by Bianca Garilli, ND, IFMCP The Global Breastfeeding Collective (GBC), co-led by UNICEF and WHO, has a mission to rally political, legal, financial, and public support for breastfeeding, which will benefit mothers, children, and society. Seven key priorities have been set forth by the GBC to increase the rate of breastfeeding globally; their most recent data from 2017 evaluated 194 nations and found that, “only 40 percent of children younger than six months are breastfed exclusively (given nothing but breastmilk)…

Although the ketogenic diet has been used clinically since the early 20th century, with specific therapeutic use for seizure mitigation in children with intractable epilepsy, the “keto diet” is now discussed more broadly, having even entered colloquial use. With the ketogenic diet’s recent rise in mainstream popularity and increased clinical exposure, we compiled a Q&A with Mark Kaye, DC to answer specific questions from healthcare practitioners. Does a ketogenic lifestyle work for hypothyroid patients? Contributing factors to low thyroid function…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Although originally (and still) used as a therapeutic approach to reduce seizures in children with intractable epilepsy, nowadays the ketogenic diet is more well-known and broadly used for weight loss and cardiometabolic disease management. A question frequently asked when considering the implementation of a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet is whether there are potential negative health outcomes associated with this approach, such as worsening cholesterol levels. Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not cut and dry and…

by Milene Brownlow, PhD It is estimated that 5.7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).1 For decades, research efforts have targeted neuropathological features of the disease (amyloid plaques, tau dysregulation and tangle formation) with little success so far. Impaired brain glucose metabolism is an early hallmark of the disease.2 For instance, cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglu) utilization was found to be 13% lower in AD compared to healthy, young subjects.3 Conversely, brain ketone metabolism remains unchanged in mild…

by Lewis Chang, PhD Frailty, characterized by exhaustion, reduced physical activity capacity, slow gait speed, unintentional weight loss, and muscle weakness, is a major health concern associated with aging that increases the risk of disability, institutionalization, and death in older adults.1 It is important to identify modifiable risk factors associated with frailty so that prevention or early intervention strategies can be implemented accordingly. According to epidemiological evidence, certain dietary patterns or dietary components can influence the risk of frailty.2 However,…

by Milene Brownlow, PhD Nowadays, blogging about ketogenic diets hardly requires an introductory paragraph. Most of us are bombarded with newsletters, emails, and personal stories of how cutting back on carbs and increasing consumption of healthy fats yield remarkable benefits. The popularity of the diet is largely due to its effects on weight loss and improved metabolism. Yet, long before a trending topic on every social media platform, ketogenic diets were specifically, clinically used for seizure control in the treatment…

by Bianca Garilli, ND and Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN Poor diet quality is common in developed countries and is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. The impact of dietary patterns and nutritional bioactives on mental health is important to understand since at least 16 million people in the US, or 7% of the population, experience at least one bout of depression per year.1 The worldwide prevalence of depression is estimated to be 300 million, with projections by the World…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN Almost 10% of the US population has diabetes, with another 34% in a precarious state of prediabetes.1 These diagnoses are not destiny. Research demonstrates that lifestyle interventions, particularly those incorporating nutrition therapy, produce clinically meaningful improvements in diabetes.2 Integrating this research foundation into the clinical setting is key. A study used an endocrinology private practice waiting room to deliver weekly group-based nutrition education classes for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), examining the effects…