What you should know about the link between dementia, stroke, and cardiovascular disease — If you’ve ever had a full blood screen and scrolled through the list of markers and their values, you may have seen “homocysteine” listed, and wondered what that was, before moving on to view your cholesterol stats. After all, that’s the one you’re told that matters. In which case I…

We’ve known about this for a hundred years. Time to act. — In 1924, German medical doctor and scientist Otto Heinrich Warburg made a discovery that was to potentially revolutionise our understanding of cancer. His astonishing breakthrough, that was to later earn him a Nobel Prize in physiology, could have — should have — changed the course of cancer prevention and treatment…

It’s a paradox — one of many that challenge our beliefs. — Cholesterol is a word that strikes fear into the heart. But does it also strike disease? Because here’s the curious thing: having a high cholesterol level is associated with living a longer life, especially if you have heart disease. Confused? Of course you are! Welcome to the cholesterol paradox. The…

Brain permeability is linked to depression and other mental health problems. How to mend the gaps. — Your brain is like a powerful command centre, surrounded by a wall to prevent enemy elements from breaching security. Damage to the wall undermines the strength of the command centre. The blood brain barrier is that wall. …

Did you have cereal for breakfast this morning? Better have something different tomorrow — The breakfast cereal (made from wheat, rice and corn) is a relatively modern feature of the human diet. It’s quick and convenient, but that’s not why it was created. It was to stop your impure thoughts. It all began with one woman — Ellen G. White, the co-founder of the…

It’s been a long time in the making, so I’m going to shout about it — This is my BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. My book on diet and mental health will be published in October 2023, and I could not be more excited. How to Feed Your Brain is a guide to eating the most nutritious, brain-friendly foods available, to maximise brain function throughout each stage of life…

All the latest nutrition news that you didn’t know you needed You’ve heard of the gut-brain axis. But have you heard of the gut-beer axis? It really is a thing. And why not, when all things fermented are today’s essential components of every food fashionista’s diet. From kombucha to kimchi, yogurt to sauerkraut, fermentation enhances the friendly bacteria population of the…

This is the REAL Mediterranean diet This is a photo of a picture that hangs on the wall above my dining table. It was painted by the Italian artist Renato Guttuso in 1974 and is called La Vucirria, after the marketplace in Palermo, Sicily. I love this picture, because it is portrays the ordinary and the…

What happens when bacteria colonise your small intestine, where they don’t belong At about 20 feet (7 metres) long, the small intestine is really not that small at all. Or insignificant: it is the industrial hub of food digestion and absorption. …