I recently met my good colleague, Dr. Taher Mahmud, Consultant Rheumatologist who is a very keen advocate of healthy bones. We started chatting about how nutrition affects both of us in our speciality areas. It became obvious that the same dietary habits which may lead to excess weight gain can also cause poor bone health. It is essential to understand how calcium absorption and metabolism can affect this and how to mitigate against it. You can read more about this in his blog. Other important factors in maintaining healthy bones include weight bearing exercises, drinking alcohol in moderation and avoiding smoking. This is the same advice I would give individuals attempting to lose weight.

Fast food intake is one of the elements in our diet which can lead to weight gain. Here Dr. Mahmud discusses the role of fast food in stimulating our immune system which can lead to conditions such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Primarily due to the lack of fibre, high sugar and processed content these foods lead to gut imbalances (dysbiosis) and immune system malfunction. The importance of a healthy balanced diet can not be under-estimated. More on this topic to follow.