WEIRD STUFF

Expert sounds Xmas booze alert

Three million Brits on fat jabs like Ozempic and Mounjaro are being urged to watch their alcohol intake this Christmas -- because even small amounts of booze may hit much harder.

Ian Marber, one of the UK's leading nutritionists and author of The GLP-1 Handbook, says he's already seeing severe reactions among his clients.

He told The Sun newspaper: "One of my regular clients revealed they were 'absolutely hammered' after two glasses of mulled wine during a recent party.

"This amount might have had almost no effect on you pre-jabs, but now you need to know your limits and adapt your intake and behaviour accordingly."

Marber warns that GLP-1 medications slow digestion, meaning alcohol is absorbed more rapidly and sticks around longer. That raises the risk of being over the drink-drive limit the next morning.

He added: "Another one of my clients felt that she was still over the limit the next day after just three small glasses of wine. Luckily she realised before doing the school run."

The expert also cautions that drinking can worsen common GLP-1 side effects.

Marber said: "Alcohol may also exacerbate side effects, such as nausea and dizziness, that some experience when taking GLP drugs.

"If you're in the early stages of using the medication, it might be best to avoid alcohol altogether -- especially if you experience side effects."

For those who do decide to drink, Marber recommends planning ahead: eat protein and carbohydrates first, have something sweet before going to bed, and focus on hydration and rest the next day.

He said: "If you are suffering the next day, try lots of fluids and rest, and painkillers if necessary."

Tuckeys to get bird-flu vaccines

Christmas turkeys in the UK are about to get their first-ever bird-flu vaccinations, as officials scramble to contain a surge in cases threatening festive supplies.

With 57 recent outbreaks in Wales alone - forcing the culling of around 300,000 birds - experts fear this winter could bring the most disruptive season yet.

The UK's Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. Christine Middlemiss, has confirmed that the government will launch a long-awaited trial to test whether vaccinating turkeys can slow or stop avian flu.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There has been a spate of bird flu cases for the last five years with massive impact for industry and we have worked with industry to understand the positives and negatives of vaccination. They sent out a report this summer from a joint task force which recommended trialling vaccination in turkeys so we are looking at taking this forward."

Turkeys were chosen for the pilot because the virus tends to strike hardest during the peak production window for Christmas birds.

Dr. Middlemiss explained: "Turkeys are an important sector and we think there could be benefits so we need to understand now just how effective a vaccine in turkeys might be and how long it will last."

Organic and free-range poultry - already more vulnerable to infection - are expected to be hit hardest by the ongoing crisis, raising fears of tighter supplies and higher prices in the run-up to Christmas.

Dr. Middlemiss said the UK is studying how similar vaccination programmes have played out abroad, particularly in France, where duck vaccination is already underway.

She said: "We have been working closely with international partners including France which has been vaccinating for a couple of years. They have found the vaccine dampens down the virus but it does not stop it so they have had six cases recently in those ducks."

She stressed that the priority remains stopping transmission between birds and other animals, while calming worries about human risk.

Dr. Middlemiss explained: "Our absolute number one priority is stopping it passing to other birds and mammals and potentially to people.

"Human health colleagues tell us the risk is very low but in specific cases of ongoing contact with affected birds -- there can be a risk so our advice is not to handle sick or dead birds."

-------

Romans brought first cats to Britain -- study

Cats didn't just wander into Britain - the Romans marched them in.

A sweeping new genetic study reveals that the moggies lounging on British sofas today owe their origins to felines ferried in by Roman legions roughly 1,900 years ago.

For decades, scientists argued over whether the domestic cat sprang from ancient Egypt, early farmers in Turkey, or some other prehistoric hotspot.

Now, after analysing DNA from 87 cats spanning 10,000 years - 70 of them ancient specimens - researchers say the modern domestic lineage emerged in north Africa around 2,000 years ago, before hitching rides along the Roman Empire's vast road network.

The study's authors write: "Since the Roman Imperial era, cats more genetically similar to present-day domestic cats were spread across Europe from a distinct north African population."

They pinpoint the earliest known example to a feline dated 50BC to 80AD at Mautern, Austria.

Once these proto-pets appeared, they spread fast -- and in classic Roman style, often alongside the army.

Professor Jonathan B. Losos, an evolutionary biologist at Washington University in St Louis, said: "The ancient DNA records a quick spread of these domestic cats throughout much of Europe, often in concert with the Roman military, appearing in Britain around 100AD."

One such moggy turned up in Fishbourne, England, perfectly timed with the Roman conquest - a whiskered witness to history.

The study also uncovered a surprising detour: domestic cats arrived in Sardinia and Corsica around 1,000 years before they appeared in mainland Europe. That early wave formed an isolated wildcat colony that still roams the islands today, genetically close to Moroccan wildcats.

The research is part of Project Felix, an effort to untangle the stubbornly mysterious history of cat domestication.

Professor Losos said: "The study is part of an ongoing project, Project Felix, which also aims to tackle other outstanding questions concerning cat domestication. Ever sphinx-like, cats give up their secrets grudgingly."