Category Archives: nutrition

Dates, edible sweet fruits, are put to the test in a randomized, controlled trial for cervical ripening. In the 19th chapter of the Koran, Mary is giving birth to Jesus. I didn’t even know Jesus was in the Koran. The things they don’t teach you in Hebrew school. “And the pains of childbirth drove herContinue reading “What Is the Best Food for the End of Pregnancy?”

What happens when you add massive amounts of carbohydrates in the form of whole grains to the daily diet of people with type 2 diabetes? Why are macrobiotic diets apparently so effective at reducing blood sugar levels in diabetics within just a few weeks’ time? The diet is centered around whole grains—brown rice, barley, andContinue reading “Does a Macrobiotic Diet Help with Diabetes?”

What happens when you put diabetics on a diet composed largely of whole grains, vegetables, and beans? The American Medical Association has described macrobiotic diets as “one of the most dangerous dietary regimens, posing not only serious hazards to the health of the individual but even to life itself.” Macrobiotic diets “are predominantly vegetarian withContinue reading “Why Should (or Shouldn’t) We Eat a Macrobiotic Diet?”

Add some green to your Black Friday with 20 percent off all merchandise on DrGreger.org. The sale is site-wide, so it includes all clothing, video downloads, outreach materials, and more. If you’re heading into winter, cozy up with our sweatpants (back by popular demand!), hoodies, or a crewneck sweatshirt. Sale ends November 28. All proceedsContinue reading “Our Black Friday Sale Is on Now!”

What would happen if you stopped brushing your teeth but ate more healthfully?  Experimentally, when study participants stop brushing their teeth, plaque starts to build up and, within a few days, their gums start to get inflamed. Though nothing may be visible just yet, if you take a biopsy at the gum line, you canContinue reading “What Is the Best Food for Gingivitis and Periodontal Disease?”

Some studies on mice show that cannabis makes cancer better, while others show it makes cancer worse. What did the one and only human clinical trial to date find? “Cannabis and cancer: reality or pipe dream quackery?” I tackle that question in my video Can Cannabis Cure Cancer?. “Among alternative cancer treatments, cannabis inhabits aContinue reading “Is Cannabis a Cancer Cure?”

On a puff-by-puff basis, cannabis smoke deposits four times more tar in the lungs than tobacco, but does that translate into increased cancer risk? Does Marijuana Cause Lung Cancer? As I discuss in my video, “there are at least 33 carcinogens in marijuana smoke,” including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are products of combustion. They areContinue reading “Does Smoking Cannabis Cause Lung Cancer?”

I open my video Does Adding Milk Block the Benefits of Coffee? with a graph from a study of mortality versus coffee consumption that suggests coffee drinkers live longer than non-coffee drinkers. Why might that be? Coffee may have beneficial effects on “inflammation, lung function, insulin sensitivity, and depression,” perhaps due in part to aContinue reading “Coffee Benefits Blocked by Adding Milk?”

The consumption of berries can enhance “beneficial signaling in the brain.” Plant foods are our primary source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, but some plant foods may be better than others. As I’ve explored before, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial showed us that one cup of blueberries a day can improve cognition among older adults,Continue reading “Blueberries to Benefit Mood and Mobility”

Only about one in four people have heard of Campylobacter, compared to 90 percent who are familiar with Salmonella. “Although the incidence of these two…gastrointestinal infections is amazingly high,” infecting more than a million Americans every year, “it is even outranked by the incidence of infection caused by extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC)”—a bug evenContinue reading “The Link Between Chicken Consumption and Urinary Tract Infections”