Michael Greger, M.D. blogs at NutritionalFacts.org. "The goal of this website is to present you with the results of the latest in nutrition and health research, presented in a way that is easy to understand."
Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood
17 Jun 2013
Fukushima and Radioactivity in Seafood
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DESCRIPTION: The majority of radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear power plant tragedy was absorbed by the [...]
DESCRIPTION: The majority of radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear power plant tragedy was absorbed by the Pacific Ocean. What does that mean for seafood safety?
Unfortunately our oceans have become humanity's sewers; everything eventually flows down into the sea. This has implications for other aspects of seafood safety:
Childhood Tea Drinking May Increase Fluorosis Risk
14 Jun 2013
Childhood Tea Drinking May Increase Fluorosis Risk
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DESCRIPTION: Green tea consumption may help prevent cavities, but excessive consumption among young children [...]
Childhood Tea Drinking May Increase Fluorosis Risk
DESCRIPTION: Green tea consumption may help prevent cavities, but excessive consumption among young children may lead to dental fluorosis due to the natural fluoride content of the plant.
Can Cranberry Juice Treat Bladder Infections?
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DESCRIPTION: Cranberries may reduce the recurrence of urinary tract infections, but their role in treating [...]
If cranberries are so good at keeping bacteria from sticking to the wall of the bladder, what about keeping bacteria from sticking to other places like our teeth? That's the subject of my next video, Childhood Tea Drinking May Increase Fluorosis Risk (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/childhood-tea-drinking-may-increase-fluorosis-risk/).
Avoiding Chicken To Avoid Bladder Infections
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DESCRIPTION: Handling chicken can lead to the colonization of one's colon with antibiotic resistant E. [...]
DESCRIPTION: Handling chicken can lead to the colonization of one's colon with antibiotic resistant E. coli that may result in bladder infections in women.
Bacterial Vaginosis and Diet
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DESCRIPTION: A more plant-based diet may help prevent vaginal infections, one of the most common gynecological problems of [...]
Lavender for Migraine Headaches
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DESCRIPTION: A placebo-controlled clinical trial of lavender essential oil aromatherapy shows it to be an effective migraine [...]
Lavender for Generalized Anxiety Disorder
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DESCRIPTION: In a double-blind study, lavender oil worked as well as the valium-like drug lorazepam (Ativan) for [...]
DESCRIPTION: In a double-blind study, lavender oil worked as well as the valium-like drug lorazepam (Ativan) for relief of persistent anxiety, though there are concerns about estrogenic effects.
Gut Feelings: Probiotics and Mental Health
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DESCRIPTION: We've known our mental state can affect our gut flora, but might our good bacteria be affecting [...]
Should Probiotics Be Taken Before, During, or After Meals?
29 May 2013
Should Probiotics Be Taken Before, During, or After Meals?
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DESCRIPTION: Proper timing of probiotic supplements may improve their survival.
What dose should [...]
Should Probiotics Be Taken Before, During, or After Meals?
I was surprised to find so few actual data on this topic, but that is par for the course for much advice about dietary supplements. See, for example, this series:
Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics?
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DESCRIPTION: Though prebiotics may be preferable, probiotics may reduce the risk of upper respiratory tract [...]
Preventing and Treating Diarrhea with Probiotics
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DESCRIPTION: Probiotics may help prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea and appear to speed recovery from [...]
Of course the best way to avoid antibiotic-associated diarrhea is to prevent the need for antibiotics in the first place by avoiding infection. See, for example:
Breast Cancer Risk: Red Wine vs. White Wine
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DESCRIPTION: Modest lifestyle changes that include the avoidance of alcohol may cut the odds of breast cancer [...]
DESCRIPTION: Modest lifestyle changes that include the avoidance of alcohol may cut the odds of breast cancer in half, but certain grapes appear to contain natural aromatase inhibitors that may undermine the ability of breast tumors to produce their own estrogen.
Wasn't there a study that found that fruits and vegetables weren't protective against cancer, though? See my video on the EPIC Study (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/).
Boosting Immunity While Reducing Inflammation
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DESCRIPTION: Cooked white mushroom consumption stimulates antibody production while potentially still playing [...]
Black Raspberries versus Oral Cancer
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DESCRIPTION: Black raspberries may cause complete clinical regression of precancerous oral lesions (oral intraepithelial [...]
Berries in general are the healthiest fruits and I encourage everyone to try to fit them into their daily diet. Here are a few of my 37 other videos on berries (http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries/):
Strawberries versus Esophageal Cancer
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DESCRIPTION: A randomized phase 2 clinical trial on the ability of strawberries to reverse the progression to esophageal [...]
DESCRIPTION: A randomized phase 2 clinical trial on the ability of strawberries to reverse the progression to esophageal cancer.
This is one of the most important papers I've seen recently. Why isn't this headline news? If there was instead some new drug that reversed cancer progression, you can bet it would be all over the place. But who's going to profit from revelations about berries? Other than, of course, the millions of people at risk for this devastating cancer. If you appreciate this website, please consider making a tax-deductible donation (https://nutritionfacts.org/donate/) to support my work.
Cranberries versus Cancer
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DESCRIPTION: Drug companies and supplement manufacturers have yet to isolate the components of cranberries that suppress cancer [...]
Which Fruit Fights Cancer Better?
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DESCRIPTION: The ability of eleven common fruits to suppress cancer cell growth in vitro was compared. Which was most [...]
DESCRIPTION: The ability of eleven common fruits to suppress cancer cell growth in vitro was compared. Which was most effective—apples, bananas, cranberries, grapefruits, grapes, lemons, oranges, peaches, pears, pineapples, or strawberries?
The Lie That Heals: Should Doctors Give Placebos?
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DESCRIPTION: About half of doctors admit to intentionally deceiving patients by prescribing placebos, [...]
Breast Cancer and Alcohol: How Much is Safe?
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DESCRIPTION: Nearly 5,000 breast cancer deaths a year may be attributable to just light drinking (up to one [...]
Eating Healthy on a Budget
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DESCRIPTION: When measured on a cost per serving, cost per weight, or cost per nutrition basis, fruits and vegetables beat out [...]
Does a Drink Of Water Make Children Smarter?
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DESCRIPTION: Most children don't drink water from when they wake to when they go off to school. Interventional [...]
DESCRIPTION: Most children don't drink water from when they wake to when they go off to school. Interventional trials show this mild state of dehydration may negatively affect scholastic performance. This is one of those groundbreaking findings (like my gargling video http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-gargling-prevent-the-common-cold/) that will likely never see the light of day because there's no profit motive for promotion. We're guaranteed to be assailed about all the new drugs and surgical advances because there's big business behind getting the word out. But who profits from tap water? Or even broccoli for that matter. That's one of the reasons I created this site, to bring to light all the findings that would otherwise just get buried in medical library basements (or, increasingly, vast private databases). If you've found this site useful, please consider making a donation (https://nutritionfacts.org/donate/) to keep this site alive and kicking.
Flaxseeds For Breast Pain
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DESCRIPTION: A tablespoon a day of ground flaxseeds appears to improve ovarian function and is considered a first-line therapy [...]
DESCRIPTION: A tablespoon a day of ground flaxseeds appears to improve ovarian function and is considered a first-line therapy for breast pain associated with one's period (cyclical mastalgia). What if your diet is packed with plants? See my last video, Plant-Based Diets For Breast Pain (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diets-for-breast-pain/).
Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection
26 Apr 2013
Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection
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DESCRIPTION: Expanding on the subject of my upcoming appearance on The Dr. Oz Show, a landmark [...]
Carnitine, Choline, Cancer and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection
DESCRIPTION: Expanding on the subject of my upcoming appearance on The Dr. Oz Show, a landmark new article in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that choline in eggs, poultry, dairy and fish produces the same toxic TMAO as carnitine in red meat, which may help explain plant-based protection from heart disease and prostate cancer.
It was such an honor to be on The Dr. Oz Show last week. It's expected to air during sweeps week next month. I'll announce the date on the NutritionFacts.org Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NutritionFacts.org).
When I say we normally make all the carnitine we need, there's a rare genetic inborn error of metabolism that affects as many as 1 in 40,000 births, which can result in a need for dietary carnitine. Learn more in my video When Meat Can Be a Lifesaver (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/when-meat-can-be-a-lifesaver/).
What does carnitine do? It's involved in energy production in the mitochondria ("power plants") in our cells. The enzyme that uses carnitine to help us burn fat, carnitine palmitoyl transferase, is actually upregulated by about 60% in those eating meat-free diets, which may help explain why those eating plant-based diets tend to be slimmer. More details in my video How to Upregulate Metabolism (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-upregulate-metabolism/).
Plant-Based Diets For Breast Pain
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DESCRIPTION: Plant-based diets appear to offer relief from a variety of menstrual symptoms, including cramping, bloating, [...]
The extraordinarily low rates of chronic disease among those eating traditional plant-based Bantu diets was one of the inspirations for Nathan Pritikin's work. See the series of videos that starts with Engineering a Cure (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/engineering-a-cure/).
The Safety of Tarragon
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DESCRIPTION: Long-standing concerns about certain isolated components of the spice tarragon have broadened into questions about the [...]
DESCRIPTION: Long-standing concerns about certain isolated components of the spice tarragon have broadened into questions about the safety of even the leaves themselves. For those scratching their heads over the significance of that red smudge, see my explanation of the comet tail test in Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic & Flavonoids (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-interrupted-garlic-flavonoids/).
Don't Eat Too Much Nutmeg
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DESCRIPTION: The spice nutmeg may have a relatively narrow margin of safety. There are also potentially toxic compounds in [...]
Update on Cinnamon for Blood Sugar Control
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DESCRIPTION: Cinnamon can no longer to considered a safe and effective treatment for diabetes. The Antioxidants [...]
Can Cellulite Be Treated With Diet?
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DESCRIPTION: Two theories about the build-up of subcutaneous fat, involving the chemical spermine and the hormone adiponectin, [...]
DESCRIPTION: Two theories about the build-up of subcutaneous fat, involving the chemical spermine and the hormone adiponectin, suggest a plant-based diet may help with cellulite. For more on the adverse health effects associated with the intake of "biogenic amines" (chemical compounds of decay such as spermine and cadaverine) see my videos New Corpse Smell (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/new-corpse-smell/) and Carcinogenic Putrescine (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogenic-putrescine/).
The McGovern Report
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DESCRIPTION: The story behind the first U.S. dietary guidelines explains why to this day the decades of science supporting a more plant-based [...]
DESCRIPTION: The story behind the first U.S. dietary guidelines explains why to this day the decades of science supporting a more plant-based diet have yet to fully translate into public policy. This is my favorite video of the year so far. It gets at a fundamental issue that I raised previously in another of my favorites, The Tomato Effect (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-tomato-effect/). If the data is so strong and consistent that a plant-based diet can not only prevent and treat but cure our number one killer (not to mention play a role in helping with 14 of our other top 15 leading causes of death http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/), why isn't it not only the treatment of choice but also incorporated into the official federal dietary guidelines (as is the case to a small but wildly successful degree in countries like Finland)? I have a 14 video series from 2011 starting with Nation's Diet in Crisis (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nations-diet-in-crisis/) and ending with Dietary Guidelines: Pushback From the Sugar, Salt, and Meat Industries (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-guidelines-pushback-from-the-sugar-salt-and-meat-industries/) that discusses the politics of the latest set of guidelines released that year, but the McGovern Report story really encapsulates why decades of science have yet to translate into public policy and is as relevant today as it was 35 years ago.
Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Survival: Clinical Evidence
10 Apr 2013
Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Survival: Clinical Evidence
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DESCRIPTION: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial of flaxseeds in breast [...]
Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Survival: Clinical Evidence
I have some more videos coming up on the role diet plays in angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels to enable tumors to grow, but I have touched on it already in Cancer as an Autoimmune Disease and How Tumors Use Meat to Grow: Xeno-Autoantibodies.
Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Survival: Epidemiological Evidence
8 Apr 2013
Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Survival: Epidemiological Evidence
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DESCRIPTION: Lignan intake is associated with improved breast cancer survival in three [...]
Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Survival: Epidemiological Evidence
DESCRIPTION: Lignan intake is associated with improved breast cancer survival in three recent population studies following a total of thousands of women after diagnosis. For more on breast cancer survival, see:
Flaxseeds & Breast Cancer Prevention
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DESCRIPTION: Young women at high risk for breast cancer given just a teaspoon of ground flaxseed a day showed fewer [...]
Fiber vs. Breast Cancer
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DESCRIPTION: Inadequate fiber intake appears to be a risk factor for breast cancer, which can explain why women eating plant-based [...]
Flaxseeds for Sensitive Skin
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DESCRIPTION: Instead of treating sensitive skin topically, with lotions and creams, why not treat it from the inside out with [...]
DESCRIPTION: Instead of treating sensitive skin topically, with lotions and creams, why not treat it from the inside out with diet? I bet one of the reasons the medical community was so dismissive is because of its preponderance and women. Did you see my video about how the profession used to treat menopause? Ghastly: Plant-Based Bioidentical Hormones (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bioidentical-hormones/).
For more on eating your way towards healthier skin, see:
Flaxseed vs. Diabetes
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DESCRIPTION: A tablespoon of daily ground flax seeds for a month appears to improve fasting blood sugars, triglycerides, cholesterol, [...]
Was It the Flaxseed, Fat Restriction, or Both?
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DESCRIPTION: Researchers set to find out what it was about a flaxseed-supplemented lower fat diet that so [...]
DESCRIPTION: Researchers set to find out what it was about a flaxseed-supplemented lower fat diet that so effectively appeared to decrease prostate cancer growth. If the title of this video made no sense to you, make sure you see the first half of Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flaxseed-vs-prostate-cancer/).
This reminds me of the experiment described in Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-it-the-diet-the-exercise-or-both/) in which researchers try to tease out the individual effects of a similar composite treatment—a plant-based diet and walking—on the growth of prostate cancer cells in vitro. The difference between what researchers say they're testing and what actually gets tested (like the "low" fat diet here) comes up over and over (for example in EPIC Study http://nutritionfacts.org/video/epic-study/).
Flaxseed vs. Prostate Cancer
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DESCRIPTION: What happens when men with prostate cancer and prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) are placed on a relatively [...]
Since the dietary intervention involved both reducing fat intake and flaxseed consumption, how do we know the flax had anything to do with it? That's the subject of the next video Was It the Flaxseed, Fat Restriction, or both? (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/was-it-the-flaxseed-fat-restriction-or-both/).
Salmonella in Chicken & Turkey: Deadly But Not Illegal
20 Mar 2013
Salmonella in Chicken & Turkey: Deadly But Not Illegal
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DESCRIPTION: Hundreds of thousands of Americans are Salmonella poisoned by poultry every year [...]
Salmonella in Chicken & Turkey: Deadly But Not Illegal
Raisins vs. Jelly Beans for Athletic Performance
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DESCRIPTION: Raisins may be preferable to sports supplement jelly beans and commercial energy gels. Other [...]
Do Fruit & Nut Bars Cause Weight Gain?
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DESCRIPTION: Despite the caloric density of both nuts and dried fruit, they do not appear to lead to the expected [...]
Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan Diet
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DESCRIPTION: The average number of bowel movements a week is compared between those eating prunes, those taking a fiber [...]
DESCRIPTION: The average number of bowel movements a week is compared between those eating prunes, those taking a fiber supplement, and those eating a strictly plant-based diet. Who can forget the Bristol stool scale? Even if you've already seen it you may want a refresher: Bristol Stool Scale (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bristol-stool-scale/). And while we're on the topic, here are some others on optimizing bowel function:
Dried Apples, Dates, Figs or Prunes for Cholesterol?
13 Mar 2013
Dried Apples, Dates, Figs or Prunes for Cholesterol?
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DESCRIPTION: A comparison of the cholesterol-lowering potential of four dried fruit—apples, dates, [...]
Dried Apples, Dates, Figs or Prunes for Cholesterol?
Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Atherosclerosis
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DESCRIPTION: A similar exponential increase in carotid artery plaque buildup was found for smokers and egg eaters. This [...]
Herbal Tea Update: Rooibos & Nettle
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DESCRIPTION: Rooibos (red) tea may reduce stress levels by suppressing adrenal gland function. Nettle tea is mineral [...]
The fact that so much nutrition leaches into the water in nettle tea is a reason we don't want to boil greens unless we're making soup or something where we're consuming the cooking water. See Best Cooking Method (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-cooking-method/) for more tips on preserving nutrients.
Herbal Tea Update: Hibiscus
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DESCRIPTION: Hibiscus tea elevates the antioxidant level of one's bloodstream within an hour of consumption. Here's the [...]
Treating Parkinson's Disease With Diet
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DESCRIPTION: Plant-based diets in general and certain plant foods in particular may be used to successfully treat [...]
DESCRIPTION: Plant-based diets in general and certain plant foods in particular may be used to successfully treat Parkinson's disease in part by boosting L-DOPA levels. What about preventing the disease in the first place? See the previous video Preventing Parkinson's Disease With Diet (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-parkinsons-disease-with-diet/).
Preventing Parkinson's Disease With Diet
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DESCRIPTION: Low levels of neurotoxic chemicals in cheese may explain the connection between dairy product consumption [...]
Clinical Studies on Acai Berries
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DESCRIPTION: An independent review of the effects of açaí berries was recently published, including studies on [...]
Protein, Puberty, and Pollutants
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DESCRIPTION: The early onset of puberty in girls associated with animal protein consumption may be due to endocrine disrupting [...]
DESCRIPTION: The early onset of puberty in girls associated with animal protein consumption may be due to endocrine disrupting chemical pollutants in the meat supply. For more videos on this topic see:
Can Gargling Prevent The Common Cold?
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DESCRIPTION: Gargling, as commonly practiced in Japan, can not only soothe a sore throat, but may even prevent one. This [...]
DESCRIPTION: Gargling, as commonly practiced in Japan, can not only soothe a sore throat, but may even prevent one. This is one of the landmark findings that I'm afraid no one will ever hear about because no one profits. No one, that is, except the millions of people spared from infection! I've been taking a break from my merciless travel schedule (http://www.drgreger.org/dates.html) to work on my 2013 batch of videos, but as soon as I'm back on the road I'm hoping those 71 seconds will help protect me from all those airport germs.