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.
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
Over the weekend I spent some time looking at the evidence in the area of ‘primal’ or ‘Paleolithic’ eating. I was aware, I think, of much of the evidence in this area (and I’ve even reported on relevant studies here and here), but it seems I missed a quite-important study that I am going to […]
Brain and Behaviour
Sleep and insulin resistance, ‘solar power’ for human beings and emotional eating.
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
There was an interesting, I think, study published this week in which the association between sleep habits and certain metabolic processes were assessed in diabetics and non-diabetics [1]. The study assessed sleep habits by self reports and something known as ‘actigraphy’ (the measuring of sleep through a device worn on the wrist). Health markers assessed […]
Sunlight
A very good friend of mine’s daughter is planning to write a dissertation for a school project. She previously had a stress fracture and then turned out to have very low levels of vitamin D. When I offered advice regarding testing and taking of vitamin D, I mentioned that the vitamin D might have some […]
Brain and Behaviour
Some individuals have themselves down as ‘emotional eaters’. The idea here is that they sometimes feel driven to eat foods as a result of their emotional state. Usually, this is in response to ‘negative’ states such as stress, anxiety or sadness. In a moment, I’m going to suggest two approaches that, in my experience, can […]
Cholesterol and Statins
‘Healthy’ sterols can damage the heart, raised overall blood sugar levels linked with increased risk of death, British Medical Journal reminds of the importance of setting health policy based on all the evidence.
Food and Medical Politics
Much of medical science exists to tell us if a treatment (e.g. a drug or dietary approach) has benefits, and what the risks of this treatment might be. Often in studies, a drug being tested is pitted against a placebo (inactive) treatment. Results of these experiments help discern if the drug in question has any […]
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
One key factor in health, I believe, is the general level of sugar in the bloodstream. We don’t want blood sugar levels too low (this starves the cells of energy in certain circumstances and can even be fatal). We don’t want them too high either. Glucose can bind to proteins in the body and damage […]
Healthy Eating
‘Phytosterols’ are compounds that can impair the absorption of cholesterol from the gut. In this way, ‘sterols’ (as their name is often abbreviated to) can reduce cholesterol levels in the bloodstream, which conventional wisdom dictates is always a good thing. Sterols are added to ‘functional foods’ including special margarines that promise cholesterol-reducing and, therefore, health-enhancing […]
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
The lunch that reminded me why I do what I do, probiotic pessaries for the prevention of urinary tract infections and nutrient supplementation for diabetic neuropathy. For RSS feed for this podcast, click this link.