Health

The World Health Organization has called for the elimination of artificial trans fats from the global food supply and has a step-by-step strategy on how to do so by 2023.

On Monday, the WHO launched an initiative called REPLACE that will provide guidance for all countries on how to remove artificial trans fats from their foods, possibly leading to a worldwide eradication.

"This initiative is meant to lead countries in establishing legislation to eliminate the trans fats," said Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development at the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland.

China has overtaken the United States (U.S.) in healthy life span for the first time since records began, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) data. The figures show Chinese newborns in 2016 can expect 68.7 years of healthy life, compared with 68.5 years for American babies.

The Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) is about to compound the nation’s health problem as it has vowed to embark on nationwide strike if the Federal Government fails to facilitate reinstatement of its members sacked by the University of Jos Teaching Hospital.

The Publicity and Social Secretary of NARD, Dr Ugochukwu Eze said at a press conference in Kaduna that the 21-day ultimatum issued for the reinstatement of the sacked doctors expires today, May 31.

He recalled that the first ultimatum issued on the matter expired on May 2, 2018, and was extended by another three weeks to give room for proper dialogue.

A vaccine could help to significantly extend the lives of people diagnosed with the brain cancer, early trial results suggest.

People with glioblastoma who took part in the study lived more than twice as long as those on standard treatments in many cases, researchers say.

The vaccine works by using the body's immune cells to target the cancer.

Fewer people are smoking worldwide, especially women, but only one country in eight is on track to meet a target of reducing tobacco use significantly by 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

Three million people die prematurely each year due to tobacco use that causes cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and stroke, the world’s leading killers, it said, marking World No Tobacco Day. They include 890,000 deaths through second-hand smoke exposure.

The WHO clinched a landmark treaty in 2005, now ratified by 180 countries, that calls for a ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship, and taxes to discourage use.

American and Chinese scientists have found that an antimicrobial ingredient commonly used in hand soaps and toothpastes could have adverse effects on colonic inflammation and colon cancer by altering gut microbiota, the microbes found in people’s intestines.

A study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine revealed that short-time treatment with low-dose triclosan led to low-grade colonic inflammation, and exaggerated disease development of colitis and colitis-associated colon cancer in mice.