For richer or poorer in sickness for wealth: what price consumerism?

Affluence and material goods of varying types are portents of a millennium age consumer culture that encourages the masses to voluntarily participate in the need to buy, buy and buy! This trend to spend creates a purchasing fervour that preoccupies many consumers with the ongoing yearning to shop until they drop. Clever marketing tactics such as enticing smells, catchy jingles, prize-draw entries, lucrative sales, discounts and the recruitment of celebrities to advertise a range of different wares are just some of the ploys adopted by vendors and retailers to maintain the sustainability of this cycle of consumer spending. This scenario promotes what could be perceived as a never-ending desire to procure yet more products and merchandise, which can create social dilemmas such as personal debt due to, for example, impulse buying, excessive spending and unnecessary borrowing. Retailers and manufacturers are driven by a quest to sell so constantly tout their goods to tempt consumers including those with a need for personal and social respect, to take the bait in order to encourage them to keep buying. This, coupled with the rapid advances in technology over recent decades, has made it easier for consumers to shop, order, obtain and pay for their goods from the comfort of an armchair or via handheld devices, and all at a tap of a button. In essence, technology has added to, or even exacerbated, the materialistic consumer trend as witnessed across many global societies today – from the east and the west to the north and the south. But what impact does consumerism have on the well-being of humankind and, in turn, the environment? This chapter adopts a comparative approach to answer this question by exploring the implications of consumerism as a means for broadening the topic’s framework and to contribute to debates regarding consumerism, well-being, social dilemma, sustainability and techno-economics

Cloud Computing As a Tool for Enhancing Ecological Goals?

Cloud computing has been introduced as a promising information technology (IT) that embodies not only economic advantages in terms of increased efficiency but also ecological gains through saving energy. The latter has become particularly important in view of the rising energy costs of IT. The present study analyzes whether necessary preconditions for accepting cloud computing as a new infrastructure, such as awareness and perceived net value, exist on the part of the users. The analysis is based on a combined research framework of the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and the technology acceptance model (TAM) in a cloud computing setting. Two consumer surveys, the one to elicit beliefs and the second to gain insight into the ranking of the variables, are employed. This study uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate the hypotheses. The results indicate support for the proposed research framework. Surprisingly however, the ecological factor does not play a role in forming cloud computing intentions, regardless of prior knowledge or experience. Empirical evidence of this study suggests increasing efforts for informing actual and potential users, particularly in respect to possible ecological advantages through applying the new IT infrastructure

Fruits and vegetables and cardiovascular risk profile: a diet controlled intervention study

Interventions: During 4 weeks 24 volunteers consumed a standardised meal, consisting of 500 g/day fruit and vegetables and 200 ml/day fruit juice ('high' group) and 23 volunteers consumed 100 g/day fruit and vegetables ('low' group) with an energy and fat controlled diet. Results: Final total cholesterol was 0.2 (95I-0.5-0.03) mmol/l lower in the high group than in the low group (P>0.05). Final fibrinogen and systolic blood pressure were 0.1 (-0.1-0.4) g/l and 2.8 (-2.6-8.1) mmHg higher in the high group than in the low group (P>0.05), respectively. Also, other final serum lipid concentrations, diastolic blood pressure and other haemostatic factors did not differ between both groups. Conclusions: This was a small randomised well-controlled dietary intervention trial of short duration with a considerable contrast in fruit and vegetable consumption. No effects on serum lipids, blood pressure and haemostatic variables were observed

Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and flow-mediated dilatation are related to the estimated risk of coronary heart disease independently from each other

Background: Flow mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1) are measures of distinct functions of the endothelium, reflecting nitric oxide (NO)-mediated and pro-inflammatory status, respectively. The comparative value of the two measures in relation to cardiovascular risk is unknown. Objective: To study and quantify the relation between these two measures, and their relative value in relation to the risk of coronary heart disease as estimated by the Framingham risk function. Methods: We performed a single centre population-based study of 85 men and 81 women, aged 18¿73 years. Endothelial function was assessed biochemically by sICAM-1 and functionally by FMD. In addition traditional cardiovascular risk factors, CRP, leukocyte count, homocysteine and fibrinogen were determined. Analyses were performed with multivariate linear regression, adjusted for age, gender, and CRP. Results: Median sICAM-1 levels were 217.0 ¿g/l (interquartile range: 174.0¿348.5). Mean FMD was 4.5% (S.D.: 3.9). The regression coefficient for the association between sICAM-1 and FMD was ¿3.3 ¿g/l (95% CI: ¿6.0;¿0.6) per percentage rise in FMD, after adjustment for age, gender, smoking, oral contraceptives (OC) use, classical risk factors and CRP. After adjustment for CRP and sICAM-1, the estimated risk of coronary heart disease in the next 10 years varied from 1.55% (95%CI: 0.89; 2.70) in the highest quintile of FMD to 3.92% (95% CI: 2.23; 6.92) in the lowest quintile. For sICAM-1, estimated risk, adjusted for FMD and CRP varied from 1.50% (95%CI: 0.85; 2.64) in the lowest quintile of sICAM-1 to 4.15% (95%CI: 2.35; 7.34) in the highest quintile. P-values for trends were 0.02 and 0.01 for quintiles of FMD and quintiles of sICAM-1, respectively. Conclusion: These findings indicate that sICAM-1 and FMD are related in healthy individuals, independently of cardiovascular risk factors and CRP, and that they are both related to the estimated risk of coronary heart disease, independently of each other

Moderate alcohol consumption after a mental stressor attenuates the endocrine stress response

Alcohol is often consumed to reduce tension and improve mood when exposed to stressful situations. Previous studies showed that moderate alcohol consumption may reduce stress when alcohol is consumed prior to a stressor, but data on the effect of alcohol consumption after a mental stressor is limited. Therefore, our objective was to study whether moderate alcohol consumption immediately after a mental stressor attenuates the stress response. Twenty-four healthy men (age 21–40 y, BMI 18–27 kg/m2) participated in a placebo-controlled trial. They randomly consumed 2 cans (660 mL, ∼26 g alcohol) of beer or alcohol-free beer immediately after a mental stressor (Stroop task and Trier Social Stress Test). Physiological and immunological stress response was measured by monitoring heart rate and repeated measures of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-axis), white blood cells and a set of cytokines. After a mental stressor, cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations were 100% and 176% more reduced at 60 min (P = 0.012 and P = 0.001, respectively) and 92% and 60% more reduced at 90 min (P </p

Serum carotenoids and vitamins in relation to markers of endothelial function and inflammation

Background: Endothelial cell dysfunction may be related to an increase in cellular oxidative stress. Carotenoids and vitamins could have an antioxidant-mediated tempering influence on endothelial function and inflammation, thereby reducing the risk of atherosclerosis. Methods: We measured serum carotenoids, alpha-tocopherol and Vitamin C concentrations in 379 subjects sampled from the general population. High-sensitive C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen (Fbg) and leukocytes were measured as markers of inflammation. Furthermore, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM- 1) and flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD; n = 165) were measured as markers of endothelial function. Relationships between serum carotenoids and vitamins and markers of endothelial function and inflammation were analysed after adjustment for confounding. Results: In the total study group, lutein and lycopene were inversely related to sICAM- 1 with regression-coefficients of -0.38 +/- 0.19 (p = 0.04) and) 0.16 +/- 0.08 (p = 0.04) per 1 mumol/l, respectively. beta-Carotene was inverse related to leukocytes (-0.23 +/- 0.07; p = 0.007) and CRP (-1.09 +/- 0.30; p = 0.0003) per 1 mumol/l. Vitamin C was inverse related to CRP (-0.01 +/- 0.005; p = 0.04) per 1 mumol/l, whereas alpha-tocopherol was positively related to CRP (0.03 +/- 0.01; p = 0.02) per 1 mu/l. Zeaxanthin was inversely related to FMD (31.2 +/- 15.3; p = 0.04) per 1 mumol/l. Conclusion: The inverse relations between carotenoids, Vitamin C and sICAM- 1, CRP and leukocytes may help to explain the possible protective effect of carotenoids and Vitamin C on atherosclerosis through an influence on inflammatory processes and endothelial function