In the US, about 20 million people live with some degree of age-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of vision loss in individuals 60 and older. The macula is an oval-shaped spot of pigmentation on the retina, and the degeneration of this part of the eye results in a loss of sharp vision. …
Category Archives: Food
Wegovy – the Side Effects and Controversy
Recently, the drug Wegovy was approved for use in the UK. Similar to other brand-name semaglutide pharmaceuticals such as Ozempic, Wegovy can be used to treat diabetes. It involves a weekly injection in the stomach, thigh, or arm. It has recently made the news, however, for supposedly being a “game changer” for weight loss, and …
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The Misperception that Humans Need to Eat Cholesterol
In the past few weeks, I have encountered several people who were under the impression that humans must eat cholesterol. These individuals didn’t just believe that consuming cholesterol is not unhealthy, they believed it to be essential for human survival. I had not previously heard anyone say this, but perhaps the misperception is more widespread …
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American Academy of Pediatrics Recommends Surgery and Drugs for Obese Children: A Critique
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released update guidelines pertaining to childhood obesity. The updated guidelines give the specific ages at which doctors should offer certain treatments for obesity: children 12 and older can be offered drugs, while children 13 and older can be offered weight-loss surgery. Childhood obesity is a grave issue in …
2,800% Percent Increase in Plant-Based Menu Items: Veganuary Awaits!
Merry Christmas! As the cinnamon rolls with homemade vegan Nutella cook this morning, I’ll briefly reflect on a news article I saw recently, as reported by VegNews. According to a recent report by the firm Datassential, the term plant-based has increased by 2,800% on restaurant menus since 2018. This term began to be seen on …
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The Blood Type Diet: Complete and Utter Rubbish
Fad diets come and go over the years and decades. Such diets are particularly popular if they propose some strange idiosyncratic way of eating that doesn’t differ too much from someone’s regular eating pattern. That way, the person can convince themselves that they are making a big change in their health, even if it isn’t …
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Research on Diet and Human Fertility
Reproductive issues in both men and women have risen sharply in the US in the past few decades, with issues such as miscarriages and declining sperm counts increasing by about 1% each year. There is certainly evidence that endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as phthalates and BPA can cause reproductive issues in humans. However, one major contributor …
White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health Was a Disappointing Status Quo Fest
The first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health took place in 1969, and conversations among policymakers at this vent led to some of the major food assistance programs still in existence today, such as SNAP, WIC, and school lunches. That was over 50 years ago. The second White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, …
Idiotic “Food Neutrality” Video Promoted by LA School District
Even though most people are uninformed about nutritional science, adults and most children are likely aware that a doughnut is not as good for you as fresh vegetables, and that not all foods that we put in our body are equally healthy. An unfortunate new trend known a “food neutrality,” however, seeks to challenge this …
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Reflections on the World’s First City to Ban Meat Advertising
Globally, food companies spend billions of dollars each year on advertising, and they don’t expend this cash just for the sake of it. The ads from these companies are meant to shape people’s desires for and perceptions of various types of food. Children in particular may be especially sensitive to food advertising, since they are …
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Green Humanist 