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<channel>
	<title>Dr John Briffa's Blog</title>
	
	<link>http://www.drbriffa.com</link>
	<description>A health-focused blog that makes sense of science, and offers accurate, trustworthy and practical advice about all aspects of healthy living.</description>
	<pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:35:32 +0000</pubDate>
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		<managingEditor>john@drbriffa.com ()</managingEditor>
		<webMaster>john@drbriffa.com()</webMaster>
		<category />
		<ttl>1440</ttl>
		<itunes:keywords />
		<itunes:subtitle />
		<itunes:summary>A Good Look at Good Health</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author />
		<itunes:category text="Society &amp; Culture" />
		<itunes:owner>
			<itunes:name />
			<itunes:email>john@drbriffa.com</itunes:email>
		</itunes:owner>
		<itunes:block>No</itunes:block>
		<itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
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		<image><link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog</link><url>http://www.drbriffa.com/images/feedlogo.jpg</url><title>Dr John Briffa</title></image>
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		<title>More evidence that the ‘overweight’ are at the lowest risk of death</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/10/more-evidence-that-the-overweight-are-at-the-lowest-risk-of-death/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/10/more-evidence-that-the-overweight-are-at-the-lowest-risk-of-death/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:18:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Food and Medical Politics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Weight Loss]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=733</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The standard way of assessing weight as it relates to health is the body mass index (BMI) – calculated by dividing an individual’s weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres. According to conventional wisdom, a BMI of 18.5 – 24.9 is to be regarded as ‘healthy’, while BMIs of 25.0-29.9 are [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/10/more-evidence-that-the-overweight-are-at-the-lowest-risk-of-death/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Lower vitamin D levels linked to higher risk of death</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/08/lower-vitamin-d-levels-linked-to-higher-risk-of-death/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/08/lower-vitamin-d-levels-linked-to-higher-risk-of-death/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:30:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Specific conditions]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Sunlight]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=731</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here in the UK, until very recently, we’ve had something of a heat-wave. The sun has been shining brightly on most days and this is good news for me, as I’ve been able to take advantage of the opportunity to boost my vitamin D levels. Why is this important? Because higher vitamin D levels are [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/08/lower-vitamin-d-levels-linked-to-higher-risk-of-death/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Lower GI diets found to boost levels of appetite-sating hormone</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/06/lower-gi-diets-found-to-boost-levels-of-appetite-sating-hormone/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/06/lower-gi-diets-found-to-boost-levels-of-appetite-sating-hormone/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:49:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Healthy Eating]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Low-Carbohydrate/Carbohydrate Restriction]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Weight Loss]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=730</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There are a number of ways of tackling excess weight, one of which is to eat less. What is important here is that food intake is cut without inducing much in the way of hunger. Why? Because for most of us, hunger is not something we will wilfully put up with in the long term. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/06/lower-gi-diets-found-to-boost-levels-of-appetite-sating-hormone/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Eating breakfast found to be major boon for diabetics, and why this may be important for non-diabetics too</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/03/eating-breakfast-found-to-be-major-boon-for-diabetics-and-why-this-may-be-important-for-non-diabetics-too/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/03/eating-breakfast-found-to-be-major-boon-for-diabetics-and-why-this-may-be-important-for-non-diabetics-too/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:02:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Healthy Eating]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Low-Carbohydrate/Carbohydrate Restriction]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Unhealthy Eating!]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=729</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Monday, my blog looked at why nuts were generally such a good food for diabetics. And part of their attraction is that they are a food rich in protein and fat and low in carbohydrate. These nutritional qualities mean that nuts will liberate sugar in a tempered fashion into the blood stream (they have [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/03/eating-breakfast-found-to-be-major-boon-for-diabetics-and-why-this-may-be-important-for-non-diabetics-too/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Don’t be fooled by the study which found lower cancer rates in vegetarians</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/01/dont-be-fooled-by-the-study-which-found-lower-cancer-rates-in-vegetarians/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/01/dont-be-fooled-by-the-study-which-found-lower-cancer-rates-in-vegetarians/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:49:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Healthy Eating]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Specific conditions]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Unhealthy Eating!]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=728</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I saw this morning reports on a study which has found links between vegetarianism and a reduced risk of certain cancers. The study, which assess nutritional habits and cancer risk in more than 61,000 men and women in the UK found that compared to meat-eaters, vegetarians had a 53, 45 and 74 per cent reduced [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/07/01/dont-be-fooled-by-the-study-which-found-lower-cancer-rates-in-vegetarians/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why nuts are a great food for diabetics</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/29/why-nuts-are-a-great-food-for-diabetics/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/29/why-nuts-are-a-great-food-for-diabetics/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:38:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Healthy Eating]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Specific conditions]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Unhealthy Eating!]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=727</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Conventional wisdom and advice regarding the dietary control of diabetes is that meals should contain a good amount of starchy carbohydrate. I am vigorously opposed to this notion of two main counts. Firstly, science shows that reducing carbohydrate intake is generally highly beneficial in the management of diabetes (see here for some more detail on [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/29/why-nuts-are-a-great-food-for-diabetics/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>High GI carbs again implicated in cardiovascular disease</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/26/high-gi-carbs-again-implicated-in-cardiovascular-disease/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/26/high-gi-carbs-again-implicated-in-cardiovascular-disease/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:40:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Healthy Eating]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Low-Carbohydrate/Carbohydrate Restriction]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Men's Health]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Specific conditions]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=726</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A key underlying factor in cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease and stroke is a process known as atherosclerosis (also known as arteriosclerosis), which is essentially a furring up of arteries with a fatty ‘plaque’. For decades now, we’ve had it instilled in us that the chief dietary factor influencing atherosclerosis is fat, which saturated [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/26/high-gi-carbs-again-implicated-in-cardiovascular-disease/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Effective strategies for combating carb cravings</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/25/effective-strategies-for-combating-carb-cravings/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/25/effective-strategies-for-combating-carb-cravings/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:16:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Brain and Behaviour]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Healthy Eating]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Low-Carbohydrate/Carbohydrate Restriction]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Nutrients and Supplements]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Women's Health]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=725</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday in practice I saw a female patient who, among other things, was troubled by the fact that she craved sugar “like you wouldn’t believe”. It is my experience in practice that many individuals with sugar cravings view it as a sign of weakness on their part. However, food can have powerful addictive qualities, and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/25/effective-strategies-for-combating-carb-cravings/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Vitamin D helps to combat tuberculosis, flu and other infections</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/22/vitamin-d-helps-to-combat-tuberculosis-flu-and-other-infections/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/22/vitamin-d-helps-to-combat-tuberculosis-flu-and-other-infections/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:03:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Nutrients and Supplements]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Specific conditions]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Sunlight]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=723</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that continues to claim significant numbers of lives around the World. Before the advent of antibiotics, many tuberculosis sufferers were shipped off to ‘sanitoriums’: often rurally-located facilities where individuals would typically spend a year or more to rest, eat well, and hopefully overcome their illness. 
While rest and a healthy [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/22/vitamin-d-helps-to-combat-tuberculosis-flu-and-other-infections/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>How we eat appears to influence how much we eat</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/19/how-we-eat-appears-to-influence-how-much-we-eat/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/19/how-we-eat-appears-to-influence-how-much-we-eat/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:35:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Healthy Eating]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Unhealthy Eating!]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Weight Loss]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=722</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Some individuals, hard as they try, may still fine it difficult to moderate the quantity of food they eat. At least one reason for this can be that they are eating foods that aren’t particularly satisfying. Two factors that affect the sating effects of food are the glycaemic index (the speed and extent to which [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/19/how-we-eat-appears-to-influence-how-much-we-eat/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Skin Cancer Foundation recognises value of vitamin D but still advises us to keep out of the sun</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/17/skin-cancer-foundation-recognises-value-of-vitamin-d-but-still-advises-us-to-keep-out-of-the-sun/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/17/skin-cancer-foundation-recognises-value-of-vitamin-d-but-still-advises-us-to-keep-out-of-the-sun/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:53:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Nutrients and Supplements]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Specific conditions]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Sunlight]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=721</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I was interested to read yesterday a report regarding a recommendation coming out of the Skin Cancer Foundation in the USA. The Foundation has recommended that adults increase their intake of vitamin D from 400 IU (the recommended daily amount) to 1000 IU. This is good news, I think, because there’s abundant and continuing to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/17/skin-cancer-foundation-recognises-value-of-vitamin-d-but-still-advises-us-to-keep-out-of-the-sun/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Higher vitamin D levels linked with speedier weight loss</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/15/higher-vitamin-d-levels-linked-with-speedier-weight-loss/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/15/higher-vitamin-d-levels-linked-with-speedier-weight-loss/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:12:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Nutrients and Supplements]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Sunlight]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Weight Loss]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=720</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Recently a couple of blogs have focused on the potential role that vitamin D may play in the regulation of body weight (see here and here). One of these blogs concerns a study which found that low. Levels of vitamin D were associated with increased body weight and waist circumference. This does not mean that [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/15/higher-vitamin-d-levels-linked-with-speedier-weight-loss/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Study finds lower-carb diet better for sating the appetite</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/12/study-finds-lower-carb-diet-better-for-sating-the-appetite/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/12/study-finds-lower-carb-diet-better-for-sating-the-appetite/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:39:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Healthy Eating]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Low-Carbohydrate/Carbohydrate Restriction]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Unhealthy Eating!]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Weight Loss]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=719</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Weight control receives a lot of attention from doctors and other health professionals, scientists and the media, a reflection of the fact that there are burgeoning rates of obesity in industrialised countries around the world. While a number of dietary approaches have been advocated for weight loss, my preference is for diets that are relatively [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/12/study-finds-lower-carb-diet-better-for-sating-the-appetite/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Doctors suggest that the ‘overweight’ need help, despite being at the lowest risk of death</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/10/doctors-suggest-that-the-overweight-need-help-despite-being-at-the-lowest-risk-of-death/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/10/doctors-suggest-that-the-overweight-need-help-despite-being-at-the-lowest-risk-of-death/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:14:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Food and Medical Politics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Women's Health]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=718</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The standard way of assessing body weight in Europe and the USA is the body mass index (BMI) which is calculated by dividing someone’s weight in kg by the square of their height in metres. It is generally accepted that BMIs of 18.5-24.9 are ‘healthy’, and that those of 25.0-29.9 mean someone is ‘overweight’, with [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/10/doctors-suggest-that-the-overweight-need-help-despite-being-at-the-lowest-risk-of-death/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Low GI diet halves need for insulin in pregnancy-related diabetes</title>
		<link>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/08/low-gi-diet-halves-need-for-insulin-in-pregnancy-related-diabetes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/08/low-gi-diet-halves-need-for-insulin-in-pregnancy-related-diabetes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:02:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dr John Briffa</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Healthy Eating]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Low-Carbohydrate/Carbohydrate Restriction]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Pregnancy and Fertility]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Women's Health]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.drbriffa.com/?p=716</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Gestational diabetes is diabetes that occurs during pregnancy in women who were not previously diabetic. If left uncontrolled, it can have adverse effects on the developing foetus. Its treatment depends on the severity of the condition, with diet, oral medication and insulin being the three mainstay options. Insulin therapy is generally seen as the last [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2009/06/08/low-gi-diet-halves-need-for-insulin-in-pregnancy-related-diabetes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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