Nutrition

The hidden battle of weight loss: Why dieting alone isn’t enough

Conditions
July 31, 2025

Among Americans and Europeans, overweight and obesity are endemic. Excess weight is also a primary or contributing cause and a significant risk factor for many chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, several cancers, liver and kidney diseases, respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders, and mental health problems.

That being said, one can read any amount of advice we can make time for, concerning dieting or exercise. But a harsh reality persists: Fat …

Read more…

Integrating vitamin education in mental health care

Conditions
July 27, 2025

For a long time, I was close-minded to the idea of vitamin supplementation as a meaningful part of mental health treatment. Like many in medicine, I saw it as misguided at best and more a part of wellness culture than real science. However, over time, I realized how often we mistake “That makes sense to me” for “That’s objectively true,” as we are prone to fall prey to our mental …

Read more…

Why patients need a registered dietitian on their health care team

Conditions
March 7, 2025

How’s your cholesterol? Are you getting enough protein? Do you even know? Whether you’re a doctor, a patient, or both, you may be missing out on the powerful benefits of a registered dietitian.

Recently, I received lab results that were concerning, and my doctor suggested adding another medication. I’m focused on reducing medications, so I wanted to explore all possible ways to improve my numbers safely without adding to my pill …

Read more…

New dietary guidelines should prioritize plants and healthy beverages

Conditions
March 2, 2025

As both a physician and a certified culinary medicine specialist, I know firsthand how a nutritious diet can prevent and treat diet-related diseases. Diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and other conditions are becoming increasingly more common. Over and over, the science tells us that a low-fat vegan diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, can help patients suffering from these conditions. Physicians can do our part to help patients use …

Read more…

The power of personal and cultural connections in dietary advice

Conditions
February 4, 2025

Sometimes the most honest conversations about health don’t take place in a doctor’s office, but in the waiting room of a Jiffy Lube instead. While trying to pass time as I waited for my oil change, I eavesdropped on a conversation between two strangers. What started as lighthearted banter quickly turned into a candid discussion about their struggles with blood pressure and cholesterol. One man admitted he never takes his …

Read more…

Why rapid weight loss drugs may not be the health solution they seem [PODCAST]

Podcast
December 4, 2024
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Join us in this episode as we talk with health reporter Martha Rosenberg about the complex dynamics behind obesity, junk food advertising, and the surge of new semaglutide-based weight loss drugs. We explore …

Read more…

Mediterranean diet boosts teen academic success

Conditions
August 14, 2024

In 2024, Chilean scientists reported their findings on interesting research. They investigated the correlation between adolescent academic achievement and eating style. The researchers studied over a thousand kids between the ages of ten and fourteen.

A portion of the kids enjoyed a balanced and healthy Mediterranean diet. When they used oil, it was most likely extra-virgin olive oil. They packed their plates with boatloads of vegetables, fruits, cereals, nuts, and …

Read more…

From Super Bowl to supermarket: How candy ads shape kids’ diets

Policy
August 12, 2024

A gummy candy shimmies on stage, dancing to Flashdance. The music swells; it pulls a chain and is showered in multi-colored candies. The ad, for Nerds Gummy Clusters, was one of dozens of food ads that 123 million people saw during the 2024 Super Bowl. While the nostalgic soundtrack entertained adults, the cartoon candies were engineered to appeal to a different audience: children.

And it …

Read more…

How ultra-processed foods are devastating public health

Policy
July 18, 2024

As the world emerges from COVID-19, we must remember there is a silent yet devastating health crisis: our diets. In this era, convenience reigns supreme, with ultra-processed foods infiltrating everyone’s lives, leading to surges in preventable diseases and deaths. This crisis is more than individual food choices; it is a systemic issue affecting millions, especially in low-income communities.

One of the biggest drivers of the crisis is the ubiquity of …

Read more…

Why my 5-year-old is helping with my PhD thesis

Conditions
July 10, 2024

My five-year-old daughter is helping me with my PhD thesis. I wish she didn’t have to.

No, she’s not a prodigy (even if she is very clever!), and I’m not that desperate for assistance. She just happens to be a subject matter expert.

My thesis in human nutrition is on food marketing to kids and every time we go to a grocery store together, I see that marketing at work. She is …

Read more…

Breaking free from sugar addiction: Why cold turkey doesn’t work

Conditions
March 2, 2024

We know how dangerous sugar can be to our health. Excess sugar intake has been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even our immune system health. But giving it up is easier said than done. One question that people often have is, “Do I have to completely give up sugar, like, all of it? Cold turkey?” The answer is: nope! For most people, systematically identifying, replacing, and reducing sugar in …

Read more…

The power of nutrition in cancer prevention

Conditions
February 13, 2024

In its annual cancer statistics report released this week, the American Cancer Society (ACS) predicted over 2 million new cancer cases and over 600,000 cancer deaths in the United States in 2024. The ACS cites decreased smoking rates, earlier detection, and improved treatments as the primary reasons for decreased death rates from cancer in recent decades. Missing from the report, however, is the fundamental recommendation to shift from the traditional …

Read more…

Why lab-grown meat matters: USDA approval and environmental impact

Conditions
February 10, 2024

In June of 2023, a release was buried in the cacophony of news stories that the USDA had approved two companies for selling lab-grown meat. This news followed the FDA’s conclusion that lab-grown meat was safe for human consumption. The two companies, GOOD Meat and UPSIDE Foods, have been working on various lab-grown types of meat, including steak, seafood, and pork, but have been given the regulatory go-ahead for Chicken.

The …

Read more…

ADVERTISEMENT

Chicken farming undergoes a radical shift: the rise of cell-cultivated meat

Conditions
January 16, 2024

Following in his father’s footsteps, my son is a third-year medical student and by the time he completes his training, cell-cultivated chicken meat may be replacing meat from slaughtered birds. My home state of Alabama is one of the top chicken-producing states, but in the future, poultry production may take place in stainless steel tanks, rather than chicken coops.

Federal regulators Read more…

Fruit and sugar: Debunking the myths

Conditions
October 13, 2023

On many occasions, patients have asked me whether it’s OK to eat fruit. They’re worried about whether they should be eating foods high in sugar. Is fruit in that category? No, it is not. Does anyone really believe that fruit is what’s causing the paired epidemics of diabetes and obesity? This scourge is not being caused by fruit.

Let’s think about this. As long as the sugar in the food you …

Read more…

What is the physician’s role in the food is medicine movement?

Conditions
October 4, 2023

In the early 1990s, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) began its rise with the development of the National Institutes of Health’s CAM center. However, scientists and clinicians struggled with the decision of whether or not to allow individuals access to information on these CAM approaches. I was part of that discourse as I was invited to speak at a congressional hearing on that very issue. Thankfully for everyone, the right …

Read more…

The ketogenic diet: a historical perspective and survival consequences

Conditions
July 25, 2023

As someone who had an early life in rural Nigeria, I strongly believe that the diet debates are out-of-touch elite pastimes born out of food glut in Western societies. For survival, all living things evolved and adapted to scarcity, and humans have been appropriately described as opportunistic omnivores who would eat whatever is available. How supposedly omnivorous humans turned out to be sharply divided into tribalistic die-hard vegan, keto, Mediterranean, …

Read more…

Unlocking the power of graphic medicine: the key to improving health literacy

Conditions
February 24, 2023

According to the Office of the Surgeon General, only about 12 percent of the U.S. population has suitable health literacy skills. Health literacy is the repertoire of knowledge we fall back on to comprehend medication instructions, understand our risks for certain diseases, and make decisions regarding our own well-being. Wading through a convoluted medical system like the United States is difficult even for those fortunate enough to have access to …

Read more…

Clinicians serving under-resourced populations should seize opportunity for free lifestyle medicine education

Conditions
January 5, 2023

As a pediatrician serving under-resourced families in Washington, D.C., I was glad to see health leaders converge for the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. Solutions to food insecurity and diet-related diseases are urgently needed to address the crisis of chronic disease, which afflicts six in 10 Americans.

One of the important issues discussed at the conference is the critical need for more education and training in nutrition …

Read more…

2
pages