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If you havent noticed, were in the midst of a wellness craze, and it goes far beyond the latest fad diet. Type self care in a Google search and you will turn up 4.28 billion results in less than a second. Yes, thats billion with a B. The top meditation apps pulled in $195 million in 2019, up 52 percent from 2018. And even this very platform, Thrive Global, was founded on the basis of burnout in todays workforce and the need to improve overall well-being. (And its not the only media hub working wellness wonders Gwenyth Paltrows Goop is valued at $250 million.)

Yet, despite all of this wellness, more than 70% of Americans are overweight or obese, nearly 40% are clinically obese, and obesity has more than tripled in the last six decades. Whats up with that?

The body is a complex organism and what you put into it matters but thats not all. Its not so much about what you eat, but how your body consumes it. And while its not rocket science, we are learning that its more tricky than you think. More and more, science is pointing to the need for personalized nutrition. The idea that trendy diets are just that trends and what works for one persons weight loss, may not work for another; diets should be individualized based on a variety of unique health factors.

Back in November of 2018, I wrote a short blog about the need for entrepreneurs to fuel themselves with the right food, pointing out the lack of wearables that provide meaningful data on personal fuel levels. At the time, the venture capitalist in me predicted that there would be a host of startups popping up in the category in the near future. Well, that time is starting to slowly emerge.

Ive recently tried one on myself, testing NutriSense, a program that uses glucose sensors to provide data on how your body responds to different foods. The goal is to create a diet made specifically for your unique metabolism. The program pairs the user with trained dietitians for support and claims that eliminating only 10% of foods from your diet can make 90% of the difference.

So far, Ive enjoyed my experience with the wearable and have gleaned some valuable insights. For instance, Ive discovered foods that spike my blood sugar tortillas, for one as well as non-dietary triggers like stress. Stress, then, could be a major factor in contributing to weight gain for me. And based on past experience, it has been. During one of the most stressful periods of my life (recall, the airport collapse), I was also at my unhealthiest weight.

NutriSense is not the only company playing in the personalized nutrition space. Companies like Caura, Habit, Oviva, Viome, and Livongo are just a few of the many others popping up. And there wont be a slow down anytime soon the personalized nutrition industry is predicted to be a $64 billion market by 2040. Who wouldnt like a piece of that market share?!

Going back to that idea that entrepreneurs need to be fueling their bodies with the right stuff, based on the above, weve learned that the right stuff will look different for everyone. That said, I do believe there are some healthy practices that are beneficial to all. Here are some of my tried-and-true favorites.

While you may not be ready to jump on board with nutrition wearables, I do recommend that you start to pay attention to what you eat and how it fuels your body and mind (or fails to do so). This will ultimately allow you to optimize your diet and show up as your best self. You might be surprised at what you can accomplish when your body is performing optimally.

See the rest here:
Why the Right Diet Looks Different for Everyone - Thrive Global

Gal Gadot is without a doubt a true Wonder Woman. She juggles her role as a mother and wife with her work, which landed her a part in one of the most recent DC Comics productions, a role that needed her to do a fair bit of a work and be in outstanding shape. For her, none of this has been a problem since she was not only part of her country's defense forces as a combat instructor, but she is also an exercise fanatic and has a healthy diet that never fails to keep her in shape.

Contrary to what you might think, the celebrity does not deny herself any foods or follow strict diets, since the actress' secret lies in balanced nutrition. She is crazy about pasta and hamburgers, which she lets herself eat in moderation without going overboard, as she explained in an interview in Marie Claire. As far as her daily nutrition, she insisted that she cannot go without vegetables, fruits, and proteins like fish and chicken, which must always be either boiled or baked.

One of her social media habits is posting photos of her meals, showing that having a balanced, varied diet is what is best and healthiest for your body. Of course, she has to have traditional dishes from Israelher native countryas part of her diet. For example, Gadot describes shakshuka as an excellent choice for breakfast, which is a mix of tomatoes, poached eggs, peppers, cayenne pepper, and olive oil.

As a mother, she also tries to teach healthy habits to her daughters Alma and Maya. She and her husband, businessman Jaron Varsano, prepare green smoothies and natural juices every morning to eat healthy. The actress explained that they also try to replace soda with water at meals.

See the rest here:
Gal Gadot and the diet that lets her eat pasta and hamburgers - HOLA! USA

SAN ANTONIO For many who develop type-2 diabetes, they become reliant on medicationand, in many cases, more than one type. But it is possible to roll back diabetes and get off the medications with diet and exercise.

"It was eight-point-something and now we are down to 5.7, which is borderline diabetic. Anything under six is where I want to stay," said Armida Oliver, a diabetes patient for the past 10 years, while discussing her A1C number. "That was about two or three years ago. I'm down to just one medication and my numbers have been great."

At one point she was taking three medications: Metformin, Januvia, and Invokana. But thanks to diet and exercise, she managed to drop two of them, along with 55 pounds.

"I join my sisters for senior water aerobics every morning. We try Monday through Friday, but we are happy if we go four times a week," Oliver said.

Some of the benefits of exercise for diabetes includes lowered blood sugar levels, improved insulin sensitivity, reduced body fat, a lowered risk of heart disease and an enhanced quality of life.

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"Miss Oliver is really a model patient. She's the perfect example of someone who, through lifestyle modifications, has been able to not only get her diabetes under control, but really throwing the diabetes into what we call remission," said Dr. Alberto Chavez, an endocrinologist with the Texas Diabetes Institute within the University Health System.

He added there has been some debate about what diabetes remission really means.

"The bottom line is that it is a reality that patients can get off of medications or many amounts of medications by making meaningful lifestyle changes," Chavez said.

That is exactly what Oliver did in cutting her medications from three to one.

"I take it faithfully and I know that I can't have two donuts in one sitting," she said. "I'm not depriving myself, but, by the same token, I just limit myself."

For more information about family health, call (210)358-3045. You can also find the rest of Wear The Gown stories, just go to WearTheGown.com.

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Wear The Gown: Rolling back diabetes with diet and exercise - KENS5.com

keto friendly sign - a paper tag with a twine isolated on white, food products supporting keto diet

Ketones are a family of chemicals made by your liver, usually out of the bodys fat, to provide energy when you need it. Right now, youve almost certainly got some ketones circulating in your blood. If you fast for the better part of a day, the level of ketones in your blood will rise, as your body turns to its stored fat to make up for the lack of carbohydrates (aka sugars) in your system.

The keto diet tries to hypercharge all this ketone production. The basic idea is that when people forgo almost all carbohydrates, shun excess proteins, and load up on fat, their bodies will respond by producing ketones.

But will all that ketone production do any good?

Lets start with weight loss. The keto diet is a cousin of several other popular weight loss approaches, things like the Atkins plan or the paleo diet. Compared to these other diet plans, the keto diet leads to more weight loss among people tracked for at least a year. But before you get too excited about that result, keep this in mind. Across all the studies analyzed, people on the keto diet lost only about a pound or two more than those on other diets. No sugars; almost no protein; and youll lose a couple extra pounds? Its up to you to decide if thats worth it.

What about diabetes control? When researchers combine data from all the randomized trials on the topic, they found that the keto diet is no better at lowering your blood sugar than any other diet.

How about controlling your cholesterol levels through a keto diet? Sorry, it wont help, and may even raise your lipid levels.

Alongside these meager to non-existent benefits, the keto diet carries some important risks, from the seemingly minor (fatigue, constipation, muscle cramps) to more serious problems (like kidney stones, pancreatitis, and bone fractures).

And of course, as Shivam Joshi from NYU recently wrote, when people follow the keto diet, they miss out on all the benefits of whole grains, fruits, and legumes.

The bottom line appears clear to me: if you want to get (or stay) healthy, stay clear of the keto diet.

Follow this link:
What You Need To Know About The Keto Diet - Forbes

Milk has been a staple of dietary guidelines for decades. But, do kids actually need it?

Hana Kahleova, MD, PhDdirector of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a nonprofit that counts more than 12,000 members of the medical communitytold LIVEKINDLY over the phone that you can raise healthy kids without dairy. In fact, they may be better off without it.

There are several health issues associated with milk and dairy consumption, Kahleova explained. The first one is lactose intolerance.

Around age five, it is physiological that many humans develop lactose intolerance, she explained. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), 95 percent of Asians, 60 to 80 percent of African Americans and Ashkenazi Jews, 80 to 100 percent of Native Americans, and 50 to 80 percent of Hispanics are affected by lactose intolerance.

So, were talking about large numbers of people who are lactose intolerant and for these affected individuals, milk can cause bloating, diarrhea, and gas. They are just not able to digest milk properly, Kahleova added.

Sugar is another issue. An eight-ounce serving of fat-free milk contains 11 grams of sugar. Too much sugar is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, tooth decay, weight gain, and poor nutrition, according to the Mayo Clinic. Kahleova explained, if milk is a key component of a childs diet, this is a significant source of added sugar thats not only unhealthy but may be associated with other problems.

Then, theres the potential of negatively affecting heart health. Milk is not only a source of lactose but also a source of cholesterol and fat, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, said Kahleova.

Diets heavy in milk may also raise ones risk of cancer. In human studies, milk consumption has been tied to prostate, ovarian, and breast cancer, she continued. Harvard University studies have confirmed this link.

There are more risks: Another association has been identified between milk and ovarian cancer, particularly in African American women. A recent study from Loma Linda University by Dr. Gary Fraser has also shown that milk consumption is strongly associated with breast cancer, Kahleova explained. According to the study, one cup of milk a day increases breast cancer risk by 50 percent. Two to three cups a day increases the risk by 70 to 80 percent. Even small amountslike a third of a cup dailyraises the risk by 30 percent.

What is causing the cancer risk? The protein content may be one explanation, said Kahleova: If we get such a huge amount of protein in our diets, this increases the Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations and drives up the risk of cancer.

Hormones may be another factor: dairy cows are forcibly impregnated to get them to produce milk and because of this, there are some traces of estrogen in milk. This has been associated with higher mortality in women with breast cancer and also lower sperm count in men.

Another reason not to drink cows milk? Human babies and baby cows have different nutritional needs.

Its interesting to note that human milk has a slightly higher percentage of fat compared to cows milk, said Kahleova. This is because infants need less protein and more fat as their source of energy. Fat is also needed to develop the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.

While breast milk is higher in fat, theres a problem with the fat content in cows milk: its oxidized. When cows milk is processed, it comes into contact with oxygen, which oxidizes the cholesterol. Oxidized cholesterol is highly atherogenicit can contribute to the formation of fatty plaques in the arteries, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease.

Whole milk contains 3.3 grams of protein per 100 grams in contrast to 1.3 grams in the same amount of breast milk. The difference is due to nature.Babies need to double their birth weight in about 180 days while cows need to double their birth weight in about 40 days, so they have completely different physiological needs, Kahleova explained.

She added, In summary, milk and dairy consumption is associated with significant health risks and its definitely not something that humans need.

If kids dont really need milk, then why do we think they do? A lot of it is about marketing.

The dairy industry is regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which also oversees checkoff marketing agencies like Dairy Management Inc., whose job is to promote milk.

The Washington, D.C.-based National Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) plays a similar role. Its efforts include procuring Olympic athlete sponsorships, trying to convince athletes to perform at their best and recover with low-fat chocolate milk, and targetting children.

On Milk It!, a MilkPEP YouTube channel created to promote milk to kids, videos range from DIY ice cream to making a milk plastic replica of Neil Armstrongs footprint on the moon. It features a young Olympic skateboarding hopeful who fuels her awesome with dairy. There is also a dramatic series of commercials called The World Is Yours, which shows child athletes dominating their sport-of-choice, thanks to milk.

The YouTube channel isnt the MilkPEPs first attempt at courting younger consumers. In 1995, it licensed the California Milk Boards Got Milk? slogan to run a series of print ads featuring celebrities, athletes, and cartoon characters. Power up! said an ad featuring Nintendos Mario. Want to grow? The calcium in milk helps your bones grow.

Keeping in character, it added: Mamma mia!

What should kids drink, if not cows milk? The U.S. governments MyPlate Plan notes that fortified soy milk is fine. Not only is there no estrogen, like there is in cows milk, but there are also isoflavones, which are associated with a lower breast cancer risk.

My daughter loves all vegan milk but shes especially into Oatly oat milk, said Jill Ettinger, editor-in-chief at LIVEKINDLY.

Despite pushback from the dairy industry and media op-eds about kids missing out on necessary nutrition from milk, shes never received any pushback for raising her daughter vegan. Not from my daughters pediatrician or from other parents. Im often surprised at how many other families are no longer drinking cows milk. A lot of parents tell me theyre using almond or oat or other vegan milk at home, she said.

While milk alternatives are easy to sort out, people still have reservations about cheese.Parents (and kids!) can be doubtful, but then they try it and have a total change of heart. Miyokos has been a huge hit in our house and with friends, she added.

And for infants, breast milk is best. Children should be breastfed exclusively for at least six months and then should continue to be breastfed together with other food introduced to their diet until about a year, said Kahleova. The longer a child consumes breast milk, the better. There is no need for infants to consume cows milk.

At the age of five, most children in the cultures around the world develop lactose intolerance, she added. So to say that dairy is indispensable to their health, we would be ignoring the fact that most cultures dont consume dairy or milk on a regular basis.

Summary

Article Name

Kids Dont Need Dairy In Their Diet (Vegan Milk Will Do!)

Description

Do kids need to drink cow's milk? Many medical professionals say ditch dairy and give your children vegan milk to drink instead.

Author

Kat Smith

Publisher Name

LIVEKINDLY

Publisher Logo

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Kids Dont Need Dairy In Their Diet (Vegan Milk Will Do!) - LIVEKINDLY

For three consecutive years,The Mediterranean diet has been awarded diet of the year by the U.S. News & World Report.

As far as overall health is concerned, the ancient regimen is hard to beat but there are plans that emphasize nutriments of more material to individuals living with chronic conditions.

The Dash Diet was conceived back in 1992 by the National Institute of Health in an effort to curb rising hypertension and CVD statistics in the United States. The intervention method, which called for a surplus of fresh ingredients and disallowed heavily processed foods, is inching back towards relevance in the midst of a global viral crisis.

Half of the first 170 patients who died of COVID-19 suffered from hypertension before contracting the novel infection.

From what I was told by other doctors and the data I can see myself, among all the underlying diseases, hypertension is a key dangerous factor, said Du, director of the intensive care unit at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in the Chinese capital of Beijing in a press statement.

The Dash Diet is designed to eliminate dietary agents that spike inflammation and clog arteries. Pending pandemic aside, heart disease remains the number one killer in the US by a sizeable margin.

In the last 50 years in the US, clinicians have seen a rise in diseases including hypertension (HTN), diabetes, obesity, and coronary artery disease (CAD). An estimated 2000 people die of heart disease every day in the US. Chronic diseases related to diet and obesity have become major causes of death in the US across all ethnicities. Obesity has been linked to the major etiological factor in diabetes, HTN, cancer, and CAD, write the team of researchers that established the regimen.

The diet allows 2,000 calories a day, primarily composed of whole-grain ingredients.

Five hundred-thousand Americans go bankrupt on behalf of medical debt a year, making diet science more pertinent than ever.

Heres what you can eat

And heres what you shouldnt

If youre dealing with elevated blood pressure or other cardiovascular risks, theres no question about it; but even if youre looking to lose weight before hitting the beach this summer, the DASH diet may be safer for you compared to the keto diet or Whole30, explains Stefani Sassos, MS, RDN, CSO, CDN, a registered dietitian within the Good Housekeeping Institute

All of the probative data on the COVID-19s development suggest we might be in the trench for longer than previously assumed. In the meantime, remember to sanitize and fortify your body against harmful agents.

The Dash Diet is a good place to start if you have a history of CVD, high blood pressure or hypertension.

Read this article:
The surprising weight loss diet that may protect you from Coronavirus - Ladders

World Kidney Day 2020: Reduce your salt intake to control the risk of kidney stones

World Kidney Day is observed on March 12 every year. This day aims to highlight the importance of kidneys to overall health. It also tries to spread information about different kidney diseases and how to prevent these. Kidney stones are a painful condition. These stones are hard deposits that form inside the kidneys. A kidney stone can cause severe pain in the side and back, below the ribs. Other symptoms of kidney stones may include pain during urination, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, urination more than usual and persistent need to urinate. You can avoid kidney stones with right diet. Drinking enough water is considered as the best practice to keep your kidneys healthy. The more liquid in your diet, the lesser is the risk of developing kidney stones and other kidney diseases. Here are some basics of a kidney stone diet.

Add more citrus to your diet: Citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, lemon or pineapple are can help you reduce the risk of developing kidney stones. You can consume either fruit or fruit juice.

Also read:World Kidney Day 2020: Know The Early Signs Of Kidney Failure, Causes And Treatment Options

Add more calcium to your diet: Good levels of calcium can also help you prevent the formation of kidney stones. Add more dairy to your diet or other sources of calcium legumes, dark green vegetables, nuts and seeds. Also, add vitamin D to your diet for better calcium absorption.

Kidney stone diet: Add more calcium to your diet to prevent kidney stonesPhoto Credit: iStock

Moderate amount of plant-based protein: It is advised to add plant-based protein to your diet in moderation. Whereas, animal-based protein should be strictly avoided.

Limit salt: High sodium diet can significantly increase the risk of developing kidney stones. Most processed foods are high in salt and sugar. Avoid consuming too much salt.

High sodium diet is harmful to your kidneysPhoto Credit: iStock

Animal protein: Many are dependent on animal-based foods for protein requirements. Adding too much animal-based protein can reduce the levels of chemicals in the urine which prevents kidney stone formation. It is advised to consume animal-based protein in moderation.

Also read:10 Habits That Can Harm Your Kidneys

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

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World Kidney Day 2020: Do's And Don'ts Of Kidney Stone Diet; Know What To Eat And Avoid - NDTV News

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) currently affects approximately one in ten adults worldwide(Photo: Adobe. Do not use without permission)

Maintaining healthy kidneys is often overlooked in the fight against chronic diseases.

Yet, chronic kidney disease (CKD) currently affects approximately one in ten adults worldwide and its burden is increasing. By 2040, it is projected to become the fifth most common cause of years of life lost globally.

March 12 is World Kidney Day and this year this years theme is preventive interventions to avert the onset and progression of kidney disease.

As a nephrologist, I would argue there is nothing more powerful than optimal plant-based nutrition to help achieve these goals.

World Kidney Day 2020 will look atpreventive interventions to avert the onset and progression of kidney disease (Photo: World Kidney Day)

The two most common causes of CKD are diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension), which are together responsible for up to two-thirds of cases.

In fact, up to 30 percent of people with diabetes will develop CKD within 20 years of their diagnosis.

Fortunately, there is now established evidence that dietary change is a powerful strategy to treat both diabetes and hypertension, as it addresses their root cause: the highly processed, energy dense, nutrient-poor standard Western diet.

Research shows that shifting to a more whole food plant-based diet can not only prevent but even reverse these conditions.

However, it doesnt stop there. Plant-strong diets seem to be protective against the development of CKD and the initiation of dialysis even with statistical adjustment for people with diabetes, obesity and hypertension.

Diet is critical in the management of all CKD, even if the disease is caused by conditions such as auto-immune diseases, polycystic kidneys or malformations from birth.

In all cases, a standard Western diet contributes significantly to chronic kidney damage and therefore plays a major role in the progressive worsening of kidney function and the development of end-stage kidney failure.

This is good news for anyone with a diagnosis of CKD, as diet change can significantly slow the progression of the disease and enhance both quality and years of life.

A healthy plant-based diet can help in maintaining kidney health(Photo: Adobe. Do not use without permission)

One of the most important dietary factors for kidney health is protein intake, with both observational and controlled trials associating high protein consumption with kidney damage.

Healthy plant-based diets are naturally lower in protein, whilst remaining sufficient. Not only that, but protein from plants also appears to be better for kidney health than animal-based proteins.

Every piece of food we eat is made up of acid and base pre-cursors that affect the acid-base balance in our blood. Animal-derived and refined foods are generally net acid-producing, whilst fruits, vegetables and legumes are net alkali-producing.

Chronic acidosis is not only associated with a loss of bone mass, impaired heart function and increased risk of death, but also contributes to worsening kidney function. It is therefore unsurprising that high dietary acid load (i.e. high consumption of animal foods) has been shown to significantly increase the risk of kidney failure and markers of kidney disease progression.

Lastly, as well as slowing kidney function decline, a whole food plant-based diet addresses many complications seen in advanced kidney disease such as cardiovascular disease, high blood levels of phosphate, and buildup of uremic toxins.

Plant-based nutrition is not only an effective tool for primary prevention of kidney disease onset, but it can also play a powerful role slowing disease progression and averting severe complications.

This World Kidney Day, I encourage everyone to raise awareness of both kidney disease and this underutilized approach to reduce its increasing impact on society.

For a more detailed article by Dr Taeed on plant-based diets for kidney health, visit Doctors For Nutrition.

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World Kidney Day 2020: Plant-Based Diets Offer Hope For Prevention And Treatment Of Kidney Disease - Plant Based News

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When youre on the keto diet, you have to make sure everything is on the up and up. You cant slip, otherwise it is all for naught. Even when it comes to stuff like the protein powder you use at the gym. So if you want to pick up the right kind of protein powder for your new keto lifestyle, you should head on over to Real Ketones and pick up the Grass Fed Protein Powder with Ketones.

What makes this protein powder so great? Well, for one, it is the only keto protein powder that mixes the energy you get from ketones with the building blocks of protein. When you use this powder you will recover faster, cravings for those non-keto foods will disappear, and you will have the energy and will to keep on going during your workout.

The Grass Fed Protein Powder with Ketones can do all of this because of how it is made. And it is made with some of the best ingredients out there. Such as the electrolytes it uses. Youll get a full suite of sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. With these in your system, you will have the energy you need when working out. Theyll also move the water and fluids in your body, as well as other vital processes to keep your body going strong.

It also helps that the Grass Fed Protein Powder with Ketones is made with the right kind of protein. This prime performance protein is a high-grade whey protein that is rich in amino acids. This protein is going to be absorbed into your body very quickly. That way recovery and energy is right around the corner. And since theyre made with Ketones, itll be digested and absorbed in such a way that the amino acids wont be consumed for energy or stored as fat.

Plenty of protein powders arent the best thing in the world to ingest, taste-wise. But you gotta do it if you want to get the most out of your workout. But with the Grass Fed Protein Powder with Ketones, you will get an amazing tasting shake out of this powder. Choose between fudge brownie or vanilla cream to get an amazing tasting meal out of your shake that will deliver all the nutrients you need from a meal.

So if you want to burn fat while adding a ton of muscle to your physique, look no further than the Grass Fed Protein Powder with Ketones. It is key for those of yall that want to stay on Keto. Dont believe me? Then why not look to the word of Dom DAgostino. Hes a world-renowned Keto scientist who has put his support behind the work from Real Ketones. Pick up a container now and fuel your workout in the healthiest way possible.

Get It: Pick up the Grass Fed Protein Powder with Ketones ($50) at Real Ketones

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The you are what you eat connection between food consumption and health outcomes is so well-established its practically irrefutable. Search diet and disease on PubMed (the go-to database for scientific research) and youll get over 150,000 results and thats just one search term. Theres robust evidence that a diet rich in fruit, veg, wholegrains, fish and nuts can dial down your risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer and stroke, while dietary villains like soft drinks and processed meat do the opposite. You can drill down further, and link specific nutrients to health outcomes for instance, we know insufficient iron causes anaemia, zinc promotes immunity, while magnesium regulates blood pressure.

Still, our knowledge wasnt always at this level its taken some fearless scientists with a keen interest in self-experimentation to prove that what we ingest impacts our disease risk, as British doctor and science presenter Dr Michael Mosley reveals in episode three of Medical Mavericks.

Its hard to believe, but back in the 18th century, Mosley tells us, the human body was simply a machine which burnt fuel and it really didnt matter what the fuel was. Then, along came Dr William Stark, who in 1769, disproved this. To discover which foods were good and which were bad, he put himself on a diet of bread and water, adding in large amounts of unhealthy foods such as honey pudding, one by one. It was his decision to add Cheshire cheese next, instead of fruit, which ultimately led to his death from scurvy. He might have gone on to become one of the early pioneers of vitamin research, instead he became the first martyr of nutritional science, says Mosley.

Another case of self-experimentation that Mosley investigates in the episode is that of late scientist Dr Hugh Sinclair. Convinced that heart disease was caused by eating too little rather than too much fat, he put himself on an Inuit diet rich in oily fish and seal blubber. It was a perilous experiment: while fish oils produce less cholesterol than saturated fat, consuming them in excess can interfere with blood clotting. He would have had a risk of a severe gastric bleed on that diet and possibly having a stroke, says Professor Tom Sanders from King's College London, who appears in the episode.

It was his decision to add Cheshire cheese next, instead of fruit, which ultimately led to his death from scurvy.

After three months on the diet, Sinclair's blood had thinned significantly from the diet - from four minutes to a whopping 50. Hed finally proven the potency of essential fatty acids, Mosley tells us.

Calorie restrictors are other self-experimenters under Mosleys microscope in this episode. These sticklers for self-denial dramatically slash their energy intake, with the pay-off being reduced oxidative stress, which in turn protects against age-related disease.

According to a 2019 Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology study, people who stuck to a calorie-restriction diet for two years had a persistent and significant reduction in cardiometabolic risk factors, plus improvements in C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation), insulin sensitivity and metabolic syndrome scores.

There is a core of probably 50 people who are doing a real experiment on themselves because they are the people who are really convinced that calorie restriction will allow them to live longer, says Dr Luigi Fontana from the Italian National Institute of Health in Medical Mavericks. In the episode, Mosley meets calorie restrictor Dave Fisher, who has been living on less than two-thirds of the normal calorie intake for 17 years. Both men go through a batch of health tests (such as sight, hearing, lung capacity and reaction times, all of which deteriorate with age), with Fisher coming up trumps. Thankfully I did beat him with my lung function test, Mosley notes with relief.

The doctor takes on a fish-eating marathon. Source: Sharyn Cairns

As a self-professed human guinea pig, Mosley cant resist an extreme experiment of his own in this episode, putting himself on a two-month-long fish binge, involving bountiful oily fish and fish oil. Its claimed eating oily fish reduces the risk of blood clotting, declares Mosley. So at the start and end of my experiment, I'm going to measure my bleeding time.

His initial bleeding time clocks in at four minutes and 11 seconds. Skip to the end of the experiment and it nearly doubles, to eight minutes and 12 seconds. It means Im much less likely to develop blood clots which in turn means Im much less likely to have a heart attack, he says. Thankfully, theres no need for the rest of us to dabble in kooky experiments: a balanced, wholefoods-based diet is pretty hard to go wrong with.

Dr Michael Mosley explores the ways in which pioneering doctors laid the foundations of modern medicine by experimenting on themselves.Michael mosley: Medical Mavericks, Diets & Disease airs on Monday, March 16 at 9:40pm on SBS and then it will be available via SBS On Demand.

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Michael Mosley investigates the links between diets and disease - SBS

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