Monthly Archives: May 2015

Why Is Honey Superior to Sugar?

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Sugar is increasingly being seen as a cause of Western lifestyle diseases, particularly obesity. As obesity develops the risk of other lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer also increase. Refined crystalline sugar, also called sucrose … Continue reading →

Posted in de Novo Lipogenesis, Fructose, Honey, Insulin Resistance, Sucrose, Sugar | Comments Off on Why Is Honey Superior to Sugar?

Omega-3 Fats: Fish Versus Supplements

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Robert Barrington
Posted in Docosahexaenoic Acid, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Essential Fatty Acids, Fish, Fish Oils, Omega 3 | Comments Off on Omega-3 Fats: Fish Versus Supplements

Good Chocolate, Bad Chocolate

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Theobroma cocoa is the plant with produces the cocoa bean. From this bean cocoa butter and cocoa powder are produced through fermentation. Cocoa powder and cocoa butter are primary ingredient in chocolate, contributing to the distinctive taste and texture, respectively. … Continue reading →

Posted in Catechin, Chocolate, Cocoa (Theobroma cacao), Flavan-3-ols, Flavonoids, Proanthocyanidins | Comments Off on Good Chocolate, Bad Chocolate

Some Thoughts on Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Robert Barrington
Posted in Alpha Linolenic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Essential Fatty Acids, Fish, Fish Oils, Omega 3, Omega 6, Oxidised Fats, Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids | Comments Off on Some Thoughts on Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

Soluble Fibre and Short Chain Fatty Acids

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Plant fibre is an important part of the human diet. In fact, plant fibres may be conditionally essential to human health where starch forms part of the macronutrient intake. This relates to the ability of dietary fibre to modulate glucose … Continue reading →

Posted in Cereal, Cholesterol, Fibre, Fruit, Oats (Avena sativa), Pectin, Vegetables, Wheat, Whole Grains | Comments Off on Soluble Fibre and Short Chain Fatty Acids

More Evidence: Eggs Do Not Alter Plasma Cholesterol Levels

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Robert Barrington

The cholesterol theory of cardiovascular disease states that increases in dietary cholesterol are the cause of increases in plasma cholesterol. In turn, this rise in plasma cholesterol is the cause of atherosclerosis, and this atherosclerosis is the cause of cardiovascular … Continue reading →

Posted in Cholesterol, Eggs, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides / Triacylglycerols, VLDL | Comments Off on More Evidence: Eggs Do Not Alter Plasma Cholesterol Levels

Vegetarianism and Mineral Status

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Plant based diets confer health benefits to humans. This relates to the high concentrations of phytochemicals contained within the plant foods. Plants are rich in fibre, vitamins and antioxidants and these components provide a substantial amount of the health benefits … Continue reading →

Posted in Iron, Vegetarian, Zinc | Comments Off on Vegetarianism and Mineral Status

Fibre Enzyme Interactions: More on the Effects of Fibre

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Fibre is not officially an essential component of the diet. However, evidence has been mounting for a number of decades to show that carbohydrate containing low fibre diets cause disease. In particular, carbohydrate diets devoid of fibre are thought to … Continue reading →

Posted in Carbohydrate, Fibre, Glycaemia, Glycaemic Index, Glycaemic load, Insulin, Pectin | Comments Off on Fibre Enzyme Interactions: More on the Effects of Fibre

Low Selenium Soils: The Trace Mineral Lottery

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Robert Barrington

Vitamins and minerals are organic and inorganic compounds, respectively. Both groups of compounds are vital to the health of humans. Plants can manufacture vitamins and so consuming a high plant diet provides a wide range of vitamins. Minerals are also … Continue reading →

Posted in Micronutrients, Selenium, Trace Minerals | Comments Off on Low Selenium Soils: The Trace Mineral Lottery

Fibre as a Source of Energy

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Robert Barrington
Posted in Fibre, Short Chain Fatty Acids | Comments Off on Fibre as a Source of Energy