
NutritionFacts.org Blog


Which Diet Works Even Better the Longer You Do It?
The most well-published community-based lifestyle intervention in the medical literature is also one of the most effective. CHIP, the Complete Health Improvement Program—now known as Pivio, may be “the most well-published community-based lifestyle interventions in the [medical] literature.” It is...
The “Optimal Diet” Is Put to the Test
The CHIP program (now called Pivio) has attempted to take the pioneering lifestyle medicine work of Pritikin and Ornish and spread it out into the community. England has been keeping mortality statistics since 1665 when one person was “killed by...
Secretin for Autism
The secretin story holds an important lesson that extends far beyond autism. “Many families, if not a majority of families” with a child suffering from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) “pursue dietary and nutritional approaches as components of treatment. Estimates of...
Ginger Powder as a Pain-Killer
There have been at least eight randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of ginger for pain. You may recall that I’ve previously explored the use of spinach for athletic performance and recovery, attributed to its “anti-inflammatory effects.” Most athletes aren’t using spinach...
Foods That Improve Sexual Function in Women
Addyi (flibanserin), the drug marketed for “hypoactive sexual desire disorder,” is ineffective and unsafe. What about dietary approaches for female sexual dysfunction? “The creation and promotion of ‘female sexual dysfunction’ [as a mental disorder] is a textbook case of disease...
Aloe Is Put to the Test Against Cancer
From a case report to a randomized controlled trial, aloe is put to the test against cancer. For a half century, aloe vera “gel processors and distributors armed with biblical quotes and anecdotal testimonials…[have sought] recognition for their products”—too often,...
Takeaways on Soy and an Edamame Recipe
Edamame is soy in its most whole-food form. The pods containing young soybeans are a snack or starter, first popularized in East Asia. Soybeans naturally contain a class of phytoestrogens called isoflavones. People hear “estrogen” in “phytoestrogens” and assume that...
Aloe Fails to Help Radiation Therapy Skin Burns
What are the effects of aloe on radiation burns caused by cancer treatment and on the cancer itself? “Worldwide attention was drawn to the possible value of gel prepared from Aloe arborescens [aloe] after the Second World War, when skin...