Good nutrition ‘must be a global priority for everybody’ say’s researchers
Good nutrition is critical in the first two years of life
Malnutrition is responsible for 45% of the global deaths of children under the age of five, research published in the Lancet medical journal suggests.
Poor nutrition leads to the deaths of about 3.1 million under-fives annually, it says.
An international team reviewed different causes of malnutrition in pregnancy and childhood.
They say the first 1,000 days of life – from conception to two years – have lasting consequences for health.
Malnutrition – which includes being overweight or obese as well as under-nourished – also has an economic impact.
According to a recent United Nations report, malnutrition is estimated to cost the world $3.5tn (£2.3tn) – or $500 for every person – in healthcare and lost productivity.
If maternal and child nutrition can be optimised, the benefits will accrue and extend over generations, which is why we must work together now to seize this opportunity.”
Dr Richard HortonThe Lancet
A team led by Prof Robert Black, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, US, reviewed evidence on maternal and child under-nutrition and obesity in low-income and middle-income countries since 2008.
The team also assessed national and international progress on nutrition programmes.
Prof Black and colleagues say while some progress has been made in recent years, they estimate that more than 165 million children were affected by stunting (low height for age) and 50 million by wasting (low weight for height) in 2011.
An estimated 900,000 lives could be saved in 34 countries if 10 proven nutritional interventions were scaled-up to 90% of the world, they say.
“The nutritional consequences of the months during pregnancy and the conditions during the first two years of life have very important consequences for mortality and for adult chronic disease,” Prof Black told BBC News.
“The early nutritional deficit results in developmental consequences for the individual and that has implications for their ability to succeed in school and ultimately in society to have the most productive jobs.”
The researchers warn that countries will not break out of poverty unless nutrition becomes a global priority.
Dr Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of the Lancet, said: “If maternal and child nutrition can be optimised, the benefits will accrue and extend over generations, which is why we must work together now to seize this opportunity.”
Experts working in development are gathering in London this weekend for a summit on nutrition hosted by the UK and Brazilian governments.
This will be followed by the annual summit of leaders from the G8 countries.
The Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign is calling for $1bn per year in additional aid money to be spent on malnutrition by 2015.
Enough Food for Everyone IF spokesperson Anita Tiessen said:
“These new figures confirm our worst fears – that hundreds of thousands more children are dying from malnutrition than we previously thought.
“We have made incredible progress in tackling child deaths around the world, but malnutrition remains the Achilles’ heel in our efforts to prevent millions of needless deaths each year. We must urgently prioritise tackling hunger if we are to continue the progress we have made.”
Enda Kenny’s personal crusade to get rid of Seanad faces internal revolt
Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s “personal crusade” to abolish the Seanad faces a major revolt from within the coalition, as a majority of Government TDs are against doing away with the upper house.
The Taoiseach, wishing to close down debate on the Seanad in such an arrogant fashion, is completely consistent with his refusal to grant a free vote on issues of conscience
Senior figures in Fine Gael today rejected speculation that the Government would consider reforming the Seanad, should the referendum be defeated.
Speaking at the Constitutional Convention, in Malahide, Frances Fitzgerald, Minister for Children, said there was no question of reforming the Seanad and that the Autumnal referendum would be an opportunity for the public to consider whether they wanted to see one really effective house operating strongly with checks and balances.
Speaking at the Constitutional Convention, in Malahide, Frances Fitzgerald, Minister for Children, said there was no question of reforming the Seanad and that the Autumnal referendum would be an opportunity for the public to consider whether they wanted to see one really effective house operating strongly with checks and balances.
Ms Fitzgerald said a reformed Dáil would see a strengthening of the committee system and described the amendment being put to the people as a “serious proposition”.
Adding his voice to reject sugesstions of reforming the Seanad, Party chairman, Charlie Flanagan, said there was no contemplation of a ‘Plan B.’ He said voters would be given a clear choice between abolition or retention of the Seanad.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said it was a huge irony that the Constitutional Convention which is meeting in Malahide this weekend was not discussing the future of the Seanad because it was not allowed to do so. Mr Adams said this was a “huge mistake”.
Thousands of Pro-life supporters attend Dublin abortion rally
Official estimates put the crowd at between 15,000 and 20,000
A section of the large crowd attending the Pro-Life vigil at Merrion Square, Dublin
Thousands have rallied in Dublin against the Government’s proposed legislation on abortion. Organised by the Pro Life Campaign, the large and colourful demonstration called on the Coalition to “scrap the bill”.
Many speakers and several of those voicing opinions on the video shown on a large screen beside the platform warned the Government on its position.
“We gathered in Dublin on the coldest day of the winter, here today on the hottest day of the year and we will be here again on election day,” said Caroline Simons, legal adviser to the Campaign.
She said Taoiseach Enda Kenny had no mandate “other than keeping his pro-life promises” which she claims Fine Gael made before the last election.
Two video addresses were shown to the crowd which flooded Merion Square West and South.
Michael McAreavey, widower of Michaela who was mudered on honeymoon in Mauritius, said there was nothing more positive “than standing up for the human rights of another person, especially the most vulnerable”.
“Other countries have made the mistake of legalising abortion and have unleashed a terrible sadness across society,”
His father-in-law, Tyrone manager Mickey Harte, was among the crowd below the platform.
In an emotional contribution, Edel Best of Women Hurt, an organisation representing those who have had abortions, said she had suffered after two abortions.
“Abortion stole my children,” she said.
There was also a video presentation from Celeste Beal King, a grand-niece of murdered human rights campaigner Dr Martin Luther King Jr. “A huge challenge faces your movement, but I challenge you, Never lose heart,” she said.
She said it was “noble” to say Yes to life and No to abortion.
Maria Steen of the Iona Institute said the proposed legislation would forced doctors and other practitioners “to go against the first principle of medicine – to do no harm”.
Ide Mac Mathuna of Youth Defence said the population was being “bombarded with pro-abortion propaganda and our own Government are allowing themselves to be bullied and dictated to by the pro-abortion lobby.”
Jennifer Kehoe of the organisation One Day More and mother of a child diagnosed with severe illness in pregnancy claimed she and her husband were told “most people would go to England”.
She clalimed other parents faced with such a crisis were “frightened into abortion” and made feel that they had “the expectation and duty” to opt for abortion.
“Legality brings acceptability,” she said.
Official estimates are reported to have put the crowd at between 15,000 and 20,000 although protest organisers claimed “a conservative figure of 50,000”.
No rooms at the Shelbourne, Hotel completely booked out?
MICHELLE & THE GIRLS MUST BE COMING to town
First lady Michelle Obama and daughters, Sasha Obama and Malia Obama
Anyone hoping to sleep under the same roof as First Lady Michelle Obama during her Dublin visit is out of luck.
The Shelbourne Hotel is completely booked for the duration of the G8 summit.
Mrs Obama is reported to be staying at the landmark hotel and bosses now have ‘sold out’ signs on their website.
She is due to travel on Air Force One with President Barack Obama and their two daughters for the summit in Fermanagh on June 17 and 18.
SUITE
But the Shelbourne Hotel, which has yet to confirm the stay, has no rooms available for those dates. The First Lady is expected to stay in the €2,500-a-night Princess Grace Suite, with daughters Malia (14) and Sasha (12) staying in adjoining suites.
The Princess Grace Suite is the best the St Stephen’s Green hotel has to offer, with two beds, two bathrooms, four phones and three large televisions.
The Obamas’ itinerary has not yet been finalised, but it is expected mainly to involve events in Dublin.
Genes could be used to improve wine says scientists
Certain DNA sequences could identify grapevines more suited to climate change
DNA analysis of Italian grapes has highlighted particular genes that could be used to improve berry and wine quality, scientists say.
DNA analysis of Italian grapes has highlighted particular genes that could be used to improve berry and wine quality, scientists say.
Researchers in Italy have pinpointed certain DNA sequences that could be used to identify and breed grapevine varieties that are more suited to climate change and increase their consistency in performance.
Environmental influences can affect the qualities of grapevines, and this inconveniences the berry producers. “This can be considered a burden because the berries may mature unevenly and display large interseasonal fluctuations in quality,” the authors of the paper say this morning in the journal Genome Biology.
Grapevine berries vary in their qualities, dependent on the different regions or climates they are grown in. To investigate this, Silvia Dal Santo and her team at the Plant Genetics Lab at the University of Verona, grew a single variety of grape, the Corvina berry, across 11 different regions in Verona.
Through genetically analysing them over three consecutive years, the researchers were to pick out various environmentally sensitive genes that could influence berry quality. These qualities ranged from such specific factors such as how the berries tasted, to how they looked and even to how they were textured.
Genes that remained unchanged across the different grapes regardless of the region they were grown in were judged to be independent of the surrounding environment. These genes could be used in the future as a marker to monitor grape ripening in the field, even of other varieties, and help to optimise picking time and standardise wine quality, according to the authors.
The grapevine is the most widely cultivated perennial fruit crop in the world, and accounted for 67.5 million tonnes of berries produced in 2011. Climate change is expected to significantly impact the agriculture of wine-making.
Dal Santo’s work, headed by Professor of Plant Genetics Mario Pezzotti, will come as a relief to winemakers and drinkers alike, to whom this variability can negatively affect.
The work was funded by projects of the CARIVERONA Bank Foundation, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Policies, and by Regione Veneto.
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