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
On Tuesday I was giving a presentation, and part of my advice was for individuals to avoid eating much in the way of processed food, including those emblazoned with health-related claims. Terms such as ‘low fat’, ‘low cholesterol’, and ‘high in fibre’ are misleading, to begin with, because these qualities have dubious health benefits (if […]
Exercise and Activity
Osteoarthritis is a condition characterised by degeneration of cartilage in joints. I commonly affects joints such as the hips and knees, and when it does, it can make walking (and other movements) difficult and painful. Those with osteoarthritis are often recommended to engage in exercise which, in theory, does not put the joints as further […]
Sleep
Sleep has important benefits for health and wellbeing, but not everyone is able to get as much sleep as they’d like. For some individuals, sleep does not come easy. One particular problem encountered by a few unfortunates is what is termed ‘delayed sleep phase syndrome’ (DSPS). Here, individuals can take hours (literally, hours) to get […]
Food and Medical Politics
Here in the UK it’s cold, and the cold weather tends to bring with it an upsurge in the rates of viral infections such as the common cold and flu. It has been suggested that one reason such infections surge in the winter is because we’re more likely to be cooped up with other people, […]
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
Where weight and fat loss is concerned, I favour a relatively low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet on the basis that such diets generally outperform low-fat, carb-rich diets traditionally advocated for weight loss. A lower-carb diet I think may have particular advantages for diabetics because, well, they have difficulty handling carbohydrate as a result of impaired insulin function […]
Healthy Eating
Like a lot of people working in the nutritional field, I believe maintaining hydration is important for peak wellbeing and health. Water makes up about two-thirds of the body, and therefore has the potential to play a critical role in just about any bodily process one cares to mention. Like what? Well, now the benefits […]
Nutrients and Supplements
Urinary tract infections are common in women, and for some women can be recurrent and require repeated doses of antibiotics or even prophylactic antibiotics. Organisms (usually E. coli) that cause UTIs generally gain access to the bladder via the urethra (the pipe connecting the bladder with the outside). Some of the strategies that may help […]
Brain and Behaviour
I was talking to a son of a friend of mine over the weekend. Mark (not his real name) is 18 and has been finding his energy and motivation can flag at times. Some of the time he can be energised and motivated. Other times he feels lethargic and “can’t be bothered with life”. Naturally, […]
Nutrients and Supplements
On Wednesday morning I had a nice chat over coffee with Oliver Gillie, a writer and researcher with a particular interest in vitamin D. We spent much of our time talking about the role vitamin D may have in a wide range of conditions including role in a range of conditions including cancer, diabetes, multiple […]
Weight Loss
When it comes to official advice about body weight, the norm is still to base recommendations on the body mass index (weight in kg divided by the square of height in metres). We are traditionally encouraged to conform to a ‘normal’ or ‘healthy’ BMI of 18.5-24.9. It is amazing to me just how rarely (if […]