Using diet for medicinal purposes has been known since the beginnings of medicine. Due to the lack of other methods, diet was also used in epilepsy treatment. The ketogenic diet has been used for over 80 years and it is quite effective. Even though pharmacological treatment of epilepsy is widely available nowadays, not every child with epilepsy responds well enough to it. This is the reason for the growing interest in ketogenic diet (KD).

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All the students beware! Nibbling sweets and drinking soda during cramming might actually threaten your exams. UCLA scientists found that unhealthy diet hampers the brain functions such as learning and memory. According to their findings, presented in the May edition of Journal of Physiology (1), rats watered with fructose solution were slow in finding the way out of a maze, which they had learnt before the introduction of diet. A mechanism responsible for this relation is connected with insulin receptor signalling and synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system. Fortunately, the researchers found the antidote – omega -3 fatty acids (n-3) minimize the harmful effects of high-sugar diet. Read full text »

In May 2011, researchers from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Meyerhofstrasse published a research in which they proposed division of intestinal flora into three enterotypes. Shortly after that, already in August 2011, a team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania classified existing enterotypes to specified diet in which they occur. The discovery was added to the list of the Top Scientific Discoveries of 2011 by The Science Magazine. Read full text »

We are all very much accustomed to the idea that good nutrition is essential for postoperative success. However, studies show that in case of organ transplantation it seems to be the other way round. Short term dietary restriction or fasting protects the transplanted kidney from failure. It seems that the consequences of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury can be diminished. As a mechanism of this reaction is unclear, recent studies show that glucose supplementation does not interfere with the fasting-induced renal protection. Read full text »

Stress, problems at work, difficult life situation are almost indispensable elements of the modern world. The constant rush additionally increases the tension and makes it difficult or even impossible to relax or rest. For many people the food is the way to deal with this type of emotions. It improves mood because it stimulates production of endorphins (called hormones of happiness), in the body. It is natural and one of the easiest ways to improve mood. But sometimes improving mood by food gets out of control and becomes an obsession. Read full text »

Nowadays, look is very often the determinant of success both in personal and professional life. Slim people are better perceived by the society which put more trust in them. That is why so much interest is devoted to all treatments improving appearance. Read full text »

Conventional approach to the therapy of osteoporosis has its drawbacks, hence various alternative substances are tested for their beneficial effects on bone metabolism. As soya isoflavons seem to lose their strong position in prevention of osteoporosis (1), the search for other plant-derived agents continues. Researchers from the Florida State University have been examining the healing potential of prunes for many years. They have just published their latest study (2), which suggests that enriching a diet with dried plums results in the increase of bone mineral density (BMD). Read full text »

Eating nuts every day could help control type 2 diabetes and prevent its complications. This is a conclusion from a study carried out by scientists from University of Toronto, published in Diabetes Care journal. Replacing the carbohydrates with 2 ounces (60 grams) of nuts daily, significantly altered blood glucose level and blood lipids profile in type 2 diabetes patients. Read full text »

Obesity is one of the greatest threats to the XXI century. World Health Organization reports that since 1980 until doubled the number of obese people. In 2008, nearly 1.5 billion adults over 20 years of age were overweight. In this group, 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese. As many as 65% of the world’s population lives in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight. Obesity is now a big problem also in children. In 2010, nearly 43 million children under 5 years of age were overweight in the world. Read full text »