Nutrients and Supplements
Back in November one of my blogs focused on the phenomenon of generalised body pain and vitamin D deficiency. The blog was based on my experience in practice of usually female patients, but it was also triggered by a chance conversation I had had very recently with a general practitioner here in the UK who […]
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
At the end of last year I reported on the findings of the mammoth Women’s Health Initiative trial. The trial was initiated in 1993, and recruited a total of almost 50,000 post-menopausal women and followed them for an average of about 8 years. About 60 per cent of these women were allowed to continue on […]
Brain and Behaviour
The implicit advantage that artificial sweeteners have over sugar is that, being virtually devoid of calories, they’re a better option for those wanting to control their weight. However, as I described in a recent blog post here, there is no good evidence that artificial sweeteners promote weight loss compared to sugar. Plus, there is actually […]
Healthy Eating
Generally, people tend to have quite firmly established ideas about weather a food is healthy or not. And they may even have some idea about which conditions a food is supposed to protect against or promote. So, for instance, when asked to comment on red meat, most people will express the view that this food […]
Brain and Behaviour
Many of you will have noticed that nutritional information and advice can sometimes be widely contradictory and therefore very confusing. I usually mention this at the start of any talk I may give. One of examples I often cite is the general recommendation to eat a low-fat, high-carb diet, though on the other hand some […]
Healthy Eating
Because for so long we have been encouraged to eat a diet based on carbohydrates, it’s natural to have warm feelings toward this ‘macronutrient’. Yet, many carbohydrates, particularly those that cause considerable fluctuation in blood sugar and insulin levels, I think should be handled with considerable caution. Not that long ago, I blogged about a […]
Food and Medical Politics
Earlier this month, one of my blogs focused on thyroid function testing. The main point I wanted to make was that ‘normal’ thyroid function tests do not necessarily mean all is well with the thyroid and health. The blog focused on research that shows that even with the ‘normal’ range, higher levels of the hormone […]
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
While fruit juices have a healthy reputation, I don’t believe their as healthy as their image suggests. Some of the issues I have with them are detailed here. One key property of fruit juices that causes me to advise their consumption with caution is the fact that they tend to be very sugary indeed. Many […]
Nutrients and Supplements
Here in the UK we are told that, generally speaking, women are electing to have children later and later in life. One obvious potential problem with this is that fertility generally falls off from about their mid 30s. So, by the time a woman decides she wants to have children, there is the risk that […]
Brain and Behaviour
The so-called omega-3 fats (found plentifully in ‘oily’ fish such as sardines, salmon and trout) have been said to have the potential to enhance health in a number of areas, including mental health. There is a fair body of evidence now that suggests that omega-3 fats are important in the functioning of the brain, including […]