Healthy Eating
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of visual deterioration and blindness in adults. It involves damage to the mucula ” the part of the retina at the back of the eye responsible for acute vision. One of the underlying processes which is thought to promote AMD is the action of damaging molecules […]
Specific conditions
While it seems we are frequently warned of the supposed skin-related hazards of sunshine, there is abundant evidence that sunlight exposure is associated with general benefits for health. For instance, sunlight helps protect against low mood and depression, as well as several forms of cancer. There is also evidence that it might help prevent multiple […]
Healthy Eating
Earlier this month I provided a round-up of the evidence which suggests that carbohydrate control is generally more effective for the purposes of weight loss than the more traditionally-advised low-fat diet. Not long after this, on the 18th July to be precise, the research group known as the Cochrane Collaboration published its own assessment of […]
Unhealthy Eating!
Diet (artificially-sweetened) drinks are sold on the basis that, compared to sugary varieties, they are better for our health and, in particular, our weight. However, there is at least some evidence that artificially sweetened drinks do not offer the health boons they promise. This week, for instance, saw the publication of a study which assessed […]
Healthy Eating
Fish is what you might call a ‘primal’ food, and therefore it’s perhaps not surprise that its consumption has been associated with broad benefits for health. For instance, in a study published recently in the journal Medical Science Monitor, the relationship between fish-eating and a variety of markers of health were assessed in a group […]
Brain and Behaviour
Throughout this site you will find various references to the ‘glycaemic index’ or ‘GI’ – essentially a measure of the speed an extent to which a food disrupts blood sugar levels. Relatively high GI foods will tend to cause surges in the hormone insulin which, in time, can predispose to a range of ill effects […]
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
Back in May, I wrote about the relatively new diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) and, specifically, the then new research which linked it with a substantially increased risk of heart disease [1]. By coincidence, rosiglitazone was also the focus of attention of a review conducted by a scientific group known as the Cochrane Collaboration. The research […]
Brain and Behaviour
I’m a great believer in the power of the mind. And while I don’t practice meditation (in the formal sense) myself, I have always been impressed at how often regular meditators tell me what a difference it has made to their lives. Their testimonies usually report a sense of improved physical and emotional well-being, a […]
Cholesterol and Statins
It seems like a week doesn’t go by without more yet more research coming to light which paints the cholesterol-reducing drugs known as ‘statins’ as wonder drugs. The latest example of such research was published earlier this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine [1]. The study was an analysis of individuals aged 65 or […]
Food and Medical Politics
Last Friday’s blog featured a study presented recently at an American Diabetes Association symposium. It found that in a group of individuals with type 2 diabetes, a low-carb diet led to statistically significant reductions in weight, as well as blood sugar and triglyceride levels compared to a low-fat diet. In this blog, I also attempted […]