Are Phytochemicals and Fibre Essential to the Health?

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Robert Barrington

Well considering human nutrition, the essential nutrients that are known to be required for health include 8 to 12 amino acids, vitamin, minerals, 2 essential fatty acids, water and sunlight. These elements are required for health and without them, the condition of tissues gradually deteriorates until disease ensues. However, more recently a number of questions have been raised as to whether a number of other factors should be included in the list of essential elements. Two of the strongest contenders to fill this extension of the category include fibre and non-vitamin phytochemicals. Fibre is a large and broad group of non-digestible carbohydrates that is categorised as soluble and insoluble. Fibre plays an important role in human nutrition because it acts as a substrate for the microbiome in the gut, and this microbiome is essential to the health of humans. A number of phytochemicals also feed this microbiome, and in this way are also important contributors to the health of the individual. In addition, phytochemicals from plants play a significant role in conferring protection from oxidative stress in tissues and in this regard are considered to be a key factor in the prevention of many diseases. 

Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Protect Yourself

RdB

Rowland, I. 1999. Optimal nutrition: fibre and phytochemicals. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 58(2): 415-419
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Fish Oil and Cardiovascular Disease

Posted on July 8, 2024 by Robert Barrington

Cardiovascular disease is a disease of inflammation that can be caused by consumption or pro-inflammatory foods. The typical Western diet is high in pro-inflammatory foods and this explains the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in those that consume it. Eating foods that are anti-inflammatory is one way to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and in this regard fish oils may be particularly beneficial. This relates to the fact that fish oils contain the long chain omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 n-3). These two fatty acids feed into the essential fatty acid pathway and contribute to an anti-inflammatory effect because the metabolites of this pathway inhibit the formation of pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. This provides a significant benefit to the consumer, and this effect can be significant at improving long term health if the intake of these omega-3 fats is maintained. Fish that contain high amounts of these beneficial oils include mackerel, sardines (pilchards), trout, fresh tuna and salmon. 

Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Protect Yourself

RdB

Weitz, D., Weintraub, H., Fisher, E. and Schwartzbard, A.Z. 2010. Fish oil for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Cardiology in Review. 18(5): 258
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What Foods Can Keep You Warm?

Posted on July 5, 2024 by Robert Barrington

Food has a significant effect on body temperature. This is evident during a period of fasting when body temperature can drop substantially. This is because during periods of food deprivation, the body will reduce its oxidation of food to preserve energy. Therefore from this we can say that one of the best ways to keep warm is to eat more food. Further, the types of food can play a significant effect on the temperature of the body tissues. Carbohydrate and protein foods increase body temperature more than fat and so a higher protein and carbohydrate meal will increase body temperature more than a high fat meal. In addition, certain foods such as ginger, capsaicin from chili peppers, Coleus forskohlii and jalapenos can increase body temperature by activating the adrenergic branch of the central nervous system, Lastly, hot beverages such as tea and coffee are excellent way to increase body temperature because not only does the hot water pass its energy to the body, the caffeine within the drinks also speeds metabolism through activation of the adrenergic part of the nervous system. Therefore what you eat can have a significant effect on body temperature, and this can be used to good effect to stay warmer in the winter months. 

Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Protect Yourself

RdB

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The Beneficial Effects of Cruciferous Vegetables

Posted on July 4, 2024 by Robert Barrington

Cruciferous vegetables are those that belong to the Brassicaceae family. Nutritionally and economically these vegetables are an important crop for humans. The varieties of cruciferous vegetables sold commercially differ significantly from their wild counterparts in terms of their palatability, nutritional content and their resistance to pests, and it is for this reason that they have been bred. Cruciferous vegetables are beneficial to the health because they contain a number of bioactive compounds which include the glucosinolate and S-methyl cysteine sulfoxide compounds. The mechanisms by which these phytochemicals are protective include protecting the cell against DNA damage, deactivating carcinogenic substances, conferring antiviral and antibacterial effects, triggering apoptosis in cells with disrupted structure, inhibiting the migration of tumour cells thus decreasing metastasis and reduction in the development of angiogenesis. The S-methyl sulfoxide compounds may also block genotoxicity. The current recommendation is to incorporate cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and broccoli into the diet in order to help reduce the risk of developing a range of cancers. Cruciferous vegetables are currently being explored as possible functional foods that can be used to provide increased amounts of anticancer nutrients to the diet. 

Eat Well, Stay HEalthy, Protect Yourself

RdB

Ağagündüz, D., Teslime, Ö.Ş., Yılmaz, B., Ekenci, K.D., Özer, Ş.D. and Capasso, R. 2022. Cruciferous Vegetables and Their Bioactive Metabolites: from Prevention to Novel Therapies of Colorectal Cancer. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Article ID 1534083
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Mint Teas: Hormonal Effects

Posted on July 3, 2024 by Robert Barrington

Mint tea is used in traditional medicine for a number of reasons, the most well known being its benefits of digestive function. For example, peppermint tea has been shown to aid digestion and be beneficial in a number of digestive disorders including bloating and stomach cramps. Peppermint may also have systemic hormonal effects and some of these effects have been researched in animal models. For example, in one study, researchers investigated the effects of Mentha piperita labiatae (peppermint) and Mentha spicata labiatae (spearmint) herbal teas on the testosterone, luteinising hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone levels of rats. The teas caused increases in luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels and a decrease in testosterone levels in the male rats in the experimental group, when compared to the control groups receiving no mint tea. However, whilst these effects are interesting, the dose provided to the rats was very high, and in this regard did not reflect a normal nutritional intake. Therefore whilst mint has the ability to interact with the hormonal system, it is unclear what these effects would be in humans consuming a relatively more normal intake of mint. 

Eat Well, Stay Healthy, protect Yourself

RdB

Akdogan, M., Ozguner, M., Kocak, A., Oncu, M. and Cicek, E. 2004. Effects of peppermint teas on plasma testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone levels and testicular tissue in rats. Urology. 64(2): 394-398
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No Such Thing As A Balanced Diet?

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Robert Barrington

The often referred to “balanced diet” is actually a misnomer as no such diet exists. This point is highlighted by the fact that a wide range of diverse and nutritionally distinct diets exist that can result in optimal health. There are a number of reasons for this observation, the most obvious one being that many different foods can supply the optimal amounts of nutrients for an individual despite apparently appearing different visually. For example, essential vitamins, vitamins, essential amino acids and essential fats can all be obtained from a large range of foods. Where these nutrients are obtained from is largely irrelevant, and as long as the individual is meeting their requirements, then the diet can be considered “balanced”. Similarly, an “unbalanced diet” can indeed contain a wide range of different foods and so can be defined differently for each individual person. The general rule to ascertain the benefits of a diet is to ask whether the foods within the diet are prone to deterioration during storage. Such foods would include fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, eggs, butter, milk and cheese. These foods tend to be healthy, whereas the foods with long shelf lives such as cakes, biscuits, sugar, processed meat and processed grain, tend to have very long shelf lives and are associated with poorer health outcomes. A balanced diet should contain mainly foods from the former category. 

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RdB

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Phosphatidylserine to Blunt Cortisol Release

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Robert Barrington

Phosphatidylserine is a phospholipid found in the cell membranes of plants and animals. The presence of phosphatidylserine is required for normal membrane function, and in addition to membrane fluidity, this may include the regulation of key membrane bound enzymes and enzyme cascades. Eating plant and animal foods provides low levels of phosphatidylserine, but levels in the diet can be increased significantly by consuming supplements that are usually made from soybean cell membranes. Increasing the intake of phosphatidylserine can have beneficial effects on health because evidence suggests that it can reduce the negative effects of cortisol, thus improving health. For example, in one study 400 mg of phosphatidylserine mixed with phosphatidic acid (a precursor for phosphatidylserine) were administered to male volunteers had a normalising effects on adrenocorticotropic hormone, blood cortisol and salivary cortisol following exposure to stress over 43 days. This indicates that phosphatidylserine may be an important supplement for blunting the stress response and in this respect could be a useful supplement for athletes or those who feel they are exposed to significant stress. 

Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Protect Yourself

RdB

Hellhammer, J., Vogt, D., Franz, N., Freitas, U. and Rutenberg, D. 2014. A soy-based phosphatidylserine/phosphatidic acid complex (PAS) normalizes the stress reactivity of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal-axis in chronically stressed male subjects: a randomized, placebo-controlled study. Lipids in health and disease. 13(1):1-11
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Vitamin K and Testosterone

Posted on June 13, 2024 by Robert Barrington

Hormonal interactions are difficult to quantify as there are so many variables at play. This makes it very difficult to determine the effects of nutrients on hormones, and giving advice on which nutrients may affect testosterone levels is therefore replete with caveats. Another problem with studies that investigate the effects of nutrients on hormones is that many of the studies are performed in animals. For example, in one study, researchers investigated the effects of vitamin K deficiency in testosterone production in rats. The results of the study showed that a vitamin K deficiency decreases testosterone synthesis through a downregulation of the Cyp11a enzyme, one of the key regulatory steps in the testosterone synthesis pathway. Further, the levels of Cyp11a mRNA correlated with the amount of vitamin K in the testis. Therefore in rats at least, vitamin K deficiency can cause sub-optimal synthesis of testosterone. However, in humans it is not clear if this effect is the same, or how it affects overall testosterone levels in the blood. 

Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Protect Yourself

RdB

Shirakawa, H., Ohsaki, Y., Minegishi, Y., Takumi, N., Ohinata, K., Furukawa, Y., Mizutani, T. and Komai, M. 2006. Vitamin K deficiency reduces testosterone production in the testis through down-regulation of the Cyp11a a cholesterol side chain cleavage enzyme in rats. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-General Subjects. 1760(10): 1482-1488
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Canned Tuna

Posted on June 12, 2024 by Robert Barrington

Tuna is a salt water fish that makes a significant contribution towards human nutrition. Fresh tuna is an oily fish and in this respect can supply significant amounts of omega-3 long chain marine oils in the diet. However, fresh tuna is expensive and perhaps not freely available to most consumers outside of coastal locations in tropical areas. Canned tuna is however much more widely available, but the canning process removes the oil and the fish tissue becomes rather dry. This means that canned tuna is a poor source of omega-3 fats. Further, tuna is available in different forms in tins. Firstly, tuna steak is the form that most closely resembles the fresh tuna structurally as it is in effect fresh tuna that has been canned. Another form of canned tuna are tuna chunks, which are broken down in structure from steaks to form chunks, and this process can be further extended to form flakes. The price of the tuna reflects this processing and tuna steak can be almost twice the price of tune flakes. Tuna tends to be more expensive than both sardines and mackerel in tins, but is cheaper than salmon, particularly if the salmon is wild. However, salmon, mackerel and sardines (and pilchards which are the same fish) are all rich in omega-3 fats. Therefore tuna is a good option as a source of protein, but other forms of fish may provide a more practical balance of protein with fat. 

Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Protect Yourself

RdB

Jaffry, S. and Brown, J. 2008. A demand analysis of the UK canned tuna market. Marine Resource Economics. 23(2): 215-227
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L-Theanine: Hormonal Effects

Posted on June 10, 2024 by Robert Barrington

Evidence suggests that green tea can inhibit steroidogenesis and may decrease testosterone levels in rats. However, it is not clear if this effect is common to humans, or whether there are special considerations regarding the methods of the studies that have evidenced this. One counter argument to the contention that green tea may lower testosterone comes from the fact that many studies show an anti-anxiety and stress lowering effect for green tea, as well as L-theanine, an amino acid present within the tea. This likely relates to the evidence that L-theanine is able to interact with the neurones of the brain to increase the alpha wave state, and this has a significant calming effect, lowering the excitability of the central nervous system. This is relevant to testosterone because stress, and in particular cortisol release, is a significant factor at inhibiting testosterone synthesis. Therefore L-theanine and green tea (because of its L-theanine content) may indirectly be able to affect testosterone synthesis, through a general effect that lowers the stress response and initiates an environment more conducive to normal hormonal balance. 

Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Protect Yourself

RdB

Wang, L., Brennan, M., Li, S., Zhao, H., Lange, K.W. and Brennan, C. 2022. How does the tea L-theanine buffer stress and anxiety? Food Science and Human Wellness. 11(3): 467-475
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