Ra 4 Food - Health and Nutritional Tips

This article is part of an occasional series taking a basic look at each of the major food groups. This week we look at the foods we know as carbohydrates & their effect on our health.
Carbohydrates are a group of foods often referred to as ‘starchy’. They are our main source of energy providing the [...]

The National Institute for clinical excellence – NICE – has recommended major changes round convenience & processed food.
NICE – The UK’s leading health watchdog - has challenged both the government & the food industry to take action to improve the nation’s health through diet, saying that this should no longer just be a matter for [...]

Eating disorder charities are concerned that a marked rise in people obsessed with healthy eating may be indicative of a serious psychological condition.
Sufferers typically have strict rules around eating. Certain foods - such as sugar, salt, caffeine, gluten & dairy - are out, as are foods that contain artificial additives or may have come into [...]

Earlier in the month research suggested that coffee may give some protection against developing Parkinson’s disease. Now scientists have found evidence that drinking coffee may also result in a reduced risk of getting head & neck cancers.
The study, led by Mia Hashibe from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, used studies from the [...]

A new study has revealed that motorists who do not use screen wash for their windscreen wipers are at risk of contracting the potentially fatal Legionnaires ‘disease.
According to the NHS website, ‘Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially fatal lung infection (pneumonia) that is caused by the bacteria legionella.
The condition is called Legionnaires’ disease because it was [...]

New research indicates a twenty five per cent reduction in the risk of developing Parkinsosn’s disease among coffee drinkers.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition – the second most common worldwide - for which the causes are uncertain, & there is currently no cure. Around one hundred & twenty thousand people suffer from the condition [...]

The importance of calcium for our bones has long been publicized, but it seems that taking too much in the form of supplements can seriously damage our health.
Advertising calcium supplements for the prevention & treatment of osteoporosis - a condition where bones become so brittle that they break easily - has encouraged their widespread use. [...]

The prospect of a vaccine that can give protection from breast cancer is an exciting one, but news of the new trials need to be tempered with a realistic outlook – there’s still a long way to go.
Each year more than a million women are diagnosed with breast cancer throughout the world. It is currently [...]

Resuming sexual activity after having had a heart attack is perfectly safe for the majority of people, but unless this is discussed with patients by their doctor as part of the help & support they receive, they may worry about the possible consequences for their health.
Until recently little was known about what advice people receive [...]

Headache is one of the most frequent reasons for seeing a doctor. However, the medications taken to relieve the pain – both prescribed & over the counter - are often misused, with the ironic effect of causing rather than alleviating headaches.
Almost everyone gets a headache at some point, & for many the initial reaction is [...]