The latest edict from the National Institute for Clinical and Health Excellence (NICE) means that virtually everyone over 50 will be recommended to go on statins. NICE recognises that 77 people will have to be treated with these drugs over a 3-year period for one person to derive any benefit (1). It is crucial to […]
There is now overwhelming evidence that the decision to advise consumers to reduce the amount of fat and saturated fat (SFA) in the diet has turned out to be one of the most disastrous mistakes in the history of public health policy. As people implemented the recommendations it was inevitable that there was a corresponding
The banking industry quite rightly suffers from public opprobrium because of its role in the financial crisis, manipulation of the bank rate and mis-selling of various products. By contrast the pharmaceutical industry is somewhat more highly regarded. Nevertheless recent examples of unethical behaviour indicate that the approach to business in this sector does not exactly
As a society we seem to have been conditioned to expect that treatment with drugs and other medical procedures are the answer to every form of ill-health. Many of us feel short-changed if we come away from a visit to the GP without a subscription for one or more medicines. However the hard reality is
112. Overcome Type 2 Diabetes: Change the Diet and Ditch the Drugs Read More »
The IEA has just published a report which concludes that: “The rise in obesity has been primarily caused by a decline in physical activity at home and in the workplace, not an increase in sugar, fat or calorie consumption” (1). The report relies mainly on official statistics but is also heavily dependent on the conventional
111. The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Report on Obesity Read More »
There is now very convincing evidence that the recommendations to reduce the intake of fat and especially of saturated fat (SFA) have turned out to be one of the most notable failures in the field of public health policy. As Nina Teicholz (1) and others have shown, the recommendations can be traced back to Ancel
The Cochrane Collaboration has established a unique reputation for the publication of reports on a variety of topics in the medical field. This is an area where there are very powerful vested interests and the quality of much of the research is questionable. Therefore the contribution of the Collaboration has proved to be extremely valuable
109. Cochrane Collaboration Evaluates Statins for Primary Prevention of Heart Disease Read More »
In September last year, the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment released a report entitled “Dietary Treatment for Obesity” (1) which has accepted much of the revised thinking on the relationship between diet and health. This blog is by the Diet Doctor, Andreas Eenfeldt, who has an excellent website at http://www.dietdoctor.com/ I am very grateful
108. Swedish Expert Committee: A Low-Carb Diet Most Effective for Weight Loss Read More »
There is a growing body of scientific evidence and personal experience which demonstrates that the high content of sugar and refined carbohydrate foods is one of the main factors responsible for the rapidly increasing levels of obesity and diabetes. This in turn increases the risks of conditions such as heart disease, cancers and Alzheimer’s Disease.
107. Support for Diets High in Fat and Low in Carbohydrates Gathers Momentum Read More »
Dr David Diamond is a neuroscientist who was overweight with high values for his blood cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides, which indicated that he was a prime candidate for heart disease. He was therefore typical of those who are recommended to be prescribed statins on the grounds that this treatment will lower the TC and therefore
106. Bad Science and Big Business Responsible for Obesity Epidemic Read More »