There’s something odd about the recent study on omega-3 enriched margarine…
There’s been a lot of reporting of a study that came out on Sunday in the New England Journal of Medicine [1], and it’s going to be the focus of today’s blog. Here, in brief, is the design of the study: almost 5000 men and women who had had a heart attack previously were randomised [...]
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Walking in later life found to boost brain function
Many individuals look forward to living to a ripe old age, with the caveat being that they remain in a decent state of health. Ideally, our later years should be vibrant, and not too tinged with signs of physical or mental decay. There are several lifestyle factors that can help ensure healthy ageing, including diet, [...]
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Evidence suggests vitamin D has direct effect on risk of a wide ranges of diseases
Higher vitamin D levels and/or increased exposure to sunlight has been associated with a reduced risk of a wide variety of conditions including cardiovascular disease, auto-immune disease (disease where the immune system reacts against the body’s own tissues such as in multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes) and several forms of cancer. However, [...]
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Drinking water appears to help weight loss. How?
My blog focused yesterday on a study reported at the American Chemical Society annual meeting, which links the eating of berries with the potential for brain ‘de-ageing’. Another study reported at this meeting that caught my attention, partly as a result of the fact that it was widely reported in the press, was one that [...]
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Evidence suggests that eating berries has benefits for the brain
I eat a reasonably varied diet, I think, but there are a few ‘stock items’ that recur in my overall food intake. One example of this is a commonly-eaten breakfast of Greek (10 per cent fat) yoghurt, berries and nuts. The last couple of mornings I’ve had the pleasure of some freshly shelled walnuts. And [...]
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Green vegetables linked with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. How?
Type 2 diabetes is a condition which appears to be very much on the rise in terms of prevalence. This, inevitably, has led some to seek to find what factors might cause and also help prevent this condition. Earlier this month one of my blogs focused on some research which linked consumption of foods that [...]
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L-carnitine found to boost sperm quality and fertility
I remember learning in medical school that one third of cases of infertility are exclusively down to the man, a third down to the woman, and a third were due to issues with both. If true, that means that two thirds of cases of infertility involve male infertility, which I think is a higher percentage [...]
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Study finds UVB lights boosts vitamin D levels and clears psoriasis
Psoriasis is a skin condition characterised by raised, red, often-inflamed patches of skin. Typical sites include the front of the knees, the back of the elbows and the scalp. The condition tends to be chronic – in other words it tends to be a long-term problem, with improvements and exacerbations in time. One thing that [...]
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Fast food to be served with a side-order of statins? No thanks
Many doctors and scientists have nearly unbridled enthusiasm for the class of cholesterol-reducing drugs known as statins. One example of this comes in the form of a study from a group of researchers which claims that taking a statin can counteract the potentially heart-stopping effects of fast food [1]. The researchers suggest that fast food [...]
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WHO finally coughs up flu committee’s identity and conflicts of interest
Back in June I wrote a blog piece about the World Health Organization. This supposedly august body has come in for some sharp criticism in the form of a couple of pieces on the British Medical Journal. Specifically, the WHO was accused of being influenced by financial conflicts of interest in the handling of the [...]
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