Yes, and yes. There are a number of studies of vegetarian/vegan populations indicating that in general, their health is better, and life expectancy greater, than their omnivorous counterparts. Bear in...
Regarding conflict of interest: it would depend on the relationships between the American Academy of Pediatrics and the pharmaceutical industry in part. A real effort would be required to demonstrati on...
The answer- and I bet this is predictable!- is: it depends. Protein is, indeed, the premier construction material for muscle. But the body needs a reason to use extra protein to build muscle- otherw ise...
The body mass index is known to be a 'blunt' instrument. It does distinguish fat from muscle, says nothing about where fat is distributed, and cannot begin to assess metabolic risk.
A good way to gauge sodium intake for kids and adults alike is to compare sodium to calories. Up to 2400mg in a 200calorie diet for an adult means roughly 1.2mg of Na per calorie. That would work fo r...
Yes, that should not be a problem. Lovaza is concentrated omega-3 'fish oil,' the very kind you would get from eating salmon. When used as a drug, as in your case, omega-3 is intended to lower trigl ycerides...
If I may be blunt, I think you may be asking the wrong question. Or rather, a question that depends on a more fundamental question: why do you/we crave sweets in the first place?
The only correct answer to this is: it depends. Sometimes teenagers go on 'vegetarian' or 'vegan' diets, partly out of a moral compunction, partly out of a desire to lose weight- but with little plan ning...
Briefly: an occasional 'cleanse' that limits the diet to wholesome fluids- water, green teas, 'juices' made from blenderized whole fruits and vegetables- is apt to be harmless for healthy people, and may...
I am pressed for time at the moment, so take the liberty of referencing a column I wrote on this topic slightly over a year ago which is, by and large, still evergreen. Go to http://www.davidkatzmd.c om...
Yes, and no. If you are not accustomed to a high-fiber diet, getting there too fast is apt to result in, to put it delicately, gastrointestinal duress. Even after you acclimate, you may find that yo u...
I believe this question has been posted to the 'obesity' community forum, so the first thing to say is that probiotic supplements are unlikely to have any meaningful impact on weight per se. There i s...
If we accept the 'TLC Diet' as simply a prototype for a healthful, balanced, mostly plant-based diet compatible with the recommendations of the AHA, ADA, ACS, and IOM (apparently, alphabet soup figure s...
In addition, moderate alcohol consumption raises HDL. Moderate is one drink a day on average for women (15 grams of ethanol) and up two drinks a day on av erage...
Dr. Hanafy's explanation is excellent. I would only add that some AGE formation is normal; hyperglycemia, diabetes, prediabetes, and possibly insulin resistance accelerate the process. An excess of AGEs...
A quick addendum to my earlier answer: part of the response to any 'what are the benefits of _____" question needs to be: compared to what? If you have a very healthful diet now and switch to a raw v egan...
Done well, veganism- a pure plant diet- should be extremely healthful. You will, however, be vulnerable to some vitamin deficiencies- and so a multivitamin/mineral supplement is warranted.
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The official guidance from the Dietary Reference Intakes of the Institute of Medicine (http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI//DRI_Calcium/71-145.pdf) is at least 1,000mg per day. Other than dairy, calcium is...
I agree that the 'right' number of calories for any given individual is the number of calories they need to maintain a healthful weight and energy level; the answer won't be exactly the same for any t wo...
Highlights include: foods mostly direct from nature; plenty of plant foods; a high intake of soluble fiber; an emphasis on healthful fats, omega-3s and monounsaturated fats in particular; limited inta ke...