Dr Briffa's Blog - A Good Look at Good Health
A health-focused blog that makes sense of science, and offers accurate, trustworthy and practical advice about all aspects of healthy living.
I’m a big believer in the idea that relatively small changes in our nutritional status and bring big benefits in the long term. So, I was very interested to read the recent British research showing that giving basic nutrients to young offenders significantly reduced their criminal tendencies. The idea that the answer to the youth [...]
My work and social life being what they are, it is not uncommon for me to find myself sitting down to eat in some restaurant or other. Nice though this is, it’s also true that eating establishments are not renowned for offering a large and varied selection of healthy, nutritionally balanced meals. Despite knowing better, [...]
Despite the best efforts of doctors and scientists, statistics show that some medical conditions continue to grow more common and troublesome. One such ailment is childhood asthma; rates of this condition have roughly doubled over the last decade, and it now affects about one in five children in the UK. With such statistics in mind, [...]
As anyone who reads Nigel Slater’s column will be only too aware, eating can be an intensely pleasurable experience. However, while many of us undoubtedly enjoy our grub, we may not be so keen on what it may do to us once we’ve eaten it. For a fair proportion of the population, eating can signal [...]
Very few of us have intimate knowledge of the biochemical workings of the body. Yet, one blood constituent practically all of us know something about is the waxy, fat-like substance known as cholesterol. Too much cholesterol whizzing around our blood streams, we are told, can clog our arteries and up our risk of falling prey [...]
Most of us welcome with open arms the warmer weather that comes as spring turns to summer. However, the climatic change at this time of year is not necessarily so relished by those afflicted by the condition hay fever. For some, a rise in the pollen count can signal the start of a miserable constellation [...]
Like it or not, none of us is getting any younger. While the passage of time may bring with it desirable qualities such as wisdom and maturity, it’s effects on our physical health are generally less desirable. The ageing process can ultimately take its toll on the body, upping our chance of succumbing to all [...]
Pretty much every parent will be keen to ensure their little ones eat a healthy, balanced diet. A recent campaign by the food company Heinz may give the impression that this task has suddenly got a whole lot easier. According to Heinz, we can now count many of its canned foods as fresh produce. Half [...]
In a World where time seems to be in ever-shorter supply, many of us can be tempted to skimp on our sleep. Yet, while sleep is often viewed as a dispensable commodity, the reality is that it anything but. It is when we are asleep that the brain and body recoup energies expended during the [...]
Most of us will have a pretty good idea of what constitutes a healthy diet. Despite the protestations of the sugar industry, it appears we’ve sussed onto the fact that sugar-charged treats such as chocolate, biscuits and coffee bar patisseries do little for our waistline or well-being. Yet, while we may be sold on sense [...]
