22 MEN’S FITNESS SEPTEMBER 2019Health
Breakthroughs
Disruptions to our
“body clock” may
be a factor behind
the global diabetes,
obesity and heart
disease epidemics.
Paul Zimmet,
professor of diabetes
at Monash University,
says studies suggest
circadian disturbance
may be a feature of
the cluster of heart
disease risk factors –
obesity and high blood
pressure, blood sugar
and blood cholesterol- collectively called
metabolic syndrome.
As an example, shift
workers who have
deranged time
clocks are much
more likely to develop
diabetes and high
blood pressure.
A 10% tax on sugary drinks has
cut purchase and consumption
of sugary drinks by an average
of 10% in places it’s been introduced,
a review has found. Researchers from
the University of Otago, NZ, combined
evidence from settings where a sugary
drinks tax had been applied and
evaluated it into a meta-analysis. “This
review presents compelling evidence
that sugary drink taxes result in
decreased sales, purchasing or
dietary intake of taxed beverages,”
says lead author Dr Andrea Teng. “It
shows taxes on sugary drinks are an
effective tool to reduce consumption.”
It’s known that the high consumption
of sugary drinks increases the risk
of obesity and diabetes, and Dr Teng
says there’s also evidence that sugary
drinks may contribute to heart disease,
cancer and premature death.Tax is the ticket
■New research from
the Uni of South
Australia reveals that
drinking six or more
coffees a day can
increase your risk of
heart diseaseby up to
22%. Investigating the
association of long-
term coffee drinking
and cardiovascular
disease, UniSA
researchers Dr Ang
Zhou and Professor
Elina Hyppönen
say their research
confirms the point at
which excess caffeine
can cause high bloodCap your cups
pressure, a precursor
to heart disease. This
is the first time an
upper limit has been
placed on safe coffee
consumption and
heart health. “In order
to maintain a healthy
heart and a healthy
blood pressure, people
must limit their
coffees to fewer than
six cups a day,” says
Professor Hyppönen.
“Based on our data, six
was the tipping point
where caffeine started
to negatively affect
cardiovascular risk.”■Research has found
that cannnabidiol –
the main non-
psychoactive
chemical compound
extracted from
cannabis – is active
against gram-positive
bacteria, including
those responsible
for serious infections
likeStaphyloccocus
aureusand
Streptococcus
pneumoniae, with
potency similar to
that of established
antibiotics.
Cannabidiol is already
being investigated
for a number of other
medical conditions,
including anxiety,
pain and
inflammation,
but until now
the drug had not
been thoroughly
investigated for
its potential as anGone to pot
antibiotic. Research
at the University of
Queensland found
that cannabidiol was
remarkably effective
at killing a wide range
of gram-positive
bacteria, including
bacteria that have
become resistant to
other antibiotics.
Importantly, the drug
retained its activity
against bacteria that
have become highly
resistant to other
common antibiotics,
even under extended
exposure conditions.
Joint
venture.The data is in: a tax on soft
drink is an effective way
to get people to cut down.