Monthly Archives: March 2014

Nutrient Losses

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Robert Barrington

The nutrient losses when the bran and germ are removed from the wheat whole wheat kernel are as follows; thiamine (97 %); vitamin B6 (94 %); niacin (88 %); chromiun (87 %); magnesium (80 %); potassium (77 %); zinc (72 … Continue reading →

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Starch Blockers, Protease Inhibitors And Lectins In Legumes

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Consumption of legumes is associated with weight loss, and this might result from the ability of legumes to improve glycaemic function. A large part of this effect may derive from the fibre content of legumes, which is thought to produce … Continue reading →

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Considerations On Nutritional Studies

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Recording nutritional intake is useful because it allows associations between particular food components and health effects to be found. Metabolic studies in laboratories allow accurate recording of nutritional intake from subjects, but they do not reflect people in their natural … Continue reading →

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Polyphenols and Oxidised Fatty Acids

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Consumption of plants is associated health. The exact reason for this is not known, but one hypothesis suggests that this may result from the phytonutrient chemicals that plants contain. In particular, the polyphenol class of chemicals has been identified as … Continue reading →

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Lipopolysaccharides

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are a component of Gram-negative bacteria (e.g. bacteroides) that have been implicated in triggering low grade inflammation. Reducing Gram-negative bacteria (by increasing Gram-positive strains; i.e. bifidobacteria and lactobacilli) may therefore reduce inflammation. Fibre such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and … Continue reading →

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More On Iron And Catecholamines

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Iron deficient anaemia has been reasonably well characterised in the nutritional literature. The best known role for iron in humans is as part of the haemoglobin molecule in the transportation of oxygen. The pivotal role played by iron in the … Continue reading →

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Vegetable Versus Animal Protein

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Humans require eight amino acids in their diet (possibly nine), and these are referred to as essential amino acids. These must be supplied in a minimum quantity and a deficiency of any of these can have detrimental effects on health. … Continue reading →

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Can Your Mother’s Diet Make You Fat?

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Robert Barrington

The health effects of fatty acids and other lipids in the diet has played an important role in shaping nutritional research over the last 50 years. Saturated fat and cholesterol have been portrayed by mainstream ‘authorities’ as demons run amok … Continue reading →

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More On Physical Activity And Body Weight

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Robert Barrington

It is assumed by many that physical activity causes weight loss. We are told that the overweight are lazy because they do not perform enough exercise and recommendations encourage increased physical activity, either during leisure or daily tasks, in order … Continue reading →

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Fatty Acids: You Are What You Eat

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Robert Barrington

High quality diets are protective of disease. However, defining a high quality diet is difficult, but some consensus has been reached in this regard from nutritional scientists. Generally, diets containing high concentrations of processed and manufactured foods with long shelf … Continue reading →

Posted in Adipose Tissue, Fatty Acids, Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Saturated Fatty Acids, Trans Fatty Acids | Comments Off on Fatty Acids: You Are What You Eat