Monthly Archives: January 2014

Capsaicinoids and Capsinoids

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Capsaicinoids and capsinoids are a number of closely related compounds found in chilli peppers (figure 1)1. Capsaicinoids are thought to be produced as a defence mechanisms against predators as they give chillies their pungent taste. The main capsaicinoids in chilli … Continue reading →

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Smart Nutrient: Phosphatidylserine

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Robert Barrington

A smart  nutrient is a dietary substance that has an effect on some mode of brain or central nervous system function. This could be a psychological change such as mood elevation or a change in emotional state, or may be … Continue reading →

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Insulin Induced Salt Retention

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Insulin induced salt retention is a phenomenon by which carbohydrate ingestion affects the ability of the kidney to excrete salt. Early reports of insulin induced salt retention were serendipitous and were made from scientific studies investigating the effects of fasting. … Continue reading →

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Breakfast Consumption: A Marker for Health?

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Associations between food and disease are commonly reported in the nutritional literature. For example, it has been shown that many ingredients from recipes in a cookbook are associated with cancer (here). This explains the high frequency with which lifestyle sections … Continue reading →

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Refined Carbohydrates: Bad Choice

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Refine carbohydrates are the staple starch source in the Western diet. While traditional diets contain carbohydrates sources as whole grains, Westerners have developed a taste for refined carbohydrates. This is problematic because refined carbohydrates are strongly implicated in the aetiology … Continue reading →

Posted in Carbohydrate, Diabetes, Fibre, Glycaemia, Micronutrients, Nuts, Pulses / Legumes, Western Diet, Whole Grains | Comments Off on Refined Carbohydrates: Bad Choice

Flaxseed Oil: Is Fish Oil Superior?

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Humans require two essential fatty acids, alpha linolenic acid and linoleic acid. These fatty acids are essential because they are metabolised to important cellular signal molecules called eicosanoids. Alpha linolenic acid belongs to the omega 3 family of fatty acids, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alpha Linolenic Acid, Delta 6-desaturase, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Docosanoids, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Fish Oils, Flax Oil | Comments Off on Flaxseed Oil: Is Fish Oil Superior?

Neurotransmitters: Get Mental

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Robert Barrington

In recent years the word neurotransmitter has become a bit of a buzz word in the sports supplement industry. ‘Modulation of neurotransmitter levels for athletic performance’ sounds a bit of a mouthful, but in reality it simply means altering the … Continue reading →

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Low Fat Diets

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Low fat diets are a popular form of weight loss, which is unfortunate as their efficacy is questionable when compared to non restrictive alternatives. For example it has been shown that non-restrictive low carbohydrate diets cause superior weight loss compared … Continue reading →

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Associated with Cancer

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Robert Barrington

It becomes apparent when reading through nutrition literature that nearly every food can be shown to be associated with cancer. And this may arouse suspicions in the more cynically minded amongst us. To highlight this phenomenon, a recent paper published … Continue reading →

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Tocotrienols: Cardiovascular Disease

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Vitamin E is a collection of eight phenolic compounds which share the activity of α-tocopherol. Four of these compounds are tocopherols (α-, β-, γ- and δ-tocopherol), and four of these compounds are tocotrienols (α-, β-, γ- and δ-tocotrienol). The primary … Continue reading →

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