Focus on Nutrition and Nutrition Science

Latest Episodes:

The Dietitian's Guide to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Oct 19, 2015

Show notes

Host: Kathy King, RDN
Guest: Angela Grassi

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, is the top cause of female infertility in the United States. Patients with PCOS often ask whether nutritional choices can affect both their quality of life and even their fertility. How should the clinician respond?

Joining host Kathy King to investigate nutrition therapy for PCOS is dietitian Angela Grassi, author of PCOS: The Dietitian's Guide. Ms. Grassi is the founder of the PCOS Nutrition Center in Bryn Mawr, PA, dedicated to advocacy, education, and evidence-based research of this syndrome.

Reprogramming the Digestive System: Where Traditional and Integrative Therapies Merge Sep 14, 2015

Show notes

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Tasneem "Taz" Bhatia, MD

Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Taz Bhatia, associate professor in Integrative Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and and Founder and Medical Director of the Atlanta Center for Holistic and Integrative Medicine. Dr. Bhatia is author of The 21-Day Belly Fix: The Doctor-Designed Diet Plan for A Clean Gut and a Slimmer Waist. She describes her personal journey toward dual-expertise in allopathic and integrative medicine, and the research foundations behind her popular book.

Nutrition & Breast Cancer Risk: Connecting the Dots with Emerging Evidence Aug 31, 2015

Show notes

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: Edward R. Sauter, MD, PhD, MHA

In the clinical arena, discussions on breast cancer prevention and treatment often center on what is considered most "cutting edge," from genetic mechanisms of disease to new combination pharmacotherapies to breast-conserving surgical innovations. But another field of study, targeting the potential roles of nutrition in breast cancer risk, remains commonly neglected by the medical community. What parts do nutritional choices and habits play in breast cancer development, and how can clinicians make better risk assessments given this information?

Dr. Edward Sauter, Professor of Surgery and Director of the Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, joins Dr. Matt Birnholz to discuss emerging connections between nutrition and breast cancer.

Donovan Green, Author of "No Excuses Fitness" Apr 27, 2015

Show notes

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP

Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Donovan Green, personal trainer and author of No Excuses Fitness, to Primary Care Today. Mr. Green talks about practical, brass tacks strategies for getting in shape, starting with the basic primer to just get people moving regardless of fitness level.

Healthy Eating Guidance for Weight (and Age?) Loss: Marla Heller, Author of The DASH Diet Mar 02, 2015

Show notes

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP

Marla Heller, MS, RD is the author of the best-selling books, The DASH Diet Action Plan, The DASH Diet Weight Loss Solution, The Everyday DASH Diet Cookbook, and more recently The DASH Diet: Younger You. In her discussion with host Dr. Brian McDonough, she proposes a nutritional guidance plan intended to halt and even reverse many of the effects of aging by improving blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and helping readers reach a healthy weight.

Eating Disorders and Their Cost to the Community Mar 21, 2011

Show notes

Guest: Allegra Broft, MD
Host: Mary Leuchars, MD

As eating disorders are generally on the rise in the United States, what are the personal and economic costs of anorexia and bulimia? Dr. Allegra Broft, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University and research psychiatrist at the Eating Disorders Research Unit of the New York State Psychiatric Institute, is alarmed that eating disorders are not only have a high cost financially, but cost lives as well, likely accounting for the highest mortality among psychiatric disorders. How expensive and effective are residential programs for treatment of eating disorders? What other programs might help patients and families meet the challenges of eating disorder treatments? Hosted by Dr. Mary Leuchars.

Evidence-Based Trends in Nutrition Research, Part 2 Mar 21, 2011

Show notes

Guest: Timothy Harlan, MD
Host: Mary Leuchars, MD

How can clinicians communicate with patients more effectively about nutrition and diet? Dr. Timothy Harlan, medical director of outpatient clinics, associate chief of general internal medicine, and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine, stresses the need to tailor nutritional guidance to each patient, and the importance of cooking for promoting good health and nutrition. Hosted by Dr. Mary Leuchars.

Good Calories, Bad Calories: A New Twist on Weight Gain Feb 23, 2011

Show notes

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA
Guest: Gary Taubes

The conventional wisdom, often repeated, is that burning more calories than we ingest prevents us from getting fat. Gary Taubes, health policy investigator for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation at the University of California at Berkeley and author of the books Why We Get Fat and Good Calories, Bad Calories, discusses why his evaluation of the research leads him to the conclusion that the traditional advice is fundamentally wrong. He joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to talk about the research on carbohydrates, not calories, as the culprit in weight gain and the advice he believes will help patients successfully lose weight, and the core perspective change he believes will keep the weight off.

The Growth of Milk Banks for American Mothers Feb 22, 2011

Show notes

Guest: Kathleen Marinelli, MD
Host: Bruce Japsen

With breast-feeding a hot topic across the nation and more women being encouraged to do so, there is a rise in the development of milk banks. Dr. Kathleen Marinelli, director of lactation support services at Connecticut Children's Medical Center and medical director of Mother's Milk Bank of New England, tells host Bruce Japsen about the trend toward milk banks, how they are regulated and the safety and efficacy of using another woman's breast milk.

The Impact of Nutrition Information Labels on Consumer Behavior Feb 17, 2011

Show notes

Guest: George Blackburn, MD, PhD
Host: Maurice Pickard, MD

Food nutrition labels are becoming ubiquitous— in restaurants, on the front of packaged food, and soon, on meat products. But is all of this nutrition information actually impacting consumer behavior and encouraging healthier food choices? Hosted by Dr. Maurice Pickard's guest is Dr. George Blackburn, associate professor of surgery and nutrition, associate director of the division of nutrition, and the S. Daniel Abraham chair in nutrition medicine at Harvard Medical School, says nutrition labeling is beneficial, but all of the information can be overwhelming. How can we help consumers and patients, find clarity in the food aisles, and steer away from marketing "nutrition keys" featured on the front of many packaged foods? How could nutrition fact labels be re-designed to improve consumer understanding?