Category Archives: Fibre

Energy Content of Dietary Fibre

Posted on August 26, 2021 by Robert Barrington

In nutrition, fibre is often considered as a non-digestible component of food. It is true that humans lack the cellulase enzyme necessary to digest fibre, but so do ruminants such as cows, sheep and goats. These animals can however digest … Continue reading →

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The Health Benefits of Apples

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Robert Barrington

Fruit and vegetables have been shown to have potential health benefits. In particular, fruit and vegetables may cause weight loss and protect from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Apples are a healthy high quality foods that are relatively low in energy … Continue reading →

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The Post-Antibiotic Era: Probiotics and Predatory Bacteria

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Robert Barrington

It is undeniable that the advent of antibiotics saved a large number of lives of people who would otherwise have died of bacterial infection. Penicillin was the first widely available antibiotic, but since this time a large number of antibiotics … Continue reading →

Posted in Bacteria, Fibre, Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), Garlic, Prebiotics, Probiotics | Comments Off on The Post-Antibiotic Era: Probiotics and Predatory Bacteria

Short Chain Fatty Acids May Reduce Appetite

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Robert Barrington

There exists a highly complex negative feedback loop for appetite regulation. This feedback loop ensures that no overeating occurs and this helps maintain body weight within a set range. The hormones and nerve signals that regulate this feedback loop are … Continue reading →

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More On Fruit Juice and Fibre

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Robert Barrington

Fruit juice is increasingly being evidenced to be as detrimental to the health as soft drinks. The reason for this relates to the fact that both are concentrated sources of sugar. Sugar is detrimental to the health because it contains … Continue reading →

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Is Fibre an Essential Nutrient?

Posted on January 20, 2018 by Robert Barrington
Posted in Fibre, Starch, Sugar | Comments Off on Is Fibre an Essential Nutrient?

Do We All Respond Differently to β-glucan Fibre? Genetic Individuality

Posted on December 27, 2017 by Robert Barrington

Beta-glucan fibre is a soluble fibre found in a number of cereal grains including oats and barley. It has been suggested that β-glucan fibre is responsible for many of the health effects associated with consumption of these cereal grains. In … Continue reading →

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Fibre: Variety is Important

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Robert Barrington

Literature continues to accumulate as to the health benefits of dietary fibre. This research is often complex and difficult to interpret, and part of this is due to the large amount of different compounds that are defined as dietary fibre. … Continue reading →

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Resistant Starch: Metabolic Effects (In Mice)

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Robert Barrington

Resistant starch is a name given to a group of foodstuffs that are classified as dietary fibre but are known to be fermentable in the gut. While previously it was thought that dietary fibres were not digested and absorbed in … Continue reading →

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More Benefits for High Fibre Diets?

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Robert Barrington

Fibre is a heterogeneous group of non-digestible carbohydrates that show beneficial health effects. Broadly fibre is divided into soluble and insoluble fibre types, but in reality these groups do not accurately describe the wide variety of dietary fibres frequently ingested … Continue reading →

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