Author: Dr Briffa

New data from old study reveals that reducing saturated fat in favour of ‘vegetable’ oils increases risk of heart attack and can have fatal consequences

Conventional nutritional ‘wisdom’ has it that saturated fat (found in foods such meat, eggs, dairy products, coconut and palm oil) is bad for heart health, while ‘polyunsaturated’ fats (including ‘vegetable’ oils) are good. These concepts emerged decades ago and were mostly based on the impact of these fats on cholesterol levels. There’s a big potential […]

Podcast – 31st January 2013

Research linking vegetarianism to heart benefits doesn’t tell us what we really need to know

Yesterday, someone sent me an email alerting me to this BBC news report of a study which found that vegetarians were found to be at lower risk of heart disease compared to non-vegetarians [1]. The study looked at about 44,500 adults living in England and Scotland over an average period of about 11½ years. Hospital […]

Statins worsen brain function of Alzheimer’s sufferers

Many years ago I was having dinner with a friend who was, herself, a young hospital doctor specialising in ‘care of the elderly’ (what used to be called ‘geriatrics’). She worked in a busy department, and lamented the fact that so many elderly people were suffering from what she believed to be the adverse effects […]

Alcohol can disrupt sleep and how to drink less without even trying

I came across this report this week, which focuses on research (as yet, unpublished) which, apparently, finds that alcohol has the ability to disrupt ‘rapid eye movement’ (REM) sleep. REM sleep is quite shallow sleep, and is usually the predominant form of sleep in the second half of the night. REM sleep seems to be […]

Still no evidence that the Swedes are killing themselves with low-carb diets

I’ve had a few emails this week about a study which appeared in the British Medical Journal last year [1]. In short, it purported to show that Swedish women eating a ‘low-carbohydrate, high-protein’ diet over a period of 16 years had greater risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks or stroke. I was well […]

‘Raised’ cholesterol linked with improved survival in the elderly

The idea that cholesterol causes cardiovascular disease comes from studies which find that higher cholesterol levels are linked with raised risk of heart disease and stroke. However, it’s important to bear in mind that such studies are ‘epidemiological’ (also termed ‘observational’) in nature, which means we cannot infer from them that cholesterol causes heart disease […]

Even low doses of the artificial sweetener aspartame are toxic to the brains of animals

I don’t hide the fact that I am not a fan of the artificial sweetener aspartame. It’s widespread use in processed foods and drinks gives me cause for concern, seeing as there’s a considerable body of evidence that links it with everything from weight gain to cancer. Some of the most incriminating evidence comes from […]

Why good communication between doctor and patient may be bad for patient ‘compliance’

Good communication is, I think, the bedrock of a good relationship between a doctor and a patient. One thing that frustrates some doctors is when their patients do not take their advice. A major gripe can be the failure to take medications as prescribed. In a recent study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, […]

The heat is turning up on sugar and the nutrition bodies connected with the sugar industry

Even if you have only a passing interest in nutrition and the subject of ‘healthy eating’, you’re likely to have picked up a change of wind in recent times regarding the dietary cause of obesity. For three or four decades, conventional wisdom has had it that dietary fat is the true villain of the peace. […]