What is nutrigenomics, and can it be used to make personalised nutrition recommendations in clinical practice?
Nutrigenomics is the study of how nutrients in the diet interact with an individual’s genetic make-up to affect their health (1). It combines knowledge from nutrition and genetics to understand how different nutrients and food components can affect gene expression, which can influence the development of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cancer. The […]
The Verdict on Coconut Oil
Earlier this year, Harvard professor Karen Michels proclaimed in a German lecture that coconut oil is “pure poison”. This comment took English-speaking media outlets by storm and went viral within days. However, it came as no surprise to most of us in the nutritional therapy world. Only last year, the Harvard Medical School posted a […]
How to cook vegetables to keep their bright pigment…
Cooking vegetables may seem obvious to many; after all, how hard can it be to bung them in a pan of boiling water until they’re soft? The problem is that many people don’t realise their method of cooking veggies can lead to all the goodness being cooked out or their vibrant colour becoming lost. Tired vegetables […]
Are genetic tests that probe into our genes and offer us advice beneficial?
Earlier this month I watched “Trust me, I’m a Doctor” with Michael Mosley. The question he raised was whether genetic tests that probe into our genes and offer us advice on what we should eat, how we should exercise, and whether we are predisposed to certain disease characteristics, are beneficial or simply a waste of […]
What is nutritional therapy – based on the functional medicine model?
Registered nutritional therapy practitioners practice nutritional therapy based on the Functional Medicine model. Their attention is focussed on the client, rather than any illness they may have. The emphasis is on lifestyle, diet and supplements as the primary intervention, and, if necessary, functional testing (such as conventional blood tests or more sophisticated functional tests) is considered to […]