Brain and Behaviour
Many individuals who work in healthcare, and perhaps quite a few who don’t, will have noticed a general thrust in the direction of what is known as ‘evidence-based medicine’. I have serious reservations about evidence-based medicine, myself. For a start, although evidence-based practice was originally billed as: ‘The practice of evidence based medicine means integrating […]
Brain and Behaviour
I not so long ago wrote about the research which has found that hyperactivity in children can seemingly be triggered by certain food additives. However, just like about any health issue one care’s to mention, hyperactivity (or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ” ADHD ” to give it it’s full name) is multifactorial in nature. This […]
Brain and Behaviour
On Monday I reported on a couple of recently published studies which support the notion that fish fats are good for the brain. In particular, these studies assessed the potential impact fish-eating and higher levels of so-called omega-3 fats have on the ageing brain. And hot on the heals of this research has come a […]
Brain and Behaviour
Previously on this site, for example here, I have written about the evidence which supports the idea that fish is what might be regarded as ‘brain food’. The study highlighted in that particular blog showed that high levels of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid – a so-called omega-3 fat found in certain species of fish) were associated […]
Brain and Behaviour
I’m often asked about my attitude to nutrient supplementation. Do we ‘need’ to supplement, is how it’s often put to me. My answer is that it is probably entirely possible to get all what we need to prevent overt nutritional deficiency diseases such as scurvy and beri-beri. However, less obvious deficiency states may occur quite […]
Brain and Behaviour
Very few of us will not have noticed that the last couple of decades have seen a concerted effort from health agencies and health professionals to persuade us that we should be driving our cholesterol levels to lower and lower levels. When I was at medical school the upper limit of cholesterol was 6.5 mmol/l […]
Brain and Behaviour
One of the burgeoning fields in nutrition concerns the influence that maternal diet can have on the health and development of her unborn child. Every baby starts out as an egg and a sperm, and ends up, say, 6 or 7 pounds in weight. The vast majority of a baby is composed of what the […]
Brain and Behaviour
Here in the UK, the kids are back at school which is usually a cue for some “child-focused stories to emerge in the press. One pearl of a story that recently surfaced concerned a trial in which certain food additives (colourings, mainly) were tested in children aged 3 and 8-9. This research, undertaken in Southampton, […]
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 […]
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 […]