In my last blog for the year, I thought I would tie in a Christmas theme and what better way than by unpicking Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol as a wonderful case study in vitamin D deficiency. Read on for more. A Christmas Carol is a classic tale describing the life of the miserly Ebenezer […]
Antioxidant supplements not a good training aid
Exercise has many health benefits, and one of the ways it achieves this is by the oxidative stress it places on the body. Now new research has found that athletes who take high doses of antioxidant supplements can impair the training adaptations from the beneficial stress which exercise causes. For active people, regular training is […]
Is it time to shine for vitamin D?
Vitamin D is attracting more than its fair share of attention in both the scientific and public spotlight. Long known for its role in keeping bones healthy, there is a growing list of health benefits being linked to this so called ‘sunshine vitamin’. The list of disease candidates is long and includes diabetes, cardiovascular disease, […]
The ‘worried well’: supplementing an already healthy diet
Following up from my recent blog post explaining why dietary supplements offer few benefits for most people, new research has found that people who take a mineral supplement actually consume more minerals from their normal diet than non-supplement users. The notion of the ‘worried well’ is certainly alive and kicking. Vitamin and mineral supplements are […]
Dietary supplements have few benefits for most people
A comprehensive review of clinical trials involving a wide range of popular dietary supplements has found that with the exception of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, there is little evidence to support their use in Western countries by the general population. Dietary supplements are big business, with around half of the Australian population using […]