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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.

All articles Healthy Eating Food and Medical Politics Unhealthy Eating! Weight Loss Nutrients and Supplements Specific conditions Brain and Behaviour Observer Archive
Statins reduce cardiovascular disease in healthy people, and why this study is a poke in the eye for the cholesterol hypothesis Cholesterol and Statins

Statins reduce cardiovascular disease in healthy people, and why this study is a poke in the eye for the cholesterol hypothesis

It’s been going this way for a while: even healthy people should be on the cholesterol-reducing drugs known as statins. That, in a nutshell, is the verdict of a study published over the weekend which found that even in people deemed to be at low risk of cardiovascular disease, treatment with rosuvastatin (Crestor) at a […]

November 10, 2008· 6 min read· Dr Briffa
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Diet higher in protein and lower in carb shown to be superior for fat loss and other things Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome

Diet higher in protein and lower in carb shown to be superior for fat loss and other things

I believe that what represents an ideal diet varies from person to person, but one thing I’m clear about is that many health professionals and even our Governments advise intakes of carbohydrate that are greater than is good for us. In particular, while starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and breakfast cereals have […]

November 7, 2008· 4 min read· Dr Briffa
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Can rain cause autism? Brain and Behaviour

Can rain cause autism?

There are a lot of different theories about what causes autism, but not much consensus of opinion. In recent years, vaccination has been mooted as a potential cause of this condition, but so have lots of other things including pre-natal ultrasounds, wireless technology and certain environmental toxins. This week another potential cause of autism was […]

November 6, 2008· 3 min read· Dr Briffa
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More evidence that the ‘overweight’ are not risking their lives Food and Medical Politics

More evidence that the ‘overweight’ are not risking their lives

The body mass index (BMI) has for a long time been the standard measurement used to determine whether someone’s weight is ‘healthy’ or not. BMIs (calculated by dividing weight in kg by the square of someone’s height in metres) of 25 or more are generally regarded as ‘unhealthy’. The suggestion is there are somehow mortal […]

November 3, 2008· 2 min read· Dr Briffa
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What does it mean to say a treatment “works”? Food and Medical Politics

What does it mean to say a treatment “works”?

Sometimes when I’m in practice I may give an opinion on how well someone has improved in terms of the symptoms that they originally consulted me for. However, I am acutely aware, and often remark, that my opinion doesn’t really count for much: it’s the patient’s opinion that is most important. I could be delighted […]

October 31, 2008· 5 min read· Dr Briffa
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Frequent drinking associated with reduced risk of unhealthy weight gain Healthy Eating

Frequent drinking associated with reduced risk of unhealthy weight gain

Most health professionals agree that if someone is going to consume alcohol, it is better to consume it ‘little and often’, rather than use up one’s quota on ‘binges’ that usually come at the weekend. Compared to binge-drinking, regular imbibing of alcohol is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Some have attempted to […]

October 29, 2008· 3 min read· Dr Briffa
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What have the tobacco and food industries got in common? Food and Medical Politics

What have the tobacco and food industries got in common?

Very few people would disagree with the idea that cigarette smoking is generally bad four our health. This habit has strong links with a range of conditions including cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. The only doctors and scientists that dispute the negative effects of smoking seem to be those in the pay […]

October 27, 2008· 5 min read· Dr Briffa
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Should women who have paid for statins be given their money back? Uncategorized

Should women who have paid for statins be given their money back?

Cholesterol-reducing drugs known as statins are hugely popular and highly profitable. It’s a shame, then, that they aren’t very effective. I say this because while they have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, they do not reduce the overall risk of death when essentially healthy individuals are being […]

October 24, 2008· 4 min read· Dr Briffa
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Why hunger can be the enemy for those wishing to lose weight Healthy Eating

Why hunger can be the enemy for those wishing to lose weight

Many individuals who are attempting to lose weight will see hunger as a sign that they have pushed themselves into calorie deficit, and that their body weight will be dwindling as a result. They may be right, but the problem is that getting hungry can make it very difficult indeed for individuals to control what […]

October 22, 2008· 7 min read· Dr Briffa
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Low GI diet again found to be associated with reduced risk of macular degeneration Healthy Eating

Low GI diet again found to be associated with reduced risk of macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of loss of vision in adults. Recently, I wrote about this condition, and offered some suggestions regarding the sort of supplements that appear to have promise in the management of this condition. Last year, I wrote about a study that found a link between eating a […]

October 20, 2008· 3 min read· Dr Briffa
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