Dr. Jonny Bowden

Blog

  • Three New Weight Loss Drugs You Should Know About

    Adapted from an article by David Katz, MD

    There are currently three new weight loss drugs in the front of the queue for FDA consideration — Qnexa, Contrave and lorcaserin — and all of them made news this week.  (more…)

  • The Perfect Drink for Summer

    Whenever any food, drink or supplement hits the market with a lot of fanfare with claims that it does everything from cure diabetes to speed metabolism, I’m suspicious. But I’m also curious.

    Recently, I’m seeing more and more people sipping coconut water. (more…)

  • Can Pomegranate Juice Fight Cancer?

    Pomegranate juice may slow the progression of prostate cancer, according to long-term research results recently presented at the 104th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association

    One of the screening tests used for finding prostate cancer early is the PSA test. PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen, a protein that’s produced by the prostate gland. . (more…)

  • Boost Immunity With This Super Vitamin

    Boost Immunity With This Super Vitamin

    Add this to the growing resume of vitamin D: it stimulates the immune system.

    Oregon State University scientists have discovered that vitamin D induces the expression of a gene that’s actually antimicrobial. (more…)

  • Lack of Sleep May Lead to Overeating

    Ever notice how easy it is to eat everything in sight when you’re feeling sleep deprived?

    I have.

    It’s not just in your mind. Lack of sleep is a big stressor and does damage to our bodies and health in a myriad of ways. And a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirms that sleep restriction could be one of the environmental factors contributing to the obesity epidemic. (more…)

  • Featured Recipe: Cashew Miso Spread

    (Enjoy this lightning-quick spread with crudités or cooked veggies, spread on whole grain crackers, or you can thin it out with a touch more water and mix it into cooked shredded chicken for a quick chicken salad.)

    Fermented foods like miso are among the healthiest in the world. Why? Because natural fermentation produces live bacteria known as probiotics which are like diesel fuel for your digestive system- they make everything run better, help keep pathogens at bay, crowd out “bad” bacteria like yeast and generally support and boost your immune system. (more…)

  • This Underappreciated Superfood is Available Everywhere

    With all the hype over expensive, exotic juices, berries and other superfoods, it’s easy to forget that there are commonly available- and fairly inexpensive- foods you can get at any grocery store that can significantly lower your risk for getting sick.

    For example, nuts.

    Sure, many people think of nuts as just another “fattening” snack. But they are actually one of the most healthy foods on the planet. Several important studies (including the Adventist Study, the Iowa Women’s Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study and the Physicians’ Health Study) have all shown that eating nuts several times a week lowers the risk for heart disease by a whopping 30-50%! (more…)

  • Do Omega-6 Fatty Acids Promote Fat Accumulation?

    The following is a guest article by Dr. Joyce Nettleton, a highly respected published researcher

    Diets high in omega-6 fatty acids are associated with greater body weight and fat compared with diets having less omega-6 fat and more omega-3 fat.

    Several studies presented at the recent ISSFAL conference seem to support prior research results. (more…)

  • 7 Tips for Safe Grilling

    For most Americans, Memorial Day is the time when the old Bar-B-Que comes out of wraps, and grilling season begins in earnest.

    But research over the last decade has shown that cooking food on a grill has some serious potential dangers. Luckily these dangers can be minimized if you know what you’re doing.

    Here’s the problem. There are two carcinogenic (cancer-causing) compounds that can be created by barbecuing at high heat.  Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are formed when meat is either over-cooked or charbroiled. HCAs have been shown to contribute to cancer in animals– The Department of Health and Human Services includes HCAs on its list of chemicals “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen”.

    The second type of carcinogens associated with grilling are called PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). These are formed when fat drips from the meat onto the hot surface of the grills and forms a smoke which is carried back up onto the food. PAHs can also form on the food directly whenever it’s charred or blackened.

    So do you have to give up grilling? Not at all. You can easily minimize the dangers of barbecuing by following these 7 easy steps:

    1. Don’t’ use too high a flame. Keep the heat lower and flip the meat frequently (like every minute) to prevent overdoing it on one side
    2. Forgo “blackened” (like blackened catfish) or very  well-done meats
    3. Trim the fat (reducing the fat drippings and the resultant smoke)
    4. Choose thinner cuts of meat- they don’t require as much cooking time
    5. Shorten grill time and get the meat off the grill as soon as possible
    6. Consider “pre-cooking”- either in a sauté pan or a microwave. This will also cut down on the time the meat spends on the hot grill.
    7. Marinade. Research published in the Journal of Food Science found that marinating meats (or pork or chicken) can reduce the HCAs by as much as 70%. Marinades with lots of spices (which contain antioxidants) are particularly good.

    It’s also a good idea to include lots of vegetables on the grill- they’re not subject to HCA or PAH formation, and they provide lots of antioxidants to help protect your cells and DNA from damage.

    And always keep the grease and oil off your grill!

  • Top 10 Ways to Cut Back on Sugar

    Ever tried to cut back- or even eliminate- sugar? It’s not so easy.

    Nature gave us a sweet tooth for a reason- and it wasn’t just to frustrate our diet efforts!

    We humans – unlike other animals- don’t make our own vitamin C. Vitamin C is most abundant in fruits. So nature gave us taste buds that would make these relatively sweet tasting foods desirable.

    Unfortunately the whole system has become deregulated since just about everything you buy now has sugar in it, and there’s a huge disconnect between the purpose of our original wiring- to make sure we got enough vitamin C- and the way that wiring is used today (to make sure we get enough Krispy Kreme donuts!) (more…)