Artificial sweeteners linked to higher diabetes risk in women

NEW evidence links artificial sweeteners to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes in women.

“Contrary to conventional thinking, the risk of diabetes is higher with 'light' beverages compared with ‘regular’ sweetened drinks," the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) said after publication of the research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The evidence comes from a wide-scale, long-term study, INSERM said in a press release.

More than 66,000 French women were quizzed about their dietary habits and their health was then monitored over 14 years. The women were middle-aged or older when they joined the study.

Sugar-sweetened soft drinks have previously been linked with an increased risk of diabetes, but less is known about their artificially-sweetened counterparts.

Medical Observer, 8th Feb 2013

BioEdge: German cleric apologises over rape victim mistreatment

BioEdge: German cleric apologises over rape victim mistreatment: "The incident, which occurred in December last year, involved a young woman suspected of being date-raped. An Emergency Centre doctor contacted Cologne’s St. Vincent’s Catholic Hospital and Holy Spirit Hospital to arrange a gynaecological examination for the woman, only to be told that these hospitals had a policy of not conducting examinations after sexual attacks. The hospitals were concerned that such examinations would force them to provide advice on unwanted pregnancies.

Cardinal Joachim Meisner said that there had been a grave “misunderstanding” in the hospitals. He stated that the hospitals should have provided the woman with medical help, though they would have drawn the line at treatment that would have prevented a pregnancy."

BioEdge: Israel halts underhanded contraceptive injections for Ethiopian migrants

BioEdge: Israel halts underhanded contraceptive injections for Ethiopian migrants: "Years of rumours that Ethiopian women were pressured into having contraceptive injections by Israeli officials have finally been confirmed. The Health Ministry has ordered immigration officials in Ethiopia and health workers in Israel to stop coercing or coaxing women into accepting the long-lasting injectable contraceptive Depo-Provera.

The directive instructed doctors “not to renew prescriptions of Depo Provera to women of Ethiopian origin or any other women who, for whatever reason, may not understand the treatment’s implications.” They should also ask patients why they want to take the shot, using a translator if necessary. The Ministry did not confirm or acknowledge any wrongdoing.

Ethiopians who claim to be Jews are welcome to migrate to Israel under the Law of Return, but they face discrimination and have not always integrated well into Israeli society. Births among Ethiopian women have dropped by 50% in the last decade, according to a report by the “Vacuum” investigative news program on Israeli Educational Television. “This story reeks of racism, paternalism and arrogance. It’s a story to be ashamed of,” journalist Gal Gabai concluded. "