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I’m iron deficient. Which supplements will work best for me and how should I take them?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alannah-mckay-1548258">Alannah McKay</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a></em></p> <p>Iron deficiency is common and can be debilitating. It mainly affects women. One in three premenopausal women <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57bfc0498419c24a01318ae2/t/607fc2e06ace2f22d5ca9a43/1618985699483/20210421+-+IDC+-+economic+impact+of+iron+deficiency+-+FINAL.pdf">are low in iron</a> compared to just 5% of Australian men. Iron deficiency particularly affects teenage girls, women who do a lot of exercise and those who are pregnant.</p> <p>The <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11160590/">body needs iron</a> to make new red blood cells, and to support energy production, the immune system and cognitive function. If you’re low, you may experience a range of symptoms including fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, headache, irregular heartbeat and reduced concentration.</p> <p>If a blood test shows you’re iron deficient, your doctor may recommend you start taking an oral iron supplement. But should you take a tablet or a liquid? With food or not? And when is the best time of day?</p> <p>Here are some tips to help you work out how, when and what iron supplement to take.</p> <h2>How do I pick the right iron supplement?</h2> <p>The iron in your body is called “elemental iron”. Choosing the right oral supplement and dose will depend on how much elemental iron it has – your doctor will advise exactly how much you need.</p> <p>The sweet spot is between <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0098299720300364?via%3Dihub">60-120 mg of elemental iron</a>. Any less and the supplement won’t be effective in topping up your iron levels. Any higher and you risk gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhoea, cramping and stomach pain.</p> <p>In Australia, iron salts are the most common oral supplements because they are cheap, effective and come in different delivery methods (tablets, capsules, liquid formulas). <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557376/">The iron salts</a> you are most likely to find in your local chemist are ferrous sulfate (~20% elemental iron), ferrous gluconate (~12%) and ferrous fumarate (~33%).</p> <p>These formulations <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3867244/">all work similarly</a>, so your choice should come down to dose and cost.</p> <p>Many multivitamins may look like an iron supplement, but it’s important to note they usually have too little iron – usually less than 20 mg – to correct an iron deficiency.</p> <h2>Should I take tablets or liquid formulas?</h2> <p>Iron contained within a tablet is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3867244/">just as well absorbed</a> as iron found in a liquid supplement. Choosing the right one usually comes down to personal preference.</p> <p>The main difference is that liquid formulas tend to contain less iron than tablets. That means you might need to take more of the product to get the right dose, so using a liquid supplement could work out to be more expensive in the long term.</p> <h2>What should I eat with my iron supplement?</h2> <p>Research <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajh.26987">has shown</a> you will absorb more of the iron in your supplement if you take it on an empty stomach. But this can cause more gastrointestinal issues, so might not be practical for everyone.</p> <p>If you do take your supplement with meals, it’s important to think about what types of food will boost – rather than limit – iron absorption. For example, taking the supplement alongside vitamin C improves your body’s ability to absorb it.</p> <p>Some supplements already contain vitamin C. Otherwise you could take the supplement along with a glass of orange juice, or other <a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/">vitamin C-rich foods</a>.</p> <p>On the other hand, tea, coffee and calcium all <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajh.26987">decrease the body’s ability to absorb iron</a>. So you should try to limit these close to the time you take your supplement.</p> <h2>Should I take my supplement in the morning or evening?</h2> <p>The best time of day to take your supplement is in the morning. The body can <a href="https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2019/10000/the_impact_of_morning_versus_afternoon_exercise_on.20.aspx">absorb significantly more</a> iron earlier in the day, when concentrations of hepcidin (the main hormone that regulates iron) are at their lowest.</p> <p>Exercise also affects the hormone that regulates iron. That means taking your iron supplement after exercising can <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/32/5/article-p359.xml">limit your ability to absorb it</a>. Taking your supplement in the hours following exercise will mean significantly poorer absorption, especially if you take it between two and five hours after you stop.</p> <p><a href="https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2024/01000/iron_absorption_in_highly_trained_male_runners_.14.aspx">Our research</a> has shown if you exercise every day, the best time to take your supplement is in the morning before training, or immediately after (within 30 minutes).</p> <h2>My supplements are upsetting my stomach. What should I do?</h2> <p>If you experience gastrointestinal side effects such as diarrhoea or cramps when you take iron supplements, you may want to consider taking your supplement every second day, rather than daily.</p> <p>Taking a supplement every day is still the fastest way to restore your iron levels. But a recent study <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(23)00463-7/fulltext#%20">has shown</a> taking the same total dose can be just as effective when it’s taken on alternate days. For example, taking a supplement every day for three months works as well as every second day for six months. This results in fewer side effects.</p> <p>Oral iron supplements can be a cheap and easy way to correct an iron deficiency. But ensuring you are taking the right product, under the right conditions, is crucial for their success.</p> <p>It’s also important to check your iron levels prior to commencing iron supplementation and do so only under medical advice. In large amounts, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430862/">iron can be toxic</a>, so you don’t want to be consuming additional iron if your body doesn’t need it.</p> <p>If you think you may be low on iron, talk to your GP to find out your best options.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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/235315/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alannah-mckay-1548258">Alannah McKay</a>, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Sports Nutrition, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>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/im-iron-deficient-which-supplements-will-work-best-for-me-and-how-should-i-take-them-235315">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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Kochie called out over "disgusting" remarks

<p>Port Adelaide president David Koch has come under fire over remarks he made while discussing Jeremy Finlayson's homophobic slur towards another player. </p> <p>Finlayson is under AFL investigation after he admitted to aiming a homophobic slur at an Essendon player on Friday’s game at Adelaide Oval.</p> <p>The player Finlayson directed the comment towards is not yet known, but on Saturday night, Port Adelaide confirmed that a “contrite Finlayson made the club aware during the three-quarter time break” of the incident “and apologised to the victim on the field after the final siren last night”. </p> <p>On Sunday morning, Koch appeared on <em>ABC’s Offsiders</em> to discuss the incident with host Kelli Underwood, veteran journalist Caroline Wilson and AFL footy boss Laura Kane. </p> <p>“There’s no excuse for it. Jeremy was incredibly remorseful, actually told the coaches at three-quarter time that it was inexcusable, went and apologised to the player after the game,” Koch said. </p> <p>“That’s no excuse whatsoever. It’s in the heat of the battle, should not have done it and we’ll wait for the AFL to go through its process.”</p> <p>When discussing what sort of punishment the league could hand down to Finlayson, footy boss Kane questioned whether it may be similar to Taylor Walker's six-week ban after he used a racial slur. </p> <p>But Kochie wasn't on board with linking the two incidents, and said that the the league had set a precedent with the ruling it handed down to North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson.</p> <p>“Not ruling it out (an internal investigation), but, umm, you know, if you look at comparisons and benchmarks that have been set,” Koch said.</p> <p>“With a 55-year-old coach premeditated, target the player, walk up to them is very different to a player in the heat of battle when there was a lot of niggle in the game, the pressure again - absolutely no excuse, not condoning it whatever, and should not be part of the game, but if you’re going to look at a comparison, that would be the benchmark there.”</p> <p><em style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">ABC’s Offsiders</em><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> host </span>Underwood pressed further and asked him: <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">“If </span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">I put it to you, it’s in the same category as Taylor Walker’s racial slur, what would your response to that be?”</span></p> <p>Koch responded: “I don’t think that’s realistic. I think the benchmark has been set in terms of...”</p> <p>Wilson interjected: “With Alistair Clarkson which I thought was too light." </p> <p>But Koch insisted:  “OK. But the benchmark has been set.”</p> <p>The comments from the former Sunrise presenter was slammed on social media. </p> <p>“This is pretty disgusting from Koch," wrote Columnist Greg Jericho. </p> <p>“Yeah nah @kochie_online. A slur is a slur is a slur. You say you don’t condone a player using a homophobic slur on the field and that there’s no excuse but in the same sentence practically excuse it by saying it occurred ‘in the heat of battle’ and a ‘niggle’. So disappointing," another user wrote. </p> <p>“Terrible take from Koch. We are benchmarking abuse now. Not making excuses but … homophobia and racism have no place in the game," a third added. </p> <p>“@kochie_online as a leader of our football club this statement is beyond disappointing. A slur against a marginalised group is exactly the same the nature of it is irrelevant. You need to do better!” a fourth commented. </p> <p><em>Images: Getty/ ABC</em></p>

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AFL superstar announces engagement

<p>AFL superstar Jeremy Cameron has announced the heart-warming news of his engagement to his long-term girlfriend. </p> <p>The Geelong player popped the question to Indiana Putra, with whom he shares a daughter, on Saturday as the family of three enjoyed a trip to Rapid Bay Beach in South Australia. </p> <p>Putra shared footage from the romantic moment to her Instagram account, showing Cameron dropping to one knee as his partner held their daughter Macey in her arms. </p> <p>"06.01.2024 🤍💍!!," she captioned the clip, before being inundated with messages of congratulations from friends and fans.</p> <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/C13zfS5vzFA/?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/C13zfS5vzFA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Indiana Putra (@indianaputra)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"Oh my gosh! Congratulations," AFL star Joel Selwood's wife Brit commented on the post, with Joel adding that it was "Beautiful news."</p> <p>In March last year, the pair welcomed daughter Macey and said they were "so in love" with their tiny tot, who was born just days after Cameron's birthday. </p> <p>"29.03.23 - we are so in love with every 4.6kgs of you little girl. And a big happy 30th birthday Daddy @jezzacameron we hope this one was everything you wished for," Putra said in her post at the time.</p> <p>The pair first shared their pregnancy news in the same week Geelong won the 2022 premiership.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

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"Matthew would enjoy the humour of it": Ironic detail spotted in Friends tribute

<p>While many fans of the long-running sitcom Friends are in mourning over the <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/you-were-loved-tributes-flow-over-tragic-passing-of-matthew-perry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sudden death of Matthew Perry</a>, others have delighted in an ironic detail surrounding the Friends apartment in New York. </p> <p>Since the announcement of Perry's death on Sunday, thousands of fans of the show has flocked to the apartment building in New York City's West Village, where the external shots of the gang's apartment was filmed, to pay their respects. </p> <p>While the sitcom, which ran for ten years from 1994, was actually filmed in Los Angeles, the Bedford Street address was used for the external shots of the New York-based show, with the humble apartment being home to each of the cast members during the show. </p> <p>Fans of the show have left notes, flowers, Central Perk memorabilia, and other sentimental items to pay tribute to the late actor. </p> <p>However, one eagle-eyed fan spotted a quirky detail hovering around the building, as Perry's death coincided with Halloween. </p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKidspotAustralia%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02xSVyrpRthTeLeBNqtvHKWUB36us5bVB5vKCW1R9DYgF66kBWqnsSYarY2kDFfCT3l&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="581" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Part of the building's Halloween decorations included a large ghost hovering near the iconic apartment, with many quick to point out the hilarious irony of the figure floating above the makeshift memorial. </p> <p>“That Halloween ghost is kinda fitting for the photo/mood and I think Matthew would enjoy the humour of it,” fan Holly astutely pointed out, sharing photos of the ghost on Facebook.  </p> <p>The ironic decorations emerged shortly after Perry's Friends co-stars have <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/so-utterly-devastated-friends-cast-break-silence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broken their silence</a> over his sudden death in a group statement to People magazine. </p> <p>Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer said on Tuesday, "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family."</p> <p>"There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook / Kidspot</em></p> <div id="fuse-injected-22953829264-1" class="fuse-slot-dynamic publift-video-ad" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding-top: 24px; padding-bottom: 24px; display: flex; justify-content: center;" data-fuse="22953829264" data-fuse-injected-at="1698722632652" data-fuse-code="fuse-slot-22953829264-1" data-fuse-zone-instance="zone-instance-22953829264-1" data-fuse-slot="fuse-slot-22953829264-1" data-fuse-processed-at="1440"> <div id="bb-iawr-over60au-1692594483990158" class="bb_iawr" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; overflow: hidden; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; width: 730px; height: 0px; opacity: 0.01;"> <div id="bb-wr-over60au-1692594483990158" class="bb-media bb_wrapper bb-muted bb-phase-init bb-mode-video bb-state-loading" style="box-sizing: content-box; cursor: auto; 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display: inline-flex; flex-direction: column; row-gap: 0.3em; column-gap: 0.3em;" role="contentinfo"> <h1 class="title svelte-10zo7b2" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 1.1em;">Rupert Friend Spills Secrets of 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' at Star Wars Celebrations</h1> <div class="share-button bar-button svelte-10zo7b2" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); width: var(--bar-button-size); height: var(--bar-button-size); margin-top: calc(-0.25 * var(--bar-button-size));"> <div class="button-element svelte-1eoizxx no-toggle-transform no-hover-transform" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); box-sizing: border-box; width: 38px; height: 38px; position: relative; cursor: pointer; pointer-events: initial; border-radius: var(--border-radius); --foreground-color: #ffffff; --border-radius: 50%; --icon-height: 16px; 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line-height: var(--icon-height); min-width: var(--icon-height); display: inline-flex; justify-content: center;"> </div> <div class="toggled slot-content svelte-1eoizxx" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); filter: drop-shadow(rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25) 0px 2px 0px); box-sizing: border-box; position: var(--button-position); top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 38px; height: 38px; display: grid; align-content: center; justify-content: center; transition: transform 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, transform 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; opacity: 0;"> </div> </div> <div class="button-tooltip svelte-1eoizxx" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); pointer-events: none; opacity: 0; transition: opacity 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; height: 0px;"> <div class="tooltip svelte-1bd19u8" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); display: inline-block;"> <div class="tooltip-content center svelte-1bd19u8" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); display: flex; padding: 6px 10px; background-color: var(--bg-color-pane); border-radius: 5px; font-size: 0.75em; row-gap: 6px; column-gap: 6px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap; position: absolute; left: 19px; transform: translate(-50%); top: 4em;"> <div class="text svelte-1bd19u8" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); display: inline-block;">Share</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="center-controls-layer svelte-10zo7b2" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); display: grid; align-content: center; justify-content: center; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; width: 730px; height: 411px; transition: opacity 0.15s ease-in-out 0s;"> <div class="center-controls skinsize-S svelte-fllze1" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); display: flex; align-items: center; gap: var(--gap-size); --gap-size: 37px;"> <div class="big-button big-play-pause-button svelte-fllze1" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); position: relative; transition: opacity 0.25s ease-in-out 0s;"> <div class="button-element svelte-1eoizxx no-toggle-transform" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); box-sizing: border-box; width: 54px; height: 54px; position: relative; cursor: pointer; pointer-events: initial; border-radius: var(--border-radius); --foreground-color: #ffffff; --border-radius: 50%; --hover-transform: scale(1.2); --icon-height: 54px; --bg-height: 54px; --bg-width: 54px; --button-position: absolute;"> <div class="button-content svelte-1eoizxx" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); width: var(--bg-width); height: var(--bg-height); transition: transform 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, transform 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; border-radius: 50%;" tabindex="0" role="button" aria-label="Play"> <div class="normal slot-content svelte-1eoizxx" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); filter: drop-shadow(rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25) 0px 2px 0px); box-sizing: border-box; position: var(--button-position); top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 54px; height: 54px; display: grid; align-content: center; justify-content: center; transition: transform 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, transform 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; opacity: 1;"> <div style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); min-height: 12px; height: var(--icon-height); line-height: var(--icon-height); min-width: var(--icon-height); display: inline-flex; justify-content: center;"> </div> <div class="toggled slot-content svelte-1eoizxx" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); filter: drop-shadow(rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25) 0px 2px 0px); box-sizing: border-box; position: var(--button-position); top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 54px; height: 54px; display: grid; align-content: center; justify-content: center; transition: transform 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, transform 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; opacity: 0;"> <div style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); min-height: 12px; height: var(--icon-height); line-height: var(--icon-height); min-width: var(--icon-height); display: inline-flex; justify-content: center;"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="start-time svelte-fllze1" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); top: calc(8px + var(--size-big-button)); position: absolute; left: 27px; transform: translate(-50%); background-color: var(--bg-color-pane); padding: 8px 16px; border-radius: 32px; font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: var(--margin-size); margin-left: 2px;" data-cy="start-screen-duration">01:31</div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="center-area svelte-10zo7b2" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); flex-grow: 1;"> </div> </div> <div class="chrome-bottom-shadow svelte-10zo7b2" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); transition: opacity 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; opacity: 0; position: absolute; inset: 0px;"> </div> </div> <div class="bb-layer bb-context-layer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 730px; height: 411px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px; pointer-events: none !important;"> <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem;">"For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty's family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

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6 signs you’re low in iron

<p>Feeling constantly tired, looking pale and having heart palpitations? Well you could be one of the two billion people thought to suffer from some degree of iron deficiency.</p> <p>Low iron is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in the world, and is the only nutrient deficiency that is significantly prevalent in the western world, according to the World Health Organization.  </p> <p>Here's how to know, and what to do if you tick all the low iron boxes</p> <p><strong>1. You suffer from fatigue (aka feel tired ALL of the time)</strong></p> <p>The body uses iron to make haemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that transports oxygen around the body. When you don't have enough healthy red blood cells, you start to feel pretty exhausted. </p> <p><strong>2. You seem to get out of breath easily – even if you’re fit</strong></p> <p>When the body is not efficiently transporting oxygen to the lungs, you can feel breathlessness after minimal exertion. Low iron levels can also cause your endurance to suffer too.</p> <p><strong>3. You look pale and washed out</strong></p> <p>In addition to looking pale, if the inside of your lips, your gums, and the inside of your bottom eyelids are less red than usual, low iron may be the reason behind this. </p> <p><strong>4. You get sick often</strong></p> <p>Ever felt like you’re fighting an endless cold? Research has shown iron deficiency can affect the immune system, making you more likely to pick up infections and viruses.</p> <p><strong>5. You experience heart palpitations</strong></p> <p>Your heart may feel like it's pounding, fluttering or beating irregularly, often for just a few seconds or minutes. </p> <p><strong>6. You get unusual cravings for non-food substances such as dirt, ice, paint, or clay</strong></p> <p>Yes, this does sound very strange, but it's a real symptom that can occur when your body is low in iron – it's called pica. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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“Stay awake!”: Incredible bodycam footage of Jeremy Renner rescue

<p><em><strong>WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT - VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED.</strong></em></p> <p>It’s been three months since Jeremy Renner almost lost his life to a horrific <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/hollywood-actor-hospitalised-after-freak-snowplow-accident" target="_blank" rel="noopener">snow plough accident</a>, and new footage has surfaced from the incident.</p> <p>In a gut-wrenching video, medics can be seen desperately trying to save the Hawkeye actor after his 6,500kg Snowcat vehicle ran him over on New Years Day, 2023.</p> <p>Renner was left in critical condition with extensive injuries at the scene of the incident in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.</p> <p>The Marvel star was using his snow plough to clear a path out of his home following a massive snowstorm, according to the <em>New York Post</em>.</p> <p>The mighty storm saw over 35,000 people without power in the area.</p> <p>New police bodycam footage from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office showed the scene just moments after Renner’s devastating accident.</p> <p>The footage shows a team of five medics in a desperate attempt to save the star, who suffered blunt chest trauma and orthopaedic injuries.</p> <p>“It was horrible. I thought he was going to die, man. I’m holding him and his colour is just going,” a person at the scene said.</p> <p>Renner’s accident occurred just moments after he stepped in to save his nephew, Alexander Fries, from the path of the snow plough.</p> <p>Police bodycam footage captured Fries explaining what had happened to his uncle.</p> <p>“He went up and turned around, got out to tell me something and then that’s when it started coming at me, like, full force,” he told officers.</p> <p>“That’s when he tried to jump back in there. Right where his blood is at, that’s right where it all happened.”</p> <p>“He tried to jump on it, into the thing, and it took him under,” he added.</p> <p>An emergency call from the incident was also released, which heard the actor’s neighbour telling emergency services that Renner had been “crushed” by the snow plough.</p> <p>On the call, the frazzled neighbour can be heard asking for the emergency crew’s time of arrival as he explained Renner’s “shallow” breaths were “getting shorter” and that the actor had started to “drift off” to sleep.</p> <p>Renner lost a significant amount of blood and underwent surgeries with round-the-clock care from medics after he was flown to Renown Regional Medical Centre in Reno, Nevada.</p> <p>His frantic neighbour, who happened to be a doctor, applied a tourniquet to Renner’s leg to stop the bleeding.</p> <p>Renner was released from hospital in January and has been recovering at home since then.</p> <p>The actor opened up about the chilling events for the first time in an <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/marvel-star-gives-chilling-first-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exclusive interview</a> with US <em>ABC News</em> anchor Diana Sawyer.</p> <p>He shared that he refuses to be “haunted” by the harrowing accident.</p> <p>“I shifted the narrative of it being victimised or making a mistake or anything else,” he told Sawyer.</p> <p>“I refuse to be f**king haunted by that memory that way.”</p> <p>The actor also revealed the harrowing detail of him writing his “last words” to his family as he didn’t think he’d make it through.</p> <p>“I’m writing down notes on my phone. Last words to my family,” he said, holding back tears.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram/Washoe County Sheriff’s Office</em></p>

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Marvel star gives chilling first interview

<p>Jeremy Renner has given his first interview since his tragic near-death snow plough accident on New Year’s Day 2023 which left him with 30 broken bones.</p> <p>A trailer has been released for his exclusive interview with Diane Sawyer for ABC America’s 20/20.</p> <p>The hourlong special, <em>Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview — A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph</em>, will feature the Marvel star’s nephew, whose life was saved by the actor before he was pulled under a 6.35-tonne snowplough.</p> <p>"Yeah, I'd do it again, cause it was going right at my nephew,” Renner told Diane.</p> <p>The one-on-one will feature the distressing emergency service calls from Renner accompanied by a voiceover saying, "this is the sound of someone that was dying”.</p> <p>His nephew, describing a pool of blood around the actor’s neck, told Sawyer, "I ran up to him and I didn't think he was alive”.</p> <p>Renner recalled the pain that the machinery caused him.</p> <p>"Oh, all of it, yeah, I was awake through every moment," he said.</p> <p>The Avengers hero appeared to be flooded with emotion as he reflected on the moment in hospital where he signed “I’m sorry” to members of his family as he desperately fought for his life.</p> <p>Renner is recovering at home after an 18-day hospital stay and the trailer for the interview saw him in a wheelchair.</p> <p>The Hawkeye star has kept fans up to date on his recovery through social media and told Sawyer he hopes to get back into the action scenes soon.</p> <p>"I've lost a lot of flesh and bone in this experience but I've been refuelled and refilled with love and titanium."</p> <p><em>Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview — A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph</em>, is set to air on April 7.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

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AFL star marries amid cancer battle

<p>AFL star Jeremy Finlayson and his partner Kellie Gardner have tied the knot in an intimate ceremony. </p> <p>The Port Adelaide player and his now wife, both 27, exchanged vows in South Australia's Tennyson Beach on Sunday with only 21 close friends and family in attendance. </p> <p>Kellie shared a photo of the beaming newlyweds showing off their rings on Instagram with the caption, "THE FINLAYSONS", as well wishes for the couple flooded in.</p> <p>Jeremy and Kellie's wedding was a long time coming, as the couple originally planned to marry in October 2022, but had to postpone their nuptials after Kellie underwent chemotherapy, radiation treatment and surgeries for a devastating cancer diagnosis. </p> <p>Gardner was diagnosed with bowel cancer two years ago, just three months after their daughter Sophia was born in August 2021.</p> <p>However, in January came the awful news the cancer had spread to her lungs after the mum-of-one felt a tightening in her chest.</p> <p>After ruling out COVID-19 as the reason for the pain, it was discovered a mass "a bit bigger than a tennis ball" was discovered in her chest cavity.</p> <p>In February, Gardner told Mark Soderstrom's <em>The Soda Room</em> podcast she experienced a series of stomach problems ahead of her diagnosis and wishes she got a medical check-up sooner. </p> <p>"If I had got all of my tummy problems checked and not just been thinking I had a lactose intolerance like every other Joe, Dick and Harry these days. If I had got it checked…" she said on the podcast.</p> <p>"You hear cancer and you attach it to a 60-year-old. You don't attach it to a 25-year-old who is quite healthy, who runs marathons and who just had a baby."</p> <p> </p> <p>"I was a fit, young mum. You just don't attach it to that."</p> <p>Jeremy and Kellie are planning a more extravagant wedding bash for October this year once the AFL season is over, with Gardner hoping to have kicked cancer for good by then.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

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Harry and Meghan reject Jeremy Clarkson’s apology

<p>Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have shot down Jeremy Clarkson’s apology following his scathing piece about them in <em>The Sun</em> at the close of 2022. </p> <p>The <em>Top Gear</em> star wrote the piece in the wake of the release of the couple’s Netflix documentary series, in which he explained how much he “hates” the Duchess of Sussex.</p> <p>The article, which was the most complained about and was removed from the website, saw Clarkson apologise for his words. </p> <p>It has now been revealed that the Sussexes have rejected Clarkson’s grovelling apology after it came out that Clarkson’s <em>Farm and The Grand Tour</em> series may be dropped by Amazon Prime.</p> <p>“On December 25, 2022, Mr Clarkson wrote solely to Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex,” read a response from the Sussexes’ representatives.</p> <p>“The contents of his correspondence were marked Private and Confidential.</p> <p>“While a new public apology has been issued today by Mr Clarkson, what remains to be addressed is his long standing pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories, and misogyny.</p> <p>“Unless each of his other pieces were also written ‘in a hurry’, as he states, it is clear that this is not an isolated incident shared in haste, but rather a series of articles shared in hate.”</p> <p>Clarkson has now taken to Instagram to publicly apologise to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and to explain why he wrote such a piece.</p> <p>“I really am sorry. All the way from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head. This is me putting my hands up. It’s a mea culpa with bells on,” his apology read.</p> <p>“Usually, I read what I’ve written to someone else before filing, but I was home alone on that fateful day, and in a hurry. So when I’d finished, I just pressed send. And then, when the column appeared the next day, the land mine exploded.  </p> <p>“It was a slow rumble to start with and I ignored it. But then the rumble got louder. So I picked up a copy of The Sun to see what all the fuss was about.</p> <p>“We’ve all been there, I guess. In that precise moment when we suddenly realise we’ve completely messed up.</p> <p>“You’re sweaty and cold at the same time. And your head pounds. And you feel sick.</p> <p>“I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Had I really said that? It was horrible.”</p> <p>Clarkson then went on to attempt to justify his reasoning for the article in which he claims he was thinking of an episode of <em>Game of Thrones</em> while writing the piece.</p> <p>“I was very angry with myself because in all those controversial days on Top Gear, when I was accused of all sorts of things, it was very rarely sexism.”</p> <p>He mentioned a few instances during <em>Top Gear</em> in which women drove faster laps than men, or the fact that there was never a segment about women not being able to park.</p> <p>Clarkson insisted that he wasn’t sexist, but went on to say: “I’m just not sexist and I abhor violence against women. And yet I seemed to be advocating just that. I was mortified and so was everyone else. My phone went mad. Very close friends were furious. Even my own daughter took to Instagram to denounce me. </p> <p>“The Sun quickly apologised, and I tried to explain myself. But still, there were calls for me to be sacked and charged with a hate crime.”</p> <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/p/Cnep9lSsnie/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/p/Cnep9lSsnie/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jeremy Clarkson (@jeremyclarkson1)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">“More than <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/british-lawmakers-demand-jeremy-clarkson-apologise-to-meghan-markle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">60 MPs demanded action to be taken</a>. </span></p> <p>“ITV, who make Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and Amazon, who make the Farm Show and the Grand Tour, were incandescent. </p> <p>“I therefore wrote to everyone who works with me saying how sorry I was and then on Christmas morning, I emailed Harry and Meghan in California to apologise to them too.</p> <p>“I said I was baffled by what they had been saying on TV but that the language I’d used in my column was disgraceful and that I was profoundly sorry. </p> <p>“Over the last thirty years, I have written very nearly five thousand newspaper and magazine columns, so it was inevitable that one day, I’d do a Harry Kane and sky one of the damn things. Which is what happened with the piece about Meghan.</p> <p>“So can I move on now?  Not sure. It’s hard to be interesting and vigilant at the same time. You never hear pearls of laughter coming from a health and safety seminar. But I promise you this, I will try.</p> <p>“Who knows? Very soon now I shall be a grandfather so in future, maybe I’ll just write about that.”</p> <p><em>Images: Netflix / Wikipedia</em></p>

News

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Hollywood actor hospitalised after freak snowplow accident

<p>Jeremy Renner, who stars in the popular Marvel franchise, has lost a significant amount of blood on New Year’s Day following his snowplow machine accidentally running over one of his legs.</p> <p>A neighbour who is a doctor managed to rush to his aid and applied a tourniquet to his injured leg. An air ambulance then took Renner to a hospital near Reno.</p> <p>It has been noted the star’s injuries are “extensive” and other parts of his body were also injured along with his leg, although further details about the injuries were not available.</p> <p>The 51-year-old US actor was loaded onto the chopper around 9:50 am local time on Sunday. Renner was alone and had been trying to clear a path out of his five-bedroom home following a massive snowstorm over the new year.</p> <p>It is said that he is in a “critical but stable” condition after the freak accident. Apparently a safety feature on the machine apparently failed, sending the heavy machinery rolling over him.</p> <p>He lives about 40km outside Reno near Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe, and has previously shared photos and videos of himself using his snowplow to dig out of winter storms.</p> <p>The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Renner was the only person injured in the incident Sunday morning and the Major Accident Investigation Team is looking into the circumstances of the incident.</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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British lawmakers demand Jeremy Clarkson apologise to Meghan Markle

<p dir="ltr">British lawmakers have come out swinging against Jeremy Clarkson following his “violent misogynist” opinion piece about Meghan Markle.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Top Gear host wrote a scathing piece in The Sun saying how much he "hates" the Duchess of Sussex, in the wake of the release of the Prince Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary series.</p> <p dir="ltr">The piece, which received 17,500 complaints, was retracted with 65 British lawmakers from various political parties condemning the article and demanding an apology to Ms Markle.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We welcome The Sun's retraction of the article, we now demand action is taken against Mr Clarkson and an unreserved apology is issued to Ms Markle immediately," the letter read, which was led by Caroline Nokes, a Member of Parliament from the ruling Conservative party, and chair of Parliament's Women and Equalities Committee.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We further demand definitive action is taken to ensure no article like this is ever published again.</p> <p dir="ltr">"This sort of language has no place in our country, and it is unacceptable that it was allowed to be published in a mainstream newspaper.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Ms Markle has faced multiple credible threats to her life, requiring the intervention of the Metropolitan Police.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Hateful articles like the one written by Mr Clarkson do not exist in a vacuum and directly contribute to this unacceptable climate of hatred and violence."</p> <p dir="ltr">It follows 17,500 complaints sent to the UK's press regulator the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) for the article published in Rupert Murdoch’s rag.</p> <p dir="ltr">Clarkson was met with significant backlash and tweeted his “regret” over the column, which also saw his <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/jeremy-clarkson-s-daughter-takes-a-stand-against-her-famous-dad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">daughter Emily call him out</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Oh dear. I've rather put my foot in it. In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones and this has gone down badly with a great many people," he wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I'm horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future."</p> <p dir="ltr">The Sun also just mentioned they have removed the article but refused to make any further comment.</p> <p dir="ltr">"In light of Jeremy Clarkson's tweet he has asked us to take last week's column down,” their statement read.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Legal

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Jeremy Clarkson's daughter takes a stand against her famous dad

<p>Jeremy Clarkson's daughter Emily has condemned the actions of her famous father, and his opinions on Meghan Markle. </p> <p>The 28-year-old took to Instagram to defend the Duchess of Sussex against her dad's column, which was published in <em>The Sun</em>, revealing she stands "against everything" the Top Gear host wrote about the former senior royal.</p> <p>"My views are and have always been clear when it comes to misogyny, bullying and the treatment of women by the media," Emily wrote on her Instagram Story.</p> <p>"I want to make it very clear that I stand against everything that my dad wrote about Meghan Markle and I remain standing in support of those that are targeted by online hatred."</p> <p>Clarkson's latest column for the UK publication detailed how much he "hates" Meghan Markle, in the wake of the release of the Prince Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary series. </p> <p>He went on to describe his hate for the duchess as comparable to notorious serial killer Rose West, writing that he hates the former royal "on a cellular level".</p> <p>"At night, I'm unable to sleep as I lie there, grinding my teeth," he wrote, in part.</p> <p>He added, "Everyone who's my age thinks the same way."</p> <p>Clarkson's daughter was quick to slam his scathing words, along with the publication itself, for its relentless hatred of the Duchess. </p> <p>"This publication, and many like it, are hellbent on destroying this woman," the young podcast host wrote, referring to the newspaper that employs her father.</p> <p>"Love her or hate her, (or like me feel a large amount of ambivalence towards someone who I don't know and who's actions barely affect me), the rhetoric around her ought to scare you."</p> <p>She continued, "I don't wanna hear loads of comments justifying this, trying to prove to me that she is bad or toxic or deserving of this... to my mind, no one deserves this. it is inhumane."</p> <p>"My steadfast defence of them has never been of the individuals I don't know, rather of two people who have, objectively, been treated APPALLINGLY. And I genuinely feel concern for anyone who can look at how she particularly has been written/joked/spoken about and feel that its justified. Its bullying on a mass scale and it drove a new mother to want to end her life."</p> <p>Aside from his own daughter's criticism, Clarkson has also faced a fierce backlash online for his newspaper column about Meghan.</p> <p>Royal fans and social media commentators were quick to blast the ex TV host for adding to the pile-on of Meghan and Harry.</p> <p>"You can not write things like this. It is a blatant appeal to incite humiliation and violence on a woman," one person wrote.</p> <p>"Some have excused it as dark humour. There is no joke here."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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10 ways you’re doing your ironing wrong

<p>Some people like ironing, stopping at nothing but pressing their underwear. These individuals usually love their Sunday ritual of tackling four piles of laundry with a cup of tea and a midday movie for company.</p> <p>There’s even a group of extreme ironing enthusiasts, who’ve combined their love for action sports with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt. They swear by its meditative qualities: the repetitive movement; the hiss of the steam; the elimination of creases, one by one.</p> <p>Then there’s the rest of the population, who’ll do everything they can to avoid it: from only buying wrinkle-free fabrics to hanging garments in the bathroom for the shower steam to work its magic. They don’t call it a “chore” for nothing, people.</p> <p>Unfortunately, life thrusts at us many occasions that require whatever we’re wearing to receive a good press. Whichever camp you fall in – seasoned or sporadic – you’re poised to benefit from these practical tips.</p> <p><strong>1. Over-drying your clothes</strong></p> <p>Having them hang for too long, frying in the sun or on the heater, can over-dry clothes, leaving them stiff as cardboard and crispy in texture. They become difficult to reshape and harder to iron. Also, be wary of how long they’re in the dryer, especially if you don’t have one of the more advanced “moisture-sensing” models.</p> <p><strong>2. Not shaking clothes out</strong></p> <p>As you’re taking your clothes off the line and out of the dryer, don’t forget to shake them out. This smooths seams and pleats, making them easier to iron later down the line.</p> <p><strong>3. Not protecting delicates</strong></p> <p>Placing a hot iron directly on sensitive fabrics can ruin garments, branding them with an unsightly singed and shiny mark. Protect them by ironing fabrics inside-out and with a pressing cloth as a buffer. A handkerchief or napkin will do.</p> <p><strong>4. Not misting clothes</strong></p> <p>This makes creases easier to eliminate. Many irons have an in-built spray function so you can lightly mist your clothes at the touch of a button. Alternatively, keep a water spray bottle handy.</p> <p><strong>5. Not using a starch spray</strong></p> <p>Starch sprays can speed up ironing and leave your clothes looking extra pristine – if you use them correctly. Spray the area right before you iron and leave it to penetrate for a few seconds. This will also save your iron’s base plate from a build-up of product residue. (You can make your own starch spray by dissolving one tablespoon of corn-flour in two cups of water.)</p> <p><strong>6. Not adjusting the temperature</strong></p> <p>If you have a large pile to tackle, start with your lightest silk, synthetic and delicate fabrics, as these need to be ironed on lower temperatures. Then, as your iron begins to heat up, iron your woollens on medium heat, and then cottons and linens that require a higher heat. Always let the iron sit for a few minutes after you adjust the temperature setting. Want to cut your ironing time in half? Place a sheet of aluminium foil underneath the ironing board cover. The reflected heat from the foil means you don’t have to flip over the garment and iron the other side.</p> <p><strong>7. Not paying attention to the form of the garment</strong></p> <p>For shirts, start with the sleeves (cuffs always open) and lay the collar flat (even though that’s not how you usually wear it), then let the shirt hang for a few minutes before putting it on. For trousers, iron along the main crease, stopping six inches below the waist, then hang by the waistband. And always iron skirts from the top down, unless there’s a flounce or flare, in which case, start from the bottom and work up. If you’re having to iron pleats, start from the bottom, working from the inside of the pleat to the outside. Then set it with a shot of steam.</p> <p><strong>8. Using circular strokes</strong></p> <p>Ironing in circles stretches the fabric. Always iron lengthwise.</p> <p><strong>9. Making a mess of sheets</strong></p> <p>Is there anything more annoying than ironing sheets, tablecloths and curtains? The trick is to set up two chairs next to the ironing board. Fold the piece onto the chairs as you work on it. You could also iron them on a tabletop you’re not too precious about, provided you protect the surface with a bath towel.</p> <p><strong>10. Not hanging up or folding as soon as you’re done</strong></p> <p>But make sure you wait five minutes before putting them on. You need to let the press set, otherwise you’ll be undoing all your hard work.</p> <p>Do you have any ironing secrets to share with us? Let us know in the comments below.</p> <p><em>Written by Kathleen Lee-Jo. First appeared on <a href="http://www.domain.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Domain.com.au</span></strong></a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Home Hints & Tips

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The Block pays tribute to late cast member

<p dir="ltr">Cast and crew of <em>The Block</em> have been hit with tragic news, after one of their beloved tradies, Jon-Jeremy Bradey, died aged 42.</p> <p dir="ltr">The pool expert from A Plus Enterprises passed away on October 14.</p> <p dir="ltr">Bradey worked on the show for several seasons, including concreting both Kirsty and James and Josh and Luke’s pools during the 2021 season.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9e28b796-7fff-8a09-758b-697783458069"><em>The Block </em>paid tribute to the ‘pool king’ at the end of Sunday night’s episode, showing a picture of Bradey in a tuxedo with the caption, “In memory of Jon Jeremy Brady, 1980-2022.”</span></p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/jon-jon-tribtue.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Nine</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Bradey, known as ‘Jon Jon’ to his friends,  was a “devoted husband” and friend as well as legend in the building industry, per the <em>Herald Sun</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">His reputation for precision even earned him the nickname ‘Mr One Percent”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Reece Daniltchenko of Franklin Pools said Bradey’s death had shocked the industry and described the tradie as an “industry icon”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Jon Jon was a devoted husband, father and friend, anything could be achieved when you had him in charge, which I had the privilege of witnessing first-hand,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“To have the opportunity to work with someone so reliable, trustworthy and a leader to his team, always gave me the confidence knowing that the end result will be delivered.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A true legacy the great man has left behind, and the A Plus Enterprises team will no doubt uphold and has the full support and trust of everyone behind them.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Candice Howman, Bradey’s wife, said she was overwhelmed by the love and support received from friends of her late husband.</p> <p dir="ltr">“From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you dearly,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">It has since emerged that Howman and Bradey tied the knot in April, just six months before his death.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a post from earlier this week, Howman shared the couple’s wedding video and marked a heartbreaking milestone.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Our magical wedding 23rd April 2022 💕,” she wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s our 6 months anniversary today, miss &amp; love you forever.”</p> <p dir="ltr">His funeral was held on Monday in Narre Narre North, Melbourne, and he was buried at the Harkaway Cemetery.</p> <p dir="ltr">Bradey is survived by Howman and three children, Anileese, Amelia and Kobe.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ffc0c2f2-7fff-bb4f-c8e9-6f683d5d75b0"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Facebook</em></p>

Caring

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Iron key to heart failure patients’ wellbeing

<p dir="ltr">Patients with chronic heart failure should be made aware of the importance of having their iron levels checked regularly, with research showing half of all heart failure patients have low iron, increasing their risk of hospitalisation, which is often associated with premature death.</p> <p dir="ltr">More than half a million Australians have chronic heart failure, and it is estimated that around 158,000 will require hospitalisation each year.</p> <p dir="ltr">Hospitalisation for heart failure is associated with high rates of readmission, and death, with Australia recording an estimated 61,000 heart failure-related deaths each year.</p> <p dir="ltr">New Australian treatment guidelines recommend intravenous iron treatments rather than oral supplementation for patients with heart failure with reduced heart function who have low iron. </p> <p dir="ltr">This is in a bid to reduce the risk of hospitalisation, as oral iron has been shown to be ineffective in increasing iron levels in these patients.</p> <p dir="ltr">The updated guidelines reflect new research, including a 2020 study that found heart failure patients that received an intravenous iron treatment had a 26 per cent risk reduction in total heart failure hospitalisation, and were 21 per cent less likely to experience cardiovascular death and total heart failure hospitalisation.</p> <p dir="ltr">University Hospital Geelong cardiologist John Amerena, who co-authored the new treatment guidelines, said iron deficiency was easily diagnosed by a blood test, and should be screened for as part of routine management for heart failure patients.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Patients with heart failure with reduced heart function can experience symptoms of tiredness, restlessness, bloating and poor quality of life. </p> <p dir="ltr">These can occur regardless of whether the patient is anaemic or has experienced iron deficiency in the past,” Associate Professor Amerena said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Heart failure prevents the heart from pumping enough blood to organs and tissues and can occur as the result of conditions such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, heart valve defects, viral infection, or alcohol misuse.</p> <p dir="ltr">Associate Professor Amerena said heart failure patients’ chances of survival decreased with each subsequent hospitalisation, with research showing a 25 percent chance of death within one year of first hospital admission.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said evidence showed intravenous iron could improve symptoms and patient quality of life, helping to prevent rehospitalisation.</p> <p dir="ltr">Women were more typically at risk of low iron, particularly before menopause, and should have their iron levels measured regularly, particularly if they had a history of heart problems or their family members had experienced heart issues, he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Women should be aware that low iron is common in heart failure. Measuring iron levels should be a part of routine blood testing. If their iron stores are low, there is good evidence that the administration of intravenous iron can improve their wellbeing and functional status, as well as reducing the risk for re-hospitalisation” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Body

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Jeremy Clarkson ordered to shut down Diddly Squat restaurant

<p dir="ltr">TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has been ordered to shut down his restaurant less than three months after opening it on his Oxfordshire farm without planning permission.</p> <p dir="ltr">The former <em>Top Gear</em> host opened the Diddly Squat Farm’s restaurant to rave reviews in July, but an ongoing planning row with the local council could see its doors shut permanently.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite Clarkson claiming a “loophole” meant he didn’t need planning permission to open the restaurant, it emerged on Thursday that the West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) issued him with an enforcement notice to shut it down in August.</p> <p dir="ltr">WODC claimed in the enforcement notice that the toilets, parking area, and dining space installed on the farm were “visually intrusive and harmful” to the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 62-year-old has appealed the notice, with agents at the John Philips Planning Consultancy working on his behalf saying the venue wasn’t in breach of planning laws and that the council’s decision was “excessive”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The notice comes after the council denied Clarkson’s application to create the restaurant on his farm in late 2021.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9b2a3ebb-7fff-fdb0-be39-76f68d60320b"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">In July, he shared that he had found a “delightful little loophole” that allowed his plans to come to fruition, though the site of the restaurant had changed.</p> <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-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf9dDC7sV1d/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/p/Cf9dDC7sV1d/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Diddly Squat Farm Shop (@diddlysquat.farmshop)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">While he never revealed which loophole he was referring to, the appeal lodged with council referenced permitted development rights under Town and Country Planning Order 2015, which allows landowners to bypass normal regulations if they meet certain criteria, such as changing the use of agricultural buildings to a flexible commercial use.</p> <p dir="ltr">One particular section, known as Class R, allows for agricultural buildings to be used as farm shops without permission as long as the shop doesn’t exceed 150 square meters and was in agricultural use in 2012.</p> <p dir="ltr">A “lambing shed” in a field on Clarkson’s farm has since been converted to seat seven tables of four outside, with the appeal stating that the existing planning permission gave them the right to use the farm as a restaurant and that there had been no “material change” to the land.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, the council said the restaurant was an “unlawful use of Diddly Squat Farm” and that it was “unsuitable and incompatible with its open countryside location”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-7a3c062e-7fff-271c-4dc9-ab874b84b2eb"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The notice ordered that the restaurant be closed and that dining tables, chairs, parasols, picnic tables, and the mobile toilet be removed.</p> <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-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjCyJ8yM1S6/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/p/CjCyJ8yM1S6/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Diddly Squat Farm Shop (@diddlysquat.farmshop)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">WODC told <em>The Telegraph</em> that the farm “continues to operate outside the planning permissions granted” and that “advice has been ignored”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Council officers have worked with the owner and planning agents of the business, over many months, to investigate breaches in planning control, advising on how the business can be operated in a lawful way and trying to reach a solution,” a spokesman said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It is the responsibility of the Council to ensure that planning laws and processes are followed correctly.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The spokesman added that the council would “detail the breaches of planning control” as well as why the enforcement notice should be upheld and Clarkson’s appeal be dismissed.</p> <p dir="ltr">They noted that the local Cotswalds community had felt a “significant impact” from Clarkson’s activities.</p> <p dir="ltr">Although Clarkson bought the farm in 2008, it was operated by a local until the presenter retired in 2019 and decided to see if he could run it himself.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9004149d-7fff-92df-dbea-0e3e09606049"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: The Telegraph</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Low iron is a health risk made worse by COVID

<p>“Beauty is an iron mine,” once remarked the Australian mining magnate, Gina Reinhart. She was talking about a precious resource, but iron is also profoundly <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4464783/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">important to living organisms</a>: from bacteria and fungi, to mammals like us.</p> <p>Iron acts as a key to numerous metabolic functions within our bodies. But iron deficiency remains as <a href="https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/nutritionlibrary/focusing-on-anaemia_970a28fe-a055-4e63-b3ba-11be7b940b16.pdf?sfvrsn=9ab36bdb_6&amp;download=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the top global health risks</a> recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO).</p> <p>Iron deficiency has become the most prevalent micronutrient disorder worldwide, and COVID may be worsening the problem.</p> <h2>Iron is hard to get</h2> <p>The type of iron we mine is different from the “free-form” iron that can be used biologically. Free-form iron has a propensity to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2842161/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jump between two chemical states</a>, allowing it to bind to various molecules, and participate in all sorts of essential reactions within our bodies.</p> <p>But we see a different story again during food digestion. Inside our upper small intestine where iron is most effectively absorbed, free-form iron tends to bind to oxygen, other minerals and food components. This often results in rock-like, insoluble clumps (which are like the ones we mine!). These are too big to pass through or between our cells.</p> <p>This means that even when we consume enough iron, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448204/#:%7E:text=Heme%20iron%2C%20derived%20from%20hemoglobin,and%20is%20less%20well%20absorbed." target="_blank" rel="noopener">typically only ~15–35% of it is absorbed</a>. It also means iron availability can be <a href="https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1541-4337.12669" target="_blank" rel="noopener">improved, or inhibited</a> depending on how we eat it or what we eat it with.</p> <p>For example, heme iron from animal flesh has a <a href="https://omlc.org/spectra/hemoglobin/hemestruct/heme-struct.gif" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cage-like structure</a>, which carries the iron in a soluble form that prevents it from clumping during absorption. In many Western countries, heme iron only accounts for <a href="https://academic.oup.com/metallomics/article/3/2/103/6016197?login=true#219037456" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10% of the iron eaten, but two thirds</a> of the total iron absorbed.</p> <h2>More of us are at risk of deficiency</h2> <p>Getting sufficient iron sounds like simple maths: we want to add enough to our dietary intake to make up for the iron being lost from the body, such as through faeces, skin shedding, menstruation (for women) and sweat. But the two sides of the equation can change depending on who and where we are throughout our lifetime.</p> <p>Generally, iron deficiency occurs when our body’s stores of iron are depleted from not having consumed or absorbed enough iron to meet our needs.</p> <p>This can happen when people restrict their diets, such as for religious, social or medical reasons. Some people also have a tough time keeping up when their iron needs increase, such as <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-019-0400-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pregnant women</a> and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/106/suppl_6/1681S/4823199" target="_blank" rel="noopener">growing children</a>.</p> <p>But iron deficiency can also happen when the body has enough iron, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjh.12311" target="_blank" rel="noopener">but can’t effectively transport it into cells</a>. This is common in those with both acute and chronic infections, heart and autoimmune conditions, and cancers. In these cases, the underlying disease needs to be treated first, rather than improving iron intake.</p> <p>The table below summarises some common causes of iron deficiency. Sometimes multiple causes may occur simultaneously – for example, for many elite athletes (<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-019-04157-y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">35% of women and 11% of men</a>), iron deficiency results from reduced absorption due to inflammation, on top of increased loss through sweat and breakdown of blood cells.</p> <h2>COVID hasn’t helped</h2> <p>The ongoing COVID epidemic has also introduced multiple risk factors for iron deficiency.</p> <p>We know severe infection with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) may change the way some people <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8305218/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">metabolise iron</a>, leading to lower iron levels up to two months after infection. This <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmv.26774" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contributes to symptoms</a> commonly reported after infection, such as fatigue and lethargy.</p> <p>Recovery from the pandemic itself has also exacerbated <a href="https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/food-supply-chains-and-covid-19-impacts-and-policy-lessons-71b57aea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">food supply issues</a>, as well as the <a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/global-income-inequality-and-covid-19-pandemic-three-charts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rising global income inequality</a>.</p> <p>This means more people face barriers to food security – and the nutrient-dense foods that help boost our iron intake like red meat or leafy greens may be unavailable or unaffordable for them.</p> <h2>Before you pick up a pill</h2> <p>It may be tempting to pick up one of the many widely available iron supplements to attempt to boost your intake. However, we have to keep in mind that conventional iron supplementation is <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1185/03007995.2012.761599" target="_blank" rel="noopener">associated with some negative side effects</a>.</p> <p>These include damage to our gut lining, nausea, diarrhoea and constipation. Iron supplementation has also been linked to changes in the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7400826/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gut microbiome</a>, a critical determinant of health.</p> <p>The WHO has recommended <a href="https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/micronutrients/gff-part-1-en.pdf?sfvrsn=afc1c426_2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two other approaches</a>: diet diversification and food fortification.</p> <p><a href="https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/anaemia/areacop-webinar---24-september-2020/areacop-webinar-nancyaburto-presentation.pdf?sfvrsn=7abd1427_4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Diet diversification</a> is exactly as it sounds: having a diet with a variety of wholefoods such as fruits and vegetables, grains and legumes, meat, dairy, and nuts and seeds.</p> <p>This approach not only ensures sufficient levels of iron are found in the foods we eat, but also that they come with different forms or “vehicles” to improve absorption. This approach works <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/349086/WHO-EURO-2021-4007-43766-61591-eng.pdf?sequence=1&amp;isAllowed=y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even with plant-based foods</a>.</p> <p>Food fortification, where iron is added to processed foods, is also a fairly safe yet accessible option due to its lower dose. In Australia, iron is commonly fortified in products such as bread, cereals and ready-to-drink mixes.</p> <p>It can be challenging to get the iron into our body and where it’s needed. But before turning to supplements, we must remind ourselves that food sources should always be first-in-line. In cases of diagnosed deficiencies, your healthcare professional will provide you with further information where supplements are necessary.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/low-iron-is-a-health-risk-made-worse-by-covid-how-to-get-more-without-reaching-for-supplements-185020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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Unlikely hack makes ironing a thing of the past

<p>Wishing you could find a way to make ironing a thing of the past?</p> <p>Well, you’re in luck. This clever grandma has come up with a genius hack for crease-free clothing – and best of all, there is no iron in sight.</p> <p>The savvy nan called Babs, also known as brunchwithbabs on Instagram, shared the hack on her page and she’s gone viral.</p> <p>The US-based grandmother who calls herself the “internet mom/grandma you didn’t know you needed” shares all kinds of advice on her page gaining her quite the following.</p> <p>Captioning the video showing how to remove creases from clothes without an iron, Babs writes:</p> <p>“Babs Hack *tip: high heat, works great on cotton and another option is throwing in a damp rag which also works like a charm.”</p> <p>In the footage, Babs asks viewers, ”Do you like to iron on a beautiful sunny day? Me neither.</p> <p>”Try ice cubes instead.”</p> <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/Cdalnisloi4/?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/Cdalnisloi4/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Babs (@brunchwithbabs)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“Four to five ice cubes right in,” she revealed, before adding that you should let the ice cubes do their magic for 10 to 15 minutes.</p> <p>At the end of the video, Babs can be seen removing the dresses and showing they are wrinkle-free.</p> <p>The video has been viewed more than 50,000 times and her fans are impressed. Let us know if you've tried this genius hack.</p>

Home Hints & Tips

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Move over, Iron Chef, this metallic cook has just learned how to taste

<p>In an episode of <em>Futurama</em>, robot Bender wants to be a chef, but has to overcome the not inconsiderable hurdle of being incapable of taste. It was beautiful.</p> <p>Move over, Bender. A new robot has not only been programmed to taste, it has been trained to taste food at different stages of the cooking process to check for seasoning. Researchers from the University of Cambridge, UK, working with domestic appliances manufacturer Beko, hope the new robot will be useful in the development of automated food preparation.</p> <p>It’s a cliché of cooking that you must “taste as you go”. But tasting isn’t as simple as it may seem. There are different stages of the chewing process in which the release of saliva and digestive enzymes change our perception of flavour while chewing.</p> <p>The robot chef had already mastered the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/a-good-egg-robot-chef-trained-to-make-omelettes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">omelette</a> based on human tasters’ feedback. Now, results <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2022.886074" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> in the <em>Frontiers in Robotics & AI</em> journal show the robot tasting nine different variations of scrambled eggs and tomatoes at three different stages of the chewing process to produce a “taste map”.</p> <p>Using machine-learning algorithms and the “taste as you go” approach, the robot was able to quickly and accurately judge the saltiness of the simple scrambled egg dish. The new method was a significant improvement over other tasting tech based on only a single sample.</p> <p>Saltiness was measured by a conductance probe attached to the robot’s arm. They prepared the dish, varying the number of tomatoes and amount of salt. “Chewed” food was passed through a blender, then tested for saltiness again.</p> <figure class="wp-block-video"><video src="../wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Unchewed-sampling-short.mp4" controls="controls" width="300" height="150"></video><figcaption>This robot ‘chef’ is learning to be a better cook by ‘tasting’ the saltiness of a simple dish of eggs and tomatoes at different stages of the cooking process, imitating a similar process in humans. Credit: Bio-Inspired Robotics Laboratory, University of Cambridge.</figcaption></figure> <p>“Most home cooks will be familiar with the concept of tasting as you go – checking a dish throughout the cooking process to check whether the balance of flavours is right,” said lead author Grzegorz Sochacki from the University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering. “If robots are to be used for certain aspects of food preparation, it’s important that they are able to ‘taste’ what they’re cooking.”</p> <p>The new approach aims to mimic the continuous feedback provided to the human brain in the process of chewing, says Dr Arsen Abdulali, also from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering. “Current methods of electronic testing only take a single snapshot from a homogenised sample, so we wanted to replicate a more realistic process of chewing and tasting in a robotic system, which should result in a tastier end product.”</p> <p>“When a robot is learning how to cook, like any other cook, it needs indications of how well it did,” said Abdulali. “We want the robots to understand the concept of taste, which will make them better cooks. In our experiment, the robot can ‘see’ the difference in the food as it’s chewed, which improves its ability to taste.”</p> <p> “We believe that the development of robotic chefs will play a major role in busy households and assisted living homes in the future,” said senior Beko scientist Dr Muhammad W. Chugtai. “This result is a leap forward in robotic cooking, and by using machine and deep-learning algorithms, mastication will help robot chefs adjust taste for different dishes and users.” Next on the menu will be training robots to improve and expand the tasting abilities to oily or sweet food, for example. Sounds pretty sweet.</p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=190155&title=Move+over%2C+Iron+Chef%2C+this+metallic+cook+has+just+learned+how+to+taste" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" /></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/robot-machine-learning-taste/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/evrim-yazgin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evrim Yazgin</a>. Evrim Yazgin has a Bachelor of Science majoring in mathematical physics and a Master of Science in physics, both from the University of Melbourne.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p> </div>

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"New Iron Curtain" as 100,000 Ukrainians flee their homes

<p dir="ltr">The highways heading out of Ukraine’s capital have been choked with traffic, with residents fleeing Kyiv as Russian forces invade.</p> <p dir="ltr">Russian president Vladimir Putin <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/ukraine/ukrainians-flee-barbarous-invasion-c-5832107">declared war</a> in a pre-dawn televised address on Thursday, which was followed by an assault on Ukraine by land, sea and air.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-47681d8e-7fff-285a-f182-082999763ef1"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Explosions and gunfire could be heard throughout the morning in Kyiv as missiles struck Ukrainian targets and authorities reported columns of troops entering Ukraine from Russia and Belarus.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">VIDEO: Footage of heavy fighting in Sumy in north-eastern Ukraine tonight. - <a href="https://twitter.com/YWNReporter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YWNReporter</a> <a href="https://t.co/lgvxbVe7Y8">pic.twitter.com/lgvxbVe7Y8</a></p> <p>— Conflict News (@Conflicts) <a href="https://twitter.com/Conflicts/status/1496953918882041863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The assault comes after weeks of Western leaders making diplomatic efforts to prevent war.</p> <p dir="ltr">After a day of fighting, Putin told business people in Moscow that he had no choice but to act.</p> <p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, Western leaders have condemned Moscow’s actions and promised widespread sanctions.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called on the people to defend their country, and said weapons would be given to anyone prepared to fight.</p> <p dir="ltr">“What we have heard today are not just missile blasts, fighting and the rumble of aircraft,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is the sound of a new Iron Curtain, which has come down and is closing Russia off from the civilised world.”</p> <p dir="ltr">After fierce fighting in the regions of Symy and Kharkiv, in Ukraine’s northeast, and Kerson and Odessa in the south, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States said 40 servicemen and dozens of civilians had been reported killed, although the information wasn’t up-to-date.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-dbc9f2c7-7fff-59f1-c591-1eca06509a0d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Authorities in Odessa said 18 people were killed in a missile attack, while those in Brovary, a town near Kyiv, said at least six people had died.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Column of destroyed and abandoned tanks, in Kherson region, Ukraine <a href="https://t.co/iTgWV96wiW">pic.twitter.com/iTgWV96wiW</a></p> <p>— ELINT News (@ELINTNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/ELINTNews/status/1496832644990050307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-84b7cca8-7fff-56e1-feed-c6cf4148b2a3">Ukraine’s military said it destroyed four Russian tanks near Kharkiv, killed 50 soldiers in a town near Luhansk, and took down six Russian warplanes.</span></p> <p dir="ltr">Russia has denied that any of its tanks or aircraft had been destroyed.</p> <p dir="ltr">Even with a full-blown invasion underway, Putin’s ultimate motivations remain unclear. The Russian president said he didn’t plan a military occupation, only to disarm Ukraine and rid it of nationalists.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, a senior US defence official said Washington believed the invasion was intended to “decapitate” Zelensky’s government.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-a77311e9-7fff-7890-b456-7c53b3e09fe0"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">EU leaders are due to meet to agree on further sanctions against Russia that will have “massive and severe” consequences for Moscow, according to a draft of their summit conclusions seen by Reuters.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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