Ever wonder where the expression “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” comes from? Well, there may be some good scientific evidence that this is valid. The results of an animal study published by The American Physiological Society found that Quercetin, a powerful antioxidant present in apples and other fruits and vegetables, may have […]
The Last Frontier In the “Last Frontier” of Medicine, as my Trekkie friends would say, scientists and physicians are exploring how the Microbiome and probiotics play a much larger and more vital role in our health. This role is larger than we could ever have imagined. What is the Human Microbiome? The human gastrointestinal tract […]
If you listen to the television ads, America runs on high fructose corn syrup drinks, like Coca-Cola or Pepsi. Maybe that’s why one-third of Americans are obese or at least, overweight. Gone are the days when most people drink nothing but water, the original no-calorie, sugar-free, no-cholesterol beverage. So can you lose weight by just […]
What is inflammation? More and more today, research and scientific papers are written talking about inflammation. How often have we seen something criticized as “inflammatory”? From Omega-6 fats to stress to sugar to diet, everything bad seems to cause inflammation. But what exactly is inflammation and why is it such a problem? If it’s so […]
Chronic stress, combined with positive energy balance (accumulation of body fat because energy is stored as fat), may cause an increased risk of obesity and other metabolic diseases like diabetes. The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically in the US in the last several decades. The American Medical Association and the US Federal Drug Administration […]
Recently, both the American Medical Association (AMA) and the US Federal Drug Administration have declared obesity a “disease.” Doctors and researchers have known for some time that obesity has a morbidity (causes other diseases) and a mortality (causes death). So how prevalent is obesity and how dangerous is it? The following facts adapted from the […]
We have all heard the expression: “We are what we eat.” In my physiology and nutrition classes I teach at the university, I have, over the years, changed this to “We are what we don’t eat.” This is because the standard American diet is so poor due to our lifestyles, we do not get the […]
How much water should you drink each day? It’s a simple question, right? I’m not only a physician, but also a physiologist. The answer to this question is not simple. There are no easy answers. It also depends on who you ask. Research studies have produced many recommendations over the years, but in truth, your […]
Coenzyme Q10 (Co-Q10) or Ubiquinone – What Is It? Coenzyme Q10, also known as Co-Q10 or ubiquinone, is found in the mitochondria of all cells. It is naturally made in our bodies using the same pathway as the production of cholesterol. Coenzyme Q10 is found in most body tissues with the highest amounts in the […]
Aging is not just the way we look… Your skin is your largest organ in the body. We look at aging differently if we are consumers or physicians. If we get wrinkles, or aching joints or grey hair, it’s easy to think or feel that we are getting older. But your skin is just at […]