The Aesthetics Advisor

Nicholas Norwitz, a Harvard medical student who holds a doctorate in metabolism and nutrition from the University of Oxford, has explored uncharted territory in cholesterol management through an innovative experiment. Central to his study is an ambitious goal—to validate the Lipid Energy Model—a theory poised to transform our comprehension of human metabolism, especially in terms of fat or “lipid” metabolism. He investigates the contrasting impacts of Oreo cookies and statins on cholesterol levels. Within the esteemed environments of Harvard and Oxford, the 28-year-old researcher faces the daunting challenge of being a “little fish with a big idea.” He aims to make a substantial scientific contribution while operating without the backing of multimillion-dollar grants. “Everyone knows the feeling of being so engrossed by a question that it occupies your mind. What do you do when that question challenges everything you’ve been taught? For me, that’s the essence of this experiment,” he to

(National Eye Institute) - “Millions of older Americans take nutritional supplements to protect their sight without clear guidance regarding benefit and risk,” said NEI director Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D. “This study clarifies the role of supplements in helping prevent advanced AMD, an incurable, common, and devastating disease that robs older people of their sight and independence.” The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), which was led by NIH’s National Eye Institute and concluded in 2001, established that daily high doses of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, and the minerals zinc and copper—called the AREDS formulation—can help slow the progression to advanced AMD. The American Academy of Ophthalmology now recommends use of the AREDS formulation to reduce the risk of advanced AMD. However, beta-carotene use has been linked to a heightened risk of lung cancer in smokers. And there have been concerns that the high zinc dose in AREDS could cause minor side effects, such as sto

A new form of omega-3 oil that crosses into the retina from our bloodstreams could help with visual decline associated with diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and the leading cause of vision loss, age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A New Kind of Omega-3 Scientists in the Department of Medicine at the University of Illinois have developed a new omega-3 oil that easily enters the eye after being taken orally. “Omega-3 fatty acids are an unsaturated fatty acid of a kind occurring chiefly in fish oils,” Dr. Daniel Laroche, president of Advanced Eyecare of New York and clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, told The Epoch Times. He emphasized that because omega-3 fatty acids are essential in growth and development throughout life, they should be included in everyone’s diet. While omega-3s are important for eye health, current formulations, usually in a form called  triacylglycerol-DHA  (TAG-DHA), do not reach the eye after ing

In this video (below), I interview William (Bill) Harris, Ph.D., an internationally recognized expert on omega-3 fatty acids. He’s been studying omega-3s since 1980 and has published more than 300 scientific papers on fatty acids and health. Three years ago, he founded the Fatty Acid ResearchInstitute (FARI) in South Dakota, which specializes in epidemiological research, where they look at the relationship between blood omega-3 levels and risk for disease. He’s also a faculty member of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine. "We're trying to build a case that omega-3 levels in the blood are as, if not more, important than knowing your cholesterol level when it comes to your health and being able to control it," he says. The Omega-3 Index What he’s referring to is the level of omega-3 in your red blood cell membranes. Two decades ago, his team developed a red blood cell membrane-based omega-3 test called the Omega-3 Index. You can take the  Omeg