Switching to electric school buses improves human, planetary health
Replacing diesel-run school buses with electric vehicles may yield up to $247,600 in climate and health benefits per bus, says a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (May). Researchers at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that benefits, including fewer greenhouse gas emissions and reduced adult mortality and childhood asthma and associated savings, are highest in large cities and among fleets of old (2005 and before) buses. To assess the health impact of diesel buses, the researchers compared how their respective emissions contribute to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5), linked to adult mortality and onset of childhood asthma
“Our findings offer strong evidence that accelerating the ongoing transition to electric school buses will benefit individual, public, and planetary health. In a dense urban settings where old diesel buses still comprise most school bus fleets, the savings incurred from electrifying buses outweigh the costs of replacement,” says Dr. Kari Nadeau, senior study author and chair of the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard University.
Low carb and high fat diets harm heart health
While popular fad keto-like low carbohydrate and high fat (LCHF) diets may precipitate weight loss, they are not good for heart health, says a study published in JACC: Advances. University of British Columbia (UBC) researchers say that LCHF diets are associated with increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) aka ‘bad cholesterol’ and apolipoprotein B levels, and result in significant risk increase of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Apolipoprotein B is a blood test to gauge risk of heart disease.
UBC researchers studied a pool of 305 LCHF and 1,220 standard diet participants and found that 11.1 percent of the LCHF cohort had high levels of cholesterol in the blood, as compared to 6.2 percent of standard diet individuals. A review after 11.8 years found that 9.8 percent of LCHF participants experienced a MACE, compared to 4.3 percent on standard diet.
“This latest study demonstrates the risk associated with ingesting higher amount of fat resulting in derangement of lipid parameters which can be life-threatening,” says Ashwani Mehta, senior consultant, department of cardiology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi.
Huge surge in youth procuring diabetes & weight loss drugs
Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor (USA), who analysed prescriptions of 12-25 year olds from American pharmacies, have reported rapid surge in youth procuring popular diabetes and weight loss drugs. Between 2020-2023, the number of adolescents and young adults with prescriptions for Ozempic, Wegovy and related drugs increased by nearly 600 percent (from 8,700 to over 60,000), says the study published in the medical journal JAMA (May). And more than three times as many women in the 18-25 age group bought these drugs than males.
“These drugs are meant for continuing use, so we really need to think about the long-term safety and effectiveness of these medications for this age group,” says Joyce Lee, a University of Michigan pediatrician and diabetes expert who led the research..
In recent years, Ozempic and Wegovy have become very popular for inducing dramatic weight loss.
Significant resistance to bloodstream infection antibiotics
Significant increase in resistance to antibiotics such as imipenem and meropenem prescribed to treat blood stream infections is resulting in rising fatalities, reveals a study published in The Lancet by researchers at the Centre of Excellence in Healthcare, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Researchers studied cases between January 2017 to December 2022 from 21 tertiary care centres in the ICMR network and found significant resistance to antibiotics. Primary data indicates that infection-related deaths due to multiple drug-resistant pathogens rose steadily to 21,092 in 2022 as against 7,879 cases in 2017. According to the study, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a global crisis with over 4.5 million deaths reported in 2019 and set to touch 10 million by 2050.
The study recommends immediate and targeted interventions, including further research, increased funding, and the formulation of effective local policies for AMR containment.