Category Archives: Alcohol

Drink Up! Caffeine and Alcohol are Healthy Foods

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Robert Barrington

There is a perception amongst healthcare professionals that alcohol and caffeine should be limited as part of a healthy diet. This advice is based on the possible detrimental effects of both drinks. Caffeine is associated with the release of adrenaline, … Continue reading →

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More On Alcohol and Diet

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Robert Barrington

A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition1 used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to establish the diet patterns of drinkers. In particular the researchers were interested in establishing if the diets … Continue reading →

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Zinc Absorption in Alcoholics

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Robert Barrington

The dangers of alcohol have been exaggerated by mainstream medicine and this fear has been fanned by the mainstream media. Many populations around the world drink large amounts of alcohol and have few social problems and do not suffer from … Continue reading →

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The Weight Loss Effects of Alcohol

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Robert Barrington

We are told by the ‘experts’ who control our lives that when we get fat it is because we eat too much and do too little. This ‘eat-too-much, do-too-little’ theory of weight gain is ‘common knowledge’ to most and so … Continue reading →

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Cigarettes and Alcohol: Dietary Links

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Robert Barrington

  Cigarettes and alcohol are lifestyle habits that are associated with one another. Generally, those that tend to smoke also tend to drink. Such associations are interesting nutritionally because both habits are associated with disease, and yet both habits are … Continue reading →

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Alcohol causes weight loss?

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Robert Barrington

The contention that alcohol causes weight loss is controversial. For while there is an association between alcohol intake and body weight, it is problematic trying to ascribe cause and effect in this relationship. In addition confounding variables interfere with the … Continue reading →

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Vitamin B6: Ethanol Inhibits Absorption

Posted on December 21, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Pyridoxine (vitamin B6: here) is a group of related chemicals that play an important role as coenzymes in energy metabolism in humans. Dietary pyridoxine is absorbed to enterocytes of the gut and then phosphorylated to pyridoxal 5’-phosphate, the active coenzyme … Continue reading →

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Aspartame is Carcinogenic?

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Robert Barrington

The current obesity epidemic has increased the popularity of artificial sweeteners and the food manufacturers have not been slow to expand their use. In particular, the popularity of aspartame (L-α-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester) sweetened beverages has increased in recent decades. Aspartame … Continue reading →

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Fructose and Ethanol: Do They Have a Good Side?

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Crystalline fructose devoid of its natural fibre, and ethanol (alcohol) are metabolic poisons that have deleterious effects on the liver (here). Because both are almost exclusively metabolised in hepatic tissue, large influxes over a short period of time result in … Continue reading →

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More on Alcohol and Omega 3 Fatty Acids Metabolism: This Time Wine

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Alcohol shows favourable effects on lipoprotein concentrations because it is associated with an increase in high density lipoprotein (HDL). This has been suggested to be the reason for its beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease. However, consumption of ethanol has been … Continue reading →

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