Did you get enough to eat for Thanksgiving holiday? Did you gain a pound or three, like me? Around this time of year, many people start thinking seriously about losing excess weight and getting healthier. Choosing a weight-loss program is not something to be done on a whim. That’s a recipe for failure. So I’ve [...]
Entries from November 2009
November 27, 2009
What About the Paleo Diet?
Paleo diets have been increasingly popular over the last few years. The idea is that, for optimal health, we should be eating the things that we are evolutionarily adapted to eat. Those foods pre-date the onset of large-scale agriculture 10-12,000 years ago. So grains and modern fruits and vegetables play little or no role in [...]
November 27, 2009
Modern Heart Disease Found in Ancient Egyptian Mummies
HeartWire on November 23, 2009, reported the discovery of atherosclerosis (hardening-of-the-arteries) in Egyptian mummies 3000 years old. So it appears that atherosclerosis in not just a disease of modern civilization, as suggested by some. Steve Parker, M.D.
November 25, 2009
Quote of the Day
The urge to simplify a complex scientific situation so that physicians can apply it to their patients and the public embrace it has taken precedence over the scientific obligation of presenting the evidence with relentless honesty. —Gary Taubes, in Good Calories, Bad Calories (2007)
November 22, 2009
Low-Carb Ketogenic Diet for Overweight Diabetic Men: A Pilot Study
A low-carb ketogenic diet in patients with type 2 diabetes was so effective that diabetes medications were reduced or discontinued in most patients, according to U.S. researchers. The 2005 report recommends that similar dieters be under close medical supervision or capable of adjusting their own medication, because the diet lowers blood sugar dramatically. Methodology Twenty-eight overweight people [...]
November 21, 2009
Fish With Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Risk of Blindness
Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 65. Impaired vision precedes blindness. A recent study linked consumption of omega-3 fatty acids with 30% lower risk of developing macular degeneration. Believe me, it’s a lot better to prevent it than try to treat it once present. [I have a couple older relatives [...]
November 20, 2009
For Heart’s Sake, Should You Avoid Red Meat in a Low-Carb Diet?
Low carbohydrate diets tend to contain disproportionate amounts of fat from animal sources. Red meat has long been vilified as a major source of saturated fat that some experts believe cause hardening-of-the-arteries (atherosclerosis) via elevations in LDL cholesterol. Others disagree. Poultry, fish ,and shellfish generally have lower amounts of saturated fat than red meat. Would [...]
November 19, 2009
Book Review: 21 Life Lessons From Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb
Here’s my review of Jimmy Moore’s new book, 21 Life Lessons From Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb: How the Healthy Low-Carb Lifestyle Changed Everything I Thought I Knew. I rate it five stars, Amazon.com’s highest rating. ♦ ♦ ♦ Thinking about quitting your low-carb lifestyle? Read this book first. Jimmy Moore is a leading advocate for low-carb eating. [...]
November 18, 2009
Do Beans and Peas Affect Glucose Control in Diabetics?
Beans and peas improve control of blood sugar in diabetics and others, according to a recent report from Canadian researchers. The effect is modest. Dietary pulses are dried leguminous seeds, including beans, chickpeas, lentils, and peas. Pulses fed to healthy volunteers have a very low glycemic index, meaning they don’t cause much of a rise in [...]
