Nutrition Wonderland

Understanding Our Bodies: Insulin

13. May 2010

Insulin is one of the most important hormones in the human body, and yet most people don't really understand why our bodies make it or how what we eat affects the levels of insulin we produce. More so than any other hormone, our diet is key in regulating insulin levels, and thus a number of biological processes. As you'll soon see, everyone should think about how what they eat impacts their body's insulin release to be at their happiest and healthiest.

When Cutting Calories Doesn’t Cut It

28. April 2010

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New research out of the Oregon Health and Science University may explain the discrepancy between the theory and reality of dieting. They found that, at least in some of our closest relatives, cutting calories isn't enough to lose weight because the body compensates for the reduced intake by lowering activity levels. Image credit: iamchenelle, flickr

Looking Deeper: Can Exercising 10 Minutes A Day Be Better Than 10 Hours?

2. April 2010

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A recent paper in The Journal of Physiology titled, "A practical model of low-volume high-intensity interval training induces mitochondrial biogenesis in human skeletal muscle: potential mechanisms." has caused quite a stir. It centers around a recent fashion in workouts called High-Intensity Interval Training, or HIT. HIT is a method of exercise which involves working as hard as you can for brief intervals followed by brief rest intervals. The idea is that by doing higher intensity workouts for shorter time intervals, you can work out "less" but get the same, or even more, benefit - but is that true?

Book Review: The Fluoride Deception by Christopher Bryson

30. March 2010

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Few public health issues in American history have riled people quite like fluoride. Its story is replete with famous figures in American history, dramatic tales from the Manhattan Project, corporate cover-ups, redacted research, shattered careers of those that spoke against it's use and the tragedy at Donora in 1948. The tide that binds all these accounts together is a fascinating book called, “The Fluoride Deception” by Christopher Bryson. His work paints a picture with enough intrigue to be nominated for an Oscar but remains deftly aware of itself long enough to stay away from hyperbole – most of the time at least.

Understanding Our Bodies – Fiber!

24. March 2010

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Most of us already know that we should be eating fiber - according to the Institute of Medicine, adults should be eating 20-35 grams of it per day. But why? What's so important about fiber anyway? What does it do for us physiologically? And does it matter what kind of fiber we eat? (Image Credit: Sami Taipale, flickr)

Is Childhood Obesity the Parent’s Fault?

14. January 2010

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Childhood obesity is becoming a hot topic in health circles, even to the point of being called an epidemic. Experts estimate that 20% of children between the ages of 6 and 17 are overweight, predisposing them to terrible diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Why have the world's children ballooned over the past hundred years? (photo by photomequickbooth from flickr).

Alzheimer’s Disease as Type 3 Diabetes – The Glucose Connection

11. January 2010

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In animals, cell get energy by directly eating foods with sugar, or by digesting more complex starches, such as the carbohydrates found in pasta and rice, into the simpler sugar, glucose, which is then easily absorbed into the bloodstream. But how the body handles those sugars - and how many sugars you bombard yourself with - can have wide ranging implications. Let's take a closer look at exactly how glucose gets into cells - and how that could eventually lead to alzheimers. (Thanks to flickr user alain_boucheret for the shot)

California First State To Ban Trans Fats

6. January 2010

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Effective January 1st, 2010, California became the first state to ban restaurants from using trans fats in restaurants.

Deja Vu? FTC Sizes Up Food Marketing and Childhood Obesity

18. December 2009

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The breath of the obesity epidemic being witnessed in the United States is troubling. Theories have been entertained to determine what is causing the obesity problem in children. Sedentary activities like video games and television regularly are brought out to the whipping post as the cardinal reason for the rapid rise but another view, that of food marketing to youth, has received increasing attention. That attention culminated in a summit put together by the FTC called Sizing Up. We attended - check out what happened.

Understanding Our Bodies: The Role of Antioxidants

26. October 2009

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Are antioxidants good for you? To answer that question, you have to understand reactive oxygen species, or ROS. And to do that, you have to understand how your cells produce energy. In this article, we uncover the processes of oxidation and explain it in the context of your health and well being.

Archive | Health & Disease RSS feed for this section

Understanding Our Bodies: Insulin

When Cutting Calories Doesn’t Cut It

Looking Deeper: Can Exercising 10 Minutes A Day Be Better Than 10 Hours?

Book Review: The Fluoride Deception by Christopher Bryson

Understanding Our Bodies – Fiber!

Is Childhood Obesity the Parent’s Fault?

Alzheimer’s Disease as Type 3 Diabetes – The Glucose Connection

California First State To Ban Trans Fats

Deja Vu? FTC Sizes Up Food Marketing and Childhood Obesity

Understanding Our Bodies: The Role of Antioxidants

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