Global health experts warn we are seeing a dangerous convergence: aging populations with genetic vulnerabilities, stealth spread of airborne pathogens like drug?resistant tuberculosis (TB) and the neglect of lifestyle strategies (diet, nutrition, immune resilience) that might help buffer risk.
Swedish and South African scientists have developed a novel method to detect TB in exhaled breath, finding about 47 percent sensitivity (rising to 57 percent in high bacterial load cases) and 77 percent specificity, suggesting that many infectious TB cases may be slipping under current detection systems.
TB remains a heavy global burden: in 2023, an estimated 10.8 million people fell ill with active TB, and about 1.25 million died, with drug?resistant strains posing growing detection and treatment challenges.
Meanwhile, mounting evidence supports the power of diet and lifestyle: for instance, meta?analysis shows that high adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a 23 percent lower all?cause mortality and 27 percent lower cardiovascular mortality in older adults.
Critics argue that our health institutions are overly reliant on pharmaceutical and technological
Alarming health trends expose gaps in prevention, detection and public trust
