Good morning. In today’s edition:

• Chromium Found in Lead-tainted Fruit Pouches May Explain Contamination

• Can I Lose Weight by Simply Walking 30 Minutes a Day?

• For Female Fashion Models, Job Security and Sexual Harassment Are Often Intertwined. Research Found While Sexual Harassment Occurs in Every Industry, It is Particularly Prevalent in Fashion, a Sector Populated by Young Girls Taking Directions From Powerful Men

• Treatment for Acute Sleeping Sickness Has Been Brutal — Until Now

…and lots more. Have a great day!

FOOD & NUTRITION

Chromium Found in Lead-tainted Fruit Pouches May Explain Contamination

The FDA found something worrying in fruit pouches that made almost 300 kids sick in 37 states. Along with too much lead, they also found chromium. This might be because of a yellow substance called lead chromate, used to make spices look better.

Lead chromate was often in spices from India and Bangladesh. A study in 2017 found it in turmeric with too much lead. The FDA thinks the fruit pouches might have been made cheaper on purpose, using bad stuff like lead chromate.

For kids who ate these pouches, this is bad news. Lead can hurt their brains and how they learn and behave. Chromium, especially the bad kind in lead chromate, can cause big health problems. But what happens when you eat it isn't fully known.

Parents should talk to doctors if their kids had these pouches. This is really important for kids with high lead in their blood.

The pouches are WanaBana apple cinnamon, Schnucks cinnamon applesauce, and Weis cinnamon applesauce. They were sold in many stores, like Amazon, Dollar Tree, Schnucks, and Weis markets.

So far, 287 kids in 37 states have gotten sick. Keep an eye out for updates and see a doctor if you're worried about your child.

Source: arstechnica.com

WEIGHT LOSS

Can I Lose Weight by Simply Walking 30 Minutes a Day?

Have you ever thought about how simple walking can be a big help in staying healthy? Let's explore how just 30 minutes of walking each day can do wonders!

1. Good for Your Heart: Walking increases your heart rate, which makes your heart stronger and improves blood flow. This can lower the risk of heart problems and stroke. It's also great for keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol in check.

2. Less Risk of Diseases: Walking every day can reduce the chances of getting diabetes, cancer, and arthritis. It helps control your blood sugar and lowers inflammation in your body.

3. Stronger Bones: Walking puts a little pressure on your bones, which helps them get stronger. This is especially important as we get older to prevent bone-related issues.

4. Weight Loss: Walking, along with eating healthily, can help you lose weight. You burn about 150 calories in a 30-minute walk. You can burn even more by walking faster or going uphill.

5. Healthy Joints: Walking is easy on your joints and helps keep them moving smoothly, reducing pain or stiffness.

6. Sharper Brain: Walking not only helps your body but also your brain. It improves your memory and focus, and lowers the chance of mental decline as you age.

7. Stronger Immune System: Regular walking can strengthen your immune system, helping your body fight off illnesses.

So, lacing up your shoes for a 30-minute walk each day is a great, easy way to improve your health. Why not start today? Happy walking!

Source: Healthpecial

HEALTH

For Female Fashion Models, Job Security and Sexual Harassment Are Often Intertwined. Research Found While Sexual Harassment Occurs in Every Industry, It is Particularly Prevalent in Fashion, a Sector Populated by Young Girls Taking Directions From Powerful Men

Many young women dream of being fashion models. However, a study from Rutgers University shows a serious problem in this world: sexual harassment. Professor Jocelyn Elise Crowley found that getting a modeling job often leads to scary and inappropriate experiences.

Crowley's study says models need to meet people to get work. They go to dinners, clubs, and parties, which she calls “the party life.” But in these places, models can face harassment, especially from powerful men.

The study used stories shared by supermodel Cameron Russell on Instagram. In 2017, Russell posted about a young model hurt by a male photographer. After that, she got more stories from people in fashion. Crowley looked at these stories, focusing on words linked to social events. She found that harassment happens a lot when models are trying to find jobs or working.

The study points out a big issue in fashion: young women, often working with older men, are at a high risk of harassment. Also, models, who usually work for themselves, don't have many legal protections.

Crowley's research is important. It shows we need to do something about harassment in places like fashion, where many people work on their own. Making rules, laws, and steps to stop harassment is key to making work safer and fairer for everyone.

Source: rutgers.edu

Treatment for Acute Sleeping Sickness Has Been Brutal — Until Now

Sleeping sickness is a scary disease found mostly in Africa. It can mess up your sleep and make you really sick. But now, there's good news! A safer treatment has been found.

For years, treating sleeping sickness was hard and dangerous. The medicines were so strong that they could harm patients. Sometimes, people even died from the treatment, not just the sickness. If not treated, the sickness almost always led to death.

The new treatment is a pill called fexinidazole. It's been used before for a less severe type of sleeping sickness and worked well. Now, it's been tested and approved for the more serious kind. In a study, this pill cured 97 out of 100 patients in just 10 days!

Sleeping sickness starts with common symptoms like fever and tiredness. It's caused by tiny parasites spread by flies. There are two types: a slow one (chronic) and a fast, more dangerous one (acute). The fast kind was harder to treat until now.

Fexinidazole isn't new. It was made in the 1970s but only recently tested for the fast type of sleeping sickness. The test had 45 people, and it showed the pill can really help.

Doctors are happy about this discovery. But they say we can't relax yet. The disease is still around, and getting medicine to far places is tough. Also, sleeping sickness is often mistaken for other illnesses. So, doctors keep working to find it early and treat it before it gets worse. This pill is a big step, but the fight goes on.

Source: npr.org

✢ A Note From Hem Hero

The information in this health newsletter is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment; always consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health. The publishers are not responsible for any actions taken by the reader based on the information provided.