Tag Archives: Cardiovascular Disease

Vitamin B Insufficiencies In The Elderly

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Robert Barrington

It is often assumed that an ageing person has an inevitable slide into functional disability. Proponents of such an idea can readily find data from the literature showing reductions in muscle mass, deteriorations in cognitive function and increases in blood … Continue reading →

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Waist-To-Hip Ratio: How To Measure It

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Robert Barrington

The body mass index (BMI) is frequently used by the medical establishment to assess cardiovascular disease risk because it is unintrusive and quick. However, studies show that the waist-to-hip ratio is a more accurate predictor of cardiovascular disease risk, despite … Continue reading →

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High Quality Diets Prevent Disease

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Robert Barrington

High quality diets are those that contain the essential nutrients required by an individual for correct metabolic function. In addition, high quality diets must be absent of metabolic poisons such as sugar and other fructose containing molecules, and possess high … Continue reading →

Posted in Cardiovascular Disease, Fibre, Mediterranean Diet, Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity, Okinawan Diet, Syndrome X, Traditional Diets, Waist to Hip Ratio, Weight Loss, Western Diet, Whole Grains | Tagged | Comments Off on High Quality Diets Prevent Disease

Soft Drinks: Another Study, More Bad News

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Regular readers of this blog will be aware of the detrimental effects that soft drink consumption has on health (here, here, here and here). Sugar sweetened soft drinks are damaging because of the presence of fructose either in the form … Continue reading →

Posted in Abdominal Obesity, Aspartame, Cardiovascular Disease, Fructose, Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome, Soft Drinks, Stroke, Sucrose | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Soft Drinks: Another Study, More Bad News

Black Tea: Milk, No Sugar

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Epidemiological evidence suggest that tea is protective of cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, in general, studies show a more consistent health effect for green tea compared to black tea, suggesting that nuances exist between their physiological effects. The chemical composition … Continue reading →

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More on trans fats: Avoid

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Many of the early studies that reported associations between saturated fat and cardiovascular disease had confounding variables that were not adequately controlled. In particular, the inclusion of trans fats within the saturated fat grouping has brought into question the usefulness … Continue reading →

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Eggsellent

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Proponents of the cholesterol theory of cardiovascular disease generally regard eggs as particularly damaging to cardiovascular health. This flawed and illogical premise is based on the fact that eggs contain high levels of cholesterol in their yolks. However, it is … Continue reading →

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Skimmed Milk: Refined Junk?

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Currently it is believed by many that obesity is caused by a positive energy balance. The solution we are told is to restrict energy intake through dieting, or increase energy expenditure through exercise. However, the ‘eat-too-much, do-too-little’ mantra of weight … Continue reading →

Posted in Abdominal Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease, Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), Metabolic Syndrome, Milk | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Skimmed Milk: Refined Junk?

Fish Oil Fights Inflammation

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Obesity is a symptom of the metabolic syndrome, which in turn is caused by low quality diets containing high amounts of fructose. High fructose intakes are deleterious to metabolic regulation because they induce insulin resistance in hepatocytes and skeletal muscle. … Continue reading →

Posted in Abdominal Obesity, Adiponectin, Adipose Tissue, Cardiovascular Disease, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Fish Oils, Fructose, Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome, Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Obesity | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Fish Oil Fights Inflammation

The Western Diets: No Plant Food Required

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Evidence suggests that sodium chloride is not responsible for the hypertension epidemic in developed nations. Studies investigating the effects of salt have found that while a small sub-population of individuals may be affected negatively by salt, normal healthy individuals can … Continue reading →

Posted in Blood Pressure, Calcium, Fibre, Magnesium, Micronutrients, Phosphorus, Potassium, Starch, Vitamin C | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Western Diets: No Plant Food Required