Author: Dr Briffa

Exercise and Activity

Taking up exercise in middle-age appears to give a handsome return on investment

Physical activity is often advocated for improved health, and there’s a considerable body of evidence which supports this. For example, studies have linked regular physical activity and/or exercise with a reduced risk of chronic, life-threatening conditions including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. There has even been some research that has linked physical activity with […]

March 6, 2009· 4 min read

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Healthy Eating

When testing the effects of different diets, it helps to ensure that the diets are truly different

Over the last few years there has been intense debate in nutrition circles about what the ideal diet is for weight loss. There are lots of different dietary approaches that may be advocated, but the most contentious debate has been about whether a diet low in fat, or one low is carbohydrate, is best if […]

March 4, 2009· 5 min read

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Cholesterol and Statins

Coenzyme Q10 found to improve arterial function in statin-treated diabetics

Statins are the most commonly used cholesterol-reducing drugs. There is evidence that taking them reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, though it certainly isn’t assured that this is because they reduce cholesterol levels. For more on this see here. While statins may indeed have benefits for health, they are not without risk. The cholesterol-producing enzyme […]

March 2, 2009· 2 min read

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Food and Medical Politics

Water fluoridation forced on UK residents despite considerable concerns about the safety and effectiveness of this practice

Last week one of my blogs focused on mammography. My objection here, in a nutshell, is that it seems this practice has been presented to women as a no-brainer, when in reality it has a number of important downsides that put quite a dent in the arguments for mammography that many of us will be […]

February 27, 2009· 3 min read

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Healthy Eating

Evidence links low vitamin D levels with increased risk of death

Vitamin D, nutrient that we can get for free when the sun’s rays hit our skin, has been associated with a reduction in risk of a wide range of health issues including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. In theory at least, having high levels of vitamin D in the body should protect against […]

February 26, 2009· 3 min read

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Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome

Sugary soft drinks associated with increased heart disease risk in women

Conventional nutritional wisdom dictates that heart disease risk can be influenced through our intake of fat. Specifically, saturated fat (found in foods such as meat, dairy products, eggs and coconut) promotes heart disease, while certain foods (for example, omega-3 fats found in oily fish) do the reverse. I do think there’s a good deal of […]

February 23, 2009· 3 min read

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Food and Medical Politics

Women kept in the dark about the facts about mammography

Mammography is a widely advocated and popular intervention designed to pick up breast cancers earlier than they would otherwise be, and therefore allow less invasive and more effective treatment. However, as I pointed out in a blog back in 2007, some researchers believe that the benefits of mammography are somewhat overblown, and that the potential […]

February 20, 2009· 6 min read

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Brain and Behaviour

Coffee-drinking associated with reduced risk of stroke in women

Coffee and tea may taste quite different, but one thing these beverages they have in common is their rich content of ‘antioxidants’ including ‘polyphenols’. The presence of these supposedly health-giving substances may explain, at least in part, the reason why these drinks have been associated with a reduced risk of chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease […]

February 18, 2009· 2 min read

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Brain and Behaviour

Study finds low-carb diet leads to improved mental wellbeing compared to low-fat one

When people change their diets for what they think is the better, they usually have some aim in mind such as weight loss (the usual one) or improved health and wellbeing. Making dietary changes can, however, involve time and effort, not to mention a sense of sacrifice and/or deprivation. Obviously, for changes to be sustainable, […]

February 17, 2009· 2 min read

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Food and Medical Politics

BMJ review questions the ‘evidence’ on which flu vaccine policy is based

While many doctors and health professionals like to believe they practice ‘evidence-based’ medicine, the reality is that much of healthcare practice is simply not supported by good science. This isn’t necessarily a problem, of course, as there are other means that practitioners might use to base their practice decisions. One of these, as I pointed […]

February 13, 2009· 4 min read

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