Dr John Briffa's blog, A Good Look at Good Health — writing on food, cholesterol, weight, energy and the science behind everyday health, from the drbriffa.com archive. Filter by topic, browse by category, or search the library.
Nutrients and Supplements
Just last week I highlighted the apparent association between higher levels of vitamin D and reduced risk of a variety of conditions including cancer, cardiovascular disease and multiple sclerosis. All of this research has some merit, but until recently I had not been aware of any attempt to specifically assess the link between vitamin D […]
Healthy Eating
Previously, I have written about the health benefits of sunlight, and in particular the role of vitamin D in promoting and preserving the wellbeing of both body and brain. For instance, in recent times I have highlighted research which links vitamin D with relative protection from cardiovascular disease, improved physical function in the elderly (here […]
Nutrients and Supplements
Today’s edition of the British Medical Journal contains an article which summarises guidance from the UK’s National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the management of chronic fatigue syndrome [1]. Let me start by saying I have special interest in this area, as quite a number of my patients present with ‘fatigue’ (often, […]
Food and Medical Politics
At the end of April, I wrote about research which assessed the relationship between vitamin D status and physical function in a group of elderly individuals [1]. Briefly, the results of this study found that lower vitamin D levels were found to associated with lower muscular strength and physical function in both men and women. […]
Nutrients and Supplements
Acetyl-L-carnitine is a naturally-occurring substance in the body which is made up, unsurprisingly, of carnitine and what is known as a acetyl group. Carnitine facilitates the transport of fat in the body’s cells into the miniature ‘powerhouses’ called the ‘mitochondria’ where fat is converted into energy. The ‘acetyl’ part of acetyl-L-carnitine may participate in the […]
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
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 […]
Nutrients and Supplements
In previous posts I have written about the health benefits of sunlight and the vitamin D derived from it, including a reduced risk of many forms of cancer. In a recent post, I wrote about research linking higher vitamin D levels in the body with lower blood pressure ” something that would be expected to […]
Brain and Behaviour
The raw materials to make a newborn baby come almost exclusively from what its mother ate during pregnancy. It is perhaps no surprise therefore that there has been a fair amount of scientific interest on the relationship between the maternal diet during pregnancy and the health and wellbeing the subsequent child. Perhaps the most obvious […]
Healthy Eating
Whilst I believe that conventional medicine is less effective and more hazardous than its image suggests, I don’t shun it completely. For instance, a few months ago I saw a patients who told me that in his late 40s had developed cataracts (cloudiness in the lenses of the eyes) which had been removed and replaced […]
Nutrients and Supplements
On Monday, I wrote about sunscreen, and in particular the apparent hazards associated with their use. One potential effect associated with sunscreen use if the blocking of vitamin D production in the skin. This is a shame, as this nutrient has a number of health-promoting properties, including relative protection from several forms of cancer. I […]