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.
Food and Medical Politics
There’s a study doing the rounds that is being reported as evidence that “Atkins was wrong”. Apparently, according to those reporting the study, it shows that eating more meat generally causes increased weight gain over time [1]. To see a typical way in which this study is being reported, see here. Sitting on a plane […]
Brain and Behaviour
I know that some doctors and scientists would have us believe that, where cholesterol is concerned, “lower is better”, but I have real difficulty mustering any enthusiasm for this stance. And one major reason for this is the fact that low levels of cholesterol are associated with enhanced risk of death, perhaps most notably from […]
Healthy Eating
While I am interested in many aspects of health, and in particular providing information that individuals can use to exert more control over their health and wellbeing, I do confess to having a particular interest in weight loss. One reason for this is that its an issue that is quite commonly on people’s mind. As […]
Healthy Eating
There’s a commonly-held notion that as far as weight loss is concerned, slow and steady wins the day. In other words, gradual weight loss (often advised in the order of 1-2 pounds a week) leads to better long term results than more rapid loss. I wrote about this back in May. This blog focused on […]
Healthy Eating
When it comes to advising about what to eat for fat loss, I’m very much into quality over quantity. Eating a protein-rich diet which is relatively low in carb tends to work very well for the purposes of fat loss, even when no restriction is placed on calorie intake. Why? Well, one reason might be […]
Food and Medical Politics
Rosiglitazone is a drug used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Back in 2007 it emerged that this drug posed significant risks to the heart health of those who took it. These facts only emerged, however, as the result of independent analysis of data that rosiglitazone’s manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) had been forced to publish […]
Children's Health
I think it’s true that our preconceived ideas about something can make us somewhat rigid in our thinking and generally unable to consider other possibilities. By way of example, I’d like to recount an experience I had shortly after delivering a presentation in Edam in the Netherlands. During the presentation, I had been detailing some […]
Healthy Eating
When in practice, I get to see a fair number of individuals who have traditionally perplexing health issues. Over the past couple of weeks I experienced a mysterious issue of my own. And I had no idea what was causing it. The symptoms? A bitter, metallic-like taste in my mouth, but only when I ate. […]
Cholesterol and Statins
The conventional nutritional approach for ‘heart health’ is a low-fat (specifically, low saturated fat), high-carbohydrate diet. For many reasons, this is not the sort of diet I would generally recommend to ward off heart disease. For more about this, click here. One particular form of carbohydrate that has been vigorously promoted for its heart-healthy properties […]
Children's Health
Of all the foodstuffs that have limited nutritional value and the potential to cause harm, I put soft drinks near the top of the list. The sugar contained in regular beverages has been linked with a range of adverse effects on health including weight gain, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. And artificial […]