Entries by Chet Zelasko

Only Three Seconds Faster

Eliud Kipchoge shattered the world record for the marathon by one minute, eighteen seconds. But breaking it down, that was about three seconds per mile faster. Sustaining that faster pace for the entire duration was an amazing physical feat but in its essence, it was three seconds per mile. Let’s carry the logic to weight […]

New World Record 2:01:39

The marathon is 26.2 miles. If you’ve ever done one, you know what kind of effort it takes to just finish a marathon. For people who are better runners, qualifying for the Boston Marathon is a significant goal. It takes intense training to achieve that goal. This past weekend, a Kenyan named Eliud Kipchoge set […]

Why I’ll Keep Taking My Probiotics

One thing I try never to do is to take cheap shots at research studies. I’ve acknowledged that my expertise in the methodologies of microbiome analysis is limited. I think that these research groups did something unique in their approach to assessing the microbiome. That doesn’t prevent me from pointing out some obvious issues with […]

New Probiotics Research Results

The methodology used in the two studies I’m reviewing is complicated. I mentioned the endoscopic biopsies on Tuesday (and a big thanks to the people who volunteered for an endoscopy); subsequent analysis of the actual microbiome utilizes very complex techniques. I’m not an expert in those techniques so I can’t assess the results the way […]

Research Update on Probiotics

Probiotics are the beneficial microbes that reside in and on our body. When a health headline suggests that taking probiotics may be hazardous to our health, that gets my attention. As a result, I spent the weekend going through two studies published in the journal Cell. That will form the basis of this week’s Memos. […]

Let Me Save You Some Time

Did you ever click on a photo that says, “This doctor gives you three foods you should never eat”? Evidently many of you do because it’s another question I get a lot. In this case, it takes you to a page that’s called an advertorial, a combination of a news release and an advertisement. In […]

Why You Need Prebiotics

As kids go back to school, let’s start the week after Labor Day by answering some questions. You know about probiotics, the beneficial microbes that live in and on our bodies and compose our microbiome, but one question that seems to be on a lot of people’s minds is prebiotics: why do you need them? […]

Be Wary of What You Read

Did you think about Thursday’s Memo? Especially if you’ve gotten into heated discussions about health on social media? I feel bad for anyone who was a victim of bots and trolls. I generally get the aftermath of a discussion—people who read what I write about vaccinations or artificial sweeteners or some health issue and think […]

Of Bots and Trolls

Have you heard any of these about vaccinations on social media or the Internet? “Big Pharma only wants vaccine profits.” “Natural immunity is better.” “Vaccines cause autism.” If you’ve read those articles, they seem to be full of truth about vaccinations, don’t they? Did you ever get into a conversation with someone who posted these […]

Are Prenatal Vaccinations Safe?

Vaccinations for infants and children always inspire debate. Sometimes, fierce debate. Today I’m going to look at a study that examined whether it’s safe for pregnant women to get the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccination or if it increases the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their babies. Researchers examined the records […]