Dengue fever is one of the reasons to avoid mosquitoes if at all possible. Millions of people catch it every year, and while four out of five don’t even show symptoms, others get it really bad — as in, total body pain, and bleeding from places that do not normally bleed. While many cases may be almost negligible, the disease can also usher in a miserable death. The same person might have a barely noticeable case one time, and the next time a fatal one.
To make matters worse, dengue has traveled to geographical areas where it did not use to exist, like the southern United States. And according to other recent news, both obesity and diabetes are risk factors that increase the likelihood of a person’s case of dengue being severe.
Researchers in Sri Lanka looked at 4,782 cases among young people aged 10 to 18. The Conclusions follow:
Obesity appears to be associated with an increased risk of hospitalization in dengue, which should be further investigated in longitudinal prospective studies. With the increase in obesity in many countries, it would be important to create awareness regarding obesity and risk of severe disease and hospitalization in dengue.
Another source pins down the hospitalization risk for obese children as being twice as high as for the others. The same report notes that “there has been limited focus on the impact of obesity on many infectious diseases.” Furthermore, the odds are worse for girls than for boys. (This caveat also applies to influenza, COVID-19, and “many other infections.”) Dengue has been identified as a Neglected Tropical Disease, so maybe having this connection pointed out will lead to more strenuous efforts toward prevention.
They just can’t seem to get it right
A study published in Nutrients reveals that “60% of all baby foods don’t meet standards established by the World Health Organization.” The research team tested 651 products sold by 10 different major retail chains and found that infant and toddler foods on supermarket shelves contain too much bad stuff and not enough good stuff:
In fact, researchers discovered that only about 30% of these products complied with the WHO’s protein recommendations and only 56% complied with sugar guidelines.
During the first year, a child does just fine with breast milk or iron-fortified formula. In the words of neonatal dietician Chelsea Britton, “Food before one is just for fun,” which is an excellent reason to ignore the commercial offerings and start acclimating a child to real food.
Recommended are “natural purees like yogurt, hummus, smashed beans, and smashed avocado.” Aim for protein, iron and calcium, and don’t add any salt or sugar. Let a child become accustomed to what real, genuine food is supposed to taste like, and don’t assume that your own jaded palate and overworked taste buds can be the judge of that.
In a separate but equally appalling offense, no brands meet the promotional standards set by the WHO, meaning that their advertising is misleading and the information they provide for the buyer is incorrect. It is forbidden to advertise a product as organic, non-GMO, BPA-free, or without artificial flavors or colors, if this claim is not factually true.
Forbidden, but apparently not enforceable. Another example would be calling something a fruit snack, whose main ingredient is flour. Lead researcher Daisy Coyle found that the average infant/toddler food label includes several prohibited claims. Only four products were found whose packaging featured no prohibited claims.
And don’t even look at the front label. Turn the jar around, take out your magnifier, and check the ingredients list and nutrition label, for the real story. Baby food from a grocery shelf should have a very short list of ingredients — the main vegetable, fruit or meat, and enough water to make it spoonable. The cereals, like oatmeal and rice, ought to contain added minerals and vitamins.
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: “Dengue fever,” MayoClinic.org, undated
Source: “Is the rise in childhood obesity rates leading to an increase in hospitalizations due to dengue?,” AC.uk, 2024
Source: “Childhood obesity tied to double the risk of dengue hospitalization,” UMN.edu, 06/28/24
Source: “Most Baby & Toddler Foods Don’t Meet Nutrition Standards, Study Finds,” Parents.com, 08/28/24
Image by markus119/Attribution 2.0 Generic
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