Science News in Brief: One in three sports nutrition supplement-users hit by side-effects

In other news, livestock are benefiting from consuming fewer antibiotics and women are reducing the risk of breast cancer by having children earlier, but the fight against climate change is not being won by sustainable forestry

Around 5 percent of the adult population has experienced side-effects after taking sports nutrition supplements, according to a DTU study.

Widespread usage
An estimated 16 percent of 15 to 55-year-olds take the products, which means approximately one in three users are affected.

Some 22 percent of the users take the supplements on a daily basis, while 42 percent admit to occasionally using more than one product per day.

Serious side-effects
Around 20 percent of the users have experienced at least two types of side-effects, which tend to include palpitations, chest pain or sensory disturbance.

Products like these were originally developed for elite athletes, but their usage has become mainstream in correlation with the increase in fitness centres and fitness activities like crossfit.


Danish dairy cows out-producing foreign rivals
In 2017, the average Danish dairy cow produced 9,600 kg of milk – the highest output in the EU, according to data from Eurostat. In comparison, Dutch cows produced 8,700 kg, British cows 8,100 kg and German cows 7,800 kg. Danish cows have become steadily more productive over the last 20 years – in 1998 the average output was only 6,800 kg. Cows in western Europe countries like Denmark produce far more than those in the east of the continent – a performance that Danmarks Statistik attributed to “a combination of good breeding, professional advice and sound management”.

Early childbirth reduces the risk of breast cancer – study
One in nine Danish women will have breast cancer at some point in their life, according to a new survey of 2.3 million women carried out by the Statens Serum Institut. However, of those 11 percent, not everyone carries the same risk.  The survey also showed that a woman reduces her risk of developing breast cancer by 8 percent for every child she has before the age of 28 – a protection that tends to develop in Week 34 of the pregnancy. Breastfeeding, on the other hand, had no effect on reducing the risk. Researchers hope this knowledge could eventually lead to some sort of pill to protect women against the disease. On average, Danish women have their first child at the age of 29.2.

Pigs more resistant to antibiotics than chickens, but Denmark is improving
Danish pigs are more resistant to antibiotics than chickens, according to a European study carried out in nine countries, which the DTU Food Institute was a major contributor to.  The study assessed 9,000 samples taken from 359 farms, concluding that Danish and Dutch farm animals were the least resistant – primarily because major efforts have been made to reduce consumption. The other seven countries were Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Poland, Spain and Germany.

Carbon capture and storage not a saviour, claims new study
A new study that involved Aarhus University suggests that sustainable forestry makes a negligible contribution to fighting climate change. Even if the carbon capture and storage of European forests was maximised, the effect would be mostly insignificant, the primarily Dutch study concluded. Instead, the researchers advised, the forests need to adapt to climate change conditions such as increased fire, wind speeds, and drought and pests in order to maintain the current timber supply and continue providing ecological, social and cultural benefits.

Antibiotics harmful to intestinal bacteria – study
A study by University of Copenhagen and Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen suggests that a course of antibiotics is extremely harmful to intestinal bacteria – not only during the treatment but for months afterwards. The bacteria play a vital role in strengthening the body’s immune system and metabolism, but according to the study of 12 healthy young men, antibiotics completely eradicate it.  The bacteria then return, but slowly, and six months later they are still not at full strength.




  • Analysis shows that many students from Bangladesh are enrolled in Danish universities

    Analysis shows that many students from Bangladesh are enrolled in Danish universities

    Earlier this year, the Danish government changed the law on access for people from third world countries to the Danish labor market. Yet, there may still be a shortcut that goes through universities

  • Danish Flower company accused of labor abuse in Türkiye

    Danish Flower company accused of labor abuse in Türkiye

    Queen Company, a Denmark-origin flower producer with pristine sustainability credentials, is under fire for alleged labor rights violations at its Turkish operation, located in Dikili, İzmir. Workers in the large greenhouse facility have been calling decent work conditions for weeks. The Copenhagen Post gathered testimonies from the workers to better understand the situation

  • Advice for expats: Navigating Life as an International in Denmark

    Advice for expats: Navigating Life as an International in Denmark

    Beginning this month, Expat Counselling will be contributing a monthly article to The Copenhagen Post, offering guidance, tools, and reflections on the emotional and social aspects of international life in Denmark. The first column is about Strategies for emotional resilience

  • New agreement criticized for not attracting enough internationals

    New agreement criticized for not attracting enough internationals

    Several mayors and business leaders across Denmark are not satisfied with the agreement that the government, the trade union movement and employers made last week. More internationals are needed than the agreement provides for

  • Let’s not fear the global – let’s use it wisely

    Let’s not fear the global – let’s use it wisely

    Copenhagen’s international community is not just a demographic trend – it’s a lifeline. Our hospitals, kindergartens, construction sites, laboratories and restaurants rely on talent from all over the world. In fact, more than 40% of all job growth in the city over the past decade has come from international employees.

  • The Danish Connection: Roskilde gossip, a DNA scandal & why young Danes are having less sex

    The Danish Connection: Roskilde gossip, a DNA scandal & why young Danes are having less sex

    With half of the population of Copenhagen at Roskilde this week, Eva away in Aalborg and the weather being a bit of a joke , Melissa and Rachel bring you a chatty episode to cheer you up looking into three of the top stories in Denmark this week.

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.


  • “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    Describing herself as a “DEI poster child,” being queer, neurodivergent and an international in Denmark didn’t stop Laurence Paquette from climbing the infamous corporate ladder to become Marketing Vice President (VP) at Vestas. Arrived in 2006 from Quebec, Laurence Paquette unpacks the implications of exposing your true self at work, in a country that lets little leeway for individuality

  • Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Agreement between unions and employers allows more foreign workers in Denmark under lower salary requirements, with new ID card rules and oversight to prevent social dumping and ensure fair conditions.

  • New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    Kadre Darman was founded this year to support foreign-trained healthcare professionals facing challenges with difficult authorisation processes, visa procedures, and language barriers, aiming to help them find jobs and contribute to Denmark’s healthcare system