The US Department of Health and Human Services committee released a new report on alcohol last Tuesday, tying one drink a day to increased risks of liver cirrhosis, oral cancer, and esophageal cancer. The committee also found that alcohol use was associated with a higher risk of death from seven types of cancer.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy previously argued that alcoholic drinks should come with cancer warning labels. A new report suggests that even moderate drinking can have negative health effects, making it essential to be mindful of how alcohol fits into our lifestyles.
In other news, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of Red Dye No. 3 in food, beverages, and ingested drugs. The dye was rejected for cosmetics and topical drugs in 1990 due to carcinogenic effects in high doses.
Additionally, a team of experts published a paper arguing that the current diagnosis of “obesity” is flawed. They propose focusing on more precise measurements of excess body fat and creating a separate category for individuals who meet the definition for obesity but do not have associated health conditions.
SpaceX launched two new lunar landers, one from Japan’s ispace and another from Texas-based Firefly Aerospace, which will carry payloads for 10 different NASA experiments. Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket also successfully launched its first test, despite failing to land the reusable booster on a ship in the Atlantic.
Finally, scientists discovered a new species of funnel-web spider in Australia, nicknamed “Big Boy,” which can grow almost twice as long as other funnel-web spiders and has bigger fangs and venom glands.
Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/the-health-risks-of-alcohol-a-red-dye-ban-and-commercial-space-launches