Science highlights: dwindling seafood, Alzheimer’s/Parkinson’s and inflammation, today’s fast food, and disease-carrying mosquitos

Rising ocean water temperatures are lowering stocks of fish globally

Rising sea water temperatures have lowered the yield of 235 fish stocks globally by 4% since 1930. However, by 2100, water temperatures will increase more than 3 times the current amount since 1930, plus tropical fish haven’t been factored in, and they’re most at risk. The global seafood supply is decreasing.

Read the article (Erik Stokstad, Science, 28 February 2019).

Inflammation may be the root cause behind Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

Both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s may be the result of neuroinflammation; the evidence for that is building. The inflammation–triggered by a virus, gut microbe, infection, stress, aging, etc. (different triggers in different people)–could start a cascade of harm.

Read the article (Karen Weintraub, Scientific American, 4 March 2019).

Today’s fast food is even less healthy than 30 years ago

Not a surprise–fast food menus are less healthy today than they were 30 years ago. Despite small attempts to mix in healthier options, the average fast food meal/portion size (entree + side + desert) is 30% larger, has 43% more calories, and 64% more salt than 30 years ago. Meanwhile, the obesity rate among adults in the United States has reached 40%–a 208% increase since the 1960’s.

Read the article (Tiffany Hsu, New York Times, 3 March 2019).

More and more of us are being exposed to disease-carrying mosquitos

Disease-carrying mosquitos are spreading across the U.S. and Europe at rates of 37-93 miles per year. By 2050, at least half the global population may be at risk of mosquito-borne diseases. Climate change, increasing population density, and urbanization will be major drivers.

Read the article (Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American, 7 March 2019).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.