Medical Bulletin 18/May/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

New WHO guideline advises against using non-sugar sweeteners for weight control

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new guideline on non-sugar sweeteners (NSS), which recommends against the use of NSS to control body weight or reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

The recommendation follows the findings of a systematic review of the available evidence that suggests that use of NSS does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in children or adults. Results also suggest that there may be potential undesirable effects from long-term use of NSS like increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in adults.

Reference:

WHO guideline

Ear acupuncture with beads may help lose weight: Study

Ear acupuncture using metal beads can help reduce weight, body mass index (BMI), and body fat in combination with a restricted diet, according to new research being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Dublin, Ireland (17-20 May).

The new study in 81 Japanese men living with overweight or obesity with high levels of unhealthy abdominal fat assessed auricular acupuncture with 1.5 mm metal ear beads on six points of the outer ear-shen-men, food pipe, upper stomach opening, stomach, lungs and endocrine system.

Reference:

Dr Takahiro Fujimoto et l,EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF OBESITY, MEETING European Congress on Obesity (ECO2023)

Aerobic exercise linked to significantly lower risk of flu or pneumonia death: Study

Regular aerobic exercise, popularly known as “cardio,” is linked to a significantly lower risk of death from flu or pneumonia, even at weekly levels below those recommended, finds US research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The researchers drew on the responses of 577,909 adults who had taken part in the US nationally representative National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) between 1998 and 2018.

Reference:

Leisure- time physical activity and mortality from influenza and pneumonia: a cohort study of 577 909 US adults,British Journal of Sports Medicine, DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2022-106644