Junk foods may damage your bones

Junk foods may damage your bones

Does your kid love to eat ultra-processed junk foods like packaged chips, soups, hot dogs and fries? Besides the increasing risk of obesity, eating junk foods can also affect your bones, warn researchers.

A team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel proved the linkages between ultra-processed foods and reduced bone quality, unveiling the damage of these foods particularly for younger children in their developing years in a rodent-study.

The findings showed that the rodents experienced moderate damage to their bone density, albeit there were fewer indications of cartilage build up in their growth plates.

“Our conclusion was that even in reduced amounts, the ultra-processed foods can have a definite negative impact on skeletal growth,”said Efrat Monsonego-Ornan, professor at the university.

The team surveyed lab rodents whose skeletons were in the post-embryonic stages of growth. The rodents that were subjected to ultra-processed foods suffered from growth retardation and their bone strength was adversely affected.

Under histological examination, the researchers detected high levels of cartilage build-up in the rodents’ growth plates, the “engine” of bone growth. When subjected to additional tests of the rodent cells, the researchers found that the RNA genetic profiles of cartilage cells that had been subjected to junk food were showing characteristics of impaired bone development.

The team then sought to analyse how specific eating habits might impact bone development and replicated this kind of food intake for the rodents.

They divided the rodents’ weekly nutritional intake — 30 per cent came from a “controlled” diet, and 70 per cent from ultra-processed foods.

“Even if we reduce fats, carbs, nitrates and other known harmful substances, these foods still possess their damaging attributes. Every part of the body is prone to this damage and certainly those systems that remain in the critical stages of development,” Monsonego-Ornan said.

Facebook supports Covid-19 health awareness and vaccine rollout in Bangladesh

Facebook supports Covid-19 health awareness and vaccine rollout in Bangladesh

Facebook has partnered with Bangladesh’s ICT Division and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to announce a campaign to raise awareness about Covid-19 and help Bangladeshis get vaccinated. The campaign aims to increase people’s uptake of preventive health practices and vaccination intent in the country.

Facebook will take several steps to holistically support vaccine rollout and the nationwide awareness campaign towards safe hygiene practices, particularly given the recent surge in Covid-19 cases. By encouraging people to visit Covid-19 Information Center, which is also available in Bangla, the platform will make it easier for people to access credible information and best practices on preventive hygiene measures. It also contains modules on mental health and vaccine safety and provides easy access to www.corona.gov.bd for the latest government directives.

Through News Feed notifications, Facebook will direct people to register for the Covid-19 vaccine on www.surokkha.gov.bd and nudge them to continue wearing masks. On World Health Day, the social media platform launched a public education campaign (www.fightCovidmisinfo.com) to help Bangladeshis learn how to identify and combat false information about Covid-19 and related health measures. The public education modules are available in Bangla to ensure that it is more relatable and practical to people in the country.

“By working closely with the national health agencies and public health experts, and using Facebook’s scale and speed to reach people, we are committed to do our part to help Bangladeshis access credible information, adopt safe health practices, get vaccinated and come together as a community,” said Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, who leads Public Policy for Bangladesh at Facebook.

Globally, Facebook has connected over 2 billion people to resources from health authorities through the Covid-19 Information Center and removed more than 12 million pieces of harmful misinformation about Covid-19 and approved vaccines from its family of apps.

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