Monthly Archives: July 2012

Beta Carotene Supplements

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Carotenoids are plant compounds that give fruit and vegetables their yellow, orange and red colours. Carotenoids are bioavialable in humans and show protective effects against diseases such as a cancer and cardiovascular disease. Although many carotenoids exist in nature, researchers … Continue reading →

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Protein for Immunity

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Protein deficiency is particularly common in developing countries because animal protein is expensive as so is often substituted in the diet for cheaper vegetable based protein sources. However, because vegetable sources of protein are of lower quality, the protein intake … Continue reading →

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Naloxone Prevents Binge Eating

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Some extreme eating behaviours can be considered a form of addiction, as has been demonstrated in animal studies involving feeding highly palatable foods to rats. In some cases, these eating behaviours can cause brain changes that mirror those seen in … Continue reading →

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Oral Glutamine

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Glutamine is an non-essential amino acid that is involved in the production of bicarbonate in the kidney, is a major store of mobile nitrogen, is involved in protein synthesis in skeletal muscle and is also the primary fuel for enterocytes … Continue reading →

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More on Fructose and Serum Triglycerides

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Serum triglyceride concentrations are composed of two fractions. One fraction is composed of the endogenously produced very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) that are synthesised in the liver by the process of de novo lipogenesis. This process is active postprandially and … Continue reading →

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Red Wine Prevents Lipid Peroxidation

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Systemic inflammation and oxidative stress are increasingly being associated with obesity and cardiovascular disease. Antioxidants may be protective of cardiovascular disease because they decrease free radical damage to the endothelial lining of the arteries or the susceptibility for low density … Continue reading →

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More on EFA Interactions

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Robert Barrington

The long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) eicosapentanoic acid (EPA, C20:5 (n-3)) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA, C22:6 (n-3)) accumulate in cell membranes where they provide protection against cardiovascular disease. This is because they are converted to eicosanoid hormones that regulate … Continue reading →

Posted in Alpha Linolenic Acid, Arachidonic Acid, Cardiovascular Disease, Dihomo Gamma Linolenic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Eicosanoids, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Essential Fatty Acids, Linoleic Acid | Comments Off on More on EFA Interactions

Carnitine in Obesity

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Carnitine (3-hydroxy-4-trimethylaminobutyrate) is required for the transport of long chain fatty acids into the mitochondria for oxidation. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) catalyses the removal of coenzyme A from the activated fatty acids and replaces it with carnitine. Carnitine then shuttles the … Continue reading →

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More on Long-term Weight Loss

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Weight loss caused by improvements to the quality of the diet is successful because its addresses the cause of the weight gain, which is metabolic disorder caused by low quality food. However, evidence suggests that calorie restriction and exercise regimens … Continue reading →

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Resistant Starch

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Robert Barrington

Resistant starch is the fraction of starch not digested enzymatically in the small intestine. Resistant starch is considered a form of dietary fibre bacause it passes to the colon where bacterial degradation causes its conversion to short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). … Continue reading →

Posted in Fibre, Gastric Inhibitory Peptide (GIP), Glucagon-like Peptide 1, Insulin, Resistant Starch, Retrogradation | Comments Off on Resistant Starch