The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Gut, not gluttony makes quitting smokers gain weight Posted: 29 Aug 2013 06:52 PM PDT Studies have shown that quitting smoking leads to an average weight gain of four to five kilogrammes (nine to 11 pounds) in the first year. But according to researchers at Zurich University Hospital, former smokers who bulk up may not be eating more than before they kissed their cigarettes goodbye. Noting that even people who cut back on calorie intake after quitting smoking tend to gain weight, Professor Gerhard Rogler said he and his colleagues had discovered another potential explanation: a change in the composition of the intestinal flora among smokers who kick the habit. Their study, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation and published in peer-reviewed scientific journal PLoS One, found that when a person stops smoking, the diversity of bacterial strains in their intestines shifts. It more resembles the gut flora found in people with obesity. Both recent non-smokers and obese people tend to have more of two bacteria types, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, Rogler told AFP. These germs are believed to use energy more efficiently and break down otherwise indigestible fibres - and as a result, more of what the person eats is transformed into fat rather than excreted as waste. The researchers studied the genetic profile of intestinal bacteria found in faecal samples provided by 20 volunteers over nine weeks. The participants comprised five non-smokers, five smokers and 10 people who had quit smoking one week after the study began. Little difference was seen in the bacterial biodiversity among the persistent smokers and non-smokers. But among those who had just given up smoking, there was a clear shift towards more Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, the study showed. Over the study period, the people who had quit smoking also gained an average of 2.2 kilos (4.8 pounds), even though they insisted that their eating and drinking habits were unchanged. "Under the same living conditions, they gained weight after the cessation of smoking, and they showed a change in the microbiota," Rogler said. While researchers have yet to prove a clear connection between the two developments, he pointed out that a number of other studies have also showed a link between intestinal bacteria and weight gain. On Wednesday, a study published in the journal Nature found that individuals with low bacterial "richness" in their intestines were more prone to obesity and associated diseases such as diabetes, heart and cholesterol problems. Six bacterial species appear to play a key role in promoting this diversity. Rogler said that more research was needed to answer the many questions that arise from such discoveries. But he said it was clear we should pay more attention to how the environment influences gut functions. "Nobody believed the people who stopped smoking and said they weren't eating more but still gained weight. Perhaps we simply should be more willing to believe what people tell us," he said. - AFP/Relaxnews, August 30, 2013. |
| In Malaysia, property profiting big business, not man in the street Posted: 29 Aug 2013 04:00 PM PDT The question arises as Malaysia's affordable housing firm PR1MA announced it will build 20,000 houses costing up to RM400,000 across the country within the next 24 months, while the government has said it will review real property gains tax to curb property speculation. "The younger generation is unfortunately enslaved by the powers-to-be," veteran property consultant Dr Ernest Cheong told The Malaysian Insider in Kuala Lumpur. During the two decades after Merdeka, the government encouraged house ownership to secure the loyalty of immigrants. However, since the 80s, it has cynically been seen as a way for the government and industry to pursue profits instead of offering a roof over citizens' heads, said Cheong. He called it the "The Triumvirate", a regime of political, commercial and banking forces that hold powers by conspiring to keep the nation in financial economic slavery. Cheong said young working adults aged 25-35 and holding their first jobs earn between RM3,000 and RM5,000 a month and would not be able to afford anything beyond RM100,000. "They actually cannot afford to buy anything without the help of their parents," he said. He compared the purchasing power over the years, saying that a decade ago, RM150,000 double-storey terrace houses were available in Kajang or Semenyih, some 45km from Kuala Lumpur. Five years on, the same amount of money would only get a single-storey terrace house. But today, it will cost them a minimum of RM400,000. "Sadly, this generation must come to terms that they may never own a house as long as prices continue to rise," Cheong said. He pointed out that the surge in demand is a mirage that runs on speculation that is aided and abetted by banks due to loan-driven demands that do not reflect income. Calling the mentality of homeownership a self-imposed stigma based on factors of fear and peer pressure, he said, "It is better to face the reality of not being able to afford (a home), than to be enslaved by housing debts." "They must know that there is no shame in renting a house because the question is whether one can keep up with a 30-year loan payment." Boon Kia Meng, filmmaker of documentary film "M-C-M: Utopia Milik Siapa?", which explores Malaysia's housing bubble, said the reason why home ownership is a social and cultural value held dear by Malaysians is perhaps tied to the country's colonial past. "It is prevalent in the US and the UK. We have seen this time and again encouraged by conservative governments like Margaret Thatcher, which felt that giving people a stake in property will make citizens less likely to challenge the prevailing social order," said Boon, who also holds a Masters of Philosophy from King's College. In comparison, he said that there isn't a stigma associated with renting houses in countries with high taxes like Germany and Sweden. Instead, they have better social security because young people invest more on education. Retired businesswoman Jacqueline Reuben, 52, has a different take on it. "Why should a citizen say that they can't afford a house in Malaysia?" she said. She pointed out that the main thing about buying instead of renting a property is that it gives people security and a sense of belonging. She feels it's shameful to discourage a young person from buying a house. "The government should then provide better public housing or policies that will boost their purchasing power. Or else we will end up a homeless nation," she said. On the other hand, communications manager Ferdinand Pereira is one who has opted to rent. "It is ingrained in us that home ownership equals security, but no one speaks about the burden of a 30-year loan over your head, which also ties you down to a fixed place." He added that he sees it as an option rather than a problem, and that people should not be so preoccupied with owning a property that life passes them by. - August 30, 2013 |
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