While searching for relief from migraines and general malaise, a friend recently consulted a nutritionist who told her, matter-of-factly, that because she has Type O blood, she should be eating lots of meat and eliminating gluten, dairy and many grains. A Chinese medicine doctor she consulted confirmed the advice, saying, basically: Duh.

For someone who had hoped to go vegetarian — and who is among the 45 percent of people in the U. S. with Type O blood— the news was surprising.

But was it true?

The idea of eating according to your blood type became popular with the 1996 book “Eat Right 4 Your Type” (Putnam Adult) by Peter D’Adamo, a naturopath physician. The theory is that the genes behind blood type also are behind the expression of other proteins in our body, which relate to how we digest foods. [Read more...]

Pomegranate juice, which is rich in antioxidants, offers a wide variety of health benefits to kidney disease patients including managing blood pressure and lowering cholesterol, a new study has claimed.

Lilach Shema and her colleagues from the Western Galilee Medical Center in Israel investigated the long-term effects of drinking pomegranate juice on heart disease risk factors like high cholesterol and blood pressure in kidney disease patients.

They randomised 101 dialysis patients to receive about three-and-a-half ounces of pomegranate juice or placebo, three times a week. [Read more...]

Teenagers who consume a diet packed with fibres are more likely to keep away from risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, a new study has suggested.

Due to low intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans, the total dietary fibre intake in teens is about 13 grams per day, well below the recommendation of 26 grams and 38 grams for female and male adolescents, respectively.

A study led by Joseph Carlson of Michigan State University has revealed that to reduce metabolic syndrome – a collection of risk factors including high blood pressure and a large waistline – it is more important to emphasize on diets that are fibre-rich, nutrient-dense, plant-based foods than focussing on restricting foods high in cholesterol or saturated fat. [Read more...]