This text brings together part of the content of our health newsletter, published Tuesdays at 4 p.m.
Bye !
It is with great emotion that I write this last health diary. After almost five years as head of the science and health bureau, preceded by twenty years as a freelance reporter for Newsthe time has come for me to bow out. I remain deeply attached to this great magazine which occupies a unique place in the media universe. I am proud to have contributed to it and I thank from the bottom of my heart my bosses and colleagues, who have never sacrificed the depth and quality of information despite the headwinds that shake our society.
The health newsletter News does not disappear, and the magazine will also continue to inform you on science and health issues with all the relevance, clarity and rigor to which you are accustomed, thanks to a solid team of journalists and collaborating experts.
Personally, after having written more than 1,500 reports and columns, I feel the need to free myself from the keyboard barrier to transmit information differently, by facilitating in-person dialogue between scientists and other stakeholders in the field. society on issues that concern us all. In particular, I will devote more time to growing the Déclic Center, my baby born just before the pandemic. This non-profit organization supported by the Quebec Research Fund organizes meetings between scientists and the population, led by extension professionals, in public libraries, community organizations or other places throughout Quebec. The formula arouses a lot of interest and gives rise to wonderful exchanges. Talking to each other feels so good!
Dear readers, thank you for reading me all these years. I wish you the best for the future and entrust you to my fantastic colleagues.
Looking forward to meeting you in person,
Valerie
The jargon
-Pseudoephedrine
This substance which acts on the brain is used as a nasal decongestant. It is included in the composition of several over-the-counter cold medications, such as Tylenol Sinus or Sudafed Sinus. It can cause very rare but very serious side effects such as heart attacks, strokes or psychiatric disorders. Moreover, in France, since December, medications containing pseudoephedrine are only available by prescription.
In any case, you should know that these medications do not make the cold go away faster: they will, at best, alleviate the symptoms a little. They are not recommended for children, the elderly and those suffering from heart problems. Nasal washing with salt water is a safe alternative.
Besides its side effects, pseudoephedrine has another major drawback: it can be used to make methamphetamine, a powerful drug. For this reason, in Canada, medications for which it is the only active ingredient or which contain a lot of it are only available behind the counter in pharmacies, and Health Canada banned the sale of natural products containing this molecule last May.
The data
2,2 millions
This is the number of new cases of type 2 diabetes caused by the consumption of sugary drinks occurring in 2020 in 184 countries, estimate American researchers in a study published in Nature Medicine. That year, sugary drinks also caused 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease in these countries, which contain almost the entire world population. Overall, sugary drinks therefore represent an enormous burden, since they are the cause of nearly 10% of cases of diabetes worldwide and more than 3% of cardiovascular diseases, according to researchers.
Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America are proportionally the two regions most affected by the harmful effects of sugary drinks, with respectively one in five cases of diabetes and one in four cases attributable to them. This scourge hits men more than women, the young than the old, and city dwellers suffer more from it than people living in the countryside, the study shows. Between 1990 and 2020, the proportion of the population affected exploded in sub-Saharan Africa, while it tends to stabilize in Latin America. Aggressive policies can curb this serious problem, researchers say, but the sugary beverage industry’s powerful lobby is significantly hampering efforts.
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