All Day Long: a portrait of Britain at work by Joanna Biggs
[Serpent's Tail, 2016 978 1 78125 188 1 ]
A fascinating and eye-opening read.
What do people do all day and how does this affect our lives?
Joanna Biggs has interviewed people from Westminster to the Outer Hebrides, and from Liverpool to Lincoln, in a wide range of jobs. Along with what the work entails, she finds out about working conditions and practices, hours of work, pay and perceived status of the different occupations. The final section looks at interns, apprentices and unemployment schemes.
END
Sunday, 27 October 2019
Sunday, 20 October 2019
Time Restricted Eating
More people now tend to eat soon after getting up in the morning, snack through the day and on into the evening, so the eating 'window' is often 14 hours or longer. Researchers say that this way of eating, even if you are a healthy weight, disrupts the body's 24 hour body clock (circadian rhythm). The body clock governs the sleep/wake pattern, the digestive system and every cell in the body.
The gut is better at digesting and absorbing food during the day, because at night it is primed to repair itself, so the production of saliva and digestive enzymes slows down and food moves more slowly through the digestive tract. If you eat food late at night, food sits there. All this puts us at bigger risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Time restricted eating means consuming food within a daily period of 12 hours or less. This effectively extends the time you are 'fasting' or not eating (i.e. while asleep). So you could choose to eat between 7am and 7pm, or 8am and 8pm, or go for a shorter eating window (say 7am to 5pm, so 10 hours). If this is not possible, just aim to finish eating at least 3 hours before going to bed, or by 7pm or 8pm.
Because you are not required to change what you eat, only when you eat, it can be done whatever your lifestyle or food preferences. However, this is not a licence to eat whatever you want; focus on fruit, vegetables, beans, wholegrains, lentils, fish, olive oil and nuts.
While not a weight loss diet, many people find they do reduce their calorie intake and lose some weight, either because they feel less hungry, or have fewer opportunities to eat. people also report feeling less hungry, more energetic and sleeping better.
Your body switches from digestion to focusing on repair. Killing off old cells and regenerating new ones, allows the cells of your liver, pancreas and gut cope better with the food you ingest. You are then less likely to have blood sugar spikes and cholesterol imbalances.
Is this ok for everyone? The feature noted 'avoid the plan if pregnant or breast-feeding' and advised consulting a doctor before you begin if you have a medical condition (e.g. heart disease or diabetes) or a history of eating disorders.
Source: feature in Good Housekeeping, July 2019.
The gut is better at digesting and absorbing food during the day, because at night it is primed to repair itself, so the production of saliva and digestive enzymes slows down and food moves more slowly through the digestive tract. If you eat food late at night, food sits there. All this puts us at bigger risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Time restricted eating means consuming food within a daily period of 12 hours or less. This effectively extends the time you are 'fasting' or not eating (i.e. while asleep). So you could choose to eat between 7am and 7pm, or 8am and 8pm, or go for a shorter eating window (say 7am to 5pm, so 10 hours). If this is not possible, just aim to finish eating at least 3 hours before going to bed, or by 7pm or 8pm.
Because you are not required to change what you eat, only when you eat, it can be done whatever your lifestyle or food preferences. However, this is not a licence to eat whatever you want; focus on fruit, vegetables, beans, wholegrains, lentils, fish, olive oil and nuts.
While not a weight loss diet, many people find they do reduce their calorie intake and lose some weight, either because they feel less hungry, or have fewer opportunities to eat. people also report feeling less hungry, more energetic and sleeping better.
Your body switches from digestion to focusing on repair. Killing off old cells and regenerating new ones, allows the cells of your liver, pancreas and gut cope better with the food you ingest. You are then less likely to have blood sugar spikes and cholesterol imbalances.
Is this ok for everyone? The feature noted 'avoid the plan if pregnant or breast-feeding' and advised consulting a doctor before you begin if you have a medical condition (e.g. heart disease or diabetes) or a history of eating disorders.
Source: feature in Good Housekeeping, July 2019.
Sunday, 13 October 2019
The Truth About Food Allergies
The number of food allergies in the UK is increasing, with hospital admissions for allergic reactions and anaphylactic shock in England having risen by a third in the past five years. Latest estimates indicate around 1 to 2% of UK adults and 5 to 8% of children (roughly 2 children per classroom) living with a diagnosed food allergy. While the reason is not known, there are a number of theories that may explain the rise.
The lack of early childhood exposure to certain micro-organisms in the natural environment results in a less diverse microbiome (the population of microbes that live on and in our bodies) and a weaker immune system, which makes us more susceptible to allergies. Modern lifestyles mean we live large amounts of time indoors in clean environments, including home, school and work and less time outdoors, so our exposure to a diverse range of good and bad bugs is lower.
Delaying the introduction of allergenic foods for the first years of life may actually increase the risk of allergy rather than reduce it, as was previously thought. Those who started eating peanuts before they were 1 year old were less likely to have an allergy by age 5 than those who avoided peanuts.
The NHS currently advises introducing cow's milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat, nuts (not whole) and seeds before the age of one, adding them in small amounts to babies diets one at a time after the age of six months.
There is also a strong link between childhood eczema and food allergy risk. The earlier the onset and more severe the symptoms, the more likely a child is to develop a food allergy. It is thought that sensitization to food can occur through the skin, and having dry skin may increase the risk. To reduce the risk it is recommended to apply emollients to protect the skin's barrier.
Another theory links food allergy to reduced exposure to sunlight, an important source of vitamin D. Babies with vitamin D deficiency are three times more likely to have an egg allergy and eleven times more likely to have a peanut allergy.
Source: feature in Good Housekeeping, March 2019
The lack of early childhood exposure to certain micro-organisms in the natural environment results in a less diverse microbiome (the population of microbes that live on and in our bodies) and a weaker immune system, which makes us more susceptible to allergies. Modern lifestyles mean we live large amounts of time indoors in clean environments, including home, school and work and less time outdoors, so our exposure to a diverse range of good and bad bugs is lower.
Delaying the introduction of allergenic foods for the first years of life may actually increase the risk of allergy rather than reduce it, as was previously thought. Those who started eating peanuts before they were 1 year old were less likely to have an allergy by age 5 than those who avoided peanuts.
The NHS currently advises introducing cow's milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat, nuts (not whole) and seeds before the age of one, adding them in small amounts to babies diets one at a time after the age of six months.
There is also a strong link between childhood eczema and food allergy risk. The earlier the onset and more severe the symptoms, the more likely a child is to develop a food allergy. It is thought that sensitization to food can occur through the skin, and having dry skin may increase the risk. To reduce the risk it is recommended to apply emollients to protect the skin's barrier.
Another theory links food allergy to reduced exposure to sunlight, an important source of vitamin D. Babies with vitamin D deficiency are three times more likely to have an egg allergy and eleven times more likely to have a peanut allergy.
Source: feature in Good Housekeeping, March 2019
Sunday, 6 October 2019
The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being
The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being: Evolution and the Making of Us by Alice Roberts.
Heron Books, 2014 (ISBN: 978 1 84866 477 7)
A fascinating look about how a human develops from embryo to birth, and how this fits in with current evolutionary theory. If you get a chance to watch one of Alice Robert's documentaries (shown on the BBC TV channel) then do; she combines a passion for her subject with clear explanations.
Each of us begins as a single cell and ends up as a complex organism. Our bodies work, but have both flaws and successful parts. They also show our history as we still retain traces of very ancient ancestors in the way embryos develop. "No organism is 'designed' by evolution from scratch. It's all about tweaking and tinkering with what's already there." Alice Roberts.
Here are some fascinating things I learnt.
Our DNA contains a set of instructions for building an embryo; when particular genes are switched on, cells produce signalling proteins which tell other cells what to do next, and this is different for each species. New genes usually appear as duplicates of existing ones, and occur due to mistakes in copying DNA. Early organisms had one cluster of pattern generating Hox genes, while mammals have four clusters. Multiple genes may (a) be surplus to requirements and degenerate or disappear or (b) one fulfils its old function and the duplicate can be used for something else. Some genes have multiple functions and are switched on and off at different times doing a different job each time. Your body is not exclusively determined by your DNA, but is also a product of how you use your body.
The early embryo divides into three layers: the ectoderm will become skin and nerves, the mesoderm forms bones, muscles and blood vessels, and the endoderm lines the gut, lungs and bladder. The ectoderm initially forms the neural tube; if this fails to fuse together at the 'head' end, the embryo will have no brain and die at or soon after birth. If the neural tube fails to fuse properly lower down, the baby will be born with spina bifida, a condition which ranges in severity.
At birth a baby will have most of its neurones (brain cells) and far too many connections. Superfluous connections are pruned back as the brain develops, based on experiences; this continues lifelong. Mirror neurones enable us to imitate and learn from others. Most mammals have more than 1,000 genes for olfactory sensors (3% of the genome), but humans have less than 400 active smell genes (most primates have 300 to 400 active smell genes). Complex eyes and colour vision has evolved and disappeared in different species over time. It is easy to see where a human is looking due to the large amount of 'white' of the eye (the sclera) and contrast between this and the iris. We are born with attention to eye gaze.
Brains are very energy-hungry, consuming around 20% of our entire daily energy requirements while only making up 2% of our body mass. A 2011 study found that mammals rely either on being smart or having good energy stores (fat). Humans are unusual with big brains and only relatively fat. Our guts, while small for our body size, are standard for fruit/omnivore eaters, meaning we can be very flexible in our diets.
Our tongues are important for intelligible speech and different to other mammals, including primates. They are rounded and highly mobile, not long and flat like most other mammals. The human larynx is fairly standard for mammals, but the human voice-box is very low in the neck, giving a long vocal tract between vocal cords and lips. The larynx may have moved downward due to a flatter face and so as not to be squashed between tongue and spine, which has an S shape due to our habitual bipedalism.
The human skeleton is evidence of habitual bipedalism: our basin-shaped pelvis, relatively large hip and knee joints, inward angle at knee, shape of ankle joints, springy feet, short toes and big toe in line with other toes. We went from walking in the trees to walking on the ground. For larger bodied mammals it is better to hang from a branch or stand up on it and use arms to steady ourselves and reach for fruit. The human chest is barrel shaped, with the bottom of the ribcage curving inwards. The chest is wide, shoulder blades lower and further apart than other primates; this allows us swing our arms as a counter-balance while walking. We have a lumbar spinal curve and lower pelvis which is better for balancing upright and walking. Our long legs and short toes make us good at distance running.
Our arms and hands are exceptionally mobile. Our shoulder blade is only anchored by muscles allowing large range of movement. Our low and wide shoulders enable us to throw things (e.g. spears to catch animals). Forearm bones can move, so we can turn hand palm upwards. Muscles in thumbs specific to humans allow us to apply force with a tool gripped in the hand. We can also extend thumb to the side.
Most primate babies are highly developed at birth, while human babies are very helpless. Chimp brain at birth is 40% of adult one, human brain 30% of adult size. Can't move around or hang on to mother, and need to be carried for first year. This guarantees intensive contact between baby and parents/care givers.
Human gestation is more than a month longer than expected for a primate our size, but our babies still have a lot of growing to do. Miscarriages act as a natural screening programme; without this loss it is estimated that 12% of babies would be born with defects (the actual rate is just 2%). Labour starts when a woman's metabolic rate rises to 2.1 times the normal rate. At this point the energy demands of the foetus exceed the maternal capacity for supply. The female pelvis is only just wide enough for baby's head and broad shoulders, and three rotations of emerging baby are needed during birth. Fossil evidence shows female human pelvis has increased in width over time.
While other primates seek seclusion for birth, human mothers seek assistance. Even so, obstructed labour (rare in archaeological record) is still a problem in many human populations ( 3 to 6 per 100 births). It is higher in contemporary agricultural communities where childhood malnutrition affects the growth of girls (shorter women and smaller pelves). In countries with poorer obstetric care it is possible that natural selection may be acting now to favour (a) women with wide pelves despite malnutrition, or (b) smaller babies. In richer countries natural selection is side-stepped by caesarean births and midwife assistance.
END
Heron Books, 2014 (ISBN: 978 1 84866 477 7)
A fascinating look about how a human develops from embryo to birth, and how this fits in with current evolutionary theory. If you get a chance to watch one of Alice Robert's documentaries (shown on the BBC TV channel) then do; she combines a passion for her subject with clear explanations.
Each of us begins as a single cell and ends up as a complex organism. Our bodies work, but have both flaws and successful parts. They also show our history as we still retain traces of very ancient ancestors in the way embryos develop. "No organism is 'designed' by evolution from scratch. It's all about tweaking and tinkering with what's already there." Alice Roberts.
Here are some fascinating things I learnt.
Our DNA contains a set of instructions for building an embryo; when particular genes are switched on, cells produce signalling proteins which tell other cells what to do next, and this is different for each species. New genes usually appear as duplicates of existing ones, and occur due to mistakes in copying DNA. Early organisms had one cluster of pattern generating Hox genes, while mammals have four clusters. Multiple genes may (a) be surplus to requirements and degenerate or disappear or (b) one fulfils its old function and the duplicate can be used for something else. Some genes have multiple functions and are switched on and off at different times doing a different job each time. Your body is not exclusively determined by your DNA, but is also a product of how you use your body.
The early embryo divides into three layers: the ectoderm will become skin and nerves, the mesoderm forms bones, muscles and blood vessels, and the endoderm lines the gut, lungs and bladder. The ectoderm initially forms the neural tube; if this fails to fuse together at the 'head' end, the embryo will have no brain and die at or soon after birth. If the neural tube fails to fuse properly lower down, the baby will be born with spina bifida, a condition which ranges in severity.
At birth a baby will have most of its neurones (brain cells) and far too many connections. Superfluous connections are pruned back as the brain develops, based on experiences; this continues lifelong. Mirror neurones enable us to imitate and learn from others. Most mammals have more than 1,000 genes for olfactory sensors (3% of the genome), but humans have less than 400 active smell genes (most primates have 300 to 400 active smell genes). Complex eyes and colour vision has evolved and disappeared in different species over time. It is easy to see where a human is looking due to the large amount of 'white' of the eye (the sclera) and contrast between this and the iris. We are born with attention to eye gaze.
Brains are very energy-hungry, consuming around 20% of our entire daily energy requirements while only making up 2% of our body mass. A 2011 study found that mammals rely either on being smart or having good energy stores (fat). Humans are unusual with big brains and only relatively fat. Our guts, while small for our body size, are standard for fruit/omnivore eaters, meaning we can be very flexible in our diets.
Our tongues are important for intelligible speech and different to other mammals, including primates. They are rounded and highly mobile, not long and flat like most other mammals. The human larynx is fairly standard for mammals, but the human voice-box is very low in the neck, giving a long vocal tract between vocal cords and lips. The larynx may have moved downward due to a flatter face and so as not to be squashed between tongue and spine, which has an S shape due to our habitual bipedalism.
The human skeleton is evidence of habitual bipedalism: our basin-shaped pelvis, relatively large hip and knee joints, inward angle at knee, shape of ankle joints, springy feet, short toes and big toe in line with other toes. We went from walking in the trees to walking on the ground. For larger bodied mammals it is better to hang from a branch or stand up on it and use arms to steady ourselves and reach for fruit. The human chest is barrel shaped, with the bottom of the ribcage curving inwards. The chest is wide, shoulder blades lower and further apart than other primates; this allows us swing our arms as a counter-balance while walking. We have a lumbar spinal curve and lower pelvis which is better for balancing upright and walking. Our long legs and short toes make us good at distance running.
Our arms and hands are exceptionally mobile. Our shoulder blade is only anchored by muscles allowing large range of movement. Our low and wide shoulders enable us to throw things (e.g. spears to catch animals). Forearm bones can move, so we can turn hand palm upwards. Muscles in thumbs specific to humans allow us to apply force with a tool gripped in the hand. We can also extend thumb to the side.
Most primate babies are highly developed at birth, while human babies are very helpless. Chimp brain at birth is 40% of adult one, human brain 30% of adult size. Can't move around or hang on to mother, and need to be carried for first year. This guarantees intensive contact between baby and parents/care givers.
Human gestation is more than a month longer than expected for a primate our size, but our babies still have a lot of growing to do. Miscarriages act as a natural screening programme; without this loss it is estimated that 12% of babies would be born with defects (the actual rate is just 2%). Labour starts when a woman's metabolic rate rises to 2.1 times the normal rate. At this point the energy demands of the foetus exceed the maternal capacity for supply. The female pelvis is only just wide enough for baby's head and broad shoulders, and three rotations of emerging baby are needed during birth. Fossil evidence shows female human pelvis has increased in width over time.
While other primates seek seclusion for birth, human mothers seek assistance. Even so, obstructed labour (rare in archaeological record) is still a problem in many human populations ( 3 to 6 per 100 births). It is higher in contemporary agricultural communities where childhood malnutrition affects the growth of girls (shorter women and smaller pelves). In countries with poorer obstetric care it is possible that natural selection may be acting now to favour (a) women with wide pelves despite malnutrition, or (b) smaller babies. In richer countries natural selection is side-stepped by caesarean births and midwife assistance.
END
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