Do high protein diets shorten lifespan?

I’ve written quite a lot on this blog about why a high protein diet is the most effective way to rapidly lose weight and achieve an optimal body composition. I’ve also written about how it’s been shown to prevent fractures and muscle loss in elderly people.

So it comes as a bit of a fly in the ointment when you hear that “ah yes, … Read more

Is a high protein diet effective for weight loss?

I’ve discussed in a previous article how studies on multiple different species of animal show that protein is the primary factor determining body weight. Put a mouse, a cockroach, or a monkey on a high protein diet (i.e. one where a high percentage of calories comes from protein), and it becomes lean. Switch it to a low protein diet, and it becomes obese.

Since this … Read more

Can drinking water help with weight loss?

People who want to lose weight are frequently told to drink more water. With that being the case, you would think that there would be plenty of strong scientific evidence to support this recommendation. You would think that, and you would be completely wrong. I’ve only been able to identify four randomised trials that have increased overweight people’s water intake and then followed them for … Read more

The low carb cure, with Dr. David Unwin

David Unwin is a primary care physician in the UK. For the last eight years he’s been running a long term cohort study in his clinic,  in which he treats his diabetic patients with a low carb diet. The study has generated massive amounts of useful data on what happens when patients with type 2 diabetes switch to a low carb diet. And the results … Read more

Is saturated fat unhealthy?

In a sense, I can’t believe I’m writing this article. From a scientific perspective, this issue has been firmly settled. The answer is very clearly “NO!”. And yet, if I google “is saturated fat unhealthy?”, then seven of the top nine results proclaim with great certainty that “yes, it is”.

Here’s what the NHS says to people living in the UK: “Too much saturated fat … Read more

Can a “high protein high calcium” diet prevent fractures?

A very interesting study was recently published in the British Medical Journal that looked at the ability of a “high protein high calcium” diet to prevent fractures. Well, I say high protein high calcium – what they were actually testing was what happens if you give frail elderly people (the people at greatest risk of fractures) a diet high in dairy – which doesn’t sound … Read more