A couple of weeks ago we listened live to Harvard Medical School’s Mini Med seminar,’ Taking it all In: Environmental Toxins’. This was a really interesting event featuring experts in the field David Christiani, Professor of Medicine; Monica Colaiacovo, Professor of Genetics;  and  Maitreyi Mazumdar, Assistant Professor of Neurology. Together they discussed how environmental toxins affect our risk of cancer, women’s reproductive health and child development.

From Professor Christianai we learnt about the history of establishing the link between cancer and environmental toxins. This work started in 1775 when a link between scrotum cancer and children who worked as chimney sweeps was identified and going forward this led to links between tobacco, lifestyle and various chemicals being determined.

He explained that 6% of cancers are linked to environmental factors and  these factors include:  industrial exposures, like asbestos and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH); lifestyle factors,  like tobacco and diet; naturally occurring factors such as exposure to UV light and radon and finally medical treatments like chemotherapy.

It was shocking to hear that of the 80,000 chemicals on the market only 200 have been tested to determine whether they are carcinogenic and he called for more work to be done in this area. He suggested that the contribution that the environment plays in increasing our risk of cancer has been underestimated and much more work is needed to gain clarity in this area.

Next we heard from Professor Colaiacovo who spoke about the effect of environmental toxins on reproductive health. She stated that scientists are only now starting to understand the health effects of the various chemicals in the environments. Like Professor Christianai she stated that of the 80,000 chemicals present in the environment only a small numbers have been tested on reproductive health and the work that she is doing aims to address this. Currently her team is working on understanding how BPA, a product we’re exposed to everyday, affects reproductive health. She summarised previous work in this area stating that a Japanese study has shown that BPA is associated with miscarriages. Professor Colaiacovo has been exploring the effects of BPA in worms and her research suggests that BPA has a significant effect on a meiosis which is very important biological process in reproduction. They now want to look at other chemicals such as crude oil, pesticides and phthalates. They are hoping to explore reproductive health and also trans-generational effects.

Finally we heard from Professor Mazumdar who delivered a presentation on children and environmental toxins. She started by explaining that we may not realise it but children are affected differently  when it comes to  environmental toxins because they have different and unique exposures; they are growing, they live longer so are exposed for longer and they rely on adults to protect them, they don’t make choices about what they are exposed to.

When we look at the unique and different exposures to chemicals Professor Mazumdar explained that children are exposed through the placenta; breastfeeding; because they are closer to the ground and therefore breathe slightly different air and are closer to some toxins; and have more “off-the-ground-into-the mouth” experiences. Additionally children, because of their size, breathe in more air and they tend to eat more food. Finally children’s brains are growing rapidly and this is a very complex process so there are many opportunities for things to go wrong. Due to all these reasons children are more susceptible to environmental toxins and have heightened vulnerability therefore we should be more cautious about introducing new chemicals into the environment.

This was a very informative event and we have to admit we were very surprised that there is still so much that is unknown about the effects of these chemicals on our health. The mainstream seems to be falsely reassuring us that there is clarity on these substances and to hear experts say that actually we do need to proceed with caution,  for example, when microwaving food in plastic containers really made us sit up and take notice.

The next Harvard Mini Med Lecture will be ‘The New Old Age: How the body ages and how to keep it young’ on Tuesday 19^th April from 6pm -7:30pm (US Eastern Time)

Last month Public Health England launched their new Eatwell Guide which aims to give the public clear guidance on what a healthy diet looks like. This new Eatwell Guide replaces the Eatwell Plate and now encourages people to include more fruit, vegetables and starchy carbohydrates in their diet and less sugary foods and drinks.

The new Eatwell Guide is based on the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s 2015 report on carbohydrates and health. It encourages the public to eat 30g of fibre a day, less than 6 grams of salt a day and that women should consume less than 20 grams of saturated fat a day and men less that 30 grams. The new guide also recommends that people consumes less than 30 grams of sugar a day and adults should be aiming to drink 6-8 gasses of fluids ideally from water, lower fat milks and unsweetened drinks.

A major difference between this new guide and the previous Eatwell Plate is the removal of sugary drinks. Additionally foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar have been moved to the outside of the guide to stress that they do not form part of a healthy diet.

The Eatwell Guide is  a useful resource for anyone wanting clear recommendations on healthy eating. You can read more about it here

On Saturday, we were delighted to have been a part of Kinetic Root Services first trauma campaign awareness day with our founder Abi Begho giving a presentation on how trauma affects physical and mental health.

Kinetic Root Services is a service for black women who have been through a traumatic experience and empowers them to heal and move forward by facing their experience, understanding themselves, dealing with the past and letting go of the negativity surrounding their traumatic experience. They achieve this through a programme of workshops, led by a trained counsellor. These workshops provide practical advice and support on how to deal with the effects of trauma.

Saturday’s trauma awareness campaign day was organised to introduce the black community to the services that Kinetic Root Services offer but to also raise awareness and educate the community on trauma, its causes, effects and the solutions.

The event was hosted by Michelle Yaa Asantewa who started the event with a brief introduction setting the scene for the day. We then heard from Abi Begho who gave a brief introduction on trauma, what it is and then discussed how trauma affects our physical and mental health and  then touched on how we can deal with the health issues associated with trauma.

Next we heard from Nyasha, the founder of Kinetic Roots services. Nyahsa focused specifically on the causes of trauma discussing some of the events and situations that can lead to trauma. Nyasha also spoke about the work that her organisation is doing to support women and mentioned their upcoming taster workshop which will be held on Wednesday 27^th April from  6:45pm – 9pm at the ANKH Wellbeing Centre in Shepherds Bush. For more information call 07746260258

The event ended with a very moving talk from Mojana who shared her personal experience with trauma, how she overcome the effects of trauma and what she believes the solutions are.

This was a really informative and interesting day and we are very grateful to Nyasha from Kinetic Roots Services for inviting us to take part in the event. We look forward to future events and applaud KRS for all the work they’re doing in our community.

It’s World Health Day today and the theme is ‘Beat Diabetes’ with the World Health Organisation calling for global action to halt the rise in and improve care for people with diabetes.

The WHO reports that the number of people living with diabetes has almost quadrupled since 1980 with 422 million adults worldwide living with this condition.

As part of WHO’s work to tackle diabetes, they have published their first global report on diabetes. The report calls on governments to develop strategies that would enable their citizens to make healthy choices and to ensure that health systems are effective enough to diagnose diabetes early and care for people with the condition. It also encourages everyone to make the personal decision and commit to living a healthy lifestyle, so eating healthily, being physically active and maintaining a healthy weight, all of which can reduce risk of developing diabetes.

Diabetes is more common in the black community and it’s very important for the black community to pay attention today and follow all the advice being issued by organisers of the Beat Diabetes campaign – eat healthily; be active; if in doubt, get checked; and if you have diabetes, follow a treatment plan so you can live well.

You can download WHO’s full report below.

This week, Public Health England announced that it has launched a new improved prostate cancer pack to help GPs and other healthcare professionals discuss the PSA test with men.  This new pack is part of the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme and consists of an evidence document for GPs, summary information sheets for GPs and summary information sheets for men aged 50 and over.

The PSA test is a blood test that can be helpful as part of the process of diagnosing prostate cancer but it is not accurate enough to be used as a screening test. Men who are over 50 can book an appointment with their GP if they have concerns about prostate cancer and would like to discuss the PSA test and this new pack will ensure that these appointments are as useful and informative as possible.

Dr Anne Mackie from Public Health England said:

“The decision about whether a man takes a PSA test is a complex one and has to be thought through carefully. Our new information pack will make it easier for GPs to have this conversation with their patients, and assist men in making a decision that is right for them”

Prostate cancer is more common in black men with black men being twice as likely to develop prostate cancer as their white counterparts. We hope that these new packs will create a better understanding of prostate cancer and the use of the PSA test and thus facilitate the early diagnosis of this disease.

On a sunny but chilly Saturday morning in March, the Lake Foundation Cycling Club ventured out onto the streets of Croydon. This time we headed towards Crystal Palace with trusty instructors Brian and Selina.

We asked a couple of our regular attendees what motivated them to rise fairly early on a Saturday morning to cycle.

D: “It’s good exercise. I’m a diabetic and the first time I [came to the cycling club], I checked my blood sugar afterwards and it had gone down. I’m not sure if the cycling helped but I will be monitoring it in future to see”.

M: “We like to come every week because we meet people and it’s inspiring. I feel like I’ve accomplished and achieved something. I’m not a regular cyclist but it gives me confidence, particularly, on the roads”.

M added that she felt it’s important to do other activities, to keep fit, in between cycling sessions. We agree!

The Lake Foundation Cycling Club meets every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month between 10am-12pm. See the attached flyer for more information.

Last week, George Osborne, the UK’s Chancellor, announced his latest budget.  The budget has some impact on the public’s health and in this budget the major public health announcement was the levy on soft drinks (the sugar tax).

George Osborne stated that soft drinks companies will pay a levy on drinks with added sugar. This will apply to drinks with a total sugar content above 5 grams per 100 ml. A higher rate will be applied to drinks with more than 8 grams per 100 ml.  The levy won’t be applied to milk-based drinks or fruit juices.  The levy will come into effect from April 2018.

The money raised from the sugar levy will be used to double the funding available to primary schools for PE and sports programmes. The government has estimated the sugar levy will raise £320 million a year for primary schools to support healthier more active lifestyles in children. The funding will not only go towards expanding PE and sports programmes but to also expand breakfast clubs in primary schools ensuring that children have access to a healthy breakfast every week day.

The idea behind the sugar levy is a good one. It’s hoped that the levy will incentivise the soft drinks industry to reduce the amount of sugar in their products, helping the public consume less sugar. The money raised will go towards helping children get more active and healthy and thus tackle our high rates of childhood obesity.  So, from a public health point of view the sugar levy is a win-win.

In addition to the sugar levy, the budget tackled the following health-related issues:

1.  Improving access to child prosthetics –  £1.5 million will be invested in child prosthetics so children with limb deficiency have access to sports prosthetics. The government will also create a fund to support research into the creation of new innovative prosthetic products for the NHS
2. Smoking – the government will continue to increase tobacco duties by more than inflation each year to discourage smokers and would-be smokers from purchasing tobacco products
3. Support for those with mental health conditions and young disabled people – the government will  offer new peer and specialist support to help address the disability employment gap and will publish a White Paper on the role that the health, care and welfare sectors can play in supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to get into and stay in work.

There was much controversy with regards to financial support for disabled people.  The Personal  Independence Payment (PIP) is supposed to replace the Disability Living Allowance. In his initial budget George Osborne planned to introduce much stricter criteria for who is eligible for the PIP, this would save £1.3bn by 2020, but would affect 640,000 disabled people who would lose their benefits or get less money. In the past week disability rights campaigners spoke out about these cuts and Iain Duncan Smith, the Works and Pensions Secretary, resigned stating that the cuts were  “deeply unfair”. This led to George Osborne admitting that the disability cuts had been a mistake and would be withdrawn. This is good news for those with a disability who need these benefits to improve their wellbeing and we’re happy to see that these have been withdrawn.

The Lake Foundation is happy to see the various measures that have been put into place to improve the public’e health and wellbeing and are very happy to see the sugar levy included in this latest budget and look forward to seeing how this will be implemented.

You can read the full budget here

Yesterday, NHS England announced that up to 100,000 people in England will be offered places on their new diabetes prevention programme to stop them developing type 2 diabetes.

The programme will start this year in 27 locations offering 20,000 people the opportunity to enrol in the programme. The programme will be rolled out across England by 2020 giving up to 100,000 people access to this programme.

The NHS’s programme will give tailored, practical support to reduce a person’s risk of developing type two diabetes. This will include education on healthy eating and lifestyle, weight loss advice and tailored physical activity programmes.

The programme has been piloted in seven demonstrator sites over the past year. They  have been testing approaches to delivering  the programme and the results of this work has shaped the final programme to ensure the best results for patients.  The seven demonstrator sites are: Birmingham South and Central CCG, Bradford City CCG, Durham County Council, Herefordshire CCG/LA, Medway CCG/LA, Salford CCG/LA and Southwark Council and CCG.

We are delighted to hear of the rollout of this programme. The black community is at a higher risk of developing diabetes when compared to their white counterparts and this programme will be of huge benefit to our community. We strongly encourage the NHS to engage effectively with the black community and we strongly recommend that black people take part in this programme.

You can read more about NHS’s new Diabetes Prevention Programme here

We recently read the children’s book My Magic Scarf and were really moved by it so thought we’d tell you about it.

The Magic Scarf is a very touching book that follows the journey of Tanya who is suddenly diagnosed with cancer.  Through Tanya’s story the book teaches children to have a sense of compassion and it creates an understanding of the importance of family, friends and school in helping children cope with a sudden illness.

The book also, very usefully, creates the opportunity to teach children the importance of speaking up if they don’t feel quite right when Tanya states in the story “Always this silly pain”. This is something that she never mentioned to her parents.

We think this is an important book that helps teachers, parents and carers have a useful discussion with children about a very difficult topic.

You can find out more about this book on Amazon.

A new study has found that many foods contain higher amounts of salt than ever before. This comes five years after the food industry signed a voluntary code pledging to reduce salt levels in foods. The study from CASH discovered that foods including cheese and certain ready meals had much larger levels of salt than in previous years. There were many foods which contained surprising amounts including soups. Nearly 50% of the soups featured in the study contained, at a minimum, similar amounts to slices of pizza.

Some everyday foods had huge increases. The study found that the salt content of Sainsbury’s cornflakes increased by 42 per cent in recent years.

Consuming high amounts of salt may raise your blood pressure, and increases your risk of developing coronary heart disease. People of African descent are sensitive to the effects of too much salt and are therefore at higher risk of associated health conditions such as high blood pressure, stroke and renal failure. Adults should not eat more than 6 grams per day. You can learn more about this report here.