It sounds like the plot for a murder mystery: a silent killer claiming huge numbers of victims each year and evading detection with false trails and red herrings. Yet it could be the basis of a major advance in public health, with implications for us all. And the biggest clue to the villain of the piece may have been staring many of us in the face - quite literally - every morning.
For years we have been told that heart disease, strokes and even some kinds of cancer are a direct result of an unhealthy diet, specifically one rich in fat. This has led to international health organisations recommending diets that have led many of us to consume more carbohydrate-rich food like bread and potatoes.
Yet at the same time, it has been clear for years that there is still something wrong with our diet. The most obvious sign is the global obesity epidemic, the cause of which is increasingly acknowledged to be more complex than just a combination of greed and sloth.
Less well-known but more telling is the mounting evidence against the widespread perception that carbs are better than fat. Since the 1970s, studies of the impact of diet on coronary heart disease (CHD) have repeatedly produced unexpected results which fail to fit in with the official view of what is good and bad in our diet.
A comprehensive review published earlier this year by a team led by Dr Sonia Anand of Hamilton General Hospital in Canada found only weak evidence for a direct link between CHD and such supposed killers as saturated fat and meat. In contrast, the researchers found strong evidence of a link between CHD and certain types of carbohydrates, such as those found in white bread and sugar.
As Professor Frank Hu of Harvard School of Public Health put it in a review of the current state of play on dietary advice, published last month: "Cumulative evidence indicates that types of fats and carbohydrates are more important than total amounts in determining risk of CHD".
It is perhaps surprising, even shocking, that even after all this time much of the hard scientific evidence backing official dietary advice is at best ambiguous or simply absent. But according to Professor Philippe Hujoel of the University of Washington in Seattle, a huge body of evidence is still being overlooked. He believes the principal culprit in the pandemic of diet-related disease could have been identified decades ago, had researchers not been blindsided by the focus on dietary fat. And the key clue lies in the link between life-threatening conditions like CHD and oral health.
At first sight, the idea that the state of our teeth and gums might predict our risk of having a heart attack seems to make little sense. In fact, the evidence has been building up for years. Over half a century ago, anthropologists and others noted that ethnic groups ranging from aborigines to Zulus who made the transition to a western lifestyle faced a substantial increase in risk of CHD and similar diseases - along with a decline in dental health.
Correlation does not imply causation, least of all in the complex relationship between diet and disease. Certainly those who see fat as the principal dietary cause of CHD could easily dismiss th link with dietary health as mere coincidence. Yet Professor Hujoel believes there is good reason for taking it seriously - based on the simple fact that our teeth and gums have evolved to enable us to eat. As such, they should be able to cope with a healthy diet. In contrast, if our diet causes damage to our teeth and gums, it may be a warning sign that what we are consuming is not good for us in other ways.
It is an argument that leads to a prediction: that the "sugary" foods even children know are bad for their teeth may have other serious health effects. And that's exactly what researchers are now finding in studies pointing to a link between so-called high glycemic index carbohydrates and CHD.
Reviewing the evidence for this link in the current issue of Critical Reviews in Oral Biology and Medicine, Professor Hujoel shows that the carbohydrate-CHD connection explains the otherwise perplexing correlations between dental health and a range of major diseases. Around 20 years ago, researchers suggested that the missing link between the two might be certain types of oral bacteria. As a theory, it had the merit of being easily tested: eliminate the bacterium, and the risk of later ill-health should also decline. When the studies were carried out, however, they failed to show any benefit.
Prof Hujoel points out that the suggestion that the real culprit was certain types of carbohydrate dates back at least 50 years, to the work of two British medical researchers, Thomas Cleave and John Yudkin. By the early 1980s, however, their work has been largely forgotten because of the growing belief that artery-clogging fat was the major dietary threat to health. According to Prof Hujoel, this in turn led dental health experts to miss the significance of the fact that they were repairing tooth and gum damage caused by sugary food. He believes oral health acts as an early warning system for a diet likely to cause life-threatening diseases in later life.
If so, it suggests that the success of dental health campaigns such as fluoridation of water may have a darker side. By helping to combat the tooth-rotting effect of sugary food, such measures may have concealed the much greater threat to health posed by high glycemic index carbohydrates - one that may be causing the deaths of millions of people every year. After decades of controversy, claim and counter-claim about the health effects of our diet, it is surely time scientists got to the bottom of this mystery once and for all.
Robert Matthews is Visiting Reader in Science at Aston University, Birmingham, England
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Silva 8' &15, Foden 33')
Birmginahm City 0
Man of the match Bernado Silva (Manchester City)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Kanye%20West
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
South Africa v India schedule
Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg
ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion
T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
Brief scoreline:
Burnley 3
Barnes 63', 70', Berg Gudmundsson 75'
Southampton 3
Man of the match
Ashley Barnes (Burnley)
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
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Company%20profile
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
