What if you heard that your food was contaminated with a toxin? It?s lurking in many things you eat every day; foods that are in your kitchen right now. It?s so insidious, that not only do you often fail to notice the substance, but when you do notice it, you actively enjoy it. Indeed, there is a high chance that, without knowing it, you?ve become addicted to this poison. And slowly, over time, it?s killing you.According to a handful of nutritionists, that terrible image is, in fact, a reality. The toxic substance in question? Sugar.
The most vocal of the new anti- sugar nutritionists is Robert Lustig, a leading expert in childhood obesity and a specialist in hormone disorders at the University of California. Back in 2009, Lustig posted a video called Sugar: The Bitter Truth on YouTube, in which he outlines his hypothesis - backed up, he says, by a number of studies - that sugar is at the root of a wide range of chronic and often fatal health conditions associated with western lifestyles: obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and various cancers. The video has now racked up 3.8 million views: pretty big numbers for a 90-minute lecture by a university academic.
Driven by Lustig and others of the same mind, the anti-sugar movement is now pushing into the mainstream. And it could mean the end of our 250-year-old love affair with sugar.
The comparison that scares food industry executives is one being made increasingly often: with tobacco. Food companies that sell heavily sugared products, runs the argument, are knowingly selling a product that causes the death of its users - just like the tobacco companies. Don Barrett, the lawyer who took on the big US tobacco companies and forced a $200 billion (Dh734.6bn) settlement out of them, is now targeting Big Food. Barrett says the food companies must start clearly labelling their products for sugar content and not hide behind vague, confusing euphemisms for sugar, such as the commonly used "evaporated cane juice".
Now, the food companies are paying attention. Just two examples, from two food companies in the firing line: in 2012 PepsiCo launched Pepsi Next, which has 60 per cent less sugar than standard Pepsi. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola introduced a smaller can in the UK. This comes after studies that show that drinking sodas can change the way our muscles metabolise energy and raise our risk of diabetes.
So is this really the end for sugar? Don?t hold the farewell party: Coca-Cola still sells 1.7 billion servings of its product every day and the New York mayor Michael Bloomberg recently failed in an attempt to ban the sale of supersized sodas in the city. But there?s little doubt that our unthinking love affair with sugar is coming to an end; to be replaced with a more considered, and quite possibly a more regulated, relationship. Prepare for a less sugared future. Or stock up on chocolate now. Just don?t be surprised if, one day soon, you find yourself huddled in a corner at the office with other candy eaters, hiding your habit from the disapproving glare of colleagues and friends.
? David Mattin is the lead strategist at trendwatching.com
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WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
England's Ashes squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
Fund-raising tips for start-ups
Develop an innovative business concept
Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors
Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19
Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.)
Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months
Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses
Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business
* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna
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RESULTS
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Kareem Shaheen on Canada
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More on Quran memorisation:
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
World Mental Health Day
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.