Health topics
There is a place for supplements, but that doesn’t mean we all need to take them.
Here are some groups where supplements have been found to be useful:
The elderly or those convalescing may benefit from a general standard dose multi vitamin/mineral.
Those who rarely get outside or those of Asian origin may benefit from a supplement of vitamin D. This vitamin is found in foods such as oily fish and eggs, but it’s main source is from the action of the sun’s ultraviolet rays on the skin... read more
Cardiovascular disease is the general name for all heart and circulatory conditions put together, including heart failures, strokes and problems with the arteries. 39% of all deaths in the UK were due to cardiovascular disease.
Fatty materials build up on the walls of the blood vessels impairing heart function, causing angina (pain from a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle) and raising the possibility of a heart attack. This is known as heart disease and is still the number one cause of death... read more
So we’ve had high fat, low fat, high fibre, low fibre, only carbohydrate, no carbohydrate, drink fasts, fruit fasts, vegetarian diets, Zone, Atkins, South Beach and we still don’t seem to be getting thin as a nation!
So which diets do work?
Well the first thing to know is the energy balance equation:
Energy in = Energy out.
In other words if what goes in to you from food is equally matched by all the energy you use up just being and doing in a day then you will maintain your weight.
For... read more
B12 is a water soluble vitamin involved in various chemical reactions. We all need to get this from our food intake as we can not make it ourselves. But it is also a vitamin that is rarely seen to be deficient in the general healthy population as it’s widely available in all animal based foods. It is recommended as a supplement to the elderly and strict vegans.
In the human body it converts another B vitamin, folate (folic acid) into the form needed to make DNA, so it's part of the formative... read more
The department of health recently carried out research showing beer drinkers having five pints a week loaded up the same calories as having hundreds of high fat cakes and doughnuts in a year. A similar picture emerges for other alcoholic drinks including wine, spirits, cider and liquor.
For a long time alcohol had been noted for heart protective qualities when taken in moderation in heart disease. However current guidelines following more studies have changed the advice. it has abeen found to... read more
