Posts by Mirthe Eckl

Try these surprising yet effective tricks to boost your weight loss success this summer: The Cuddle Hormone Oxytocin Did you know that the hormone oxytocin, released during orgasm, but also breast feeding, cuddling, petting your dog or getting a massage, is a powerful inhibitor of cravings? Research suggests that oxytocin can help with weightloss efforts…

Blood sugar control is crucial to optimal health and anti-ageing. Excess spikes and drops in ones blood sugar are linked to an extensive range of ill health effects, from a less capable immune system (think infections, autoimmune conditions and even cancers, via a process called ‘immune escape’) to the formation of ‘AGES’ (advanced glycation end…

Are you the type that thinks sleep is a time waster, not important, and you can ‘sleep when you are dead’? Do you suffer from ‘revenge bedtime procrastination’ – you put off going to sleep to engage in activities that you haven’t had time for during the day at the expense of sleep? Then you…

what science really says It is widely known that excess consumption of sugar can have terrible effects on our health.   Fast forward, and researchers had discovered substitutes that, while tasting very sweet, have little direct effect on our blood sugar, nor calories. The magic pill!   And many surely jumped on its wagon, with…

While much has been done to achieve a longer life span in the recent decades, and average life expectancy now being much higher than just a century ago, research has only just started to catch up on improving the quality of life in those years. While age-related illness such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, type 2…

While we have made tremendous leaps over the past century in extending how long we live and increasing our lifespan, we are living in an epidemic of chronic disease, with those added years not necessarily coming with good quality of life and health, also called health span.   Recent years has brought attention to the…

Chronic high sugar intake has long been recognized as a risk factor for many diseases, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes (R). But even long before, acute blood sugar spikes from your daily toasty with jam, or mid afternoon chocolate bar, can inflict damage on the body, even if you are…

HealthSpan vs Lifespan Ever pondered about the difference in lifespan vs health span? Although average life expectancy has increased dramatically in the last 100 years, this has not been accompanied by an  equivalent increase in healthy life expectancy (Source). Age-associated disease such as cardiovascular (i.e. stroke, heart attacks), type 2 diabetes, neurodegenerative (i.e. Alzheimer’s, Dementia,…

Its health benefits and pitfalls, and how best to time it for maximum health effect A dive into what research says on its effects on hormones, ageing and weight loss The ketogenic diet (KD) has gained immense popularity during the last decade, primarily because of its successful short-term effect on weight loss, but also its…

A dive into what research says on its effects on hormones, ageing and circadian rhythm Chances are you have by now heard of intermittent fasting, or are already implementing some form of it, due to its many touted health benefits. Or you may be tempted, but are wary, having read that it can mess with…