Doctor in the House – Homocysteine and risk of heart disease

I was lucky enough to meet Dr Chatterjee star of Doctor in the House at the recent Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice Module I attended in April earlier this year. he was a lovely guy and its great to see a Doctor working so intensively with his patients combining his medical knowledge with life […]
Chilli may be hot news for blood pressure?
Research carried out in China has demonstrated that rats fed capsaicin (the chemical that makes chillis hot) had more relaxed blood vessels and lower blood pressure than mice given a diet without capsaicin. The researchers suggest that eating chillis may be a promising lifestyle intervention for people with hypertension. Until further research is done, people […]
Flavonoids in chocolate cut heart risks
Recent research carried out in Sweden has been widely reported in the media because it claims that chocolate can reduce the risk of heart failure in elderly and middle-aged women. The researchers asked thousands of people to complete questionnaires listing which foods they commonly eat and found that older women who eat one to two […]
High fat diets may cause emotional disturbance
Research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behaviour (SSIB) has found that a prolonged high fat diet is associated with changing levels of a brain chemical called dopamine. This chemical conducts signals in the brain that control movement, emotional responses and the ability to feel pleasure […]
Nitrate content of beetroot juice lowers blood pressure
Researchers at the Queen Mary University of London and UCL have published a study that found that the high nitrate content of beetroot causes blood vessels to dilate, lowering blood pressure. Healthy volunteers who were given beetroot juice or nitrate tablets had their blood pressure reduced within 24 hours. Beetroot is a good source of […]
Trans fats still a risk for coronary heart disease
Despite the recommendation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) that trans fats should be banned, in line with current legislation in Denmark and New York City, the Government has today announced that it will neither ban the fats nor advise manufacturers to flag them up on food lables . Trans fats are hydrogenated oils that […]
NICE recommends banning trans fats
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has claimed that 40 000 lives could be saved each year if the amount of saturated fat and salt in food was cut and if toxic artificial fats called trans fats were eliminated. Trans fats are added to food in order to prolong shelf life, but they […]
Body fat linked to Alzheimer’s
A study published last week in Annals of Neurology has suggested that people with fat stomachs could be at greater risk of developing dementia. The research, carried out by the University School of Medicine in Boston, demonstrated that levels of visceral fat that surround the organs are associated with smaller total brain volume. Dr Susanne Sorensen, head […]
Kebab Houses and Burger Bars serve unhealthy snacks to school children
New research has found that many takeaway meals sold near London schools contain much higher levels of salt and saturated fat compared to outlets such as McDonalds and Burger King. Many children are leaving school to buy these burgers, kebabs, pies and chips for their lunch. The London Environmental Health Food Teams undertook the study on behalf […]
Processed meats increase the risk of heart disease
A review by the Harvard School of Public Health has found that people who eat one serving (50g) daily of processed meat such as bacon, ham, sausages or salami have a 42% higher risk of heart disease and a 19% higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Unprocessed red meats, such as beef, lamb or pork, […]