Monthly Archives: May 2011

Tannins

Posted on May 21, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Flavonoids represent a large group of biologically active plant compounds that have been shown to possess health benefits to humans who consume them regularly. Many flavonoids can become polymerised into much larger molecules as a result of metabolism within plants … Continue reading →

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The Absorption of Tea Polyphenols

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Tea contains a number of polyphenols that have been shown to be beneficial in the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, type II diabetes and weight gain. The major polyphenols in green tea are flavon-3-ols, but black tea also contains … Continue reading →

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Oolong Tea and Weight Loss

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Oolong tea is produced by a partial fermentation process that results in a tea somewhat halfway between green tea and black tea in chemical composition. Because oolong tea is not fully oxidised during processing, it retains many of the flavan-3-ols … Continue reading →

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Hydroxycinnamic Acids

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Plant foods are a rich source of polyphenols, the most well known and extensively researched of these being the flavonoids. Polyphenols are of interest to nutritional scientists because they possess phenolic rings within their structure. This ring structure confers chemical … Continue reading →

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The Chemical Composition of Tea

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Tea is of interest to nutritional scientists because research is starting to highlight  a number of health benefits associated with drinking it and because tea is so widely consumed. Tea has been know by historians and archaeologists to have been … Continue reading →

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Magnesium, Potassium and Sudden Cardiac Death

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Nearly half of all people who die of heart disease die suddenly, the cause of death being sudden cardiac arrhythmia. Arrhythmia is a condition where the normal rhythmic contraction of the heart is disturbed with a resulting failure in circulation, … Continue reading →

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Cocoa and Insulin

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Cocoa is used in many food product because of its popular taste, the most well known product being chocolate. Cocoa powder is a complex mixture of a number of different biologically active chemicals, some of which have been shown to … Continue reading →

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Anthocyanins

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Anthocyanins are pigments present in plants that are responsible for many of the red, purple and blue colours in fruits and vegetables. Anthocyanins belong to the flavonoid group of phytochemicals, and are generally present in plants joined to a sugar … Continue reading →

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Quercetin and Blood Pressure

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Quercetin is a member of the flavonol group of flavonoids, and has been extensively researched for its protective effects against cancer and cardiovascular disease.  Quercetin is thought to have health benefits because it is a good reducing agent on account … Continue reading →

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Cruciferous Vegetables and Detoxification

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale and water cress (brassicaceae family) are a good source of glucosinolates. Glucosinolates are phytochemicals that can be converted into isothiocyanates by the plant based enzyme myrosinase, or by bacterial myrosinase in … Continue reading →

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