The Health News – 6 June 2017

Overview:

• Brisbane-based nutritionist Anthony Power said it was important to watch what we eat during the winter months to keep our immune system strong and also to control our weight. “We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to exercise and eat well, but when you look at the numbers food is 80 per cent and exercise is only 20 per cent,” he said.

• Robert Blythe, a veteran who served in Korea and Japan, ended up in the home after his dementia advanced. He died of pneumonia last year. The Oakden home is set to close after the state’s chief psychiatrist uncovered abuse and neglect at the facility dating back 10 years.

• An international comparison, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, revealed several popular Australian soft drinks had glucose levels which were 22 per cent higher than those found in the United States. Professor Kingwell said the latest Australian Health Survey found 39 per cent of all men and 29 per cent of women regularly drank sugar-sweetened beverages, making it the largest source of sugar in the Australian diet.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the  6th of June 2017. Read by Wayne Bucklar. Health News

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-05/how-to-eat-healthy-over-the-winter-months/8589224

The cooler months can make it hard for many of us to stay motivated and healthy.

Brisbane-based nutritionist Anthony Power said it was important to watch what we eat during the winter months to keep our immune system strong and also to control our weight.

“We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to exercise and eat well, but when you look at the numbers food is 80 per cent and exercise is only 20 per cent,” he said.

“You can look for things like porridge but you need to bring up the fat and protein in it,” he told ABC Radio Brisbane’s Kat Davidson.

The advantage of winter was eating soups, casseroles and stews made in slow cookers more often, Mr Power said.

He said people should not fear fat as it filled you up for longer.

“Fat and protein keeps you going for hours … it’s a mind shift though as for many years we’ve been told low fat.

“Remember nearly all the carbohydrates you eat end up becoming sugar in your body.

“Carbs can give you the big up and the big down, so reach for the protein and fat.”

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-05/treatment-of-another-patient-at-oakden-set-to-be-investigated/8588104

The treatment of another elderly patient who died at the South Australian Government-run Oakden nursing home will be investigated, according to the state’s Mental Health Minister.

Robert Blythe, a veteran who served in Korea and Japan, ended up in the home after his dementia advanced. He died of pneumonia last year.

His son Mark Harris is searching for answers.

The Oakden home is set to close after the state’s chief psychiatrist uncovered abuse and neglect at the facility dating back 10 years.

Mr Harris claimed his father was frequently bruised.

In March, after the Spriggs family lifted the lid on the poor treatment of Bob Spriggs, Mr Harris wrote to the Health Minister Jack Snelling.

He received a confirmation letter back a week later saying the Mental Health Minister, Leesa Vlahos, was looking into it.

Mr Harris said he has had no contact with either ministers.

Opposition spokesman Stephen Wade has accused the Government of acting too slowly on the matter.

Mr Wade said investigations should have started in March, when the letter was sent.

The State Government said it was taking the concerns “extremely seriously”.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-05/australian-soft-drinks-linked-to-higher-risk-of-diabetes/8588072

Soft drinks sold in Australia have higher levels of glucose, which is linked to an increased chance of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes, a study shows.

An international comparison, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, revealed several popular Australian soft drinks had glucose levels which were 22 per cent higher than those found in the United States.

Professor Bronwyn Kingwell, from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, said the findings were particularly relevant for Australians who drank lots of soft drinks.

In Australia, soft drinks are usually sweetened with sucrose, while in the US, high-fructose corn syrup is the main sweetener.

Professor Kingwell said the latest Australian Health Survey found 39 per cent of all men and 29 per cent of women regularly drank sugar-sweetened beverages, making it the largest source of sugar in the Australian diet.

“Given the already high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in Australia and high rates of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, these new findings are of significant concern and warrant further investigation as soon as possible,” she said.

Soft drink manufacturers have rejected calls for a sugar tax, disputing the link between soft drinks and obesity.