The primary problem sufferers of diabetes have is that their bodies don’t handle sugar (glucose) well. Part of the problem here is that ‘excess’ sugar in the body can attach itself to tissues, which damages them. As a result, diabetics are at an increased risk of a variety of conditions including nerve damage, blood vessel […]
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Meta-analysis show superiority of lower-carb diets in diabetes, but further studies said to be needed. Why?
By Dr John Briffa on 11 January 2008 in Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome, Food and Medical Politics, Healthy Eating
The Japanese eat rice. So what?
By Dr John Briffa on 10 December 2007 in Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome, Healthy Eating, Low-Carbohydrate, Unhealthy Eating!, Weight Loss, Women's Health
My dislike of many starchy carbs like bread, potato, rice, pasta and breakfast cereals is based on a body of evidence which suggests that the gluts of insulin their eating induces can speed our path to conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. And, despite all this talk about their ‘nutritious’ nature, the fact […]
Low GI diet found to bring rapid benefits for health
By Dr John Briffa on 30 November 2007 in Cholesterol and Statins, Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome, Healthy Eating, Low-Carbohydrate, Weight Loss
The glycaemic index (GI) is a measure of the extent to which a food raises blood sugar. Generally speaking, the higher the GI, the unhealthier the food is. Lots of sugar generally means lots of insulin ” and excess of which can promote of a slew of unhealthy biochemical processes including increased fat-making and reduced […]
High GI and GL foods linked with significantly increased risk of diabetes
By Dr John Briffa on 28 November 2007 in Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome, Food and Medical Politics, Low-Carbohydrate, Women's Health
Previously, for instance here, I have attempted to point out that the conventional dietary advice so often given to diabetics is nonsensical and likely to be positively damaging to their health. Why diabetics should be advised to ‘include starch with every meal’ and therefore almost certainly ensure they’re going to get quite a shot of […]
Why is the dietary advice given to diabetics so often so woefully inadequate?
By Dr John Briffa on 3 October 2007 in Children's Health, Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome, Food and Medical Politics, Healthy Eating, Low-Carbohydrate, Unhealthy Eating!
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 […]
‘Walking to work’ associated with a reduced risk of diabetes
By Dr John Briffa on 28 September 2007 in Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome, Exercise and Activity, Men's Health
Many of you will be familiar with the concept of the ‘diabetes timebomb’ ” an explosion of diabetes we are seeing as a result of our supposedly increasingly unhealthy lifestyle habits. Health professionals often advise us, if we want to reduce our risk of diabetes, to moderate our weight with a low-fat diet. However, this […]
UK Food Standards Agency continues to mislead the public on the ‘value’ of starchy foods
By Dr John Briffa on 19 September 2007 in Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome, Food and Medical Politics, Healthy Eating, Low-Carbohydrate, Unhealthy Eating!
Recently, in an effort to clarify what healthy eating is all about, the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) have launched its ‘eatwell plate’, which the FSA describes as ‘ a visual tool that illustrates the types and proportions of foods that make up a balanced diet’. You can see the eatwell plate here. When I […]
‘Pot bellies’ again found to be a marker for cardiovascular disease
The body mass index (weight in kg divided by the square of height in metres) remains the standard way of assessing weight by the medical profession. The problem is, as I’ve pointed out previously, (for example, here and here) it is a generally useless measure as a marker for health. In previous pieces, I have […]
Vitamin deficiency implicated in the complications of diabetes
By Dr John Briffa on 8 August 2007 in Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome, Nutrients and Supplements, Specific conditions
Diabetes is a condition characterised by generally raised levels of sugar (glucose) in the bloodstream. One of the problems here is that glucose can react (through a biochemical process known as ‘glycation’) to tissues in the body, which can damage those tissues and lead to complications in the long term. Not surprisingly, glycation has been […]
Older (and cheaper) drugs found to be better for diabetics
By Dr John Briffa on 18 July 2007 in Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome, Food and Medical Politics, Specific conditions
Back in May, I wrote about the relatively new diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) and, specifically, the then new research which linked it with a substantially increased risk of heart disease [1]. By coincidence, rosiglitazone was also the focus of attention of a review conducted by a scientific group known as the Cochrane Collaboration. The research […]
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