Risk in scientific experimentation; bariatric surgery parameters; ‘generally recognized as safe’ (we hope) – Morning Medical Update

Science and risky experimentation

“Scientific inquiry is a risky business,” yet not all projects are equally risky, according to two researchers who analyzed risk avoidance or pursuit of high-risk work. Scientists, including physicians, are rewarded for advances in their fields, not necessarily for how much scientific risk they embrace. Here’s an analysis about how investigators decide what to investigate.

Surgery instead of drugs

Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist drugs are the new hit pharmaceuticals for physicians and patients dealing with Type-1 diabetes and obesity. Instead of drugs, bariatric surgery still remains an option for patients dealing with morbid obesity. This report outlines perspectives from research and a leading surgeon in India.

You are what you eat

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates “additives” that go into the foods that physicians and patients eat. But it’s like the wild west for ingredients “generally recognized as safe”, and the American diet is loaded with them. Some examples: vinegar and various spices such as black pepper, which humans have consumed for centuries. Others are not so healthy. For example, energy drinks contain large amounts of caffeine. Another example is potassium bromate, a substance now banned in Europe, Canada, China and Japan. As diet-related ailments increase in Americans, researchers say more regulation is needed.