Inessa News Review No.1
Welcome to the first of our regular look at the latest health and wellness news stories curated by guest editor and renowned Registered Nutritionist Shona Wilkinson. Shona shares her pick of the headlines or interesting new research to share and casts an expert eye over the big news stories.
Gut Segments have different Immune system functions
We think we know so much about the human body and yet we still discover new things on an almost daily basis. Most of what we discover makes us realise how incredibly complicated our body actually is! We did think that our intestines were the same throughout but have now discovered that our intestines seem to have various compartments which work in separate ways. Different segments seem to allow different immune system functions in different locations. Apart from this just being incredibly interesting and awesome, it opens up a huge range of possibilities for pharmaceutical drugs and supplements. We could now take note of the different segments and produce drugs which will affect isolated segments rather than the whole gut. This could result in drugs and supplements being more effective and potentially reduce the side effects from pharmaceutical drugs. Some people get confused about the constantly differing advice being given about health but sometimes it is because we are constantly learning new things – it’s what makes it interesting!
Top UK scientist urges people to take vitamin D supplements
A top UK scientist who used to be anti-supplements has now spoken out about how he was wrong and now takes a Vitamin D supplement. The research on the health benefits of Vitamin D are overwhelmingly in favour of taking a Vitamin D supplement if you don’t get much access to the sun. Alarmingly, we are seeing a rise in the number of children with rickets in the UK (a health condition caused by lack of Vitamin D). There are many reasons for this but lack of exposure to the sun is one of the main reasons. Why not try taking up some exercise every day which is outdoors to get even more health benefits?
The low-carb/high-fat diet revolution: It sounds unlikely — but the latest way to lose weight and stay healthy is to switch between two very different approaches...
This article discusses the various versions of low carb diets that are promoted at the moment. There is growing evidence that the best way to lose weight in a healthy way is to switch between a keto and low carb diet. This is known as the Hybrid diet. It switches the body between a high fat/ketogenic diet and a slow carb/low GL diet. There is a lot of scientific research behind this approach and it seems to make sense. It is, however, quite complicated to understand initially. Once you have got the hang of it, it is fairly simple to follow and could be a sustainable way of losing weight or keeping at your optimal weight. “The Hybrid Diet” book is by Jerome Burne and Patrick Holford - both of whom have vast experience in this area. It’s worth mentioning that at Inessa, we prefer a more balanced approach to healthy weight management that includes all food groups, and are simply highlighting the diet trends of the moment that are hitting the headlines.
Do Ketone Supplements Really Improve Performance?
Keto is very much the buzz word at the moment. Following on from the article above, we now find the launch of keto supplements. We know that to get your body in a state of ketosis can take a few weeks which is obviously too long for some people’s liking! To shorten this, some companies have come up with keto supplements. It is worth bearing in mind that the research on anything like this is poor to non-existent. There is also the fact that there are side effects to the keto diet, and it is still being researched for safety. Keto supplements aren’t something we would recommend until much more research is undertaken!
11 Vegan Meals with More Protein Than a Burger
Veganism is in the news everywhere at the moment! You would be forgiven for thinking that the majority of the country is vegan when it is actually only around 2%, though many more are including more plant-based meals in their diet. This article gives some great meal ideas if you are wanting to follow a vegan diet or eat the occasional vegan meal. Remember that by being a vegan you could potentially be reducing your intake of certain nutrients, so we always recommend that you get advice from a Registered Nutritionist on how to follow a balanced vegan diet which ensures a good intake of all the nutrients you need. Some of the recipes in this article look delicious and may introduce people to foods they haven’t tried before. Warning – it might make you feel hungry though!
