Discerning our true partners in health

It’s the summer Olympics — a time every 4 years when we celebrate the peak of human performance. Two weeks of watching some of the most perfect human specimens around in the peak of their health and fitness. Watching being the operative word! For many the Olympics signals a time of sedentary sofa-snacking with an array of unhealthy fat and sugar-laden treats and junk food shortcuts. It’s topical then that this week’s eAlert focuses on ‘partners in health’.

Our first story looks at partners of a less obvious kind. Microbes. Of the non-pathogenic variety. Without them life as we know it would cease to exist. Apart from the obvious part they play in life, like facilitating our eating and breathing, they are also our partners in health. The ongoing ‘conversations’ throughout evolution between our microbial friends and our immune systems are vital for building innate immunity. We look at new research out of the New England Journal of Medicine that reminds us of the importance of early exposure to microbes.

Our second story addresses the “carnival of junk food” at the Rio Games and the battling for sugar-marketed sponsorship from Big Food players like Coca-Cola, Mars and Kelloggs. Find out how the big brands are playing a game of deception to keep their products top of the shelf with sporting tie-ins when they’re the least healthy options about.

Check out our tips for healthier sofa-snacking and TV watching, including our news snippets for the ad breaks!

In sporting health, naturally

Meleni

Meleni Aldridge

Executive Coordinator