumption by babies, a study claims.

According to the research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, current advice for women with Covid-19 is to continue to breastfeed their own infants.

In Canada, it is standard care to provide pasteurised breast milk to very-low-birth-weight babies in hospital until their own mother's milk supply is adequate, the researchers said.

"In the event that a woman who is Covid-19-positive donates human milk that contains SARS-CoV-2, whether by transmission through the mammary gland or by contamination through respiratory droplets, skin, breast pumps and milk containers, this method of pasteurisation renders milk safe for consumption," said Sharon Unger, a professor at the University of Toronto in Canada.

The Holder method, a technique used to pasteurise milk in all Canadian milk banks at 62.5 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, is effective at neutralising viruses such as HIV, hepatitis and others that are known to be transmitted through human milk, the researchers said.

In the latest study, the researchers spiked human breast milk with a viral load of SARS-CoV-2 and tested samples that either sat at room temperature for 30 minutes or were warmed to 62.5 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

They then measured for active virus, finding that the virus in the pasteurised milk was inactivated after heating.

More than 650 human breast milk banks around the world use the Holder method to ensure a safe supply of milk for vulnerable infants, the researchers said.

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