Monthly Archives: August 2011

Fish Oil Versus Flax Oil

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Alpha linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3 (n-3)) is a long chain polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acid that is essential to health. The typical Western diet is deficient in ALA, which must be consumed (or one of its metabolites) in order to prevent … Continue reading →

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Neutralising Acid Diets for Bone Health

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Robert Barrington

The high animal protein, high grain diets of Western nations are of significance to health because they produce diet-induced metabolic acidosis. This is because animal proteins and grains are metabolised to acidic compounds which decreases the pH of the blood. … Continue reading →

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Vitamin D Supplementation for Winter

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Robert Barrington

As the sun in the Northern hemisphere drops toward the horizon and we head towards winter, it is the right time to consider vitamin D supplementation. Vitamin D supplements are generally not necessary during the summer if large portions of … Continue reading →

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Mercury Exposure and Birth Weight

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Robert Barrington

The current recommendation is to eat fatty fish ≥ 2 times a week because of the beneficial polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids that it contains. These fatty acids (eicosapentanoic acid and docosahexanoic acid) are beneficial to health because they inhibit the … Continue reading →

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Fatty Acids, Eicosanoids and Arachidonic Acid

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Alpha linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA) are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the omega 3 and 6 family respectively, and are both essential to health. These fatty acids have a number of important function in humans, and deficiency … Continue reading →

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Potassium-Rich, Bicarbonate-Rich Foods

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Robert Barrington

One of the functions of the vertebrate skeleton is the buffering of the blood with alkali minerals stored in bone. As blood pH drops, osteoclast resorptive activity is increased and the deposition of alkaline minerals in bone by osteoblasts is … Continue reading →

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The Case for Chromium Supplementation

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Chromium is an essential trace element that is most well known for its role in insulin function and cellular glucose uptake. Lack of trivalent chromium (Cr3+) in the diet results in insulin resistance, diabetes and ultimately death due to a … Continue reading →

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More on Vitamin C and Glutathione

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Vitamin C and glutathione are the two primary water soluble antioxidants in cells. Vitamin C must be obtained from the diets of humans because they lack the gulonolactone oxidase enzyme necessary for its synthesis. As well as being an important … Continue reading →

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Omega 3 Fatty Acid in Foods

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Robert Barrington

Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 20001, investigated the effects of consumption of foods rich in n-3 fatty acids in normal healthy male subjects. In particular, the researchers wanted to measure the effects on certain inflammatory … Continue reading →

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Fish Oils and Pregnancy

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Robert Barrington

The essential fatty acids (EFA) alpha linolenic (ALA) acid and linoleic acid (LA) are known to play an important role in brain development and learning, as well as behaviour and social interaction. Both ALA and LA increase fluidity of neuronal … Continue reading →

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