|
I’ve tried to give up sugar more times than I’d care to admit. I’m usually able to get through the first few sugar-free days no problem, but then the intense cravings kick in. And before I know it, I’m popping to the shops to get something that will satisfy my sweet tooth. But cravings are nothing compared to some of the side-effects of giving up added sugar I’ve heard about from friends and people online – everything from headaches and
fatigue to anxiety.
Though little is still known about why we have this reaction to giving up sugar, it likely has to do with the same mechanisms in the brain that reward us for consuming it. On the bright side, these side-effects are largely temporary, so if you can push through the discomfort for a few days you can expect to see a range of benefits.
Since India’s catastrophic second wave of COVID-19 earlier this year, we’ve been watching the situation closely. But while the country is doing much to prepare for a further surge in cases, low vaccine coverage could mean a third wave is deadly.
And in case you were looking for a little something to brighten your day, read this piece on the mysterious seahorse — and nine fantastic things you probably didn’t know about it.
|
|
Heather Kroeker
Commissioning Editor, Health + Medicine
|
|
Sugar is added to many different foods.
ilona.shorokhova/ Shutterstock
James Brown, Aston University
The negative effects are likely caused by the same mechanisms behind why sugar makes us feel so good.
|
People stand in a queue to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Bengaluru, India.
Jagadeesh NV/EPA-EFE
Ankur Mutreja, University of Cambridge; Vignesh Shetty, University of Cambridge
Lessons have been learned from the second wave, but vaccine supply and hesitancy are still big problems.
|
Many seahorses mate for life, and males are always pregnant.
Steven L Gordon/Shutterstock
Mark Tupper, University of Portsmouth
Fascinating facts about this unusual fish include that it doesn’t swim very well. A marine expert reveals why
|
Politics + Society
|
-
Michael Blake, University of Washington
A political philosopher argues why the current situation in Afghanistan should weigh heavily on the American conscience.
-
Nematullah Bizhan, Australian National University
Afghanistan has not yet lost everything, but it will do so soon, especially if the international community and the UN sit idle.
-
Mike Makin-Waite, Independent Social Research Foundation
Addressing serious disconnects between Labour and its ‘traditional’ constituencies remains a key challenge for Keir Starmer’s party.
-
Virginie Martin, Kedge Business School
The south-eastern region of France known as PACA has long been a centre of power for the far-right, but recent failures in the regional elections bring its future into question for Marine Le Pen.
|
|
Environment + Energy
|
-
Ian Mell, University of Manchester
Pop-up spaces can be successful, they just need to be better thought through and created with urban ecology in mind rather than economics.
-
Tom Baxter, University of Aberdeen
The UK government claims hydrogen could meet one-third of the country’s energy demand by 2050.
|
|
Education
|
-
Matthew Clarke, York St John University; Keither Parker, York St John University
Universities are responsible for the majority of teacher training and eduation in England. The government is set on shifting the focus to schools
|
|
Business + Economy
|
-
Luke Prosser, Bangor University
Evidence shows protecting name of products associated with specific area brings community benefits.
|
|
Health
|
-
Alex Ezeh, Drexel University; Michael Silverman, Western University; Saverio Stranges, Western University
The emergence of variants of concern with increased potential for transmission and more severe disease in the younger population could make Africa more susceptible to a severe COVID-19 epidemic.
|
|
| |
Featured events
|
|
Petersfield, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 2EW, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Cambridge
|
|
Lancaster University, Lancaster , Lancashire, LA1 4YW, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Lancaster University
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
