As 2014 comes to an end, I’d like to share some good news about supplements which hasn’t garnered much attention in the mainstream media. As a side note, a few of these items were recently featured on my Twitter thread as well. So, if you’d like to stay current on everything I post, which may or may not appear on this site, follow me on Twitter or review my Twitter profile on a regular basis. I find that it’s a great way to communicate a lot of breaking information on a daily basis.

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Recently, a book bearing the title “The Fast Diet” was released in England. Thus far, sales of the book, co-authored by Dr. Michael Mosley, have been brisk and are likely to follow suit in the US where it was just published a few weeks ago. The underlying message of The Fast Diet is that adopting a 5:2 eating plan, in which you eat regularly for five days and semi-fast for two days, will reduce overweight and various risk factors associated with advanced aging, diabetes and heart disease. In the medical literature, this style of eating is commonly referred to as “intermittent fasting” (IF). Since the media and public have taken an interest in IF, I thought this would be a good opportunity to review the most current findings about this practice and a related form of dieting known as alternate day fasting (ADF) which calls for a semi-fast every other day.

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In recent years, a short term diet known as The Daniel Fast has made several appearances in the medical literature. Currently, there are best selling books, courses and even retreats that assist religious and non-religious dieters in following the tenants of this Biblically-inspired program. The duration of the diet, as commonly practiced and studied, is slightly shorter (21 days) than other forms of religiously-based dietary restriction such as Ramadan fasting (28 to 30 days). Thus far, the results reported in various scientific journals have been relatively encouraging. However, there appears to be at least one caveat that has not yet been successfully resolved. The Daniel Fast lowers HDL (“good”) cholesterol.

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I frequently recommend a carbohydrate restricted diet as part of a comprehensive wellness program. However, for many of my clients, the idea of giving up some of their favorite, high carbohydrate foods is too much to bear. A recent presentation given at a prestigious cancer conference offers a practical compromise. Researchers at the Genesis Prevention Center at University Hospital in South Manchester, England report that adopting an intermittent, low carbohydrate diet is a viable alternative to more strict diets in relation to lowering cancer risk and overweight. The most interesting aspect of the trial was that a portion of the participants were asked to combine two of my favorite dietary strategies: carbohydrate restriction and modified, alternate day fasting. In the study, women who consumed a very low calorie/low carbohydrate diet for two days a week demonstrated greater weight loss than those who ate an “ad lib” low carbohydrate diet or a calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet. Also of note is that the twice-weekly diet plan resulted in a 22% reduction in insulin resistance versus only 14% in the daily low carb diet and 4% in the low calorie, Mediterranean diet.

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We’re all exposed to a fair share of advice and information about how to best to care for ourselves. If we’re fortunate, we also have the benefit of good counsel via a physician. But, ultimately, it’s up to us to decide what exactly to do with respect to our own health care. Do we take a medication or not? Are major lifestyle changes worth the effort? Should we have genetic testing to help foretell our medical future? Most people will be faced with these decisions and many others during the course of a lifetime. Today I’m going to tell you about a major health care choice I’ve decided to make in my own life. It involves following a diet known as “alternate day fasting”. My Healthy Monday tip of the week is to discuss the viability of this pattern of eating with your doctor if you’re concerned about cardiovascular health.
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In part two of my interview with Dr. Krista Varady of the University of Illinois, Chicago we address some of the finer points about alternate day fasting (ADF). The truth of the matter is that research into ADF is still in its infancy and Dr. Varady is the first person to admit it. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that this form of eating is quickly becoming one of the hottest topics in the realms of anti-aging and preventive medicine. In essence, we’re getting a sneak preview into what may well be one focus of health care in the future. Read more »

I recently had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Krista Varady, one of the leading researchers in the field of alternate day fasting (ADF). By my count, Dr. Varady has co-authored six studies and two scientific reviews on the effects of ADF and caloric restriction in both animal and human models. In addition, there are several other trials that are complete and/or in the works that will hopefully be published in the near future. Dr Varady was extremely generous with her time and imparted quite a lot of information. So without further ado, here’s part one of my two part interview with Dr. Krista Varady of the University of Illinois, Chicago. Read more »

There’s a common perception out there that academics live in “ivory towers”. The papers and studies they publish often seem distant from the realities of life outside of the halls of academia. However some researchers clearly don’t fit this mold. An example can be found in the most recent edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Within the pages of the journal resides a paper written by a staff member of the University of Washington. The topic revolves around a guide referred to as The Nutrient Rich Foods Index, a “formal scoring system that ranks food on the basis of its nutrient content”. The author of this particular paper set out to identify the most affordable, nutrient rich foods. Read more »

One of the things I enjoy most about studying natural medicine is that it constantly exposes me to concepts and cultural details that I otherwise might not learn about. Throughout the world there are scientists who choose to devote their lives to very specific aspects of health. Some focus on the causes and prevention of cancer. Others examine how certain diet plans affect body weight. Perhaps my favorite area of research is the investigation of foods and therapeutic practices that are deeply ingrained in a particular part of the world. For instance, it’s no accident that much of the research on olive oil is conducted in Mediterranean countries or that experiments involving acupuncture are predominantly carried out in the Far East. Read more »