Health-related fake news

The author of a post https://twitter.com/Margo66122891/status/1690418009427382272 published on X (formerly Twitter) warned against consuming flour containing bromine, which is harmful to health.

She argued that we should only choose products which clearly state that they do not contain this element, or rather E924 sodium bromate. This is misinformation, as the addition of this compound to food is banned in the European Union.

Potassium bromate has a form of white crystals or powder.
It has been used as a flour improver to strengthen dough and allow better rising. Bromate is considered by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to be a category 2B carcinogen (possibly carcinogenic to humans).
Its use in food products was banned in Europe in 1990 and four years later in Canada and most other countries. However, it can still be used in the USA.

Be careful with diets

The widespread use of motorization and automation in everyday life and professional work has reduced energy demand related to decreased physical activity. At the same time, the structure of consumed food unfavourably changed towards highly processed and low in dietary fibre. These are the main reasons for obesity, which has become one of the main health risks.
The World Obesity Federation’s 2023 atlas predicts that 51 percent of the world, or more than 4 billion people, will be obese or overweight within the next 12 years. A research paper published in ‘Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine’ in 2023, showed that every second adult inhabitant of Poland (aged 18–64) is overweight. The study was conducted in 2017-2020, on a total of 2,000 individuals randomly selected from the Polish population.
No wonder that various weight-loss diets are popular and research shows that interest in rapid weight-loss diets, sometimes called fad diets, has increased over the past two decades. One of the fad diets is the OMAD diet (one meal a day diet). It is a very restrictive variation of intermittent fasting, or the IF diet.
In April 2023, a post https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02RbF9VVxi3b6hGoHj3JMZfMjPbV2NyAADqMoWFSrLiAeyohCwm9ifwQUrsd1Kpq1Gl&id=282592881929497 on Facebook promoting OMAD diet was fake news. Experts warn that eating just one meal a day is unhealthy as it is impossible to meet calorie, nutrient, including protein, vitamin and mineral needs. Moreover, prolonged lack of sufficient quantity and quality of food can lead to muscle loss, nutrient deficiencies and malnutrition.
"There are no recommendations to such extreme limiting of the number of meals eaten. This is due to the fact that our metabolism 'kicks in' with regular meals, so if we only eat once a day, our metabolism slows down. Besides, it is impossible to eat everything we need for the whole day in one meal," said nutritionist Dr Hanna Stolińska.
"Of course, it is possible to survive on one meal, however, this is simply unhealthy. I advise not to believe the advertising: in one box you have everything you need for the whole day, it's impossible," she added.

Experts recommend eating 3-4 meals per day. "Then the body 'knows' it's going to get the food and doesn't have to store body fat, it doesn't have to 'eat' its own muscles. I see this when I do my patients body composition analysis. When they eat irregularly, fewer meals, or those meals are not what they need—they don't lose the weight, because the body takes the energy not from where we would like it to be taken. And if we get used to eating four meals a day, at fixed times then, with additional physical activity, body fat falls off beautifully and muscle tissue grows," Stolińska said.
It is also worth mentioning that the OMAD diet carries the risk of overeating, i.e., eating disorders. Additionally, it is a dangerous diet for children or adolescents, people with diabetes or hypoglycaemia, obesity or metabolic problems.

Food supplements

Another aspect of healthy living are food supplements. One of the factors driving the market is the fact that consumers are increasingly focusing on their health and taking proactive steps to treat and prevent potential diseases. Demand for dietary supplements is being driven by the aging population, which may require additional support in the form of supplements to address nutrient deficiencies and age-related diseases.
Also, the Covid-19 pandemic served as an accelerator of the younger generations’ interest in health and wellness, and transforming food supplements into an integral part of consumers’ daily routine.
In 2022, a market research agency Ipsos carried out a study which showed that food supplements and vitamins have become an essential part of European consumers’ lifestyle. One of the Top10 food supplements is zinc. Thirteen percents of Europeans were supplementing it in the last 12 months.
No wonder that it became a subject of fake news. A post https://twitter.com/Margo66122891/status/1674120390824566787 published on X app (formerly Twitter) claimed that zinc reduces the possibility of HPV (Human Papillomavirus) infection. This is no true.

Recently, there have been reports of a good effect of zinc on infections. A study was conducted among 80 women with abnormal cytology results—small lesions and the presence of HRHPV (highly ionogenic types). High doses of zinc were administered, with a follow-up time of 3 months. Significant regression of lesions was found in patients with zinc supplementation, hence the hypothesis that zinc may promote elimination of the virus.
"Zinc improves immune function, supports DNA repair, spermatogenesis. But it is only a supportive therapy, in doses much lower than those used in the study. Therefore, I have to stress with all certainty that zinc does not reduce the possibility of HPV infection, but perhaps modifies its course," Elzbieta Filipczak, MD, gynaecologist from Warsaw’s Damian Medical Centre, said.
She added that so far, the only proven prophylactic measure against HPV infection is the vaccine, which from this year is free for all girls and boys aged 12-13 years (according to the vaccination calendar) in Poland. "The use of dietary supplements, micronutrients should not replace primary prevention which is vaccination," Filipczak said.

Environment and health

Pollutants in the environment or climate-related events have a massive impact on health. Air and noise pollution, and heavy metals like mercury are directly related to many health issues. Exposure to environmental toxins is also not without influence on the onset of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The video https://www.tiktok.com/@healwithania/video/7236192202538421547 published on TikTok by @healthwithania and submitted for fact-checking addressed the scientific findings described below and is in line with the latest developments.
Scientists still do not know exactly what causes autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As the disorder is complex and no two autism cases are identical, there are likely to be multiple causes.
It is also likely that there is no single cause of autism, but rather it results from a combination of multiple causes. A lot of evidence supports the thesis that one of the main causes or the main determinant of ASD is genes. Researchers have discovered that more than 100 genes on different chromosomes in varying degrees may be involved in causing ASD.
"In the last decade, researchers have increasingly repeated that the onset and course of ASD can also be influenced by environmental factors. Chemicals, preservatives, artificial colours are increasingly present in the environment. Air pollution may also be a prime factor. In Poland, for example, massive amounts of rubbish are burnt in stoves, a lot of dioxins are released into the air, and these are some of the most toxic substances. Harmful for the child is the mother's exposure both before and during pregnancy," Michał Wroniszewski, a psychiatrist and president of the SYNAPSIS Foundation, said.
Exposure to environmental toxins during susceptible periods of neurodevelopment can lead to changes in normal developmental patterns and impaired neurotransmitter functions. Several environmental toxins, including mercury, lead, arsenic, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and toluene, cause neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, cerebral palsy, ADHD and mental retardation.
There is more and more evidence suggesting that environmental toxins may play a role in the development of ASD. It has been researched by many scientists, with varying results. For example, one study found that children with ASD had higher levels of lead and mercury in their blood compared to neurotypical children. Another study showed that prenatal exposure to air pollution increases the risk of developing ASD.
While these studies provide important information on the potential link between environmental toxins and ASD, they also have limitations. Many of them were conducted on small groups of people and are not representative of the general population.
In addition, there are many other factors that may contribute to the development of ASD, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions. Despite these limitations, it is clear that reducing exposure to environmental toxins is an important step in promoting overall health and preventing disease.

06.10.23