Category Archives: Vitamin B

Cobalamins and Homocysteine

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Robert Barrington

The cobalamins are a group of cobalt containing B vitamins (cyanocobalamin, methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin) that are collectively called vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is required as a cofactor for methionine synthase, an enzyme that converts homocysteine to methionine using tetrahydrofolate (THF) … Continue reading →

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Folate and Colorectal Cancer

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Folate is a generic term for a group of water soluble vitamin B compound that are required as coenzymes in a number of important methylation reactions. Colorectal cancer has been shown to be inversely associated with folate intake in observational … Continue reading →

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Homocysteine and Cognition

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Low intakes of vitamin B6, B12 and folate are know to cause elevations in plasma levels of homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine in turn are associated with dementia, possibly because they are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is … Continue reading →

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Vitamin B12 from Algae

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Robert Barrington

One of the consequences of a vegetarian diet is an increased risk of vitamin B12 deficiency. This is because vitamin B12 is generally only found in foods of animal origin. Studies investigating the ingestion of diets devoid of animal product … Continue reading →

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Nutrient Losses During Processing

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Loss of minerals and vitamins during processing of whole foods is well reported and is likely one of the reasons that research shows that consumption of whole grain food provides health benefits when compared to refined cereals. For example, researchers1 … Continue reading →

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More on Nutrient Supplementation

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Robert Barrington

As humans age, physiological changes occur that can result in decreasing energy intakes. One of the direct problems associated with the reduced food volume is an associated decrease in the total quantities of essential nutrients ingested. In addition, deterioration in … Continue reading →

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Sulfur Amino Acids and Immunity

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Methionine and cysteine are essential and conditionally essential amino acids, respectively. Both contain sulphur as part of their R group and are important nutritionally with regard immune function. Methionine can be converted in the body to cysteine via the intermediary … Continue reading →

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More on B Vitamins and Homocysteine Levels

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Robert Barrington

As discussed previously, elevated homocysteine levels are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and possibly cancer, dementia and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Homocysteine is synthesised from methionine and under normal cellular conditions is quickly metabolised back to methionine via the enzyme … Continue reading →

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B Vitamins and Homocysteine Levels

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Elevated plasma homocysteine is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, dementia, cancer and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Increases in homocysteine levels are associated with low intakes of vitamin B12, vitamin B6 and folic acid as well as a lack of exercise, … Continue reading →

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Riboflavin

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Riboflavin (vitamin B-2) plays an important role in energy metabolism as part of the flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavine adenine dinucleotide (FAD) molecules. Both FAD and FNM are important oxidising agents that participate in aerobic respiration. The main sources of … Continue reading →

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