Aart Jan van der Lely, The Netherlands Endocrine disruptors are chemical substances that can interfere with the normal functioning of the endocrine system, which is responsible for producing hormones that regulate various body functions. These chemicals can mimic or block the action of hormones, leading to an imbalance in the body’s hormonal system. There are many sources of endocrine disruptors, including pesticides, herbicides, and industrial chemicals. They can also be found in certain plastics, personal care products, and food packaging. The most well-known endocrine disruptor is probably bisphenol A (BPA), which is found in many plastics and has been linked to a number of health problems, including fertility issues and cancer. Endocrine disruptors can have a range of harmful effects on human health, depending on the specific chemical and the amount of exposure. Some of the potential health impacts include: Reproductive problems: Endocrine disruptors can affect the normal functioning of the reproductive system, leading to infertility, birth defects, and other reproductive problems. Cancer: Some endocrine disruptors have been linked to an increased risk of certain types of cancer, such as breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer. Developmental problems: Exposure to endocrine disruptors during fetal development and early childhood can lead to […]

Daniel Sereni, France A large proportion of adults in western countries regularly take vitamins supplements. This represents a huge market. But is it useful? It is well established that vitamins are essential for our health. Vitamin deficiencies provoke diseases and foetal and developmental abnormalities. Children are receiving vitamin D supplements for Ricketts prevention and some elderly people need vitamin D because of proven deficiency. There are indications for folic acid (a group B vitamin) supplementation during pregnancy in defined situations. Vitamin deficiency may result from insufficient intake or absorption, and this can lead to serious complications. Deficiency has also to be prevented or corrected in some diseases (for example intestinal or liver disease) or when people are given certain treatments that interfere with the absorption or the metabolism of vitamins. But millions of people without any recognised or suspected deficiency take vitamins every day (usually “multivitamins“). They do so because some medical publications have suggested that vitamin supplements can prevent major and frequent illnesses like cardio-vascular disease and cancer. Most of these assumptions were based on observational studies. There have been also a few randomised clinical trials comparing the outcome of people receiving a vitamin supplement compared to a group receiving […]

Verena Briner, Switzerland Plastics are synthetic products that consist of organic polymers and additives such as bisphenol, ophthalates and flame retardants. Plastic is produced from coal, crude oil and natural gas, and it’s most useful properties are: it is easy to produce, hydrophobic, light, cheap and indestructible. Plastic has been widely used in toys, kitchenware, packaging, construction, electrical industry, machinery and other industries. Due to its properties, the annual production of plastic has increased exponentially worldwide since the 1950s, and reached ca. 400 million tons per year worldwide in 2020. The 7 most used plastics are: polyethylene tetraphthalate (PET), high density polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and bisphenol (BP). This durability is -on the other hand- the biggest disadvantage of plastic. Littering of single use- plastic products such as PET bottles, coffee cups, plates, bags, etc. results in enormous pollution. Worldwide only 9% of the plastic waste is recycled. Every year more than 2 million tons of plastic reach the sea and the world oceans. Up to 2020 more than 30 million tons of plastic accumulated in the oceans and up to 110 million tons in rivers. The major part of plastic […]

Jan Willem Elte The Netherlands and Daniel Sereni France Covid 19 new vaccine is indicated for all people at risk of getting severely ill from a covid infection. The vaccines proposed this fall are active against currently circulating variants of covid.  Vaccination is important for you and others. Side effects may occur but are mild in vast majority of people as shown by reports from tens of millions of doses given so far. European national health agencies (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control = ECDC and Eropean Medicines Agency = EMA) as well as NHS in the UK advice to take both vaccinations for covid-19 and flu well before the winter. The current covid-19 vaccine is the one directed to the new BA.286. There are generally three vaccines available: from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax. The flu vaccine is one of those developed  this year based on the flu viruses of last year. It appears that both vaccines indeed can be taken at the same time without problems. Coadministration was not associated with substantially inferior immune response or to more frequent adverse events compared with covid-19  vaccine administration alone. It is recommanded to have each vaccine injected in a different […]

Jan Willem Elte, The Netherlands Obesity is one of the most devastating disorders of the present time and its preavalence is rapidly rising. Obesity is a heterogenous condition with multiple different phenotypes. Metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) carries a large number of adverse metabolic changes , but metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) is considered to display a relatively favorable metabolic profile. A recent comprehensive review article in the European Journal of Internal Medicine (Tanriover et al Eur J Int Med 111 (2023), 5-20) provides a good overview of the problem and will be summarized in this newsletter. The format of the article will be followed. Although MHO is considered to display a relatively favorable metabolic profile, it is still associated with a number of chronic diseases and has the potential risk of progression into the unhealthy phenotype. Therefore, it should not be considered as an entirely benign or “healthy” condition. Definition A first problem is the definition, as there are more than 30 different definitions of  MHO available. The most commonly used definitions of MHO define it as the absence of any metabolic as well as cardiovascular (cv) disorder in an obese individual (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²), including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, […]

Jan Willem Elte, The Netherlands For many years we know that patients may continue to have complaints long after an acute infection (mostly viral) has vanished. New research now sheds light on some of the problems associated with the post viral syndrome. Until now no good explanation for these lasting complaints has been found and also no cure. Well-known viral infection diseases such as influenza, Q-fever, Epstein-Barr virus and mononucleosis infectiosa (M.Pfeiffer) have resulted in long-lasting periods of complaints, described as post-viral disease. Nowadays these complaints have been taken together and called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). ME/MFS is a complex, chronic condition influenced by multiple factors and it received its name because despite extensive research no definitive cause or tools with which to diagnose it are available. The condition results in debilitating symptoms with extreme fatigue, unfreshing sleep, difficulty in recovering from exertion, cognitive dysfunction and immune system abnormalities. It may last for years with little or no improvement. Moreover, these complaints are quite frequent and are non-specific. Infections may just be one of the causes and indeed after certain infections some persons experience durable symptoms.  Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, infection with SARS-CoV-2 […]