Noise pollution is a causative agent of stress and deteriorating health. This fact is not only applicable to humans but animals as well.
Recently, a study carried out by ecologists at the University of Victoria in Canada confirms that human activities are disturbing ocean life in several ways, noise pollution being lately included in the list.
Shipping traffic causes too much noise for aquatic life, they are in a place with constant high noise levels. Marine life use sound waves to communicate with each other, for hunting and for mating as well. Excessive sound waves from ships disturb their ability to interpret natural sounds, therefore ruining their quality of life. Masking is the word used to describe the drowning of natural sounds into noises of the same frequency.
Shipping traffic causes too much noise for aquatic life. Excessive sound waves from ships disturb the ability of marine life to interpret natural sounds. Credits: Marine Insight
Exposure to continuous loud frequencies and amplitudes leads to the fish being under stress and at risk of permanently losing its hearing. This has a negative effect on their capability to mate, survive and fight disease due to weak immunity.
According to scientists, other human activities which result in drastic climatic changes are also responsible for muddling up the intricate ocean soundscape. Climate change basically messes up physical processes that shape ocean sounds, like wind, wave, and melting ice.
A positive fact is that noise pollution is easy to deal with- you just need to stop its source. It can be dealt with more easily than other types of pollution, where time and organization are required at a higher level. The effects of noise pollution can be reversed once the noise is ceased.
A few weeks back, when my cable operator shut-down my channel subscriptions, I could only see nothing but the “Radiation of Big Bang” sarcastically and philosophically; I could see nothing but everything at the same time. CMB is one of the very discussed, researched, and debated topics among cosmologists all over the world; why not? It’s one of the proofs of the big bang, and many regard it as “Light of Beginning of the Creation itself.”
Last year, I had the privilege to learn and meet one of the most active and vigilant cosmologists in Pakistan, Faisal Ur Rahman (Currently a Ph.D. Candidate, Researcher & Visiting Member at the University of Karachi), who also happens to be a part of an International Group of Cosmologists; “Investigating the Cosmic Microwave Background Cold-Spot.” I walked by him a few miles and asked him a number of questions regarding his work on the “Cold Spot,” which happens to fall into a long series of explanations about the phenomenon, which I’ll be discussing throughout this textual endeavor.
His-ideas are narrated in my words: Our standard model of the big-bang tells us that our Universe was a hotter, extremely-dense plasma type, made up of elementary particles such as nuclei, electrons, and protons only for the first few hundred thousand years. And just after 380,000 years old, our space-time in the Universe had expanded and cooled to below 3000K, allowing the birth of atoms and the first atoms of the first element “Hydrogen” formation. As the free electrons and protons decreased to a very small fraction, the photons were finally able to move around the Universe and till the existence of today’s CMB. And that’s why to regard it as an evidentiary account of the Birth of the Universe. Further, as we know, the Universe is expanding today; thanks to the discovery by Astronomer Hubble, the current CMB wavelength is stretched and has a temperature of just about 2.7K.
Faisal Ur Rahman giving a seminar on “Big Bang: The Birth of Universe” on the invitation of the Royal Aeronautical Society Pakistan.
When analyzed at around 10-5K, it’s all isotropic, and the entire CMB has a fine blackbody spectrum (fully uniform temperature). But, as we change it to the microkelvin scale, we start seeing the variations in the graph of Temperature in terms of different temperatures, some cold, some hot, and some hotter. It is important to note that matter wasn’t evenly distributed after the big bang due to the tiny quantum fluctuations in densities. Instead, we can always see some areas have more matter or galaxies, and some don’t, eventually giving rise to the cosmic web we see in the models of the Universe. The CMB photons traveling from the surface of the last scattering moving through a denser region have to overcome a deeper gravitational pull which results in an apparent redshift, and the photons passing through a less dense region will appear blue-shifted.
The increase or decrease in the wavelength of the CMB photons is caused by the changes in μK scale or parameters. More vividly, there’s a relation between the large-scale universe and temperature anisotropies, different temperatures at larger scales, referring to different properties. There’s a Sachs-Wolfe effect, which is a gravitational effect on the large-scale anisotropy of the CMB, which has two kinds. First is the “Ordinary Sach-Wolfe effect,” the non-integrated type, which is related to the early Universe only and tells us about the redshift of light from the last scattering surface. Then the other is the “Integrated Sach-Wolfe (ISW) effect,” which depends on the changes in gravity as the matter-density in the Universe evolves over time, eventually a change in CMB photons.
The evolution of the Universe, with main events occurring at different intervals of time. Credits: Phys.libretexts.org
The primitive fluctuations in the CMB have the strong support of evidence for cosmic inflation, and cosmologists believe that the Universe had the uttermost rapid expansion when it was merely seconds old. Researchers estimate the relative abundance or amount of Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe by the CMB fluctuations, along with Gravitational Lensing as predicted by Einstein’s theory of General Relativity and the Sunyaev-Zel’dovic Effect: In which the CMB photons are distorted due to the high level of energetic electrons in the clusters of galaxies they come through.
Penzias and Wilson stand at the 15 meter Holmdel Horn Antenna that brought their most notable discovery. Credits: ESA
Since the discovery of CMB in 1964 by Physicist Arno Penzias and Radio-Astronomer Robert Wilson (For which they won the Nobel Prize of 1978), the Cosmic Microwave Background has given scientists oceans of information and curiosity. Although, it has raised some of the most substantial and complex questions and anomalies, as the strange incongruity of the CMB, as seen from both opposite hemispheres of the sky.
The map of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature as data collected by the ESA’s Planck satellite, and confirmed fluctuations, the circled) cold spot, which extends over the large area of the sky and has a too lower temperature. Credits: ESA/Planck/Physics World
In the CMB, there lies a substantial question, a huge cold spot, which is around a billion light-years across. This cold spot was first seen by WMAP in 2004 and more strongly discovered by ESA’s Planck Satellite. We call it “CMB Cold Spot,” it’s around 70µK cold on average than the entire CMB temperature of the Universe and located in the southern celestial hemisphere.
In other ways, it may be a possibility that the cold-spot was born the first of the big bang density fluctuations or irregularities that bought the entire CMB temperature anisotropies into existence because those anisotropies have a Gaussian distribution, which only permits small variations (at the scale of around 16µK) but not such large. A few found places the temperature of the spot is around 150μK colder than the average CMB, more than of which is permitted from a Gaussian distribution. The radius of the cosmic cold spot extends about an angle of 5°, but apparently, on the other hand, the largest fluctuation found in the primordial CMB temperatures occurs at 1°, making it peculiar and uncanny.
If we go through the literature review, the researchers have postulated many different hypotheses of this mysterious cold spot in our Universe, and a lot of debate is going on to reveal its mystery and reason of occurrence. Few explanations suggest that the spot is nothing but forefront contamination of the matter (as a kind of dust or synchrotron radiation) within our galaxy or some kind of celestial object. But, profoundly, the observations of NRAO Very Large Array Sky Survey (NVSS), 2 Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS), Sloan Digital Survey, with proper detailed optical images of Hubble, show us that ‘no object’ found at those coordinates.
Void and null
One suggested simple but questionable explanation for it is that there might be a “super huge void” between us and the cold spot, but our universe structure on a larger scale, the galaxies have already been found in voids, their density can be much lesser in some cases (1/10th) than other densely populated areas in the Universe. On another side, the Universe also has superclusters – regions where there are more galaxies or quantities of matter in easy terms than normal cases.
Veiled void? One promising explanation for the phenomenon is that there exists a vast cosmic “supervoid” between us and the cold spot, thanks to the large-scale structure of the Universe. While galaxies still exist within voids, their density of matter is much less (one-tenth of the average) than in other regions of the Universe. On the flip side, the Universe also contains superclusters – huge regions with many more galaxies than normal.
Faisal Ur Rahman (Physics World, 2019) says that according to analysis, “Both supervoids and superclusters have a very impactful effect on the photons of the CMB as the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect varies due to the physical properties of it, it can also be termed as late-time ISW effect. As the CMB photons pass through the superclusters (passing through huge gravitational effects), they gain potential energy as they pass through the superclusters and have a thermal energy increase. Everything is fine; the increase in energy within the photon should be dispersed once the photon comes out of the gravitational valley of the supercluster. But, there’s another factor, Dark Energy, that comes into action, which is responsible for the overall expansion of our Universe.
During the time when a photon travels across a supercluster, dark energy expands the valley, stretching it in a way that the photon leaving does not have the extra energy to climb back out of the valley. That’s why the CMB photons have some heat. In the same manner, the super-voids work as gravitational hills, and the entering photon of the CMB loses more energy while getting into a void and getting out with regain in energy as they are leaving the void (as now the void is big due to the dark energy). This phenomenon colds the photons. The ISW has a possibility in this phenomenon for the CMB cold spot, and there must be a supervoid existing in the place of the cold-spot then.
Lambda-CDM Model of the Universe.
Hide and seek
Discussing another study in 2007 at the University of Minnesota by Rudnick and colleagues claimed the presence of supervoid in that place, but a prominent dip in extragalactic brightness and numbers of radio sources that were present there, as seen through the NVSS radio catalog. But another study done by University of Cambridge researchers under Kendrick Smith and collaborators of the University of Michigan in 2010 found that there’s no data evidence for the presence of dips in NVSS maps, which dismissed the presence of a supervoid. Further later in 2014, Seshadri Nadathur of the University of Helsinki concluded that the ISW influence on the CMB light from the believed supervoid is not a possible explanation of the cold-spot. They said that for the possibility of the necessary photon temperature decrease via ISW, the supervoid must be extremely massive and without matter that our standard model of the cosmology will be violated and changed, known as ΛCDM.
ACDM provides us with an overall understanding of the Universe in a way that dark matter (26.8% of the Universe is mass/energy) and dark energy for 68.3%. The war between the gravity of the dark matter and dark energy’s expansion of the cosmos. Nedathur’s work finds that by anyway, we ought to explain the cold-spot that would be completely anomalous for our knowledge of today.
More puzzling, another claim rose in 2014, when a team of astronomers under the leadership of István Szapudi of the University of Hawaii found a rare supervoid, with a size of 1.8 billion light-years. And they quoted it as “the largest individual structure ever identified by humanity.” They combined the infrared data from NASA’s Wide-field Survey Explorer (WISE) 2MASS Catalogue and Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) optical observations for it. They surveyed galaxies near the cold-spot boundaries and found a supervoid. According to the team of Hawaii, the void was 3 Billion light-years away from us, which was not found in previous surveys because searches in the past focused on the early Universe, farther away from us in space and time. Besides this discovery, researchers realized that the large supervoid isn’t enough for the CMB Cold Spot’s temperature down, as the cooling Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect would be a maximum of 20μK.
To test the hypothesis of Szapudi, spectroscopic data was used by a team led by Ruari Mackenzie of the University of Durham from the 2dF-VST ATLAS Cold Spot Redshift (2CSz) survey at the Anglo-Australian Telescope in New South Wales, so they could study the redshift in-line of sight to the cold spot. They measured twice from different lines of sight and found three voids out to a distance of three billion light-years and with a possibility of a fourth void as well. Although all the voids were smaller than the void Szapudi predicted in his research, they all had an overall 31μK ISW cooling impact, but simply not most-likely enough to support the cold spot.
Surprisingly, all the research led to this theory that the voids are not the conclusion here; it’s due to something else, the massive size must have something to with primordial fluctuations. This is so because the standard ΛCDM model will be conflicting if we go through Szapudi’s idea of supervoid. While on the other hand, coded simulations suggest that there’s only a 1 in 50 chance of random, nonGaussian quantum fluctuation in the CMB for the birth of the cosmic cold spot.
Unusual Structures
Thinking with a different approach, there lies another explanation for the cold spot of the CMB. Maybe the motion of matter or galaxies within that region is unusual, with a super gravitational effect. This could be something similar to the concept of “Greater Attractor,” a kind of abnormality at the mid-point of Laniakea supercluster (the object between our Milky Way) which occurs due to extremity of the presence of mass, and the related “Dipole Repelling,” which works as a gravitational repulsion on the large scale flow of galaxies in our local group, and that might be supposed to exist due to large supervoid. These both have their effect on the CMB dipole, but none such abnormal or unusual structures have been identified within the cold-spot or its surrounding place. Another study from independent sources by Qi Quo and fellows at the Chinese Academy of Science pushed forward the probability of 19 dwarf galaxies that have dark-matter insufficiency, which is very strange because mostly these small galaxies are filled with dark matter normally.
Among these galaxies, 14 are isolated, and they are not the satellite-orbiting type around a large galaxy like ours, which leads to the view that the dark matter deficiency was not the result of any connection with larger or other dwarf galaxies. As per studies, these low-dark-matter dwarf galaxies may change the results of other ISW parameters, all of which are impacted by dark matter. Some cosmologists believe that may be a cold-spot answer lies with the theory of inflation itself? Or maybe after it. Maybe after the whole big-bag, within the infant universe, this patch of the Universe went on for a longer period of infancy, due to which the cold-spot came into being naturally in that part of the Universe. That’s a theory put forward by Yi Wang at the Honk Kong University of Science and Technology and Yin-Zhe Ma of the University of KwaZulu-Natal of South Africa. They proposed a “feature scattering” system of inflation that predicts cold spots (not hot ones). But, still, these substantial questions must be consistent with the validity of other phenomena, including the impact of such anomalies on permutations of density and the overall stars and galaxy evolutions within our Universe.
Since I’ve discussed so many circulating solutions to uncover this mystery, it’s important to consider each explanation with the larger context of the cosmology, such as Ia supernovae, baryonic acoustic oscillations, and the entire CMB itself for supporting evidence. Some gravitational physicists suggest that a more precise Hubble constant value can be arrived at in the future through mergers of neutron stars or black holes. These observations, with some changes in value for the cosmological parameters, must support the ΛCDM, and so any solution must be consistent and agreeable with the model.
But, still exploring alternatives outside our standard model play an important role in studying the anomalies such as itself, the cold-spot. For example, Elenora Di Valentino at the University of Manchester carefully studied the Planck satellite data of 2018, and their findings challenged our understanding of the usual ΛCDM assumption of the Universe being flat. Their results pointed out a “closed universe,” which is contradictory to our present assumptions and challenges the inflation theory. While their research was only 3σ, not conclusive, it needs a parallel study for more investigation as a cross-check.
The above map shows CMB fluctuations. Credits: ESA
The map shows the amplitude fluctuations polarization. While the temperature map clearly signifies the cold spot, the anomaly. It doesn’t show any statistical signification in anomalies of the polarization map, but doesn’t rule out the potential relevance of seen in the temperature map, but makes it more mysterious as a puzzle to be followed. Credits: ESA
Getting to an exotic route?
As we don’t have any standardized explanation or theory for the cold-spot of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, some thinkers, for instance, philosophical actors, opt for a more weird possibility that the cold spot might be due to a “collision” between our Universe and a parallel universe. This goes with the popular multiverse theory we hear today by physicists all around the world. It says that the Universe collides and interacts over-time. The other Universe must have collided with ours, also thanks to the quantum entanglement between universes before they were separated at first by the cosmic inflation, and the interactions left this footprint on the CMB as a cold-spot. But, still, the “ECREE: Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence as said by Dr. Carl Sagan” and must be following the laws of other cosmological observations. If there’s a possibility to the theory of collision between universes, then there would have been an identifiable polarization signal in the coldspot. This has been suggested by Tom Shanks of the Centre of Extragalactic Astronomy at Durham University in 2017.
The recent data results of the Planck team in 2019 involved further analysis of the polarization found in the CMB (that’s entirely different from its temperature scale) to further dive into the anomalies and mysteries such as the cold spot. Planck’s multi-frequency data are designed to eliminate noises already existing from other microwave sources, including the dust and gas coming in between surveys from our own Milky Way. Even due to this scrupulous and worthy analysis, they failed to find any specific breakthrough traces of anomalies in the polarization maps (shown in maps). Till now, the Planck team has not denied or confirmed any of the nature of such anomalies as cold spots. This leaves an open-minded possibility of testation and explanations that would better our understanding and the implications of laws of physics for parameters at a cosmological scale.
Giant Magellan Telescope to be finished in 2029 as per gmto.org. Credits: GMTO
Further in the future, we need more data from more sensitive telescopes such as the MeerKAT array and other ventures like Giant Magellan Telescope and Square Kilometre Array. We also need to understand more about the existing forces such as Dark Energy and how it plays a role in the overall evolution of our Universe every passing second to understand the workings of the Integrated Sache-Wolfe effect. We do not reach any steady conclusion about the CMB cold spot with our present knowledge and limitations. So, we direly need better observational data or maybe revisitation in our current universal understandings. On the bright side, we can always use more advanced ground or space-based telescopes to get deeper to find a substantial explanation for the question of this enigmatic scientific occurrence of CMB cold spot.
References:
1. “The Enduring Enigma of the Cosmic Cold Spot.” Physics World, 11 Feb. 2020, https://physicsworld.com/a/the-enduring-enigma-of-the-cosmic-cold-spot/.
2. Dark Matter & Dark Energy | University of Oxford Department of Physics. https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/research/dark-matter-dark-energy. Accessed 27 Jan. 2021.
3. “Astronomers Discover Largest Known Structure in the Universe Is … a Big Hole.” The Guardian, 20 Apr. 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/apr/20/astronomers-discover-largest-known-structure-in-the-universe-is-a-big-hole.
4. Goss, Heather. “What Created the Universe’s Cold Spot?” Air & Space Magazine, https://www.airspacemag.com/space/what-created-universes-cold-spot-180955343/. Accessed 27 Jan. 2021.
5. Hu W, Dodelson S. Cosmic microwave background anisotropies. Annu Rev Astron Astrophys. (2002) 40:171–216. doi: 10.1146/annurev.astro.40.060401.093926
6. Kolb EW, Turner MS. The early Universe. Front Phys. (1990) 69:1–547.
Childhood obesity is not something that has plagued only a particular part of the world rather; it is branching to every nook and corner of the world. Unfortunately, we humans do not take anything seriously until it smacks us right into our faces and rattles our bones. The pandemic is just like a fine wine; the longer it is left alone, the more it ferments and the costlier it becomes; yet terrible in taste.
You might not be alarmed by the situation yet but the facts will startle you. The rise in the obesity rate is not one or twofold rather a tenfold increase in the last 40 years since 1975. To conduct the study, a team from the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RISC), led by researchers from Imperial College London and the World Health Organisation (WHO), analyzed 2,416 different existing studies that measured the height and weight of a total of 31·5 million 5- to 19-year-olds from 200 countries.
They found that from 1975 to 2016, the number of girls with obesity went from 5 million to 50 million, and the number of boys with obesity went from 6 million to 74 million. That doesn’t even include the 213 million children and adolescents that fell in the overweight range in 2016.
Few extra pounds have enough potential to make childhood miserable and a lifelong course that will eventually lead to low quality of life. Obese children might look bulky and healthy, but they are often malnourished lacking essential vitamins in their bodies, diagnosed with serious medical conditions.
Obesity is a life-threatening disease — diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, musculoskeletal disorders, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease all stem from obesity and completely deteriorating a child’s health. They face physical health problems and major setbacks mentally, including poor self-esteem due to depression, anxiety, and complexes related to their body image.
It is not merely the result of parent’s ignorance or the laziness and bad choices of our kids when it comes to food. The whole shift of system from processed food, beverages to the way our communities, workplaces operate to the activities we indulge ourselves into. The new transit system has just digitalized everything minimizing the mobility and physical activity restricting the new generation to their cellphones and computers.
The rise in obesity is like a ski slope; to stop this snowball effect, we have to closely monitor the symptoms, causes, and risk factors of the problem so that we can address it in a more professional way; involving all the stakeholders and relevant departments to bring changes on a systematic level.
How do you know if your child is obese?
You might not be able to know by the physical appearance of your child whether the child is obese or not. Child weight depends on the body frame and the fat percentage in the body, which vary at various growth stages.
Obesity is defined by Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a standard scale used worldwide to calculate overweight or obesity. BMI is calculated by taking weight concerning height; at or above the 95th percentile for obese children and teens of the same age and sex.
If you are worried about your child’s weight, it is better to consult a doctor rather than doing self-medications. The doctor will find BMI with other tests and consider your family’s weight-for-height history to see where your child land on the growth chart and will decide accordingly whether your child is obese or not.
What are the causes of obesity in children?
Not one factor alone but a combination of factors make a child overweight or obese.
Diet: One of the leading factors of obesity in kids is regular intake of junk food consisting of more salt, more sugar, artificial sweeteners, and other hazardous ingredients. And brownie points to the desserts, candies, chocolates, and all the sodas and sugary drinks, posing life-threatening risks other than obesity.
Lack of physical Exercise: Kids having a more sedentary lifestyle, spending more time on their tablets playing video games, or watching cartoons are more prone to gain weight than the kids who actively participate in physical activities, including bicycling and other outdoor sports.
Genetic Factor: Your family history and genes also play a significant role in your kids’ weight. Suppose your child comes from a family of overweight people. He/she has significant chances of becoming obese.
Psychological factors: Kids who don’t know how to express their emotions or when their parents do not address their emotions or problems or loved ones overreact to the situations. Few children tend to overeat when they feel under stress, anxiety, or fighting their boredom.
Socioeconomic factors: Children being raised in neighborhoods lacking access to supermarkets often eatconvenience foods, such as frozen meals, crackers, and cookies that result in obesity. Also, the lower-income communities lacking safe exercise spaces where physical activities are not encouraged, kids are likely to gain weight.
Medications: Certain prescription drugs including prednisone, lithium, amitriptyline, paroxetine (Paxil), gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise, Horizant), and propranolol (Inderal, Hemangeol) can cause obesity.
Children being raised in neighborhoods lacking access to supermarkets often eat convenience foods, such as frozen meals, crackers, and cookies that result in obesity.
Risk factors for childhood Overweight
Type 2 diabetes: Obese child faces four times the risk of developing type 2 diabetes that affects how the child uses glucose.
High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol: Around70% of obese children have at least one CVD risk factor; they have higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP). Plaque buildup in their arteries, causing them to narrow and harden, resulting in a stroke or heart attack later in life.
Joint Pain: Obese children are often victimized to pain and sometimes injuries in the hips, knees, and back because of extra stress on hips and knees.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): This disorder causes the deposition of fatty acids in the liver leading to scarring and liver damage.
Breathing problems: Asthma is prevalent in obese children. Also, sleep apnea, the disorder in which a child’s breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep.
Emotional Complications: Overweight kids may experience bullying from their peers resulting in a loss of self-esteem and an increased risk of depression and anxiety
How can you prevent your child from being obese?
A child nutrition researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Sara Benjamin-Neelon, says
“The most important opportunity to prevent childhood obesity is within the first thousand days after birth, during that time, mothers should breastfeed as much as possible and especially avoid unhealthy food during an infant’s transition to solid foods, a formative time for a child’s metabolism.“
Other important factors that can help prevent weight gain in your child are :
Be an example for your child
Make sure to adopt a healthy lifestyle as a parent performing all the physical exercises and confirming healthy eating, including greens and fruits, in your daily routine so that you might inspire your child towards a healthy lifestyle.
Offer healthy food alternatives to your child
Try to replace all the junk food with alternative healthy choices, including air-popped popcorn without butter, fruits with low-fat yogurt, baby carrots with hummus, or whole-grain cereal low-fat milk. Try new recipes and put some effort into making food appealing for kids – the senses are of the utmost importance for kids.
Incorporate new foods
It might be difficult for you to make your child get used to any new food. But don’t be discouraged; kids take time in acceptance. Expose new food to your child in different ways, let them know about the food’s nutritious value.
Be conscious of your child’s sleep schedule
Make sure that your child completes the whole 8 hr. sleep cycle at every cost. Lack of sleep can cause hormonal imbalance resulting in increased appetite.
Use Non-Reward Technique
Offering candy or anything junk as a reward is a bad idea. Stop it now!
With every passing day, the situation is getting worse- a study led by the World Obesity Federation projected the number of obese/ overweight children worldwide to grow by 100 million by 2030. Organizations like WHO, Mayor Bloomberg, former First Lady Michelle Obama, the Obesity Action Coalition, the Obesity Society, the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) are trying their best to make people aware and bring changes on a systematic level still stats are a clear indication that we have to deal this matter with more responsibility.
Parents should make sure to take their kids to a child specialist once a year for medical examination. And the government should also take sufficient actions, apply taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), and improve food labeling, manufacturers reducing the amount of sugar, and school lunch programs.
It can be said without a doubt that every person is aware of the term ‘nutrient.’ We hear it almost every day from TV commercials to our parents lecturing on healthy food habits, to studying the tables of nutritional values of foods in the science class. But nature always tends to balance things out and create paradoxes. In comes the ‘antinutrients’ that, as you might have guessed, work almost in the opposite way of nutrients.
These are synthetic compounds that are mostly found in crop plants and work by obstructing the absorption of nutrients in your body. They usually help the species they originate in but tend to negatively affect those who consume them further down the food chain. For instance, cyanogenic glycosides, that are present in cassava. Working to dissuade herbivores and combat pests, these compounds help plants and are relatively nontoxic. But if one consumes the plants by chewing them, enzymes release hydrogen cyanide which is a very dangerous chemical compound, leading to disastrous consequences. Getting in the way of digestive enzymes is one of their working mechanisms that disrupt the normal absorption in the living system.
According to A. Venket Rao, Ph.D., professor emeritus from the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto, who has worked on and studied compounds in plant foods, “… fruits contain seeds for the purpose of propagation of their species. However, if birds and animals were to eat the fruits containing the seeds and digest them to obtain additional nutrients and calories, then there will be no seeds left for the continuation of the plant species. So, they make compounds that are so bitter that birds and animals discard them while consuming the fruits. Some of these compounds may also prevent the activity of the digestive enzymes so that even if the seeds are consumed, they are excreted without altering their physiology.”
Antinutrients are synthetic compounds that are mostly found in crop plants and work by obstructing the absorption of nutrients in your body
Antinutrients are present in several foods, including legumes, beans, grains, nuts, etc. There are many seed food that also contains antinutrients such as phytic acid, leptins, and saponins where they are mainly used as a defense mechanism, as mentioned above. The tight binding with vitamins and minerals renders them unabsorbable. These are also present in the roots of plants, leaves, and fruits but in a very low concentration that is likely to have more benefits than detriments.
Although a few of them have certain benefits, most have unfavorable effects. Here are a few antinutrients that should preferably be avoided in one’s diet.
Gluten
Gluten is infamous as a plant protein difficult to digest that causes gastrointestinal complications. It is an enzyme inhibitor that also induces allergic reactions and autoimmune diseases, etc. The sensitivity associated with this protein is classified as classic symptoms/adverse reactions to foods like wheat, rye, and barley. The severe form is called celiac disease, but gluten can also cause mild issues such as headaches, fatigue, joint pain, etc.
Phytate or Phytic Acid
This compound is present in grains and legumes and hinders the integration of minerals in the human body, including copper, iron, zinc, calcium, etc. Research has suggested that around 80 percent of phosphorus in high-phosphorus foods like sunflower seeds or pumpkin can be interfered with and blocked by phytate. The same goes for foods that are rich in magnesium or zinc. Not only that, but it also meddles with the absorption of iron and calcium, which can cause anemic issues and loss in bone density, and with essential digestive enzymes. Consumption of foods that have high amounts of Vitamin C or Vitamin A can compensate for iron deficiency. But, even with sinister effects, phytates have been associated with enhancing immune functions and antioxidant properties.
Lectins
Lectins are present in high amounts in beans and wheat, causing bloating and indigestion. Importantly, they can survive digestion by the gastrointestinal tract and have the ability to harm the membranes of the epithelium lining and provoke autoimmune reactions by interfering with the bacterial flora. Raw grains that have been prepared improperly contain high levels of lectin. But, instead of cutting them out of your diet, you can reduce their content in the foods by preparing them properly, such as “soaking and sprouting grains and seeds” or through “fermentation.” Research has suggested that lectins may help in reducing the risk of several diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disorders, etc. Scientists are figuring out ways to understand more about the health-promoting effects of these antinutrients.
Lectins are present in high amounts in beans and wheat, causing bloating and indigestion
Isoflavones
This polyphenolic is present in increased amounts in soybeans that can contribute towards disturbance in hormone levels and digestive issues. If beans are prepared in a proper manner, isoflavones can be advantageous in smaller doses, but it’s still not recommended. Because of their estrogen-like effects, these compounds are classified as phytoestrogens and endocrine disruptors.
Tannins
Tannins are inhibitors of enzymes and cause improper digestion, GIT issues, and protein deficiency. Enzymes play a crucial role in metabolizing the food we consume and help provide nourishment to reach our cells. If they aren’t working correctly, metabolism is severely affected, leading to diarrhea, constipation, bloating, etc. Positively, in low concentrations, tannins work as antioxidants that can inhibit the growth of several microorganisms and may also help to reduce blood pressure.
Even though they have some evil properties, they can be useful if consumed in safe small amounts. It is also thought that they might get an image makeover like dietary fibers, but extensive research is required to accept this claim. Nevertheless, we should always be cautious of what we are putting in our bodies and adjust our diet to our needs.
The NASA Perseverance rover, launched in 2020, successfully landed on Mars after completing a journey of 292.5 million-mile from Earth. The touchdown was ‘flawless’ and the rover immediately sent back first images of the landing site, in which the shadow of the rover over the surface of its landing site of Jezero Crater was apparent.
The acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said, “This landing is one of those pivotal moments for NASA, the United States, and space exploration globally — when we know we are on the cusp of discovery and sharpening our pencils, so to speak, to rewrite the textbooks.”
“The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission embodies our nation’s spirit of persevering even in the most challenging of situations, inspiring, and advancing science and exploration. The mission itself personifies the human ideal of persevering toward the future and will help us prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet in the 2030s.”
Colorized versions of the screen capture of NASA Perseverance’s first images after its successful landing on Mars Credit: NASA
A composite CTX image of the NASA Perseverance landing ellipse, with the Terrain Relative Navigation data overlain on top. Yellow indicates bad and red worse. The spacecraft did an impeccable job of navigating the surface and finding the safe spot in the blue field amongst yellow and red. Credit: NASA
The landing site of NASA Persevere in Jezero Crater, Mars. Credit: NASA
The landing site in color
The interactive map shows the landing site of the Mars rover. Credit: NASA
Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, also said, “Because of today’s exciting events, the first pristine samples from carefully documented locations on another planet are another step closer to being returned to Earth.”
“Go ahead, try it! I’m telling you’re gonna love it.” my brother prodded us for the umpteenth time as the family sat at the table, looking suspiciously at the mushy cereal in the bowls in front of us. The mysterious contents of the cereal floating in the milk didn’t at all look as appealing as my brother made it sound with his lather of praise.
My bro who just returned to Pakistan a couple of days ago from the UK after finishing his studies, said that he has had it for breakfast almost every day in university life and never felt a single hunger pang till dinner.
“It’s highly nutritious and fulfilling. All my friends and all the girls in England ate it. It’ll keep you full the whole day, and you won’t need to eat anything at all!”
I gave a look to my sister, her face reflecting my expressions of uncertainty and confusion. Our eyes met, and we mutually agreed we definitely wanted to ‘eat nothing’ till night. Being used to three meals a day with a teatime in between, we had been subjected to constant criticism and bullying by our brother ever since he had returned to Pakistan. The blame of eating all day long was quite pressurizing and nerve-wracking for us.
“And it’ll help you flatten your bellies and correct your figures just like other girls.” My sister rolled her eyes. Boy had we been hearing that phrase. ‘Like other girls’ had become our brother’s favourite line to shoot at us. “Girls are so conscious of their diets and waists and bodies, and just LOOK at you two! Stuffing your faces with sugar and sitting around all day with no physical exercise ever since the lockdown began! Do you want to get diabetes or obesity or heart problems? You’re literally killing yourself! You’ll be bedridden at an early age!”
It was true. All of us at home had gained a little more weight ever since the lockdown routine began, and our brother had gone berserk at our lifestyles.
My sister finally conquered her doubts and tasted the first bite of Granola.it was, after all, her who had found a recipe and baked it after tenacious carping from our brother. He had given one look of deceit and horror to the parathas on our breakfast table and banned them from the premises of the Mazhar household.
I immediately followed my sister and loaded a spoonful of the ‘healthy breakfast’ into my mouth. We chewed for a few seconds, taking in the flavors of the different seeds and grains soaked by the milk. Our brother looked from one face to the other, waiting anxiously for the praise he expected to start pouring in.
“It’s just a LOT of nuts and seeds rolling around my mouth. They’re very hard and chewy and difficult to munch on.” My sister remarked.
“I’d prefer my paratha or sandwich to this. It’s not a satisfying flavour for the tastebuds, you know” I piped in.
My brother started laughing.” You guys are so silly and desi! I give up! Go ahead with your fats-loaded breakfasts.”
We were quite sceptical about it at the beginning since we felt so full after just a few spoons but we were psychologically not ready to accept that our hunger had been ceased by just a few spoons full of a cereal.
One 45g serving of typical oatmeal granola contains 200 calories while a whole wheat paratha contains 126 calories.
A typical Pakistani breakfast includes an excellent paratha with lassi, a nob of butter with an omelet, Achaar(pickle), or Salan (gravy), followed by a Karak cup Doodh Patti. That was the usual breakfast we had at our house. There was the option of pancakes or toast or talking about winter, especially makai ki roti with Saag. The idea of such a short and simple breakfast, which didn’t even take five minutes to finish but otherwise filled you up, wasn’t very delightful.
The recipe includes
Wheat porridge, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, melon seeds, coconut, almonds, cinnamon, and honey. These ingredients are being baked for 15 minutes at 250 degrees Celsius.
Ratios of the ingredients can vary according to the taste of different people. This breakfast is considered healthy because it contains no added oils other than the oils in the seeds. Its high in fibre and antioxidants and therefore a small amount will keep you energized throughout the day (literally). Also, it has no added sugar, It’s just the honey, which is a natural sweetener. The flaxseeds are amazing for your heart, for diabetics as well as for problems related to hormone imbalances. Granola is low in cholesterol as well, which makes it better than oily heavy breakfast options.
One 45g serving of typical oatmeal granola contains 200 calories while a whole wheat paratha contains 126 calories. I know this sounds more supportive for team paratha, but I must point out here that all the calories of the paratha are carbs, while granola includes complex carbohydrates and antioxidants. So, even if it is calorie-dense, it’s more nutrient-dense than a paratha too.
If you’re talking about granola bars from the market, Let me tell you that they have extra sugar and oils added to them, which makes them as fattening and unhealthy as your regular breakfast cereal. Companies and markets nowadays only tend to care about flavor and pumping up enthusiasm in buyers. They make a portion of completely nutritious food, unhealthy by adding extra sugar, sweetener, or preservatives which are basically chemicals. It leads to weight gain instead of weight loss. Also, many people may be allergic to one of the ingredients used in making granola, for example, many people are allergic to nuts and seeds.
It was Dr. Caleb Jackson of Dansville, New York, who invented this breakfast alternative in 1863. He was a farmer and social worker in his early life and later worked in hydropathy and diet and became a New York physician.
Nowadays, many companies make granola bars commercially with the addition of nuts and fruits.
Jayne Hurley, a senior nutritionist at the Centre of Science in the Public Interest, states that granola bars are ‘basically not health food but cookies masquerading as health food.’
A comparison shows that a Nature Valley peanut butter granola bar contains as many calories but half as much fats as an average-sized Kitkat bar.
This contains as many calories but half as much fats as an average-sized Kitkat bar.
Conclusion
So, is granola healthy or not? The punch-line is that it is very nutritious, most packaged varieties contain added sugar or calories and are therefore more damaging to our health.
Granola baked at home with only honey and no added sugar or oil is an excellent option, especially if you have to get up early and don’t have time to prepare breakfast. This is much better than your regular cereals, which are just overloaded with sugar and carbs and rarely any useful nutrients, despite their nutritional labels claiming them to be ‘power-packed’ breakfasts.
Everest movie is based on a true story. It revolves around a group of mountaineers trying to reach the top of the famous peak in 1996. Baltasar Kormákur directed this disaster-based movie. In its initial stages, the film did not gather much hype because there was no addition or extra polishing of the story, and it was presented to the viewers as it is. This shows the originality and reality of life how things do not always end up as we expect them to.
Everest is a strangely submissive series of events with a lot of ice, bearded men shouting over the high winds, and do-not-look-down, or you might fall moments. The base camp women communicate over the radio and telephone while mountaineers encountered the hurdles at the peak when they returned after the summit. The movie is paradoxically fast-paced and slow at the same time. Consequently, keeping the audience glued to the screens, nonetheless.
Everest is directed by Baltasar Kormákur and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Emily Watson, among others.
The events are set in 1996 when a group of people (Adventure Consultants), led by Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) and his rival group (Mountain Madness), directed by Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal), attempt to summit Mount Everest. Helen (Emily Watson) is the base camp manager of Rob. Rob’s team includes people from different professions: a doctor, a mailman who is an amateur climber, and an experienced mountain climber. An unfortunate journalist also joins them to write about the ill-fated expedition. Rob guides his team to know the reality and dangers they will face while hiking up Everest. He says, and I quote, “Human beings aren’t built to function at the cruising altitude of a 747.”, the very essence of this quote depicts an exciting aspect of this movie, where it is incorporating scientific facts and figures very diligently.
During the climb, there comes a time when there is a traffic jam of mountaineers. The two groups have to decide on who will proceed or retreat. Due to this overcrowding, Rob tries to convince his rival Scott to lessen the delays so both the groups can ascend without any loss. The climbers suffer from altitude sickness, high altitude pulmonary edema, hypoxia, and oxygen tank loss. Few climbers survive to tell the story. The unforgiving Everest consumes the rest.
The film incorporates scientific facts and figures very diligently.
There are some sentimental moments in the movie when Rob and his teammates make a deadly mistake. This causes the teammates to die due to a terrible storm. And later, Rob fails to reach the base camp, and his body remains in the beastly mountain. Another moment comes when Helen, the base camp manager, has to break the news of Rob’s death to his pregnant wife. Later his wife is gifted with a daughter who is named Sarah, as wished by Rob.
Peaks like Everest, K-2, and many more gobble up numerous precious lives who try to ascend it. The memory of people remains. Just like Rob and his team tried to summit Everest, Pakistan’s very own local Hero Ali Sadparra, a famous mountaineer, tried to summit K-2, the deadliest of the peaks in the bone-chilling winter. There is no track of him as to where he is, and all the efforts to find have been in vain. The search parties have lost hope. We are with a heavy heart trying to accept the fact that he will not return.
Everest portrays a story that is practical, chaotic and with an unsatisfying ending, that is to say not our everyday cliché happy-ever afters. In the end, one might feel as if he or she has laboriously reached the summit and came back at the end with a near-reality visual experience.
Food production in South Asian countries has shown a general upward trend during the last couple of decades. Despite the considerable increase in these countries’ population, including Pakistan, the food production per capita is higher. The available daily calorie supply is also adequate to meet the healthy lifestyle requirements.
Throughout our lives, we are exposed to a plethora of food items; everyone needs food to survive and maintain their daily chores. The purpose of food is to repair, develop, and nurture the new tissues, produce energy, and through activating chemical reactions in the human body, it protects against infections. Altogether healthy food plays a significant role in our mental and physical well-being, and to stay fit, we need all five food groups for a balanced diet.
That part is exact, but we are now fixed to other cravings that basically harm our health. We don’t need Bar BQ’s, burger, pizza, ice cream, and candy corn to survive. They are not essentials of food requirements still an indispensable part of modern lifestyle.
New research conducted by a Singapore-based start-up Ai Palette has pinpointed a few eating trends in South Asia for 2021. This report is based on the data collected through the direct tracking of consumer’s food preferences. The impact of COVID19 is global; the year nearly exhausted us both physically and mentally and has altered our lives completely. It restricted our freedom of traveling, spending time with peers and families and significantly hit our food hang-ups.
A majority of our food consumers now prefer food that boosts thinking and working capacity, lessens stress, and positively modifies their mental well-being. The Ai Palette team had collected data from multiple food resources such as search engine queries, social media conversations, hotel, restaurant menus and recipes, and picked around one thousand food trends.
These trends are then sorted out and classified into dormant, emerging, growing, mature, declining, and fading categories. They figured out that the food beverages that maintain a peaceful sleep are a growing conversational trend, mostly in South Asia, Europe, and the US. Thus, the report concluded that most surprisingly, consumers are continually showing interest in plant-based food components to maintain good physical and mental well-being.
Interestingly, it appears that after the spread of Coronavirus from the Chinese city Wuhan, the use of plant-based-protein has grown up to a significant range as an alternative to conventional animal-derived-meat and dairy products in many parts of the world, specifically in the US, UK, Europe, and India.
But no such trend is found in Pakistanis’ eating practices due to insufficient knowledge and awareness of a healthy lifestyle and nutrition. The layman in Pakistan is unconcerned that healthy food could be a precautionary measure against the COVID19 attack. Pakistan is the Hub of great food; from most spicy Lahori food to Baluchistan’s Sajji and Peshawar’s Chapli kabab, one can find a variety of items in daily menus.
There is an array of international fusion available at the doorstep
Gone are the days when you could enjoy only Desi foods in Pakistani restaurants. There is an array of international fusion available at the doorstep through Food Panda and other food delivery services. Food as a business is flourishing in Pakistan because of the inventiveness and originality of the people involved in it.
With more Pakistani women joining the workforce, home-cooked meals are becoming less of a daily tradition and more of a weekend luxury for these families. Despite being a developing nation and facing economic degradation, Pakistanis spend an estimate of more than 40% of their monthly salaries on food. This is why the food business is getting hype to meet the public’s growing demands and become the second-fastest growth sector of Pakistan.
According to the experts, Pakistan’s food industry is snowballing, still very much in its infancy, and needs to think of more ways to tantalize the public’s taste buds and make them line up for the next big thing. They need to realize that more eateries lead to more food choices and more indigenous and aspiring food trends. While working out on new trends, they should learn healthy nutrition guidelines, especially after the pandemic, when taking care of one’s health is not only necessary for themselves but equally vital for the well-being of their family and peers at the workplace.
In our nutrition edition, we highlight these issues that the public is uninformed of while choosing something in the restaurant’s menus or lining up weekly meals. At the same time, we bring some exciting stories and features on diet and nutrition. Have a good read!
In 700 A.D Ethiopia, Kaldi watched over his goats when he noticed some of them were dancing around full of energy. The curious shepherd went to check on his goats and discovered that they had eaten some strange red berries. Kaldi took this intriguing fruit to the local monastery. There, the monks couldn’t hide their excitement over the red berry they could use to stay up all night to pray. This is one of the many different stories of how the coffee bean was discovered. In one version, a Sufi Sheikh sees energetic birds singing because they had eaten that berry. In another, the son of the very same Sufi discovered the berry in a bush.
Since its discovery, coffee has traveled throughout the world and become a staple item in most households. Everywhere you go, you’ll find a coffee shop or two around, such is its demand. Over 2.25 Billion cups of coffee are drunk every day! It is primarily consumed for the same reason that excited the monks. Coffee contains caffeine, a natural stimulant that is why you are refueled by a coffee cup. By altering the nervous system’s functioning, it prevents fatigue from consuming the body and improves cognition.
Nonetheless, coffee is a psychoactive drug, i.e., it has a revitalizing effect on you through your nervous system. As the central nervous system starts functioning differently, the ‘fight or flight’ mode is enabled within you. You feel alertness similar to what you would think in a frightening situation, which may trigger an anxiety attack or increase your pre-existing anxiety. A high intake of caffeine can cause heart palpitations and increased blood pressure. Although this subsides quickly in most. But if you suffer from hypertension or other heart-related problems, you should drink coffee only if allowed by the doctor. Also, try to limit your intake to a moderate amount.
Coffee is widely believed to cause heart diseases in the long run as well. It is commonly seen to increase blood pressure and make your heart beat faster immediately after its intake. But is there any correlation between habitual drinking of coffee and the risk of cardiovascular disease? There is but not in the way most would think. Rather than a higher chance of such conditions, there is a significantly lesser risk of heart diseases in those who drink a moderate amount daily! This result is supported by several studies carried out on sizeable groups.
This is not the first time adverse side-effects have been falsely attributed to coffee over its long journey from Ethiopia. In 1511, the Meccan governor banned coffee and claimed that it had intoxicating effects. Thus, it was sinful. Although this decision was more politically motivated rather than based on factual information. It underwent the same treatment by the Catholic Europeans, who named it the ‘devil’s drink.’
More recently, in 1991, the World Health Organisation (WHO) enlisted coffee as a carcinogen (substances that can cause cancer). In 2016, WHO removed it from the list when results showed the polar opposite of this claim. Not only is it not detrimental to cancer, but some studies also show that coffee may even decrease the risk of many cancers.
So, if you’re healthy and allowed to by your physician, keep drinking that cup of coffee in the morning. Drink two or three cups if you please. It might even ensure you stay healthy.
All of us are familiar with the expression: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
While the positive effects of eating fruits are generally understood and acknowledged, is it really true that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, or is it a myth?
Well, the term was initially introduced in the year 1913. It was centered on a proverb from Pembrokeshire, which emerged in the year 1866. In particular, the actual statement was first published in a journal called Notes and Queries: “Eat an apple when you go to bed, and you will keep the doctor from earning his bread.”
For a long time, research findings have shown us that diets that are high in fresh substances may reduce the likelihood of numerous chronic illnesses. More comprehensive research, however, suggests that apples can be especially beneficial for good health.
In a report published in JAMA Internal Medicine,researchers conducted a study on 8400 people. Out of those 8400 people, 753 people ate an apple every day. The report concluded that there is no proof of whether eating an apple a day keeps the doctor away; however, few medications are prescribed to those US adults that eat an apple each day.
Research shows that consuming more apples may not be correlated with decreased visits to the hospital, and adding apples to our menu may actually boost many facets of our body and health. Apples are filled with fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. To eliminate dangerous compounds recognized as free radicals, vitamin C serves as an antioxidant and safeguards against viral infections.
Research shows that consuming more apples may not be correlated with decreased visits to the hospital, and adding apples to our menu may actually boost many facets of our body and health.
Apples contain soluble fiber, which can effectively decrease the rate of cholesterol and blood pressure. One analysis of over 20,000 people published in PubMed Central showed that reduced stroke risk was associated with eating more quantities of white-fleshed vegetables and fruits, particularly apples.
According to cancer studies published in PubMed Central, eating more apples was linked to a reduced possibility of getting lung cancer. Similar results were found by other studies, indicating that consuming apples was related to a reduced likelihood of developing colorectal cancer. Other evidence demonstrates that a fruit and vegetable-rich diet might safeguard against esophagus, stomach, and oral cavity cancer.
Other health benefits of apples include reduced risk of diabetes, improved bone health, and mental function. Note that much of the apples’ nutritional benefits tend to come from the skin, so the abundant amounts of antioxidants that the entire apple provides are missing in applesauce and peeled apples.
Like other fruits, apples alone are not able to keep us healthy, and we can’t expect apples to undo previous harm induced by improper dietary habits. Salt, sugar, and trans-fat-rich diets, even with an apple a day, do not contribute to improved health. Daily intake of apples, of course, is only useful as part of a balanced lifestyle and regular exercise.
For a balanced, reduced-fat, and calorie snack, apples are indeed a nice option. They are full of antioxidants and fiber, all of which can be beneficial against a range of serious illnesses. Consuming the entire fruit, along with the skin, is advised in order to get the full nutritional benefits from apples.
Remember, apples are not a substitution for a healthy lifestyle. And, there isn’t really a guarantee. People who are living exquisite lives nevertheless experience severe chronic diseases, including heart problems and cancer, and it is hard to access medical services if we hold the doctor away fully.
Visiting the doctor frequently will make it easier for him to discover situations that may threaten your health in the coming years, even if you feel completely alright whilst chewing on that red, tasty fruit.
