Monthly Archives: May 2013

Stay Lean, Eat Beans

ll carbohydrate foods provide 3.75 calories per gram. Proponents of the forced energy restriction diet hypothesis will argue that a calorie is a calorie and it is the balance of energy consumed and energy expended that will dictate weight gain. … Continue reading

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For How Long Should You Cook Broccoli?

roccoli and other cruciferous vegetables of the Brassica family such as radishes, rape seed, water cress, kale, sprouts, turnips and cauliflower contain glucosinolates. Metabolites of glucosinolates, the isothiocyanates, are implicated in protection from cancer because they induce phase II detoxification … Continue reading

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Alternative to Aspartame?

Aspartame may be detrimental to health in those sensitive to its effects. The problem with aspartame is that it contains a molecule of L-phenylalanine, an essential amino acid that crosses the blood brain barrier using the large neutral amino acid … Continue reading

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Eat Fibre, Eat Less

bservational studies show an inverse relationship between fibre intake and obesity. One line of reasoning suggests that fibre is protective of obesity because it can decrease the glycaemic effect of foods. Consumption of low fibre refined carbohydrates causers elevated postprandial … Continue reading

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New Book: Fat Chance by Dr Robert Lustig

 new book by Dr Robert Lustig has just been released. It tells the story of sugar and how it is adversely affecting our health. Dr Lustig is well known for his lecture ‘Sugar: The Bitter Truth’ on the same subject … Continue reading

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Corn Flakes Versus All Bran: Lose the flakes, Lose Fat

vidence suggests that highly refined carbohydrate foods are a major cause of obesity. Refining cereal grains removes the bran and the germ layers, the parts of the grain that contains most of the fibre and micronutrients. Refined carbohydrates therefore comprise … Continue reading

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Water, Water Everywhere

ater is an often overlooked factor in health and nutrition. Many recommendations abound as to how much water to drink, although this will vary from person to person. Water is required for the correct functioning of metabolic pathways, with hydrolysis … Continue reading

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Vitamin D and Calcium: Type 2 Diabetes

esearch implicates vitamin D and calcium insufficiency in the development of metabolic syndrome and subsequent deterioration of the condition to type 2 diabetes. Metabolic syndrome is characterised by insulin resistance, abdominal obesity, hyperglycaemia, inflammation and β-cell dysfunction, which suggests that … Continue reading

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More on Exercise Versus Diet

ery-low calorie diets produce short-term weight loss but are often associated with a decrease in fat free mass that reduces resting metabolic rate and prevents further weight loss. Because weight training is anabolic and can increase fat free mass, it … Continue reading

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Bile Salts, Cholesterol and Fibre

Dietary fat absorption relies on the presence of the primary bile salts cholate and chenodeoxycholate. Both primary bile salts are synthesised in the liver with cholate making up around 80% of the total. Conjugation of bile salts to glycine or … Continue reading

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