How vitamin D deficiency in winter poses hazards for our health (and what to do about it)
The contracted days and climatic changes that come at this time of year can us not only cold, but short on sunlight too. Getting adequate exposure to the sun’s rays is important for maintaining mood, and it’s action on the skin is also the main way the body meets its needs for vitamin D ” [...]
Continue Reading →
For some women, it seems HIGH fat diets are best for the breast
On 15th November my blog was dedicated to a very poorly interpreted piece of research which purported to show a link between red meat eating and an increased risk of breast cancer [click here]. Even the most cursory look at this study revealed a piece of research hardly worth the paper it was written on. [...]
Continue Reading →
Recent evidence suggests that fish really is the ultimate ‘brain food’
I learned this week that life expectancy in the UK has reached an all-time high. Yet, while quantity of life is important to most of us, so is quality of life. What the life expectancy statistics don’t tell us about is health issues that can come as part and parcel of the ageing process that [...]
Continue Reading →
Yet more evidence that ‘high-carb, low-fat’ diets are ‘fatally’ flawed
Those familiar with my work will know that, generally speaking, I am a relative fan of diets that are largely bereft of starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and breakfast cereals. A combination of a generally fast-sugar-releasing nature and the fact that they tend to be eaten in quantity gives these foods considerable [...]
Continue Reading →
Junk food ads aimed at children to be partially banned, and the practical steps that can counter the negative influence TV has on kids’ health
The end of last week saw some mixed news for those who believe that the television advertising of junk foods is a malign influence on our children’s lives. UK media regulator Ofcom has announced plans for a ban on such advertising during programming designed for children. This is clearly a step forward, though some had [...]
Continue Reading →
Why the body mass index (BMI) is virtually useless for assessing health
The standard way of gauging body size is the body mass index (BMI) – calculated by dividing an individual’s weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres. According to conventional wisdom, a BMI of 18.5 ” 24.9 is regarded as ‘healthy’, while BMIs of 25-29.9 are considered ‘overweight’ and those of 30 [...]
Continue Reading →
Red meat under fire again, but does it really cause breast cancer?
Many of you will be aware that red meat has some bas press again, this time because of a supposed link with an increased risk of breast cancer. A study published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine has revealed, we are warned, that pre-menopausal women eating red meat are at an increased risk [...]
Continue Reading →
Low carb diets bad for the heart? Actually, it seems the reverse is true
Last week I wrote a piece challenging prevailing nutritional wisdom about the role of dietary fat in the burgeoning rates of fatness seen in many countries [click here]. Of course, obesity is not the only condition usually put down to fat in the diet ” another is heart disease. In fact, health professionals often trot [...]
Continue Reading →
Juicy details – why fruit juices pose a hazard to our health
Fruit juices generally have a healthy reputation, and a lot of people see them as a decent swap for whole fruit. However, for a variety of reasons, fruit juice actually bears only a passing relationship to the from whence it came. One reason for this relates to the fact that many nutritious elements in the [...]
Continue Reading →
Big fat lies – why do health professionals continue to dish out advice about fat that is not supported by science?
Despite my leanings towards natural medicine, I still read conventional medical journals each week, including the British Medical Journal. Over the last few weeks this journal has been running a series of articles about obesity that will be published next year as a book geared towards the education of medical professionals. This week’s article focuses [...]
Continue Reading →