Archives

• Eye Cataracts and Diet

  There are four eye disease in the US that accounts for 75% of the cases for blindness and 85% of cases of visual impairment for adults 40 years and older in the US.

  Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, diabetic retinopathy – blood vessels in the retina leak fluid or bleed caused by diabetic complications and glaucoma - slow clogging of the drainage canals which results in increased eye pressure.

  The effect of diet on eye health is much greater than expected given the amount of attention paid to the effect of sunlight on both our eyes and our skin.

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  17 July 2018

• Multiple Sclerosis and Roy Swank

  Roy Swank discovered a dietary connection with multiple sclerosis in the late 1940s following studies in Norway. He instigated a study that followed a group of multiple sclerosis patients for 34 years. He wrote a book, The Multiple Sclerosis Diet Book: A Low-Fat Diet for the Treatment of M.S.

  No other treatment plan has come close to achieving the results that Swank achieved.

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  21 June 2018

• Wheat and the Distorted Views of William Davis

  William Davis, a cardiologist, author of Wheat Belly, claims that “modern wheat is a perfect chronic poison”. He claims that modern wheat causes diabetes, inflammation, heart disease and high blood pressure and that eliminating wheat will cure these problems.

  Davis recommends the avoidance of foods such as corn, rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, beans and potatoes, even though they do not contain wheat or gluten.

  Davis's inconsistencies would be amusing if they did not have such serious health consequences.

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  18 June 2018

• Foundations of Naturopathic Nutrition by Fay Paxton – a text book

  Fay Paxton (PhD) is an Australian-based naturopath and nutritionist. She has taught nutrition at the Southern School of Natural Therapies and has worked as a consultant for dietary and herbal supplement manufacturers.

  She is an author of a popular text book, Foundations of Naturopathic Nutrition.

  Unfortunately, she is an advocate for low-carbohydrate diets and paleo diets.

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  14 June 2018

• William Roberts – The cause of heart disease – It is the cholesterol

  William Roberts is a leading cardiovascular pathologist. He is the current editor (at 2018) of the American Journal of Cardiology— a position he has held since 1982. He has published over 1,500 articles. He has been located at Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute and Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas since 1993.

  Roberts was the editor of a series of books titled Cardiology which were published annually from 1982-1999.

  Roberts has advocated and practiced consuming a low-fat, whole-food, plant-based diet for over 50 years.

  He believes that there is only one cause of atherosclerosis - "It's the cholesterol, stupid!"

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  4 June 2018

• Ancel Keys did not manipulate his data

  Popular commentators frequently accuse Keys of manipulating data in his 1953 paper, Atherosclerosis, A Problem in Newer Public Health.

  This study is sometimes referred as the “Six Countries Study”. A number of popular commentators think this is the Seven Countries Study— they count England & Wales as two countries.

  This paper was presented in Amsterdam in 1952 and in January 1953 in New York.

  Far too much attention is paid to one page of a minor discussion paper written in the early 1950s. Keys writes,

  “The fact that the present high rate from degenerative heart disease in the United States is not inevitable is easily shown by the comparison with some other countries.”

  This was the purpose of the paper.

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  28 May 2018

• The Fund-raising BBQ

  A fund-raising BBQ is a popular way of obtaining money for research into common cancers, in particular prostate and breast cancer.

  BBQs produce many toxic substances including heterocyclic amines (HCAs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitrosamines.

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  7 May 2018

• Michael Mosley and Coconut Oil

  Dr Michael Mosely (Trust Me, I’m a Doctor) instigated a trial to determine the impact of coconut oil on cardio-vascular health.

  In a University of Cambridge study, 94 participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. They were asked to consume an additional 50g of fat – either coconut oil, butter or olive oil, daily for a period of four weeks.

  The main measure was the change in total cholesterol.

  Based on this study, Michael Mosley now thinks that coconut oil may be good for you. The study showed nothing to suggest that this could be true.

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  1 April 2018

• Iodine and Thyroid Function Tests

  Iodine is a major component of the thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4), and triiodothyronine (T3). They are based on the amino acid tyrosine. T4 contains four iodine atoms and T3 three iodine atoms. The only known function of iodine is for the production of the thyroid hormones. Excess iodine is secreted in the urine.

  Thyroid hormones are required for normal growth and development of the brain and central nervous system. It is required for energy production and oxygen consumption in cells and the maintenance of the metabolic rate.

  The regulation of thyroid hormone synthesis, release, and action is a complex process involving the thyroid, the pituitary, the brain, and peripheral tissues.

  Sea foods and iodine added to table salt are the highest contributors of iodine to our diet which is why vegans often resort to supplementation which can have unintended consquences.

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  23 March 2018

• Tornadoes, Seagulls and the Butterfly Effect

  Edward Lorenz was a mathematician and meteorologist. Whilst his name may not be familiar, you would have heard about the results of his work.

  Whilst he is best known for his work on Chaos Theory, he made very valuable contributions to other areas of mathematics including climate theory.

  Lorenz presented a paper at a meeting in December, 1972 in Washington, DC, the title of the talk being, Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?

  The title was a question. The answer is - of course it does not. If it did we would be creating tornadoes every time we clapped our hands. Lorenz conclusion was that long-term weather forecasting was doomed.

  The problem of accurate, long-term weather forecasting has been recognised for some time - and seagulls, grasshoppers or butterflies are not part of the problem or solution.

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  9 March 2018