by Bianca Garilli, ND   Polyphenol Overview Polyphenols are naturally occurring secondary metabolites found in plants. In nature they protect against ultraviolet radiation and play a role in defending against pathogens. Over 8,000 polyphenolic compounds have been identified from a large variety of plant species.1 Based on the structure and number of phenol rings they contain, polyphenols are classified into 4 main groups: phenolic acids, flavonoids, stilbenes, and lignans.1 Phenolic Acids Phenolic acids are found extensively throughout the plant kingdom,…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN   Heart disease is killer Cardiovascular disease is the #1 cause of mortality globally (17.9 million deaths annually),1 so it makes sense that researchers, clinicians, and health policymakers want to hunt down the culprit(s) of the heart disease epidemic. Recognized risk factors for heart disease include overweight and obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, excessive alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and smoking.2 With the exception of smoking and physical activity habits, one’s nutrition choices (i.e., diet) can mitigate…

by Lewis Chang, PhD Intermittent Energy Restriction (IER) vs. Continuous Energy Restriction (CER) Excess energy intake over time contributes to weight gain and the obesity epidemic; therefore, restricting food intake is essential in weight management. Although cutting calories daily can be successful for short-term weight loss, the majority of individuals regain their lost weight in the long term as a result of compensatory physiological adaptations. For example, resting energy expenditure (REE)—the minimum energy needed to maintain vital physiological functions such…

by Bianca Garilli, ND The 2018 National Physician Burnout & Depression Report published by Medscape surveyed more than 15,000 physicians from 29 specialties on a wide array of topics, one of which was physician burnout.1 The topic of physician burnout has become increasingly important in medicine due to its impact on both the provider’s health and wellbeing, as well as its potential negative impact on patients’ safety and quality of care.1 Physician burnout can be described as a “work-related syndrome…

by Bianca Garilli, ND I have a patient who doesn’t like vegetables. In fact, this person is also not a fan of water (sans flavoring), exercise, nor high fiber foods such as legumes. This scenario is, in many ways, a perfect setup for a number of lifestyle-related chronic diseases, including hypertension. This patient has been on a cocktail of medications for many years but expressed to me that they’d like reduce the list. So, it was with great excitement that…

by Whitney Crouch, RDN, CLT The overweight and obesity epidemic in America Worldwide, obesity rates have tripled since 1975. In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults 18 years and older were overweight. Of these, over 650 million were obese.1 The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a cross-sectional survey that represents the civilian, noninstitutionalized population.2 NHANES studies are crucial for looking at many aspects of community health in the US, like the worsening epidemic of overweight and obesity.…

by Annalouise O’Connor, PhD, RD Dyslipidemia is defined as an abnormal level of lipids in the blood and is often described most simplistically as greater levels of total or low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol or particle number, or lower levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good” cholesterol. Dyslipidemia is linked with cardiovascular risk and is highly prevalent: The minority of adults (46.6%) in the US have on-target total cholesterol levels (<200mg/dL).1 With cardiovascular disease (CVD) responsible for one in every…

by Milene Brownlow, PhD This 3-part blog series explores the history (Part 1), mechanisms and evidence (Part 2) underlying the neuroprotective effects of the ketogenic diet. In the final part 3, let’s investigate the current scientific evidence in support of the ketogenic diet (KD) as a therapeutic approach for specific neurological disorders. Preclinical study evidence In rodents, diet-induced ketosis has been shown to reverse motor deficits in a model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS),1 reduce lesion volume after traumatic brain…

by Milene Brownlow, PhD In addition to their original use as an anticonvulsant treatment (explored in Part 1 of this blog series), ketogenic diets (KDs) are increasingly viewed as a promising metabolic therapy for other neurological conditions. But first, an important question: Are KDs neuroprotective because of the reduction in glucose and insulin levels or due to the presence of ketones? Answer: Both. On the one hand, chronic consumption of refined sugar and starches results in systemic inflammation in the…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Introduction You’re sitting in a relaxing chair at the bookstore with no acute stress or problems, when out of the blue your heart begins to race, flutter, and skip beats. This is not the first time this has happened and you wonder if you might be experiencing a medical emergency. Should you be concerned and call 911, or simply ignore the strange fluttering feelings and continue reading? The answer, as is often the case in medicine:…