Author Archive: Dylan Neel
A Reason to Count Sheep: Is Sleep Deprivation a Global Driver of Metabolic Disease?
In an increasingly fast-paced world, getting a good night’s sleep is becoming less and less of a priority. Levels of sleep-related disorders are skyrocketing in both the developed and developing worlds. While our own experience tells us that getting too little sleep can impair our ability to function and slows down metabolism, recent studies are beginning to establish a firm link between sleep disorders and metabolic disease.
The Sugar Dilemma
The global burden of non-communicable disease has skyrocketed in the past decade. For the first time in human history, chronic non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes pose a greater health burden worldwide than do infectious diseases, contributing to 35 million deaths annually. Developing countries must now bear the crippling double burden of both non-communicable and communicable disease. Although there are many drivers for recent surge in non-communicable disease, one of the biggest is undisputedly increased dietary use of refined sugar.
Take Your Vitamins: Hypovitaminosis D in the Developing World
Described by the New York Times as “the most talked-about and written-about supplement of the decade,” Vitamin D has recently been shown to play crucial roles in brain, heart, immune system and bone health. As a more complete picture of vitamin D’s importance has begun to emerge, so too have the tragic consequences of vitamin D deficiency in the developing world.
An Exercise in Economics: Cervical Cancer Prevention in the Developing World
Mortality from cervical cancer highlights the striking global disparities in access to healthcare. The second most common cancer among women worldwide, cervical cancer causes 274,000 deaths each year with more than 80% of these deaths occurring in developing countries. Recently, a safe and effective vaccine has been developed for the cancer-causing serotypes of the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV) – the cause of 70% of cervical cancer.
A “Wicked Problem”: Combating Obesity in the Developing World
An obesity epidemic has replaced the specter of starvation in many developing nations. Described as a “wicked problem” by the UN general assembly, obesity is a precursor state to several devastating non-communicable diseases (NCDs): diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. With obesity rates skyrocketing in countries rich and poor, it is imperative that scientists, policymakers and activists work together to find solutions to this deadly health crisis.
