Monthly Archives: September 2013

Grapes and Blood Pressure

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Robert Barrington

t is becoming increasingly evident that antioxidants are able to favourably modulate high blood pressure. In particular, plant antioxidants such as the polyphenol class of compounds are able to cause blood pressure changes by increasing flow mediated dilation. For example, … Continue reading →

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Western Diets: Poor Mineral Balance

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Robert Barrington

he macrominerals calcium, sodium, magnesium and potassium are required for a number of important physiological functions in humans. In particular the minerals form a complex interactive system that provides the mechanisms by which nerve impulses are fired and regulated. Correct … Continue reading →

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Too Sweet and Too Fat

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Robert Barrington

ietary fructose is increasingly being seen as the cause of obesity. This is because fructose is the primary driver of mammalian insulin resistance that leads to abdominal fat accumulation and development of the metabolic syndrome. The most common fructose containing … Continue reading →

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Artificially Sweetened Drinks

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Artificially sweetened soft drink have become popular because of concerns over the association between sugar sweetened soft drinks and obesity. In response to these concerns, manufacturers have created a range of diet drinks that contain a number of artificial sweeteners, … Continue reading →

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Whole Food Diet: Improves Asthma

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Robert Barrington

hole food diets containing high intakes of fruit, vegetables and whole grain cereals are beneficial to the health by protecting from major disease. This may be because of the antioxidants that plant foods contain, many of which are bioavailable in … Continue reading →

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Fat Quality and Sudden Cardiac Death

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Robert Barrington

round half of all cardiovascular disease deaths are accounted for by sudden cardiac death, which can be thought of as the traditional and stereotypical heart attack. Saturated fat has received a lot of attention with regard cardiovascular disease because proponents … Continue reading →

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White Bread: The Devil’s Food

Posted on September 14, 2013 by Robert Barrington

ating refined cereal grains such as in white bread significantly increase the chance of developing cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. White bread is particularly problematic amongst the refined grains because it has a high glycaemic index (GI) that is similar … Continue reading →

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Vegetarian Diet: Athletic Ability

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Robert Barrington

egetarian diets are healthy and may confer protection against cardiovascular disease and aid weight control (here). However, much of the research investigating vegetarianism has focused on the sedentary individual. Intense exercise places unique stresses on the body and the ability … Continue reading →

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Beans and Oats: Cholesterol Control

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Robert Barrington

igh plasma concentrations of cholesterol do not cause cardiovascular disease. Instead, both high levels of the small dense low density lipoprotein (LDL) particle and low concentrations of the high density lipoprotein (HDL) particle are associated with cardiovascular disease. This is … Continue reading →

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Vegetarians Versus Omnivores

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Robert Barrington

utritionists are interested in vegetarian diets because of their compositional differences when compared to normal omnivorous diets. The obvious difference is absence of meat and fish, but other more subtle differences are also present and are interesting to consider with … Continue reading →

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