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- Nutrimed 2020
- a Darwinian perspective on Nutritional Medicine
- 4 books and over 30 research papers to explore
View my YouTube videos at this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCQn7MmvhueCikZVg1AM4dg/videos
NUTRITION & SCIENCE
WHAT'S THE EVIDENCE?
This book is designed to give a completely up-to-date summary of Nutritional Medicine as it applies to front line medical professionals, medical students and the interested layperson. Newspapers often give contradictory and confusing reports on issues such as alcohol intake, dietary sugars versus fats and the value or not of taking supplements. In addition, many GPs are as confused as their patients on these matters as they get very little education in nutrition either at medical school or afterwards. But nutritional medicine is not really that confusing. There is some disagreement among experts but there is a consensus on the most important issues, albeit with slight variations.
I have summarized these generally agreed opinions but explained where there are differences of opinion and the reasons for these. This book is written in a style I use to communicate with patients and GP colleagues, using minimal scientific jargon.
AN INTRODUCTION TO NUTRITIONAL MEDICINE - WHERE DARWIN MEETS HIPPOCRATES
This book is aimed at the layman and is an easier read than "Nutrition & Science". It imagines a meeting between Charles Darwin and Hippocrates – the ancient Greek father of Medicine. My supposition is that any dialogue between these two great thinkers should be quite sensational. It presents a short dialogue between the two at the start of each chapter to act as an introduction to the topic discussed. With the help of Darwin and Hippocrates, the book covers some of the main areas of the large topic of Nutritional Medicine and especially some of the more controversial issues such as the use of nutritional supplements, the efficacy of probiotics and when to categorize a food as “junk food.” Any lay reader who wants to know what constitutes Nutritional Medicine (as opposed to Homeopathy and Herbalism) should find this book a useful introduction to the subject. For those who want to read up the subject in greater detail, the appendix includes a comprehensive reading list.
There are two medical opinions on Nutritional Medicine and the use of nutrition supplements that go back to my student days that are both wrong:
1) You don't need to take vitamin and mineral tablets if you eat a well balanced diet.
2) You can take vitamin and mineral tablets if you really want to. They may not do you any good but they can't do you any harm.
The truth of the matter is rather complicated. For instance, taking folic acid vitamin tablets is officially recommended when trying to get pregnant. To find out why both statements are wrong, you might have to buy my books!
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