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.
Dairy products are, from a conventional nutritional perspective, very much a ‘double-edged sword.’ On the one hand, we are told, they provide the body with valuable calcium for healthy bones. On the other, they can be rich in ‘artery-clogging’ saturated fat and cholesterol. The answer, we are assured, it to consume dairy products in low-fat [...]
I don’t believe bread, as we commonly eat it, is a healthy or wholesome food (far from it). And last year I was surprised to read a ‘review’ lauding the nutritious attributes of bread and lamenting the fact that, here in the UK, bread consumption is declining. The review was authored by a scientist connected [...]
I came across this report recently of a study which found that stopping men sleeping for a night led to them choosing bigger portions of ‘energy-dense’ food at a buffet [1]. Previous work from the same group at Uppsala University in Sweden found that sleep deprivation caused greater activity in the parts of the brain [...]
I noticed yesterday that a certain study [1] concerning artificial sweeteners had got some press. In the study, overweight and obese adults were randomized to one of three dietary interventions: 1. advice to replace more than 200 calories a day of calorific beverages (softs drinks/soda) with water 2. advice to replace more than 200 calories [...]
I read a review paper recently about the assessment of dehydration [1]. The authors conclude that we don’t have very good standardised tests for dehydration, but a reasonable test is to measure heart rate when sitting, and then again immediately on standing. During dehydration the blood volume tends to be lower and blood pressure too. [...]
So-called ‘omega-3’ fats found in oily fish (like salmon, trout, mackerel and herring) have a reputation for being healthy, including an ability to ward off cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke. I was interested to read a recent study which points out that while earlier studies found that supplementing individuals with omega-3 fats [...]
Conventional nutritional ‘wisdom’ has it that saturated fat (found in foods such meat, eggs, dairy products, coconut and palm oil) is bad for heart health, while ‘polyunsaturated’ fats (including ‘vegetable’ oils) are good. These concepts emerged decades ago and were mostly based on the impact of these fats on cholesterol levels. There’s a big potential [...]
Yesterday, someone sent me an email alerting me to this BBC news report of a study which found that vegetarians were found to be at lower risk of heart disease compared to non-vegetarians [1]. The study looked at about 44,500 adults living in England and Scotland over an average period of about 11½ years. Hospital [...]
I came across this report this week, which focuses on research (as yet, unpublished) which, apparently, finds that alcohol has the ability to disrupt ‘rapid eye movement’ (REM) sleep. REM sleep is quite shallow sleep, and is usually the predominant form of sleep in the second half of the night. REM sleep seems to be [...]
