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Another piece this morning from van Tulleken, likening the tactics of ultra processed food companies to that of tobacco companies. Apparently some of the execs from the latter have moved to the former. https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/upf-ultra-processed-food-chris-van-tulleken-b1161074.html

thanks for linking to that very interesting piece; sorry I didn't see it till now. I have read some of that author's work before; it is well researched.

and another piece on UPFs. One paragraph is particularly striking: "the other issue that’s been nagging at me: corporations engineer ultra-processed foods to be hyper-palatable (companies overseen by former tobacco company executives produce the most hyper-palatable foods). I’m frustrated by the...

something from yesterday that briefly addresses some of the confusion over what is, and what isn't, an ultra processed food: https://www.theguardian.com/food/article/2024/may/19/academic-and-doctor-chris-van-tulleken-ultra-processed-products-are-food-that-lies-to-us

another piece today on easy accessible foods that are good for our microbiomes (and that don't start with k) https://www.theguardian.com/food/article/2024/may/12/cheese-please-eight-everyday-foods-that-are-great-for-gut-health-and-arent-kimchi-kombucha-kraut-or-kefir

thanks for sharing; he has a very worthy goal, and I hope people read the reviews that their contributors work so hard to write.

That link is an excellent example of how language reflects the perspective of the author and can influence others' perception of the topic: it might alternatively be named 'microbial consumption of diesel fuel'.

Further to the last, it's not the example I was looking for, but it is a cause for optimism for those depressed by human trashing of the planet: the kerosene fungus thrives in aircraft fuel tanks. Sheldrake Entangled life (2023) 177.

Indeed; it's not an either or situation. Some microbes have already evolved to consume some pollutants without human intervention. We already know that fungi can degrade pesticides, synthetic dyes, TNT and RDX (explosives), crude oil, some plastics, and can accumulate heavy metals for safe...

that is the difference, and it is significant. To illustrate the point, think of a blob of infected fecal matter as the number 6 on a die. The chance of getting a 6 when throwing one die is 1 in 6, or about 17%. The chance of getting a 6 throwing 6 dice is about 66%. The chance of getting a 6...

something interesting today on the health benefits of spices; I've linked to the transcript as I find it more user-friendly than the podcast (but you can get back to the podcast from here if you want) https://zoe.com/learn/spices-with-kanchan-koya?lid=oic3x4xvp7cw

so that's true also of e.g. salmonella, campylobacter etc. but people regularly get these from chickens because it hasn't been cooked or handled properly, and the same would apply to bird flu in beef. My point is really that this new health hazard is so unnecessary: cattle do not naturally eat...

indeed, and that's important when the focus is on the health of humans eating beef or drinking milk (pasturisation seems to kill it too). But not if the focus is on the health of the cows, and their role as incubators of a potential mammalian version of bird flu.

There is a short graphical piece in Reuters today about the spread of bird flu to cows in the USA. Bizarrely, despite noting that "The infections in cattle are from the same subtype of bird flu that has been infecting wild birds and poultry flocks globally, also killing several mammal species...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/17/ada-american-diabetes-association-big-pharma

a snippet from the last article linked has something relevant about 'balanced rations' for chickens: "these suggested intakes were determined using “nitrogen-balanced” studies, which represent, says Patel, “the minimum protein we need to prevent malnutrition”. But preventing malnutrition, she...

Another useful piece today, this time focusing on protein https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/apr/15/truth-about-protein-how-to-get-enough-every-age

That's a useful summary of the trials. BSF grow fast and they can live on wet food waste, which seems to be why they've been preferred in these early trials of insect feeds (because they are not better nutritionally than several other insects, all other things being equal), but there are a lot...

Thanks for linking that @Krugerrand . Agreed it's interesting and a bit shallow, but there are references to decent sources; it is of course marketing for nutrition courses, so it's pitched accordingly.

another relevant item today, this time about biofortification as an attempt to mitigate the loss of nutrients from modern crops. I note that it does not discuss the role of human selection of varieties for shape, size, colour, speed of growth and maturity, ability to stand rough handling during...