Intermittent fasting: Does a new study show downsides — or not?
Intermittent fasting (IF) is an approach to eating based on timing. The idea is that fasting for long enough allows insulin levels to fall low enough that our body will use fat for fuel. Growing evidence in animals and humans shows that this approach leads to significant weight loss. When combined with a nutritious, plant-based diet and regular physical activity, IF can be part of a healthy weight loss or maintenance plan, as I described in an earlier blog post.
Now, a randomized controlled trial published in JAMA claims that IF has no significant weight loss benefit and a substantial negative effect on muscle mass. News o...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - October 30, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Diet and Weight Loss Health Nutrition Source Type: blogs
End the Vegan Tax
Vegans are typically well aware of the vegan tax – the extra money we pay to order a latte, a pizza, or some other item made vegan instead of with animal products. Substitute plant-based milk for dairy or vegan cheese for dairy cheese at a restaurant, and you can often expect to pay more.
Starbucks is one of the main outlets that’s been charging a vegan tax for years, whereby it costs extra to order a drink with soy milk, almond milk, or coconut milk instead of the same drink make with dairy. Lots of other places that offer drinks with plant-based milks also charge extra for it.
Depending on what you order, t...
Source: Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog - October 5, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Steve Pavlina Tags: Health Lifestyle Values Source Type: blogs
Dairy Tales: Global Portraits of Milk and Law
Jessica Eisen (Harvard Law School), Xiaoqian Hu (University of Arizona), Erum Sattar (Harvard Law School), Dairy Tales: Global Portraits of Milk and Law, 16 J. Food L.& Pol ’y 1 (2020): Milk appears across and within jurisdictions in distinct and... (Source: HealthLawProf Blog)
Source: HealthLawProf Blog - September 26, 2020 Category: Medical Law Authors: Katharine Van Tassel Source Type: blogs
Brucellosis – how dangerous is it?
Brucellosis is most frequently transmitted via unpasteurized dairy products
Zoonotic diseases to be keeping the world on its toes. What is the disease responsible for the latest outbreak in China and what is its pathogenic potential?
Not the next COVID-19
Brucellosis is a category B bioterror disease, as classed by CDC. While it is one of the most important zoonotic diseases worldwide, brucellosis has limited pandemic potential, since human-to-human transmission is sporadic and occurs via blood, sexual exposure, or breastfeeding.
63% of cross-border events since 1965 were directly linked to the consumption of unpa...
Source: GIDEON blog - September 19, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Epidemiology News Outbreaks Source Type: blogs
The lowdown on the low-FODMAP diet
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common intestinal disorder that produces distressing symptoms like abdominal pain, significant bloating, and altered bowel movements that can shuttle between diarrhea and constipation.
While changing what you eat won’t cure you, an evidence-based approach called the low-FODMAP diet is the most frequently prescribed food plan to help relieve IBS symptoms. Studies show it can reduce symptoms for the majority of patients. However, because of certain challenges and risks associated with the low-FODMAP diet, it’s worth talking to an expert before you try it.
FODMAP basics
The low-FODMAP...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 27, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Emily Gelsomin, MLA, RD, LDN Tags: Digestive Disorders Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
A Facial Sign Of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Vitamin B12 levels can be boosted through supplementation or by eating foods such as dairy, liver, salmon and eggs.
→ Support PsyBlog for just $5 per month. Enables access to articles marked (M) and removes ads.
→ Explore PsyBlog's ebooks, all written by Dr Jeremy Dean:
Accept Yourself: How to feel a profound sense of warmth and self-compassion
The Anxiety Plan: 42 Strategies For Worry, Phobias, OCD and Panic
Spark: 17 Steps That Will Boost Your Motivation For Anything
Activate: How To Find Joy Again By Changing What You Do (Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog)
Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog - July 24, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Jeremy Dean Tags: Nutrition Source Type: blogs
A Physical Sign Of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Supplements or foods such as dairy, liver, salmon and eggs can rectify a vitamin B12 deficiency.
→ Support PsyBlog for just $5 per month. Enables access to articles marked (M) and removes ads.
→ Explore PsyBlog's ebooks, all written by Dr Jeremy Dean:
Accept Yourself: How to feel a profound sense of warmth and self-compassion
The Anxiety Plan: 42 Strategies For Worry, Phobias, OCD and Panic
Spark: 17 Steps That Will Boost Your Motivation For Anything
Activate: How To Find Joy Again By Changing What You Do (Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog)
Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog - July 21, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Jeremy Dean Tags: Nutrition Source Type: blogs
The Politics of Renegotiating NAFTA
Simon LesterMexican president Andr és Manuel López Obrador will becoming to DC tomorrow as part of a White House event related to the renegotiation of NAFTA into the USMCA (U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement). The USMCA entered into force on July 1, and as my colleagueshaveindicated, there ’s actually not all that much to celebrate. What we have tomorrow, then, is an event based on political theater more than on policy. The celebratory press conference was as much of a goal as the new agreement itself. We should be happy that Trump did not try to withdraw from NAFTA, but we should be uncomfortable with the way...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - July 7, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Simon Lester Source Type: blogs
How Long to Install a New Habit?
Some sources used to say that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, which most people are likely to find overly optimistic. Even 30 days is on the optimistic side.
The truth is that the time to install a new habit depends on the person, the habit, the environment, and the motivation.
How much experience do you already have with habit formation? How much have you trained those discipline muscles?
What temptations are present that could draw you away from the habit? How tempting are they?
What’s your purpose for installing the habit? Is it really compelling, or does it barely register?
As a general rule ...
Source: Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog - July 4, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Steve Pavlina Tags: Productivity Source Type: blogs
How to stock a plant-based pantry (and fridge) on a budget
Given the current pandemic and related economic stressors, many of us are trying to maintain healthy habits while watching our expenses. One of the areas where we can support our immune system is through our food choices. We all have to eat, and eat several times a day, and selecting foods that support our health and our planet — while also saving money — is now a priority for many.
People are going meatless for many reasons
About a quarter of the US is now vegetarian, especially people ages 25 to 34. A survey from 2017 studied US attitudes toward animal farming, and found that 54% of Americans were trying to purchase ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - June 12, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Uma Naidoo, MD Tags: Cooking and recipes Food as medicine Healthy Eating Heart Health Nutrition Source Type: blogs
Better heart health in eight weeks? Double down on fruits and veggies
Two decades ago, the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) study tested the effects of three different diets on almost 500 participants over eight weeks. The first diet was a typical American diet, relatively low in fruits and vegetables (3.5 servings daily) and high in junk foods and sweets. The second offered more fruits and vegetables (8.5 servings daily) as well as seeds, nuts, and beans, and not many sweets. The third was the very healthy DASH diet, rich in fruits and vegetables (9.5 servings daily), beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, and barely any sweets. Participants truly stuck to each diet plan: All m...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - June 11, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Diet and Weight Loss Food as medicine Health Heart Health Nutrition Source Type: blogs
I have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). What should I eat?
One of the most frequent questions that patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) ask is: what should I eat?
It is clear that in addition to genetic factors, certain environmental factors, including diet, may trigger the excessive immune activity that leads to intestinal inflammation in IBD, which includes both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the limited number and high variability of studies have made it difficult to confidently advise patients regarding which specific foods might be harmful and which are safe or may actually provide a protective benefit.
New IBD dietary guidelines
To help pat...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - May 18, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Garber, MD Tags: Digestive Disorders Health Healthy Eating Nutrition Source Type: blogs
Think your baby is allergic to cow ’s milk?
When young infants develop vomiting, diarrhea, and fussiness, some of them are diagnosed as having an allergy to cow’s milk protein. When that diagnosis is made, babies on formula have to switch to a specialized formula — and the mothers of breastfeeding babies have to eliminate all dairy from their diets.
The problem is that specialized formulas are very expensive, which can be a real burden for families. And eliminating all dairy from your diet can be very difficult (it’s surprising how many foods have some dairy in them), leading some mothers to stop breastfeeding.
If every baby that was diagnosed with cow’s mil...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - May 5, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Claire McCarthy, MD Tags: Allergies Children's Health Parenting Source Type: blogs
Are sugar substitutes too sweet to be true?
About 40% of adults use low-calorie sweeteners, and most of those people do so at least once daily. While these sugar substitutes are most commonly consumed in beverages, they’re also eaten in foods and used in place of sugar to stir into coffee or sprinkle over cereal.
The presence of such sweeteners in our foods isn’t always apparent, though phrases like “light,” “no sugar added,” “sugar-free,” or “low-calorie” mean there’s a good chance they contain a sugar substitute. People are often unsure about whether to consume these items, and for good reason.
An alphabet soup of sugar substitutes
There are ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - May 4, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Emily Gelsomin, MLA, RD, LDN Tags: Diet and Weight Loss Health Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
‘Not Just Dots On a Map’: SLPs Speak Their Truth From the COVID-19 Battlefront
Tuesday, March 10. Speech-language pathologist Fatima Warren was grocery shopping with her grandmother when she first noticed the painful body aches. Chalking it up to the rainy day and an earlier workout, she ran a hot bath.
Wednesday, March 11. Warren woke up with chills, fever, and worsening aches. She drove straight to the closest ER in her hometown of Lexington, Kentucky. There, staff ran numerous tests, but not for COVID-19. The 45-year-old didn’t qualify because she hadn’t traveled outside the country and couldn’t name a contact with the virus.
Thursday, March 12. Worried about infecting her 13-year-old son an...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - April 1, 2020 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Bridget Murray Law Tags: Slider Speech-Language Pathology Uncategorized acute care Cognitive Rehabilitation Dysphagia FEES Health Care MBSS personal protective equipment skilled nursing facilities Swallowing Disorders Source Type: blogs
