When it comes to cholesterol, is lower really better?
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 [...]
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Pregnant mums urged to eat more fish, but what about mercury?
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 [...]
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Why is the dietary advice given to diabetics so often so woefully inadequate?
I’m not really one for anecdotes, but feel compelled to share one with you. In my practice on Monday I saw a small boy, whose parents were seeking nutritional advice. Less than three weeks ago their son had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, which for him right now necessitates him having insulin injected 2-3 [...]
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New review proclaims aspartame to be safe, but is it?
Aspartame is a commonly used artificial sweetener. It’s also, arguably, the most controversial foodstuff in the human diet. Originally passed as ‘fit to consume’ by the FDA in the USA in 1981, its history as a food ingredient has been the subject of scientific and political intrigue. The companies that make it and ‘expert panels’ [...]
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