food

The adoption of plant-based diets could reshape agricultural employment worldwide. This is the main conclusion of an international study that estimates that by 2030, between 5% and 28% less agricultural labour would be needed, i.e. between 18 and 106 million fewer full-time jobs. The countries most affected would be those with agriculture based largely on livestock farming, while others, especially low-income countries, could need between 18 and 56 million more workers to grow fruit, vegetables, legumes and nuts. The study is published in The Lancet Planetary Health.

Even if they have not been diagnosed with coeliac disease or wheat allergy, one in 10 people say they experience symptoms – gastrointestinal, fatigue or headache – after eating wheat or other foods containing gluten, according to a meta-analysis published in the journal Gut. This sensitivity is strongly associated with being female, psychological distress and irritable bowel syndrome, according to the study.

The Planetary Health Diet promotes environmentally sustainable consumption, based, among other things, on increasing vegetable intake and reducing dairy and red meat consumption. Previous studies had found an association with better human health, although there were some conflicting results. Now, a study combining two cohorts of more than 150,000 people and a meta-analysis of 37 studies involving more than three million volunteers reinforces this association, finding that greater adherence to the diet is associated with lower all-cause mortality. The results are published in the journal Science Advances.

On 22 August, the UN officially declared famine in Gaza, defined as an extreme situation of food insecurity in which there is insufficient access to food to survive, leading to high rates of malnutrition, disease and mortality. The Spanish Society of Epidemiology explains how this situation is technically assessed, as well as the implications of the declaration.

A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, found mainly in fish oils, may help prevent the development of myopia in children, while high consumption of saturated fats, found in foods such as butter, palm oil and red meat, may increase the risk of developing this condition, according to research published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. The study was conducted on a thousand children in Hong Kong aged between six and eight.

Eating three servings of French fries per week is associated with a 20% increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but eating similar amounts of potatoes cooked in other ways (boiled, baked, or mashed) does not substantially increase the risk, according to a study published in BMJ. The study, which analyzed the diets of more than 205,000 adults over decades, showed that replacing any form of potato with whole grains was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Intermittent fasting has similar effects to calorie-restricted diets in terms of weight loss, concludes a meta-analysis, published in The BMJ, pooling the results of 99 previous clinical trials. Of three types of intermittent fasting (alternate-day fasting, time-restricted eating and all-day fasting), intermittent fasting has a higher impact on weight reduction compared to continuous energy restriction, the study adds.

A team from China has analysed the genetic data of more than 450,000 people and identified a variant in a gene that contributed to increased height and basal metabolic rate in modern humans, especially when meat consumption increases. In addition to providing insight into evolutionary processes, the finding ‘also has important implications for understanding susceptibility and resistance to contemporary metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome,’ according to the authors. The results are published in the journal Cell Genomics.

Consumption of ultra-processed food is associated with an increased likelihood of having prodromal signs of Parkinson's disease - symptoms that precede the disease - says a study published in Neurology. The analysis is based on data from more than 42,000 healthcare professionals in the US, followed for up to 26 years.

Consuming certain mixtures of common food additives is linked to a slightly increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to an analysis of data from more than 108,000 adults in France. The study, published in PLoS Medicine, identified five mixtures of additives frequently used in ultra-processed foods and concluded that two of them are associated with the disease: the first mixture consisted mainly of emulsifiers, preservatives and a colouring agent, and the second of acidifiers, acidity regulators, colouring agents, artificial sweeteners and emulsifiers.