by Noelle Patno, PhD Research has demonstrated that probiotics not only help with gastrointestinal (GI) health but they also support immune health. Specifically, meta-analyses have shown that probiotics help reduce the incidence and duration of colds (AKA acute upper respiratory tract infections [URTI]).1-2 The length of the cold may be reduced by almost a day, resulting in less absenteeism from work, school, or day care.3 This can be significant considering that adults experience ~2-4 URTI episodes per year, with an estimated…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN Color your plate, so the slogan goes. A 2018 study took this advice literally, incorporating pictures of fruits and vegetables (F&V) into school lunch plates with the goal of improving F&V consumption in preschoolers.1 F&Vs are a low-calorie, nutrient-dense (macro-, micro-, and phytonutrients) food group, but the US is getting a “failing grade” when it comes to F&V intake because typical Western diets are lacking in plant-based nutrition. Health behaviors, including dietary consumption patterns,…

by Melissa Blake, BSc, ND By 2020, more than 20% of the US population will be 65 and over.1 Healthy aging is and will continue to be an important focus in many Functional Medicine offices. Sarcopenia, the gradual loss of muscle mass that occurs in healthy adults as they age, begins after the age of 30 and accelerates after 60. The difference between the muscle mass of a 20-year-old vs. an 80-year-old is about 30%.2 Loss of muscle contributes to…

by Noelle Patno, PhD Colonoscopy is one of the most common medical procedures, used for screening various bowel diseases, including colon cancer, to examine for any pathological findings (e.g. polyps, ulcers, or inflamed tissue). Barriers to colonoscopy include patients’ fears related to invasiveness, pain, or complications.1 Complications may be as minor as bloating or as severe as bowel perforation (rare); factors that may predict increased risk for complication include insufficient bowel preparation (not completely cleaned out and therefore more difficult…

by Bianca Garilli, ND It’s a well-known fact that cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, and many others, should be a major cornerstone of any healthy, nutrient-dense diet. Not as well known, however, is that the bioavailability of some of the most desired nutritional bioactives from the Brassica vegetables, including isothiocyanates (e.g. sulforaphane), will vary depending on numerous factors. These factors can be broken down into plant-intrinsic and plant-extrinsic components. Plant-Intrinsic Factors Mainly found in cruciferous vegetables, glucosinolates (GL)…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common liver disorder in Western industrialized countries, can be categorized into two major groups – non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), which is not associated with significant inflammation, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is associated with hepatic inflammation.1 Both of these conditions involve hepatic steatosis. The US prevalence of NAFLD is 10-46%.1,2 Worldwide, the prevalence is estimated to be between 6-35%, with some researchers noting up to 50% incidence in the…

by Lewis Chang, PhD A ketogenic diet is a dietary approach that promotes nutritional ketosis by restricting carbohydrates and increasing the intake of fat with adequate consumption of protein. According to systematic reviews and meta-analyses, ketogenic diets may prevent an increase in appetite on reduced calorie diets1 and help achieve long-term body weight reduction.2 Emerging studies have suggested that ketogenic diets may be beneficial in diabetes management and exercise performance.3,4 Compliance with ketogenic diets can be difficult because the amount…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Ketogenic protocols have become an important therapeutic option for a variety of health issues including weight management, cardiometabolic dysfunction, and epilepsy.1 The potential of the ketogenic diet (KD) to help optimize body mass has important implications for the reduction of metabolic syndrome and its related chronic disease aspects such as heart disease, fatty liver, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Additionally, the ketogenic dietary approach has gained widespread attention within the professional sports performance and wellness communities…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Obesity, a preventable condition, has tripled worldwide since 1975, with 340 million children and adolescents between 5-19 years of age with overweight or obesity in 2016 according to the World Health Organization (WHO).1 In children and adolescents, BMI-for-age growth charts are used to determine weight status; >85th and <95th percentile is considered overweight, while ≥95th percentile is obese.2 In the US, overweight and obesity disproportionally affect children of low-income households, whereas the risk of overweight and…

There is a need to identify methods to complement and enhance compliance for the ketogenic diet in order to induce and sustain ketosis. Exogenous ketone supplementation, particularly with beta-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) salts, is one such method that has grown in commercial popularity, but clinical studies that test the efficacy and safety of exogenous ketones are lacking. A pilot study1 published in the Journal of Nutritional Health & Food Engineering assessed the circulating βHB blood (capillary) concentration in response to acute, oral βHB…