An interesting article was just published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggesting that farm raised tilapia may have more detrimental effects than health promoting effects in terms of cardiovascular health.   The study out of Wake Forest looked at 30 samples of farm raised fish from supermarkets and wholesalers.  The fish they examined were catfish, Atlantic salmon, trout and tilapia.   (more…)

Shiitake and Reishi mushrooms are two of the more common mushrooms known to support the immune system, but there have been a couple of publications recently that show you don’t have to spend $20/lb to get benefit.   (In fact at Whole Foods the other day I saw a $59.99/lb mushroom.  Can it be that good…15 times as good as a $3.99/lb mushroom? ) (more…)

A recent review study looked at fish oil supplementation as a primary prevention method of age related macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration : An eye disease with its onset usually after age 60 that progressively destroys the macula , the central portion of the retina , impairing central vision . (more…)

Omega 3 fatty acids have been in the news quite a bit over the past few years so I’m sure most people know that an adequate amount are necessary during pregnancy. However I’m always surprised when I suggest to women that are trying to get pregnant or are newly pregnant that they need to eat good sources of Omega-3 such as flax (best to use ground seeds rather than oil), walnuts, or brazil nuts. One of the best sources of Omega-3 are the fish oils which are very beneficial during pregnancy. (more…)

A recently published study out of U of Minnesota have found further evidence to support the importance of encouraging teens to eat breakfast regularly. Researchers examined the association between breakfast frequency and five-year body weight change in over 2,000 teens, and the results indicate that daily breakfast eaters consumed a healthier diet and were more physically active than breakfast skippers during adolescence. This shouldn’t be a surprise as eating a healthy meal provides us with energy to be active both physically and mentally. (more…)

There have been many studies showing that the phytochemicals lutein and zeaxanthin are beneficial for they eyes. There is little doubt that an adequate supply of these phytochemicals can reduce the risk of cataracts. So here is another study showing that these important phytochemicals prevent ocular diseases. (more…)

Turns out that lab rats reaching for the can of Diet Coke may gain more weight than those reaching for the Coke Classic. In a study done at Purdue researchers compared glucose sweetened ‘foods’ to saccharin sweetened ‘foods’. They concluded that the artificial sweeteners make it more difficult to control intake and therefore more is consumed. The artificial sweetener doesn’t provide the satiety that glucose does and therefore there is no turning off the hunger switch. This goes in line with recent research showing that people drinking diet soda are at a greater risk for obesity and diabetes. It is amazing the power of advertising. I see so many people looking to lose weight that drink diet soft drinks and use artificial sweeteners in coffee and tea.
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It is scary what is happening to our food supply. First we are a giant experiment with Genetically Modified Foods. We are told they are safe, but now after having a decade or so of experience we find that they aren’t. Take a read of Jeffrey Smith’s great second book Genetic Roulette. Then the California Almond Board and USDA squeeze out small farmers and require all almonds to be pasteurized with no good reason. (more…)

Here is yet another study looking at administering antioxidants and reducing the onset of AMD. This study was a randomized placebo controlled trial and gave synthetic forms of Vitamin A,C,E, as well as the minerals zinc and copper. The dosages were lower for the vitamins than what you would find in a pill, but the zinc and copper were in line with a standard multi. However one would never want to take these supplements long term for a couple of reasons. (more…)

Happy Holidays!
A study of over 25,000 Dutch adolescents concluded that skipping breakfast is a significant risk factor for developing obesity. Also shown as risk factors were alcohol consumption and lack of exercise. Let’s just start with breakfast….in Chinese Medicine it is said that one should “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper”. The idea being that we should have our largest meal early in the day and closer to bed should be our smallest meal. This makes sense from an energy standpoint as we need the calories to keep our energy up through the day. I often get the “…I don’t feel hungry in the morning…” argument from patients. (more…)