Healthy Eating
Today sees the publication of a study which appears to show that reducing salt consumption can save lives. The research, conducted at Harvard medical school in the USA has found that individuals who reduced their salt intake from about 10 g to about 7 gram per day (a 30 per cent reduction) see a 25 […]
Brain and Behaviour
One of the most significant dietary changes we have seen in the modern-day diet is an increase in our consumption of what are referred to as ‘omega-6’ fats such as something known as ‘linoleic acid’ found in many vegetable oils including corn, safflower and sunflower oil. Within the body, such fats tend to encourage inflammation, […]
Healthy Eating
You may well be aware at just how often nutritional advice seems to blow in the wind. And this week brought an example of this in the form of a study which, it is claimed, found a link between the eating of oily fish and an increased risk of diabetes. Not surprisingly, this has led […]
Healthy Eating
This week’s hot nutrition news in the UK concerns a study which assessed the relationship between meat-eating and breast cancer. ‘Red meat ups breast cancer risk’ was, essentially, the way this study was headlined in the media. The brevity of such titles will usually not tell the full story, so I decided to take a […]
Brain and Behaviour
Previously on this site I have written about the relationship between the so-called ‘omega-3’ and their association with benefits for the brain including a reduced risk of depression and dementia. Recently, a study published in the journal Psychiatry Research examined the relationship between blood levels of omega-3 fats and certain measures of mood, personality and […]
Food and Medical Politics
A major thrust in nutritional science over the past few years has been to dissect the chemicals contained in food to, supposedly, glean the likely health effects of that food. This approach works to a point. It might, for instance, be useful for say determining that one fruit or vegetable is more nutrient-dense than another. […]
Healthy Eating
On Wednesday my blog post focused on sugary soft drinks, and the link between their consumption with obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Part of the problem with such drinks is that, particularly when drunk quickly, they can lead to considerable surges in blood sugar. As a result the body is generally compelled to secrete considerable […]
Healthy Eating
Today sees the publication of a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association in which the effectiveness of four diets were assessed over a year-long period [1]. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine ascribed women to eat either the Atkins’ diet (low carb), Zone diet (carb, protein and fat in the ratio […]
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
One of the pieces of nutritional advice we’ve been force-fed over the last decade or three concerns the supposedly health-giving properties of wholegrains. Friday saw this message redoubled on the presentation of a study at the American Heart Association annual conference in Florida, USA, which apparently found and association between the eating of wholegrain breakfast […]
Healthy Eating
Many of you will know that there has been a big focus of late on the potentially toxic effects of industrially produced ‘trans’ fats which can be found in foods such margarine, biscuits and other baked goods and salad dressings. These fats have been strongly linked with an increased risk of heart disease, and also […]