Discussion keeps the world turning.
This is Roundtable.
You're listening to Roundtable with myself, He Young.
I'm joined by Yushan and Steve in the studio.
Coming up, chikungunya is a mosquito -borne virus that's behind a growing number of fever and joint pain cases worldwide.
We are going to break down what it is, why it matters, and how to stay safe for you.
And next on deck, they promised a guilt -free sweetness, but could zero -calorie artificial sweeteners be tricking your brain into eating more?
From diet soda to sugar -free yogurt, we are lifting the lead on the surprising science behind artificial sweeteners.
And we have one more topic for you.
The big exam of Gaokao is done, but the stress isn't over.
Now it's about the reward. Phones, tablets, even overseas trips are turning a well done into a pricey performance bonus.
Is rewarding exam success worth an expensive price tag, especially when it's parents picking up the bill?
Our podcast listeners can find us at Roundtable China on Apple podcast from the world of entertainment to what fuels your passion.
Our our heart -to -heart segment is all about you.
Share your thoughts with us at roundtablepodcast at qq .com or better yet, record a voice memo.
We'd love to hear your voice and share it with the world.
Now, let's move on to the next topic discussion today.
Chicken guna, that's a fever, is making headlines around the world, spread by the humble Aedes mosquito.
It causes fever and intense joint pain, enough to make some people hunch over in discomfort.
But there's no need to panic.
With a few smart precautions, you can protect yourself and those around you.
So what is this chikungunya fever?
And people are kind of worried about it.
Yeah, it's got a long name, isn't it?
The word chikungunya actually originates from Tanzania, meaning to bend over in their local language.
And that actually indicates the the shape of a patient that's going to be, they're going to have hunchbacks because of the severe joint pain and also going to bend over literally.
And so how it gets transmitted as you introduced earlier, He Yang, is through mosquito bites.
So once the infected mosquitoes, they bite human, that's when the transmission occurs.
And within approximately one to two days, just all the typical symptoms will show up that include fever, skin rashes and joint pain.
They all start to emerge.
And also here in China, it's become a news in the past few weeks because, well, lately we're kind of having the currently biggest outbreak of chikungunya virus ever since 2008, ever since it was first spotted here in China because of global transmission.
so that's as of july 24th that in foshan city in south china's guangdong province it has reported more than 4 000 confirmed cases of chikungunya fever so that's why it's on the news and yeah we're going to talk about just how people can just prevent and stop worrying too much about it it's been around for a really really long time they found it in or identified it i guess is the right thing to say, in Tanzania back in 1952.
And it's seen in tropical areas and subtropical areas of Africa and Southeast Asia and parts of the Americas.
But now it's spread to new locations and there have been more than 5 million cases in the past 15 years.
That's according to the U .S. Food and Drug Administration.
This year, the WHO reported as of July 22nd, active outbreaks across 119 countries and territories, and they are urging those countries to bolster their readiness against potential epidemics.
All right. Well, these numbers aren't particular small.
How worried should we be?
Actually, not too worried because in the worst case scenario, you suffer from fever and severe joint pain, as we mentioned earlier, because chicken gonad is rarely fatal there's one case back in 2019 when the ethiopia public health institute announced that they are well back then they were experiencing an outbreak that reached 20 000 of their people but even as per that announcement of 20 000 people there were no death record that's being announced but in the meantime i think it's um potentially very very dangerous for especially pregnant person and also to the unborn child because it can transfer
through pregnancy to the newborn.
So newborns, adults over 65 and of course pregnant women and those with chronic health conditions, they are at higher risks.
So how do we stay safe?
Mosquito control is important.
You have to choose the right repellents.
The sales of repellents have have been really booming as of late.
But here's the important thing, if you're looking for a good repellent, verify two different labels before you buy it.
So it should have a registered pesticide number and a valid production license.
And the pesticide number in China, if a product claims to repel mosquitoes, which is exactly what a mosquito repellent does, whether it contains chemical or plant -based ingredients, it's considered a pesticide by law and it should should be regulated as such. Also, the number should start with WP on the packaging, and you can verify that online through the China Pesticide Information Network, and you can make sure that it's legitimate.
So you can look out for that when choosing your mosquito repellent.
And also, folks, if you've been to or are traveling to cities like Foshan or areas like Southeast Asia or continents in Africa, like Africa or just South America in general, you should do like at least a health check whether or not you're showing symptoms or not.
Just monitor your health for 14 days and see if any joint pain occurs and yeah, seek professional medical care immediately if it happens.
Yeah, staying safe from chikungunya needs a few smart steps like you guys mentioned, stay cool stay covered and keep your family informed coming up for years artificial sweeteners were the guilt -free ticket to staying slim sweet without the sin but what if they've been quietly hijacking your hunger signals all along let's decode what's really happening when we sip that supposedly healthy drink stick around everybody we'll be back after this break break.
Looking for passion?
How about fiery debate?
Want to hear about current events in China from different perspectives?
Then tune in to Roundtable, where East meets West and understanding is the goal.
You're listening to Roundtable with myself, He Yang.
I'm joined by Steve Hatherly and Yu Shan in the studio.
For a long time, artificial sweeteners were widely widely believed to be a beneficial tool for diet and weight management, offering sweetness without the calories.
However, recent findings are now suggesting that these zero calorie options might not be good for us at all.
What does this surprising shift mean for our health?
Let's unpack the truth about artificial sweeteners and their unexpected impact on our health.
So here's first of all a shout out to listener Neil, who first dropped this juicy topic into our mailbox for our heart -to -heart segment.
But you know what? We're here to serve.
So we did a little digging, and it turns out this sweet little topic is more layered than a sugar -free cake.
Let's rewind to the beginning.
When did artificial sweeteners become a thing in our modern diet, and how?
We won't go way back to the beginning, because they first entered the food supply in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
But there were some big moments, and one of them was some key approvals from the Food and Drug Administration for sweeteners like aspartame that was in the early 80s and also sucralose in the late 90s.
And it was at that time that they really cemented their place in our modern diets, in things like diet sodas and sugar -free yogurts and certain baked goods and cereals.
And it just became a part, a common part, too, of daily consumption for millions of people around the world.
Sucralose, we call that Splenda.
There's the brand name Splenda.
That's a synthetic artificial sweetener.
It's got zero calories and it's derived from sucrose, which is table sugar, and they just modify its chemistry.
And even though it was a part of the common diet for a lot of people looking to lose weight since maybe the late 1990s, the findings on sucralose will make people, I think, think twice before they consume it.
Oh yeah. And it was discovered, did you say in 1976 and is about 600 times sweeter than sugar.
How shocking is that?
Yeah. Sucralose. Yeah.
Yeah. What is the latest surprising research about artificial sweeteners, particularly sucralose and their link to hunger?
Yeah. Sucralose, as we mentioned earlier, is so sweet, but in the meantime, it can also activate hunger signals in the brain that's potentially leading to increased food intake.
So that's basically saying that after drinking, say, some drink that contains sucralose, it kind of tricked the brain into thinking, I need more food, especially high calorie options.
And that this effect is more commonly appearing among women and also individuals with obesity.
And this could mean that for some people, artificial sweeteners, they might inadvertently contribute to weight gain rather than aiding weight loss.
Because we also hear a lot about how sweeteners, they help to replace sugar in a way that it helps weight loss.
But as science has discovered, it's not really the case.
And the sweet taste without the expected calories, it can also confuse our bodies, not just the brain, but also our body's metabolic system, leading to a heightened appetite.
So you actually eat more after you take sucralose.
They did this from the Garvin Institute of Medical Research in Australia.
That's where they conducted this study out of.
And when you talk about how these sweeteners, artificial sweeteners, trick our brains or trick our bodies, it's really quite interesting what they found.
so the part of your brain that is connected to your reward system the issue here is the initial mismatch so you get the sweet flavor from the artificial sweetener right but it's zero calories so that makes your brain think oh this tastes sweet so where's my reward where's the energy where's the calories but there are no calories right so your brain feels cheated your brain feels dissatisfied or unsatisfied.
And then your brain thinks, I don't have the energy I'm supposed to get from sweet, so I need it.
So that triggers that craving for the missing energy, and that sends the signal to eat more food.
Yeah, it messes up your brain's control center for hunger and fullness, basically.
So the point here is that the artificial sweeteners, they confuse these specific regulatory system, and it leads to actual hunger signals being generated even when you've already consumed something sweet, making you just feel less full and then more likely to eat more.
And this study has been picked up by many people and organizations.
Does the WHO, the World Health Organization, have something to say about it?
I mean, they released info on this back in 2023, and they recommended at that time against using non -sugar sweeteners or NSS for long -term weight control.
And when the World Health organization put that out that kind of challenged that belief that had been around for a long time that these artificial sweeteners will indeed help us lose weight and the thing is is that when you eat those artificial sweeteners yeah right immediately there are no calories being eaten so i guess immediately that goal is being satisfied but when it tricks your brain into thinking that it needs more food then that's where it fails and and not only that um the who they said that that the long -term use of these artificial sweeteners can actually increase the risk of some
pretty serious health issues like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and even mortality.
So to make a long story short, the WHO is not on board with these artificial sweeteners.
It's good to have these statements.
It's very clear and easy to comprehend.
hand. Then what are the best alternatives to artificial sweeteners for those looking to manage sugar intake or improve health?
One tip would definitely be focusing on consuming just food with naturally occurring sugars and just such as whole fruits.
And I think this goes beyond just on sugar and sweeteners.
It goes to all different foods.
Just embrace full or rather whole food and and get less artificial in the process of picking the food and cooking as well.
That's definitely going to help.
Yeah. The goal, ultimately, right, is to reduce your overall reliance on intense sweetness, whether that's from sugar or artificial sweeteners.
So you can retrain your taste buds, as boring as that sounds, to appreciate less sweet flavors.
But that's easier said than done.
That's a long road.
road, baby steps, I guess.
I took four, or rather five, to be honest, six pieces of candies in one night when me and my boyfriend were gaming, and I just felt like, yeah, it's the time to have a little bit sweet, and then my next morning, four little acnes bumped around my mouth.
Can I share just quickly one more study that was done recently?
This is from the University of Colorado, and they focused on the artificial sweetener called erythritol.
That can damage cells in your blood brain barrier, and that's a really selective membrane that protects your brain from harmful substances in the blood.
So that artificial sweetener can be found in sugar -free gum.
Hyoung, I know you were a gum fan.
No longer after doing the roundtable show.
And Yushan in candies.
So the next time you're enjoying a candy, check for erythritol because that can damage your blood brain barrier yeah and apparently uh WHO recommends just have plain water food beverages whatsoever yeah they always recommend the boring stuff don't they but they're good for you long term artificial sweeteners were meant to help us out smart sugar but as science reveals their deeper effects is pretty clear we can't trick biology without consequences coming up surviving or those who have survived the gaokao, and you might just earn a new car from mom and dad.
Across China, post -exam gifting is getting bigger, bolder, and raising eyebrows.
Are these presents a show of love or signs of misplaced priorities?
Stay tuned. Looking for passion?
How about fiery debate?
Want to hear about current events in China from different perspectives?
Then tune in to Roundtable, where East meets West, and understanding is the goal.
You're listening to Roundtable.
I'm He Young, happily joined by Steve Hatherly and Yu Shen on the show.
Every summer, millions of Chinese high school seniors take on the gaokao, the National College Entrance Examination, and arguably one of the biggest exams of their lives.
And once it's over, you'd think the pressure finally lifts, but not quite.
Now now it's the parents' turn.
Facing a different kind of stress, the rising expectations around gaokao gifts from shiny new phones to overseas vacations, what used to be a simple well done is starting to look more like a luxury wish list and for many families, this is a financial stretch they simply cannot afford. So, gaokao gifts are apparently becoming popular.
I have to admit this This was never a thing 20 years ago when I was a student.
So take it away, Yuxian.
How do I phrase this?
Not only 20 years ago, let's say 10 years ago, it wasn't really that big of a deal either.
Because back then, I remember after Gaokao, what we felt the most is that it's finally done and to have some downtime.
We don't expect to have any gifts given to us.
nowadays however it's been sort of a way for the parents to show acknowledgement by quote unquote rewarding the kids after they finish gaokao and because we know that this is such a major life event for them as a young um just a young human and learning how hard it is to go through certain say um difficulties in order to reach for more lifty goals and that's just one starting point So yeah, that's, of course, a very kind demonstration of loving and recognition.
And now it's starting to turn a bit sour.
Well, Steve, is it common to have this kind of SAT, post -SAT gift or like graduation gift for high schoolers in like the U .S. or all these other countries?
Does it get expensive?
Does it get expensive as like a car, a super nice phone?
loan or an overseas trip.
Depends on the family.
There's no Western standard for this one.
I did find something from CBS from this year, though.
According to the National Retail Federation, the NRF, survey, people will spend an average of $116 on a graduation gift. It's up $20 since 2014, but more than half the respondents plan to give money, about 53%.
So that suggests the answer to to your question is no it's not really a common thing to give a new phone or a new computer or a new car or an overseas six -month vacation or something like that six months and then I saw another story they asked graduates what do you want and most of the graduates responded cash please so the general the general gift would be about like 50 to 100 I think if you are going to give cash as a gift but also this reminds me of maybe in September we can do this topic that is you know, beginning of school year, and especially when kids are going off to college, and it's pretty
common for families to get them brand new laptops, maybe their first laptop in their lifetime.
And then you know, the new phone and all the nice gadgets, and that's becoming increasingly part of new school year economy kind of thing.
Of course, every family has the right to celebrate in their own way.
And we're not judging here.
But it's worth asking, should there even be a gaokao gift sort of expected?
And what do these gifts say about parenting and growing up in today's world?
It's just showing, let's say, from the parents' point of view, it's something they want to demonstrate to their kids of such a high acknowledgement and that you did a good job on crossing this narrow bridge and accomplishing what you did, sometimes even regardless of how high your score can get but nowadays i think and this is not really complaining on this is not really their fault too but for kids themselves at their current age sometimes i think they don't really realize the meaning of gaokao and who they're doing this for what do you mean well instead of asking for gifts like oh i did this i
should be rewarded gaokao is just something to start with on planning your future career and future path.
If you think about it that way, that's you benefiting from what you ought to do in the first place.
But they didn't just finish the Gaokao.
They finished three years of high school plus all the years leading up to high school, right?
I think it is worthy of giving them a gift because not necessarily just for finishing that test, but it's like a rite of passage, right?
You're going almost from childhood into adulthood adulthood when you enter into your university days.
So I think I get your point about saying, hey, this is something you're supposed to do.
Why should you be rewarded for it?
But in certain stages of life, you should receive a little reward so that you can feel good about what you've done.
I'm all on board for the gaokao gifts.
Okay, well, if you get that award, sure, if you're paying for it, wonderful, get three awards.
But now it's like, what?
what? Mom's paying for it?
Well, also, maybe there's a big role that social media has played in this.
And also, it's highlighting, yeah, it's pressure for everybody.
And yeah, like, in my opinion, your kid has finished Gaukau and got into a university, the parents should get a trophy.
A quick word of caution to the younger crowd at the risk of sounding like a million years old.
In the adult world, no one hands out rewards just for doing what's expected of you.
So if your parents are offering a gift after the gaokao, count yourself lucky and don't expect your future boss to send you on a vacation for showing up to work.
And that brings us to the end of today's roundtable.
I feel like I lost that argument.
Thank you, Steve and Yushan for joining the discussion.
I'm He Yang. We'll see you next time.
