It's not just the calories in a poor diet that contribute to weight gain and an inability to shift those last few stubborn kilos. The bacteria in our gut, known as the microbiome, play a large part in keeping us slim, and they are influenced by diet. Supplementing with probiotics has little effect, studies have shown. What really helps are prebiotics: high fibre natural foods. Naturally fermented foods such as sauerkraut are also good...

The human body appears to be designed to thrive in a cycle of “feast and famine.” By imitating the ancestral conditions of cyclical nourishment, your body enters into a state of optimal functioning....Benefits include reduced inflammation, better blood sugar levels, improved insulin sensitivity, reduced blood pressure and  cholesterol and overall weight loss

Your morning run may be helping to keep your weight down as you thought - but it's not necessarily the exercise...

Here are the latest gems on exercise. A new system that shortens exercise time and increases results. Two foods you should never, ever eat after exercise. How shorter, faster exercise stimulates Growth Hormone production. How exercise grows brain cells...

For decades now the idea has been that all calories are equal, and to achieve weight loss it doesn't matter so much what you eat, but to ensure that we consume less calories than we burn off. It is clear now that approach is wrong, although it is dying a long, slow death... 

A landmark study. "Based on available data on the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and prediabetes, physical activity is potentially as effective as many drug interventions." Since science doesn't reach conclusions or offer advice, I'm going to take the leap and tell you that exercise is BETTER than drugs. It has no side effects, only beneficial ones...

Here is an excellent infographic on how yoga transforms your body and mind - after one class, after a few months and after years of practice...

Many people take L-arginine to boost athletic performance. It enhances growth hormone, causes vasodilation, promotes muscular development and has a host of benefits including blood pressure reduction and helping erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular health. It does this through nitric oxide production. So the story goes. However, studies do not support this. It is dependent on an enzyme which is often compromised. Better to get it from nitrates in the diet - such as beetroot and leafy greens - that are easily converted to nitric oxide... 

I have been a daily runner now for almost forty years and have never suffered significant injury. Once upon a time I used to stretch before a run but suspected it had no benefit, at least for preventing injury. Now this study proves it actually causes trauma if you suddenly start or suddenly stop...