Monthly Archives: April 2014

More On Medium Chain Triglyceride Digestion

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Medium chain fatty acids are defined as those with chain lengths of between 6 and 12 carbon atoms. Medium chain triglycerides are therefore three fatty acids of this length bonded through an ester bond to a glycerol molecule. Compared to … Continue reading →

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Vitamin D And Mortality

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Vitamin D is actually not a vitamin at all, but a steroid hormone. Vitamin D can be ingested in the diet or can be synthesised endogenously in the skin of humans via the action of ultraviolet light on cholesterol. In … Continue reading →

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More On Fibre

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Originally thought of as providing roughage for the transit of food through the gastrointestinal tract, dietary fibre may now be far more important for human health than was once considered. Although dietary fibre does evidently improve food transit rates during … Continue reading →

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Delta 5-Desaturase and Fish

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Alpha linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3 (n-3)) is an omega 3 fatty acid and is essential to humans. The essentiality of ALA derives from its conversion to other longer chain fatty acids, which are in turn converted to eicosanoids. Eicosanoids are … Continue reading →

Posted in Alpha Linolenic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Essential Fatty Acids, Fish, Fish Oils, Linoleic Acid | Comments Off on Delta 5-Desaturase and Fish

More On Traditional Diets

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Traditional diets are those eaten historically by a particular group of individuals. Most regions of the World with historical status have a traditional diet, although some are far more well known that others. The Mediterranean diet is perhaps the most … Continue reading →

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Are trans Fat Intakes Declining?

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Evidence supports a role for trans fatty acids in the development of disease. In particular, synthetic 18 carbon trans fats found in products containing hydrogenated vegetable oil are thought to cause an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Intakes of synthetic … Continue reading →

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Dairy and trans-Palmitoleic Acid

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Dairy consumption is inversely associated with body weight. The reason for this is not known, but clinical trials and animal experiments show that consumption of high intakes of dairy causes significantly weight loss effects. One possibility is that the calcium … Continue reading →

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Is Energy Intake Decreasing?

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Robert Barrington

The ‘eat-too-much, do-too-little’ theory of obesity claims that weight gain is caused by too much food and too little exercise. This we are told causes a positive energy balance that incrementally adds small amounts of adipose tissue. Over time the … Continue reading →

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Homocysteine And Colorectal Cancer

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Homocysteine is a product of methionine metabolism in humans. Under conditions of adequate nutrition, this homocysteine is rapidly converted back to methionine or to cysteine through a number of pathways. For this conversion to take place, optimal intakes of folic … Continue reading →

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More On DHA And Pregnancy

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Higher intakes of omega-3 fatty acids are associated with improved health and protection from disease. Clinical studies show that this protection is based primarily on the intake of the long chain marine fatty acids eicosapentaenoic (EPA, C20:5 (n-3)) and docosahexaenoic … Continue reading →

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