Red meat linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes

by CTV News.ca Staff

Bacon lovers be warned. New research says that red meat, particularly the processed kind, is linked with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The study found that the daily consumption of a 100-gram serving of unprocessed meat, which is about the size of a deck of cards, increased the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 19 per cent. The researchers, from Harvard School of Public Health, also found that consuming a daily 50-gram serving of processed meat, such as one hot dog or sausage or two slices of bacon, increased the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 51 per cent.

The research included data from questionnaires completed by more than 37,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, more than 79,000 women in the Nurses' Health Study I and more than 87,000 women in the Nurses' Health Study II. The researchers combined that data with information from previous studies that included more than 440,000 participants.

The researchers reached their conclusions after adjusting for age, body mass index and other lifestyle and dietary factors.

"Clearly, the results from this study have huge public health implications given the rising type 2 diabetes epidemic and increasing consumption of red meats worldwide," senior study author Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, said in a statement. "The good news is that such troubling risk factors can be offset by swapping red meat for a healthier protein."

Those healthier proteins include nuts, beans, fish, whole grains and low-fat dairy products.

According to the study, for an individual who eats one serving of red meat daily:

substituting one serving of nuts per day is linked with a 21 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

substituting low-fat dairy is linked with a 17 per cent lower risk.

substituting whole grains is linked with a 23 per cent lower risk.

The study will be published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

It is estimated that nearly 350 million people around the world have type 2 diabetes, and many cases are linked primarily to obesity, lack of physical activity and an unhealthy diet.

Health Canada says type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases in Canada, with more than 60,000 cases diagnosed annually.

While previous studies have confirmed a link between processed red meats and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, research has been less clear about the association between unprocessed meats and the disease. This latest study is the largest of its kind to study the issue, for both its sample size and for taking into account both processed and unprocessed meats.

It is also one of the first to find a link between alternative protein sources and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

The researchers point out that dietary guidelines often put red meat in the same protein category as fish, nuts and beans, which suggests that they are equally healthy choices.

But they say their findings should caution meat lovers against over-indulging.

Solar Storms Building Toward Peak in 2013, NASA Predicts

by Clara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Senior Writer

Solar flares like the huge one that erupted on the sun early today (Aug. 9) will only become more common as our sun nears its maximum level of activity in 2013, scientists say.

Tuesday's flare was the most powerful sun storm since 2006, and was rated an X6.9 on the three-class scale for solar storms (X-Class is strongest, with M-Class in the middle and C-Class being the weakest).

Flares such as this one could become the norm soon, though, as our sun's 11-year cycle of magnetic activity ramps up, scientists explained. The sun is just coming out of a lull, and scientists expect the next peak of activity in 2013. The current cycle, called Solar Cycle 24, began in 2008.

Iran says U.S. 'will be taught the mother of all lessons'

Editorial warns of pending cyber attack on electrical grid

By Reza Kahlili / World Net Daily

Iran is planning to retaliate against the United States for the sabotage against its nuclear program, according to an editorial in the Kayhan newspaper, the mouthpiece of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The U.S. has all of its infrastructure connected to the Internet, the editorial says, and as a result, "it is constantly worried about an unknown player, who they will never be able to identify ... sitting in some corner of the world who would launch an attack on a sector of (the Americans') foundations. They will be taught the mother of all lessons."

Specifically, Iran is looking into launching a cyber attack against U.S. electrical grid systems.

Iranian officials are furious over the July 23 assassination of nuclear scientist Dariush Rezai-Nejad, who was working on electric detonators for the Iranian nuclear program, which can be used on missiles or nuclear bombs. He was the third Iranian nuclear scientist assassinated since 2009.

The frustration over acts of sabotage started with the computer virus Stuxnet in which 1,000 of Iran's centrifuges at the Natanzs nuclear facility were destroyed and had to be replaced. The virus also attacked the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which has resulted in repeated delays in it joining the country's power grid.

The July 29 Kayhan editorial threatening America with retaliation said that during the last month, the United States has published two strategy documents regarding cyberspace, both of which emphasize the ever-evolving nature of Internet communications.

The first document, signed by President Obama, lays out the country's strategy on cyberspace, states that the Internet epitomizes great opportunity and says it is not viewed as a threat to the United States, the editorial says. It adds that "it can be suggested that the U.S. can play a leadership role in cyberspace in that the U.S. would create and maintain that position for the long term."

But then the editorial takes direct aim at Washington: "The second document is brimming with the over-confidence and hyper-intellectual posturing of the first. These documents, which the Pentagon published two weeks ago, use straight-forward war vernacular and (the Pentagon) has openly announced that from here on in, cyberspace will be considered a war zone.

"The laughable part of this document is when the neurotic American generals threaten hackers sitting behind their computers who attack America (that they) should be careful that a cruise missile does not fly in through their heating pipes to destroy their turf."

The United States is no longer the unequivocal leader of the Internet, the editorial says. "Diverse and interesting players have now come on the scene and have … managed to inflict some costly and unprecedented damages on the American Internet infrastructure. … Due to the convenient global nature of the 'players,' their network operates outside time and space. They can be anywhere from right under Mr. Obama's ear in Washington, D.C., to the depths of the African desert."

The editorial accuses the Americans, with the help of Israelis and Germans, of creating the Stuxnet virus to attack the Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities.

"Americans are under the (mistaken) impression that they are the only ones who can strike violent blows against their most ardent opponents and not sustain any real damage," the editorial warns.

Earlier this year Iranian officials announced that Iran's cyber war campaign would be activated under the Passive Defense Organization of Iran, which openly recruited hackers who would support the goals and ideals of the radicals ruling Iran. Also as reported earlier, in a recent meeting among Iran's Revolutionary Guard commanders and Iranian scientists, America's vulnerabilities for a cyber attack were discussed. They concluded that the U.S. power grids represent the best opportunity for such attacks, as more U.S. utilities are moving their control systems to the Internet and using smart-grid technology.

According to reports from the U.S. Department of Energy, America's power grid remains vulnerable to cyber attack, a result of slow implementation of computer security standards. A successful cyber attack on the North American power grid systems could disrupt the economy and possibly create a national trauma.

Upset, Christians tell each other to pray for a change in government

Written by Dana Kay, Malaysia Chronicle

As Jais enforcement officers conducted a raid at Damansara Utama Methodist Church in Selangor and disrupted a function there last week, Christians in Sarawak watched with bated breath and wondered when the next wave of persecutions would come.s

Although a number prayed for an amicable ending to the senseless attacks against their faith, many held the view that only a change in government would stop the nonsense. The DU raid was not the first but the umpteenth since Prime Minister Najib Razak took power in April 2009, with the first serious one launched in January 2010 in the aftermath of the High Court's decision on the use of the word Allah in its publications.

Don't let it come to Sarawak shores

Christians in Sarawak are praying hard that such over-zealous actions from Jais would not taint the existing multi-racial closeness in Sarawak. It is a closeness one can never find in any other part of Malaysia, where Muslims, Christians or Buddhist and other faths can sit, eat, work or make merry together.

A Head Elder, Senior Pastor Ambrouse Linang who is also the Secretary-General of the Association of Churches in Sarawak expressed shock at the continuation of the Christian attacks, commenting that it made nonsense of Najib's recent high-profile visit to the Vatican.

Linang had just enjoyed a few days working with some 40 Muslims from the Islamic Information Centre who came to pay a courtesy visit to his church. The two religious groups enjoyed sharing and exchanging views. The churches had also sent delegates to the Islamic Information centre before joining Muslim activities held there, all part of a goodwill gesture which is so common here.

He has also entertained a group of Imam from China who paid a visit to several churches in Sarawak last week, all part of an interfaith harmony. Linang suggested that it would be a good idea for the over-zealous group to come to Sarawak to learn a thing or two about unity amongst the races and religion.

“I am just shocked beyond words at what is happening over in West Malaysia. It is a social function and one should not get too sensitive over it. Over here, we hold so many interfaith dialogues annually with both Buddhists and Muslims. We take turns to use each other's venues. We go to their mosques or they came to our churches or we ended up in one of the temple meeting rooms," said Linang.

"We discuss welfare, charity, unity and diversity for all races and religion. Is it not good for a Christian to lend a helping hand to our Muslim friends or a Muslim to help out a Christian or Buddhist? What is so sensitive about Muslims and Christians sharing and being seen together? I think it is healthy for all races to work, eat and fast together. Muslim fast, so do Christians.”

Worsening reality despite Vatican public relations

A Christian parish council member, Ding worried about the Christians' freedom of worship in Malaysia. “It appears to be getting worst by the year. A wise government unites its entire people, not divide them. It is time for Christian to rise and pray together for a better government and for a better country, not a government which is so bent on making the races suspicious and scared of each other,” she said.

Aten Nicholas, a Christian from Serian said the recent raid is again based on hearsay. “This group of people seems to be scared of their own shadow and make themselves seem so weak in their faith. I am saying so as my Muslim neighbours are embarrassed by what has ocurred and told me they are not like that. I know they are not. They are very aware of their belief and respect the others in what they want to believe. We do gotong-royong (communtiy service) together at the mosque, at the church. So what if the Muslims walk into the DU church compound, it does not mean that they are walking out as Christians. What is all this fear?" said Aten.

Still recalling the Penang Church incident, where two Muslim journalists took the Holy Communion and spat it out to have it photographed, Aten finds it hard to forget. “Paranoid is the word. It has become a norm for some Muslim to over-react over rumors or hearsay. This government used to say Muslims all over the world are being persecuted. Look at us Christian, are we not being persecuted in our own country?"

Recalling a sad incident that had occurred a couple of years ago, Aten attended a colleague’s funeral in a church in Kuching. He was not surprised at the number of Muslim colleagues paying their last respects to their friend. The females clad in Tudong sat the church pew and cried silently as they bid their Chinese colleague a last farewell. “I wonder what would have happened if it were in West Malaysia, they would have flipped, go completely berserk” he said.

Going berserk and having some conscience

When Assistant Minister, Dr Judson Tagal died in a helicopter crash, a funeral service was held at the Kuching Evangelical Church attended by the Governor, Chief Minister and other Muslim ministers and leaders. Observers from Semenanjung (the peninsula) would be quite shocked to see several senior Muslim government servants who turned up and paid their respects inside a church.

There is a strong religious-cultural belief amongst Muslims that in whatever one does in life, one's “pure intention” must be justifiable not only to God, but also to one's self. Only then can a person's action be labeled clean and well intentioned.

One can only wonder if any flash of conscience passed through the hearts of the Jais team when they raided DU church even though the instruction came from higher-ups and they were only doing what they had been ordered to do by their political masters?

US borrowing tops 100% of GDP: Treasury

AFP

US debt has shot up $US238 billion ($A221.54 billion) to reach 100 per cent of gross domestic product after the government's debt ceiling was lifted, Treasury figures show.

Treasury borrowing jumped on Tuesday, the data showed, immediately after President Barack Obama signed into law an increase in the debt ceiling as the country's spending commitments reached a breaking point and it threatened to default on its debt.

The new borrowing took total public debt to $US14.58 trillion, over end-2010 GDP of $US14.53 trillion, and putting it in a league with highly indebted countries like Italy and Belgium.

Public debt subject to the official debt limit - a slightly tighter definition - was $US14.53 trillion as of the end of Tuesday, rising from the previous official cap of $US14.29 trillion a day earlier.

Treasury had used extraordinary measures to hold under the $US14.29 trillion cap since reaching it on May 16, while politicians battled over it and over addressing the country's bloating deficit.

The official limit was hiked $US400 billion on Tuesday and will be increased in stages over the next 18 months.

The last time US debt topped the size of its annual economy was in 1947 just after World War II.

By 1981 it had fallen to 32.5 per cent.

Ratings agencies have warned the country to reduce its debt-to-GDP ratio quickly or facing losing its coveted AAA debt rating.

Moody's said on Tuesday that the government needed to stabilise the ratio at 73 per cent by 2015 "to ensure that the long-run fiscal trajectory remains compatible with a AAA rating".