Metastudy: soya does not lower men’s testosterone level

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Men do not produce less testosterone as a result of eating soya proteins. American nutritionists came to this conclusion after doing a meta-analysis of other studies in which men had been given proteins derived from soya or soya-isoflavones.

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For athletes spirulina protein may be more nutritious than the main protein in dairy products

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Wouldn’t it be fantastic – and not only for the environment but also for industry – if we started eating spirulina instead of meat. A pond one hectare in size could produce six hundred times as much protein from this edible algae as a hectare of pasture used for cattle. Spirulina is made up of 65 percent protein.

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World population forecast increases by 0.5 to 1 billion in just two years

…comparing either 21st century peak population or 2100 population.

Somewhere this year (October 31 says UN’s big computer) the 7 billionth human inhabitant of this planet will be born – then starting to emit his of her average annual 5 tons of CO2.

It may seem a slight worry, in embarrassing contrast with the parental happiness (that we presume). However billions of slight worries that each year help to add up to one big cumulative sustainability problem make for a different perspective. From this we wonder: is it the actual number of the forecast that should worry us – or the speed with which these forecasts keep exceeding each other?

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WHO meeting on non-communicable diseases

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WHO increases awareness of rising death rates due to non-communicable diseases (diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, obesity, cancer). Estimates are that rates in Africa, Middle East and Asia will rise by 50% by 2030. More details from the WHO Moscow Conference at www.unspecial.org.

New CDC guidelines

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Today, the CDC released its latest list of recommendations to improve health and reduce obesity in children. Some of the recommendations include reducing intake of low-nutrition, high sugar foods by limiting access in middle and high schools, reducing time watching television, and increasing access to supermarkets with higher quality food options.

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Potential new markers detecting heart attacks

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Scientists have found that changes in expression of small RNA molecules, termed microRNAs, may be a novel way to detect acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or heart attack. Two microRNAs, miR208 and miR499, in particular were shown to be significantly increased in the blood plasma from AMI or viral myocarditis patients.

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If solar minimum caused Little Ice Age we would have big freeze now

It is often suggested that lower total solar irradiance (TSI) due to a decline in solar activity (less sunspots) was responsible for the Little Ice Age, a period of colder weather conditions from the end of the Middle Ages to the start of the 20th century.

It is one of two solar myths that new research debunks simultaneously.

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Rapid krill decline: 80% over 35 years

Antarctica does not escape the Holocene Mass Extinction. Krill numbers have dropped sharply since the mid-70s and as a consequence penguins too are in decline, says new study in Monday’s edition of PNAS, that blames the ecological disturbances on climate change.

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