- This week on The Checkup ` a condition that makes us see red; - Conjunctivitis is also known as pink eye. - Mataroria has the dirt on our substandard soil; - Our fruit, veg and animal products don't help with our iodine intake. - Shawn muscles in on exercise; - When we feel like winding down, we should be ramping things up. - and I get my bake on with bugs. (UPBEAT MUSIC) They are regularly consumed in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and it's estimated two billion diets depend on them. Whilst creepy crawlies have been on the menu worldwide for centuries, introducing protein-packed crunchy critters to a modern audience might be a hard sell. But they could also be the answer to worldwide food shortages and damaging farming practices. Across the globe, there are more than 1900 species of edible insects. Some of the most consumed are beetles, caterpillars, wasps, ants, locusts, and crickets. And usually, if I found any of those in my kitchen, I'd be hitting up the bug spray ` but not today. Instead, I'm whipping up a chocolate brownie with a difference. So, a quarter cup of cricket flour. Not much of a taste to it. Ants for the icing. A bit of texture. And crickets for crunch. We can now find insects in corn chips, wraps, pasta, flour and snack form. And evidence shows there's a growing appetite for morsels made from mites, midges, and more. What's behind the push for alternative sources of protein? It's estimated that by 2050 the world population will surpass the nine billion mark, and the demand for food will increase by 60%. According to a United Nations report, farming and eating insects could be a possible solution to a global food shortage and environmental damage caused by food production. Insects are considered highly nutritious, an excellent source of vitamins, fat, minerals and protein. Insects slay in the protein category. At the upper range, they beat plant sources, including cereal, soybeans and lentils. They even pip meat and chicken eggs at the post. (TWANGY GUITAR MUSIC) Eating insects not only has the potential to offer a nutritional food source, but also ease the pressure on the planet. (LAUGHS) The environmental impact of insect production is lower than other protein sources ` milk, chicken, pork and beef. Crickets need 12 times less feed than cattle, four times less than sheep, and half as much as pigs and chickens to produce the same amount of protein. They also produce fewer greenhouse gases and require less land and water. It makes perfect sense to harvest the protein-packed, environmentally friendly bounty that the world of bugs provides. But what about the yuck factor? (UPBEAT MUSIC) Edible insects can be eaten raw, roasted, toasted, fried or boiled and, of course, in processed form. Let's see if I get any takers. Various insects, actually. - No, thank you. - No. (LAUGHS) Do you want to try some insects? No... (LAUGHS) Do you guys wanna try some insects? - No, we're good, thank you. - No...? (GIGGLES) - Do any of them look really yum? - I'm fine. - (ALL LAUGH) - We're looking at whether insects could be potentially a food for the future. - Uh-huh. Yep. - A source of protein. - A regular diet in the future? - Mm-hm. - That's made from ground cricket flour. - I wanna try cricket. - I'll try the cricket... - Yeah. - ...followed by` what's this? Is that ants? - I'm going to have some worms. - Ewww! - Ahh! (JAUNTY MUSIC) - And how did that taste? - It's actually fine. - Tastes normal. - It's good. - Just like a brownie. - Just like a normal brownie? Yep. - It's really good. - It is good. - It's good? - Yeah. - The locust. - Oh no, looks like Mum didn't like the locust very much. So, would you consider buying the cricket corn chips instead of regular corn chips? - Why not? - Why not try it out with your friends? - I'm not sure my friend will be OK, but... - Would you eat it if it was at your local cafe? - Mm-hm. - Yeah? - I think it would be in the speciality restaurants, personally. - Yeah. - Would you eat it as part of your regular diet? - The worm, maggot sorta vibe is,... yeah, too much, but all the rest of it was really good. - Awesome. So, I'm surprised. I think we got more takers than I thought we would. And interestingly, people weren't too bothered by the crickets in the brownie or the corn chips. But I think the appearance of the other bugs, the particularly bigger ones, seemed to put most of the other people off. People seem to enjoy the brownie, so I might try it too. Mmm! At this point, edible insects are more of a novelty for most of us, a fun freak-out with our friends. But the food of the future could already be crawling, hopping and flying in our backyards. - Once again, there's growing concern that we're not getting enough iodine in our diets. - Why is it so important that we maintain muscle mass as we age? - Shawn, are you ready for a set of 10? * - New Zealand soil ` it grows an abundance of food, from the mundane to the exotic, from bananas, avocados and persimmons in the north to berries and nuts in the south. But our soil is lacking a very important mineral ` iodine. We need iodine to help regulate our thyroid gland and our hormones. These, in turn, help maintain our metabolism and our energy levels, to help us grow. Low iodine in our soil means our fruit, veg and animal products don't help with our iodine intake. As a solution, health authorities in the past added this essential nutrient to some of our popular household items ` bread and table salt. The idea proved to be a great success. But today, once again, there's growing concern that we're not getting enough iodine in our diets. I'm meeting with nutrition expert Claire Wall to discover what's changed, and what we can do about it. - In 2009, the government mandated that the salt used in breadmaking had to be iodised. Because bread is eaten by many New Zealanders, it was a really good vehicle to get enough iodine into the population. - It still is. But we need to eat the fortified bread to get the benefits. - It's only mandated for commercial breads, so artisan breads don't have to use iodised salt. Gluten-free breads and also breads made from organic flours won't necessarily have to have iodised salt. - Not only have our bread choices grown, but also our salt choices. - Some of the fancier salts like rock salt and some of the Himalayan salts, people think have adequate amounts of iodine in them, but they've got very negligible amounts of iodine in them. So you actually need to look for a salt which actually says it's got iodine added to it. - A goitre, or an enlarged thyroid gland, is one of the most recognised signs of iodine deficiency. In the early 1920s they were so common dressmakers used to make the necklines of women's blouses larger to accommodate them. Goitres are now unusual in New Zealand, but other effects of iodine deficiency are still a concern. - In infancy and early childhood, it can affect the way that the brain develops and cause brain damage. - The World Health Organisation believes iodine deficiency is the single most important preventable cause of brain damage worldwide. But luckily, we really only need a small amount of iodine. One of the easiest ways to get that is adding iodised salt to our meals. But keep in mind, we should be eating less than a teaspoon of salt per day. Other options are iodine-friendly foods ` eggs, yoghurt and milk also up your intake. And seafood is a great natural source, but not always practical or available for those who need it most. - People who are at greatest risk are people who are growing ` so developing foetuses, pregnant women, breastfeeding women and children. - Pregnant women need about 50% more. It's recommended that they take a supplement during pregnancy and breastfeeding. For the rest of us, overloading on salt or bread isn't the answer. We just need to check what we do use is iodine friendly. Personally, I'm a big seafood fan, so when it comes to getting enough iodine, I like to remember what the soil can't deliver, the ocean can. Excuse me, mate. I'll get a dozen of your juiciest Bluffies, please. Thank you. (FUNKY MUSIC) (TECHNO MUSIC) - Gyms, exercise classes and Lycra may seem like the domain of the young. But try telling that to 79-year-old Gary. - Shawn, are you ready for a set of 10? - You know it, mate. Absolutely. - OK. - # Go! # # Don't stop now. # Keep going. # Don't stop. # Now go. # - How do you think that doing exercise and being fit has changed your life? - Well, I wouldn't say it's changed my life so much as it's allowed me to keep doing the things I want to do. I play bowls, and I need to be fit to play bowls. I know it's seen to be a bit of an old man's sport, but you actually have to be quite fit to play bowls. - I've actually played a little bit of bowls. It's super fun. - Yes, it is. - It's very enjoyable. - Yes. It's a good game. - INSTRUCTOR: Yeah, that's good. Good. - Physical activity is important no matter what age. But research shows that just when we feel like winding down, we should be wrapping things up. After the age of 30, our muscle mass decreases around 3-8% each decade. After 60, the rate of decline is even faster. The good news is, with exercise, a little goes a long way. Phillipa Batts helps run the never2old programme for senior citizens committed to pumping up the jam. What are the key elements of this particular exercise programme? - So, we're focused on four real elements of fitness. So, strength and power, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and falls prevention. Those are the four cornerstones of our programme. - Why is it so important that we maintain muscle mass as we age? - If you don't have good strength in your legs, for instance, then your balance is likely to be poor. Things like getting up and down out of a chair, an everyday activity, using the toilet, climbing stairs, those are all exercises that require strength and power. So if you lose the strength in your lower limbs, then those activities become really challenging. - INSTRUCTOR: Three, two, one. Go! - Introducing just a couple of simple exercises can provide measurable and quite remarkable results. - So, you've just seen our guys doing their standardised strength testing and the bicep curl. Interestingly, Sue has been with us for quite a number of years. She started quite early on. And I found some scores for her for this particular protocol of tests back from 2007. And she was 70 at that time. - She's now 83. I'm giving your secrets away here. - That's OK. - And her scores are very similar. And so that really speaks to the fact that if you can keep doing some really good regular fitness training, strength training, you don't see too much decline. - Ministry of Health data reveals around 50% of Kiwis over 65 aren't regularly physically active, and that consistent exercise could actually reduce falls and injuries by up to 35%, especially in the over-80s. - Obviously, if you're starting to feel a little bit unsteady on your feet, because you're deconditioned, you can be fearful of falling. And, you know, the consequences of falling for an older person are quite significant. - Catastrophic. - Yeah. So, once you start to worry about falling, you're actually more at risk of falling. So by coming to the gym and practising some of these things that will help you maintain your muscle strength, your coordination, your ability to move your centre of gravity, a whole lot of things like that, then you can build a little bit more confidence. And we always have people telling us that they may have had a trip or a stumble, but they've been able to recover themselves because of the training that they've done with us. - I've noticed that coming here, I've felt less stiff and more flexible, better balanced. Just overall, yeah, felt better. - It makes me feel well and healthy and able to tackle anything that comes along. - No matter what age you are, 19 or 90, the thought of kick-starting an exercise regime can be daunting. But it's important to remember that even if you start with baby steps, you'll feel the benefits for years to come. - HIV no longer dominates the headlines, but it doesn't mean it's gone away. - Conjunctivitis can seal your sleeping eyes shut and send your social life spiralling. * - Aotearoa may be a small country, but we have a proud history of leading the way. We invented the disposable syringe, gave women the right to vote, and fought for marriage equality. Recently, we've taken up a new challenge ` eliminating the transmission of HIV. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It was first identified in 1983, and it remains one of the world's most serious public health issues. Thanks to effective diagnosis and treatment, those with HIV can live long, happy, healthy lives, which may explain why HIV no longer dominates the headlines. But it doesn't mean it's gone away. How much do you know about HIV in New Zealand today? - Uh, not very much at all. - Oh, sorry. Not a lot about HIV in New Zealand. - Not a lot. I don't know. - Yeah, not a lot. - Do you have any idea of how many people have HIV in New Zealand? - (SIGHS) - No clue. It's not something that I look into. - I'd like to know, actually. I think it's more than I probably think. - Mark Fisher from Body Positive, an organisation whose mission is to support people living with HIV, has crunched the numbers, and they tell an interesting story. - We estimate there's around 3500 people living with HIV. We know that there's 2900 people accessing medication, cos we can get that data specifically, but the rest is kind of an estimate. So around 3500. - And are transmission numbers going up, or are they declining? - Local transmission has kind of plateaued over the last few years, which is good, but the number of people diagnosed is going up. - And why do you think that is? - With COVID, there's been a lot of people returning from overseas as well that are living with HIV. They were counted as new diagnoses, so they were counted, those numbers. We don't want to stop that. What we do want to stop is local community transmission, and that's the one that we want to get to zero. - And what about complacency? Is that an issue? - Potentially people aren't as worried about it, especially the younger generation. They think it's a thing from the '80s, so it's not something that will affect them. - Is there still stigma attached with HIV? - Oh, there's lots of stigma. We did a survey in 2018 which showed that 42% of people weren't comfortable eating food prepared by somebody living with HIV, when there is no risk. People are afraid to have a flatmate who's living with HIV. You know, people are afraid to date somebody who's living with HIV. The individual who's living with HIV is then afraid to tell people about their status, so they keep it all internalised. And that's where we do a lot of work in terms of supporting people around counselling and just that peer support to make sure people are OK. - So, even 40 years after HIV first appeared, misinformation is still rife. To be clear, you cannot become infected through day-to-day contact, such as shaking hands, hugging, kissing or sharing food and water. What is the goal for eliminating HIV transmission? - Our goal is 2025, which aligns with the UN goal, which is to eliminate transmission by 2030 around the world. - How likely is it that we can stop transmission altogether? - It's highly likely. We have a lot of tools available for people to use. The most important thing people can do is to get tested, to know your status and then go on to treatment so that the virus is controlled, you live a healthy life, and you can't pass it on. - And what do you think is the most misunderstood thing about HIV? - HIV being a death sentence ` which it isn't any more. So if a HIV-positive man is living with his wife, and they're having sex, they can actually conceive a child without risk of transmission, cos the husband won't pass it to the wife. If the wife was HIV-positive, she can have a child, and the child won't be born with HIV either, so it'll be a HIV-negative child. We haven't had a HIV-positive baby since 2007. So we're in a very different world to what we were in the '80s. - The reason we can be confident that transmission of HIV could be eliminated is down to the way today's HIV drugs work. They simply stop the virus replicating, to the point where it becomes undetectable and cannot be passed on. However, the virus will continue to live in the lymph nodes and other hiding spots, which is why it's essential that lifelong adherence to the drug regime is followed. There are also drug developments like PrEP, which is to help reduce the risk of HIV. Could you tell us about that? - Pre-exposure prophylaxis. It's a medication that's actually an HIV treatment. It's been around since 2004. And what they found out was that if you're taking it before you come into contact, it stops the virus from actually taking hold. So it dies off, and you don't actually pick up HIV. - Absolutely key to the success of the plan to eliminate transmission of HIV is the testing. - The best thing you can do is test regularly. At least do an annual check-up, and just take control of your sexual health. - Pioneering medical and social advances are in Aotearoa's DNA. And if we can stay ahead of the pack and achieve our goal of eliminating HIV transmission by 2025, that's something to be really proud of. (FUNKY JAZZ MUSIC) - Are you ever described as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed? Or perhaps you're the apple of your mother's eye. You may even be a bit of eye candy. Unfortunately, being easy on the eye can all change in the blink of one. That's because conjunctivitis is a crusty demon that can leave your eyes red, itchy, weepy and irritated. Not only could it seal your sleeping eyes shut, it could leave your social life spiralling. Conjunctivitis is an inflammation or infection of the transparent membrane that lines your eyelid and covers the white part of your eye. The inflammation causes blood vessels to become more visible and gives the eyes a distinct pink or red tint. This is why conjunctivitis is also known... (CHUCKLES) as pink eye. And there are more rumours about it than you can... bat an eye at. Rumour one ` only children get it. Rumour two ` it's highly infectious. Rumour three ` pink eye can cause blindness. And rumour four ` you can give it to someone by farting on their pillow. Conjunctivitis is common in kids, but anybody can get it. The symptoms and how contagious it is are dictated by the cause. The most common are a viral infection, a bacterial infection or allergies. Allergic pinkeye is likely caused by pollen, cosmetics or any other allergen. Your eye will likely be red and itchy, and could have a clear discharge, but it isn't infectious to others. Unfortunately, this isn't the case when pink eye is caused by bacteria or a virus. Viral pink eye often follows a cold, flu or sore throat. There's no cure, so you have to wait for it to clear up on its own. But if you have bacterial pink eye, antibiotics will help clear up the situation. A thick, crusty, sticky discharge in the morning is most likely associated with a bacterial infection. Contagious conjunctivitis can spread from person to person, from hand-to-eye contact, or just by touching contaminated objects. The condition won't cause blindness. But if you get a lot of pain, blurred vision, or if it lasts for more than a few days, and if a young baby gets infected, it might be time to visit... one of these guys ` maybe a real one, though. For the rest of us, avoid recontamination by throwing away infected make-up or contact lenses and stop the spread by washing hands, sheets, towels, washcloths, and, yep, those pillowcases ` farted on or not. For all you pranksters out there, farting on your friend's pillow will not cause pink eye. The gas from a fart does not cause the infection. But if the farter leaves viral or bacterial-filled poo particles on your pillow, then you might have a problem.