Health

Good nutrition means longer life, says Canadian study – CBC.ca

Published

5 years ago

January 21, 2020

Canadians can expect to live well beyond the age of 80 thanks in large part to good nutrition. A study published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal looks at what happens to those who suffer from what experts call ‘food insecurity.’

Food insecurity is defined as inadequate access to food because of financial constraints. Statistics Canada and the Canadian Community Health Survey estimate that one in eight households in Canada is food insecure.

That means four million Canadians live in homes that have difficulty putting food on the table, including close to 1.2 million children. Across the planet, an estimated 800 million people have food insecurity, according to the World Food Program.

Postdoctoral fellow Fei Men and Prof. Valerie Tarasuk at the University of Toronto’s Department of Nutritional Sciences and colleagues used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey. It collects health information on half a million Canadian adults. The researchers compared longevity in people with food security to those who are marginally, moderately or severely food insecure.

Between 2005 and 2017, 25,460 people had died prematurely. Those identified as food insecure were between 11 and 37 per cent more likely to die prematurely.

In absolute terms, being food insecure took nine years off a person’s lifespan.

Why most people died prematurely

What makes the study interesting is that the researchers were able to determine the likely causes of death associated with food insecurity. The study found that severe food insecurity was associated with mortality from cardiac and respiratory diseases as well as diabetes.

The authors said that the material deprivation and psychological distress caused by food insecurity causes chronic inflammation, which leads to chronic disease.

Other studies have found that the incidence of such chronic diseases is higher in people with food insecurity, so the link between food insecurity and excess mortality from these conditions is plausible.

The study also found that food insecurity also increases the risk of death from infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C. People who were food insecure in the study were also more likely to die by unintentional injuries as well as self-harm. Food insecurity has also been linked to mental health disorders and substance use.

Keys to live well

Possible fixes for food insecurity aren’t complicated.

Studies have shown that seniors with a guaranteed annual income had better self-reported health, functional health and self-reported mental health.

The U.S. has the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, a program once known as the food stamps program. SNAP provides roughly $2 (Canadian) per person per meal. SNAP has been shown to reduce food insecurity by 30 per cent with even better results in vulnerable populations such as children and households where meals are often skipped for due lack of money. SNAP participants report excellent or very good health.

Access to SNAP among pregnant mothers and in early childhood improve birth outcomes and long-term health as adults. SNAP helps seniors live independently and avoid hospitalization.

Another approach is to encourage green grocers to set up stores in low-income neighbourhoods where otherwise residents have little alternative but to use variety stores and fast-food restaurants.

The focus of the study is food insecurity but at root it’s about the health problems and mortality associated with poor nutrition. Reversing malnutrition by shoring up food security improves health dramatically.

Once again, it’s not medical breakthroughs but what many of us take for granted that bring the biggest bang for the buck. In this case, it’s nutritious food, but secure housing, exercise, vaccinations, social networks and other socioeconomic determinants of health are the keys for all of us to live well.

The cost of providing adequate nutrition for all regardless of ability to pay is a smart investment that would save a lot more money in health-care spending down the road.

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Health

Health Canada approves updated Moderna COVID-19 vaccine

Published

14 mins ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Health Canada has authorized Moderna’s updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against currently circulating variants of the virus.

The mRNA vaccine, called Spikevax, has been reformulated to target the KP.2 subvariant of Omicron.

It will replace the previous version of the vaccine that was released a year ago, which targeted the XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron.

Health Canada recently asked provinces and territories to get rid of their older COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the most current vaccine will be used during this fall’s respiratory virus season.

Health Canada is also reviewing two other updated COVID-19 vaccines but has not yet authorized them.

They are Pfizer’s Comirnaty, which is also an mRNA vaccine, as well as Novavax’s protein-based vaccine.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

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B.C. mayors seek ‘immediate action’ from federal government on mental health crisis

Published

20 hours ago

September 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

VANCOUVER – Mayors and other leaders from several British Columbia communities say the provincial and federal governments need to take “immediate action” to tackle mental health and public safety issues that have reached crisis levels.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says it’s become “abundantly clear” that mental health and addiction issues and public safety have caused crises that are “gripping” Vancouver, and he and other politicians, First Nations leaders and law enforcement officials are pleading for federal and provincial help.

In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier David Eby, mayors say there are “three critical fronts” that require action including “mandatory care” for people with severe mental health and addiction issues.

The letter says senior governments also need to bring in “meaningful bail reform” for repeat offenders, and the federal government must improve policing at Metro Vancouver ports to stop illicit drugs from coming in and stolen vehicles from being exported.

Sim says the “current system” has failed British Columbians, and the number of people dealing with severe mental health and addiction issues due to lack of proper care has “reached a critical point.”

Vancouver Police Chief Adam Palmer says repeat violent offenders are too often released on bail due to a “revolving door of justice,” and a new approach is needed to deal with mentally ill people who “pose a serious and immediate danger to themselves and others.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024

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Health

Canada to donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to combat mpox outbreaks in Africa

Published

4 days ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.

It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.

Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”

Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.

Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.

On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.

Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”

But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”

“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.

Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.

Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.

Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.

“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.

“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

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