Entries by Chet Zelasko

Research Update on Vitamin D

Vitamin D supplementation always seems to be in the health news; one day it’s beneficial, the next not so much. One of the problems is that many studies are observational studies. They take a large group of subjects, such as the Nurses Health Study, use food frequency questionnaires to assess vitamin D intake, and report […]

No Time for Exercise!

One complaint that I get all the time is this: people tell me they don’t have time to exercise. I can understand that. There are some days exercise just isn’t an option, especially when you’re sick. But that’s supposed to be the exception, not the usual situation, and it just isn’t true for most people. […]

Listen to Dr. Dog

When I’m traveling, I often scan the airline magazine. This past weekend, I found an intriguing article about dogs and disease. A woman had an unexplained weight gain after she moved across country several years ago. She also had repeated UTIs, bladder infections, and abdominal pain unexplained by digestive issues. She was treated and seemed […]

No Memos???

The devastating chest cold that’s been wiping out West Michigan came to our house early last week and stayed—that’s why there have been no Memos this week. We all got the congestion and cough, but other symptoms seem random: Riley had fever, Paula had chills, and I had muscle fatigue. Worse yet, it fogs the […]

HIIT Will Get You Fit

An Insider emailed me a link to a press release about high-intensity interval training, or HIIT for short. I’ve always used interval training, when I was a serious runner, and now as a way to increase my fitness level faster. That’s why I was a little surprised that a study suggested that you have to […]

Resistant Starch and Your Gut

After last week’s Memos on resistant starches, I received a couple of emails asking me to talk about related topics. I think they’re both important, so here we go. The first was something I mentioned but didn’t focus on. You may remember that I said that resistant starches can act as prebiotic to produce short-chain […]

Thyroid Function and Cruciferous Vegetables

A long-time friend and Memo reader asked this question: “Some Internet health experts and websites say to avoid raw broccoli if you have an underactive thyroid; I did that and my scores improved. Why?” The answer is complicated, but here’s what I found. Raw cruciferous vegetables contain phytonutrients that are important to our health. However, […]

Unusual Question: Resistant Starch and Food Prep

Resistant starch (RS) has qualities that are somewhat unique. As it’s being touted today, RS will help reduce the glycemic response to some carbohydrate-based foods. The issue is that when and how an RS containing food is prepared and consumed seems to be important. Let’s take a look. Food Preparation Methods The most natural forms […]

Unusual Questions: Resistant Starch

Recently an Insider asked what I knew about resistant starch and whether it can help control blood sugar in someone whose blood sugar was higher than normal. Here’s what I found. Resistant starch (RS) is found in many vegetables and some fruits. It resists digestion and absorption, especially in the small intestine. One of the […]

Unusual Questions: The Grit in Pears

Let’s kick off the 2020 Memos a little differently. Every health website is focusing on weight loss and fitness resolutions. Of course they are—it’s that time of year. But let’s be non-conformist and start by answering questions that may seem a little unusual, such as: is there any truth that cooking rice or pasta and […]