News Alerts: Week 31, 2017

Senator makes calls for vaccinated vs unvaccinated study

US Senator Bill Posey is sponsoring a bill calling on the Secretary of Health and Human Services, “To conduct or support a comprehensive study comparing total health outcomes, including risk of autism, in vaccinated populations in the United States with such outcomes in unvaccinated populations in the United States, and for other purposes”. Prof Anthony Mawson made a good start in November 2016 with his study of vaccinated vs unvaccinated home-schooled children and study on preterm infants. Overall, he found that vaccinated children were more likely to experience health issues than those who were unvaccinated. More research is needed though before health authorities can truly support their assertions that vaccines are ‘safe’. If you haven’t done so already please consider signing our petition to stop health authorities claiming vaccines are ‘safe’, because in our view, there is insufficient data at this time to make such a claim.

Italy mandates vaccinations!

Despite fierce protests from the grassroots, Italian Parliament has voted to introduce mandatory vaccination. Ten vaccines will now be required to be given to children before they are allowed to enter childcare or kindergarten. Parents who choose not to vaccinate their children will be subject to fines of between €100 – €500. The new law contains a requirement for children up to the age of 16, not vaccinated already, to receive catch-up vaccines and also includes a requirement for school and nursery staff to report parents who do refuse to vaccinate their children.

Declining sperm counts in the western world

Men in Western countries are facing a fertility crisis according to a new study. Researchers undertook a meta-analysis of data between 1973 and 2011, which showed a 50-60% decline in sperm counts in men from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. This is nothing new though. Whilst this new study does not discuss possible causes, environmental and lifestyle issues have previously been implicated in such a reduction. In 2013, The World Health Organization published a report that showed an alarming picture of the threat posed by man-made endocrine disruptors to human fertility, but a study as far back as 2003 discussed concerns over low fertility globally. If you are experiencing fertility issues our friends at the UK charity, Foresight Preconception, have been successfully helping couples become pregnant for many years.

Bacterial diversity and childhood IQ

Research published in Biological Psychiatry has found an association between the type of gut bacteria a 1-year old baby has and their performance in cognitive tests at age 2. Children with high levels of Bacteriodetes were found to perform better, whilst, those in the Faecalibacterium group scored the lowest. Quite unexpectedly, children with very diverse gut microbiomes performed less well than those with lower bacterial diversity, yet those with low bacterial diversity were linked with poor cognitive development. Whilst this research may have generated more questions than answers, it does support the importance of a healthy gut microbiome in childhood development and beyond. It’s important not to overlook the fact that the gut microbiome of a 1-year old baby already resembles adult-like gut microbiome communities.

Vitamin D supplementation in question again for children

Researchers publishing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) have suggested that high dose vitamin D supplementation in young children that are not considered to be deficient does not reduce the number of colds they catch. What the DOIT trial appears to have missed entirely is that for some people, like those who have genetic copying errors (also referred to as single nucleotide polymorphisms – SNPs) affecting vitamin D receptors (VDRs) and therefore absorption, supplementation is essential. Equally, those that need additional vitamin D to normalise circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) (the active form of vitamin D) may also need to supplement. Supplementation is not always about immune support to prevent catching a cold! This is not the first time mainstream science has called vitamin D supplementation into question. Whilst vitamin D supplementation is not necessarily a magic bullet for all that ails us, given increasing indoor and sedentary behaviours, vitamin D supplementation is a safe, cheap and easy way to prevent deficiency and improve health outcomes.