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.
Daily Mail Archive
Asthma is one of the most common health complaints in children. One in five children now suffer from the complaint, roughly twice the number affected just 10 years ago. Research published in The Lancet this month suggests that not only asthma, but wheezing in general, is becoming increasingly common. The authors of the study seem […]
Daily Mail Archive
Statistics show that more and more men have been diagnosed with prostate cancer over the last twenty years, and the disease is now the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK. Yet, despite these gloomy statistics, there is hope on the horizon. Mounting evidence suggests that the risk of prostate cancer is […]
Daily Mail Archive
The skin condition acne is often unsightly and may cause considerable distress sufferers. While acne is most common around the time of puberty, it is not uncommon for it to affect individuals, women in particular, well into their twenties and thirties. One of the mainstay medical treatments for acne is antibiotics. However, Swedish research presented […]
Daily Mail Archive
With cancer rates set to double by the year 2020, it makes sense to do anything we can to reduce our risk. The World Health Organisation has declared that perhaps 70 p.c. of cancers are diet-related. Over the last decade there has been growing interest in the cancer-protective properties of certain foods and drinks. One […]
Daily Mail Archive
Many of us will be aware that eating carrots can help us see in the dark. The beta-carotene contained in carrots can convert into vitamin A which has a critical role to play in night vision. Yet, while this nutritional nugget may well be entrenched in our consciousness, what is less well known is that […]
Daily Mail Archive
Pretty much all of us will have got the message by now that too much sunlight can cause skin cancer. However, a recent study conducted by leading cancer charity the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) suggests that not all of us are taking heed of the advice to be wary of the sun. According to […]
Daily Mail Archive
While many of us may be committed to the idea of eating a healthy diet, it can often be difficult knowing precisely what that is. There’s a tremendous amount of information out there on diet and nutrition but, to be frank, much of it is conflicting and contradictory. More confusion was added to the area […]
Daily Mail Archive
Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is a condition characterised by narrowing of the arteries which supply blood to the legs. Mild cases of PVD may cause nothing more serious than sluggish circulation and cold feet. However, as the disease progresses it may give rise to more serious complications such as ulcers and pain in the calf […]
Daily Mail Archive
Last month, The Lancet highlighted the work of Barry Marshall and Robin Warren ” the doctors who discovered the organism known as Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). H. pylori is now known to be the causative factor in many ulcers that occur in or just after the stomach. H. pylori has also been associated with an […]
Daily Mail Archive
Many of us dread the thought of losing our mental faculties as we age. However, it is not uncommon for individuals to believe that our chances of succumbing to problems with mental function or dementia is pretty much down to the luck of the draw and a natural part of the ageing process. However, there […]