Monthly Archives: July 2011

β-Carotene: Supplements Versus Food

Much is written about the comparisons between nutrients from supplements compared with whole foods. Plant foods are known to contain a number of different phytonutrients that have been shown to be beneficial to the health, and many of these chemicals … Continue reading

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Fruit and Vegetables

Fruit and vegetables contain a myriad of phytonutrients, some of which have been shown to provide health benefits to those who regularly consume them. High quantities of fruit and vegetables in the diet are associated with lower levels of chronic … Continue reading

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Glycaemic Effects of Coffee

Coffee is of interest to nutritional scientists because it has been shown to contain a number of chemicals with biological action in humans. The most widely known of these is caffeine, which has been shown to activate the sympathetic nervous … Continue reading

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Magnesium and Exercise

Magnesium is an essential macro mineral that is needed in larger amounts than the trace minerals. Magnesium has important functions in energy production because it stabilises the ATP molecule (as part of the Mg-ATP complex) and is a co‑enzyme in … Continue reading

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More on Sugar

Sugar (sucrose) is a disaccharide molecule comprised of glucose and fructose units joined with a glycosidic bond. Sugar intake in developed civilisation is much higher than in native tribes living traditional lifestyles, and evidence suggests that sugar in the diet … Continue reading

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Fatty Acid Binding Proteins

Fatty acid binding proteins (FABP) are a group of intracellular proteins that act to regulate the lipid balance of the cell. They are important to understand because they may play a role in inflammation and metabolic disturbances that may be … Continue reading

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Ghrelin: The Hunger Hormone

Ghrelin is a peptide hormone that is synthesised by endocrine glands in the stomach. Ghrelin is known to stimulate the release of growth hormone by activation of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor. However, it is also thought that ghrelin can … Continue reading

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The Advantages of Whole Grains

Whole grains are considered an important part of a healthy diet because research suggests that many of nutrients they contain are beneficial to the health. Whole grains may protects against cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal ill health, cancer, diabetes, as well as … Continue reading

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Fructose Versus Glucose

Glucose and fructose are two monosaccharide sugars that are present in a number of foods commonly consumed by humans. Both glucose and fructose are present naturally in high amounts in various fruits, and also added artificially to manufactured foods and … Continue reading

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Stearidonic Acid

Alpha linolenic acid (ALA) [18:3(n-3)] is an omega 3 essential fatty acids required by the body for health. Deficiency in ALA leads to inflammation, degeneration and disease. In humans, ALA is converted to a number of short lived hormones called … Continue reading

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