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New study suggests weight loss drugs like Ozempic could help with knee pain. Here’s why there may be a link

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/giovanni-e-ferreira-1030477">Giovanni E. Ferreira</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christina-abdel-shaheed-425241">Christina Abdel Shaheed</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> The drug semaglutide, commonly known by the brand names Ozempic or Wegovy, was <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-rise-of-ozempic-how-surprise-discoveries-and-lizard-venom-led-to-a-new-class-of-weight-loss-drugs-219721">originally developed</a> to help people with type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels. However, researchers have discovered it may help with other health issues, too. Clinical trials show semaglutide can be effective for <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183">weight loss</a>, and hundreds of thousands of people around the world are using it <a href="https://theconversation.com/considering-taking-a-weight-loss-drug-like-ozempic-here-are-some-potential-risks-and-benefits-219312">for this purpose</a>. Evidence has also shown the drug can help manage <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2306963">heart failure</a> and <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2403347">chronic kidney disease</a> in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Now, a study published in the <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2403664">New England Journal of Medicine</a> has suggested semaglutide can improve knee pain in people with obesity and osteoarthritis. So what did this study find, and how could semaglutide and osteoarthritis pain be linked? <h2>Osteoarthritis and obesity</h2> Osteoarthritis is a common joint disease, affecting <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-musculoskeletal-conditions/osteoarthritis">2.1 million Australians</a>. Most people with osteoarthritis <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-you-have-knee-pain-from-osteoarthritis-you-might-not-need-surgery-heres-what-to-try-instead-236779">have pain</a> and find it difficult to perform common daily activities such as walking. The knee is <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37675071/">the joint most commonly affected</a> by osteoarthritis. Being overweight or obese is a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25447976/">major risk factor</a> for osteoarthritis in the knee. The link between the two conditions <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26821091/">is complex</a>. It involves a combination of increased load on the knee, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41413-023-00301-9">metabolic factors</a> such as high cholesterol and high blood sugar, and inflammation. For example, elevated blood sugar levels increase the production of inflammatory molecules in the body, which can damage the cartilage in the knee, and lead to the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30712918/">development of osteoarthritis</a>. Weight loss is strongly recommended to reduce the pain of knee osteoarthritis in people who are overweight or obese. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31908149/">International</a> and <a href="https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-08/osteoarthritis-knee-clinical-care-standard-2024.pdf">Australian guidelines</a> suggest losing as little as 5% of body weight can help. But losing weight with just diet and exercise can be difficult for many people. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26180980/">One study</a> from the United Kingdom found the annual probability of people with obesity losing 5% or more of their body weight was less than one in ten. Semaglutide has recently entered the market as a potential alternative route to weight loss. It comes from a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists and works by increasing a person’s sense of fullness. <h2>Semaglutide for osteoarthritis?</h2> The rationale for the <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2403664">recent study</a> was that while we know weight loss alleviates symptoms of knee osteoarthritis, the effect of GLP-1 receptor agonists was yet to be explored. So the researchers set out to understand what effect semaglutide might have on knee osteoarthritis pain, alongside body weight. They randomly allocated 407 people with obesity and moderate osteoarthritis into one of two groups. One group received semaglutide once a week, while the other group received a placebo. Both groups were treated for 68 weeks and received counselling on diet and physical activity. At the end of the treatment phase, researchers measured changes in knee pain, function, and body weight. As expected, those taking semaglutide lost more weight than those in the placebo group. People on semaglutide lost around 13% of their body weight on average, while those taking the placebo lost around 3% on average. More than 70% of people in the semaglutide group lost at least 10% of their body weight compared to just over 9% of people in the placebo group. The study found semaglutide reduced knee pain significantly more than the placebo. Participants who took semaglutide reported an additional 14-point reduction in pain on a 0–100 scale compared to the placebo group. This is much greater than the pain reduction in another <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36511925/">recent study</a> among people with obesity and knee osteoarthritis. This study investigated the effects of a diet and exercise program compared to an attention control (where participants are provided with information about nutrition and physical activity). The results here saw only a 3-point difference between the intervention group and the control group on the same scale. The amount of pain relief reported in the semaglutide trial is also larger than that reported with commonly used pain medicines such as <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35442752/">anti-inflammatories</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35137418/">opioids</a> and <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.m4825">antidepressants</a>. Semaglutide also improved knee function compared to the placebo. For example, people who took semaglutide could walk about 42 meters further than those on the placebo in a six-minute walking test. <h2>How could semaglutide reduce knee pain?</h2> It’s not fully clear how semaglutide helps with knee pain from osteoarthritis. One explanation may be that when a person loses weight, there’s less stress on the joints, which reduces pain. But recent studies have also suggested semaglutide and other GLP-1 receptor agonists might have <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661822002651">anti-inflammatory</a> properties, and could even protect against <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6731440/">cartilage wear and tear</a>. While the results of this new study are promising, it’s too soon to regard semaglutide as a “miracle drug” for knee osteoarthritis. And as this study was funded by the drug company that makes semaglutide, it will be important to have independent studies in the future, to confirm the findings, or not. The study also had strict criteria, excluding some groups, such as those taking opioids for knee pain. One in seven Australians seeing a GP for their knee osteoarthritis <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34527976/">are prescribed opioids</a>. Most participants in the trial were white (61%) and women (82%). This means the study may not fully represent the average person with knee osteoarthritis and obesity. It’s also important to consider semaglutide can have a range of <a href="https://theconversation.com/considering-taking-a-weight-loss-drug-like-ozempic-here-are-some-potential-risks-and-benefits-219312">side effects</a>, including gastrointestinal symptoms and fatigue. There are some concerns that semaglutide could reduce <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/experts-are-concerned-drugs-like-ozempic-may-cause-muscle-loss">muscle mass</a> and <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health-news/ozempic-muscle-mass-loss">bone density</a>, though we’re still learning more about this. Further, it can be difficult to access. <h2>I have knee osteoarthritis, what should I do?</h2> Osteoarthritis is a disease caused by multiple factors, and it’s important to take <a href="https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/standards/clinical-care-standards/osteoarthritis-knee-clinical-care-standard/information-consumers-osteoarthritis-knee-clinical-care-standard">a multifaceted approach</a> to managing it. Weight loss is an important component for those who are overweight or obese, but so are other aspects of <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-you-have-knee-pain-from-osteoarthritis-you-might-not-need-surgery-heres-what-to-try-instead-236779">self-management</a>. This might include physical activity, pacing strategies, and other positive lifestyle changes such as improving sleep, healthy eating, and so on.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/243159/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/giovanni-e-ferreira-1030477">Giovanni E. Ferreira</a>, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christina-abdel-shaheed-425241">Christina Abdel Shaheed</a>, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> Image credits: Shutterstocl This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-study-suggests-weight-loss-drugs-like-ozempic-could-help-with-knee-pain-heres-why-there-may-be-a-link-243159">original article</a>.

Body

Jessica Alba surprises dad by buying his childhood home

Jessica Alba has spent the past three years working towards buying her parents a house, but not just any house, she bought her father's childhood home. She took to Instagram to make the announcement, with a teaser video of her special home-renovation project. "Almost three years ago, I started the project of my dreams… I surprised my parents by buying them a house!!" she began. "Now, it wasn't just any house – it was extra sentimental as it was my grandparent's house that my father grew up in," she continued. "After my grandfather passed away, my parents were planning on selling the house in order to pay for my grandmother's medical bills. Well… I pretended like I was going to help them flip it before selling when in reality, I had planned to buy it for them all along." <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_TWEyhPyy_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_TWEyhPyy_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jessica Alba (@jessicaalba)</a> </div> </blockquote> She published the first part of her renovation series on YouTube and in it explained the sentimental value of the house and how it was a symbol for her father, who was an immigrant from Mexico, that "he had made it". Her family initially planned to sell it to ease some of their financial burden, as her grandmother required "24/7 care" but Alba wanted to keep the house in the family and so her plan began. "Instead of it giving to a stranger, I wanted to keep this home in our family," she said in the YouTube series. The moment Alba surprised her parents was also captured in the video, with her father brought to tears as he was overcome with emotion. "That's so sweet Jessica. That's a big surprise," he said while embracing his daughter. "I'm very proud of you." Images: Instagram

Money & Banking

What is childhood dementia? And how could new research help?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kim-hemsley-1529322">Kim Hemsley</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicholas-smith-1529324">Nicholas Smith</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/siti-mubarokah-1529323">Siti Mubarokah</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a> “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad242">1,400 Australian children and young people</a> live with currently untreatable childhood dementia. Broadly speaking, childhood dementia is caused by any one of <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/what-is-childhood-dementia#what">more than 100</a> rare genetic disorders. Although the causes differ from dementia acquired later in life, the progressive nature of the illness is the same. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad242">Half</a> of infants and children diagnosed with childhood dementia will not reach their tenth birthday, and most will die <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/what-is-childhood-dementia#what">before turning 18</a>. Yet this devastating condition has lacked awareness, and importantly, the research attention needed to work towards treatments and a cure. <h2>More about the causes</h2> Most types of childhood dementia are <a href="https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/146/11/4446/7226999">caused</a> by <a href="https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Mutation">mutations</a> (or mistakes) in our <a href="https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Deoxyribonucleic-Acid">DNA</a>. These mistakes lead to a range of rare genetic disorders, which in turn cause childhood dementia. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad242">Two-thirds</a> of childhood dementia disorders are caused by “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459183/">inborn errors of metabolism</a>”. This means the metabolic pathways involved in the breakdown of carbohydrates, lipids, fatty acids and proteins in the body fail. As a result, nerve pathways fail to function, neurons (nerve cells that send messages around the body) die, and progressive cognitive decline occurs. <h2>What happens to children with childhood dementia?</h2> Most children initially appear unaffected. But after a period of apparently normal development, children with childhood dementia <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2023.09.006">progressively lose</a> all previously acquired skills and abilities, such as talking, walking, learning, remembering and reasoning. Childhood dementia also leads to significant changes in behaviour, such as aggression and hyperactivity. Severe sleep disturbance is common and vision and hearing can also be affected. Many children have seizures. The age when symptoms start can vary, depending partly on the particular genetic disorder causing the dementia, but the average is around <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fbrain%2Fawad242">two years old</a>. The symptoms are caused by significant, progressive brain damage. <h2>Are there any treatments available?</h2> Childhood dementia treatments currently <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/news/report-reveals-global-research-inequity">under evaluation</a> or approved are for a very limited number of disorders, and are only available in some parts of the world. These include gene replacement, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jmd2.12378">gene-modified cell therapy</a> and protein or <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1712649">enzyme replacement therapy</a>. Enzyme replacement therapy is available in Australia for <a href="https://australianprescriber.tg.org.au/articles/cerliponase-alfa-for-neuronal-ceroid-lipofuscinosis-type-2-disease.html">one form of childhood dementia</a>. These therapies attempt to “fix” the problems causing the disease, and have shown promising results. Other experimental therapies include ones that <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/life12050608">target</a> faulty protein production or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2310151">reduce inflammation</a> in the brain. <h2>Research attention is lacking</h2> Death rates for Australian children with cancer <a href="http://www.childhooddementia.org/getasset/2WX39O">nearly halved</a> between <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/australias-children/contents/health/cancer-incidence-survival">1997 and 2017</a> thanks to research that has enabled the development of multiple treatments. But over recent decades, <a href="http://www.childhooddementia.org/getasset/2WX39O">nothing has changed</a> for children with dementia. In 2017–2023, research for childhood cancer received over four times more funding per patient compared to funding for <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/getasset/2WX39O">childhood dementia</a>. This is despite childhood dementia causing a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad242">similar number of deaths</a> each year as childhood cancer. The success <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/australias-children/contents/health/cancer-incidence-survival">for childhood cancer sufferers</a> in recent decades demonstrates how adequately funding medical research can lead to improvements in patient outcomes. Another bottleneck for childhood dementia patients in Australia is the lack of access to clinical trials. An <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/news/report-reveals-global-research-inequity">analysis</a> published in March this year showed that in December 2023, only two clinical trials were recruiting patients with childhood dementia in Australia. Worldwide however, 54 trials were recruiting, meaning Australian patients and their families are left watching patients in other parts of the world receive potentially lifesaving treatments, with no recourse themselves. That said, we’ve seen a slowing in the establishment of <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/news/report-reveals-global-research-inequity">clinical trials</a> for childhood dementia across the world in recent years. In addition, we know from <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/join-us/professionals/impacts">consultation with families</a> that current care and support systems <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/getasset/44MLP8">are not meeting the needs</a> of children with dementia and their families. <h2>New research</h2> Recently, we were awarded <a href="https://www.premier.sa.gov.au/media-releases/news-items/major-funding-boost-for-research-into-childhood-dementia">new funding</a> for <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/giving/our-donors/impact-of-giving/improving-the-lives-of-children-with-dementia">our research</a> on childhood dementia. This will help us continue and expand studies that seek to develop lifesaving treatments. More broadly, we need to see increased funding in Australia and around the world for research to develop and translate treatments for the broad spectrum of childhood dementia conditions. Dr Kristina Elvidge, head of research at the <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/our-people">Childhood Dementia Initiative</a>, and Megan Maack, director and CEO, contributed to this article.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/228508/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kim-hemsley-1529322">Kim Hemsley</a>, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicholas-smith-1529324">Nicholas Smith</a>, Head, Paediatric Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/siti-mubarokah-1529323">Siti Mubarokah</a>, Research Associate, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-childhood-dementia-and-how-could-new-research-help-228508">original article</a>.

Mind

Drugs like Ozempic won’t ‘cure’ obesity but they might make us more fat-phobic

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emma-beckett-22673">Emma Beckett</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> Many have <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/03/02/new-drugs-could-spell-an-end-to-the-worlds-obesity-epidemic">declared</a> drugs like Ozempic could “end obesity” by reducing the appetite and waistlines of millions of people around the world. When we look past the hype, this isn’t just untrue – it can also be harmful. The focus on weight, as opposed to health, is a feature of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277539521001217">diet culture</a>. This frames the pursuit of thinness as more important than other aspects of physical and cultural wellbeing. The Ozempic buzz isn’t just rooted in health and medicine but plays into ideas of <a href="https://butterfly.org.au/weight-bias-fatphobia-diet-culture/#:%7E:text=Weight%20bias%2C%20sometimes%20also%20called,or%20being%20around%20fat%20people.">fat stigma and fat phobia</a>. This can perpetuate fears of fatness and fat people, and the behaviours that <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/S12916-018-1116-5">harm people who live in larger bodies</a>. <h2>Not the first ‘miracle’ weight-loss drug</h2> This isn’t the first time we have heard that weight-loss drugs will change the world. Ozempic and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551568/">its family</a> of GLP-1-mimicking drugs are the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ozempic-is-in-the-spotlight-but-its-just-the-latest-in-a-long-and-strange-history-of-weight-loss-drugs-209324">latest in a long line of weight loss drugs</a>. Each looked promising at the time. But none have lived up to the hype in the long term. Some have even been withdrawn from sale due to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5126837/">severe side effects</a>. Science does improve <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(20)30028-8/fulltext">incrementally</a>, but diet culture also keeps us on a cycle of hope for the next <a href="https://sahrc.org/2022/04/diet-culture-a-brief-history/">miracle cure</a>. So drugs like Ozempic might not deliver the results individuals expect, continuing the cycle of hope and shame. <h2>Ozempic doesn’t work the same for everyone</h2> When we talk about the results of studies using Ozempic, we often <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3719041/">focus on the average</a> (also known as the mean) results or the maximum (or peak) results. So, studies might <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9486455/">show</a> those using the drug lost an average of 10.9% of their body weight, but some lost more than 20% and others less than 5% What we don’t talk about as much is that responses are variable. Some people are “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212877820301769">non-responders</a>”. This means not everyone loses as much weight as the average, and some don’t lose weight at all. For some people, the side-effects will outweigh the benefits. When people are on drugs like Ozempic, their blood sugar is better controlled by enhancing the release of insulin and reducing the levels of another hormone called glucagon. But there is greater variability in the amount of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212877820301769#bib88">weight lost</a> than the variability in blood sugar control. It isn’t clear why, but is likely due to differences in genetics and lifestyles, and weight being more complex to regulate. <h2>Treatment needs to be ongoing. What will this mean?</h2> When weight-loss drugs do work, they are only effective while they’re being taken. This means that to keep the weight off people need to keep taking them long term. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9542252/">One study found</a> an average weight loss of more than 17% after a year on Ozempic became an average net weight loss of 5.6% more than two years after stopping treatment. Short-term side effects of drugs like Ozempic include dizziness, nausea, vomiting and other gastrointestinal upsets. But because these are new drugs, we simply don’t have data to tell us if side effects will increase as people take them for longer periods. Nor do we know if <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/why-weight-loss-drugs-stop-working-how-to-break-past-ozempic-plateau#:%7E:text=A%20lifetime%20commitment%20to%20Ozempic&text=By%20these%20standards%2C%20such%20drugs,long%2Dterm%20risk%20is%20unknown.">effectiveness will be reduced</a> in the long term. This is called <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/drug-tolerance#:%7E:text=A%20condition%20that%20occurs%20when,or%20different%20medicine%20is%20needed.">drug tolerance</a> and is documented for other long-term treatments such as antidepressants and chemotherapies. <h2>Biology is only part of the story</h2> For some people, using GLP-1-mimicking drugs like Ozempic will be validating and empowering. They will feel like their biology has been “normalised” in the same way that blood pressure or cholesterol medication can return people to the “normal” range of measures. But biologically, obesity <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7202176/#:%7E:text=Obesity%20behaves%20as%20complex%20polygenic,about%2080%25%20(3).">isn’t solely about GLP-1 activity</a> with <a href="https://www.worldobesity.org/what-we-do/our-policy-priorities/the-roots-of-obesity">many other</a> hormones, physical activity, and even our gut microbes involved. Overall, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK278977/">obesity is complex and multifaceted</a>. Obesity isn’t just driven by personal biology and choice; it has social, cultural, political, environmental and economic determinants. <h2>A weight-centred approach misses the rest of the story</h2> The weight-centred approach <a href="https://butterfly.org.au/body-image/health-not-weight/#:%7E:text=Health%20and%20wellbeing%20are%20multi,on%20their%20size%20or%20appearance.">suggests that leading with thinness means health will follow</a>. But changing appetite is only part of the story when it comes to health. Obesity often <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667368123000335#:%7E:text=Obesity%20related%20malnutrition%20can%20also,%5D%2C%20%5B7%5D%5D.">co-exists with malnutrition</a>. We try to separate the effects in research using statistics, but focusing on the benefits of weight-loss drugs without addressing the underlying malnutrition means we aren’t likely to see the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/ozempic-diet-exercise-healthy-43eee86c">improved health outcomes in everyone who loses weight</a>. <h2>Obesity isn’t an issue detached from people</h2> Even when it is well-intentioned, the rhetoric around the joy of “ending the obesity epidemic” can <a href="https://theconversation.com/ozempic-the-miracle-drug-and-the-harmful-idea-of-a-future-without-fat-211661">harm people</a>. Obesity doesn’t occur in isolation. It is people who are obese. And the celebration and hype of these weight-loss drugs can reinforce harmful fat stigma. The framing of these drugs as a “cure” exacerbates the binary view of thin versus fat, and healthy versus unhealthy. These are not binary outcomes that are good or bad. Weight and health exist on a spectrum. Ironically, while fat people are told they need to lose weight for their health, they are also <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/ozempic-shame-why-users-are-embarrassed-to-admit-using-weight-loss-wonder-drug/news-story/ee52a819c69459afe6576d25988f9bd6">shamed for “cheating” or taking shortcuts</a> by using medication. <h2>Drugs are tools, not silver bullets</h2> The creation of these drugs is a start, but they remain expensive, and the hype has been followed by <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/safety/shortages/information-about-major-medicine-shortages/about-ozempic-semaglutide-shortage-2022-and-2023#:%7E:text=Consumer%20Medicine%20Information%20.-,Why%20the%20Ozempic%20shortage%20happened,label%20prescribing%20for%20weight%20loss.">shortages</a>. Ultimately, complex challenges aren’t addressed with simple solutions. This is particularly true when people are involved, and even more so when there isn’t even an agreement on what the challenge is. Many organisations and individuals see obesity is a disease and believe this framing helps people to seek treatment. Others think it’s unnecessary to attach medical labels to body types and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/geoffreykabat/2013/07/09/why-labeling-obesity-as-a-disease-is-a-big-mistake/?sh=5ca95cc2103b">argue</a> it confuses risk factors (things that are linked to increased risk of illness) with illness itself. Regardless, two things will always remain true. Drugs can only ever be tools, and those tools need to be applied in a context. To use these tools ethically, we need to remain mindful of who this application harms along the way. <hr /> Read the other articles in The Conversation’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/ozempic-series-154673">Ozempic series</a> here.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219309/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emma-beckett-22673">Emma Beckett</a>, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Nutrition, Dietetics & Food Innovation - School of Health Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/drugs-like-ozempic-wont-cure-obesity-but-they-might-make-us-more-fat-phobic-219309">original article</a>.

Body

Obese woman sparks debate for not giving up extra seat for toddler

An obese woman has sparked debate online after refusing to give up the second seat she paid for to a fussy toddler. The 34-year-old booked the two seats for her cross-country flight to visit her family for Christmas because she was previously unable to comfortably fit in one seat. All was well until the young woman next to her demanded that she "squeeze into one seat" so her son could sit on the other. "I am obese," she admitted on the Reddit thread. "I'm actively working toward losing weight and I've made progress - but I booked an extra seat because I'm fat." She added that she insisted on keeping her seat because she paid for it, but the mum "made a big fuss over it, and she told the flight attendant I was stealing the seat from her son." "Then I showed her my boarding passes, proving that I paid for the extra seat. The flight attendant asked me if I could try to squeeze in, but I said no, that I wanted the extra seat I paid for." The woman claimed that the toddler was only 18 months old, so he didn't need his own seat and could've sat on his mum's lap for the duration of the flight. "I got dirty looks and passive-aggressive remarks from her for the entire flight and I do feel a little bad because the boy looked hard to control - but am I in the wrong?" she asked other social media users. Many shared their overwhelming support for the woman and slammed the mum and flight attendant for their "horrific" behaviour. "The mum is an a**hole for not buying a seat for her son and assuming someone else would give up a seat they paid for. Odds are she was hoping there'd be extra seats on the flight so she didn't have to pay and used the lap thing as a loophole," one commented. "What's even the point of the extra seat if the flight attendants are going to let entitled people bully others into giving it up?" another added. "People buy entire seats for high-end musical equipment. Not even people. Their lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on your part," a third wrote. However, there were a few others that said the woman was in the wrong for causing an inconvenience. "If you are so fat that you have to have more than one seat on an airplane then you are selfish," one said. "Flights overbook all the time especially during the holidays - how can you justify having two seats to yourself?" "How much room does a kid take up, seriously? Yeah the mum should've bought a seat but that doesn't mean you have to be selfish and cause two people discomfort," another commented. Image: Getty

Travel Trouble

Princess Diana's childhood home up for rent

The house Princess Diana spent her childhood and teenage years in is now available for the public to rent. Althorp House, located in West Northamptonshire in England, is owned by Diana's brother Earl Spencer, who has lived on the sprawling property as custodian of the estate since 1992. The expansive property has been listed for royal fans with deep pockets to rent on <a href="https://www.elysian-estates.co.uk/althorp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elysian Estates</a>, an upmarket equivalent of Airbnb. Althorp House, which is a 90 minute drive out of London, was built in 1508 and has been in the Spencer family for 19 generations. Lady Diana lived in the 90-room stately home for most of her childhood and teenage years, before she married the then-Prince Charles in 1981. Not just one grand property, the estate covers 13,000 acres of countryside as it encompasses cottages, farms, woodlands and villages, which are open to visitors but only at certain times of the year. Now, the home is once again available to rent via Elysian Estates. "Althorp offers unparalleled levels of service, privacy and luxury to rival the finest properties anywhere in the world; yet retains the truly welcoming and homely feel that makes Althorp so special," the listing says. "Walk in the footsteps of kings and queens, feast or celebrate in spectacular surroundings, marvel at the sense of history and artwork, and slumber in pure luxury." In the main house, there are six state bedrooms to choose from offering "a level of opulence befitting royalty, with these very rooms playing as much a part of English history as any royal palace". Prices for the rental are not yet publicly available as an enquiry must be sent to reserve the opulent property. The listing stated that the stay includes "butler service, a team of private chefs and housekeeping, with a dedicated concierge service". Althorp is today most famous for being the final resting place of Princess Diana following her death in Paris. Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram

Real Estate

Renaming obesity won’t fix weight stigma overnight. Here’s what we really need to do

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ravisha-jayawickrama-1457644">Ravisha Jayawickrama</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/blake-lawrence-1452739">Blake Lawrence</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/briony-hill-1041619">Briony Hill</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> The stigma that surrounds people living in larger bodies is pervasive and deeply affects the people it’s directed at. It’s been described as one of the last acceptable <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-australias-discrimination-laws-and-public-health-campaigns-perpetuate-fat-stigma-80471">forms of</a> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6592337">discrimination</a>. Some researchers think the term “obesity” itself is part of the problem, and are calling for a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27967229/">name change</a> to reduce stigma. They’re <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/obr.13590">proposing</a> “adipose-based chronic disease” instead. We study the stigma that surrounds obesity – around the time of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.13147">pregnancy</a>, among <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/oby.23266">health professionals</a> and health <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(23)00071-8/fulltext">students</a>, and in <a href="https://www.phrp.com.au/issues/october-2022-volume-32-issue-3/weight-stigma-in-australia/">public health</a> more widely. Here’s what’s really needed to reduce weight stigma. <h2>Weight stigma is common</h2> Up to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26596238/">42% of adults</a> living in larger bodies experience weight stigma. This is when others have negative beliefs, attitudes, assumptions and judgements towards them, unfairly viewing them as lazy, and lacking in willpower or self-discipline. People in larger bodies experience <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2008.636">discrimination</a> in many areas, including in the workplace, intimate and family relationships, education, health care and the media. Weight stigma is associated with <a href="https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-018-1116-5">harms</a> including increased cortisol levels (the main stress hormone in the body), negative body image, increased weight gain, and poor mental health. It leads to decreased uptake of, and quality of, health care. Weight stigma may even pose a <a href="https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-018-1116-5">greater threat</a> to someone’s health than increasing body size. <h2>Should we rename obesity?</h2> Calls to remove or rename health conditions or identifications to reduce stigma are not new. For example, in the 1950s homosexuality was classed as a “<a href="https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2022.180103">sociopathic personality disturbance</a>”. Following many years of protests and activism, the term and condition <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4695779/">were removed</a> from the globally recognised classification of mental health disorders. In recent weeks, European researchers have renamed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease “metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease”. This occurred after <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/382/bmj.p1587">up to 66%</a> of health-care professionals surveyed felt the terms “non-alcoholic” and “fatty” to be stigmatising. Perhaps it is finally time to follow suit and rename obesity. But is “adiposity-based chronic disease” the answer? <h2>A new name needs to go beyond BMI</h2> There are two common ways people view obesity. First, most people use the term for people with a body-mass index (BMI) of 30kg/m² or above. Most, if not all, public health organisations also use BMI to categorise obesity and <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(22)00138-9/fulltext">make assumptions</a> about health. However, BMI alone is not enough to accurately summarise someone’s health. It does not account for muscle mass and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/downloads/bmiforpactitioners.pdf">does not provide</a> information about the distribution of body weight or adipose tissue (body fat). A high BMI can occur <a href="https://theconversation.com/using-bmi-to-measure-your-health-is-nonsense-heres-why-180412">without</a> biological indicators of poor health. Second, obesity is sometimes used to describe the condition of excess weight when mainly <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/obr.13590">accompanied by</a> metabolic abnormalities. To simplify, this reflects how the body has adapted to the environment in a way that makes it more susceptible to health risks, with excess weight a by-product of this. Renaming obesity “adiposity-based chronic disease” acknowledges the chronic metabolic dysfunction associated with what we currently term obesity. It also avoids labelling people purely on body size. <h2>Is obesity a disease anyway?</h2> “Adiposity-based chronic disease” is an acknowledgement of a disease state. Yet there is still no universal consensus on whether obesity is a disease. Nor is there clear agreement on the definition of “disease”. People who take a biological-dysfunction approach to disease <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25336733/">argue</a> dysfunction occurs when physiological or psychological systems don’t do what they’re supposed to. By this definition, obesity may <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37279872/">not be classified as a disease</a> until after harm from the additional weight occurs. That’s because the excess weight itself may not initially be harmful. Even if we do categorise obesity as a disease, there may still be value in renaming it. Renaming obesity may improve public understanding that while obesity is often associated with an increase in BMI, the increased BMI itself is not the disease. This change could move the focus from obesity and body size, to a more nuanced understanding and discussion of the biological, environmental, and lifestyle factors <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/obr.13590">associated</a> with it. <h2>Workshopping alternatives</h2> Before deciding to rename obesity, we need discussions between obesity and stigma experts, health-care professionals, members of the public, and crucially, <a href="https://www.phrp.com.au/issues/october-2022-volume-32-issue-3/weight-stigma-in-australia/">people living with obesity</a>. Such discussions can ensure robust evidence informs any future decisions, and proposed new terms are not also stigmatising. <h2>What else can we do?</h2> Even then, renaming obesity may not be enough to reduce the stigma. Our constant exposure to the socially-defined and acceptable idealisation of smaller bodies (the “thin ideal”) and the pervasiveness of weight stigma means this stigma is deeply ingrained at a societal level. Perhaps true reductions in obesity stigma may only come from a societal shift – away from the focus of the “thin ideal” to one that acknowledges health and wellbeing can occur at a range of body sizes.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209224/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ravisha-jayawickrama-1457644">Ravisha Jayawickrama</a>, PhD candidate, School of Population Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/blake-lawrence-1452739">Blake Lawrence</a>, Lecturer, Curtin School of Population Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/briony-hill-1041619">Briony Hill</a>, Deputy Head, Health and Social Care Unit and Senior Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/renaming-obesity-wont-fix-weight-stigma-overnight-heres-what-we-really-need-to-do-209224">original article</a>.

Body

Readers respond: What did your mum or dad make for dinner growing up that you haven't had in ages?

Sometimes love and affection comes in the form of food, especially when it’s made by our parents. As we grow older and start our own lives we begin to miss the things we got used to as we grow up, especially the food our parents made. Here are some dishes our Over60 readers grew up with that they miss dearly. Keralie Stack - Mums apple pie, lemon meringue pie. Beautiful meat and kidney pies. Roasted meat in winter cooked in the fuel stove , along with a big pot of pea and ham soup in winter, followed with damper and scones for dinner Peter Lord - Mums meat and potato pie! I’ve made it and it’s not bad but it’s nowhere near as good as mum’s! Lee Pavey - A big roast dinner with roast veges & gravy made with the juices of the meat. Jenny Yaun - In my young 8 years old Living in Indonesia I loved Mum's Nasi Goreng made with tin corn beef, I still make now and again. I'm Dutch/Australian Marie Manson - Dads fabulous vege soup.. Dawn Holmes - Triple and onions!!! Can't say I miss it but they liked it!! But then mum was a great home cook with her baked goods and tasty soups and stews!! Jennifer Sabatino - Shepherd’s Pie made with leftover lamb from the Sunday roast and apple sponge (apples with the sponge baked on top), baked custard, baked rice custard and bread & butter pudding. Kathy Bloor - Mince on toast. I have never made it for myself and I am 70 Keith Carter - I haven't had PLOT TOFFEE FOR 65 years. Just got the recipe from my 86 yo sister. So now thats the go. Lorna Turner Prunes - and custard. I still cook all the foods my mum and dad cooked except for prunes and custard.

Food & Wine

5 ways alcohol can sabotage your weight loss goals, according to an obesity doctor

Alcohol and weight loss “Hey Siri, can I still lose weight if I drink alcohol?” Goodness, we only wish the answer was that simple. Research is mixed (no pun intended) on whether alcohol can lead to weight gain. That’s because weight is complex – and some people notice a shift on the scale when they consume alcohol, while others don’t. As a doctor who specialises in the science of weight, I can say what we do know is that many of these alcoholic drinks are energy-dense (meaning high in kilojoules) and provide little to no nutrition, which may put a damper on your weight loss efforts. Here are five major reasons alcohol can impede you weight loss efforts. Your body views alcohol as a toxin Your body metabolises and eliminates alcohol from the body with the help of two enzymes: Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). When you imbibe, these two work together to break apart the alcohol molecules, producing a toxic substance, acetaldehyde, then acetate, so that your body can get rid of it – and fast. Here’s why that matters when you’re trying to lose weight. Since your body prioritises alcohol digestion, it puts digestion of other nutrients (like fat, carbs, and protein) on the back burner. In other words, your body might put off metabolising fat and carbs when it’s busy breaking down alcohol. Over time and repeated patterns, this could lead to increased fat storage and weight gain. Alcohol can cause inflammation Alcohol can impair the functions of the gut, liver, and other organs – interfering with the immune system and causing systemic inflammation. Alcohol consumption stimulates a cascade of inflammatory responses, one of which is the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. And research has shown that persistently high levels of cortisol are associated with obesity. That’s why it’s best for people with obesity, who are already at an increased risk of inflammation, to limit or avoid alcohol. Alcohol affects sleep - and sleep impacts weight It may seem like that nightcap helps you fall asleep, but alcohol can actually disrupt how well you snooze. One study, which looked at participants’ heart rates and ability to relax during sleep, showed that even small amounts (0.25 grams per kilogram or less) of alcohol decreased those markers of quality of sleep by 9.3%. And the more you drink, the worse you sleep – the same study linked moderate drinking to a 24% decrease in sleep quality, and heavy drinking to a 39.2% decrease in sleep quality. You may think a few nights of low-quality shut-eye is harmless, but research has shown that just one to three nights of poor sleep can lead to insulin resistance. Over time, that could put you at risk of obesity. Alcohol is often full of sneaky of sneaky kilojoules and sugar Many mixed drinks, tasty as they might be, contain added kilojoules and sugar on top of the naturally occurring sugars and kilojoules in alcohol. Even a so-called “lower-kilojoule” option, like a vodka tonic, can have as many kilojoules and grams of sugar as a serving of ice cream. Before you know it, your 30ml serving of vodka just jumped from 280 kilojoules to 700 kilojoules when you add 200ml of tonic. Have a few of those, and you’re looking at upwards of 2000 or more kilojoules on liquid alone – kilojoules that don’t provide your body with the best nutrition. Let’s compare these 2000 kilojoules in a few vodka tonics to a 2000-kilojoule meal of salmon, brown rice, and steamed veggies. The drinks are empty kilojoules, whereas the meal has fat, fibre and protein to keep you fuller and satisfied for longer – a win-win while trying to lose weight – while also providing high-quality nourishment. Drinking impacts food choices Have you ever noticed after drinking alcohol, you get a sudden hankering for a fast food run or pizza delivery? That’s because alcohol can impair decision-making and lead to impulse decisions when it comes to food – and research suggests it may even stimulate the appetite. Those who drink alcohol with a meal also tend to eat more – 30% more, according to one study. While alcohol won’t impact everyone’s weight the same way, it’s best to be mindful of how much you drink when trying to lose weight. Consider skipping it altogether or aim for moderation. Just know that even if you follow the limit for moderate drinking as recommended in the Australian Alcohol Guidelines by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) —no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day – it still adds up over time. Several studies have shown that the risk of obesity is roughly two times higher in adults who consume alcohol than in those who don’t. Considering mocktails (non-alcoholic beverages) are popping up on more and more bar menus these days, rest assured your after-work social hour will still be filled with cheers. Just be sure to opt for a lower-kilojoule option, such as soda water with a squeeze of fresh lime or a craft mocktail with half the amount of simple syrup. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/healthsmart/diet/5-ways-alcohol-can-sabotage-your-weight-loss-goals-according-to-an-obesity-doctor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Body

Readers respond: What memento from your childhood do you still have today?

From jewellery and stuffed toys to war-time relics, we find sentimental value in all kinds of mementos. We asked our readers what items from their childhood do they still have in their possession, and the response was overwhelming. Here's what they said. Trish George - My silver medals for reciting poetry at the Eisteddfod. Carol Hamilton - My teddy bear. He's 65 and a bit worn, but I love him. Judy Tracey - My baby bracelet l got for my Christening 67 years ago, and a second hand Heidi book I got when l was 6. Helen Bain - My bible from 1964, an award certificate from 1959 for an essay, all my husbands letters from Vietnam, and my Aunt's cookbook from 1930s. Joanne Starkey - My memento is a beautiful Koala which was gifted to me as a baby. It is in excellent condition handmade with rabbit fur and looks exactly like a real Koala... it is now 77 years old. Nola Schmidt - I have several items from my childhood including a silver mug and a money box given to me for my baptism in January 1950. I was 3 months old. Donna Clarke - A signet ring gifted to me by my Parents 52 years ago. I have never taken it off... couldn’t now if I wanted to. Gwenda Flaye - A string of pearls my godmother gave me when I was 12. Anne Creber - A bible my grandmother gave me for my 12th birthday, not that I’m religious but I’ve always kept it. John Skinner - My teddy that my nanna gave me on my first birthday. I turn 71 next month, like me he looks a bit worse for wear! Maureen Fisk - A birthday card from grandmother seventy years ago. Lyn Hutton - The only thing I have is a prayer book which I took to Mass every Sunday from a very young age. Haven't been to church now for a very long time, but when I found it tucked away at the back if a cupboard, I couldn't bring myself to throw it away! Dawn Dominick - A pearl tiara that l wore when l was probably about 8 years old to a dance concert. Doreen Douglas - My doll. Santa gave her to me when I was 5. I’m now 79 and still have her. Frances Williams - My father gave me the book Peter Pan, shortly after I was born. I still have it at 79, although it’s a little tattered. All my life I’ve been an avid reader, this was my first book. Image credits: Getty Images

Home & Garden

Loneliness can be twice as unhealthy as obesity in older people

A study has found that loneliness is twice as unhealthy as obesity in older people. Over six years, the study looked at the impact variables had on death rates. After tracking more than 2,000 people aged 50 and over, scientists found that people who were identified as the loneliest were nearly twice as likely to die during the study than those who were the least lonely. Compared with the average person within the study, those who were lonely had a 14 per cent higher risk of dying, which was around twice the impact obesity had on early death rates. Poverty ranked higher than loneliness with a 19 per cent increase. A separate study in 2012 found that around a fifth of older people feel lonely all the time, and a quarter of them become steadily lonelier as time went on. People reported that loneliness was the worst at weekends, and three quarters felt the effects strongly at night. In the past, loneliness has been linked to health problems like high blood pressure, and increased risk of stroke, heart attack and depression. John Cacioppo, a psychologist at the University of Chicago recommends thinking twice before uprooting yourself during retirement. Moving away to “greener pastures” may have certain appeals, but it can often take you away from your support network of friends and family. In the light of these studies, it follows that people need to feel involved and valued by those around them. The results also reflected that company alone was perhaps not enough. If you know someone you think might be lonely, maybe you can invite them to take part in some activities with you and your friends. Phone calls are a great way to stay in touch with people who are further away, especially if you involve someone in your life by asking them for their advice on various subjects. Pets have also been shown to be great in alleviating loneliness. And if you’re looking to interact with some new friends, you can always vist our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Over60-NZ-261868603973770/?fref=ts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook page</a>. Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/mind/2015/11/kindness-leads-to-happiness-research/">People are happier when they do good</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/mind/2015/12/some-material-things-proven-to-make-you-happy/">The material things proven to make you happy</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/mind/2015/12/exercises-to-strengthen-your-willpower/">Simple exercises to strengthen your willpower</a> Image credit: Shutterstock

Mind

Why difficult childhood experiences could make you age prematurely

We know that comparatively disadvantaged people, even in rich countries, have worse health and <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/01/31/low-socioeconomic-status-affects-life-expectancy-more-than-obesi_a_21704449/">shorter life expectancy</a> than others. But what is it exactly about socioeconomic disadvantage and other environmental difficulties that affects our biology? And at what age are we most vulnerable to these effects? While it is unclear exactly how the social environment influences a person’s biology at the molecular level, processes related to ageing are likely to be involved. One such process is DNA methylation, a mechanism used by cells to control gene expression. Specifically, it determines whether and when a gene is turned on, turned off or dialled up or down. Now a new study, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aje/advance-article/doi/10.1093/aje/kwy155/5060528?guestAccessKey=df5d8e87-4e2d-4bff-b0fb-72ad5319f825#119252619">published in the American Journal of Epidemiology</a>, suggests that this process may be affected by circumstances in our youth – ultimately affecting how we age. All cells in the human body – from blood and skin cells to neurons – share the same genetic code. So how are they so different? The answer lies in gene expression: which of the many thousands of genes in each human cell are switched on, to what extent, and at which stage in the cell’s development. This varies not just between cell types but between people, helping to explain why identical twins can be visibly different. Physically, DNA methylation involves modification of “letters” of the genetic code by addition or removal of a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/methyl-group">methyl group</a> – affecting how much the gene is expressed. Because the distribution of methyl groups along the genome changes in systematic ways with ageing, you can estimate a person’s age from DNA methylation patterns in cells from a blood sample by applying an algorithm. This <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-epigenetics-may-help-us-slow-down-the-ageing-clock-76878">measure of “biological age”</a> is relevant to longevity – individuals with an “older” DNA methylation age are at greater risk of age-related disease and mortality. Meanwhile, it seems environmental influences may alter or “accelerate” age-related changes in methylation: associations have been shown between DNA methylation age and stress, dietary factors and pollution. This suggests DNA methylation age may be one pathway by which the social environment can affect health. New data Data was used from 1099 adults in the UK to look at whether different dimensions of socioeconomic disadvantage were linked to elevated DNA methylation age, calculated in two ways. When blood samples were collected, the survey had already collected annual information on the same people’s socioeconomic circumstances for 12 years. This meant the study was able to consider current and longer-term measures of things like income, employment status and educational qualifications. Crucially, this data also included information about the occupational social class of an individual’s parents when they were 14. The research discovered that only the last measure showed a clear link with DNA methylation age. Individuals whose parents worked in semi routine or routine occupations were about one year “older” than individuals whose parents worked in managerial or professional roles. Individuals who did not have working parents, or had parents who had died, fared still worse: they were 2.4 or 1.85 years older depending on the algorithm used. The calculations did take account of other relevant factors including smoking, body mass index and the actual age of the study participants. These results suggest DNA methylation age is an aspect of a person’s biology which is vulnerable to influences early in life, but surprisingly robust when it comes to difficulties experienced in adulthood. The next question is which aspects of the childhood socioeconomic environment are most relevant. Is it financial strain, housing quality or diet? Equally important will be to figure out which factors could provide resilience to these effects, potentially buffering children from a lasting impact of disadvantage on DNA methylation age. Of course, the results will need to be replicated, and since DNA methylation age was only measured once, the survey could not definitively prove cause and effect. But the results <a href="https://jech.bmj.com/content/62/5/387">add to extensive evidence</a> that early life circumstances can cast a long shadow on adult health. Perhaps most importantly, this strengthens the case for making sure all children are fully supported. Written by Amanda Hughes and Meena Kumari. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/difficult-childhood-experiences-could-make-us-age-prematurely-new-research-102807">theconversation.com</a>. Image credit: Shutterstock

Legal

Readers Respond: What was your go-to summer treat growing up?

Summer is here and we asked you what your favourite summer treat was growing up! Some of them even go way back. Take a look at some of your favourite treats: Nola Schmidt- Mum's homemade ice cream when we got a refrigerator. Before that chips of ice when the iceman delivered. Or icy poles from local milk bar. Susanne Foan- Ducky doubles from the little shop at the caravan park we stayed at in Capel WA. Robyn Harrison- Tip Top FruJu natural frozen juice on a stick. Lynne Abbott - The ice blocks made by my Mum and my nextdoor best friend's Mum. Mum made ice blocks with Raspberry cordial and my friend's Mum made them with chocolate milk. We ran back and forth between the houses getting cups of ice blocks from both Mums. Linda Stone- Hawaiian Delight ice block. Denise McGoldrick- Either homemade ice cream or watermelon (My Dad grew them to sell for extra money and he would chop up the ones he couldn't sell for us). Great days. Tracie Lee- Raspberry Freezer. Robyn Harrison- Coconut paddle pop, they do not make them now. We had real coconut in them. Jill Selwood- An ice cream in a cone. Or an apple-usually Granny Smith. Meegan Barclay- Frozen Cappuccino cups gold Coast in the 70s. Rhonda Jones- Iced Pineapple Drink from Lolly Shop/Milk Bar in Glenferrie Road Malvern, no longer there. Beverley Pye- Home made Ice blocks made with milk and strawberry topping, toffee apple Image: Getty

Food & Wine

Readers Respond: What was normal when you were a kid, but you never see anymore?

We all love reminiscing about our past, and many of us have similar experiences growing up. Most of our readers shared the same sentiment: their love for being able to play outside without a care. Take a trip down memory lane through looking back on your shared childhood experiences, that you believe kids nowadays don’t do. Claude Courtier - Children playing from dawn to dusk in the street unsupervised. Sheila Eddy- Children having fun outside all day, came home to eat and out again. Alan Smith- Picking mushrooms from paddocks. Sheree Tayler - Going to the local deli with your 50c and choosing the lollies you want to fill up a paper lolly bag. The lollies would all be displayed in a glass cabinet and they were either 1c, 2c or 5c. Then you’d ride off happily on your Indi 500 bike with your friends to your local park to eat them. Eric Pasquill- Playing outside, making mud pies, sailing leaves and sticks down the gutters after rain Dora Chisari- Playing outside with kids that lived close by. Jill Smith- Kids out on their own exploring the world and making their own fun!! No parents and no money needed!! And we learnt self reliance! Kristine Di Cerchio - Playing for hours outside with kids until so exhausted, sweat mixed with dust dripped off our cheeks. Feeling earth and grass under bare feet as we ran through the summer of our lives. Joy Boots- Running around barefoot, a homemade swing tied to tree branches in the back yard, the toilet being way up at the back fence (not in the house), cooling down in summer with the hose tied to the clothes line. If you have any other childhood experiences that you think we missed, share them <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oversixtyNZ/posts/pfbid0ctXEt75bZEtU9zVLvkwqM1xoMqMbygYZ4BvAtyG4DYeyB1A15fGvwcUiqhznTGzJl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Image: Getty

Retirement Life

Obese yet malnourished toddler mummy sheds light on life in 17th century aristocratic Austria

In a creepy discovery published, a collaboration of German scientists have performed a ‘virtual autopsy’ on a mummified toddler’s body, found in a 17th century Austrian crypt. Buried in a wooden coffin that was slightly too small and deformed the skull, the young child’s body appeared to be both obese and malnourished. Researchers say the findings might provide a rare insight into historical Austrian aristocratic society. By using CT scanning, scientists were able to perform a ‘virtual autopsy’ on the mummy which was naturally mummified in the conditions of the crypt. Well-preserved soft tissue showed the child was a boy, overweight for his age, and radiocarbon dating suggests a date of death between 1550 and 1635 CE. By examining the formation and length of the body’s bones, plus evidence of tooth eruption, the researchers were able to estimate that the child was about one year old when he died. The bones also showed that despite being well-fed, the boy was malnourished, with his malformed ribs displaying signs of rachitic rosary. This condition presents in a pattern of prominent bony knobs at points where the rib joins cartilage and results from diseases associated with specific vitamin deficiencies such as rickets (vitamin D) and scurvy (vitamin C). Vitamin D is found in foods like salmon, tuna, mackerel and beef liver and egg yolks, but we typically only get around 10% of our required Vitamin D from our diets – the rest is made by our bodies when exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) from the sun. “The combination of obesity along with a severe vitamin-deficiency can only be explained by a generally ‘good’ nutritional status along with an almost complete lack of sunlight exposure,” said Dr Andreas Nerlich of the Academic Clinic Munich-Bogenhausen and lead researcher. The child appears to have died from pneumonia, judging by the evidence of inflammation in the lungs. Rickets is known to make children more vulnerable to pneumonia, suggesting that, sadly, not only was the child malnourished, but that this condition may have also led to his untimely demise. “We have to reconsider the living conditions of high aristocratic infants of previous populations,” said Nerlich. Relatively little is known about aristocratic childhood in the late Renaissance period, so these mummified remains give key insights into life in Europe of a period generally known for its fervent creativity and intellectual development. “This is only one case,” said Nerlich, “but as we know that the early infant death rates generally were very high at that time, our observations may have considerable impact in the over-all life reconstruction of infants even in higher social classes.” To understand more about this period, researchers scoured historical records of the crypt and the family to whom the crypt belonged. Curiously, the child was buried in a simple, unmarked, wooden coffin, although he was dressed in an expensive silk hooded coat. The unmarked coffin appeared to have been slightly too small for the body such that the skull became deformed and was the only infant buried amongst the identifiable adult metal coffins in the crypt. Historical records of renovations on the crypt confirmed the radiocarbon dating, indicating the child was likely buried sometime after 1600 CE. The crypt belonged to the Counts of Starhemberg and traditionally was kept exclusively for the burial of heirs to their titles, and their wives, making the body likely to be that of the first-born (and only) son, Reichard Wilhelm, of Count Starhemberg. “We have no data on the fate of other infants of the family,” Nerlich said, regarding the unique burial. “According to our data, the infant was most probably [the count’s] first-born son after erection of the family crypt, so special care may have been applied.” This article originally appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/toddler-mummy-17thcentury-austria/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Clare Kenyon. Image: Andreas et al. (2022)

Travel Trouble

Why Hugh Jackman wanted to "shield" his kids from his difficult upbringing

Hugh Jackman has always known the day would come when he would have to explain his difficult history with his parents to his own kids. The 54-year-old actor, who has long spoken about his challenging childhood, is now wrestling with these awkward conversations, as his role in the the new film The Son has brought up past memories. Hugh has previously said that his mother abandoned him as a child, which he later understood was because she suffered a mental-health crisis at the time, and <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/hugh-jackman-speaks-candidly-about-losing-his-father" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his dad recently died</a> after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. "Hugh has seen the best and worst of the human condition, and for a long time, he wanted to shield his kids from that," a source told <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/celeb-news/hugh-jackman-childhood-75488" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woman's Day</a>. But now, their adopted children Oscar, 22, and Ava, 17, are learning the truth, even if Hugh's wife Deborra-Lee Furness has her own reservations. Speaking to the media ahead of the premiere of The Son, Hugh says he felt compelled to prepare Oscar and Ava for the film's plot, which tells the story of a complicated family that tries to piece itself back together after falling apart – a story eerily similar to Hugh's own. "It was very important that I talk to them about what it was about, what it meant to me, and why I was doing it," he says. "I took them with me to see it and we had a long conversation. What I find amazing is the generation of 22 to 17-year-olds are totally fine having these conversations. It's more my generation that is a little more sheepish and shy around it." Image credits: Getty Images

Family & Pets

Readers Respond: How would you describe your childhood?

It may have been a long time ago but it was probably one of the best moments of your life…your childhood. Riding on your bike in the streets, playing with dirt, making sure you were back just before the street lights turned on. Our childhoods were certainly filled with so much fun. We decided to ask our OverSixty audience to describe their childhood. Helen Burke - Very happy. We didn't have much but had wonderful loving parents who gave us much love and showed us how to be honest adults. Narelle Hulme - Free…with adventurous consequences. Helena Apostolopoulos - Happy with lots of outside play with friends and family. Bronwyn Berriman - Surrounded by friends and family and lots of wonderful outdoor spaces to explore. Lynne Eather - The best time in my life as a child growing up outdoors, sport and great friends. Cathy Lytle Ackerman - Good, because I had lots of friends to play with! Always outside riding bikes, skating,and playing in the pond and creek with my friends. And—not so good, because I wasn’t treated well by my older siblings. I was also a middle child, and was often left out of things. Jan Ceeney - Great times swimming, fishing, riding our bikes and exploring haunted houses. Robyn Burton - Happy, healthy, safe and free to explore wherever we wanted. Lots of time spent in the bush discovering our wonderful wildflowers. Lynne Fairbrother - Lived by the beach. Never sick, always outdoors swimming or just playing with friends on the beach. Lynette Hinton - Happy. Loved spending time with cousins at weekends, friends at school, beautiful mother, caring father and grandparents. Share your favourite childhood moment <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oversixtys/posts/pfbid0sYJ63utRU2jNPa3uiaJnroXdLTdouP762ZUB7RtjEXQZkuNNVjjYaVGnRAk93tfpl">here</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Retirement Life

Gwyneth Paltrow’s childhood home hits the market

The childhood home of Gwyneth Paltow in California has been <a href="https://www.compass.com/listing/2020-georgina-avenue-santa-monica-ca-90402/1161644315586325737/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed</a> for sale with a hefty price tag of $17.5 million ($NZD 30 million). The six-and-a-half bedroom mansion was first purchased by Paltrow’s parents, actress Blythe Danner and Hollywood director Bruce Paltrow, in 1976 when the Goop founder was about four years old. In 2008, the 109-year-old property was bought by designer Jerome Dahan after Paltrow’s father died from complications of oral cancer and pneumonia. The property, nestled in the upscale neighbourhood Gillette Regent Square in Santa Monica, boasts features that match the luxe nature of its surroundings, including a landscaped tropical oasis for a garden, a Balinese-inspired pool and spa, and a three-car glass showroom that overlooks the pool. Inside the home, the entryway is enclosed in glass and leads to a large living room with a fireplace, a theatre room, a kitchen and a guest bedroom, with an office and three ensuite bathrooms upstairs, including the main bedroom’s dual bathrooms and walk-in closets. The property also includes a two-storey guesthouse that houses a gym, dry sauna, bedroom and office. Following extensive renovations, the property has additions such as solar panels, backup generators, and electronically gated entries. “In a market of overbuilt mansions that are undeniably starting to look and feel the same, 2020 Georgina elevates above the competition offering a bespoke and meticulously crafted experience unlike anything I've seen in Santa Monica,” said Robert Lawrence Edie of Compass Realty, who is managing the sale. Paltrow grew up in the home with her younger brother, Jake Paltrow, and went to school at the nearby Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences. When she was 12, the family moved to a New York City townhouse and she now lives on the West Coast full-time with her husband and two children. Images: @gwynethpaltrow (Instagram) / Compass Realty

Real Estate

New study to “give hope” to childhood trauma survivors with depression

A new study has challenged our understanding of how to treat adults with a history of childhood trauma, revealing that using psychotherapy, medication or a combination of the two are effective treatments for those with depression. Childhood trauma, defined as abuse or neglect of a person before they are 18 years old, is a known risk factor for major depressive disorders in adulthood. It often results in symptoms that start earlier, last longer and are more frequent, and increases the risk of developing co-occurring diseases and conditions. The study, published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(22)00227-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Lancet Psychiatry</a>, found that adult survivors of childhood trauma who receive these common treatments experience improved symptoms at the same rate as those without childhood trauma. While previous studies have indicated that common treatments for major depressive disorders are less effective for people with childhood trauma, the team argues that these findings are inconsistent. The team then examined data from 29 clinical trials of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy (the use of prescribed medications) among adults with major depressive disorders to determine whether those with trauma were more severely depressed before treatment, had more unfavourable outcomes after treatment, and whether they were less likely to benefit from treatment in comparison to those without trauma. Among the 46 percent of participants with childhood trauma, the team found that they showed more severe symptoms at the start of treatment and after treatment in comparison to the control group (those without trauma). But, they found that both groups experienced an improvement in symptoms at a similar rate. Erika Kuzminskaite, a PhD candidate and the first author of the study, said that this finding could be a source of hope. “Finding that patients with depression and childhood trauma experience similar treatment outcome when compared to patients without trauma can give hope to people who have experienced childhood trauma,” Kuzminskaite said. “Nevertheless, residual symptoms following treatment in patients with childhood trauma warrant more clinical attention as additional interventions may still be needed.” Antoine Yrondi, a professor at the University of Toulouse who wasn’t involved in the research, wrote that the study provides a message of hope for patients. “This meta-analysis could deliver a hopeful message to patients with childhood trauma that evidence-based psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy could improve depressive symptoms,” Dr Yrondi said. “However, physicians should keep in mind that childhood trauma could be associated with clinical features which may make it more difficult to reach complete symptomatic remission and, therefore, have an impact on daily functioning.” According to <a href="https://blueknot.org.au/resources/blue-knot-fact-sheets/trauma-classification/what-is-childhood-trauma/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blue Knot</a>, childhood trauma can have a wider and more extreme impact than trauma we experience as adults because a child’s brain is still developing. If the trauma is unresolved, coping strategies developed during childhood can become risk factors for poorer psychological and physical health in adulthood. But, it is possible to recover from childhood trauma, with this latest study going to show that common treatments can be effective. If you’re in need of support, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Blue Knot on 1300 657 380. Image: Getty Images

Mind

"Sad, old menacing coward:" Grace Tame reports childhood abuser to police

Activist Grace Tame has revealed she continues to be harassed by the man who abused her as a child, having reported him to the police for “targeted harassment” online. Ms Tame was 15 when she was groomed and raped by her maths teacher Nicolaas Bester, who then bragged about his crimes online while she was unable to speak out due to Tasmania’s “gag law”. Her legal fight to change the laws, which prevent sexual abuse victims from publicly identifying themselves, as part of the #LetHerSpeak campaign, saw Ms Tame pushed into the public eye and recognised for her efforts when she was named the Australian of the Year. But, on Wednesday the 23-year-old said she was “still dealing with open threats and harassment from the man who abused me and others”. “This has been my reality for 12 years now, behind closed doors for my family and me,” she wrote on Twitter. She also shared screenshots of tweets appearing to be from Bester, where her childhood email is referenced and he threatens that “he is coming to show all too (sic) you”. In one message dated April 27, Bester uses her email address and writes, “at last I shall come for [email address]..... in good time…..”. In another, posted on August 28, he uses her email address again, writing that “the good old comeuppance on its way” with “only 4 weeks to go!!”. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> This has been the reality for 12 years now, behind closed doors for my family and me. Mark my words, I am not going anywhere though. — Grace Tame (@TamePunk) <a href="https://twitter.com/TamePunk/status/1564185208882352128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2022</a></blockquote> “Here he is, the twice-convicted child sex offender, referring to my childhood email, which very few people know, in place of my name. It was the login to my old Facebook he and I communicated on,” Ms Tame wrote. “He’s counting down to an act of revenge, planned for the day of my book’s release.” She alleged that his repeated comments constituted a federal offence and contravened <a href="https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/sexual-exploitation-policy">Twitter’s child exploitation policy</a>, which says that content that further contributes to the victimisation of children “through the promotion or glorification of child sexual exploitation” is also prohibited. “This is targeted harassment of a known victim of his past crimes, designed to cause further harm,” Ms Tame said. “I’ve reported them to police, but our reactive justice system is too slow, and nothing’s changed.” Bester was sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison for maintaining a sexual relationship with someone under the age of 17 and possession of child exploitation material, but only served one year and nine months before he was released. He has been free to speak about his abuse of Ms Tame for some time and has previously taken to social media to brag to his followers. “The majority of men in Australia envy me,” he wrote. “I was 59, she was 15 going on 25. It was awesome.” Bester’s account has since been suspended by Twitter. Ms Tame said her tweets were an act of reclaiming power “against a predator operating in plain sight”. “This man seems to think he is still relevant and can maintain control over me,” she wrote. “This man who groomed and abused me when I was a child. “I’m not ashamed of any of it now. “But he should be. He was an adult who abused his authority. “Just because I have found the anger and strength in me now, does it make me an aggressor, or a survivor? "I know who I am. I am a survivor. "I have the power to be vulnerable. He will never have that. He is too afraid, and too weak. He is too weak to be vulnerable. Instead, he exploits others who are. He knows no other way to be. I see that now. And because of that, he doesn't scare me anymore.” Ms Tame added that her posts were “not for the critics” and were instead for survivors like her. "He is a sad, old menacing coward. “This is not for the critics. They will say what they always say. This is for the people like me. And you know who you are too. “I stand with you. We have the power.” If you or someone you know needs support as a result of sexual assault or child sexual abuse, contact the Blue Knot Helpline and Redress Support Service on 1300 657 380, or LifeLine on 13 11 14 for immediate support. Image: Getty Images

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New study suggests weight loss drugs like Ozempic could help with knee pain. Here’s why there may be a link

Jessica Alba surprises dad by buying his childhood home

What is childhood dementia? And how could new research help?

Drugs like Ozempic won’t ‘cure’ obesity but they might make us more fat-phobic

Obese woman sparks debate for not giving up extra seat for toddler

Princess Diana's childhood home up for rent

Renaming obesity won’t fix weight stigma overnight. Here’s what we really need to do

Readers respond: What did your mum or dad make for dinner growing up that you haven't had in ages?

5 ways alcohol can sabotage your weight loss goals, according to an obesity doctor

Readers respond: What memento from your childhood do you still have today?

Loneliness can be twice as unhealthy as obesity in older people

Why difficult childhood experiences could make you age prematurely

Readers Respond: What was your go-to summer treat growing up?

Readers Respond: What was normal when you were a kid, but you never see anymore?

Obese yet malnourished toddler mummy sheds light on life in 17th century aristocratic Austria

Why Hugh Jackman wanted to "shield" his kids from his difficult upbringing

Readers Respond: How would you describe your childhood?

Gwyneth Paltrow’s childhood home hits the market

New study to “give hope” to childhood trauma survivors with depression

"Sad, old menacing coward:" Grace Tame reports childhood abuser to police

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

New study suggests weight loss drugs like Ozempic could help with knee pain. Here’s why there may be a link

Jessica Alba surprises dad by buying his childhood home

What is childhood dementia? And how could new research help?

Drugs like Ozempic won’t ‘cure’ obesity but they might make us more fat-phobic

Obese woman sparks debate for not giving up extra seat for toddler

Princess Diana's childhood home up for rent

Renaming obesity won’t fix weight stigma overnight. Here’s what we really need to do

Readers respond: What did your mum or dad make for dinner growing up that you haven't had in ages?

5 ways alcohol can sabotage your weight loss goals, according to an obesity doctor

Readers respond: What memento from your childhood do you still have today?

Loneliness can be twice as unhealthy as obesity in older people

Why difficult childhood experiences could make you age prematurely

Readers Respond: What was your go-to summer treat growing up?

Readers Respond: What was normal when you were a kid, but you never see anymore?

Obese yet malnourished toddler mummy sheds light on life in 17th century aristocratic Austria

Why Hugh Jackman wanted to "shield" his kids from his difficult upbringing

Readers Respond: ​​How would you describe your childhood?

Gwyneth Paltrow’s childhood home hits the market

New study to “give hope” to childhood trauma survivors with depression

"Sad, old menacing coward:" Grace Tame reports childhood abuser to police

Readers Respond: How would you describe your childhood?