Monthly Archives: February 2012

Even More on the Mediterranean Diet

Research is accumulating that suggests the traditional saturated fat and cholesterol theory of cardiovascular disease is false. Instead, diet quality appears to be the overriding nutritional influence in the development of cardiovascular disease. The Mediterranean diet is a diet composed … Continue reading

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Vitamin C: Some more data

Vitamin C is essential in humans because they lack the gulonolactone oxidase enzyme necessary for its synthesis. In this respect, humans are different to most other mammals which possess the necessary intact metabolic pathway for producing vitamin C. Complete deficiency … Continue reading

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More on Exercise, Dietary Protein, and Muscle Protein Synthesis

The main drivers for skeletal muscle protein synthesis in humans are both dietary and exercise related.  Increasing the energy and protein content of the diet, as well as performing resistance training exercise can stimulate the anabolic environment necessary for muscle … Continue reading

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Energy Expenditure in Industrialised versus Developing Countries

The assumption that Western population have an increased risk of obesity because of reduced total energy expenditure (TEE) and physical activity levels (PAL) is not supported by real world data. Researches from the University of Chigaco1 have performed a meta-analysis … Continue reading

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The Mediterranean Diet Protects Endothelium

Research suggests that the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for cardiovascular system. One way that the diet may be of benefits to vascular health is its effect on the endothelial tissue through its anti-inflammatory, anti-coagluatory and vasodilatory effects. Through these mechanisms … Continue reading

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B-ring Hydroxylation of Flavonoids and Hypertension

Researchers1 have investigated the effects of flavonoids and flavonoid sub-classes on hypertension in 135,957 healthy men and women from the Nurses’ Health study (NHS) I, NHS II and Health Professional Follow-Up Study. The flavonoid quantities in the diets were calculated … Continue reading

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Is the RDA for Calcium Too Low?

The recommended intakes of many minerals and vitamins are controversial and in many cases based on early inappropriate experimental work. For example, the early vitamin D requirement for adults was based on anecdotal evidence from cod liver oil supplementation in … Continue reading

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More Evidence for Mineral Deficiencies in Overweight Individuals

Research suggests that obesity is caused by complex metabolic changes which result in insulin resistance, abdominal fat accumulation and lipoprotein changes. In addition, inflammation and oxidative stress appear to be elevated in obese individuals, possibly as a result of increased … Continue reading

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Diet and Disease

The impact of diet on long-term health is evident from the literature, with many studies highlighting the benefits of improved diet quality on reductions in mortality and morbidity. Much of the damage from a poor quality diet is caused by … Continue reading

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Does Vitamin D Supplementation Prevent Influenza?

The fact that cases of the common cold and influenza occur seasonally is well known. Explanations for this fact from the scientific literature in the past have never provided evidence to fully explain the reason behind this pattern of infection, … Continue reading

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