Monthly Archives: December 2014

Bland Food, Taste and Adiposity

Studies show that the high fat, low fibre, palatable, salty and sugary foods in the Western diet increase energy consumption. The reason for this is that many processed foods bypass the normal appetite regulatory mechanisms and elicit larger food intakes. … Continue reading

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More of Sleep Deprivation and Feeding Behaviour

Obesity is associated with lower quality and shorter duration of sleep (here). As sleep levels drop from around 8 hours to around 4 to 5 hours a night, energy intake increases. This energy increase has been given as an explanation … Continue reading

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The Cardioprotective Effects of Walnuts

Posted in Alpha Linolenic Acid, Cardiovascular Disease, Ellagic Acid, Endothelial Dysfunction, Essential Fatty Acids, L-arginine, Nitric Oxide, Walnuts | Comments Off on The Cardioprotective Effects of Walnuts

Whole Grain Versus Refined Grains

Evidence suggests that consumption of whole grain foods is associated with protection from Western lifestyle diseases. In contrast, consumption of refined grains increases the risk of a number of major Western diseases including obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and … Continue reading

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The Pharmacological Effects of Niacin

Posted in Cardiovascular Disease, Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Lipoprotein(a), Niacin, Vitamin B | Comments Off on The Pharmacological Effects of Niacin

Coenzyme Q10: The Cardioprotective Nutrient

Coenzyme Q10 is an essential part of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Every eukaryotic cell therefore needs coenzyme Q10, hence its alternative name ubiquinone. Coenzyme Q10 functions as an electron acceptor in the mitochondria and in this way is involved in … Continue reading

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Do You Want Free Testosterone? Boron May Be The Answer

Diet can have a strong influence on the synthesis, storage and metabolism of testosterone. Chemically testosterone is a steroid hormone derived from the classic and easily recognisable cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene ring, and in this regard is similar to other steroid hormones such … Continue reading

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Smoking and Body Weight

Both smoking and obesity increase the risk of mortality. However, smoking is inversely related to body weight. This suggests that something about the act of smoking, or its associated behaviour may prevent weight gain. While smoking is bad for the … Continue reading

Posted in Adaptive Thermogenesis, Alcohol, Caffeine, Cigarettes, Energy Expenditure, Exercise, Nicotine, Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR), Smoking, Thermic Effect of Activity (TEA), Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), Weight Loss | Comments Off on Smoking and Body Weight

Inositol: The Forgotten B Vitamin

Choline and inositol are members of the B vitamin group. Both get neglected in nutrition, inositol perhaps more than choline. Both choline and inositol function closely together in human metabolism because both form structural components of cell membranes. In this … Continue reading

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Nutritional Recommendations for Vegetarians

Generally vegetarianism can be healthy. Diets high in whole plant foods are known to confer health benefits, although the exact reason for the beneficial health effects of edible plants in not fully understood. Plants contain a number of essential and … Continue reading

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