Category Archives: Insulin

More On the Complexity of Fibre

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Traditionally fibre has been seen as roughage providing bulk to the food and nothing more. However, recently research has shown that fibre is likely an essential component of the human diet. Fibre is actually a diverse group of carbohydrates that … Continue reading →

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The Trouble With The Glycaemic Index

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Robert Barrington

The glycaemic index (GI) is a measure of the rate of increase in plasma glucose following consumption of a carbohydrate food. Generally a reference food which is either white bread or glucose power is given a value of 100, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Carbohydrate, Fructose, Ghrelin, Glycaemic Index, Glycaemic load, Insulin, Leptin | Comments Off on The Trouble With The Glycaemic Index

Leptin and Insulin Resistance: The Perfect Storm for Weight Gain

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Robert Barrington

The increase in Western-style food consumption in recent decades mirrors increases in obesity and insulin resistance seen in the populations of developed nations. The ‘eat-too-much, do-too-little’ theory of weight gain suggests that excessive calorie intake combined with a limited amount … Continue reading →

Posted in Adipose Tissue, Brain, Energy Expenditure, Insulin, Insulin Resistance, Leptin, Weight Loss, Western Diet | Comments Off on Leptin and Insulin Resistance: The Perfect Storm for Weight Gain

Calorie Restriction and Muscle Catabolism

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Robert Barrington

The current treatment for obesity is a regimen of exercise and forced calorie restriction in order to create a negative energy balance. In the short term such programmes undoubtedly cause weight loss, but much of this weight is now known … Continue reading →

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Chromium Intakes On Self Selected Diets

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Robert Barrington

  Chromium is an essential trace mineral required for human health. Chromium functions as a cofactor in the insulin receptor and facilitates the correct transport of glucose into cells. Evidence suggests that chromium deficiency causes glucose intolerance and may therefore … Continue reading →

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Insulin Induced Salt Retention

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Insulin induced salt retention is a phenomenon by which carbohydrate ingestion affects the ability of the kidney to excrete salt. Early reports of insulin induced salt retention were serendipitous and were made from scientific studies investigating the effects of fasting. … Continue reading →

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Digestibility of Beans

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Beans have important health properties that are related to their slow rate of digestion. Understanding the digestibility of beans is therefore important in the nutritional sciences. Beans and other legumes have their starch contained within strong parenchymal cells that are … Continue reading →

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Arginine and Athletic Performance

Posted on December 25, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Arginine is a conditionally essential protogenic amino acid. Arginine is of interest to athletes because it is known to cause the release of significant amounts of growth hormone. Doses required for this effect are thought to be around 15 to … Continue reading →

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Legumes: Blood Sugar Effects of Beans

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Legumes are of interest to nutritional scientists because they have beneficial effects on blood sugar. This is evident from their low rating on the glycaemic index (GI). The glycaemic rating of carbohydrate foods is widely believed to be due to … Continue reading →

Posted in Beans, Fibre, Glycaemic Index, Glycaemic load, Insulin, Potato, Protein, Pulses / Legumes | Comments Off on Legumes: Blood Sugar Effects of Beans

Fructose: Metabolic Poison

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Evidence is increasingly linking fructose consumption to the development of Western lifestyle diseases. This is because fructose in high concentrations is a metabolic poison that can overload the liver and increase flux through the de novo lipogenesis pathway. This results … Continue reading →

Posted in Fructose, Glycaemic Index, Glycaemic load, Insulin, Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome, Sucrose, Sugar | Comments Off on Fructose: Metabolic Poison