Cholesterol and Statins
For something that hardly anyone had heard of 20 years ago, cholesterol has become something of a phenomenon. We are encouraged to keep a lid on our cholesterol levels the recommended amount of which in the blood seems to be in perpetual decline. And this is there is quite a lot of political pressure put […]
Children's Health
Today I was reading about a study presented this week at the American Thoracic Society conference which has found an association between eating apples in pregnancy and relative protection from asthma in childhood. This research found that women eating four or more apples a week were about half as likely to have an asthmatic child […]
Healthy Eating
Healthy eating is not just about choosing healthy foods to eat, but also relates to how they are prepared prior to eating. Vegetables, for instance, can suffer nutritional losses during cooking. A study this week has found, for instance, that boiling broccoli in water for just 10 minutes reduced the content of plant chemicals known […]
Exercise and Activity
While I don’t believe in ‘exercise fascism’, I nonetheless encourage regular activity to all those who have healthy living as a goal. Many individuals know deep down that being physically active would benefit their health, but remain sedentary nonetheless. There are many potential reasons for this, but perhaps the most common of all is time, […]
Brain and Behaviour
I’m a great believer in the health-boosting capacity of regular activity both for body and mind. I was therefore interested to read today the results of a study conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Essex in the UK which looked at the effects of walking on mood. The study involved comparing […]
Children's Health
Asthma is a condition characterised by episodes of narrowing in the airways (bronchospasm). The condition can be related to one or more of several underlying factors, including food sensitivity. In some individuals, specific foods seem to have the ability to trigger immune responses in the lungs that cause bronchospasm. While any food may do this […]
Children's Health
Yesterday, a story emerged which concerns the role of artificial food additives and hyperactivity in children. Researchers at Southampton University in the UK have, apparently, conducted a study which shows that certain food additives have adverse effects on mood and behaviour in children. I say apparently because the results of this study have not been […]
Healthy Eating
Disease has many potential causes, including damage to the body’s cells reeked by molecules known as ‘free radicals’. The action of free radicals in the body is sometimes referred to as ‘oxidative stress’. One potential effect of oxidative stress is damage to the DNA ” the ‘nuclear material’ in the cells that controls the division […]
Children's Health
This week, I was interested to read about study which attempted to boost the nutritional content of children’s diets using ‘stealth vegetables’. American researchers fed children aged 3-5 a pasta-based meal which was accompanied by one or two sauces. One of these was a regular pasta sauce. The other had pureed broccoli and cauliflower added […]
Herbal Medicine
Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) is a term used to describe a combination of various physical and mental symptoms that may occur in the week or two prior to menstruation. Typical features of PMS include irritability, depression, tearfulness, fatigue, food cravings, abdominal bloating, breast tenderness, fluid retention and weight gain. The condition is highly individual, with the […]