Most of you heard about the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), whether or not you realize it. If you are post-menopausal and stopped using your estrogen patches because of the increased risk of breast cancer, this is the group of women that provided the data. More than one study was done in the WHI. Besides the postmenopausal hormone trial, there was the calcium plus Vitamin D trial, and most importantly, there was the low-fat diet trial.

This particular slice of WHI followed 48, 000 women over the age of 50 from 1993 to 2005. Half were asked to follow a low-fat diet, and the other half were asked to follow their usual diet. So, how did the low-fat diet women fare over the long-haul? Read more…

My article here is a translation, for the layperson, of the medical article, “Soft Drink Consumption and Risk of Developing Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and the Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Aged Adults in the Community” *

Although it may not make any sense, diet soda may contribute to the development of diabetes. This study did not look at diabetes specifically, but looked at “Metabolic Syndrome.” Some of you may remember Metabolic Syndrome as “Syndrome X”. The name was changed a few years ago.

Read more…

Both soda and diet soda are associated with the development of “Metabolic Syndrome”, which is a constellation of changes in our metabolism. It includes diabetes or pre-diabetes, as well as high blood pressure. The link to “read more” leads you to an analysis of a medical article, translated for the layperson.  Read more…

Yerbe maté is used in South America to make tea and soft drinks. Some believe it helps with weight loss. Is there any data? Read more…

This is it. This is the big study that had the news wires buzzing. Some people are thin but unhealthy. Others are overweight, or even obese, but healthier than their thin counterparts. 

This news came from NHANES, which is short for the National Health and Nutrition Surveys. NHANES are (there are more than one) large, long-term studies that look at the health of Americans over time. Thousands of people participate. Different aspects of health are examined through blood tests and physical exams. In this particular slice of NHANES, 5440 people participated. Blood pressure, height, weight, BMI were measured, and bloods were drawn to test for markers of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. For those of you who are interested, the bloods drawn were HDL (good cholesterol), triglycerides (another form of fat in the blood), glucose, CRP (a marker of inflammation and increased cardiovascular risk), and HOMA-IR (a marker of pre-diabetes).

Read more…

In the diet wars, the benefit of one diet over another is bantered back and forth. In this study, Weight Loss with a Low-Carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or Low-Fat Diet*, 322 people went on one of 3 diets: low-carb, Mediterranean, or low-fat. By looking at the difference in outcomes between the three groups, it might help you decide which diet is right for you.  Read more…