Health news
Raw pet food puts humans at risk
Raw meat, touted by some as an easily digestible, nutrient-filled superfood for domestic dogs and cats, may put not only your pet's health at risk but your health too, researchers warned.
A survey of frozen raw meat products sold at pet stores and supermarkets in the Netherlands, where more than half of dog owners buy such items, revealed worrying levels of bacteria and parasites, a Dutch team reported in the journal Vet Record.
They included bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella and listeria, which can cause mild to severe infections, and the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which can cause eye damage and birth defects in humans.
"This is in contrast with dry semi-moist and canned pet food, which is rarely contaminated with pathogens," the research team wrote.
"It is important to encourage awareness of the possible risks associated with feeding raw meat-based diets to companion animals." - AFP
Work stress tied to diabetes risk
Workers who experience an increase in stress on the job over time may be more likely to develop diabetes than co-workers who do not, a recent study suggests.
Researchers examined data on 3,730 petroleum industry workers in China. At the start of the study, none of them had diabetes.
After 12 years of follow-up, workers who experienced increasingly stressful tasks were 57 per cent more likely to develop diabetes, the study team reported in Diabetes Care. Those who experienced a decline in coping resources such as support from family and friends or time for recreational activities were 68 per cent more likely to develop diabetes.
The study by the Xinjiang Medical Universitydid not report how many workers developed diabetes.
It looked at forms of job-related stress and found that what researchers described as "task stressors" - such as feeling overloaded with work and the strain of physical labour - were the biggest contributors to the risk of developing diabetes.- REUTERS
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