Food and Medical Politics
I was interested recently to read the results of the study which assessed the ‘antioxidant’ potential of several types of fruit juices and fruit drinks [1]. Of the 13 types of fruit juice tested, red grape juice came out on top with regard to antioxidant action, which appears to be related to its rich content […]
Food and Medical Politics
Along with saturated fat and salt, sugar is a dietary constituent which is often targeted as unhealthy and to be avoided. And rightly so, seeing as sugar consumption has been linked with an increased risk of a range of ills, most notably obesity. Some of the research that has examined the health effects of sugar […]
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
One of the pieces of nutritional advice we’ve been force-fed over the last decade or three concerns the supposedly health-giving properties of wholegrains. Friday saw this message redoubled on the presentation of a study at the American Heart Association annual conference in Florida, USA, which apparently found and association between the eating of wholegrain breakfast […]
Healthy Eating
Many of you will know that there has been a big focus of late on the potentially toxic effects of industrially produced ‘trans’ fats which can be found in foods such margarine, biscuits and other baked goods and salad dressings. These fats have been strongly linked with an increased risk of heart disease, and also […]
Children's Health
I’ve given up television viewing other than DVD’s and rugby, and my main way of keeping in touch of what’s going in the outside world is the radio. Yesterday, I was out taking a walk with the dog and, plugged into my radio, was listening to a news story about an eight-year-old boy here in […]
Children's Health
In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the role that specific nutrients may play in helping ensure a healthy pregnancy. In addition to folic acid, another specific nutrient that has been the focus of attention are the so-called ‘omega-3’ fats found in oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardine. These fats appear […]
Food and Medical Politics
Some of you may remember that the Coca-Cola Corporation announced the forthcoming launch of its ‘weight loss’ drink Enviga. Naturally, I felt compelled to blog about this, and included a calculation which revealed that (if what the Coca-Cola Corporation is taken at face value) each kilogram of weight lost through the imbibing of the beverage […]
Healthy Eating
Insomnia can be a debilitating problem. Not only can it leave people feelings seriously low on physical and mental energy, but shortened sleep has also been linked with a range of long-term health issues including heart disease, diabetes and weight gain. For a variety of reasons, what we eat and drink may affect sleep, and […]
Food and Medical Politics
I noticed that this week’s copy of the British Medical Journal included a ‘Masterclass for GPs’ on the subject of headaches [1]. This took, as expected, a pharmaceutical-based approach to the problem. What I found more interesting was an electronic response to this review by a doctor wishing to draw attention to a cause of […]
Children's Health
While it is widely held in the medical and dietetic communities that eating fat is one sure way to become fat, there are for why this just ain’t so. Some of the key explanations for why fat is not necessarily fattening were covered in a previous blog [1]. Despite the dearth of evidence against fat […]