Dr. Chet’s Health Memos
If it’s in the health news today, I’ll be writing about it as soon as I read the research, both old and new. With my email Health Memos, you’ll know more about making lifestyle choices that will help you get and keep good health. These free, concise updates on health are emailed to subscribers twice a week. Subscribe today and get a free MP3, in English or Spanish, of Dr. Chet’s Top Ten Tips—Small Changes for a Healthier Life.
Dealing with the Chemicals in Our Lives
We began this journey with the EWG Dirty Dozen, examined common chemicals we come in contact with such as TCE, and looked at the latest threat—PFAS. These chemicals are ubiquitous, so we’re left with the challenge of how to protect ourselves. In reality, this is nothing new. Every home and business dumped waste into the […]
Chemicals in Our Water
Here’s one for you to mull over. We’ve been exposed to this chemical group since the 1940s. It’s not just one chemical such as TCE from Saturday’s Memo; there are thousands of forms of these chemicals. Based on samples from large groups of people, over 98% of us have them in our bodies; they’re found […]
Chemicals in Our Environment
We have always lived in a world of chemicals. Some were always part of the planet, such as water and the minerals in the earth; more and more, they’re made by humans when they convert raw materials into chemicals that we can use. As you can imagine, the problem is that whether raw or processed, […]
Chemicals in Foods
The last Memo focused on nutrients from foods versus nutrients from supplements. Coincidently, a long-time reader sent me a link to an article about the Dirty Dozen, recently published by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Paula also sent me articles to read on our exposure to chemicals in cleaning products and our environment. As a […]
Food or Supplements? Yes!
The results of the polyphenol study examining the impact on cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors were mixed. Here’s what the researchers found: The Upside Polyphenols in foods and supplements were effective in reducing risk factors for CVD, both independently and when combined. This wasn’t a seminal paper that changes approaches to nutrition forever, but there were […]
Food or Supplements?
One of the changes I’ve made in selecting topics to write about in these Memos is to read the table of contents of the scientific journals to which I subscribe, especially the nutrition journals. It’s easier to see what’s controversial by looking at news feeds, but they miss a lot of positive nutrition science. One […]
Erythritol: Reserve Judgment for Now
The study published in Nature Medicine on erythritol is complex to say the least. I gave you three quarters of the results. There was one more part that I want to cover and then give you my primary issues with the study. As I said in Tuesday’s Memo, I’ve posted a Straight Talk on Health […]
Is Erythritol Safe?
Health writers have been talking pro and con about a new study that was published about erythritol, a commonly used sugar alcohol. The paper demonstrated an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) if a person had too much of the sweetener in their bloodstream. In that sugar alcohols are found in more and […]
Protein Intake: Perspective Required
The research paper that concluded that higher protein intake was associated with muscle loss and sarcopenia seems to offer more questions than answers. That’s actually a good thing, because future research can examine those questions. But there are questions that the researchers didn’t mention. Researcher Observations This is an observational study. Simply put, the subjects […]
Is High Protein Intake Associated with Sarcopenia?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned studying health, fitness, and nutrition for 35 years, it’s this: what we thought we knew yesterday may change based on what we learn today. Given that, I was still surprised to see an article in my news feed with a title “High Protein Intake Associated With Sarcopenia.” The Taking […]
