Q. I was wondering if a gluten-free diet results in any deficiencies in vitamins/minerals...
Q. I was wondering if a gluten-free diet results in any deficiencies in vitamins/minerals or other essential parts of ones diet? My diet is a medical not personal choice.
Q. I read that a recent study found glucosamine hydrochloride was ineffective for arthritis...
A. Timothy E. McAlindon, MD, MPH, chief of the Division of Rheumatology and professor at Tufts School of Medicine, responds: Its controversial. Most biochemists I know assert that there really isnt any difference between the hydrochloride and sulfated versions because they dissociate in the stomach. The manufacturer of glucosamine sulfate claims otherwise, but I have never heard a satisfactory explanation of why that should be the case. There are clinical trials of glucosamine sulfate, but…
Q. As a physician, I’m wondering whether the evidence for coffee’s health benefits is...
Q. As a physician, Im wondering whether the evidence for coffees health benefits is such that I should start advising my patients who do not drink coffee to start drinking a cup a day?
Q. You recently warned about possible interactions between coenzyme Q-10 and blood-pressure medications. Can...
Q. You recently warned about possible interactions between coenzyme Q-10 and blood-pressure medications. Can you elaborate?
Q. When the advice says, “Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily,” does...
Q. When the advice says, Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, does that mean five fruits plus five vegetables (10 total servings) or five total?
Q. Your August newsletter article on BMI and age was very interesting. How much...
AIrwin H. Rosenberg, MD, editor of the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter, replies: I think the preferred height measure is the pre-aging one or, as is sometimes done, use of knee height (adjusted to fit the BMI formula), which doesnt shrink with compressed spine. A smaller height measurement due to spinal compression with aging would indeed shift a BMI calculation to a lower value and project a safer level than would be real based on…
Q. How can I distinguish between a product that has high levels of the...
Q. How can I distinguish between a product that has high levels of the healthy compounds in dark chocolate and one that does not?
Q. I read about a study that found individuals with a high intake of...
Q. I read about a study that found individuals with a high intake of vitamin E had a lower risk of developing Alzheimers disease. I have been taking 1,000 IU daily. Now I read in your newsletter (June 2014) that men taking vitamin E supplements were more likely to get prostate cancer. What should I do?
Q. Ive heard that foods from the nightshade family are supposed to aggravate arthritis....
Q. Ive heard that foods from the nightshade family are supposed to aggravate arthritis. Is this true? Are some nightshade foods worse than others?
Q. I have been hearing some good things about vitamin K2 with vitamin D...
Q. I have been hearing some good things about vitamin K2 with vitamin D to help with the absorption of calcium in the bones. Is this supported by science? If so, how is it best to get K2?