Introduction There is much “push back” when it comes to the standard advice to “eat less and exercise more” as a means of losing weight, and for good reason. For one, metabolism will slow as a result of caloric restriction—making it that much more difficult to lose weight when deliberately cutting calories. Another reason is … Read more
NOTE: This article was originally published on September 8, 2019, and was updated on August 28, 2026. The first article in this series about Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) covers what SIBO is, how common it is, and its primary symptoms. The second article in the series is about Diagnosing Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), … Read more
NOTE: This article was originally published on September 4, 2019, and was updated on August 18, 2026. The first article in the series of three about Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) covered what SIBO is, how common it is, and its primary symptoms. This article covers the different tests used in diagnosing SIBO, and the final … Read more
NOTE: This article was originally published on September 1, 2019, and was updated on August 18, 2026. This is the first article in a series of three about Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and covers what SIBO is, how common it is, and its primary symptoms. The second article in the series is about Diagnosing … Read more
Introduction Note: This article is not one of my usual Science Made Simple posts, but a commentary regarding an interaction that occurred on social media. Yesterday, I posted a photo on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter of some fresh chicken that I had bought and prepared. Real food is a perfectly normal topic for a Dietitian … Read more
Introduction A migraine is more than just a severe headache; it is a debilitating condition often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, and sometimes a preceding aura. For many, these episodes are linked to a reduced ability to clear the amino acid tyramine, a condition known as tyramine intolerance. In individuals with … Read more
NOTE: This article was written and posted on August 4, 2019, and was completely updated on July 19, 2026. Why Is It Hard for Older Adults to Get Iron Tested? Doctors are often hesitant to order blood tests for post menopausal women who report being more tired or having more hair loss than usual, simply … Read more
This article was written on July 23, 2019, and was completely updated and reposted on May 1, 2026. What is Mast Cell Activation Disorder? Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is an immunological disorder characterized by inappropriate, partial degranulation of mast cells and the chronic release of chemical mediators like histamine. It frequently co-occurs with hypermobile … Read more
NOTE: This article was written and posted on July 21, 2019, and was completely updated and expanded on December 29, 2025. Introduction Digestive issues that result from milk consumption are often attributed to lactose intolerance, but research indicates that it may be the result of an intolerance to a specific type of protein found in … Read more
Many people mistakenly believe that arthritis is a normal part of the aging process, but many older adults never get it and most of the people that are diagnosed with it are under the age of 65 years old. In fact, 2/3 of those diagnosed are not seniors, and some include children. US statistics report … Read more
According to the scientific literature to date, there are three ways of putting type 2 diabetes into remission, but an article that was widely circulated on social media earlier this week implied that a ketogenic diet ‘cures’ type 2 diabetes. The article was titled “What If They Cured Diabetes and No One Noticed?”[1] and said; … Read more
Constipation is one of the most common problems that people face, with between 2 and 28% of the population in Western countries reporting having this [1-3]. In 2007 in the United States, 19.4% of people reported problems with chronic constipation[4] and in Canada between 15% and 27% of people reported having sought health care support for … Read more
Quite a few physicians that I know that recommend a low-carb diet to their patients have mentioned to me that those who had previously been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and who suffered for years reported significant improvements within a short time of adopting the dietary changes and have asked me why. That is the … Read more
Have you recently been told by your General Practitioner (CP) or gastroenterologist that you have “diverticulosis” and wonder how you should be eating differently to keep it from getting worse? What is “diverticulosis”? Diverticulosis is where your colon (large intestine) has small “pockets” in it called diverticula which can cause a number of symptoms or … Read more
An analysis was published last week in the British Medical Journal which raised several important concerns about the World Health Organization (WHO)’s draft guidelines on fatty acids; including saturated fat. The international group of 16 nutrition experts who wrote the paper are concerned as “many governments consider the WHO dietary guidelines to be state of … Read more
Note: This article is a combination of a Science Made Simple article, with the references below and an editorial which provides my opinion. Dietary advice — especially National Dietary Guidelines ought to give clear, consistent messages. It would seem that the new Canada Food Guide ‘snapshot’ outlined in the previous article may inadvertently cause considerable … Read more
Note: This article is a combination of a Science Made Simple article with references below and an editorial which provides my opinion. This past Monday, Health Canada released the Canada’s Food Guide “snapshot”[1] in 28 languages which is not intended to be a stand-alone resource, but to be used as a tool to guide people … Read more
The maintenance of blood sugar is very tightly regulated; with a healthy person’s blood glucose being kept in the range from 3.3-5.5 mmol/L (60-100 mg/dl) between meals, however a new study indicates that it may be newer variant of a gene that determines how well (or not) we are able to maintain these levels. After … Read more
INTRODUCTION: There much debate in the health community about the effect of dietary fat — especially saturated fat on cholesterol levels and whether there is an association between dietary saturated fat intake and cardiovascular disease. In the first part in this two-part series titled High Cholesterol and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, I explained what cholesterol … Read more
INTRODUCTION: There is much debate in the scientific community about the effect of saturated fat on cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease. To best understand this complex topic, I have broken the subject into two articles. In this first part, I explain the different ways cholesterol values are assessed, what they are used … Read more
INTRODUCTION National dietary guidelines in both Canada and the US focus on the variety of foods available in each of several defined ‘food groups’ and make recommendations about “healthy eating” based on how much of particular nutrients are in specific foods. In Canada, for example, foods that are rich in saturated fat, sodium, or sugar … Read more
Note: this article is both an editorial (expressing my personal opinion on the subject) as well as an article rooted in the literature. The new Canada’s Food Guide (CFG) hangs on three Guidelines and unfortunately many people discount the Guide entirely because of the caveats to which they are linked. In my opinion, this is … Read more
People who eat a low carb or ketogenic diet often ask about calculating “net carbs” and are surprised by my reply, as it differs from what they’ve read online. The commonly held advice is to subtract “fiber” from the total amount of carbohydrate on the label to arrive at “net carbs” can lead to an … Read more
Introduction The infographic below has been making the rounds recently on social media and is based on the idea that high Glycemic Index (GI) foods can be represented by the effect those foods have on people’s blood sugar, compared to teaspoons of sugar. Below is an infographic developed by Dr. David Unwin that describes the … Read more
A new study published today in Preventive Medicine estimates that excess body weight, including overweight and obesity is expected to become the second leading cause of preventable cancer in Canada, after tobacco over the next 20 years. Cancer Rates Expected to Triple The results of the new ComPARe study (Canadian Population Attributable Risk of Cancer) … Read more
