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Is white rice bad for me? Can I make it lower GI or healthier?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emma-beckett-22673">Emma Beckett</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> Rice is a <a href="http://www.ipni.net/publication/bci.nsf/0/42A2EA40E95CBD1385257BBA006531E9/$FILE/Better%20Crops%20International%202002-3%20p03.pdf">culinary staple</a> in Australia and around the world. It might seem like a given that brown rice is healthier than white and official <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/eating-well/healthy-recipes/recipe-modification-tips">public health resources</a> often recommend brown rice instead of white as a “healthy swap”. But <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34441728/">Australians definitely prefer white rice</a> over brown. So, what’s the difference, and what do we need to know when choosing rice? <h2>What makes rice white or brown?</h2> Rice “grains” are technically seeds. A complete, whole rice seed is called a “paddy”, which has <a href="https://www.fao.org/4/t0567e/t0567e07.htm">multiple parts</a>: <ol> <li>the “hull” is the hard outer layer which protects the seed</li> <li>the “bran”, which is a softer protective layer containing the seed coat</li> <li>the “germ” or the embryo, which is the part of the seed that would develop into a new plant if was germinated</li> <li>the “endosperm”, which makes up most of the seed and is essentially the store of nutrients that feeds the developing plant as a seed grows into a plant.</li> </ol> Rice needs to be <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/87559128509540778">processed</a> for humans to eat it. Along with cleaning and drying, the hard hulls are removed since we can’t digest them. This is how <a href="https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1541-4337.12449">brown rice is made</a>, with the other three parts of the rice remaining intact. This means brown rice is regarded as a “wholegrain”. White rice, however, is a “refined” grain, as it is <a href="https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1541-4337.12449">further polished</a> to remove the bran and germ, leaving just the endosperm. This is a mechanical and not a chemical process. <h2>What’s the difference, nutritionally?</h2> Keeping the bran and the germ means <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cche.10322">brown rice has more</a> magnesium, phosphorus, potassium B vitamins (niacin, folate, riboflavin and pyridoxine), iron, zinc and fibre. The germ and the bran also contain more bioactives (compounds in foods that aren’t essential nutrients but have health benefits), like <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/2/532#:%7E:text=Brown%20rice%20(BR)%20is%20obtained,and%20phenolic%20compounds%20%5B3%5D.">oryzanols and phenolic compounds</a> which have antioxidant effects. But that doesn’t mean white rice is just empty calories. It <a href="https://www.glnc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/GLNC_Rice-factsheet_WEB.pdf">still contains</a> vitamins, minerals and some fibre, and is low in fat and salt, and is naturally gluten-free. White and brown rice actually have <a href="https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1541-4337.12449">similar</a> amounts of calories (or kilojoules) and total carbohydrates. There are studies that show eating more white rice is linked to <a href="https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/43/11/2625/35820/A-Global-Perspective-on-White-Rice-Consumption-and">a higher risk</a> of type 2 diabetes. But it is difficult to know if this is down to the rice itself, or other related factors such as socioeconomic variables or other dietary patterns. <h2>What about the glycaemic index?</h2> The higher fibre means brown rice has a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523314862">lower glycaemic index</a> (GI), meaning it raises blood sugar levels more slowly. But this is highly variable between different rices within the white and brown categories. The <a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/carbohydrates-and-the-glycaemic-index#:%7E:text=The%20glycaemic%20index%20(GI)%20is,simple'%20or%20'complex'.">GI system</a> uses low (less than 55), medium (55–70) and high (above 70) categories. <a href="https://glycemicindex.com/gi-search/?food_name=rice&product_category=&country=&gi=&gi_filter=&serving_size_(g)=&serving_size_(g)_filter=&carbs_per_serve_(g)=&carbs_per_serve_(g)_filter=&gl=&gl_filter=">Brown rices</a> fall into the low and medium categories. <a href="https://glycemicindex.com/gi-search/?food_name=rice&product_category=&country=&gi=&gi_filter=&serving_size_(g)=&serving_size_(g)_filter=&carbs_per_serve_(g)=&carbs_per_serve_(g)_filter=&gl=&gl_filter=">White rices</a> fall in the medium and high. There are specific <a href="https://www.gisymbol.com/low-gi-products/sunrice-doongara-low-gi-white-clever-rice-1kg/">low-GI types available</a> for both white and brown types. You can also lower the GI of rice by <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf503203r">heating and then cooling it</a>. This process converts some of the “available carbohydrates” into “resistant starch”, which then functions like dietary fibre. <h2>Are there any benefits to white rice?</h2> The <a href="https://www.realsimple.com/brown-rice-vs-white-rice-8417468#:%7E:text=The%20eating%20experience%20between%20these,chewier%20texture%20and%20nuttier%20flavor.">taste and textural qualities</a> of white and brown rices differ. White rice tends to have a softer texture and more mild or neutral flavour. Brown rice has a chewier texture and nuttier flavour. So, while you can technically substitute brown rice into most recipes, the experience will be different. Or other ingredients may need to be added or changed to create the desired texture. Removing more of the outer layers may also reduce the levels of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10375490/">contaminants</a> such as pesticides. <h2>We don’t just eat rice</h2> Comparing white and brown rice seems like an easy way to boost nutritional value. But just because one food (brown rice) is more nutrient-dense doesn’t make the other food (white rice) “bad”. Ultimately, it’s not often that we eat just rice, so we don’t need the rice we choose to be the perfect one. Rice is typically the staple base of a more complex dish. So, it’s probably more important to think about what we eat with rice. Adding vegetables and lean proteins to rice-based dishes can easily add the micronutrients, bioactives and fibre that white rice is comparatively lacking, and this can likely do more to contribute to diet quality than eating brown rice instead.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/236767/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emma-beckett-22673">Emma Beckett</a>, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Nutrition, Dietetics & Food Innovation - School of Health Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-white-rice-bad-for-me-can-i-make-it-lower-gi-or-healthier-236767">original article</a>. </div>

Food & Wine

Could the shingles vaccine lower your risk of dementia?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ibrahim-javed-1552271">Ibrahim Javed</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> A <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03201-5">recent study</a> has suggested Shingrix, a relatively new vaccine given to protect older adults against shingles, may delay the onset of dementia. This might seem like a bizarre link, but actually, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34697158/">research</a> has previously shown an older version of the shingles vaccine, Zostavax, reduced the risk of dementia. In this new study, published last week in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers from the United Kingdom found Shingrix delayed dementia onset by 17% compared with Zostavax. So how did the researchers work this out, and how could a shingles vaccine affect dementia risk? <h2>From Zostavax to Shingrix</h2> Shingles is a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It causes <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/shingles">painful rashes</a>, and affects older people in particular. Previously, Zostavax was used to vaccinate against shingles. It was administered as a single shot and provided good protection for about <a href="https://immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au/contents/vaccine-preventable-diseases/zoster-herpes-zoster">five years</a>. Shingrix has been developed based on a newer vaccine technology, and is thought to offer stronger and longer-lasting protection. Given in two doses, it’s now the preferred option for shingles vaccination in Australia and elsewhere. In November 2023, Shingrix replaced Zostavax on the <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/news/national-immunisation-program-changes-to-shingles-vaccination-from-1-november-2023">National Immunisation Program</a>, making it available for free to those at highest risk of complications from shingles. This includes all adults aged 65 and over, First Nations people aged 50 and older, and younger adults with certain medical conditions that affect their immune systems. <h2>What the study found</h2> Shingrix was approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration in <a href="https://www.drugs.com/history/shingrix.html">October 2017</a>. The researchers in the new study used the transition from Zostavax to Shingrix in the United States as an opportunity for research. They selected 103,837 people who received Zostavax (between October 2014 and September 2017) and compared them with 103,837 people who received Shingrix (between November 2017 and October 2020). By analysing data from electronic health records, they found people who received Shingrix had a 17% increase in “diagnosis-free time” during the follow-up period (up to six years after vaccination) compared with those who received Zostavax. This was equivalent to an average of 164 extra days without a dementia diagnosis. The researchers also compared the shingles vaccines to other vaccines: influenza, and a combined vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. Shingrix and Zostavax performed around 14–27% better in lowering the risk of a dementia diagnosis, with Shingrix associated with a greater improvement. The benefits of Shingrix in terms of dementia risk were significant for both sexes, but more pronounced for women. This is not entirely surprising, because we know women have <a href="https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/why-dementia-different-women">a higher risk</a> of developing dementia due to interplay of biological factors. These include being more sensitive to certain genetic mutations associated with dementia and hormonal differences. <h2>Why the link?</h2> The idea that vaccination against viral infection can lower the risk of dementia has been around for more than two decades. Associations have been <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11762573/">observed</a> between vaccines, such as those for diphtheria, tetanus, polio and influenza, and subsequent dementia risk. Research has shown Zostavax vaccination can <a href="https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/10/e045871">reduce the risk</a> of developing dementia by 20% compared with people who are unvaccinated. But it may not be that the vaccines themselves protect against dementia. Rather, it may be the resulting lack of viral infection creating this effect. Research indicates bacterial infections in the gut, as well as viral infections, are associated with a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10169152/">higher risk of dementia</a>. Notably, untreated infections with herpes simplex (herpes) virus – closely related to the varicella-zoster virus that causes shingles – can <a href="https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/trc2.12119">significantly increase</a> the risk of developing dementia. Research has also shown shingles increases the risk of a later dementia diagnosis. The mechanism is not entirely clear. But there are two potential pathways which may help us understand why infections could increase the risk of dementia. First, certain molecules are produced when a baby is developing in the womb to help with the body’s development. These molecules have the potential to cause inflammation and accelerate ageing, so the production of these molecules is silenced around birth. However, viral infections such as shingles can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2018.07.011">reactivate</a> the production of these molecules in adult life which could <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8717685/#:%7E:text=The%20disease%20mechanisms%20of%20AD,may%20lead%20to%20new%20therapies.">hypothetically lead to dementia</a>. Second, in Alzheimer’s disease, a specific protein called Amyloid-β go rogue and kill brain cells. Certain proteins produced by viruses <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.05.16.594465v1">such as COVID</a> and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/advs.202001299">bad gut bacteria</a> have the potential to support Amyloid-β in its toxic form. In laboratory conditions, these proteins have been shown to <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1003537">accelerate the onset</a> of dementia. <h2>What does this all mean?</h2> With an ageing population, the burden of dementia is only likely to become greater in the years to come. There’s a lot more we have to learn about the causes of the disease and what we can potentially do to prevent and treat it. This new study has some limitations. For example, time without a diagnosis doesn’t necessarily mean time without disease. Some people may have underlying disease with delayed diagnosis. This research indicates Shingrix could have a silent benefit, but it’s too early to suggest we can use antiviral vaccines to prevent dementia. Overall, we need more research exploring in greater detail how infections are linked with dementia. This will help us understand the root causes of dementia and design potential therapies.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/235597/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ibrahim-javed-1552271">Ibrahim Javed</a>, Enterprise and NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, UniSA Clinical & Health Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/could-the-shingles-vaccine-lower-your-risk-of-dementia-235597">original article</a>. </div>

Mind

How can I lower my cholesterol? Do supplements work? How about psyllium or probiotics?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-ball-14718">Lauren Ball</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-burch-438717">Emily Burch</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a> Your GP says you have high cholesterol. You’ve six months to work on your diet to see if that’ll bring down your levels, then you’ll review your options. Could taking supplements over this time help? You can’t rely on supplements alone to control your cholesterol. But there’s some good evidence that taking particular supplements, while also eating a healthy diet, can make a difference. <h2>Why are we so worried about cholesterol?</h2> There are two main types of cholesterol, both affecting your risk of heart disease and stroke. Both types are carried in the bloodstream inside molecules called lipoproteins. Low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol This is often called “bad” cholesterol. This lipoprotein carries cholesterol from the liver to cells throughout the body. High levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood can lead to the <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/JAHA.118.011433">build-up of plaque</a> in arteries, which leads to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. High-density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol This is often called “good” cholesterol. This lipoprotein helps remove excess cholesterol from the bloodstream and transports it back to the liver for processing and excretion. Higher levels of HDL cholesterol are <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.119.312617">linked to</a> a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke. Diet can play a key role in reducing blood cholesterol levels, especially LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Healthy dietary choices are <a href="https://theconversation.com/got-high-cholesterol-here-are-five-foods-to-eat-and-avoid-63941">well recognised</a>. These include a focus on eating more unsaturated (“healthy”) fat (such as from olive oil or avocado), and eating less saturated (“unhealthy”) fat (such as animal fats) and trans fats (found in some shop-bought biscuits, pies and pizza bases). <h2>Fibre is your friend</h2> An additional way to significantly reduce your total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels through diet is by eating more <a href="https://theconversation.com/fiber-is-your-bodys-natural-guide-to-weight-management-rather-than-cutting-carbs-out-of-your-diet-eat-them-in-their-original-fiber-packaging-instead-205159">soluble fibre</a>. This is a type of fibre that dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance in your gut. The gel can bind to cholesterol molecules preventing them from being absorbed into the bloodstream and allows them to be eliminated from the body through your faeces. You can find soluble fibre in whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, oats, barley, beans and lentils. <h2>Fibre supplements, such as psyllium</h2> There are also many fibre supplements and food-based products on the market that may help lower cholesterol. These include: <ul> <li> natural soluble fibres, such as inulin (for example, Benefiber) or psyllium (for example, Metamucil) or beta-glucan (for example, in ground oats) </li> <li> synthetic soluble fibres, such as polydextrose (for example, STA-LITE), wheat dextrin (also found in Benefiber) or methylcellulose (such as Citrucel) </li> <li> natural insoluble fibres, which bulk out your faeces, such as flax seeds. </li> </ul> Most of these supplements come as fibres you add to food or dissolve in water or drinks. Psyllium is the fibre supplement with the strongest evidence to support its use in improving cholesterol levels. It’s been <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5413815/">studied</a> in at least 24 high-quality randomised controlled trials. These trials show consuming about 10g of psyllium a day (1 tablespoon), as part of a healthy diet, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523070107#:%7E:text=Conclusions%3A,mild%2Dto%2Dmoderate%20hypercholesterolemia.">can significantly lower</a> total cholesterol levels by 4% and LDL cholesterol levels by 7%. <h2>Probiotics</h2> Other cholesterol-lowering supplements, such as probiotics, are not based on fibre. Probiotics are thought to help lower cholesterol levels via a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3352670/">number of mechanisms</a>. These include helping to incorporate cholesterol into cells, and adjusting the microbiome of the gut to favour elimination of cholesterol via the faeces. Using probiotics to reduce cholesterol is an upcoming area of interest and the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S089990071500461X">research</a> is promising. In a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29384846/">2018 study</a>, researchers pooled results from 32 studies and analysed them altogether in a type of study known as a meta-analysis. The people who took probiotics reduced their total cholesterol level by 13%. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/07853890.2015.1071872">Other</a> <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11906-020-01080-y">systematic reviews</a> support these findings. Most of these studies use probiotics containing Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis, which come in capsules or powders and are consumed daily. Ultimately, probiotics could be worth a try. However, the effects will likely vary according to the probiotic strains used, whether you take the probiotic each day as indicated, as well as your health status and your diet. <h2>Red yeast rice</h2> <a href="https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/red-yeast-rice">Red yeast rice</a> is another non-fibre supplement that has gained attention for lowering cholesterol. It is often used in Asia and some European countries as a complementary therapy. It comes in capsule form and is thought to mimic the role of the cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins. A <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.819482/full">2022 systematic review</a> analysed data from 15 randomised controlled trials. It found taking red yeast rice supplements (200-4,800mg a day) was more effective for lowering blood fats known as triglycerides but less effective at lowering total cholesterol compared with statins. However, these trials don’t tell us if red yeast rice works and is safe in the long term. The authors also said only one study in the review was registered in a major <a href="https://www.clinicaltrials.gov">database</a> of clinical trials. So we don’t know if the evidence base was complete or biased to only publish studies with positive results. <h2>Diet and supplements may not be enough</h2> Always speak to your GP and dietitian about your plan to take supplements to lower your cholesterol. But remember, dietary changes alone – with or without supplements – might not be enough to lower your cholesterol levels sufficiently. You still need to quit smoking, reduce stress, exercise regularly and get enough sleep. Genetics can also play a role. Even then, depending on your cholesterol levels and other risk factors, you may still be recommended cholesterol-lowering medications, such as <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2795522">statins</a>. Your GP will discuss your options at your six-month review.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211748/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-ball-14718">Lauren Ball</a>, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-burch-438717">Emily Burch</a>, Dietitian, Researcher & Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-can-i-lower-my-cholesterol-do-supplements-work-how-about-psyllium-or-probiotics-211748">original article</a>.

Body

The top 11 situations to always haggle for a lower price

Mortgage rates Buying a new home is probably the biggest purchase you will make over the course of your life, so every last penny you can save is worth it. “Borrowers should shop their business around to many banks/lenders to see what rates are available,” says mortgage broker Ade Labinjo. “Then use the rates obtained to pit the banks against each other for the purpose of either matching or driving down the rates they were quoted.” Labinjo says that by getting at least one extra quote rate, the average borrower could save up to $1,500. Never settle for the initial quote rate that the bank offers you – haggle for a better price because chances are, they’re not giving you their absolute best offer upfront. Flea markets, farmers markets, garage sales At flea markets, farmers markets, and garage sales the sellers typically set their own price. If you know how to haggle, this is a great opportunity to get a really good deal. Also, see if buying in bulk or large quantities can get you a price reduction. Hotel rooms Hotels want their rooms filled, so it never hurts to haggle with the people at the front desk for a better price or room upgrades. “Hotels have to pay a commission to booking websites, and pass on some of that as a benefit to the user,” says Saurabh Jindal, founder of Talk Travel. If you find that the price is the same on the booking website and the hotel’s website, ask the hotel for a room with a better view or more amenities. “Hotels have rooms allocated to various booking platforms and may give you a better option which has not yet been sold.” Memberships Memberships always come along with extra fees. It might be a renewal fee, startup fee, or a maintenance fee if it’s your gym membership. Ask if they can waive some of the fees or threaten to cancel and go somewhere else. They want to keep making money off of you and might just give you a discount. Lease renewal If you’re considering re-signing your lease, know that it is most likely more expensive for the landlord to prepare your apartment for a new tenant than to lease to you for another year. If you’ve had a good relationship with your landlord, try to negotiate in a deal before you re-sign. If the landlord is going to increase your rent, ask if you can increase it by less or not at all. If you consistently pay rent on time, are a respectful neighbour, and take good care of your apartment they may keep your rent from increasing. It’s important to remember who your lease is with though, says Julie Ramhold, Consumer Expert at DealNews.com. If your apartment is owned by a management company, they probably won’t offer any wiggle room. But, if you’re renting from a single landlord or owner, try negotiating for a lower price. Online selling platforms People who post items for sale online are typically moving or looking to get rid of unwanted items. Use that to your advantage and ask for a lower price – the worst they can say is no. You could also offer to come and pick it up quickly if they give you a better deal. Internet and phone bill As annoying as your internet and phone provider may be, they don’t want to lose you as a customer. “If you’re signing up or looking to renew, sometimes you can get a lower rate by telling a rep what the competitor is offering and saying it works better with your budget,” says Ramhold. A lot of cable companies give you a promotional price for your first year, make sure to call right before the price goes up for your second year. The competitors will most likely offer better prices for new customers and that can work in your advantage and possibly get you a better deal with your current provider. Insurance rates Just like internet providers, insurance companies don’t want you to switch to a different provider. “Use your customer loyalty to your advantage and try to talk to the right person on the phone,” says Kelan Kline a personal finance expert and co-founder of The Savvy Couple. “Tell them the service you are receiving is not good enough for the price.” They might offer you a discount to keep you. Home services If you’re renovating your kitchen or getting some landscaping done, make sure to shop around and get a few different quotes first. Use those quotes to negotiate with the contractor you want to work with. Also, you may be able to haggle for a better price if you offer to pay upfront in cash or schedule a contractor during the winter months when business is typically slower. Jewellery “You should know that the markup on diamond jewellery is anywhere from 50 to 200 per cent and more,” says Chhavi Agarwal, a personal finance expert. There is always room for haggling. Agarwal suggests politely making a counteroffer. You’d be surprised the changes they are willing to make to the bill. If they refuse to come down in price, try to haggle the labour charges. Returned items Never miss an opportunity to haggle for a better price on items that have been returned to stores. Stores will typically mark returned items that have been slightly used or have a ding with a price reduction, but it doesn’t hurt to ask for more off. They know that items that have already been opened aren’t as appealing to customers and they want to get them sold. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/food-home-garden/money/11-times-you-should-always-haggle-for-a-better-price?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Money & Banking

Climb the stairs, lug the shopping, chase the kids. Incidental vigorous activity linked to lower cancer risks

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emmanuel-stamatakis-161783">Emmanuel Stamatakis</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/matthew-ahmadi-1241767">Matthew Ahmadi</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> Many people know exercise reduces the risk of <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2521826">cancers</a>, including liver, lung, breast and kidney. But structured exercise is time-consuming, requires significant commitment and often financial outlay or travel to a gym. These practicalities can make it infeasible for <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/42/11/901">most adults</a>. There is <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-02100-x">very little research</a> on the potential of incidental physical activity for reducing the risk of cancer. Incidental activities can include doing errands on foot, work-related activity or housework as part of daily routines. As such they do not require an extra time commitment, special equipment or any particular practical arrangements. In our <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2807734">study</a> out today, we explored the health potential of brief bursts of vigorous physical activities embedded into daily life. These could be short power walks to get to the bus or tram stop, stair climbing, carrying heavy shopping, active housework or energetic play with children. <h2>How was the study done?</h2> Our <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2807734">new study</a> included 22,398 <a href="https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/">UK Biobank</a> participants who had never been diagnosed with cancer before and did not do any structured exercise in their leisure time. Around 55% of participants were female, with an average age of 62. Participants wore wrist activity trackers for a week. Such trackers monitor activity levels continuously and with a high level of detail throughout the day, allowing us to calculate how hard and exactly for how long people in the study were moving. Participants’ activity and other information was then linked to future cancer registrations and other cancer-related health records for the next 6.7 years. This meant we could estimate the overall risk of cancer by different levels of what we call “<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33108651/">vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity</a>”, the incidental bursts of activity in everyday life. We also analysed separately a group of <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2521826">13 cancer sites in the body</a> with more established links to exercise, such such as breast, lung, liver, and bowel cancers. Our analyses took into account other factors that influence cancer risk, such as age, smoking, diet, and alcohol habits. <h2>What we found out</h2> Even though study participants were not doing any structured exercise, about 94% recorded short bursts of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33108651/">vigorous activity</a>. Some 92% of all bouts were done in very short bursts lasting up to one minute. A minimum of around 3.5 minutes each day was associated with a 17–18% reduction in total cancer risk compared with not doing any such activity. Half the participants did at least 4.5 minutes a day, associated with a 20–21% reduction in total cancer risk. For cancers such as breast, lung and bowel cancers, which we know are impacted by the amount of exercise people do, the results were stronger and the risk reduction sharper. For example, a minimum of 3.5 minutes per a day of vigorous incidental activity reduced the risk of these cancers by 28–29%. At 4.5 minutes a day, these risks were reduced by 31–32%. For both total cancer and those known to be linked to exercise, the results clearly show the benefits of doing day-to-day activities with gusto that makes you huff and puff. <h2>Our study had its limits</h2> The study is observational, meaning we looked at a group of people and their outcomes retrospectively and did not test new interventions. That means it cannot directly explore cause and effect with certainty. However, we took several statistical measures to minimise the possibility those with the lowest levels of activity were not the unhealthiest, and hence the most likely to get cancer – a phenomenon called “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/reverse-causation">reverse causation</a>”. Our study can’t explain the biological mechanisms of how vigorous intensity activity may reduce cancer risk. Previous <a href="https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2017/02000/Brief_Intense_Stair_Climbing_Improves.10.aspx">early-stage trials</a> show this type of activity leads to rapid improvements in heart and lung fitness. And higher fitness is linked to lower <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002934320300097">insulin resistance</a> and lower <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109704017036">chronic inflammation</a>. High levels of these are risk <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109704017036">factors for cancer</a>. There is very little research on incidental physical activity and cancer in general, because most of the scientific evidence on lifestyle health behaviours and cancer is based on questionnaires. This method doesn’t capture short bursts of activity and is very inaccurate for measuring the incidental activities of daily life. So the field of vigorous intensity activity and cancer risk is at its infancy, despite some <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/43/46/4801/6771381">very promising</a> recent findings that vigorous activity in short bouts across the week could cut health risks. In another recent study of ours, we found benefits from daily <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-02100-x%22%22">vigorous intermittent lifestyle activity</a> on the risk of death overall and death from cancer or cardiovascular causes. <h2>In a nutshell: get moving in your daily routine</h2> Our study found 3 to 4 minutes of vigorous incidental activity each day is linked with decreased cancer risk. This is a very small amount of activity compared to <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/24/1451">current recommendations</a> of 150–300 minutes of moderate intensity or 75–150 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week. Vigorous incidental physical activity is a promising avenue for cancer prevention among people unable or unmotivated to exercise in their leisure time. Our study also highlights the potential of technology. These results are just a glimpse how wearables combined with machine learning – which our study used to identify brief bursts of vigorous activity – can reveal health benefits of unexplored aspects of our lives. The future potential impact of such technologies to prevent cancer and possibly a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-02100-x">host of other</a> conditions could be very large.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210288/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emmanuel-stamatakis-161783">Emmanuel Stamatakis</a>, Professor of Physical Activity, Lifestyle, and Population Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/matthew-ahmadi-1241767">Matthew Ahmadi</a>, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/climb-the-stairs-lug-the-shopping-chase-the-kids-incidental-vigorous-activity-linked-to-lower-cancer-risks-210288">original article</a>.

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Should the voting age in Australia be lowered to 16?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/intifar-chowdhury-741153">Intifar Chowdhury</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a> Attempts to lower the voting age in Australia to 16 have been historically <a href="https://law.unimelb.edu.au/centres/errn/about/past-events/lowering-the-voting-age-in-australia">unsuccessful</a>. More recently, the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwik97j_5d__AhWBSWwGHX-2BWoQFnoECBAQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makeit16.au%2F&usg=AOvVaw3O0c90Y1uz8y5KvToM7e_Y&opi=89978449">Make It 16 campaign</a> has been advocating for the enfranchisement of 16 and 17-year-olds, but with <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-13/lowering-the-voting-age-to-16/102473606">no fines</a> for under 18s who fail to cast their ballots. Voluntary or not, lowering the voting age will have consequences for how political behaviour shapes political outcomes, especially for issues that particularly interest the young, such as climate change, cost of living, mental health and wellbeing. Younger people tend to be more <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/28/young-australians-far-less-likely-than-parents-to-vote-coalition-as-they-get-older-report-finds">progressive</a> in their views. This in turn would alter the make-up of the Australian electorate at each election or referendum. The addition of socially progressive voters might well be <a href="https://reporter.anu.edu.au/all-stories/young-people-may-decide-the-outcome-of-the-voice-referendum-heres-why">decisive</a> on a highly contentious and divisive issue such as the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. <h2>Who should have the right to vote?</h2> In 1973, following mass youth casualties in the Vietnam War, Australia’s voting age was lowered from 21 to 18. The reasoning behind this centred on equity: if 18-year-olds were old enough to fight and die, they should be old enough to vote. Today’s equity arguments centre on taxation: many 16 and 17-year-olds pay tax and therefore should have equal rights to representation. However, this representation logic is not <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Electoral_Matters/VotingAge/Advisory_report/section?id=committees%2Freportjnt%2F024195%2F26301#:%7E:text=Civics%20education,-2.81&text=Lowering%20the%20voluntary%20voting%20age,for%20politics%20and%20civics%20education.">unique</a> to 16 and 17-year-olds. It applies equally well to those under 16, as well as to tourists and temporary residents, who pay tax but do not have the right to vote. Beyond the taxation argument, the franchise has been aligned with other adult responsibilities such as driving a car and consenting to sex. An important point of distinction, though, is the motivation: do they actually want to vote? Although enthusiastic young leaders are driving campaigns such as Make It 16, we cannot be confident that a subset of politically engaged young people is representative of the Australian youth. There is no question about the cognitive abilities of 16 to 17-year-olds to engage with the electoral process. But there is little longitudinal data to firmly establish that younger people are <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/do-young-people-care-about-politics/10905604">enthused</a> about voting. That is not to say young people are not <a href="https://theconversation.com/young-australians-are-supposedly-turning-their-backs-on-democracy-but-are-they-any-different-from-older-voters-163891">interested in politics</a>. <a href="https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/292274/2/Full%20Thesis%20Revisions_clean%20copy.pdf">Evidence</a> from Australia and elsewhere shows young people engage differently: their engagement with politics is based more on issues than party loyalties. Being able to vote would mean younger people feel less excluded and alienated from politics. However, critics <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/gen-z-pushing-for-australias-voting-age-to-be-lowered-to-16/news-story/ba9103ed2b5bb825b9178b6efb52a1d9">worry</a> voluntary voting for 16 to 17-year-olds would weaken compulsory voting. Australia’s compulsory voting means it has <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10361146.2021.1899131">resisted</a> youth electoral disengagement at the polls, which has markedly happened in other non-compulsory voting democracies. Given the highly transitory life stage they are in, young people are more likely to abstain if voting is voluntary. This would also run the risk of imprinting the habit of abstention. <h2>What does the evidence suggest?</h2> Data from the Australian Election Study <a href="https://australianelectionstudy.org/wp-content/uploads/McAllister-Voting-Age-2014.pdf">suggest</a> lowering the voting age would not invigorate electoral participation. It is likely early enfranchisement alone <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Electoral_Matters/VotingAge/Advisory_report/section?id=committees%2Freportjnt%2F024195%2F26301#footnote28target">will not be a panacea</a> for youth engagement. Rather, there are concerns that voluntary voting might further exacerbate the problem of lower youth enrolment. My <a href="https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/292274/2/Full%20Thesis%20Revisions_clean%20copy.pdf">comparative study</a> of youth electoral disengagement in advanced democracies studied a suite of institutional factors, including: <ul> <li>electoral system (majoritarian versus proportional)</li> <li>type of executive (parliamentary/presidential)</li> <li>type of system (federal/unitary)</li> <li>party system (two/multi)</li> <li>voting age (16-21).</li> </ul> I found that, even when controlling for compulsory voting, it is the registration system that significantly influences generational engagement at the polls. Transition to adulthood is characterised by increasing mobility in every aspect of life. On top of this, registration rules make it difficult for young people without a permanent, long-term residence to register to vote. Within the voluntary registration system, young people are especially disadvantaged since new eligible voters are often unfamiliar with the registration system, including how and where to register to vote. Consequently, many confused, eligible voters inadvertently miss voter registration deadlines. Current <a href="https://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/Enrolment_stats/performance/national-youth.htm">evidence</a> shows voter enrolment is lowest among those aged 18-24, at 89.5%, compared to a <a href="https://www.aec.gov.au/enrolling_to_vote/enrolment_stats/">national figure</a> of 97.2%. However, what has been largely missing in the voting age debate is that lowering it to 16 may be a way to redress this enrolment discrepancy. It may be an institutional design feature that could cater to youth transition: 16-17-year-olds are more likely to be in parental homes when they enrol and then finally vote. This may help attract and keep them as active voters as they gain independence. <h2>What does this mean for (major) parties?</h2> The Coalition’s historic low support among young voters in the <a href="https://australianelectionstudy.org/wp-content/uploads/The-2022-Australian-Federal-Election-Results-from-the-Australian-Election-Study.pdf">2022 federal election</a> may be a symptom of a long-lasting generational shift in the electorate. In the past two elections, only 26% of Gen Z voters, born after 1996, reported voting for the Coalition, while 67% of them voted either for the Greens or Labor. Although historically young people have tended to become more conservative as they age, <a href="https://www.afr.com/politics/millennials-are-getting-older-but-not-more-conservative-20221205-p5c3na">recent evidence</a> suggests voters born after 1980 are not doing that. Extrapolating this trajectory of voting preferences, the addition of more socially progressive, issue-based younger voters will potentially benefit the left-of-centre parties, particularly the Greens. One political reason for Labor’s reluctance to lower the voting age seems to be the stark popularity of the Greens among Gen Z voters, which would increase the Greens threat to the incumbent. Over the years, both major parties have been losing their (youth) votes to the Greens. Lowering the voting age may well pronounce this. <h2>What would it mean for young voters?</h2> Given the context of compulsory voting, Australia is best placed to implement the lowering of voting age to reap the benefits of engaging younger voters to the electorate. Much <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/push-to-follow-overseas-lead-and-lower-voting-age-to-16-gains-momentum-20220401-p5aa3o.html">has been said</a> about how this would improve youth representation, efficacy and outcomes. However, lowering the voting age might not address the problem of <a href="https://www.policyforum.net/overly-suspicious-youth-or-dodgy-politicians/">youth distrust</a> of politicians and the widening gap between younger generations and political parties. This would require a sincere effort to understand what causes the drift, before enfranchising younger voters and loosely tying them to a voluntary voting system. In fact, there is a real risk that voluntary voting might encourage the type of abstention driven by a strong dislike for politicians. Enfranchising hundreds and thousands of additional voters would also inevitably raise the issues of ensuring proper enrolment and that young voters are well informed to vote. It would need to be accompanied by a major boost to <a href="https://theconversation.com/schools-are-not-adequately-preparing-young-australians-to-participate-in-our-democracy-88131">civics education</a> in Australian secondary schools. All in all, while compulsory voting is the best system for lowering the voting age, we’d have to be careful not to undermine the system as it stands. Instead, it is important to tie it to efforts to inform younger voters and reduce the age-related barriers in a (compulsory) electoral process.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208095/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/intifar-chowdhury-741153">Intifar Chowdhury</a>, Youth Researcher, Centre for Social Research and Methods, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-the-voting-age-in-australia-be-lowered-to-16-208095">original article</a>.

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Golfers guide to lower back pain

Dr Richard Parkinson is a highly trained neurosurgeon who has performed ground breaking and complex surgery on some of Australia's elite sportspeople and recognised as a leading expert in sports injuries. Golf is a great sport for general fitness, including muscular endurance and cardiovascular wellbeing. However, it’s time we talked about golf back pain, which is a fairly common affliction, exacerbated by the more advanced age of the average amateur golfer. Fortunately, the pros of getting out there on the green outweigh the cons. Lower back pain in golfers is common, as are a range of other injuries to areas including the neck, shoulders, elbows, head and eyes. Interestingly enough, injuries to the knees are pretty rare. Golf back pain and neck pain are usually related to bending or twisting injury and both are, in turn, often related to current swinging of the club. Golf is, unfortunately, a fairly asymmetric sport. The price of the swing The problem is that the swinging action causing the pain is unavoidable in golf. You can't hold your back completely still while you swing. Having said that, though, it's not a tremendously high impact sport by any reach of the imagination, and the exercise you get from being outdoors and getting some gentle exercise is very beneficial. So for people who are a bit older, golf remains an excellent way to get some exercise and have some fun. Equally, however, that twisting can increase the problem with lower back pain and really the only thing you can do is, if you're hurting, work on your short game and minimise your swing. Other solutions might be to work on your putt and to try to improve your score by avoiding the big screen with the three wood. Most people can do a short swing with an iron and get three quarters of the way. The core of the problem When I discover lower back pain in golfers, I usually tell them to go and see a physio and get some work done on their core. In the meantime, they can still work on their short game while they gradually find their way back to full strength with the assistance of a physio. Core strength is the key to avoiding golf back pain. Golfers need to learn how to turn their core on—to engage it, in other words—when they swing, and to start approaching their game in a physiological way with a bit of knowledge about how their body works. There are a lot of golfers out there, and it is, generally speaking, a low-risk game for injuries—but what if you have an established back problem or disc herniation, what should you do about your golf? After I perform disc surgery, I usually tell patients to have three months off golf, because the twisting can predispose you to golf back pain. Your first step If you do have an injury, it's always worthwhile giving it some physiotherapy and, as a Sydney neurosurgeon, I can definitely refer my patients to a physio with an interest in golfing injuries. There are physios out there that specialise in asymmetric sports; then there are those that specialise in over-arm sports − and there are those physios that specialise in bending and twisting type sports. Images: Getty

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6 stretches for lower back pain

<h2>Lower back pain 101</h2> Low back pain is a beast. And not just because it can make you feel like your body is rebelling against you. Back pain can is a symptom of a problem. To treat the symptom – with things like stretches for lower back pain – you have to know what the problem is. This becomes complicated because the cause of low back pain is sometimes hard to pin down. Sometimes it’s obvious. You pick up a heavy box without thinking about proper lifting form and – bam! – you pull a muscle and end up with an acute bout of pain. But other times, the problem is more insidious and unclear. Maybe after years of inactivity, you’ve felt pain starting to creep in, possibly due to changes in muscle balance, decreases in strength, and general inflammation. Maybe you injured yourself years ago and, over time, a minor injury exacerbated it into something more serious. <h2>Here’s why stretching could help lower back pain</h2> That doesn’t mean you have to live with the pain. Movement (you know, exercise) is one of the best ways to prevent, limit, and address back pain. “Most of us aren’t moving in the variety of ways our bodies are built for, and habitual postures and sedentary living create excessive muscular tension, which leads to discomfort,” says Lara Heimann, a licensed physical therapist and yoga instructor. “Our bodies signal to us ‘please move!’ But we often ignore the signals and instead adapt to not listening. Over time, we lose some of the innate brain signallings that would otherwise keep us healthy and mobile.” The answer, then, is to move more. You need a well-rounded exercise program that includes back pain exercises, as well as cardiovascular and muscle-strengthening exercises. Incorporating flexibility and stretching exercises can also help you attain and maintain the range of motion you need to help keep pain at bay. “Taking time to stretch helps decrease stiffness, reduces pain and discomfort, and reprograms our brains to send signals when we need to get up and stretch,” Heimann says. Regular stretching can also facilitate better circulation, allowing for more efficient transportation of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout the body, says Heimann. But most importantly, Heimann stresses that stretching is a preservation tool for movement, helping prevent tightness and tension that can set the stage for injuries. “Regular stretching helps to preserve joint health,” Heimann says. “The joint can move freely and efficiently in all directions with decreased stress placed on its structures.” <h2>Word of caution</h2> Back pain has so many causes and some are more serious than others. If your back pain persists for more than a few days, or if it’s severe or causes weakness or tingling in your extremities, make an appointment to see your doctor. Also, avoid any stretch or exercise that causes sharp or shooting pain. Not all types of stretches or exercises are appropriate for every person or every injury. This is why extended self-treatment isn’t advised. To address an issue effectively, you need to know exactly what the issue is. <h2>Warm up</h2> You know how you feel a little more tight first thing in the morning or after sitting still for a few hours? While stretching is a good way to “wake up” your muscles and joints after remaining stationary, you’ll feel better all-around if you’ve gotten your blood pumping a little bit first. And you’ll likely move more smoothly and comfortably through a full range of motion as you stretch. This is because circulating blood delivers oxygen and nutrients to your working muscles, helps warm them up, and prepares them for whatever movements you’re about to ask of them. Walking briskly or marching in place for a few minutes before you dive in is a good way to help prep your body for your stretching routine. For each of the exercises below, an exercise mat is recommended. <h2>Cat-Cow</h2> For those with back pain, cat-cow – an exercise that is popular in yoga – is a good, active stretch that takes the spine through flexion and extension. According to Heimann, it can help improve posture. Plus, it’s one of the best stretches to do for morning back pain relief. <h3>How to do Cat-Cow</h3> Start on your hands and knees on the floor in a “tabletop” position (back flat, knees under your hips, palms under your shoulders). In a controlled action, press your tailbone up and slowly extend your spine by allowing your abdomen to release toward the floor as you press your chest and shoulders up. You should create a U-shaped curve in your back as you look up toward the ceiling. Think about moving each vertebra separately in a wave-like fashion as you create the extension. Hold for a second, then reverse the action. This time, release your head and neck toward the floor as you flex your spine, ultimately tucking your tailbone under to create a rainbow-like arc with your spine. The first position is “cat,” and the second position is “cow.” As you move into cat, inhale; as you move into cow, exhale. Continue alternating between the two positions for a total of 30 to 60 seconds to help release tension in the back. <h2>Prone Press-up</h2> The Prone Press-up is sometimes called the cobra pose in yoga. But it’s also an essential part of the McKenzie Method that physical therapists and other clinicians often use to help address back pain. While people with low back pain might assume that back flexion (stretches like forward bends to touch the toes) should be used to help loosen up tight hamstrings, hips, and low back, the research actually suggests otherwise. Many people with low back pain are better served by doing back extension exercises, like the prone press-up. “Through clinical observation and research, we have seen that moving into the direction of lumbar spine extension can make a tremendous difference in many people with low back pain,” says chiropractor Jordan Duncan. “One reason for the great benefit of moving into spinal extension is likely due to the fact that as a society we spend the bulk of our time in flexion and very little time in extension,” he says. “Therefore, in the majority of people, spinal extension allows us to undo the effects of a great deal of time spent in flexion.” <h3>How to do Prone Press-up</h3> Lie on your stomach with your palms flat on the mat at your shoulders, as if you were going to do a pushup. Keeping your legs and hips on the floor, press through your palms and lift your chest from the mat, aiming to fully extend your elbows as you try to achieve full extension through your spine. Hold for one or two seconds, then slowly reverse the movement and lower your chest back to the floor. Continue repeating the exercise in a controlled fashion for 30 to 60 seconds. If you can’t reach full extension without pain or irritation, move to the range of motion you can comfortably achieve. As an alternative, press up to a partial extension balanced on your elbows. <h2>Standing Backbend</h2> If the Prone Press-up is simply not doable, the Standing Backbend is another option for achieving back extension. This can be particularly helpful if you experience localised pain while sitting, says physical therapist Sara Mikulsky. “When we spend long hours sitting, our core muscles can weaken and our hip flexors can tighten,” she says. “This then puts abnormal strain on the spine and its structure, which can lead to pain.” <h3>How to do Standing Backbend</h3> Stand tall with your feet roughly hip-distance apart and your knees very slightly bent. Place your hands on the back of your hips. Engage your core and gently lean back. Don’t overdo it, but do allow your shoulders to open and your chest to lift up toward the ceiling. Hold for a few seconds, then carefully return to the starting position. Repeat for 30 to 60 seconds. <h2>Kneeling Hip Flexor</h2> The Standing Backbend can help stretch the hip flexors while also releasing tension in the lumbar spine. You can also specifically target your hip flexors to help loosen them up with a Kneeling Hip Flexor. <h3>How to do Kneeling Hip Flexor</h3> Start on your knees, your hips extended and your torso tall. Place your right foot on the floor in front of you, with your right knee bent at a 90-degree angle (as if you’re about to propose). Place your hands on your hips and shift your weight forward without leaning your torso forward as you press and more fully extend your left hip flexor. You should feel the stretch at the front of your left hip. Hold for a second, release the stretch, then repeat. Continue for 30 to 60 seconds, then switch legs. <h2>Supine Figure 4 Stretch</h2> If you tend to have pain that travels down your leg, the best stretches might differ. Mikulsky points out that this form of pain may be caused by a nerve or disc injury that requires further medical attention. However, stretches – like the Supine Figure 4 stretch – that target a deep muscle in your buttocks called the piriformis, might provide some lower back pain relief (although they’re unlikely to fix the underlying problem). <h3>How to do Supine Figure 4 Stretch</h3> Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Lift your right foot from the floor and place your ankle across your left thigh. Allow your right knee to open outward, creating a “4” shape with your legs. You should feel a stretch through the outside of your hip. Holding this position, reach your hands behind your left thigh and use your hands to guide your left knee closer to your chest. Lift your left foot from the floor to deepen the stretch through your right buttock and hip. Hold for a few seconds, then release your left foot to the floor. Repeat for 30 to 60 seconds before switching sides. <h2>Knee to Chest</h2> If you tend to have back pain while standing, Mikulsky says this might a joint issue or arthritis. If this is the case, a back extension might actually place more stress on your spine, leading to pain. (This is the tricky part about back issues – the stretches that are most appropriate for one issue might be the least appropriate for another.) If you find that standing or attempting back extension stretches – like the Standing Backbend or the Prone Press-up – cause more irritation or pain, try the Knee to Chest exercise. <h3>How to do Knee to Chest</h3> Lie on your back with your legs bent and feet on the floor. Place your hands on the back of each thigh and use your hands to guide your knees toward your chest. Place your hands on your shins and gently pull your knees even closer. You should feel the stretch across your lower back. Hold for 30 seconds to a minute, then repeat two or three times. Images: Getty This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/fitness/6-stretches-for-lower-back-pain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Body

Beat lower back pain

Muscle strain, twinges, aches. These are the common problems associated with pesky lower back pain. Here are some effective ways to reduce your risk of developing a chronic condition. Between 70 to 80 per cent of people will experience back pain at some point in their lives with weight, posture, activity and footwear all common triggers. When you sit, lift, carry things or even cook, you probably don’t consciously think about your back, even though it’s the support structure to your head, neck, shoulders, arms, pelvis and rib cage. Holding in place about 30 bones – or vertebrae – that are cushioned by spongy discs attached to muscles, tendons and ligaments, your back houses your spinal column that keeps your upright. Over time, injury-related issues or constant strain can lead to annoying twinges, chronic aches or pain that interferes with everyday life. Stand up straight Train yourself to become aware of your posture throughout the day. From sitting to standing, there are techniques to improve your stance. For standing, keep your weight evenly balanced between both feet and your shoulders back without straining them. When you’re sitting, again keep your shoulders back in line with your hips with you feet flat on the floor. You can also try a foot stool if that’s more comfortable. Lighten the load Reduce what you carry – meaning you should not be lugging around heavy handbags or backpacks. These will not only strain your muscles but they can also contribute to slumped posture and cause lower back pain if the things you carry are too heavy. Consider getting groceries delivered or asking a family member for help. Lower the heel Ladies, unfortunately it’s not good news. High heels tilt your pelvis forward throwing your centre gravity out of alignment, which in turn forces your back muscles to work harder to maintain stability. Opt for a flat wide heel that’s no higher than 2.5cm – especially if you already suffer lower back pain. Gentlemen who suffer from lower back pain, you should avoid thongs and loafers – both don’t provide the necessary support. Fighting fit Studies show that people who regularly exercise suffer less back pain. But choose your exercise wisely, especially if you already experience some lower back pain. For example swimming will be much better than running in not exacerbating any pain as swimming supports your back as you exercise. Aerobics, yoga and Pilates under the guidance of an experience teacher can also be great for back pain.

Body

Big study shows that lowering blood pressure lowers risk of dementia

A study across 20 countries has strengthened a link between lowering blood pressure, and reducing the risk of dementia. The meta-analysis, published in the European Heart Journal, draws on clinical trial data from 28,008 participants, to show the strongest link to date between medication that lowers blood pressure, and reduced dementia risk. “We know that high blood pressure is a risk factor for dementia – especially high blood pressure in midlife, so say 40 to 65 years of age,” says lead author Dr Ruth Peters, an associate professor at the University of New South Wales and program lead for dementia in the George Institute’s Global Brain Health Initiative. “But there has been some uncertainty about whether lowering blood pressure, especially in older adults, would reduce risk of dementia. “What we’ve done is take five really high-quality clinical trials and combine them into one dataset, which gave us the ability to really look at this question and look at the relationship between blood pressure-lowering tablets – antihypertensives – and dementia.” The five studies were all double-blind, randomised clinical trials – the ‘gold standard’ in medical research – with participants hailing from 20 different countries. The average age of the participants was 69, and participants were followed up an average of four years after doing the trial. Participants who took antihypertensives had a significantly lower chance of being diagnosed with dementia than those who took placebos. Dementia affects 50 million people worldwide: a number projected to triple by 2050. According to The Lancet’s 2020 Commission on dementia, treatment for hypertension (high blood pressure) is “the only known effective preventive medication for dementia,” all other methods of reducing your risk come from lifestyle and environment. “The strength of this study is the use of individual patient data in a meta-analysis of data drawn from randomised controlled trials of blood pressure medication. This is the first time such data has been meta-analysed,” says Professor Kaarin Anstey, a senior principal research scientist at Neuroscience Research Australia and the UNSW. “This is important for informing clinical practice,” adds Anstey, who was not involved with the study. Professor Nicolas Cherbuin, head of the Australian National University’s Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, says that the study is “well-designed”, and reflects research by his team showing that higher blood pressure is linked to lower brain volumes and poorer brain health. “The diagnostic procedure and criteria used are well-established, the sample size is large, those with dementia at baseline were excluded,” says Cherbuin. But he points out that the study didn’t find an effect of blood pressure medication on cognitive decline, and nor did it include participants with mild cognitive impairment, who would be “more likely to convert”. Anstey points out that “inevitably” the participants in the cohort are now quite old, and thus may be different to populations developing dementia now. “Clinical trials involve highly selected samples and often exclude diverse ethnic groups,” she adds. “I hope that this reinforces the importance of blood pressure control for brain health,” says Peters. But she emphasises that, while this is useful news for preventing dementia in mid-life, people of all ages can improve their brain health by other means. “It’s not just blood pressure lowering – it has to be taken in the context of a healthy lifestyle.” This article originally appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/dementia-blood-pressure-meta/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian. Image: Shutterstock

Body

7 tricks to use less phone data – and lower your phone bill

Turn off background app refresh <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/01-background-simple-ways-use-less-data-770.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="514" /> When this feature is enabled, your apps are constantly refreshing so that they can show you the most recent content when opened. This includes email synching, weather widgets updating, and feeds refreshing. For the iPhone: Turn off the background app refresh by going to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. For Android: Go to Settings > Data Usage > Restrict app background data. This will allow you to turn the feature off for all apps or you can pick and choose which ones you want to turn off. Disable apps that use a lot of data <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/02-disable-simple-ways-use-less-data-770.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="514" /> There are certain apps that use more data than others, whether you use them frequently or not. For ones that you don’t use often, turn off cellular data. For the iPhone: Go to Settings > Cellular > then under “Use Cellular Data For” switch certain apps to off. Turn off app updates <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/03-updates-simple-ways-use-less-data-770.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="514" /> If your apps update automatically your phone will start the download whether you are connected to Wi-Fi or not. To turn this off on an iPhone, go to Settings > iTunes & App Stores > turn off Use Cellular Data. For an Android, go to Settings > under General click Auto-update apps > Auto-update apps over Wi-Fi only. Then, your apps will only update when you are connected to Wi-Fi. Turn off Wi-Fi assist <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/04-wifi-simple-ways-use-less-data-770.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="514" /> Wi-Fi assist automatically uses your cellular data when the Wi-Fi signal is poor. To disable Wi-Fi assist for an iPhone go to Settings > Cellular > turn off Wi-Fi Assist. Turn off iCloud drive <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/05-icloud-simple-ways-use-less-data-770.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="514" /> When iCloud is enabled it is constantly moving documents in and out of the cloud. Use less cell phone data by turning iCloud off. To do this on the iPhone got to Settings > iCloud > turn off iCloud Drive. Download music <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/06-download-simple-ways-use-less-data-770.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="514" /> When you are on the go, streaming music, podcasts, or videos can really eat away at your data. Both the iPhone and Android phones let you restrict these apps to Wi-Fi only. Turning this setting on will force you to download them when connected to a Wi-Fi network and then allow for data free listening on the move. Turn off cellular data completely <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/07-turn-simple-ways-use-less-data-770.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="514" /> If you know that you are about to reach you data limit or are saving it for the road trip you have coming up, you can simply turn off cellular data. This way, no data will be used, and certain apps will only work if you are connected to a Wi-Fi network. Written by Morgan Cutolo. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/culture/7-tricks-to-use-less-phone-data-and-lower-your-phone-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here’s our best subscription offer.</a> Images: NICOLE FORNABAIO/RD.COM

Technology

9 natural ways to lower cholesterol

<h2>What is cholesterol?</h2> Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is made in your liver and travels throughout your bloodstream. It may not sound particularly good for your body, what with the “waxy” and “fat-like” descriptors, but cholesterol does have some merit. It’s one of the ingredients the body needs to make new cells. And it’s essential for creating vitamin D, bile acids, and hormones such as progesterone and oestrogen. But having too much cholesterol can put you at risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke. That’s why it’s so important you know your level and, if it’s high, take action. These nine lifestyle tips will help you control your cholesterol naturally. <h2>It takes a multifaceted approach</h2> Lowering cholesterol takes a multifaceted approach. It’s not enough to switch from donuts to oatmeal for breakfast or swap out butter for olive oil. Slashing high cholesterol numbers requires you to make healthy lifestyle choices daily. That means looking at all aspects of your routine, from what you eat, to the activity you get, to bad habits you have. One word of warning: if you’re currently taking medication, this isn’t a time to go cold turkey. Stay with your current medication dosage and schedule. <h2>Get plenty of soluble fibre</h2> Fibre comes in two types: soluble and insoluble. Both types are an essential part of a healthy diet. But studies show that soluble fibre, found in high-fibre foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seeds and legumes, can reduce LDL cholesterol by 5 to 10 per cent. Soluble fibres dissolve in water and other bodily fluids. They don’t stick around long, escorting cholesterol to the toilet, so to speak. “Soluble fibre binds to cholesterol in the intestines and causes the cholesterol to be excreted in the stool,” says Dr Colleen Tewksbury, a senior research investigator and bariatric program manager at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. Insoluble fibre, on the other hand, absorbs water and other materials to form regular stools. You need both types, so be sure you get half of each, totalling about 25 to 30 grams per day. <h2>Eat unsaturated fats</h2> By now, we know that we should limit saturated fats in our diets because it raises levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. But in addition to that, we should also be upping our intake of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The unsaturated fats from foods like fatty fish, olive oil, vegetables, nuts and seeds are much healthier for the heart. Case in point: a study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that diets rich in unsaturated fats can improve overall cholesterol levels. Not only were higher intakes of polyunsaturated fats associated with healthier total cholesterol levels, but higher intakes of monounsaturated fats were linked to healthier HDL levels too. “They improve cholesterol likely by requiring less work and leaving fewer/preferred by products of converting by the liver for transport to your cells,” says Tewksbury. Interestingly, the healthiest high-fat foods you should be eating may surprise you. Eggs, for example, are well known for their high cholesterol, but the truth about eggs is that it’s the saturated fats, not the cholesterol, that causes health problems for most people. <h2>Choose foods that contain plant sterols</h2> Plant sterols (also known as phytosterols) are found in foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, vegetable oil, nuts and legumes. “They directly block the absorption of cholesterol,” Tewksbury says. Research published in 2018 in Nutrients indicates that consuming 1.5 to 3 grams of plant sterols per day could decrease LDL cholesterol levels by as much as 12 per cent. Plant sterols occur in small quantities, so food manufacturers fortify cereal, crackers, orange juice, margarine, and other products with them. Then they market the products as “heart healthy,” says Tewksbury. That means some of these so-called “heart healthy” foods are also loaded with saturated fat and sugar. Be sure to check the label and leave the ones high in saturated fat and sugar on the supermarket shelf. <h2>Sprinkle on spices to flavour food</h2> Isn’t it a pleasant surprise to know something you’re probably already eating could help lower cholesterol? Well there’s a good chance you’re already ticking off this cholesterol to-do, at least to some degree. Sprinkling cinnamon in your coffee or oatmeal and cooking with garlic are probably things you’re already doing – without realising they could improve your cholesterol. “Studies suggest consuming certain spices, such as cinnamon and garlic, can help lower cholesterol,” says Tewksbury. Garlic has the potential to regulate slightly elevated cholesterol concentrations, while cinnamaldehyde, the active component in cinnamon, improves lipid and glucose metabolism. <h2>Try a plant-based diet</h2> To bring those high cholesterol numbers down, you might want to consider transitioning to a plant-based diet. “There is a plethora of literature supporting the use of a plant-based diet to treat and reverse multiple chronic diseases, especially heart disease and high cholesterol levels,” says dietitian Dana Hunnes. That likely includes the 2019 ACC/AHA Guidelines on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. The guidelines stated that eating a plant-based protein diet reduced amounts of cholesterol (and sodium) compared with an animal protein diet. Which means replacing animal proteins (think meat and poultry) with plant proteins (like tofu, beans and quinoa) can reduce the risk of plaque build-up in the arteries, a precursor to cardiovascular disease. <h2>Ditch the processed foods</h2> Processed foods are often high in LDL-raising saturated fat. But they come with an additional warning. The trans fats, refined sugars and carbohydrates in processed foods trigger inflammation in the body, says cardiologist Dr Neel Chokshi. “High cholesterol, in combination with inflammation, is what leads to atherosclerosis, or blockages in the walls of your arteries,” he says. <h2>Exercise</h2> You may not know this, but exercise ranks nearly as important as the food you eat when it comes to lowering cholesterol naturally. A huge body of research shows exercise reduces the unhealthy fats circulating in your blood – both LDL and triglycerides. “Cholesterol and fats provide fuel for your body,” Dr Chokshi says. “Exercise raises your body’s energy expenditure and, in turn, burns more of these fats.” Despite the evidence, exercise is rarely the favoured option to lower cholesterol. Some people may think it’s boring, unpleasant, or hard to squeeze into a busy schedule. But that’s not the case – you don’t have to grudgingly drag yourself to the gym in order to reap benefits. “All activity counts as exercise, so choose something you enjoy,” says Dr Chokshi. Better yet, grab some friends or family for fun and accountability. The key to lowering cholesterol is consistency. “We recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, or 75 minutes of high-intensity activity per week,” he says. Beginners can start by walking 30 minutes a day at a comfortable pace, and then build to moderate-intensity activity. Doing two, 20-minute resistance training sessions a week can also help lower cholesterol by increasing muscle mass and raising your metabolism, Dr Chokshi adds. <h2>Shed some weight</h2> If you’re overweight or obese, aim to drop some kilos. Even a little weight loss goes a long way towards achieving lower cholesterol. Research in Translational Behavioral Medicine found that people who lost 5 to 10 per cent of their weight showed a reduction in total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides. And the numbers got even better when people lost more than 10 per cent. Losing weight will lower your cholesterol and decrease your risks for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. <h2>Quit smoking</h2> The association between smoking and cholesterol is twofold. For starters, smoking makes LDL cholesterol stickier, so it clings to artery walls. As we know, clogged arteries hinder blood flow and can lead to heart problems. Secondly, smoking lowers HDL cholesterol. That isn’t good because the job of HDL is to escort LDL out of the arteries. Quitting can make a big difference. A review of studies found that HDL levels increase by as much as 30 per cent just after three weeks of stopping smoking. As strong as the argument to quit smoking is, it’s rarely easy to do. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/9-natural-ways-to-lower-cholesterol?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Body

How to beat lower back pain

Body

Mortali-tea! Black tea drinking linked to lower risk of dying

The health benefits of green tea are well-established, but black tea might be a good idea too, according to a new analysis. The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, draws on data from nearly half a million people to find a link between black tea drinking and lower mortality risk. The researchers, who are based at the US National Institute of Health, examined data from the long-term UK Biobank study, which tracked a cohort of 502,488 UK residents aged between 40 and 69. Between 2006 and 2010, participants in this study regularly logged a range of lifestyle, and health-related information via touchscreens at assessment centres. This information included tea drinking, by number of cups per day. Among the 498,043 participants who logged tea-drinking information, 85% reported regularly drinking tea. Nearly a fifth of participants (19%) reported drinking more than six cups of tea per day. A separate survey of a smaller cohort of participants suggested that 89% of the tea drinkers drank black tea, while 7% drank green tea. According to the UN, the UK consumes around 100,000 tonnes of tea each year – or about 1.5 kilograms per person. The American researchers combined the tea-drinking information in the UK with mortality data. Once they’d adjusted for age and demographics, they found that participants who drank at least two cups of tea per day had a 9-13% lower risk of dying. Drinking 2-3 cups per day was associated with the lowest mortality risk, but even drinking 10 or more cups was linked to a lower mortality risk than drinking no tea at all. In their paper, the researchers say that their findings reflect similar studies based in China and Japan, where green tea is much more common than black. “Fewer studies have assessed tea intake and mortality in populations where black tea is predominantly consumed, such as in the United States and Europe, and results have varied across studies,” write the researchers. They point out, however, that they didn’t track some “potentially important aspects” like tea strength or cup size, making it harder to draw precise conclusions. While the study is observational and thus can’t establish a cause, the researchers point out that the polyphenols and flavonoids in black tea have been linked to a variety of health benefits in small randomized-control trials – including lower cholesterol, and a lower risk of carcinogenesis and type 2 diabetes. “These findings provide reassurance to tea drinkers and suggest that black tea can be part of a healthy diet,” write the researchers. This article originally appeared in <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/black-tea-mortality-risk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian. Image: Shutterstock

Body

Keen to retrofit your home to lower its carbon footprint and save energy? Consider these 3 things

If you’re anything like me, you’re increasingly <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-16/work-from-home-productivity-commission-study/100465258" target="_blank" rel="noopener">working from home</a>, one that was built before energy efficiency measures were introduced in Australia. With temperatures along the east coast plunging and <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-did-gas-prices-go-from-10-a-gigajoule-to-800-a-gigajoule-an-expert-on-the-energy-crisis-engulfing-australia-184304" target="_blank" rel="noopener">power bills skyrocketing</a>, heating (and cooling) our homes is an energy intensive, expensive affair. Almost <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-04/energy-efficiency-carbon-offset-homes-sharehouse-rentals/100590596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">8 million homes</a> across Australia lack sufficient insulation, use sub-par heating and cooling equipment, or are badly designed. Indeed, these 8 million pre-energy rated homes <a href="http://www.powerhousingaustralia.com.au/resources/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">account for 18% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions</a>. And <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-youre-renting-chances-are-your-home-is-cold-with-power-prices-soaring-heres-what-you-can-do-to-keep-warm-184472" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research finds</a> 26% of Australians across all housing types can’t stay warm at least half of the time during winter. Retrofitting this housing stock to be more energy efficient is essential to successfully meet Australia’s target of cutting emissions 43% by 2030, while finding comfort in our future of intensifying climate extremes. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> A take-away from the current energy supply squeeze: energy efficiency pays. Whether retrofit or new build, do it to high standards and reap the benefits. Also, we need proper minimum standards in buildings and fleet wide emissions standards for vehicles. — Frank Jotzo (@frankjotzo) <a href="https://twitter.com/frankjotzo/status/1536988473495736320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2022</a></blockquote> My <a href="https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/79914" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research into net-zero emissions retrofitting</a> identifies three broad categories that must be considered when retrofitting existing homes to be more climate friendly: <ol> <li> <a href="https://multicomfort.saint-gobain.co.uk/recommended-level-of-light-into-a-building/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">visual comfort</a>: the sufficient quality, quantity and distribution of light </li> <li> <a href="http://www.greeneducationfoundation.org/green-building-program-sub/learn-about-green-building/1239-thermal-comfort.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thermal comfort</a>: determined by the temperature, humidity, air flow and a person’s physical condition </li> <li> energy consumption: the amount of energy we use, and the <a href="https://www.yourhome.gov.au/materials/embodied-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">energy used</a> in manufacturing, transporting, constructing, maintaining, and removal of materials to build our homes. </li> </ol> 1. Visual comfort It’s vital to understand how much sunlight the outside and interior of your home is exposed to. One can, accordingly, re-organise interior functions based on the demand for lighting, heating or cooling needs. During summer, spaces used often during the day, such as your home office, could benefit from being in places that receive less direct sunlight, so are cooler. In winter, consider moving your home office set up to a room with higher levels of direct sunlight, where it’s warmer. This will naturally reduce the amount of energy needed to cool or heat these rooms while allowing for comfortable working conditions. Other ways we can find more visual comfort include modifying the size of windows and skylights to let in more sunlight. To diffuse harsh lighting, consider <a href="https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/common/public/documents/8d37431053e9065-Imap%202-1%20Sunshading.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adding screens, sun baffles, overhangs, or pergolas</a> over windows. You can also replace your lights with LEDs equipped with linear controllers and motion sensors in places where lights tend to be left on. <a href="https://www.energy.gov.au/households/lighting#:%7E:text=LEDs%20are%20better%20value%20for,bulbs%20ending%20up%20in%20landfill." target="_blank" rel="noopener">LEDs use around 75% less energy than halogen light bulbs</a>. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469149/original/file-20220616-11-lzxmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469149/original/file-20220616-11-lzxmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469149/original/file-20220616-11-lzxmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469149/original/file-20220616-11-lzxmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469149/original/file-20220616-11-lzxmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469149/original/file-20220616-11-lzxmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469149/original/file-20220616-11-lzxmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469149/original/file-20220616-11-lzxmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>Moving your home office to rooms with more sunshine can help you save energy in winter. Unsplash, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY</a></figcaption></figure> 2. Thermal comfort Older Australian homes are <a href="https://blog.csiro.au/draught-proof-house/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">incredibly draughty</a>, and a lot of the energy we spend cooling or heating our homes escapes outside due to poor insulation. Retrofitting to improve your home’s natural ventilation can reduce the number of times you need to switch on the heater or air conditioner. <a href="https://www.greenbuilding.org.au/Articles/Sealing-Building-Envelope.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sealing outside and internal surfaces</a> until they’re airtight is crucial. <a href="https://build.com.au/how-improve-your-homes-insulation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Different surfaces</a> – whether walls, floors or ceilings – require different methods, types and thicknesses of insulation. Walls, for instance, require a “blow-in” method. This can involve installing cellulose foam or <a href="https://build.com.au/glass-wool-insulation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">glasswool</a> (made from fibreglass) into the wall, via a <a href="https://build.com.au/wall-insulation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">small hole through the wall cavities</a> (for cellulose foam) or laying glasswool batts in wall cavities. Floors, on the other hand, can require insulation panels fitted between timber or steel supports or foam boards. <a href="https://zeroenergyproject.org/build/twelve-steps-affordable-zero-energy-home-construction-design/super-insulate-net-zero-building-envelope/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Also important</a> is to choose materials and methods that maximise insulation while minimising thermal bridging. A <a href="https://blog.passivehouse-international.org/what-is-a-thermal-bridge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thermal bridge</a> is a weak point where heat is lost, such as wall intersections, connecting points of mounting brackets, and even penetration points of electric cables. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469147/original/file-20220616-21-adexyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469147/original/file-20220616-21-adexyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469147/original/file-20220616-21-adexyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469147/original/file-20220616-21-adexyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469147/original/file-20220616-21-adexyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469147/original/file-20220616-21-adexyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469147/original/file-20220616-21-adexyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469147/original/file-20220616-21-adexyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>Insulating the walls is crucial to stabilise temperatures inside. Shutterstock</figcaption></figure> Between <a href="https://blog.csiro.au/renovating-or-retrofitting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ten and 35%</a> of the energy we spend cooling or heating our homes escapes through single glazed windows and doors. Installing double or triple glazed windows and doors will go a long way to keep temperatures more stable inside. It’s worth noting the <a href="https://build.com.au/window-energy-rating-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">energy performance rating systems</a> on measurement labels, which are often attached to window and door units you can buy in stores. Ultimately, a combination of improved natural ventilation and mechanical ventilation (such as air conditioners as fans) can result in considerable energy savings – <a href="https://thefifthestate.com.au/articles/making-the-building-do-the-work-natural-ventilation-design/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">up to 79%</a> in some instances. 3. Energy consumption While the above strategies will result in significant energy savings, it’s also vital to consider the energy required to produce and manufacture <a href="https://www.pembina.org/pub/embodied-carbon-retrofits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">retrofitting materials</a>. Consider using salvaged or recycled materials where possible, or choosing locally made products which avoid emissions associated with transport. Effectively installing solar panels can offset this “hidden” carbon. Let’s say you’ve done all you can to lower your home’s carbon footprint – you’ve rolled out insulation, installed double glazed windows and made the most of sunshine. You can then calculate the energy you still use to heat or cool your home. This number will determine how many rooftop solar panels you should install to break even, rather than simply installing as many panels that can fit. This will not only save you money, but also minimise waste. Researchers estimate that by 2047, Australia will accumulate <a href="https://theconversation.com/stop-removing-your-solar-panels-early-please-its-creating-a-huge-waste-problem-for-australia-160546" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1 million tonnes</a> of solar panel waste. It’s worth opting for solar panels with micro-inverters, which capture optimal energy performance per panel while allowing you to add more panels in future if needed. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469146/original/file-20220616-11210-4f8kun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469146/original/file-20220616-11210-4f8kun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469146/original/file-20220616-11210-4f8kun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469146/original/file-20220616-11210-4f8kun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469146/original/file-20220616-11210-4f8kun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469146/original/file-20220616-11210-4f8kun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469146/original/file-20220616-11210-4f8kun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469146/original/file-20220616-11210-4f8kun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>Solar panels can offset some of the carbon associated with manufacturing the materials you’ve purchased. Shutterstock</figcaption></figure> Another option is to use <a href="https://www.radiantheatingandcooling.com.au/geothermal-or-air-source-heat-pumps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">air-source heat pumps</a>, which absorb heat from outside and bring it inside (like a reverse air conditioner). These can take the form of mini-split heat pumps for individual rooms, or multi-zone installations. They can sense indoor temperature, and operate at variable speeds and heating or cooling intensity, which means their energy performance is very efficient. My <a href="https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/79914" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> finds well-planned use of such systems can reduce the energy used for heating by 69% and cooling by 38%. It’s well worth the effort These retrofitting ideas might seem expensive, or take too much time. However, they’ll often save you money in the long run as energy prices become increasingly uncertain. You can look to <a href="https://www.everybuildingcounts.com.au/?__hstc=213300875.d01baaf20feef1321eed69f68f6b9ce7.1644286749265.1644286749265.1644286749265.1&__hssc=213300875.1.1644286749266&__hsfp=475898586" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Every Building Counts</a>, an initiative by the <a href="https://new.gbca.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Green Building Council</a> and the <a href="https://www.propertycouncil.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Property Council of Australia</a>, which provides practical plans for emission reduction. Australia can also learn from ongoing efforts by the <a href="https://energiesprong.org/?country=the-netherlands" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Energiesprong network</a> in the Netherlands. This network is industrialising energy efficiency with <a href="https://energiesprong.org/this-dutch-construction-innovation-shows-its-possible-to-quickly-retrofit-every-building/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prefabricated retrofitting building elements</a>. Some initiatives include lightweight insulated panels that can simply be placed in front of existing walls of homes. These panels are precisely fitted after carefully laser scanning a facade and robotically cutting openings to match existing homes. Harnessing contemporary technology is vital for a speedy net-zero transition.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175921/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nimish-biloria-772399" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nimish Biloria</a>, Associate Professor of Architecture, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Technology Sydney</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/keen-to-retrofit-your-home-to-lower-its-carbon-footprint-and-save-energy-consider-these-3-things-175921" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

Home Hints & Tips

Seven healthy habits to lower risk of dementia

<div> Dementia is a debilitating <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/society/understanding-dementia-uqs-newest-publication/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">disease</a>, and Australia’s second biggest killer. While there is currently no cure, there are <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/dementia-patients-do-better-without-drugs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">treatments</a> to help improve the symptoms, but the best strategy is to try and prevent it from developing altogether. The American Heart Association has identified seven cardiovascular and brain health factors, known as Life’s Simple 7: <table border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <ul> <li>Being active</li> <li>Eating better</li> <li>Losing weight</li> <li>Not smoking</li> <li>Maintaining a healthy blood pressure</li> <li>Controlling cholesterol</li> <li>Reducing blood sugar</li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   While Life’s Simple 7 have been linked to lowering the risk of dementia overall, it has not been investigated whether this applies to people with high genetic risks. A 30-year study following over 11,000 people with mixed genetic risk scores (based on the <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/biology/call-to-factor-gender-into-alzheimers-research/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">APOE gene</a> variant) from both European and African ancestries aims to provide some answers.   The average starting age was 54 years, with participants divided into eight different groups based on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/evolution/genetic-variant-covid-hiv/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">genetic risk</a> scores. At the end of the study, 18% of people with European ancestry developed dementia, compared to 23% of people with African ancestry. This implies there may be a genetic risk factor linked to the risk of developing dementia.   For people with European ancestry, people with the highest scores in the lifestyle factors had the lowest risk of dementia, including the group with the highest genetic risk. Those with intermediate to high scores in healthy lifestyle factors had an associated 30-40% lower risk of dementia. For every lifestyle factor that was adhered to from the Life’s Simple 7, the risk of developing dementia decreased by 9%.   “These healthy habits in the Life’s Simple 7 have been linked to a lower risk of dementia overall, but it is uncertain whether the same applies to people with a high genetic risk,” says author Dr Adrienne Tin of the University of Mississippi Medical Centre (US). “The good news is that even for people who are at the highest genetic risk, living by this same healthier lifestyle means they are likely to have a lower risk of dementia.”   For people with African ancestry, the intermediate and high categories were associated with a 6-17% lower risk of dementia. Of those participants, 40% had at least one copy of the APOE gene variant, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease, compared to 27.9% of people with European ancestry. A limitation of this study was the smaller number of participants with African ancestry, and that many of these participants were recruited from one location.   “Larger sample sizes from diverse populations are needed to get more reliable estimates of the effects of these modifiable health factors on dementia risk within different genetic risk groups and ancestral backgrounds,” Tin says.   This study has been published in <a href="https://www.neurology.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neurology</a>, the medical journal of the <a href="https://www.aan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American Academy of Neurology</a>. For more information about dementia, visit <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dementia.org.au</a> (Australia) and <a href="https://www.brainandlife.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BrainandLife.org</a> (worldwide). Image credits: Getty Images </div> <div id="contributors"> This article was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/seven-habits-fight-dementia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Qamariya Nasrullah. </div>

Mind

"Dying alone": Royal commission highlights aged care crisis

One of the commissioners of the Royal Commission into aged care says the system is in crisis - and that the federal government is to blame for failing to prepare for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.Commissioner Lynelle Briggs - formerly the CEO of Medicare Australia - said the isolation of elderley people in their rooms for months without regular showers and care was “completely unacceptable”.“What we’re looking at in aged care is months on end with no-one visiting them, and sometimes dying alone,” Ms Briggs <a style="background: transparent;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-04/royal-commissioner-says-aged-care-is-in-crisis/100804202" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.“It really shouldn’t be allowed to happen and the government should have sorted its strategy out for how to prevent this happening again.”Ms Briggs said the government’s lack of preparation had taken “a bad situation to a crisis”.With the submission of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety’s final report last year, the commissioners recommended significant and urgent work was needed to improve the workforce and governance of aged care.The report, simply titled Neglect, painted a heartbreaking picture of the conditions people have experienced in aged care settings, <a style="background: transparent;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline" href="https://agedcare.royalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/final-report-executive-summary.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including</a> cases of abuse, poor nutrition, and substandard care regarding oral health, injuries, mental health and social needs.Recently, Minister for Aged Care Richard Colbeck has faced mounting calls to resign as the number of deaths in aged care in the last month have outstripped those for the whole of 2021.Since July 2021, a total of 777 aged care residents have died with Covid.Around 500, or 64 percent, have passed away within the last month.Senator Colbeck has denied that the system is experiencing a crisis and says Australia has seen fewer deaths than overseas.However, Ms Briggs said this isn’t good enough.“The fact that we’re doing better than overseas on deaths in aged care is not the answer,” she said.“We were quite clear in the reports we put through that the life of an older person should be valued equally with the life of a younger person.“We shouldn’t be seeing the disproportionate impact on this group when we’ve known for two years they were particularly vulnerable to the disease.”When Channel Nine asked Defence Minister Peter Dutton about the problems in aged care, he said it was hard to find the balance between protecting residents and ensuring they weren’t completely isolated.“You can’t argue on the one hand that people feel isolated and you want to allow loved ones in - which is the natural reaction - but then say we’re surprised when Omicron is introduced into aged care facilities,” Mr Dutton said.“It’s a witches’ brew, it’s difficult to deal with.”The comments from Ms Briggs come days after the federal government announced it would offer two one-off $400 payments to aged care workers to recognise the continuing difficulty of their work and retain workers, with a quarter of shifts reportedly going unfilled.Unions and the opposition have called the payments an insult to workers, with the government rejecting pressure to back a Fair Work case for a $5 hourly wage increase.Ms Briggs said the royal commission had warned of a worker shortage a year ago, and that the workers in the aged care sector were under-recognised, underpaid and underskilled.She said the one-off payments were “simply not enough” and that not introducing a pay rise was “short-sighted”.“I had been expecting that the government would join with employers and employees in this case,” she added.Image: Getty Images

Caring

Children whose parents smoke have lower test scores and more behavioural issues than kids of non-smokers

Children whose parents smoke have lower academic test scores and more behavioural issues than children of non-smokers. These are the findings of our research published in the journal of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1570677X21000022?via%3Dihub">Economics and Human Biology</a>. Smoking is prevalent in lower socio-economic groups whose characteristics (such as lower IQ and poorer motivation on average) <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29058397/">are correlated with</a> lower academic scores and more behavioural issues in children. This can bias the results as the sample of children whose scores are lower is no longer random. After addressing such concerns, our broad finding remained the same. Because of the model we used, this means there is a causal – rather than merely correlational – relationship between parental smoking and children’s academic scores and behavioural outcomes. <h2>How we did our study</h2> We used data from the <a href="https://growingupinaustralia.gov.au/">Longitudinal Study of Australian Children</a> (LSAC), which tracks children from birth to monitor their development and well-being. It also surveys them and their parents on a range of cognitive (such as academic) and non-cognitive (such as behavioural) performance measures, and records other data such as their NAPLAN test results. We wanted to find the effects of parental smoking on children’s cognitive and non-cognitive skills in early life – from 4-14 years old. We measured children’s cognitive skills using the given NAPLAN literacy and numeracy test scores in grades 3, 5, 7 and 9. We also used the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), which is designed to measure a child’s knowledge of the meaning of spoken words and his or her receptive vocabulary. The test is carried out as part of the LSAC survey when the children are 4-9 years old. Non-cognitive skills include social behaviour, hyperactivity or inattention, and peer problems. We took the measures of these as reported by parents. <h2>What we found</h2> We found, across all measures of cognitive skills, children living with non-smoker parents had a higher average score than children living with at least one smoker parent. We found smoking can reduce academic scores by up to 3%. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442417/original/file-20220125-13-t7tqwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442417/original/file-20220125-13-t7tqwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Girl writing test at desk." /></a> Kids’ test scores were lower if their parents were smokers than those of non-smoking parents. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/school-students-taking-exam-writing-answer-536624842" class="source">Shutterstock</a> Likewise, we found children with at least one parent who smokes are likely to experience more behavioural issues. We found smoking can reduce behavioural scores by up to 9%. Our findings are consistent even when we look at mums’ and dads’ smoking behaviour separately. But the effect is stronger for mothers, as expected. Maternal smoking in pregnancy has <a href="https://jhu.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/low-birthweight-preterm-births-and-intrauterine-growth-retardatio-3">direct effects</a> on the child’s brain development and birth weight. Pre-natal ill-health and sickness in early childhood may affect cognitive, social and emotional outcomes through poorer mental well-being. Second-hand smoke exposure at home can <a href="https://actbr.org.br/uploads/arquivo/659_Pesquisa_fumo_passivo_OMS_2010.pdf">also cause numerous health problems</a> in infants and children, such as asthma and ear infections. This could lead <a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/128/4/650/30703/School-Absenteeism-Among-Children-Living-With?redirectedFrom=fulltext">them to take more time out of school</a>. We used information on the number of school days missed because of health reasons and children’s physical health assessments in the LSAC survey to test whether parental smoking and absenteeism due to health were related. We found children from households with at least one smoker were more likely to have lower school attendance and poorer physical health, both of which have adverse consequences on their cognitive and non-cognitive development. Our findings did not change across various measures, such as the frequency or number of cigarettes parents smoked per day. But we did find parental smoking had a stronger influence on boys than girls. This is consistent with <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-015-0509-6?email.event.1.SEM.ArticleAuthorContributingOnlineFirst&error=cookies_not_supported&error=cookies_not_supported&code=8484cb89-b3f1-41ff-b1ce-6d9916f9aa2a&code=70985a21-e7c8-490e-b579-58a8a7e6f6d7">growing evidence</a> that girls are more resilient to environmental pressures than boys. <h2>How parental smoking affects kids’ skills: the three pathways</h2> <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442419/original/file-20220125-27-1iaivrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442419/original/file-20220125-27-1iaivrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="Top of shopping trolley with woman's hand on it." /></a> Spending on tobacco can leave less money for food. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-female-shopper-trolley-supermarket-92894512" class="source">Shutterstock</a> There are three pathways through which parental smoking has an effect on children’s academic, social and emotional skills. The first is that the child’s health may already have been affected before birth if the mother was a smoker. And some other negative effects of ill health come from exposure to second-hand smoke, as described above. The second pathway for parental smoking affecting a child’s acquisition of cognitive and non-cognitive skills is through a reduction in household income. Tobacco spending can <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00148365-200403040-00009">displace spending on food, education and health care</a>. The third pathway is that children’s ability to develop skills <a href="https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/63853/1/321132386.pdf">depends on their parents’</a> cognitive and non-cognitive skills, which are determined by their own health and education. Parental smoking can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53017/">affect their own well-being</a>, such as through impacting their respiratory health. This, in turn, <a href="https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/63853/1/321132386.pdf">can influence the way they parent</a>. Our findings highlight the role of the family environment in early childhood development, which sets the foundation for long-term health, as well as social and economic success. Campaigns, programs and policies aimed at reducing tobacco use should emphasise the inadvertent harm smoking habits can have on children’s present and future.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172601/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/preety-pratima-srivastava-1138197">Preety Pratima Srivastava</a>, Senior Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/children-whose-parents-smoke-have-lower-test-scores-and-more-behavioural-issues-than-kids-of-non-smokers-172601">original article</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Family & Pets

The new enclosure: how land commissions can lead the fight against urban land-grabs

When Boris Johnson sold the 35-acre <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/f7b5599c-c7b0-11e2-9c52-00144feab7de">Royal Albert Docks in London</a> to Chinese buyers in 2013, it was his biggest commercial property deal as mayor of London and one of China’s largest investments in the UK. The Greater London Authority sold off further parcels of land in the area in a bid to regenerate the Royal Docks, which had fallen into disrepair with the decline of the docklands from the 1960s. Over the past few decades, huge transfers of land from public to private ownership have occurred throughout Britain. Since Margaret Thatcher was elected prime minister in 1979, <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/books/3050-the-new-enclosure">one-tenth</a> of the entire British landmass, or about half of the land owned by all public bodies, has been privatised. This has included, for instance, dozens of <a href="https://www.forces.net/services/tri-service/more-50-bases-go-mod-estate-sell">former military bases</a> on Ministry of Defence land. In our cities, one result of this land privatisation has been the long-term shift from public to private housing tenure: social rented housing <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13604813.2012.709403">declined</a> from 31% of Britain’s total housing stock in 1981 to just 18% in 2012. As what was effectively our <a href="https://theconversation.com/urban-commons-are-under-siege-in-the-age-of-austerity-heres-how-to-protect-them-121067">common wealth</a> is sold off, local authorities are losing the capacity to address the interconnected housing and climate change <a href="https://www.tcpa.org.uk/blog/blog-the-need-for-better-environmental-standards-in-homes-old-and-new">crises</a>. From London to Leeds, this transformation of land has <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264275115300299">impeded democratic involvement</a> in urban planning. It has <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13604813.2012.709403?needAccess=true">displaced</a> working-class communities. And it has <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13604813.2012.754190">heightened</a> social inequalities. In a bid to make Liverpool the fairest and most socially inclusive city region in the UK, the mayor, Steve Rotherham, launched England’s first land commission in September 2020. The commission’s findings chime with <a href="http://www.gmhousingaction.com/who-owns-the-city/">our research</a>. It argues for a fundamentally new understanding of what land is. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433148/original/file-20211122-17-1h5hnoj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Panoramic view of London from Highgate Hampstead Park" /> Even many of our so-called urban commons don’t belong to the people at all. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/panoramic-view-london-highgate-hampstead-park-632934269" class="source">pabmap | Shutterstock</a> <h2>What is a land commission?</h2> Liverpool was the first metropolitan area in England to establish a participatory land commission. The participants were from the public, private and voluntary sectors as well as from academia. They were <a href="https://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/steve-rotheram-launches-englands-first-land-commission-focused-on-community-wealth-building/">tasked</a> with a radical year-long mission: to figure out how to make the best use of publicly owned land in the city region. The idea is to build what economists call <a href="https://cles.org.uk/community-wealth-building/what-is-community-wealth-building/">community wealth</a>. In response, the commission released its <a href="https://cles.org.uk/publications/our-land/">final report</a> in June 2021, in concert with the Manchester-based <a href="https://cles.org.uk/">Centre for Local Economic Strategies</a>. Public authorities in recent decades have largely looked at urban land through a narrow economic growth lens. This has focused on <a href="https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/man-city-champions-league-final-20494480">attracting investment</a> at the expense of wider community needs – social housing, say, or public green space. By contrast, the commission recognises that land plays an important function in <a href="https://landforthemany.uk/">addressing</a> social and environmental, as well as economic, needs. This challenges the processes of privatisation, commodification and wealth extraction that have characterised urban development since the 1980s, and which political economist Brett Christophers has described as the <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/books/3050-the-new-enclosure">“new enclosure”</a>. Similar processes can be seen in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X16305484">other countries</a> around the world too. <a href="https://www.thelandmagazine.org.uk/articles/enclosure-grand-scale">Karl Marx</a> and <a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-invention-of-capitalism">others</a> drew a direct connection between the <a href="https://www.pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=568">enclosure of the commons</a>, which took place during the 16th-19th century in England, and the concentration of wealth in the hands of the elite. If enclosure led to the dispossession of the rural peasantry, that storing up of wealth by the privileged few, in turn, led to the rise of capitalism in western Europe. As historical <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520260009/the-magna-carta-manifesto">research</a> shows, the very notion of the commons is revolutionary. It defines land as collective wealth that belongs to everyone. This stands in stark contrast to the capitalist model of private property. It is this idea that motivated the 17th-century reformer, <a href="https://www.culturematters.org.uk/index.php/culture/theory/item/2978-a-common-treasury-for-all-gerrard-winstanley-and-the-diggers">Gerard Winstanley</a>, along with a group of men and women who became known as the Diggers, to create a social order based on common ownership of the land. This historical tradition animates the Liverpool land commission’s vision of how urban land can be managed for the benefit of the many rather than the few. The report explicitly situates the commission’s work within that long history of enclosure and resistance, quoting a <a href="http://jacklynch.net/Texts/winstanley.html">1649 pamphlet</a> from Winstanley: “The earth was not made for you, to be Lords of it, and we to be your Slaves, Servants and Beggars; but it was made to be a common Livelihood to call, without respect of persons.” <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433146/original/file-20211122-25-nausrs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433146/original/file-20211122-25-nausrs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Overhead view of the Three Graces and the Liverpool waterfront" /></a> Urban land is increasingly seen as an economic asset, at the expense of its social functions. <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/lrG9KIuxQzo" class="source">Phil Kiel | Unsplash</a>, <a href="http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en" class="license">FAL</a> <h2>Practical steps</h2> The commission’s report includes a series of practical recommendations to reclaim the social function of urban land. These include establishing a citizen-led body for governing public land. It recommends making public land available to community organisations for socially valuable projects such as cooperatives, green spaces and social enterprises. And it suggests establishing an online map of public land resources, including empty land, that is currently held by councils. Further, it recommends capturing rising land values (future profits derived from the development of currently underused land) to fund reparations for Liverpool’s historic role in the transatlantic slave trade. And it suggests using public land to install the green infrastructure needed to combat climate change. If adopted, these recommendations will mark a rupture from the Thatcherite approach to <a href="https://theconversation.com/ending-austerity-stop-councils-selling-off-public-assets-113858">selling off public assets</a> that has dominated since the 1980s. As such, the commission demonstrates how decisions about urban land use can be undertaken in a democratic, participatory and transparent manner. <a href="http://www.gmhousingaction.com/who-owns-the-city/">Our research</a> on public land privatisation in the neighbouring city of Manchester suggests that the land commission approach needs to be expanded to other UK cities. We raised a number of concerns about public land sales by Manchester City Council, including the lack of transparency around deals and the fact that large amounts of public land have been sold to private developers to build <a href="http://www.gmhousingaction.com/report_launched_on_housing_finance_gm/">city centre apartment blocks</a> that contain no social or affordable housing. In response to this research, over 60 civil society organisations <a href="http://www.gmhousingaction.com/gm-land-commission-letter/">signed an open letter</a> calling for the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, to stick to his <a href="https://andyformayor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Andy-Burnham-Manisfesto-v2.1-002.pdf">manifesto</a> commitment to establish a Greater Manchester land commission. The UK government’s “<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/56238260">levelling-up</a>” programme has brought regional inequality and postindustrial urban decline to the fore once again. But addressing these longstanding issues will require a fundamental rethink about what land is for and the purpose it serves in today’s society. The Liverpool land commission has opened the door to the future. Which cities will follow?<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167817/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jonathan-silver-534810">Jonathan Silver</a>, Senior Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sheffield-1147">University of Sheffield</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tom-gillespie-1253447">Tom Gillespie</a>, Hallsworth Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-manchester-1204">University of Manchester</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-new-enclosure-how-land-commissions-can-lead-the-fight-against-urban-land-grabs-167817">original article</a>. Image: Songquan Deng | Shutterstock

Real Estate

As Aucklanders anticipate holiday trips, Māori leaders ask people to stay away from regions with lower vaccination rates

Despite the emergence of the new Omicron variant, New Zealand will move to a new <a href="https://covid19.govt.nz/traffic-lights/covid-19-protection-framework/">COVID-19 Protection Framework </a> this Friday, with a traffic light system to mark the level of freedoms for each region. Auckland and other parts of the North Island that are battling active outbreaks or have low vaccination rates will start at red, which means hospitality and businesses will be largely open only for fully vaccinated people. The rest of the country will be in orange, which allows for larger gatherings but restricts access for those who remain unvaccinated. From December 15, the Auckland boundary will lift and Aucklanders will be free to travel around the country, despite the ongoing community outbreak in which <a href="https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-data-and-statistics/covid-19-case-demographics#vaccinations-details">23% of cases have been children under 12 and 14% were fully vaccinated</a>. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434350/original/file-20211129-13-pa5w88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Map of traffic light COVID-19 Protection Framework" /> Parts of the North Island will continue to have restrictions in place, particularly for people who remain unvaccinated, once New Zealand shifts to a new system on Friday. Provided, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/" class="license">CC BY-NC</a> To travel outside the Auckland boundary, anyone aged 12 or over will need to be fully vaccinated or have had a negative COVID-19 test within three days of departure. This will reduce the number of infected people leaving Auckland, but cases will spread across the country as people travel to see whānau and go on holidays. As part of our research to build a <a href="https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2021/04/15/super-model-for-team-of-5m.html">population-based contagion network</a>, we used electronic transaction data from previous years to derive movement patterns across the country. We show that during weeks without public holidays, just over 100,000 travellers left Auckland to visit one or more other regions. For the summer period of 2019-2020, close to 200,000 people left Auckland each week, with travel peaking over the Christmas and New Year period. The most common destinations for these trips were Thames-Coromandel (30,000 people), Tauranga (17,000 people) and Northland (15,000 people). <h2>Vaccination remains the best protection</h2> While full (two-dose) vaccination levels in Auckland are almost at 90% — remembering that 90% of eligible people means only about 75% of the total population, with lower rates for Māori — rates are much lower in many places Aucklanders like to visit over summer. This provides much less protection, against both illness and transmission, and any outbreak would be larger and more rapid. Vaccination coverage in these areas is increasing but is unlikely to be at 90% before Christmas. Holiday destinations also have health infrastructure designed for the much lower local population and face additional pressures if visitors get sick. New Zealand’s outdoor summer lifestyle might be an advantage; transmission is greatly reduced outdoors with good air movement. But people should remain mindful anytime they move into an environment with less ventilation, such as using the toilet at the beach or sharing a car. A good rule of thumb is if you can smell perfume in the air then there’s a transmission risk. COVID-19 is passed on through the air we breathe, which is why masking remains important, as long as the mask <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/proper-mask-wearing-coronavirus-prevention-infographic">fits properly</a>. People planning to travel should reduce their risk of exposure during the two weeks before a trip. <ul> <li> Skip the office party (especially if they are held indoors) </li> <li> consider postponing meetings until after the holidays rather than having them during the days before people are likely to travel around the country </li> <li> if you decide to go ahead, make sure gatherings and parties are outdoors </li> <li> avoid alcohol as it can increase the likelihood of risky behaviour </li> <li> limit yourself to one meeting per week (if someone is infected, you’ll have a better chance to find out and self-isolate before passing it on) </li> <li> use your contact tracer app, always </li> <li> shop online </li> <li> wear a mask anywhere there is a crowd, even outdoors. </li> </ul> <h2>Protecting people in regions with lower vaccination rates</h2> Vaccination is the best step to reduce spread and symptom severity. But it’s not perfect. The risk of “breakthrough” infections depends on the intensity of exposure – short exposure to an infected person is less likely to result in infection and meeting indoors poses a higher risk. When people are vaccinated, we’d expect to see most transmission happening in dwellings where people are together for long periods of time. For anyone with a breakthrough infection, vaccination approximately halves the chance of transmitting the virus. Vaccination also reduces the risk of developing symptoms, and greatly reduces the risk of needing hospitalisation. But having milder symptoms can make it harder to detect cases, which means it remains important to get tested. The most popular places New Zealanders like to visit over summer are remote and people living there haven’t had the same easy access to vaccination as those living in bigger cities. Nearly a third of Northland’s eligible population remains unvaccinated, the East Cape is only 65% fully vaccinated and parts of the Coromandel Peninsula are also sitting well under ideal vaccination rates. These places also have fewer testing facilities, which could mean outbreaks become harder to detect and manage. Many rural communities aren’t connected to town supply, so wastewater testing won’t be as useful, and emergency medical attention is harder to access. <h2>Planning to manage COVID infections</h2> Many residents in these remote towns, including <a href="https://waateanews.com/2021/11/18/border-opening-no-christmas-treat-for-taitokerau/">iwi leaders</a>, are <a href="https://tinangata.com/2021/11/21/painting-a-covid-picture/">asking holiday makers to stay away</a>, regardless of vaccination status. Māori are already disproportionately represented in our COVID-19 statistics and have more young people who can’t be vaccinated yet. By travelling to areas with low vaccination rates among the Māori population we risk <a href="https://www.newsroom.co.nz/people-will-die-at-home-covids-unstoppable-summer">compounding tragedy</a> in places where health services would not cope with the level of illness. Anyone choosing to go on holiday after weighing these factors should have a plan for what they’ll do if they or someone on their group develops COVID-like symptoms while away from their usual health support systems. Questions to ask include: <ul> <li> Where will you go to get a test? </li> <li> What will you do while you wait for test results? </li> <li> Will it be possible for you to self-isolate while you wait for a test result? </li> <li> Where is the closest medical centre? Do they operate after hours? </li> <li> Is there an ambulance service and how far is the nearest hospital? </li> <li> Is there good phone reception? If not, what will you do in a health emergency? </li> <li> How would you manage an outbreak in your holiday accommodation? </li> </ul> Campers should take extra precautions by wearing masks in shared kitchens and bathrooms and using their own cleaning and hygiene products. They should keep good social distance wherever possible and minimise contact with people they don’t know. Family gatherings will also bring together different generations, with elders who may be more vulnerable and younger people who are more mobile and more likely to be infected. A group of New Zealanders who experienced COVID-19 put together a <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1e2v-rOztBgQfFBKHJN0R59RrinRtq2RmjuFhEZP9JfM/edit#gid=0">management kit</a> with a list of things anyone travelling will find useful. We would like to acknowledge the contribution of Kylie Stewart, a member of the team at Te Pūnaha Matatini and the HRC-funded project <a href="https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2021/04/15/super-model-for-team-of-5m.html">Te Matatini o te Horapa</a> — a population-based contagion network for Aotearoa New Zealand.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172682/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dion-oneale-1283438">Dion O'Neale</a>, Lecturer - Department of Physics, University of Auckland; Principal Investigator - Te Pūnaha Matatini, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-auckland-1305">University of Auckland</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-sporle-1151937">Andrew Sporle</a>, Honorary associate professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-auckland-1305">University of Auckland</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-harvey-1284406">Emily Harvey</a>, Principal Investigator, Te Pūnaha Matatini, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-auckland-1305">University of Auckland</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/steven-turnbull-1280540">Steven Turnbull</a>, Te Pūnaha Matatini Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-auckland-1305">University of Auckland</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-aucklanders-anticipate-holiday-trips-maori-leaders-ask-people-to-stay-away-from-regions-with-lower-vaccination-rates-172682">original article</a>. Image: Phil Walter/Getty Images

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