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.
Specific conditions
I came across this story today. It concerns a young lady who, it is claimed, can bloat up like a balloon shortly after she eats. Normal testing has not identified any particular problem. I was interested in this story because it reminded me of a similar story given to me some years ago when I […]
Exercise and Activity
It’s one thing to lose weight, it’s another to keep it off. Most of us will be familiar with the concept that the great majority of people who lose weight regain it over time. And the results of a recent study suggest that as the body loses and weight, the body risks undergoing gradual degeneration […]
Men's Health
I’m a huge advocate of sleep. There is a mass of evidence which bears testament to the importance of sleep’s role in physical and psychological wellbeing. The other thing is – it’s free. In recent years there has been growing interest in the scientific community regarding the relationship sleep has with risk of obesity. Generally, […]
Food and Medical Politics
Dairy products may help weight loss, aspartame may cause fibromyalgia, and the curious case of the Flora pro.activ advertorial rumbles on and on. For RSS feeds, click on http://www.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/8966 and then the ‘RSS feeds’ button to the right. For help regarding the playing, downloading and subscribing of the podcasts, click here.
Food and Medical Politics
10 days ago I wrote a blog post focusing on an advertorial which appeared in the Daily Telegraph for Flora pro.activ drinks. The advertorial, recounted the experiences of ‘Telegraph journalist’ Chris Jones, and how the consumption of Flora pro.activ drinks had, along with other ‘healthy’ lifestyle changes, led to a lowering in Ms Jones’ cholesterol […]
Healthy Eating
I’m no fan of the artificial sweetener aspartame. Not only is there no good evidence that artificial sweeteners aid weight control, there is also evidence linking aspartame to adverse effects on health. For example, aspartame liberates methanol into the body which can be converted to formaldehyde (used to preserve dead bodies), which has recently been […]
Exercise and Activity
In general terms, I believe in a eating a diet based on natural, unprocessed foods that are as ‘primal’ as possible. This means eating a diet in which core foods including (where desired) meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. I strongly oppose the idea that grains should be a staple in the diet, […]
Brain and Behaviour
The curious case of the advertorial for Flora pro.activ, vitamin D and diabetes, dealing with body images problems. For RSS feeds, click on http://www.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/8966 and then the ‘RSS feeds’ button to the right. For help regarding the playing, downloading and subscribing of the podcasts, click here.
Brain and Behaviour
Most people don’t like getting harsh criticism from others. The reality is, though, many of us can be our own worst critics. This is particularly the case with regard to weight and body image. Some of us can consciously and unconsciously spend a lot of time feeling a range of negative emotions about our size […]
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
Vitamin D has in studies found to be associated with a reduced risk of a range of conditions including several forms of cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and ‘auto-immune’ diseases such as Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. There has, in recent years, been some interest in the role that vitamin D might […]