Why letting children choose what they eat is a recipe for disaster
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 [...]
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Make you own mind up about the BDA and the dietetics ‘evidence-base’
It’s not like me to be lost for words, but I honestly am not sure where to begin. On Friday I posted a blog which was a response to an opinion piece in the British Medical Journal in which Dr Ben Goldacre took nutritionists to task. My response focused on the fundamental lack of evidence-base [...]
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It’s not so much nutritionists, but dieticians we need to know the truth about
A couple of weeks ago an opinion piece entitled ‘Tell us the truth about nutritionists’ appeared the British Medical Journal which asked serious questions of about ‘media nutritionists’. It’s author, Dr Ben Goldacre, is a practising doctor and man behind the website www.badscience.net, the aim of which is to expose ‘pseudoscience’ and those he feels [...]
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Spearmint and cutting carbs may help ‘hairy’ women
In my practice from time to time I m consulted by women who complain of excess hairiness. Many of them tell a story of finding hairs sprouting in places where they weren’t there before such as their chins and around their nipples. This condition ” the medical term for which is ‘hirsutism’ ” is often [...]
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World Health Organisation accused of improper soliciting of funds from the pharmaceutical industry
It seems that not a week goes by without some information leaking out about the sometimes too-cosy relationship that can exist between the pharmaceutical industry and organisations we rely on for giving us impartial health information and advice. This particular week’s story concerns accusations that a representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) attempted to [...]
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Getting the ‘balance’ of dietary fats right seems to be important whatever our age
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 [...]
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Why chocolate can be a really healthy Valentine’s day treat
It’s Valentine’s day, and in honour of this my blog today is going to pay homage to a common-given gift on this day – chocolate. While this confectionery traditionally has a naughty-but-nice reputation, there is increasing evidence that some forms of chocolate might have some benefits for health. The essential ingredient in all types of [...]
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Enviga’s manufacturers forced to substantiate ‘weight loss’ claims
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 [...]
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High-GI foods aid sleep? Dream on!
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 [...]
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Omega-3 fats found to help those who self-harm
The so-called ‘omega-3′ fats found in oily fish (such as salmon, trout, mackerel, sardine and herring) have been extensively studied with regard to their apparent ability to ward against ‘cardiovascular’ conditions such as heart attacks and stroke. They also seem to offer considerable promise for the brain too, and have been linked with a reduced [...]
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