Nov112015

Step it up, FDA!

The FDA has issued its first official guidelines to limit “added sugar” consumption to no more than 10% of calories or 12.5 tsp per day. While this kind of movement is very much needed, we’ll need to do better if we want to really address diet-driven health concerns (think diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, depression,…

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Nov92015

What Fats Do I Use?

Today, I was asked this great question about what types of fat to use: I heard from few people that we shouldn’t cook or fry with extra virgin olive oil. I use that for everything. Do you recommend another type of oil for cooking, sauteing onions etc? Knowing what fats to include in your diet…

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Oct302015

The Low Fat Effect?

Are we still spending time trying to prove/disprove the low fat effect? Apparently so. Lancet has just published another meta-analysis looking at randomized controlled trials, funded by NIH and the American Diabetes Association. Not surprisingly, low fat didn’t work when compared to low carbohydrate interventions. Low fat also lead to NO DIFFERENCE when compared to…

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Oct302015

Carrageenan: An Under-Recognized Cause of Inflammation

A 55 YO male presented to our office with a diagnosis of chronic Lyme. His primary symptoms are intense, migrating myalgias. In his own research (keeping a pain diary) he makes the discovery that 15 minutes after eating “natural” turkey lunch meat, he has a profound flare in pain. An ingredient in this meat? Carrageenan.…

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Oct262015

New Study Published 10-21-15: Antibiotics Are Making Kids Fatter

A study just published in the International Journal of Obesity shows that kids who take antibiotics regularly (about 7 courses through childhood) gained significant weight, and do it faster than those who’ve never taking antibiotics. The study also demonstrated that this effect lasts long into adulthood. “Not only did antibiotics contribute to weight gain at…

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Oct162015

I Am Training for a Marathon. So Why Am I Getting Fat?‏

I was interested in 10-12-15 NY Magazine article I Am Training for a Marathon. So Why Am I Getting Fat? I thought they might at least allude to what I see in athletes sometimes, where a common cluster of imbalances: gut dysbiosis, thyroid & adrenal hypofunction, sex hormone imbalances, vitamin/mineral depletions, subclinical mitochondropathy can show…

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Oct122015

Chinese Medicine and the Limits of the Western Biomedical Model

Interesting article in the NY Times about the Nobel Prize going to Dr. Tu Youyou, the woman who “discovered” that Artemisinin, an active ingredient from the plant Artemisia annua was effective against malaria. Turns out she leaned heavily on the ancient Chinese medicine concepts and texts in her work on the extraction process, but the…

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Oct102015

Nurture Your Oral Microbiome with…Wild Blueberries!

An extract of wild blueberries (super rich in polyphenols) was recently shown to have antimicrobial and biofilm (plaque) busting activity-specifically with regard to Fusobacterium nucleatum, the bad bacterial actor in periodontitis. Potent anti-inflammatory activity was demonstrated by the WB extract’s inhibition of NFkB induced by F. nucleatum. Read more here!

Oct12015

The Sugar Scourge

When I was a youngin’ in my early 20’s, the low fat craze was gaining some serious traction. I imprinted hard on the concept. In fact, I specifically remember going to the grocery store with “low fat” in mind and discovering the cornucopia of foods I could consume. I was SO excited! Twizzlers? Fat free!…

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