ESPGHAN: Consumers Misled by Gluten-free Foods, Study Finds

Gluten-free products cannot be considered as sufficient substitutes for their gluten-containing counterparts, prompting scientists to call for the reformulation of gluten free foods with healthier raw materials to ensure healthy childhood nutrition.

The outcomes of the study, presented today at the 50th Annual Congress of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition, show that gluten-free items have a significantly higher energy content and a different nutritional composition to their gluten-containing counterparts. Many of the gluten-containing products - especially breads, pastas, pizzas and flours - also contained up to three times more protein than their gluten free substitutes.

The imbalances highlighted in the study could impact children's growth and increase the risk of childhood obesity.

The study assessed over 1,300 products, finding:

• Gluten-free breads had significantly higher content of lipids and saturated fatty acids
• Gluten-free pasta had significantly lower content of sugar and protein
• Gluten-free biscuits had significantly lower content of protein and significantly higher content of lipids

ESPGHAN expert and lead researcher, Dr Joaquim Calvo Lerma, explains "As more and more people are following a gluten-free diet to effectively manage coeliac disease, it is imperative that foods marketed as substitutes are reformulated to ensure that they truly do have similar nutritional values. This is especially important for children, as a well-balanced diet is essential to healthy growth and development."

Experts are also warning that consumers may not be aware of these unhealthy variances due to poor nutritional labelling.

Dr Martinez-Barona, fellow lead researcher comments "Where nutritional values of gluten-free products do vary significantly from their gluten-containing counterparts, labelling needs to clearly indicate this. Consumers should also be provided with guidance to enhance their understanding of the nutritional compositions of products to allow them to make more informed purchases and ensure a healthier diet is followed."

Daciana Sarbu MEP, Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, adds "Gluten-free products that are not pre-packed are not subject to the same labelling requirements as pre-packed products. In this case, consumers could be less aware of important nutritional differences with potentially significant health impacts. I have always supported so-called 'traffic light' labelling to facilitate easy comparison between products for key nutrients including protein, fat and sugars."

Infoway Selects TELUS Health for PrescribeIT™

SOURCE Canada Health Infoway

In a world thats filled with pollution, its so important that we do our part in keeping our environment safe! One of the best and most practical ways we can do so is by reducing our use of plastics and recycling every chance we get. I had the chance to try a Ion 8 water bottle. The Ion 8 water bottle isn't just any water bottle. According to their website, Ion8 band water bottle is,  "is impregnated with crystals that naturally have a magnetic force field. As water passes, this force field causes disruption in the water molecules, resulting in measurable electron shifts *. The disrupted water molecules take on a charge through this shift in electrons, and is ionized."

Ion 8 water bottles are also 100% leak proof (which is so important, nothing is worse than a leaky water bottle), are easy to use and keep your water hot or cold (depending on the original temperature of water used).

I had tried out the Ion 8 water bottle and it's super cute! Sometimes you need that extra initiative to drink more water and carrying around a cute, fashionable water bottle helps! However, the bottle is kind of small.

I personally didn't taste a difference in the water but that doesn't mean that it isn't working, I just didn't taste or notice much of a difference.

But if you're looking for a new water bottle with more benefits than the norm, you should give the Ion8 Water Bottle a try. Check them out here: http://www.ion8.co.uk

It's less than 50 days until summer which means its time to attend amazing BBQ's and weekends out with your friends. What does that mean? Drinks! Normally, this sounds like a good time, however, when you're serious about your fitness goals or prepping for something, the first thing to go is usually alcohol. Most alcoholic beverages are full of sugar and ingredients that not only make for a not so great next day, but definitely take you off course for your fitness goals that you are trying to achieve. Sometimes, staying away from drinks at family get togethers and evenings out with friends can make sticking to your plan really hard. But what if we told you there is away to enjoy the occasional drink without the guilt of veering off of your plan?

Forget sacrificing your own visibility, comfort and convenience with headlamps, reflective wear, vests and shoe cuff.  Put light where you need it while running, walking or cycling in the early morning or late evening hours with RunLites (www.gorunlites.com).

When the days get shorter, runners, walkers and other athletes find themselves doing their daily routines in little to no light. The risk for accidents (for the athlete themselves and for oncoming traffic) increases with low visibility.

RunLites are a lightweight, wearable, hands-free lighting solution for outdoor activities. Designed for running, walking, cycling, hiking, camping, hunting or other everyday lowlight activities such as taking your trash out at night or walking your dog, in any climate, RunLites are available in a variety of styles, colors and sizes to meet function and fashion needs while maintaining its most important feature – hands-free access to light for added safety.

Benefits of RunLites:

• Compact, lightweight and hands-free
• Bright (80 lumens) light that projects a 135-degree radial arc up to 15 feet
• Provides up to 12 hours of continuous use
• Reflective strip for safety
• Half-length and full-length (shown above)
• Padded palm pocket for storage

Other RunLites products:

RunLites Mittens ($29.95) are constructed of super warm and soft Polar Fleece, featuring extra-long cuffs for enhanced warmth. Texting thumbs allow you to use your phone without removing your mittens.

RunLites Mittens features include:

• Convenient palm pocket for items such as money and keys.
• Sleek and snug LED light pocket to prevent the light from wiggling.
• Additional reflective strips on palm and around the LED light pocket.
• Special opening for rechargeable cable, no need to remove lights from pocket before charging.
• Texting thumbs for easy phone use without removing mittens

RunLites Splash ($24.95) line of gloves features a new lightweight breathable fabric in fresh colors, patterns and fabrics.

RunLites Splash features include:

• Convenient palm pocket for items such as money and keys.
• Sleek and snug LED light pocket to prevent the light from wiggling.
• Additional reflective strips on palm and around the LED light pocket.
• Special opening for rechargeable cable, no need to remove lights from pocket before charging.
• Extended middle finger fabric pull for easy glove removal.
• Terry cloth thumb for wiping away moisture.

The new RunLites SLING ($15.95) is perfect for those in warmer climates wanting hands-free access to light without wanting to wear an actual glove.

RunLites SLING features include:

• Hands-free directional light without the warmth of a glove.
• Weather resistant material to withstand the elements – it's a palm free solution.
• Sleek design that has a ‘barely there’ feel but also has a wide reflective wrist strap.
• Velcro pocket for your rechargeable LED unit.

RunLites LED Light Units fit in all RunLites Gloves and RunLites Slings and are sold separately with a dual port rechargeable cable. ($15.95/set of 2)

Learn How to Build Your Glutes with Cable Kickbacks

Before I tell you how to build powerful glutes with cable kickbacks, I will discuss the importance of training them in the first place. Generally, people will think that training glutes is a feminine thing. But men should train too. Women will often train their glutes to look good.  On the other hand, men should consider this exercise since a man’s “butt” is one of the physical features that women notice first.

Glutes offer a perfect base of power for most athletic movements. They are also accountable for hip extension. Powerful hips mean that you can jump higher, run faster, and tackle harder.

The Advantages of Cable Kickbacks

Before you decide to begin doing cable kickbacks, you might want to know their advantages first.

Here they are:

• Glute isolation: you might have heard the term “mind-muscle connection” being used by bodybuilders. This is the notion that focusing on feeling a target muscle working its range of motion will enable you to activate it more. More muscle activation leads to increased growth. This mind-muscle connection can be used to activate your biceps. But the same cannot be said for glutes. This is where cable kickbacks come in. When performing a cable kickback, you isolate your glutes through hip extension. You can focus on one side at a time and you will feel the glutes stretching and contracting.
• Similar to real-life movement: people will often train around exercises that work a specific muscle but which has little transfer to their daily life. Cable kickbacks do this by mimicking the movements you use when running and walking. This exercise will work out your glutes the same way they will be used each day when walking or running.
• Offers constant tension on your glutes: cable kickbacks, unlike bars and dumbbells, provide constant tension to your glutes during the movement. There is no resting point since the cable is always pulling against you. The constant tension makes exercise tougher hence the target muscles work harder for longer. The duration spent under tension is the key driver for muscle hypertrophy.

How to Carry Out Glute Cable Kickbacks

Cable kickbacks can be done when standing or when kneeling. Kneeling provides a wider range of motion, which is helpful. However, it is easy to feel the peak contraction while standing. Additionally, it is easy to keep a neutral lumbar spine with standing kickbacks.

The Standing Cable Kickback Technique

Source: bodybuilding.com

1. Attach an ankle strap to a cable machine.
2. Move the pulley to the bottom of the machine.
3. Face the stack of weights and take a step back to make the weights to lift a bit. This creates tension from the very beginning of the movement.
4. Use the machine for support but make sure that your abs are braced and your spine is in neutral alignment.
5. From the starting position, push the heel of the attached ankle behind you to extend your hip. Keep your knee straight and push your leg behind you until you feel your glute muscles contract.
6. Remain in that position for two seconds then return to the start position slowly.

The kneeling cable kickback technique

ca

Source: Vegan Bikini Doc

1. Place a flat bench in front of a cable machine
2. Attach an ankle cuff to the machine and lower the pulley to the bottom.
3. Facing the cable stack, kneel on the bench with one leg and attach the other to the ankle cuff.
4. Swing the attached leg towards machine.
5. Push back your leg behind you until your hip is completely extended.
6. Hold this position for one to two seconds.
7. Move back to your original position and repeat.

Tips on Cable Kickbacks

There are several key points that will help you get the most out of cable kickbacks.

• Keep your back straight and neutral: it is very important to keep back neutral straight. This ensures that tension is applied on your glutes and not your lower back. As a result, you will get better glute activation and you will not injure your back.
• Keep in spine in alignment: to do this, keep your abs tensed during the exercise. Before each rep, make sure that your abs are braced.
• Do not overextend your lower back: as you push your leg back to extend your hips, ensure that you do not overextend your lower back as this could hurt it.
• Contract your glutes and pause at the end of the rep: this ensures that you activate your glutes even more.

Lastly…..

Try out the two cable kickback techniques and put more energy into the one that feels great for you. Including cable kickbacks in your routine is a great step towards activating your glutes. You can also perform big compound exercises such as squats and deadlifts.

Let me know if this guide helps you. Enjoy your cable kickbacks!

About Me

My name is Daniel and I am fitness trainer based in Toronto. I work with people of all ages to help them reach their fitness goals from their homes. You can contact me The Fitness Crab in order for me to help you set up your home gym, recommend what equipment you should buy such as exercise bikes, treadmills and rowers as well as prepare work out and nutrition plans that best suit you.

Hyperloop, smart homes, a personal helicopter, wearable technology, healthtech and cleantech among the many head-turning innovations at Discovery 2017

TORONTO, May 9, 2017 /CNW/ - Ontario Centres of Excellence's (OCE's) award-winning Discovery conference returns to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building on May 15-16. The hotly anticipated annual event is celebrating 12 years of bold, new ideas with a dynamic showcase of the best Ontario and Canadian innovators have to offer.

Discovery's 200,000-square-foot show floor is packed with made-in-Ontario exhibits, exciting and informative panels and interactive sessions. Featured this year among the more than 500 exhibits are some of the latest developments in next-generation transportation including a Hyperloop Zone with virtual reality simulations and a levitation pod from Waterloop, smart cars from Tesla and General Motors featuring AI integration, an ultramodern smart home, a cutting-edge aerospace zone with a personal helicopter prototype from Airvinci, robotics, healthtech, biometrics, wearable tech including biosensor clothing, and augmented reality demonstrations.

"Over the past decade OCE's Discovery has brought some of the most exciting speakers, entrepreneurs and global thought leaders from Ontario and around the globe to our two-day celebration of the innovation ecosystem," says Dr. Tom Corr, President and CEO of OCE. "Discovery brings together industry, academia, investors, government, students, young entrepreneurs and more to share ideas, network, invest and create business relationships that drive Ontario's economic growth and global competitiveness."

"Our government recognizes that innovations like the ones unveiled at OCE Discovery create the jobs and technologies that will fuel our economy now and in the future," says Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development and Growth. "We are pleased to support these next-generation ideas that will boost Ontario's competitive advantage in a fierce and fast-changing global economy and maintain our position at the leading edge of technological innovation."

Named Canada's Best Trade Show in 2010, 2011, and 2016, OCE's Discovery is Canada's premier innovation showcase. It brings together the best and brightest minds in industry, academia, investment and government to showcase leading-edge technologies, best practices and research in the areas of energy, fintech, cleantech, advanced health, digital media, information and communication technologies and advanced manufacturing. The annual conference and trade show attracts more than 3,500 attendees and 500 exhibitors.

"Discovery is a showcase for the kind of game-changing technologies that improve our lives and drive Ontario's knowledge-based economy," says Reza Moridi, Minister of Research, Innovation and Science. "As part of our government's Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs, we are proud to support OCE Discovery in advancing these cutting-edge collaborations at every stage of their development."

Discovery will feature two main-stage keynote speakers:

On May 15, Jared Cohen, founder of Google Ideas and President of Jigsaw will speaking from the main stage about the new digital age from his unique vantage point at the centre of technology and how it is changing the world, especially for the 5 billion people expected to come online in the next decade.

On May 16, Gina McCarthy will deliver an environmental message on both the mainstage and in the Discovery Theatre that conveys common sense strategies and sustainable solutions backed by science. McCarthy is well-known and celebrated for her work with the Obama White House as former head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Discovery also welcomes Marc Goodman, New York Times best-selling author, founder of the Future Crimes Institute, and global strategist as a featured presenter on the panel Lessons in Innovation from the Criminal Underground and the Future of Financial Crimes.

OCE is also excited to feature panels with some of Canada's leading entrepreneurs at Discovery 2017 including;

• Technology of the Future
• Seizing Opportunity in China
• Future of Ontario's Health System: Driving Value and Impact
• Next-Generation Transportation
• Scale-Ups: How Ontario Entrepreneurs are Scaling Up and Attracting International Attention

A networking bonanza, Discovery provides students, job seekers, young entrepreneurs and start-ups seeking investment and an array of opportunities to interact with experts, investors, potential collaborators and employers.

This includes:

Meet An Investor, where attendees can meet one-on-one with expert investors, entrepreneurs, innovation agents, and professional services and export specialists.

Discovery's Book a Meeting feature, which attendees can use to message and book timeslots to meet before, during or after Discovery with other attendees, exhibitors, and investors on the show floor.

The B2B and B2G Zones. In keeping with the aim of making Discovery a place to do business, the conference will also facilitate meetings between large corporations and start-ups and scale-ups through its B2B Zone, and meetings between businesses and government through the new B2G Zone.

Discovery will also highlight:

Ontario-based companies showcasing their accessibility-focused innovations in the Accessibility Innovation Showcase on the Discovery show floor in partnership with Ontario's Ministry of Economic Development and Growth.

Ontario-based companies exhibiting social innovations in the Social Enterprise Zone.

Now a crowd-pleasing favourite, Discovery 2017 will also hold four pitch competitions featuring some of Ontario's brightest entrepreneurs from across the province:

• Young Entrepreneurs, Make Your Pitch for high-school students
• Accessibility Innovation Tech Pitch Competition
• Social Enterprise Pitch Competition
• ONtrepreneurs Pitch Challenge presented by the Ontario Brain Institute

Discovery continues to promote the exchange of ideas and encourage new ways to collaborate and push the boundaries of research and innovation through to demonstration and development. With so many thought leaders in one place, attending Discovery is a great way to explore Ontario's bright future in the global innovation ecosystem.

For more on Discovery, visit www.ocediscovery.com

Richard Crenian joins 12th Annual Scotiabank Pro Am Alzheimer's Tournament in support of Baycrest

SOURCE ReDev Properties Ltd

New gluten-free food standards produced for the food service, hospitality sector now available to Celiac and gluten-free community

SOURCE Gluten Free Food Program Inc

Billion-dollar Growth Opportunities in Cancer Testing Market: How Will Collaborative Partnerships Drive Better Health Outcomes?

Cancer is the second major cause of death in the United States (U.S.). Every year, cancer claims the lives of more than half a million Americans. Frost & Sullivan has been researching how new technology advancement in next generation sequencing (NGS), proteomics and liquid biopsy will fuel growth in cancer screening, prognosis and therapy monitoring markets.

Our research on U.S. Oncology Diagnostics Market explores the growth opportunities; challenges in molecular and non-molecular technology segments across five different cancers namely breast cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer. The 2016 U.S. cancer diagnostics market is valued at $1.1 billion out of a market potential of $21.6 billion. If the full market potential is exploited, the annual revenue could grow to $25 billion by 2021.

Clinicians have endorsed that screening at early detection, and therapy selection and monitoring are the short term promising applications of liquid biopsies, a non-invasive way of measuring biomarkers that can eliminate the need for biopsies where often the go-to site is a big concern. “Several diagnostic companies are expanding their product portfolio to include liquid biopsy and companion diagnostics in their long term strategy, Prominent pharmaceutical companies such as Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson’s and their respective venture capital arm are investing heavily in liquid biopsy start ups," explains Transformational Health Principal Analyst Divyaa Ravishankar.As a result, convergence and collaboration between pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies are meant to grow significantly. With private insurance payers now covering the cost for new cancer assays that have a demonstrable economic advantage to the health continuum; the insurance market segment will continue to move to the value based reimbursement model. For this reason, many novel assays have proven to deliver cost-effective solutions to improve patient outcomes at a better healthcare economic cost. “Marketing strategies for companies such as 23andme and Provista Diagnostics receive a particular mention because they are advertising directly to consumers who in turn ask physicians to get tested with a particular company. This puts the patient as a key decision maker in the cancer care ecosystem,” adds Ravishankar. 

In addition, genomics technologies are increasingly being used to understand genetic changes associated with cancer progression. The trend is supported by increasing focus on preventive and personalized healthcare approaches from healthcare providers and payers. Further, lowering cost of genome sequencing and advancements in clinical interpretation capabilities of NGS data have supported the rise of this trend. “While a number of NGS informatics companies have already made significant investments to develop focused capabilities for NGS-based oncology diagnostics assays and therapies, there are still ample opportunities in this market, especially in the clinical interpretation and reporting segment,” concludes Piyush Bansal, Transformational Health Senior Industry Analyst.

The current U.S. NGS informatics market in genomic testing companies segment is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 18% during 2016-2021. Subject to some positive regulatory and technology developments, the molecular diagnostics customer segment can offer more than $150 million in revenue to the NGS informatics industry, out of which a significant part of the revenue will be contributed by oncology diagnostics tests and assays. Also, the analysis predicts a strong growth of NGS informatics solutions in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical customer segment, as biopharma companies will look to increase their spend on disease research using NGS.