Monthly Archives: August 2013

Vitamin D: Dark Skin Increases Requirement

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Robert Barrington

he adult recommended intake for vitamin D is based on obsolete studies performed on children using cod liver oil supplements to prevent rickets. As a result the recommended intake of vitamin D does not provide enough of the vitamin for … Continue reading →

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Fasting: Why Does it Help Weight Loss?

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Robert Barrington

here is a common misconception that weight gain and obesity are caused by a positive energy balance. This ‘eat-too-much, do-too-little’ theory of weight gain states that overconsumption of food or underperformance of physical activity causes a positive energy balance that … Continue reading →

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Low Fat Diets: More Problems

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Robert Barrington

ow fat diets have become popular because of the false belief that saturated fat is able to cause detrimental changes to plasma lipoprotein levels. In addition dietary fat is seen by many as the cause of weight gain, and this … Continue reading →

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Thermic Effect of Food Blunted in Vegetarians?

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Robert Barrington

he thermic effect of food (TEF) is the increase in body heat produced following a meal. This can be measured in a laboratory setting and gives some indication as to the amount of energy that the body is prepared to … Continue reading →

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Fat People Just Need to Exercise to Lose Weight. Really?

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Robert Barrington

here is still a widely held belief that obesity is caused by a simple positive energy balance that results from too much food and too little exercise. Proponents of the ‘eat-too-much, do-too-little’ theory of obesity therefore suggest that a cure … Continue reading →

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Home Alone: More On Childhood Obesity

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Robert Barrington

besity was once considered a simple problem of energy balance. Theory suggested that overconsumption of food, any food, and a lack of physical activity, creates a positive energy balance that causes a slow but gradual accumulation of body fat. This … Continue reading →

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Salmon and Breast Milk

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Robert Barrington

he quality of maternal nutrition during pregnancy is increasingly being found to influence the risk of disease in adult life for the offspring. Nutrition during the time following birth has also been indemnified as being pivotal to future disease outcomes, … Continue reading →

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More on the Mediterranean Diet and Mortality

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Robert Barrington

he Mediterranean diet is the traditional diet of populations living around the Mediterranean sea in Europe and North Africa. Evidence is accumulating from epidemiology, animal studies and intervention trials that regular consumption of the diet is beneficial to the health. … Continue reading →

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Fish Oil: Responders and Non-Responders

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Robert Barrington

vidence suggests that some of the inconclusive results in nutritional intervention studies may be due to the presence of non-responders within the study population. For example, calcium is able to lower blood pressure in some individuals with hypertension, but a … Continue reading →

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Refined Carbohydrates and Cancer

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Robert Barrington

vidence is accumulating that refined carbohydrates are a cause of the lifestyle diseases that plague the Western health care system. In contrast, consumption of whole grain carbohydrates are considered protective of the same diseases. Refining the grains removes much of … Continue reading →

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