Tag Archives: Cardiovascular Disease

Atherosclerosis: Is the Old Paradigm Dying?

The traditional view of atherosclerosis is that it is caused by an accumulation of lipids in the endothelial lining of arteries. These lipids we are told, are derived mainly from dietary cholesterol and transported to the artery walls by low … Continue reading

Posted in Abdominal Obesity, Atherosclerosis, Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Disease, Endothelial Dysfunction, Fatty Acids, Fish Oils, Free Radicals, Heart Disease, Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome, Nitric Oxide, Oxidative Stress, Saturated Fatty Acids | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Atherosclerosis: Is the Old Paradigm Dying?

Sugar Sugar Everywhere

raditional diets are devoid of meaningful levels of refined carbohydrates, particularly sugar. However, changes to the composition of the typical human diet have occurred over the last 100 years in Western nations. The increasing intakes of sugar and other fructose … Continue reading

Posted in Abdominal Obesity, Body Fat, Caffeine, Cardiovascular Disease, Coffee, Diabetes, Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity, Sucrose, Sugar, Tea | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Sugar Sugar Everywhere

Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors: The Sword of Damocles

yclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors are a sub-group of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These drugs, that include common over the counter medicines such as aspirin and ibuprofen, inhibit the cyclooxygenase enzymes non-selectively. Cyclooxygenases are a group of enzymes required for eicosanoid (prostanoid) … Continue reading

Posted in Arachidonic Acid, Cardiovascular Disease, Dihomo Gamma Linolenic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Essential Fatty Acids, Fish Oils, Gamma Linolenic Acid | Tagged , | Comments Off on Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors: The Sword of Damocles

The Maasai: More Cholesterol Absurdities

 scientific theory can be thought of as a chain of evidence. Each piece of evidence links to the next in order to provide the required observational premise for the construction of a coherent and continuous path to the truth. The … Continue reading

Posted in Abdominal Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease, Cholesterol, Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome, Saturated Fatty Acids, Traditional Diets | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Maasai: More Cholesterol Absurdities

The Decline of the Traditional Diet

vidence suggests that traditional eating plans such as the Mediterranean, Inuit and Okinawan diets are protective of disease. Despite obvious differences in composition, common characteristics of such traditional diets exist. In particular, traditional diets are low in sugar and refined … Continue reading

Posted in Abdominal Obesity, Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, Eskimo Diet, Insulin Resistance, Mediterranean Diet, Okinawan Diet | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Decline of the Traditional Diet

The B6 Essential Fatty Acid Connection

eficiencies of vitamin B6 are known to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The mechanisms for this was first described by Kilmer McCully in his seminal paper in the 1960’s, in which he investigated cardiovascular disease risk in young … Continue reading

Posted in Cardiovascular Disease, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Essential Fatty Acids, Homocysteine, Vitamin B | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The B6 Essential Fatty Acid Connection

Berry Berry Good

lavonoids are a group of around 4000 plants compounds that have a common 3 ring structure. Flavonoids are bioavailable in humans and studies suggest that high intakes of flavonoids are associated with protection from certain diseases. In particular, flavonoids may … Continue reading

Posted in Anthocyanins, Antioxidant, Cardiovascular Disease, Catechin, Endothelial Dysfunction, Flavan-3-ols, Flavanones, Flavones, Flavonoids, Flavonols, Nitric Oxide, Polyphenols, Proanthocyanidins | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Berry Berry Good

More on Berries and Lipoproteins

vidence suggests that consumption of berries may confer protection against cardiovascular disease. Berries such as blackberries (Rubus subgenus Rubus), raspberries (Rubus ideaus) and black currents (Ribes nigrumare) good sources of flavonoids, and some evidence suggest that these compounds may modulate … Continue reading

Posted in Anthocyanins, Berries, Cardiovascular Disease, Cholesterol, Fibre, HDL, IDL, LDL, Metabolic Syndrome | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on Berries and Lipoproteins

Acai Berry: Antioxidant Cocktail

 he acai berry is a fruit found in palm trees (Euterpe oleraceae) native to the Amazon basin and surrounding areas in South America. The fruit of the tree holds economic value to the indigenous populations of these areas where it … Continue reading

Posted in Acai Berry, Alpha Linolenic Acid, Antioxidant, Linoleic Acid, Oloeic Acid, Omega 3, Omega 6, Polyphenols, Proanthocyanidins, Short Chain Fatty Acids, Sterols and Stanols | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Acai Berry: Antioxidant Cocktail

Endothelial Function Improved with Walnuts

ndothelial dysfunction is characterised by a reduction in the synthesis of nitric oxide and a concomitant decrease in flow mediated dilation. This is thought to lead to increases in blood pressure, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Endothelial … Continue reading

Posted in Antioxidant, Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Disease, Endothelial Dysfunction, Walnuts | Tagged , | Comments Off on Endothelial Function Improved with Walnuts