Nutrition and lifestyle are the keys to longevity
A blog by Michael Butler
Articles and opinions for my family & friends about how I am living a healthier life informed by scientific research undertaken since being diagnosed with heart disease. Starting with the principle that each of us is biologically unique, everyone can use nutrition and lifestyle to achieve their greatest potential.
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Nutrient bioavailability - be careful with vitamin B12
Good health requires that we eat food containing nutrients we can access and use. Access and useability = bioavailability. Eating and drinking things with high theoretical nutrition content but zero bioavailability does us no good at all.
I’ve used this article to identify high bioavailability food.
Two Types of Raw Milk – One Is Safe and Healthy
Raw milk from an animal is a nutrient- and probiotic-rich natural food that can prevent allergies and asthma in children. The safe production of raw drinking milk requires a farmer’s attention to the health of his animals, on-farm hygiene, and routine and frequent safety testing.
Unfortunately, most milk produced on our farms is not safe for direct consumption and must be pasteurised first. This destroys the nutritional benefits of milk.
Sunlight protects against flu
If you're in the Southern Hemisphere presently (late summer heading into autumn), pay attention. Get out in the bright sunshine - it could help lower your risk of flu during the coming winter. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, where sunlight is scarce and flu circulates, stick with your vitamin D supplement and plan for safe, sun-soaked exposure in the summer and autumn.
Metabolic Wise - an interesting new way to get health information
Are you interested in the root causes of chronic disease and the emerging role of quantum biology in achieving metabolic healing?
This new AI-fueled searchable platform - Metabolic Wise - offers a new way to explore our individual health using an evidence-based approach.
Two people can eat the same diet and have radically different results
Have you ever thought that maybe you are special? Well, you are. Biologically, individuality is at the core of humanity. No two people are identical when it comes to hormones, organ size, and metabolites. Even “identical” twins are different. I describe in this article how to determine a proper individual diet, because there is no such thing as a single proper human diet.
If you consume more salt, you will live longer
How many times have you heard or read that dietary salt should be restricted? Population studies show that higher salt intake is linked to lower all-cause mortality and restricting it may do more harm than good.
Can rapeseed (Canola) oil cause obesity?
The evidence for starches and sugars as causes of obesity is pretty well established now (sadly, not as widely recognised as I’d like).
Similarly, seed oils are recognised as causing chronic inflammation. Not as well understood is the role of seed oils causing obesity. In this article I describe the temporal, geographic, animal, and mechanistic data and how they point to industrial seed oils as under-recognised drivers of obesity.
Malnutrition in Scottish children
A recent study by Food Standards Scotland has highlighted a lack of six essential micronutrients in Scottish children. The study also shows that existing deficiencies could be worsened if meat-based food and dairy intake are reduced. Deficiencies in the studied micronutrients are known to result in stunted growth and reduced cognition in children.
Micronutrient inadequacy in Europe - causes and solutions
From a recently published paper…dietary micronutrient deficiency in Europe is under-recognised and represents a threat to public health. Root causes include modern agricultural practices, poor dietary choices and lack of nutritional training among medical professionals.
Recovery is relatively straightforward but it’s an individual responsibility, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions.
All life on earth absorbs sunlight for energy…including humans
How important is sunlight for human health? I’ve come to believe that it’s as important as exercise or diet. Sunlight is used by the human body to support overall health and studies show that adequate sun exposure reduces the chance of disease and early death.
Wall Street Journal - Positive results of eliminating ultra-processed-food for one month
Two important lessons:
Teach kids to cook from scratch
Doing your best is all that’s required
Another article in the popular press, this time highlighting the health benefits of reducing industrially processed food and cooking from scratch.
It’s the starch that gets us – it’s simply sugar holding hands
If you’ve cut sugar from your diet and are still struggling with your weight, there’s a good chance starchy food is the issue. Starchy foods are rapidly converted to sugar. Our highly efficient digestive system breaks down bread, rice, pasta, and potatoes into glucose almost immediately, leading to unhealthy high blood sugar and insulin.
The Hidden Dangers of Modern Food: Understanding and Overcoming the High-Carbohydrate Trap
If you’re struggling with your weight the culprit may be modern food. It is chock-full of hidden sugars and starches which are addictive and cause all sorts of health issues. I broke free from the cycle of cravings and poor health by reducing bioavailable carbohydrates, eliminating processed foods, and focusing on nutrient-dense whole foods. In my opinion, these things hold the key to long-term wellness.
Scotland started basking in sunlight today
Scotland isn’t the first country that comes to mind when considering where to get an early Spring sun tan (and neither should it). However, today on March 11, for the first time in 2025, the sun has started giving us some UVB and potential to generate Vitamin D in our skin. It only lasts for about 30 minutes but as my boss used to say, “It’s time to dine on the delta”. Let the tanning and vitamin D production begin.
Carnivore diet replaced drugs for ADHD and Depression
This is the inspirational story of one young man finding the strength to figure out for himself how to use his diet to reverse poor mental health.
What’s in store for 2025?
I’ve never been good at predicting things, especially the future. We’ll see if this plan survives exposure to the field of battle. Two big things…we need to take care of ourselves…this means being exposed to the natural world we evolved alongside. Think real food, the microbiome, sunlight, and the earth’s electrical charge.
A lack of vitamins and minerals from food increases NHS hospital admissions
A simple headline in the Guardian newspaper caught my attention immediately. Adequate Vitamin and mineral levels are a core determinant of a healthy life. When people are showing up in hospital because of or with a lack of vitamins and minerals, something has gone seriously wrong. I dug into the numbers and present here what I think may be going on and how to fix it.
Continuous glucose monitors show which foods can harm us
A CGM can show us which foods are raising blood glucose and may harm us if we continue to eat them.
My poor diet repeatedly damaged my arteries
An illustrative reminder of the way heart disease (plaque) is caused by repeat clot formation in arteries, not cholesterol.
It’s almost impossible to lose weight on a high carb diet
Have you ever wondered why it’s so difficult to lose weight when eating a recommended high carbohydrate diet? We’re not doing anything wrong. Quite the reverse, on such a diet our body is evolved to gain weight.