MPs castigate Government’s ‘flat footed’ response to the horsemeat scandal

In a scathing, damning report delivered to the house of commons yesterday, a group of senior MPs described the government’s handling and response to the horse meat scandal as ‘flat footed’.
They have called for more widespread testing of processed meat products to ensure people there is no danger to their health.

As they criticised the coalition government yesterday, the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee argued that saying its ability to efficiently react to the scandal had been severely hampered by staff and funding cuts to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in 2010, adding that the British public have been ‘cynically and systematically duped’ for financial gain by certain sectors of the food industry.

The report states: “It seems improbable that individuals prepared to pass horse meat off as beef illegally are applying the high hygiene standards rightly required in the food production industry. We recommend that the Government and FSA undertake a broader spectrum of testing for products found to have the highest levels of contamination…to provide assurances that there is no other non-bovine DNA or any other substances that could be harmful to human health present.”

Only last night EU ministers decided there will be random testing of meat products for the horse painkiller drug Bute in addition to the testing for horse DNA. This comes after Medical Specialists reported last month that the anti-inflammatory drug had entered the UK food chain, and can cause cancer in humans.

The MPs were also unimpressed about the way in which the government and FSA had acted since horsemeat was first found in the beef products of some of the country’s largest supermarket chains.
They said: “Whilst ministers are properly responsible for policy, the FSA’s diminished role has led to a lack of clarity about where responsibility lies, and this has weakened the UK’s ability to identify and respond to food standards concerns. Furthermore the current contamination crisis has caught the FSA and government flat-footed and unable to respond effectively within structures designed primarily to respond to threats to human health.”

Agreeing with the senior ministers, Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University, London, told BBC’s Newsnight that the FSA needed to be strengthened. He commented: “It’s not been doing its job. We need more inspectors; they’ve been slashed and cut. We can’t have the industry policing itself, that’s what’s gone wrong. The big food companies didn’t actually have the control they said they had.”

All this comes in the same week that the results of two public surveys emerged, clearly demonstrating the impact the scandal has had on the attitude and confidence of the UK public to the meat industry.
An online survey of 1,946 people conducted for by YouGov for Sky News found that roughly one in five have now changed the way they shop because of the shocking horsemeat scandal and over half (58%) had actually completely ceased buying any processed meats altogether. Moreover, about a third of those surveyed stated they now refuse to buy cheap ranges and instead are opting for costlier processed meat.

So who is at fault for the scandal? Nearly half (49%) of the 1,946 people questioned blamed meat processing companies, 20% blamed food manufacturers, whilst interestingly only 10% believed the supermarkets were culpable for the crisis. Ministers appeared to have been let off the hook by the general public as only 3% thought the government were to blame and 8% the FSA.

On Monday, the Kantar group who run consultancy, advisory and market research services, conducted a poll to find out if shoppers habits had altered as a result of the scandal. They found that 36% were less likely to purchase processed meat, with a further 36% saying it would make no difference. A quarter of people claimed they did not buy processed meat anyway. It appears that men are taking the scandal less seriously than women with almost half of men (47%) claiming that their future purchases of processed meat would not be affected, compared to just a quarter of women (26%).

Husbands with higher-earning wives more likely to use Viagra

Are you a married man who is earning less money than your wife? If so, your chances of suffering with erectile dysfunction and thus taking Viagra, Cialis or Levitra, are greater. These are the claims from a Danish study recently published in the Personality and Psychosocial Bulletin which analyses the way a man’s sexual desire is connected to cultural and social conventions.

Interestingly, the study emanates from Denmark – a country known for its highly popular political thriller ‘Borgen’, which depicts a fictional female prime minister who runs the country whilst her husband remains at home to care for their children. A role reversal on the stereotypical TV shows of years gone by usually show the wife as the housebound partner who looks after the children.

According to the research team involved in the study, Denmark is one of the most progressive countries in the world in terms of women’s rights and loss of male pride could be an even bigger issue in other areas of the world.

The authors comment: “When women out-earn their husbands, it challenges the traditional social norms of the man as economic provider and female income as supplemental.”

For the study, Danish and U.S. researchers looked at prescription data and salaries from approximately 200,000 married Danish couples between 1997 and 2006.

This analysis found that Viagra and other medications to treat male impotence (erectile dysfunction) were particularly prominent within households where the woman was the primary breadwinner.

Remarkably, the pattern was even evident in couples whereby the woman was only bringing home slightly more money than her husband.  Men were not the only one requiring some form of treatment though and their high-salaried wives seemed to be more dependent on anxiety and sleeping tablets – perhaps meaning their careers had taken their toll.

Commenting on their findings, the authors say: “Even small differences in relative income are associated with large changes in erectile dysfunction medication usage when they shift the marriage from a male to a female breadwinner.”

Perhaps intriguingly, the trend was not apparent for couples where the wife had been the bigger earner at the beginning of the relationship.  Instead, it was seen in those in which the female had developed a bigger salary than the male during the course of their relationship – suggesting that the men may have had felt a dent to their pride and self-esteem. Stress, depression and other such similar problems are all known to be just some of the causes of erectile dysfunction.

In addition, researchers also discovered that a salary disparity in roughly £10,000 favouring the woman, doubled the chance of the man using Viagra.

Concluding their study, the authors state: “We in no way suggest that the trend towards female breadwinners is socially harmful; greater equality and opportunity for women present undeniable economic and social benefits. Nor do we argue that all men will respond to upward income comparisons negatively; many husbands are proud of and attracted to high-earning wives. Yet recent evidence suggests that gender roles have changed little over the past 20 years. If social norms against female breadwinners continue to be strong, increasing female income will produce real costs in marriage, including the anxiety, insomnia and erectile dysfunction identified here.”

Small salt reduction could save thousands of lives

UK Health experts say that thousands of deaths could be prevented every year if consumers were more aware of exactly how much salt is in the food they are eating in comparison against their daily recommended limits.

British health professionals voiced their concerns about the UK’s ignorance to the dangers of too much salt after the publication of a damning U.S.-based study that linked the high salt content in processed foods to the obesity crisis in America.

British GP Ian Campbell, medical director of charity Weight Concern, said: “The same problems exist in the UK, with heart disease a well-recognised consequence of excessive salt. Greater awareness of the harm salt can do might help people choose to reduce their intake. Processed food is high in fat, sugar and salt. Food manufacturers have significantly reduced salt content, but it’s still too high. The average person has no idea of the quantities of salt in their diet – simply because they’re not adding it, the manufacturers are. People need to be aware the food we eat does affect our health directly. If you don’t know what’s in the food you are about to eat, ask.”

High levels of salt in a person’s diet can raise your blood pressure and hypertension (high blood pressure) means you are at an increased risk of health problems such as heart disease and stroke. Doctors are adamant that if consumers paid more attention to food labels, an incredible 25,000 lives could be saved each year.

Unfortunately though, many Brits are still unaware of theirs or their children’s daily recommended maximum intake, or even any rough idea of how much salt they are currently taking in.

According to health officials, if the average salt intake was reduced by merely a single gram, this could save 6,000 lives and £1.5billion annually. If the average consumption however dropped by four grams, approximately 25,000 deaths could be averted each year. British Heart Foundation statistics say that on average, men consume around 9.7g of salt a day and women fare a little better and average 7.7g – but still way above the recommended limit.

Dr. Campbell added: “Salt is a big problem in the UK too. It’s a silent killer. Over time consuming too much of it increases the risk of high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. About 80 per cent of our salt intake comes from processed foods, so it can be difficult to avoid. Many people are unaware of where salt is hidden, such as bread, soups, ready meals, even breakfast cereals and mayonnaise. The Government approach has been to encourage food manufacturers to modify the amount of salt in their products. There has been a reduction but it is taking too long. The Food Standards Agency should consider setting mandatory maximum levels for salt.”

The recommended daily salt intake for adults has been 6g for many years, (around one full teaspoon), although the World Health Organization have spoken many times in recent years stating that at the very most, 5g should be the maximum intake each day.  However, current NHS guidance still sets the current daily limits to:

. 1 to 3 years: 2g salt a day (0.8g sodium).
. 4 to 6 years: 3g salt a day (1.2g sodium).
. 7 to 10 years: 5g salt a day (2g sodium).
. 11 years and over: 6g salt a day (2.4g sodium).

One of the biggest factors why people suffer with heart disease or stroke is because of high cholesterol. Salt itself does not contribute to high cholesterol levels, but consuming too much salt can cause high blood pressure that in turn is attributed to heart disease and stroke. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to the salt levels in your food.

To maintain healthy cholesterol levels you can also make other positive lifestyle changes to reduce risk factors, including: quitting smoking, lose weight if you are overweight, and limit the fat in your diet. All these will benefit blood pressure as well as cholesterol. Medication such as statins may be required if dietary alterations alone are not enough to have an effect, and for suitable patients they are obtainable from Medical Specialists Pharmacy at low prices. For more information about Crestor (rosuvastatin), Lipitor (atorvastatin), and Generic Atorvastatin, visit the Health and Lifestyle area of the Medical Specialists website.

Caesarean babies lose gut bacteria and risk developing asthma

Babies who are delivered via a caesarean section may be exposed to numerous dangers such as a surgical injury (accidental nicks to the baby’s skin during surgery). There are also risk of potential breathing problems to the baby like transient tachypnea—abnormally rapid breathing during the first few days after birth and respiratory distress syndrome — a condition that makes it difficult for the baby to breathe.

And now a new study recently published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal has identified that babies born in this particular manner could have fewer than normal ‘good’ bacteria in their digestive tract and thus not benefiting from these protective bugs preventing health problems in childhood and later life such as asthma and allergies.

Researchers in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Hamilton claim that they have compiled evidence that demonstrates infants born by caesarean delivery actually lack group of bacteria common in the stool of those infants delivered naturally, regardless of being breastfed or not. In particularly, babies born by c-section had significantly fewer bacteria of the Escherichia-Shigella and absolute nothing of the Bacteroides species.

“Shigella and Bacteroides are organisms picked up from mom and considered first colonizers,” says senior author Anita Kozyrskyj. “They lay the foundation for further microbes that become part of our normal microbiome.”

For the study, examinations were carried out on the stool samples from 24 healthy infants who are part of the larger Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) study. Samples were obtained as the babies reached four months of age. The comprehensive microbial survey was feasible because of advances in DNA sequencing techniques.

The researchers state that the potential long-term consequences of decisions in relation to the way in which a baby is delivered and an infant’s diet are ‘not to be underestimated’. In their report, the researchers comment: “Infants born by caesarean delivery are at increased risk of asthma, obesity and Type 1 diabetes, whereas breastfeeding is variably protective against these and other disorders. Our findings are particularly timely given the recent affirmation of the gut microbiota as a ‘super organ’ with diverse roles in health and disease, and the increasing concern over rising caesarean delivery and insufficient exclusive breastfeeding in Canada.”

Specific reasons for the differences in gut bacteria have not been fully established, but it could be that caesarean-born babies are missing out on physiological changes occurring during labour that includes exposure to bugs that are necessary for the immune system to develop.

Interestingly, in Canada where the study was primarily focused on, a parallel rise of caesareans and certain illnesses such as asthma has been witness in the last two decades.  In 1990, roughly 18% of all births were delivered by this method and statistics now show that c-sections currently comprise of about 27% of all births within Canada. The prevalence of asthma has also increased during this time period and there are now about three million Canadians who suffer with the lung condition. This is in addition to the 5.4 million Brits currently receiving treatment for asthma and many more millions worldwide.

Rob Knight, associate professor at the University of Colorado and a co-author of a commentary published with the study, said: “C-section and asthma could be connected. There have been several studies showing that more diverse microbial communities lead to lower rates of asthma, allergies and autoimmune diseases, and this study shows that c-section leads to lower microbial diversity.”

Effective prescription treatments for adult acne

Have you gotten yourself into a spot of bother trying to find an effective acne treatment now that Retin-A is no longer available? Well there is no reason to be a hothead about those blackheads! Medical Specialists Pharmacy are here to the rescue with three exciting products to combat acne; Duac, Differin and Epiduo – with the latter two being shown to have anti-ageing benefits too!

If you are unfamiliar with these treatments, we’ll begin by explaining about them and how they work:

Duac

Duac once daily gel is a prescription only acne treatment that can be obtained in either a 25g or 50g tube. The gel is comprised of two key active ingredients that are common medications often used in treating inflammatory acne; 1% clindamycin phosphate and 5% benzoyl peroxide. The antibiotic Clindamycin destroys the bacteria associated with acne while benzoyl peroxide reduces blackheads and whiteheads, making the skin less oily.

Tips for using Duac

. Keep Duac away from your eyes, mouth, nose or mucous membranes. The medication can irritate these particular areas.
. The benzoyl peroxide may bleach hair, clothing, pillowcases, towels, etc. so don’t let it come in contact with these until fully dry and always make sure to thoroughly wash your hands after use.
. If you are using Duac prior to going to bed, a white pillowcase is advised. Other colours may bleach out, regardless if the medication is fully dry or not.
. Have some patience with the medication and the results will be worth it! It may take 4 to 6 weeks before you see the full effect of Duac once daily gel.

Differin

Obtainable in either a gel or cream (both are a 45g size), Differin is a prescription medication used for the treatment of mild to moderate acne. It belongs to a class of medication called ‘retinoids’ and its active ingredient is a form of vitamin A called ‘adapalene’ which has an anti-inflammatory effect, reducing soreness and irritation in the skin. Differin increases the turnover of the skin cells.  This aids the natural exfoliation of the outer layers of skin, helping to unblock pores and decreases the formation of comedones and spots. It is used on the face, chest or back for acne, where the skin has lots of blackheads, spots and pimples. Differin is only absorbed into the body in very small amounts and has little effect, except on the surface of the skin. Differin has also been shown to be an effective treatment for anti-ageing.^[1]

Tips for using Differin

. For a female; whilst using Differin you must always take precautions when having intimate relations. Should you become pregnant, immediately stop using the medication. In addition, never use Differin when breastfeeding.
. Keep Differin away from your eyes, mouth, nose or mucous membranes. If the medication accidentally comes into contact with your eyes, make sure to immediately wash it out using warm water.
. Differin works by preventing pimples from forming under the surface of the skin. Therefore, simply spot-treating existing pimples will not be very effective. It is advised to apply Differin over the whole area where acne is problematic.
. It is possible to use other skin preparations to treat acne whilst using Differin and some people can be prescribed both Duac and Differin for their acne, obviously following advice from their own doctor. Other treatments should be applied at a different time of day to when you would use the Differin.
. To see maximum result, use Differin regularly and it might be ideal to apply it at the same time daily. Do not apply a larger amount than necessary or use the medication more frequently than advised by your doctor. Otherwise, this could result in pain, redness and peeling.

Epiduo

Epiduo is an effective, prescription only acne treatment available in the form of a once-daily gel. Epiduo is a white to very pale yellow opaque gel and combines two active ingredients; 0.1% adapalene and 2.5% benzoyl peroxide which work together but in different ways. Adapalene belongs to a class of medications called ‘retinoids’ and acts specifically on the skin processes that cause acne. The other active ingredient, benzoyl peroxide, works as an antimicrobial agent and by softening and peeling the outer layer of the skin. The gel unblocks the skin’s pores and kills the bacteria that causes spots to form, thus helping to prevent new spots from breaking out and reduces inflamed, uncomfortable spots. Epiduo also treats blackheads and whiteheads. The active ingredient in Epiduo has been shown to be effective treatment for wrinkles and anti-ageing.^[1]

Tips for using Epiduo

. For a female; whilst using Epiduo, you must always take precautions when having intimate relations. Should you become pregnant, immediately stop using the medication. In addition, never use Epiduo when breastfeeding.
. To see maximum result, use Epiduo regularly and it might be ideal to apply it at the same time daily. Do not apply a larger amount than necessary or use the medication more frequently than advised by your doctor. Otherwise, this could result in pain, redness and peeling.
. Only use Epiduo on the skin and do not apply it to the inner lip area, inside the nose and mouth, or on mucus membranes. Do not use the Epiduo on skin that is cut, scraped, sunburned or affected by eczema.
. Epiduo is applied topically over all skin areas where acne is a problem. As well as a facial treatment, and it can be used body breakouts too.

Which is right for you?

Medical Specialists Pharmacy advises you to undergo a consultation with your own GP to ascertain the type and severity of your acne. With this knowledge and the information we have provided about these medications, you may then choose the most appropriate treatment. Duac, Differin and Epiduo are all available today at low prices from the ‘Skin & Scalp’ area of the Medical Specialists website.
1. Herane MI. et al (2012) “Clinical efficacy of adapalene (differin®) 0.3% gel in Chilean women with cutaneous photoaging. ” J Dermatolog Treat. 57-64. PMID 22007702

Scottish cigarette display and vending machine ban begins on 29 April

From the 29 April this year, large shops will be banned from openly displaying cigarettes and smokers will no longer be able to purchase cigarettes from self-service vending machines as this will be outlawed too, the Scottish Government confirmed yesterday.

Smaller retailers however appear  to have a few years left before the new rules affect them as they will be given until 6 April, 2015 to fully abide by rules as laid out in the ‘Tobacco & Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010’.

The legislation, which was approved in Scottish Parliament on 27th January 2010 by a massive majority, includes key points that are clearly crafted at making it difficult for under-18s to obtain tobacco and lessen the appeal of smoking. It has also been designed to prevent people lighting-up at an early age and later developing a possible whole range of health conditions that are connected to smoking such as: cancer, heart disease, stroke, asthma, high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction and many more.

According to Scottish Governmental statistics, smoking kills approximately 13,500 Scots each year (equivalent to one in five of all deaths), it is the cause of around 33,500 hospital admissions and results in the NHS Scotland spending around £400 million each year to treat smoking-related health conditions.

The Tobacco & Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010:

. Bans the display of tobacco and smoking related products in shops.
. Bans the sale of tobacco from vending machines.
. Introduces a tobacco sales registration scheme, which will be free for retailers to join.
. Makes it an offence for under-18s to purchase tobacco.
. Makes it an offence for adults to buy tobacco for under 18s (proxy purchase).
. Gives trading standards officers powers to issue fixed penalty notices.
. Gives courts the power to ban retailers from selling tobacco where they have continually broken the law.
. The Act also amends the eligibility criteria for persons wishing to run a GP practice.

Only last December a legal challenge was launched by one of the world’s largest tobacco firms. The Supreme Court eventually dismissed the appeal by Imperial Tobacco, who claimed that the prohibiting of cigarette displays was strictly relevant to Westminster, and thus not within the scope of the Scottish Government. A committee of five judges unanimously ruled against Imperial, stating its arguments were not well-founded.

Michael Matheson, the Public Health Minister for the Scottish Government, said: “We know that reducing the number of people that smoke will have wide benefits for Scotland’s health and evidence shows that these bans will help prevent young people from taking up smoking. That is why we believe this is the right approach for Scotland and I am delighted that we are now in a position to implement these bans, which is a key step in maintaining Scotland’s position as a world leader on tobacco control. We have worked closely with retailers to set this date. We appreciate that smaller retailers need extra time to make the necessary changes and so we have decided that April 2015 represents a fair timescale for implementing the display ban for them.”

Brits are drinking 40% more alcohol than they realise

England’s most senior doctor today claimed that regular drinkers are under a false pretence about their drinking levels with many so-called ‘moderate’ drinkers grossly underestimating their daily drinking levels – sometimes by as much as 40%.

Moreover, many of these apparent moderate drinkers are consistently exceeding official guidance that limits men to three to four units of alcohol (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer) and two to three units for women (equivalent to a 175ml glass of wine per).

The latest potentially concerning insight into the nation’s drinking culture comes in the form of study conducted by the Department of Health (DoH) which is part of their ‘Change4Life’ TV advertisement campaign. It would seem that the results go some way to showing that the British public are underestimating the quantity and frequency at which they consume alcohol.

The news comes less than three months after it emerged that Prime Minister David Cameron is formulating plans to introduce  a 45p minimum price per unit to try and put a stop to the weekend binge drinking that is plaguing town centres across the country and also to reduce alcohol-related illnesses. Back in November, the Home Office claimed that this minimum price of 45p for a unit will slash the annual £42bn spent on alcoholic drinks in England and Wales by over 3%, helping to reduce crime and avoid 714 alcohol-related deaths each year.

As part of the DoH study into typical drinking habits, 19 people aged between 35 and 55 were recruited and asked to report their drink intake over a two week period, describing what kind of drinker they would class themselves as.

According to the information in their drinks diary, it was calculated that the individuals in the study were drinking on average the equivalent of an extra-large glass of wine each day – 40% more than they realised they were drinking.

More findings from the study show that roughly 80% of those that drink too much are indeed aware of the risks to their health yet think of themselves as merely a moderate drinker. In addition, 60% of these ‘moderate’ drinkers do not plan to reduce their alcohol intake at any point in the future.

However, in the second phase of the research, the participants were actually instructed to reduce their alcohol intake and were given simple bits of advice on how best to go about this. The tips provided included adding more of the ‘mixer’ to drinks and ditching alcoholic drinks in favour of soft drinks. Participants were also advised to include alcohol-free days if they would usually drink every day, stop drinking at home prior to going out anywhere, use smaller glasses for drinks and to stick to low-alcohol or alcohol-free drinks.

After the second phase, it was discovered that they had managed to cut alcohol consumption by over a third. The participants had also taken in on average 1,658 less calories each week and managed to pocket an extra £33.35 a week that they wouldn’t have usually (equivalent to £1,730 a year).

Professor Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England, said: “I understand that people enjoy having a glass of wine or beer to unwind at the end of a busy day – but these drinks stack up and can increase your risk of high blood pressure, cancer or liver disease. The alcohol guidelines recommend that men should not regularly drink more than three to four units a day and women should not regularly drink more than two to three units a day. The Change4Life campaign aims to help and encourage people to check how much they are drinking using the Drinks Checker app or online and if they find they are drinking over the guidelines, provide helpful tips and advice to cut down. Cutting back your drinking can reduce your health risks, reduce your calorie intake, help you sleep better and boost your energy.”