https://nordictimes.com/health/future-of-eu-wide-pfas-ban-remains-unclear/

Health

Future of EU-wide PFAS ban remains unclear

Published 24 April 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: iStock/Prostock-Studio

It is well known that PFAS chemicals are directly harmful to health - but a European ban may still be some time away.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

France has recently introduced a ban on carcinogenic PFAS chemicals in all cosmetic products.

A similar ban is also being discussed at EU level – but it is highly unclear when it might actually be introduced

France is described as the first country in the Union to completely ban PFAS in the beauty and fashion industry. Since February, make-up containing the chemicals cannot be imported or exported – although some substances are still exempt from the new regulations.

– I saw the film Dark Water about a poisoning scandal in the US and realized pretty quickly that this is the same kind of scandal that is happening around PFAS in Europe, French influencer, documentary filmmaker and activist Camille Étienne, 26, told tabloid Aftonbladet.

Through her reporting, she was instrumental in pushing through a ban and says that she herself tested her blood and discovered that it contained the harmful chemicals.

– Some of them are classified as carcinogenic by the WHO’s cancer research institute. The tragedy is that there is no way to get rid of PFAS already in the body. This is the asbestos of our generation, she continues.

Accumulates in food and drinking water

It has long been known that PFAS can affect fertility, cause liver damage, several types of cancer, weakened immune systems, and high cholesterol – and major cosmetics producers have frequently been pointed out as major culprits driving the poisoning of citizens.

PFAS refers to a group of thousands of highly persistent industrial chemicals often called “forever chemicals” because they remain for a very long time in both the environment and the human body.

These substances can accumulate in drinking water and food, thereby reaching people even in very small doses. Due to their long-term effects, PFAS is seen as a serious environmental and public health issue, and even at the EU level, a comprehensive ban on PFAS in consumer products is now under discussion.

“Impossible to say”

Sweden, together with countries like Norway and Denmark, has been a driving force in the matter, which is now being analyzed by the EU Chemicals Agency and various committees. However, the bureaucratic processes are expected to take a very long time, and a total ban is unlikely to become reality anytime soon – if it ever does.

– It’s impossible to say when a ban might be in place. First, all uses must be evaluated. Then a consultation follows on SEAC’s (Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis) draft opinion. After that, the opinions of RAC (Risk Assessment Committee) and SEAC, together with the proposal, are sent to the Commission, which in turn drafts amendments to the restriction annex in the REACH regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), says Jenny Ivarsson, strategic advisor at the Swedish Chemicals Agency.

– This will then be discussed and voted on among the member states before a decision is reached, she continues.

The proposal was submitted as early as February 2023.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/health/young-swedes-consume-too-much-sugar/

Health

Young Swedes consume too much sugar

Published 1 May 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Montage. Photo: Kaboompics.com, Matt Schwartz/Unsplash

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

70 percent of Swedish youth consume more sugar than recommended, according to a dissertation from the University of Gothenburg. Primarily, young people consume soda, candy, and pastries.

The thesis looked at how much free and added sugar Swedish young people consume, something that has not previously been studied to any great extent. Added sugar refers, for example, to sugar in soft drinks, candy, cakes, pastries and some breakfast cereals, while free sugar includes both added and natural sugar found in, for example, honey, syrup and juice.

– Since there are guidelines for the intake of both added sugar, and since 2023 also for free sugar, it’s important to be able to follow up on how well these guidelines are adhered to, to have a basis for promoting public health through various health-promoting efforts, says Julia Wanselius, who wrote the thesis, in a press release.

The limits for the recommended maximum intake of sugar in Sweden are set in relation to the amount of calories consumed and then expressed in energy percent (E%). The intake of both added and free sugars is recommended to be limited to a maximum of ten energy percent, in other words, no more than ten percent of the calorie intake per day should be sugar. For an adult, this corresponds to approximately 50-75 grams of sugar per day.

Sugar linked to lower nutrient intake

The results show that only 30% of Swedish teenagers stay below the recommended maximum intake for sugar, which means that around 70% eat too much sugar.

The biggest sources of sugar are soft drinks, candy, cakes and pastries, which together account for about 70 percent of the added sugar that young people eat. The study also shows that a high intake of sugar is linked to a lower intake of important nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and whole grains.

One of the conclusions of the thesis is that the information around sugar intake would need to change to influence young people to eat less. Instead of focusing only on recommending less sugar, Wanselius suggests that the guidelines should instead focus on reducing the consumption of certain specific foods such as soft drinks and sweets.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/health/more-young-swedes-poisoning-themselves-with-over-the-counter-medications/

Health

More young Swedes poisoning themselves with over-the-counter medications

Published 23 April 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: Jonathan Borba/iStock

Last year, the Swedish Poisons Information Center received almost 7000 calls about self-harm and suicide attempts.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Over the past decade, the number of calls to the Swedish Poisons Information Center (Giftinformationscentralen) about young people deliberately poisoning themselves has almost tripled – and the most commonly used drug in suicide attempts is the painkiller paracetamol.

– Paracetamol is by far the most commonly used drug in suicide and self-harm, confirms Shahabeh Shokrolahi, a call-taker at the Swedish Poisons Information Center.

It’s not that paracetamol is necessarily more toxic than many other medicines – it’s that it’s something that most families have in their homes, and it’s often kept in an easily accessible place.

– It is not paracetamol that is the problem, but the well-being of young people. If it hadn’t been paracetamol, it would surely have been something else, she argues in the state television SVT.

It should be noted that there has long been an awareness that Alvedon, Panodil and the like have often been used in suicide attempts and that several changes have therefore been introduced to make it more difficult for minors to obtain the drugs.

For example, the sale of paracetamol tablets in supermarkets was banned and young people were only allowed to buy one pack at a time – yet poisonings have only increased.

“Could have been worse”

– If we hadn’t taken these measures, it could have been worse. We don’t know and we’ll never know, but it could have been that there would have been even more calls, speculates Shokrolahi.

Last year, the Swedish Poisons Information Center received almost 7,000 calls about self-harm and suicide attempts – compared to 2,500 ten years earlier.

There is no clear answer as to why more and more young people are choosing to harm themselves in this way – but it is noted that nine out of ten people surveyed keep painkillers in unlocked and easily accessible areas.

– Even if you don’t suspect that your teenager would resort to drugs in a crisis situation, your teenager’s friends or relatives might. That’s why it’s important that all medicines are locked up and the home is teen-proofed, concludes Shokrolahi.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/health/iron-deficiency-common-among-swedish-high-school-girls/

Health

Iron deficiency common among Swedish high school girls

Published 6 April 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: iStock/PeopleImages

Iron deficiency can cause concentration difficulties.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

More than one in three Swedish female high school students has an iron deficiency, according to a study from Lund University. The risk was found to be particularly high among vegetarians and vegans.

The study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, involved 475 upper secondary school students from two schools in Malmö and Lund. Participants answered questions about dietary habits and menstruation, among other things, and then provided blood samples.

The blood samples were analyzed with a focus on iron status, which was then compared to the participants’ diet. The results showed that 38% of high school girls were iron deficient. Among vegetarians and vegans, the percentage was close to 70%, compared to 30% among meat eaters. Even pescatarians – who exclude red meat and chicken – had a higher prevalence of iron deficiency.

– It is positive that many young people are choosing a more plant-based diet, which reduces the risk of various chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease and is also good for the environment. But you need to think about how you get iron. We hope that the results draw attention to the importance of replacing meat with iron-rich foods, says Anna Stubbendorff, dietician and PhD student in nutritional epidemiology at Lund University, in a press release.

Iron deficiency can cause fatigue, difficulty concentrating and in severe cases anemia. The body’s ability to absorb iron is affected by what else you eat, whether the iron comes from meat or plant sources.

– It’s important to eat plenty of whole grains and legumes such as beans, peas, and lentils. Vitamin C and acids – for example, sauerkraut, kimchi, or sourdough bread – consumed at the same time as the meal increase iron absorption. Coffee and tea reduce absorption. We also saw that those who reported eating more fruit had a lower incidence of iron deficiency.

The researchers now want to develop a screening method that can help school health services identify high school girls at risk of iron deficiency.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/health/omega-3-found-to-slow-down-biological-aging/

Health

Omega-3 found to slow down biological aging

Published 31 March 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: ready made/Pexels

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Omega-3 can clearly slow down biological aging in all age groups, according to a new study. The effect was even greater when combined with strength training and vitamin D.

The study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Zurich, the Hospital University of Toulouse and Harvard University, among others, examined the effect of vitamin D, omega-3 and exercise on biological ageing.

In total, the DO-HEALTH study involved 2,157 participants from several European countries. The aim of the long-term study is to prevent healthy ageing and to study the effects of omega-3 and vitamin D.

Participants were divided into different groups, with some receiving vitamin D or omega-3 daily, while others received a placebo. In addition, strength training (30 minutes, three times a week) was compared with joint mobility training of the same duration.

By varying the combinations, the researchers were able to analyze both individual and combined effects, for example in those who received both vitamin D and omega-3.

The analysis, published in Nature Aging, shows that a daily intake of one gram of omega-3 for three years was able to slow biological aging by almost three months compared to those who did not take the supplement.

Effect the same regardless of age

In the group that combined omega-3, vitamin D and strength training, the effect was even greater, slowing down aging by almost four months. The combination also reduced the risk of invasive cancer by 61% and the risk of early osteoporosis by 39%.

The effect on biological ageing was the same regardless of gender, age or BMI.

Omega-3 fatty acids are mostly found in oily fish and are important for building and repairing cells, among other things. They can also affect blood pressure regulation, kidney function and the immune system.

In the next step, the researchers plan to include more participants to get a broader sample and study how different lifestyles affect the results.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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