Can artificial sweeteners really keep us from gaining weight?

Artificial sweeteners hold the promise of satisfying your sweet tooth without the downside of excess calories, and they are increasingly used in products ranging from diet sodas and powdered drink mixes to yogurt and baked goods. But whether using them can prevent weight gain – a problem many people are struggling with during the coronavirus lockdowns – has long been an open question.

Now some studies are providing answers. Researchers have found that artificial sweeteners can be useful as a tool to help people kick their sugar habits, and that for some people, replacing sugar with non-nutritive sweeteners can indeed help stave off weight gain. But they can also have effects on hormones, blood sugar and other aspects of metabolism that some experts say are concerning, and they caution against consuming them routinely for long periods of time.

The idea we need to get rid of is that because they have zero calories they have zero metabolic effects,” said Marta Yanina Pepino, an assistant professor in the department of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Our data suggests that they are metabolically active, and depending on how frequently you use them, some people can see more effects than others.”

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HIKING SINGAPORE: Pulau Ubin (烏敏島)

A walk on the wild side

Should You be Having More Dairy?

Any food made from the milk of mammals is considered a dairy product. Cow’s milk is naturally packed full of nutrients and minerals to help a baby cow grow into an adult. Although most dairy products in the world are made from cow’s milk, dairy products may also feature milk from other animals, like goats.

In addition to milk, some common dairy products consumed by humans include:

• Cheese
• Yoghurt
• Cream
• Butter
• Whey protein powder

Dairy has become a hot topic in recent years. Its legacy as a healthy source of protein and calcium has been unquestioned until only recently. There have been new studies on its negative effects on health, especially in light of the growing trend favouring plant-based over animal-based sources of protein. There are also ethical concerns over the treatment of cows, as well as environmental sustainability of the cattle industry. In this article we look at the evidence supporting the health benefits of dairy products in the diet and ask: Is it worth it?

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Flu vaccines during pregnancy aren't linked to autism in children

According to a study of 70,000 kids

A comprehensive study out Monday finds no link between the flu vaccine in pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder in children.

The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, followed nearly 70,000 infants born across seven healthcare regions in Sweden between October 2009 and September 2010. About 40,000 of them were exposed to the influenza A (H1 N1) vaccine in utero.

The researchers from Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, followed all the babies for an average of 6.7 years and found that 1% of those whose moms had received the vaccine and 1.1% of those whose moms didn't receive the vaccine had autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

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International Women's Day 2021

What International Women's Day looked like around the world in 2021

‘The next one will be me.’ A performative action from @vibramujer and the visual artist Julia Bronstein, based on Jean René’s @insideoutproject. March 8, 2021, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Photo by co-author Romina Navarro

International Women's Day celebrated on March 8 has become a day of marches for women's rights and equality throughout the world.

Although COVID-19 dampened participation in many countries, women still raised their voices on the streets on different continents, especially as the pandemic has worsened inequalities faced by women in terms of labor, household chores, and gender violence. In 2021, women and LGBTQ+ people marched against political and gender violence and for reproductive and sexual health.

Here is a wrap-up from Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe on March 8, 2021, based on tweets and contributors’ photos.

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The women's day has been celebrated for well over a century, with the first one in 1911

International Women's Day (IWD), celebrated on March 8, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The women's day has been celebrated for well over a century, with the first one in 1911.

The day marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women's achievements or rally for women's equality.

Marked annually on March 8th, women's day is one of the most important days of the year to celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about women's equality, lobby for accelerated gender parity and fundraise for female-focused charities.

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From Suffrage To Sisterhood: What Is Feminism And What Does It Mean?

Held on March 8, International Women’s Day celebrates the progress women have made over the last century, and the inspiring women who helped make that progress happen. From the suffragist movement of the 1800s to the 2017 Women’s March in Washington, women have used the power of language and oration to inspire countless people.

Early feminism was heavily influenced by the Enlightenment in Europe during the late 1700s. The movement focused on reason and equality for all, and it ultimately inspired the American and French Revolutions. Think of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Of course, that whole all men are created equal thing didn’t apply to women or people of color at the time. That was a problem and a great source of tension for early feminism.

In the UK, Mary Wollstonecraft, an early feminist, published A Vindication of the Rights of Women in 1792, promoting the then-radical idea that women be educated on the same level as their male peers. The word feminism itself was first coined in 1837 by French philosopher, Charles Fourier (as féminisme). It originally referred to “feminine qualities or character,” but that sense isn’t used any more. Toward the end of the century, the word came to refer to equal rights for women and became inextricably linked to the suffragist movement.

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