Category Archives: Obesity

The Leptin Story

Posted on March 14, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Leptin is a peptide hormone that was discovered in 1994 by a Scientist called Friedman. Fat cells produce leptin and this signal is used in a feedback loop to allow the maintenance of correct body weight. Mice missing the leptin … Continue reading →

Posted in Insulin, Insulin Resistance, Leptin, Leptin Resistance, Obesity, Weight Loss | Comments Off on The Leptin Story

Does Exercise Cause Fat Loss Because It Builds Muscle?

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Many experts and laypersons alike believe that weight gain is caused by eating too much and doing too little. This ‘eat-too-much, do-too-little’ theory of weight gain is so ingrained in the mindset of the general population that it is almost … Continue reading →

Posted in Aerobic Exercise, Energy Expenditure, Exercise, Insulin Resistance, Leptin Resistance, Obesity, Resistance Training, Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR), Skeletal Muscle, Testosterone, Weight Loss | Comments Off on Does Exercise Cause Fat Loss Because It Builds Muscle?

Liquid Sugar: Metabolic Poison

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Robert Barrington

The prevalence of obesity is Western nations closely matches the rise in the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages. Sugar is an interesting molecule, because it is a natural part of many fruits and vegetables and as a result can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Fructose, Fruit Juice, Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity, Soft Drinks, Sucrose, Sugar | Comments Off on Liquid Sugar: Metabolic Poison

Calorie Overload: The Cause of Weight Gain

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Most calories restrictive diets fail because they do not address the cause of weight gain. There is little evidence to suggest that greed and laziness on the part of the individual are in any way to blame for obesity. Forced … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Expenditure, Fructose, Insulin Resistance, Obesity, Trans Fatty Acids, Weight Loss | Comments Off on Calorie Overload: The Cause of Weight Gain

Preptin, Adropin and Irisin: Energy Regulators

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Robert Barrington

The regulation of energy in humans is highly complex and not fully understood. A number of appetite stimulating or orexigenic peptides, and a number of satiating or anorexigenic peptides have been identified and shown to be involved in this complex … Continue reading →

Posted in Adropin, Brown Adipose Tissue, Energy Expenditure, Irisin, Obesity, Preptin, Weight Loss | Comments Off on Preptin, Adropin and Irisin: Energy Regulators

Fish Oils: The antidote To Fructose Poisoning?

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Increasingly it is being shown that refined crystalline fructose is a metabolic poison. Experiments on rats show that fructose can induce insulin resistance and detrimental changes to lipoprotein metabolism within a few weeks. Humans studies confirm that high intakes of … Continue reading →

Posted in Diabetes, Fructose, Insulin Resistance, LDL, Lipoproteins, Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity, Sucrose, Sugar, Syndrome X, VLDL | Comments Off on Fish Oils: The antidote To Fructose Poisoning?

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: The Obesity Link

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Robert Barrington

It is clear that genetic factors cannot explain the increase in the prevalence of obesity seen in the last few decades. Mounting evidence suggests that exposure to new environmental factors have played by far the largest part in this obesity … Continue reading →

Posted in Hormone Disrupting Chemicals, Obesity, Oestrogen | Comments Off on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: The Obesity Link

Food Form and The Glycaemic Index

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Increasingly fibre is being seen as essential to human health. This is because the fibre contained within plant foods may be required for the correct digestion and absorption of the starch also within the plant material. In particular, the fibre … Continue reading →

Posted in Fibre, Glycaemia, Glycaemic Index, Glycaemic load, Oats (Avena sativa), Obesity, Pulses / Legumes, Rice, Weight Loss | Comments Off on Food Form and The Glycaemic Index

Why Farmers Feed Cattle High Grain Diets

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Robert Barrington

It is ingrained in the psyche of the Western population that dietary saturated fat and cholesterol are the causes of cardiovascular disease. It is also ingrained in the psyche of Western populations that dietary fat will make you fat. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Carbohydrate, de Novo Lipogenesis, Insulin Resistance, Obesity, Starch, Triglycerides / Triacylglycerols, VLDL, Weight Loss, Western Diet, Whole Grains | Comments Off on Why Farmers Feed Cattle High Grain Diets

Obesity As A Disease Of Starvation

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Like many biological phenomenon, feeding behaviour is reliant on a negative feedback loop. This loop involves the detection of food in the gut and nutrients in the blood and a subsequent neuronal and hormonal response that corrects behaviour. A loop … Continue reading →

Posted in Insulin, Insulin Resistance, Leptin, Leptin Resistance, Micronutrients, Obesity, Protein, Trace Minerals, Traditional Diets, Western Diet | Comments Off on Obesity As A Disease Of Starvation