Category Archives: Bacteria

Feeding Sugar to Rats: Poor Rats

Posted on October 12, 2017 by Robert Barrington

Sugar appears to have specific and detrimental effects to mammalian physiology, including humans. The effects of sugar have been extensively investigated in rats, and a number of well designed nutritional studies have shown that feeding rats sucrose or fructose can … Continue reading →

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The Real Truth About Fluoride?

Posted on April 30, 2017 by Robert Barrington
Posted in Bacteria, Fluoride, Teeth | Comments Off on The Real Truth About Fluoride?

Colonic Digestion

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Robert Barrington

The digestion and absorption of food is an interesting and not fully understood topic. The lack of understanding stems from the difficulty is accessing the absorptive surfaces of the gut to be able to measure the transport of nutrients, and … Continue reading →

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Whole Grains: A good Source of Antioxidants and Fibre

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Robert Barrington

Whole grain consumption is associated with improved healthy. Consistently it has been shown that those with the highest whole grain intakes are the least likely to be obese, suffer from cardiovascular disease, or have blood sugar problems. The reason that … Continue reading →

Posted in Antioxidant, Bacteria, Barley, Bran, Cereal, Gut Health, Inflammation, Rye, Wheat, Whole Grains | Comments Off on Whole Grains: A good Source of Antioxidants and Fibre

Breastfeeding: Prebiotic Action

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Evidence in the nutritional literature suggests that breastfeeding holds a number of advantages over the use of formula milk. In particular the fatty acid content of human milk is high in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 (n-3)) and this may optimally … Continue reading →

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Gut Instinct: The Gut-Liver Axis

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Robert Barrington

The gut-liver axis describes the physiological links between the gut and the liver and how one affects the other. In this regard the health of the gut has a direct influence on the health of the liver and vice versa. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bacteria, Bifidobacteria, Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), Galacto-oligosaccharides, Gut Health, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Prebiotics, Probiotics | Comments Off on Gut Instinct: The Gut-Liver Axis

Lactose Intolerance: Milk Alternatives

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Although cow’s milk gets a bad press amongst some nutritionists, it is an important source of nutrients and energy. In particular, milk contains factors that are anti-obesogenic, possibly fatty acids such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and calcium. This explains … Continue reading →

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Gut Health And Metabolic Syndrome

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Robert Barrington

The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of disorders that includes aberrations to blood sugar control, lipid imbalances, abdominal obesity, inflammation, insulin resistance and reduced force output from skeletal muscle. The cause of the metabolic syndrome is thought to result from … Continue reading →

Posted in Bacteria, Cholesterol, Fibre, Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), Galacto-oligosaccharides, HDL, Insulin, Metabolic Syndrome | Comments Off on Gut Health And Metabolic Syndrome

Microorganisms Of The Rumen

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Robert Barrington

It is only recently that the importance of the microbiota in the human gut has being fully appreciated as pivotal to human health. This is surprising, because the colonisation of the guts of ruminant livestock is known to provide essential … Continue reading →

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Galactooligosaccharides, Gut Health And Metabolic Syndrome

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Robert Barrington

The Western diet is implicated as a causative factor in the development of the metabolic syndrome. This likely relates to the overly processed and refined foods present in the diet. In particular, the processing of whole foods often removes much … Continue reading →

Posted in Bacteria, Fibre, Galacto-oligosaccharides, Gut Health, Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome | Comments Off on Galactooligosaccharides, Gut Health And Metabolic Syndrome