Monthly Archives: September 2011

The Importance of Breakfast

Research suggests that there is a negative association between eating breakfast and obesity, although the research is a little contradictory. Increasingly, breakfast is being skipped as a meal but it is unclear as to the effects of this trend. Many … Continue reading

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Statins Versus Diet

Statins are widely prescribed to lower cholesterol in large numbers of the general population because they have been shown in research to reduce LDL-cholesterol levels. Statins are a group of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors. They can reduce serum cholesterol … Continue reading

Posted in Almonds, Cholesterol, Fibre, Oats (Avena sativa), Sterols and Stanols | Comments Off on Statins Versus Diet

Potassium and Cardiovascular Disease

Hypertension is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The main dietary focus in the past has centred on the role played by sodium in blood pressure regulation, but research attempting to link high sodium diets to hypertension has been … Continue reading

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Vitamin D and Inflammation

Vitamin D is hormone that plays an important role in the modulation of the immune system and in calcium homeostasis. Vitamin D is produced naturally in the body by the action of UV light on the skin, or can be … Continue reading

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Vitamin C and Inflammation

Generally, epidemiology has shown that high vitamin C intakes may protect from all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease. However, vitamin C is present in many foods that have other beneficial compounds (e.g. fruits and vegetables) and so it has been difficult … Continue reading

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Protein and Satiety

Altering the macronutrient ratios of meals is known to have an effect on weight loss. Evidence suggests that higher intakes of protein increases satiety and can aid in weight control. Meals with a higher intake of protein decrease subsequent energy … Continue reading

Posted in Cholecystokinin, Ghrelin, GIP, Glucagon, Glucagon-like Peptide 1, Protein, Weight Loss, Whey Protein | Comments Off on Protein and Satiety

More on Mixed Tocopherols

Vitamin E is a group of isomers that includes α-, β-, γ- and δ-tocopherol and α-, β-, γ- and δ-tocotrienol. Tocopherols and tocotrienols are important fat soluble antioxidants in humans. Both α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol are present in the diet in … Continue reading

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More on DHA and Brain Development

Docosahexanoic acid (DHA, C22:6 (n-3)) is preferentially sequestered in human brain tissue, where it plays an important role in increasing neuronal membrane fluidity, improving synaptic transmission and possibly allows neurogenesis. Animal studies show that retinal rod photoreceptors, the cerebral cortex … Continue reading

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Fish Oils and Cardiac Tissue

Supplementation with fish oils has been shown to increase erythrocyte levels of eicosapentanoic acid (EPA, 20:5 (n-3)) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA, 22:6 (n-3)). Studies have also shown that supplementation of fish oils reduces cardiac deaths by 42 to 67 % … Continue reading

Posted in Alpha Linolenic Acid, Arachidonic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Essential Fatty Acids | Comments Off on Fish Oils and Cardiac Tissue

More on Trans-Fatty Acids

Trans-fatty acids (TFA) are unsaturated fatty acids that have double bonds in the trans- configuration. The trans-double bonds in unsaturated fatty acids causes the molecules to have a different structure to their cis-double bond counterparts. A trans-configuration double bond tend … Continue reading

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