Like transparency, equality and democracy in politics, prevention of disease is a motherhood and apple pie issue in medicine– everyone is in favour of it, so long as it doesn’t involve actually doing anything as committed as mounting a serious public health programme or spending millions on research. This truism takes on a new urgency […]
Ten top tips to boost your disease free survival
March 7, 2013 by 5 Comments
In quieter moments, pondering the end of your life, how many years to you think you might be effectively house-bound with a number of chronic diseases before you pop off? The jargon for describing this unappealing state is YLD (Years of Living with Disability) and according to a big report in the Lancet earlier this […]
Drugs: just say no. The hidden dangers
September 4, 2012 by 2 Comments
Blowing you own trumpet is briefly satisfying, like another solitary activity, but not very cool. However I’ve decided to succumb to the urge as its now six months since “10 Secrets of Health Ageing” was published and in a couple of weeks (Sunday 16th of November I’m going to be talking about it at the […]
Yet more reasons to get sweaty
September 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Even the most determined couch potato no longer has an excuse. It is possible to get the recommended amount of exercise you need to fend off chronic diseases simply by walking around the sofa during the ad breaks. This remarkable tip for improving the nation’s health comes from the August 25th edition of the New […]
Can fasting for two days each week stop dementia?
August 10, 2012 by 1 Comment
This is an article I wrote about fasting in the Daily Mail back in February. It features top American fasting researcher Dr Mark Mattson who was just about to publish a review of the evidence that, in animals at least, cutting right back on calories a couple of days a week can protect brain cells. […]
Easier ways to stay slim and healthy
August 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The Horizon program I blogged about yesterday explored some cutting edge ideas about what really makes us fat – the big surprise was that a major player is one of the genes that controls insulin. It also tested a radical new idea that fasting could be an effective way of turning off that gene. Both […]
How to get slim and healthy and stay that way
August 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment
OK the title is a bit of a come-on but this week’s BBC2 investigation into the benefits of fasting by the Horizon team, actually entitled “Eat, fast and live longer “, did become very enthusiastic towards the end. Understandably. It wouldn’t be over-egging it too much to say that if you were looking for a single thing that […]
Antibiotics make you fat
August 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The eye-catching title of my article for the Daily Mail today on why frequent courses of antibiotics may not be such a good idea, highlights a new and emerging set of problem with these drugs. It’s not just weight gain that becomes more likely. There’s an increase in the risk of auto-immune disorders as well […]
Lifestyle alters ageing marker
May 6, 2012 by 2 Comments
Telomeres are the exciting new kids on the ageing block. We all have them and they play a crucial role in protecting our DNA when cells divide. They are linked with ageing because the older you get the shorter your telomeres become. So one big question about ageing is: If I keep my telomeres from getting too […]
Event (Closed): 3 May 2012; Participant at Healthy Ageing Conference
April 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment
College of MedicineConferenceHealthy Ageing: Radical New SolutionsThursday 3 May 2012 At Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists27 Sussex Place, London NW1 4RG 09.00 to 17.15 Closed to the public
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