Monthly Archives: September 2022

Some Often Overlooked Qualities of Fruit

Fruit is a healthy group of foods and regular consumption of fruit provides significant health benefits. The benefits of fruit are despite the fact that it is a rich source of sugars including glucose, sucrose, mannitol, raffinose and fructose. Generally … Continue reading

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Sugar Accumulation in Fruit

Sugars are a product of photosynthesis. The plant uses electrons of light and carbon dioxide to create carbohydrates, which are sugars. This process occurs in the leaves as this is the point of photosynthesis in the plant. Once synthesised, the … Continue reading

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Carotenoids for Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetes is a disease of blood glucose regulation. The endpoint of diabetes is elevated levels of blood sugar and this can have a damaging long-term effect on various physiological functions. High levels of glucose is problematic in the blood because … Continue reading

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Ginsenosides

Ginseng (Panax ginseng) has a long history as a traditional medicine. Use of ginseng is particularly prevalent in Asian countries where it is revered for its regenerative properties. The active ingredients in ginseng are numerous and include steroidal saponins, protopanaxadiols, … Continue reading

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There is no Secret to Weight Loss

Weight loss is a fairly straightforward process. The first thing to understand in the process is that the goal is to lose body fat, while maintaining as much muscle and bone tissue as possible. Losing weight should really be called … Continue reading

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Tannins and the Gut

Tannins are a group of phytochemicals present in many plant foods. One important source of tannins for humans is black tea. The tannins in tea are produced from the flavonoids in green tea when black tea is fermented. Tannins have … Continue reading

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Tea as The Easy Option

Consuming plant foods for their health-giving properties is an effective way to improve the general state of a person’s nutritional intake. Plant foods contain high amounts of antioxidants, and are also generally alkaline forming foods, and this makes them an … Continue reading

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Does Tea Inhibit Carbohydrate Absorption?

One reason that tea may have health benefits is because of the weight loss effects seen with regular consumption. The exact reason for this is not fully understood, but a number of mechanisms have been described including the ability of … Continue reading

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Cucumber as a Food

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a member of the Curcurbitaceae family of fruits that includes melon, squash and pumpkin. Cucumber is a fruit because it contains seeds, although it is not usually thought of as a fruit, and often erroneously considered … Continue reading

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Isothiocyanates as Natural Fungicides

A number of phytochemicals synthesised by plants have important roles in pathogen defence. Many of these phytochemicals have been shown to be bioavailable in humans which means they may also play important roles in human health. Glucosinolates are a group … Continue reading

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