In our first, introductory podcast, John talks to Carl Munson of the drbriffa.com team about how, as a young doctor, he accidentally discovered the power of natural health principles. They also discuss some of the medical myths surrounding a range of health issues as well as the cynical politics of food. In his unique, often […]
Archive | Food and Medical Politics RSS feed for this section
Fat chance – why cutting down on saturated fat will do little or nothing for your health
Over the weekend, I was reading about an Australian study in which individuals shopping on-line for food were able to be diverted away from foods rich in saturated fat by some nifty software that gives purchase-specific dietary advice. I like the idea of anything that gives individuals the opportunity to make informed eating choices more […]
More evidence that obesity is not the spectre it’s so often made out to be
This week’s British Medical Journal contains a report of a study published this week in the journal Critical Care in which diabetes was found to be associated with an increased risk of organ failure (such as heart or kidney failure) and death from this, but obesity (in the absence of diabetes) was not. This is […]
Even Medical Journals are Capable of Chruning out Bad Press
The bulk of the evidence shows that popping of vitamin and mineral pills is generally safe and has the potential to benefit the body. However, despite this, stories do occasionally surface which suggest that nutritional supplements are, at best, useless, and at worst, may actually increase our susceptibility to illness. My experience is that the […]
Why the food labelling schemes proprosed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) will do little to safeguard our health
As a result of increased awareness about the impact our diet has on health and concern about the some of the constituents of processed food, the Government has committed itself to more transparent food labelling. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) – the government body chiefly responsible for setting food policy in the UK – has […]
Are antioxidant supplements really killing people?
There was seemingly bad news for the supplement-takers recently on the publication of a study in the Lancet which found that supplementing with ‘antioxidant’ nutrients (such beta-carotene, vitamins A, C and E and selenium) appeared not to reduce the risk of cancer in the digestive tract. However, worse was to come when the study authors […]
Why eating a grain-based diet will do nothing for your ‘vitality’
The relative popularity of low-carbohydrate diets such as ‘Atkins’ has led to slimmer profits for manufacturers of grain-based foods such as bread and pasta. In an effort to stem the loss Britain’s bread, flour and grain industries have recently joined forces to launch a weight loss plan which they have named the ‘Vitality Eating System’. […]
Is cholesterol really the ‘killer’ it is made out to be?
It’s a widely held belief that high cholesterol poses significant hazards to our health, and that trimming the level of this fat in the bloodstream can only help to ensure that life goes on. Food companies seem to have been particularly keen to feed this notion, and offer us an ever-expanding range of spreads, milks, […]
How to avoid ‘pester power’ when food shopping
The BBC is under attack, and not just over claims relating to the sexing up of dossiers either. The Food Commission – an independent watchdog body campaigning for healthier food for all – has recently complained to the Beeb about its licensing of the Tweenies good name and image to companies marketing foodstuffs directly to […]
The evidence that drinking tap water poses hazards for our health
Statistics show that our thirst for mineral water is ever growing and has swelled the bottled- water industry to a billion-pound-a-year business in the UK. Recently, however, the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has gone on the offensive in an effort to persuade us that tap water is every drop as good as bottled varieties. The […]
Corporate Wellness
