Indirect emissions from food systems result in substantial and unequal health burdens - Nature

Dalhousie University researcher Dr. Raluca Bejan’s research complicates the story of who Europe deems a “deserving” refugee When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the world watched as neighbouring European countries opened their borders to Ukrainian refugees — a welcome that stood in sharp contrast to the reception often given to refugees fleeing Africa and the Middle East. Many observers pointed to race as the reason. A new book from Dalhousie University's Dr. Raluca Bejan argues the real story is far more complex.

Children who eat more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) show stronger responses in the brain's reward network when viewing images of appetizing foods-and these brain responses are linked to increases in body fat one year later. The findings, just published in JAMA Network Open, suggest that the brain may become more sensitive to food cues when children consume more UPFs. UPFs are manufactured food products-such as breakfast cereals, packaged bread and instant soups-that are designed to be highly palatable, convenient and shelf-stable. They often contain artificial sweeteners, colors and other ingredients that people do not typically use when cooking at home. On average, U. S. children get about 67% of their daily calories from UPFs.