Sixty-five percent said they would be willing to try a plant-based diet if shown evidence of the health benefits. Despite this significant interest, the survey also found that just one out of five primary care practitioners choose to discuss plant-based diets with their patients.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and Morning Consult carried out the research, which surveyed 2,203 US adults from April 15 to April 16, 2025. Just one percent of US adults are currently vegan.

“What’s missing […] is support and guidance from health care professionals,” said Xavier Toledo, a PCRM-affiliated registered dietitian. “This represents a huge missed opportunity to turn interest into action – and to reduce the risk of chronic diseases that affect millions.”

Read more: Want To Live To 100? Here’s What The Blue Zones Are Doing Right

Plant-based diets, preventative medicine, and healthcare

The new survey follows several recent studies on the potential of plant-based diets to reduce chronic disease risk, promote health, and save money for healthcare providers.

A study by Dr Shireem Kassam and Dr Laura Jane Smith of Plant Based Health Professionals UK highlighted the potential of plant-based diets to tackle the “intertwined crises” of health, inequality, and climate change. However, they also noted that nutrition education in healthcare is falling short when it comes to plant-based foods and lifestyles.

In November, another study found that three-quarters of UK dieticians incorrectly believe that plant-based proteins are incomplete. In the US, PCRM offers plant-based dietary information to medical and nursing students who wish to learn about meat-free health and nutrition.

Read more: Study Finds No Difference In Muscle Fiber Protein Synthesis Between Vegan And Omnivore Diets

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

The study is the first to comprehensively map the health effects of traditional African diets. It found that swapping Western foods for indigenous ones had a positive impact in just two weeks. Conversely, adopting a Western diet had a measurably negative impact.

As noted by the study’s authors, chronic inflammation is a key driver of many common non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, the latter of which is the current leading cause of death worldwide.

Like the Mediterranean diet, African heritage diets tend to emphasize plant-based whole foods, including greens, fermented fruit, legumes, plantains, whole grains, roots, and tubers. These plants are rich in micro and macronutrients, fiber, and anti-inflammatory compounds like polyphenols, and overall promote “favorable” gut microbiome composition.

In contrast, the study also found that swapping traditional foods for a Western-style diet high in refined carbohydrates, fats, sugars, and animal-based proteins resulted in increased inflammation, weakened immune responses, and disrupted metabolic pathways.

The study focused on 77 healthy men around 25.6 years old, all of whom reside in the Kilimanjaro region of Northern Tanzania. Participants kept food diaries, and researchers took blood samples at the start of the study, two weeks in, and four weeks after it ended.

Twenty-three rural men who typically followed a traditional diet switched to a Western diet, 22 urban men used to a Western diet switched to a traditional diet, and 22 men who typically followed a Western diet added Mbege, a fermented banana and millet drink, for one week. Those who drank Mbege alongside their Western diet also saw improvements relative to those without it.

The new study was published in the scientific journal Nature at the start of April. Authors from Radboudumc and KCMC University collaborated with international partners to complete the work. They highlighted how traditional African diets are notably under-researched compared to those from well-publicized “blue zones” like Italy, Japan, and Costa Rica.

Read more: Regular Chicken Consumption Linked To Elevated Cancer Risk, Says Study

Traditional African diets include ‘plenty of vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, and fermented foods’

The researchers noted that “even brief dietary interventions can have prolonged effects” on the immune and metabolic systems, both positively and negatively, underscoring “the importance of preserving indigenous dietary practices” for disease mitigation in Africa.

“The African diet includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, and fermented foods,” said lead author Quirijn de Mast in a statement. “Our study highlights the benefits of these traditional food products for inflammation and metabolic processes in the body. At the same time, we show how harmful an unhealthy Western diet can be.”

According to the authors, replacing traditional, nutritious whole foods with Western-style ingredients and meals is now a growing trend in many urban African households. A growing body of evidence links plant-based diets with decreased disease risk and inflammation.

Read more: Plant-Based Diets Represent ‘Significant Opportunity’ To Address Global Challenges, Says Study

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

Researchers from Italy’s National Institute of Gastroenterology found that people who ate over 300g of poultry per week were twice as likely to die from one of 11 different gastrointestinal cancers, including types affecting the stomach, bowel, and pancreas.

Furthermore, eating more than 300g per week was linked to a 27 percent increased chance of death overall. The mortality risk from excessive chicken consumption was also higher for men than women, which they hypothesized could be related to portion size or hormones.

The researchers conducted the study on 4,869 middle-aged participants from Castellana Grotte and Putignano in Apulia, southern Italy, over nearly 20 years. Gastrointestinal cancers, or “GCs,” accounted for 10.5 percent of participant deaths, and white meat consumption was notably highest among those who died of gastrointestinal cancers.

The researchers noted the need for further study, including around participants’ exercise levels and other contextual factors.

Read more: Most Americans Wrongly Think It’s Important To Eat Animal Products For Protein

Meat consumption and cancer risk

The study was published in the scientific journal Nutrients last month. While the researchers said the precise cause of an increased mortality risk was unclear, theorized possibilities included cooking processes and farmed animals’ exposure to hormones and medications.

Eating more than 350g of red meat per week, equal to around two steaks, was also found to increase the risk of any type of cancer, the researchers found. But where poultry previously enjoyed a health halo, red meat’s links to negative health outcomes are well established.

Poultry was the most widely consumed meat in the world in 2023, and studies indicate that consumption per capita in Italy, in particular, is on the rise. Cancer rates are also rising, including for younger people, which is thought to be due to a complex range of factors.

Diet is generally considered to be one of these factors, and Cancer Research UK previously suggested that 21 percent of bowel cancers and three percent of all cancers in Britain are caused by the consumption of red or processed meats, as reported by the BBC.

In contrast, a growing body of evidence links meat-free and plant-based diets with a reduced risk of developing cancer, including gastrointestinal varieties like bowel cancer.

Read more: Healthy Plant-Based Diets Lower Risk Of Death From Cardiometabolic Disorders, Finds Study

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

The person contracted the illness from a farm in the West Midlands. According to authorities, they had been in close contact with infected birds, and the risk to the general public remains “very low.” The last confirmed human case of bird flu in England was in 2022.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that the individual in question is “currently well” and has been admitted to a specialized infectious disease unit for care. 

“The risk of avian flu to the general public remains very low despite this confirmed case,” said Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, in a statement. “We have robust systems in place to detect cases early and take necessary action, as we know that spillover infections from birds to humans may occur.”  

Read more: Cats Are Getting Sick And Dying From Bird Flu In The US

The rising threat of bird flu

Just days before the human case was confirmed, the UK Chief Veterinary Officer ordered the whole of England to be covered by an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) from noon on Saturday, January 25. The move “will require keepers to conduct enhanced biosecurity to mitigate the risk of further outbreaks of the disease.”

Stronger measures are in place in other parts of the country. In Shropshire, which is located in the West Midlands, all bird keepers are currently required to house birds to decrease their chances of catching the disease from wild birds. Similar rules have also been introduced in other parts of England, including Yorkshire, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire. 

Read more: US Zoos Are Reporting Animal Deaths From Bird Flu

Bird flu is rare in humans, but cases have been growing. In the US, there have been 66 confirmed cases, including one death from the disease. Most of the cases have been seen dairy farm workers, as the illness has spread to cows in a number of states. 

Experts have long warned that bird flu could mutate to spread among humans, which could mark a new pandemic. Robert Redfield, who was director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the Covid-19 pandemic, said last June that “it’s not a question of if, it’s more of a question of when we will have a bird flu pandemic.”

Read more: Bird Flu Found In Raw Milk In The US, Officials Say

This article was written by Polly Foreman on the PBN Website.

Read more: Bird Flu Pandemic ‘Very Likely’, Warns Former CDC Director

While the strain is yet to be identified, provincial health officer and epidemiologist Bonnie Henry has said that she assumes the case is H5N1 bird flu, per Reuters.

The young person’s symptoms included conjunctivitis, fever, and coughing. As of Tuesday, they were hospitalized with acute respiratory distress syndrome – a serious lung condition that is caused by inflammation and results in low blood oxygen.

“This was a healthy teenager prior to this, so no underlying conditions,” said Henry earlier this week. “It just reminds us that in young people this is a virus that can progress and cause quite severe illness and the deterioration that I mentioned was quite rapid.”

Read more: US To Test Ice Cream And Butter For H5N1 Bird Flu Virus

North America’s H5N1 outbreak

There is an ongoing, multistate outbreak of H5N1 in North America. While there is still no evidence of human-to-human transition, there have now been at least 44 confirmed human cases of bird flu in the US since April 2024, though the actual number is likely higher.

The vast majority of reported human cases so far have been agricultural workers, and in addition to around 22.37 million poultry birds, the virus has now affected 440 dairy farms in 15 states. H5N1 has notably also been found in domestic animals such as cats.

While the hospitalized teenager has had no exposure to farms or farmed animals, they have been in contact with reptiles, dogs, and cats. British Columbia officials have tested 36 contacts of the young person but have not yet found anyone else with the H5N1 virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintain that H5N1’s risk to humans is low because there is currently no evidence of human transmission. If that were to happen, another pandemic is possible.

Read more: New Study Names Biodiversity Loss As The Main Driver Of Infectious Disease Outbreaks

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

Read more: 5 Million Acre Sugarcane Megaproject Threatens Papua’s Rainforest

Bat colonies have died en masse throughout the US due to a disease that arose almost two decades ago. As bats eat a vast amount of insects (often ingesting 40 percent of their body weight of these each day), farmers dramatically increased pesticide use in areas affected by bat deaths. This surge in pesticide use has been linked to an almost eight percent rise in infant mortality rates in those areas.

The study, published in the journal Science, suggests a strong link between bat and human health. The study author wrote that the research “makes a contribution to our understanding of the relationship between ecosystem functioning and human well-being.”

White-nose syndrome

Back in 2006, an invasive fungus species caused a disease in bats in North America with a 70 percent mortality rate. The disease is known as White-nose syndrome (WNS).

Caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, WNS was first documented in New York and has since spread to 38 US states and eight Canadian provinces. The disease affects hibernating bats by disrupting their hibernation cycle, leading to energy depletion and death. Researchers estimate that millions of bats have died as a result of the syndrome, which has led to a significant ecological impact. 

Eyal Frank, assistant professor at the University of Chicago and the study author, found that farmers in areas particularly affected by WNS increased their pesticide use by an average of 31.1 percent. In areas where bat populations were depleted, infant mortality rates (that were not linked to accidents, homicides, or other external factors) were an average of 7.9 percent higher than areas with healthy bats. This is despite the fact that pesticide use was within legal limits.

Read more: Sweden Set To Kill Nearly 500 Brown Bears In Annual Hunt

Bat deaths linked to human infant deaths

According to Frank, this study is somewhat unique compared to others of its kind in suggesting causation rather than correlation. Because the areas affected by the disease are staggered in different locations, Frank was able to identify a causal relationship with bat deaths and infant mortalities. Frank also looked at other factors that could have caused the deaths, including weather, unemployment, and so on, but none of these were linked to increased risk of pesticides or the rise in deaths. “The unexpected invasion of the fungus and difficulties in predicting where WNS will develop—approximating random perturbations to bat population levels—support a causal interpretation of these findings,” he wrote.

Frank stressed that his findings “highlight the direct agricultural and health benefits that bats provide.”

“White-nose syndrome is but one of many threats that bats face, including those that are shared with multiple other species, such as habitat loss and climate change,” he added.

Read more: Brazil Court Fines Rancher $50 Million For Illegal Deforestation

This article was written by Polly Foreman on the PBN Website.

Read more: Bird Flu In Dairy Cows: How Worried Should We Be?

The new patient – an agricultural worker on a Michigan dairy farm – experienced only mild symptoms and has now fully recovered. According to the CDC, a second infection does not change its current risk assessment for the general public, which remains low.

However, the CDC did take this opportunity to highlight its previously published list of recommended precautions for people who work with or are otherwise exposed to infected animals, whether cattle, birds, or other species, to mitigate the risk of transmission.

The CDC says that people should avoid “close, long, or unprotected exposures” to sick, dead, or symptomatic animals, including both wild and domesticated varieties. It notes that people should also avoid exposure to feces, bedding, and unpasteurized milk, which is now thought to be the primary vector for the bird flu outbreak amongst cattle.

According to the CDC, “similar additional human cases could be identified” in farm workers. Dr Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore, Maryland, told the Guardian: “It’s likely that there will be several cases that emanate from exposure to infected cows and their milk amongst farm workers.

“The key thing is to make sure that testing is wide enough to capture them,” he added.

Read more: Major 20-Year Review Finds Plant-Based Diets Reduce Disease Risk

Is bird flu in dairy cows a cause for concern?

The ongoing outbreak is the first time bird flu has been found in cattle, ever.

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the H5N1 virus has now been detected in 52 dairy herds across nine states, with 15 herds in Michigan – the source of the latest infection – alone. While unpasteurized milk is the most likely vector for transmission, the FDA maintains that infection via pasteurized milk is “no concern.”

Some researchers and veterinarians have noted the government is taking too long to share hard data on viral changes and milk safety. While the CDC has been monitoring agricultural workers since the first reported human case, the agency has only tested around 40 people so far, according to the New York Times.

The latest human case is just the third-ever recorded H5N1 infection in the US, but due to bird flu’s high mortality rate and the likelihood of another zoonotic pandemic in the coming years, officials maintain that they are taking the possibility of further transmission seriously.

Two potential bird flu vaccines could be made available to the public quickly if required, and the US government has said it would be possible to ship out hundreds of thousands of doses within a few weeks. Officials also note that there are still no signs of mutation in the virus that would indicate it was becoming more transmissible between animals and humans.

Read more: Carnivore MD’ Says Carnivore Diet Negatively Impacted His Health

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

This is, notably, the first time HPAI A(H5N1), a strain of avian influenza – or bird flu – has been found in cattle. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed one human infection, an agricultural worker in Texas.

Read more: Government ‘Failings’ Leave UK Vulnerable To Animal Disease Outbreak, Report Warns

The CDC is now monitoring over 100 people (mostly other agricultural workers) for signs of infection. While human cases of avian influenza A viruses do occur occasionally, they are extremely rare, and this marks the second-ever recorded H5N1 infection in the US.

The CDC’s risk assessment for the general public remains low, but due to a high mortality rate of around 50 percent and the strong likelihood of another zoonotic pandemic, global health officials are still preparing for a scenario in which the flu spreads to more humans.

“We’ve been investing in a library of antigens to move out as quickly as possible should we begin to see a highly transmissible flu strain circulate,” Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, told NBC.

Two possible bird flu vaccines could be made available very quickly, if necessary, and the government says it could hypothetically ship out “hundreds of thousands” of doses in just a few weeks. However, officials also said that there are still no signs of mutation in the virus that would indicate it was becoming more transmissible.

Read more: People Fail To Recognize Factory Farming’s Link To Zoonotic Diseases – Despite Overwhelming Evidence

The spread of bird flu among cows

A global outbreak of H5N1 amongst birds began in 2020 and is now widespread, and experts believe that the infection of cattle likely began with a single wild bird interaction.

Avian flu impacted over 50 million European birds (both wild and farmed) between 2021 and 2022 alone. Its presence in cattle was first reported on March 25, 2024, though experts now believe the jump from birds to cows may have begun as early as December 2023.

Milk is believed to be the primary vector for transmission between cows rather than the respiratory infection associated with typical flu. Some experts have said that it may be spreading via milking machines or rodents and people moving between equipment, though we don’t know for sure. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned against human consumption of unpasteurized milk.

The federal government has also officially ordered that farmers moving dairy cows between states must now test all cattle, not just those with symptoms. The update comes shortly after the testing of pasteurized milk from supermarkets found genetic traces of the virus. (Note: this does not necessarily indicate the presence of live virus in pasteurized milk.)

The FDA has repeatedly said that infection via pasteurized milk is of “no concern.” Still, researchers and veterinarians on the front lines of the outbreak say the government has taken too long to share hard data on viral changes and milk safety in general.

Read more: Wildlife Trade Is ‘Key Risk Factor’ Behind Global Spread Of Disease, Study Finds

Why it matters that bird flu has spread to mammals

Cows are not the only non-avian animals to catch the virus. Half of a Texas dairy farm’s resident cats died after consuming unpasteurized dairy milk from infected cows, and experts have also detected H5N1 in wild animals such as bobcats, raccoons, foxes, and skunks. (Previously, the virus has been known to spread to farmed mink, sea lions, and dolphins.)

This transmission from birds to mammals is significant as it increases the risk that the virus could adapt further to spread more easily between animals and humans, or from human to human via those people working closely with farm animals.

However, the spread of H5N1 to hog farms would be of particular concern, as pigs have cellular similarities to humans which them particularly susceptible to human viruses. If infected, the bird flu virus could potentially mutate in pigs to become more easily transmissible to humans.

There is also some confusion over exactly how the virus is spreading. For example, whether some cattle are infected but asymptomatic, or even whether cows have spread the flu back to poultry. One possible factor is the lack of biosecurity surrounding animal waste on farms.

American cattle are frequently fed something known as “poultry litter,” the leftover feathers, feces, dropped food, and anything else pulled off the floors in industrial poultry farms. The practice has been illegal in the EU and UK since the BSE (“mad cow disease”) outbreak in the 1990s, but continues across the US, something that experts note could be a factor for H5N1.

USDA is focused on ‘protecting’ the meat and dairy industry

Speaking to Bovine Vet Online late last month, cattle veterinarian Dr Barb Petersen said “Every dairy that I’ve worked with has – with the exception of one – had sick human beings at the same time they had sick cows,” including people who do not interact with cows directly.

While any mandatory testing is a step in the right direction, cows are still only tested before transportation, and often reluctantly. Furthermore, some people believe that sickness amongst both cows and workers is going underreported, both by workers themselves and farm owners. Officials are currently unaware if beef cattle have also been infected by the virus.

Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, told the Telegraph: “The USDA is primarily focused on protecting the animal production industry, and I think that’s a short-term goal, but a long-term mistake.”

In addition to the use of animal waste as feed for other farm animals, industrialized agriculture plays a role in the spread of zoonotic disease in a variety of other ways. For example, it overuses antibiotics preventively to keep overcrowded and sickly animals alive.

Three-quarters of the world’s antibiotics are used for this purpose, and a 2023 study from World Animal Protection UK estimates that this is responsible for 2,000 human deaths per year.

“Appetite for meat can be a stumbling block for considering the role of animal agriculture in the spread of zoonotic disease,” said the study’s lead researcher Dr Kristof Dhont in a statement sent to Plant Based News (PBN) last year. “Solutions to this problem will require policy changes and personal sacrifices, akin to dealing with the looming climate emergency.”

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

Read more: Several Meat Products Are Being Urgently Recalled By Supermarkets – Here’s Why

Morrisons has extended the initial recall of its “The Best Taleggio” product from packages with a best before of April 14, 2024, to include dates up to and including April 28. Meanwhile, Asda has recalled all of its “Extra Special Taleggio” featuring a best before April 14, 2024. Shoppers are being told to return the products for a refund.

Each supermarket recalled its product after discovering Listeria monocytogenes. However, it is currently unclear whether the two companies share a supplier, which could potentially mean further recalls from other stores and distributors in the weeks to come.

Listeria is a strain of bacteria with at least 28 different species, and ingesting the microscopic life forms can cause flu-like symptoms including a high temperature, aches and pains, chills, sickness, and diarrhoea. According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), rarer cases of listeriosis can sometimes cause severe infection, resulting in complications like meningitis.

Babies under one month old, adults over 65, pregnant people, and those with weakened immune systems are at a higher risk of serious complications after consuming listeria.

Read more: Video Claiming Raw Milk Heals Lactose Intolerance Flagged As ‘False Information’

Animal products are the main source of listeria contamination

Overall, the number of food recalls is increasing across the food industry. While some see this as cause for concern, others suggest that more recalls represent improved safety measures and increased accountability from producers and distributors alike.

Chilled animal products such as cooked or cured meat and cheese products are particularly prone to listeria contamination. In March 2023, the FSA linked three different cases of listeriosis – including one death – to a semi-soft dairy cheese similar to Taleggio.

Because of their high moisture, low salt content, and low acidity, listeria can contaminate soft and semi-soft cheeses more easily than other varieties. (Listeria itself typically originates either in the raw ingredients or in the processing environment.)

“Food-producing animals are the major reservoirs for many foodborne pathogens such as Campylobacter species, non-Typhi serotypes of Salmonella enterica, Shiga toxin-producing strains of Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes,” reads one 2018 study.

Read more: The Media Issued A ‘Warning’ To Pregnant Vegans – Is There Cause For Concern?

Some studies indicate that adopting a plant-based diet can significantly reduce the risk of “various virus-causing diseases,” while others show that avoiding traditional meat can lower your chances of getting straightforward food poisoning. However, more research is needed.

More generally, intensive animal agriculture causes the proliferation of many infectious diseases, while some studies link the overuse of antibiotics on factory farms to antibiotic resistance and “superbugs,” with the potential to kill thousands of people over the coming years.

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

Researchers at the University of Winchester and Griffith University investigated disease risks at UK farms in a recent paper. Based on their findings, they “strongly discourage” granting any future planning applications for industrialized intensive animal farms.

In the UK, more than 80 percent of farmed animals spend their lives on intensive farms, according to World Animal Protection.

“There is exceptionally strong evidence for a link between low animal welfare levels and high zoonotic risks,” the researchers wrote. Disease risk increases because of factors like “animal crowding, low genetic diversity, compromised hygiene, and high animal stress levels which compromise immune systems.”

Influenza risk of intensive animal farming

Diseases passed to humans from animals make up 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases.

Keeping pigs and chickens in close proximity to each other poses an especially serious risk of influenza. The researchers said that influenza outbreaks at indoor farms with good biosecurity show that monitoring is not enough.

At COP28, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released a roadmap that called for more intensification of animal agriculture.

This approach has received widespread criticicism. Dr Matthew Hayek, Professor of Environmental Studies at New York University, has called intensification a “zoonosis trap.” Packing more animals into smaller spaces reduces greenhouse gas emissions but raises the risk of viruses and bacteria.

Switch to plant-based food system

Instead of further intensification, the researchers of the new paper recommend a switch towards arable agriculture and de-intensifying remaining animal farms.

As a recommended first step, the researchers suggest lowering stocking densities to around five chickens per meter squared. Currently, Red Tractor standards allow 19 birds per square meter.

Giving animals more space, according to the researchers, is essential for minimizing the risk of disease transmission.

Ultimately, though, transitioning away from animal agriculture towards a plant-based food system is the best way to minimize disease risk. The Head of the World Health Organization recently called for people to eat more plants. Last year, Denmark became the first country to plot a route towards a plant-based food system.

Bird flu could kill penguins

The world saw its largest outbreak of avian influenza in 2022. Globally, more than 130 million “domesticated” birds died or were culled. Intensive animal farming causes serious disease risks for humans and other animals.

The virus has now unexpectedly surfaced in the Antarctic. Concerns are rising about isolated populations of penguins who have never been exposed to the virus before. 

More like this:

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• The Environment Minister Says The UK Has ‘Highest Animal Welfare Standards’  – What Are Those Standards?
• The NHS Could Save £6.7 Billion A Year If Everyone Ate Plant Based, Says Study

This article was written by Daniel Clark on the PBN Website.

Over the past few weeks, the mystery illness has spread around the country. Reports have suggested it is highly contagious and could potentially – in very rare cases – be fatal. Once infected, some otherwise healthy dogs have experienced lasting respiratory disease and pneumonia.

Veterinarians remain puzzled by the illness and its causes. However, they are reminding people that this is not necessarily an unusual problem or reason to panic.

“There are respiratory diseases outbreaks around the country every year, and it’s not something that we are necessarily surprised about,” Dr Brian Collins, a veterinarian, told the Guardian.

Dr. Stephen Kochis, the chief medical officer for the Oregon Humane Society, told the New York Times: “We are not seeing an uptick in respiratory disease outside of the ordinary expectation for pets that would get respiratory disease.”

Mystery dog illness not necessarily reason to panic

Cases of the mystery illness have so far been reported in states including Washington, Oregon, California, New Hampshire, Florida, and Pennsylvania.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture has called it an “atypical canine infectious respiratory disease.” In Oregon, the American Veterinary Medical Association has reported more than 200 cases since mid-August.

We don’t know the cause of the outbreak, or how widespread it is, and how many previously healthy dogs have become seriously ill or died.

Researchers at leading veterinary medicine schools have so far been unable to identify its causes. The US Department of Agriculture is now collaborating with local agencies to identify the disease.

What are the signs of the mystery illness?

The symptoms are similar in many of the suffering canines. These include coughing, sneezing, eye or nose discharge, lethargy, and, in severe cases, pneumonia.

Typically it seems the cough is the first symptom, first-hand testimony suggests. In some dogs, the cough has turned into pneumonia, leaving them struggling to breathe.

What can you do for your dog?

Experts are urging people in the US not to panic. Instead, it is important to ensure that dogs have up-to-date vaccinations.

Where possible, reducing contact with unknown and sick dogs could also help reduce the risk of infection, some have claimed, though Collins cautions against jumping to this stage too quickly. “Many dogs benefit from socializing with other dogs so we don’t want to advise against that unless there seems to be a problem in that particular geographic area,” he said. “If there are concerns, a smaller social group may be a good compromise.”

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• Dogs Cry With Happiness When Reunited With Their Humans, Study Suggests
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This article was written by Editorial Team on the PBN Website.

Researchers from Queen’s University in Belfast calculated indices for an overall plant-based diet, a healthy one, and an unhealthy one. They selected 126,283 participants from the UK Biobank – a large-scale biomedical database and research resource. The participants filled out a questionnaire about how often they consumed approximately 200 different foods and 30 drinks over a 24 hour period. 

After 11.8 years of tracking, 577 participants were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The researchers found that those who scored more highly on the healthy plant-based diet index had a 22 to 25 percent lower risk of developing Parkinson’s, depending on genetic risk factors. Eating a middling plant-based diet lowered the risk by 18 percent. But those consuming more unhealthy plant-based foods such as refined grains, sugar-sweetened beverages, and desserts, had 38 percent higher risk.

Looking specifically at people over 60, since Parkinson’s is more common in older people, the researchers found an even stronger association between healthy plant-based diets and reduced risk. The study is published in the journal Movement Disorders.

Specific foods are more protective

Analyzing the specific foods consumed, the researchers found that higher intakes of nuts and tea reduced the risk of Parkinson’s by 31 percent and 25 percent respectively. Eating more vegetables – particularly tomatoes, salad, carrots, and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and kale – was associated with a 28 percent risk reduction.

The study fills in gaps in the evidence about the effects of specific foods and nutrients on the development of Parkinson’s. Though some studies have already shown a link between high consumption of healthy plant-based foods and lower risk of Parkinson’s, there was a lack of larger randomized clinical trials such as the current study.

“These results are important to help refine and inform public health messages that consider plant-based diets and provide evidence that simple dietary change has the potential to reduce [Parkinson’s] risk,” the researchers conclude. 

“Moreover, healthful plant-based diets are beneficial for planetary health and are aligned with the dietary recommendations for the prevention of chronic diseases across the globe including those for a Planetary Health Diet by EAT Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health.”

Parkinson’s is a growing public health issue

Parkinson’s disease is the most common brain disease affecting movement and the second most common age-related degenerative brain disease after Alzheimer’s. The main symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include involuntary tremors, slow movement, and stiff and inflexible muscles. It is rising in prevalence around the world, affecting around one percent of people over 60 years and three percent of people over 80 in wealthy countries.

Gastrointestinal symptoms have been found to precede the onset of the disease, and growing evidence links the health of the gut microbiome to Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. This makes diet an area of particular interest for investigating preventative measures.

Impact of other foods on neurodegenerative disease risk

One study found that high consumption of flavonoid-rich foods like berries was linked to a 40 percent lower risk of developing Parkinson’s. Caffeine is the most well-studied food in relation to Parkinson’s risk, and is associated with a probably decreased risk for the disease.

The study in Movement Disorders does not look at links between eating animal products and Parkinson’s disease risk. But eating processed meat could raise the risk of dementia. One study found that eating 25g of processed meat a day – about one rasher of bacon – was associated with increased risk. The MIND diet, which focuses on plant-based foods linked to preventing dementia, limits consumption of red meat, sweets, cheese, butter/margarine, and fast food or fried food.

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This article was written by Claire Hamlett on the PBN Website.

The study was conducted at the University of Newcastle, Australia, and presented at the Digestive Disease Week conference. Gastrointestinal dietitian Nisha Thacker led the meta-analysis, which included 36 studies and a total of 6.4 million children.

Researchers looked at the factors influencing pediatric IBD. This involved analyzing the diets of people in various life stages, including the early feeding period (the first five years of life). In terms of digestive health, this period is the “most critical,” Thacker says, since this is when gut microbiome is taking shape.

Researchers found that young people fed on a Western dietary pattern (or Standard American Diet) in their early years were more likely to suffer from digestive problems. This diet tends to be rich in ultra-processed food, red meat, fried foods, dairy products, and sugary drinks. The study also found that those who ate a normal or high amount of vegetables had a lower chance of developing gastrointestinal conditions. 

Thacker notes that while there did appear to be a link between the Western diet and childhood IBD, more research is needed into the impact of animal fat and protein on the condition.

What is IBD?

IBD refers to disorders involving the chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Namely, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Symptoms for both can include abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and fatigue. There is no known cure at this time.

The incidence and prevalence of IBD is on the rise around the world. Rates of childhood IBD are also increasing, with one in four cases being diagnosed before the age of 21. This is of particular concern because pediatric IBD can impact a child’s growth and puberty.

What causes IBD?

Research into the causes for IBD is ongoing, but experts have identified some modifiable risk factors, such as diet. Second-hand smoke exposure can also worsen digestive health, doubling the risk of IBD in children, according to Thacker’s research. Her findings also suggest that using antibiotics before the age of five triples a child’s risk of developing the condition.

Socioeconomic status may also play a role. Thacker found that people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds had a 65 percent reduced risk of childhood IBD. Living with companion animals, or at least two siblings, was also associated with a lower risk of IBD. Growing up in a house with one toilet, as opposed to multiple, also appeared to reduce the risk.

These protective factors could be explained by excessive hygiene, which can reduce microbes in the environment, Thacker says. This may impact the development of a child’s microbiome, potentially making them more susceptible to health problems, including digestive issues.

“Many of these factors can impact our gut microbiota and may have a particularly strong effect in a child,” Thacker said in a statement. “A Western diet, high in sugars and ultra-processed foods and low in vegetables, is a prime example.”

Takeaway

As a result of her findings, Thacker advises families to feed children diets rich in vegetables and limit highly processed foods. She also recommends not worrying about excessive hygiene, and allowing kids to play outdoors and safely interact with companion animals.

In addition, she encourages parents to be mindful of antibiotic use in early childhood (though, of course, these may often be essential).

The new research is the latest, but not the first, to find a connection between plant-based food and improved health. The nutritional importance of plant foods is also driving research about how to best encourage kids to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Further, a growing number of families are choosing to ditch animal-based foods altogether, and raise their children on a vegan diet instead.

Related

• Eating More Fruit And Veg ‘Equivalent To Walking 4,000 Extra Steps A Day’
• Vegan Diets Lower Cholesterol And Benefit The Heart, New Study Suggests
• Vegan Breast Milk Contains Essential Nutrients For Infants, Study Confirms

This article was written by Polly Foreman on the PBN Website.

The advice comes from Dr. Shashikala Sivapathy, a nutrition and wellness lecturer at the University College Sedaya International. A member of the faculty of applied sciences, she made the announcement after analyzing data from the statistics department. Figures appeared to point to a correlation between meat-filled diets and non-contagious diseases. 

Sivapathy commented that overall, Malaysian people have sub-par diets and a proclivity towards sedentary lifestyles. This, she claims, makes them more prone to chronic illnesses.

“The typical Malaysian diet consists of a higher amount of calories due to our local dishes that include ingredients (with a high fat content) such as coconut milk, ghee, and animal fat,” Sivapathy said in a statement. “However, Malaysians generally do not live active lifestyles. This results in excess calories turning into accumulated fat, which leads to obesity.”

Young diners could be the key to change

Enforcing her point, Sivapathy notes that in 2011, school canteen guidelines were set. These were later revised in 2016, but are not always enforced strongly.

To get ahead of the problem, Sivapathy recommends that processed foods (commonly meat-filled) be replaced with whole ingredients. She specifically references burgers and nuggets being swapped out for cereal-based dishes with fresh produce.

She acknowledges that this will be a challenge due to children “usually disliking vegetables.” However, she insists that creative cooking will remove the stumbling block to improved future health.

Supporting Sivapathy’s position, Malaysian Society of Nephrology president, Dr Lily Mushahar, connects lower red meat intake to better kidney health.

“Animal protein contains high biological value proteins that can burden the kidneys if taken (in excess), which contributes to chronic kidney disease,” Mushahar said in a statement.

“It is advisable to [only] consume red meat the size of a matchbox, as red meat causes elevated uremic toxins in the blood and can increase (the risk of) heart disease.”

Malaysia’s love of meat

Malaysia-based consumers have previously expressed their preference of meat over plant-based protein. This, despite progress within the vegan food sector. 

Currently, Malaysians are thought to eat an average of 50.1 kilos of poultry each, per year. Beef and veal account for a further 5.6 kilos, while pork racks up 5.2 kilos. Sheep seems less popular, but the average annual consumption is 1.1 kilos. As a result of such animal protein intake, Malaysians are potentially playing hard and fast with their personal health. 

Multiple studies have found connections between meat consumption and cancer risk. Alongside, chronic diseases – including diabetes – are also thought to be more likely in people eating meat-rich diets. 

It is predicted that cancer rates in Malaysia will double by 2040, with one in 10 people diagnosed in their lifetime. In 2020, almost 50,000 new cases were reported. Equally as pertinent is the fact that the principal cause of death in Malaysia, in the same year, was heart disease.

This article was written by Amy Buxton on the PBN Website.

The research, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nutrients, found that diets high in vegan foods appeared to more consistently help with symptoms compared to elimination or restriction diets. 

Fibromyalgia is a long-term disease that can cause pain all over the body. Sufferers may also have increased sensitivity to pain, as well as muscle stiffness, fatigue, and headaches. 

The researchers decided to conduct the study as there is currently very little understanding on the link between diet and the condition. 

“Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is recognized for its difficulty to diagnose and its subjective symptomatology,” researchers wrote. “There is neither a known cure nor a recommended therapeutic diet to aid in the multidisciplinary treatment.”

Findings

The researchers analyzed 12 studies, which looked at 546 people in total. They studied a number of diets, including plant-based, gluten-free, anti-inflammatory, and elimination/restrictive. 

Within these, they looked at a number of different types of plant-rich diets. These were vegetarian, raw vegetarian, and raw vegan. 

The researchers found that people on plant-based diets tended to experience less significant symptoms than those on restrictive or elimination diets. Researchers said there could be a link between weight loss and pain for those following veggie and vegan diets. Those who ate plant-based tended to weigh less than people on other diets.

Researchers noted that further research is required to explore the link between diet and fibromyalgia. 

“Given the small sample size and short intervention duration of the included studies, limited evidence currently exists to recommend any specific diet to patients with FMS,” the study reads. “Further research is warranted to clarify specific diets to recommend and explore their potential mechanisms.”

This article was written by Polly Foreman on the PBN Website.