“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” Rumi
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Nutrition, Immunity and COVID-19
Our immune system protects us from pathogens like viruses, bacteria, cancerous cells, etc. and it can be separated into 2 distinct branches: the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system. Our innate immune system uses cells such as macrophages, neutrophils and mast cells to mount a fast, generic response to pathogens. Inflammation is the…
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Early Feeding Improves Pre-Diabetes and Blood Pressure
About a year ago Sutton et al. published a study that showed that intermittent fasting has benefits that are independent of food intake and weight loss. Their trial tested the effects of 5 weeks of “early time-restricted feeding” (eTRF) on 8 men with pre-diabetes. The subjects were asked to start breakfast between 6:30-8:30 and to…
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Slow Breathing Regulates High Blood Pressure
Several years ago I wrote a few articles showing that exercise, yoga and other strategies were helpful at regulating high blood pressure (BP). Even small reductions in blood pressure can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. The risks associated with hypertension are continuous – this means that with each 2mm…
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“Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you… …let it catch up.” Hafez (modified by Joseph Goldstein)
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Meal Times Crucial For Weight Loss
A few months ago Lopez-Minguez et al. reviewed studies looking at the effect of meal times on obesity and metabolic risk. Their findings are summed up in the following points: skipping breakfast is linked to obesity eating a large breakfast (within 2hrs of waking) decreases the probability of being obese by 50% a late lunch…
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Could Sunlight Aid Weight Loss?
Nayak et al. have recently published the findings of their fascinating research into the effects of light on fat metabolism in mice. Animals have adapted to use light in various ways. The most obvious is our sense of sight – it creates images in the brain through the detection of photons by light sensitive proteins…
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“Keep your eye fixed on the way to the top, but don’t forget to look right in front of you. The last step depends on the first. Don’t think you’re there just because you see the summit. Watch your footing, be sure of the next step, but don’t let that distract you from the highest…
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Soft Drinks May Cause Menopausal Hip Fractures
A study published this month in the journal Menopause looked into the relationships between carbonated soft drink consumption, osteoporosis (hip and lumbar spine) and incidental hip fractures. For almost 12 years Kremer et al. followed over 72,000 postmenopausal women from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study. The results showed no associations between soft drink consumption…
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Excess Dietary Salt Leads To Cognitive Impairment
Faraco et al. recently discovered mechanisms by which salt-rich diets can lead to cognitive dysfunction in mice. An increase in dietary salt led to a deficiency of nitric oxide in cerebral blood vessels. As nitric oxide is a vasodilator, the reduced levels resulted in decreased cerebral blood flow. In addition, nitric oxide deficiency causes the…