I have just received a mail shot from the Stroke Association which points out that research into stroke is currently woefully underfunded. In order to maintain its current commitment to stroke research and support further ground-breaking research projects in the future I am asked to donate £100. It continues: “Tragically, approximately 50,000 people in the […]
136. Stroke Association. Digging beneath the Surface Read More »
There is now convincing evidence that the manufacturers of drugs are absolutely unscrupulous in the way in which their products are marketed. Invariably the benefits are emphasised and overplayed while any side-effects are minimized. However all drugs have to be thoroughly tested and evaluated before they can be granted approval by the authorities. But questions
135. Spin and Bias in Reporting Trials on Pharmaceuticals Read More »
We have now reached a position where it is absolutely obvious that the conventional recommendations on Healthy Eating which advise reducing saturated fat (SFA) and increasing complex carbohydrates are fundamentally wrong! In fact they are a key factor responsible for the deteriorating standards of public health in many countries as illustrated, for example, by the
In a previous blog (1) I was highly critical of the article on obesity which was written by The Guardian health editor, Sarah Boseley (2). It now emerges that the article was based on a book by Boseley which has just been published (3). Furthermore the launch of the book has been supported by an
It really all is happening in South Africa. A few years ago Tim Noakes who is Professor of Sports Science at Cape Town University discovered that he has developed Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). This was despite the fact that as a marathon runner he was physically fit. Furthermore he had followed the conventional dietary guidelines
William Banting was a London undertaker during the 19th century who in his later years suffered from obesity. Having tried various strategies he was advised to consume a diet which was low in sugar and other saccharine foods, which proved so successful that he decided to write a pamphlet describing his experience. This blog is
The cholesterol lowering campaign really took off in 1985 with the recommendations of a Consensus Conference sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the USA (1). I have just come across a commentary written at the time by Gerald Reaven which is absolutely fascinating (2). It is certainly highly relevant to recall the key
130. A Little Bit of History about LDL Cholesterol Read More »
The conventional view of energy in food is that it is measured by the bomb calorimeter, which many of us used in our physics classes in school. A known amount of material is placed in the calorimeter and incinerated. The rise in temperature is then used to calculate the energy/calorie content. Using the same principle
The original work of Ancel Keys which eventually led to the dietary guidelines recommending a reduction in total fat and particularly saturated fat (SFA) was based on epidemiological studies which related the national fat data to the incidence of heart disease (1). However almost invariably countries which have a high intake of fat also have
Mammography is a procedure in which the breast is examined using a special X-ray machine to detect signs of cancer. The rationale is that early detection enables treatment to be started before symptoms become evident thereby increasing the chances of curing or controlling the disease. This approach is utilised in many countries and in the
126. What Every Woman Should Know about Mammography Read More »