Eat, Read, Learn | January 2025

NS Dietitians: Check out the DNNS Facebook page for more new foods, thought-provoking reads, and continuing education opportunities – and please share your own contributions as well!

If you have comments or suggestions, you can reach Meredith at meredith.lapp@gmail.com

New Surgeon General Warning on Alcohol

New Surgeon General Warning on alcohol The US Surgeon General has just released a new Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk. This document illustrates four mechanisms by which even moderate alcohol use (1-2 drinks/day) increases absolute risk of seven types of cancer. Ethanol increases oxidative stress, alters hormone production (particularly estrogen), increases absorption of other carcinogens, and its primary byproduct, acetaldehyde, damages DNA. Concerningly, the Advisory also indicates that most adults who use alcohol are unaware of these risks. In 2024, an estimated 1 in 6 Canadian adults participated in “Dry January” (going alcohol-free for the month of January), so this is a great time to ensure clients/patients are fully informed when deciding how much alcohol is right for them. You can find more information about Canada’s low-risk alcohol guidelines here.

Anemia Boot Camp Registration Now Open

Iron deficiency is a very common (yet underdiagnosed) condition worldwide (the WHO reports about 30% of women of childbearing age meet criteria for iron deficiency). This condition can cause fatigue, lack of concentration, hair/nail brittleness and loss, and

shortness of breath, among other symptoms. Since symptoms can appear gradually, they may be dismissed as an unavoidable side effect of busy modern lifestyles, but underlying fatigue and reduced cognitive function can have significant long-term impacts on clients’ ability to implement other healthy lifestyle behaviours like regular physical activity or meal preparation. Typical diagnostic cutoffs for

“low” ferritin are extremely low in Canada (typically <10-15ug); recent initiatives in Ontario are raising this bar to (<30ug) which is intended to flag this condition earlier so that effective treatment can be initiated. If you are interested in learning more about how Registered Dietitians can identify and support clients/patients at risk or living with iron

deficiency, an upcoming online training with anemia expert Marg Hay Alifieri RD is now open for registration.

Event occurs Monday, February 3 at 11:00-1:30 EST (12:00-2:30 Atlantic time), with a companion course on

managing Vitamin B12 occurring February 4. Email alfierinutrition@icloud.com to register.

Follow the DNNS Facebook group for more new foods, thought-provoking reads, and continuing education opportunities – and please share your own contributions as well!

Curated by Meredith Lapp, RD

If you have a blog, book, or online course that you would like to share with your fellow network members, please forward information to Meredith at meredith.lapp@gmail.com