Eating meals as a family around a table may well be a practice or habit which is changing. People eat at a table in cafes and restaurants but less so in homes where the meal may be grazed or at the TV.The benefits of a meal eaten around a table is that it has ritual,…
Read moreThere is a growing literature on the metabolic effects of excess body fat during childhood. From the available data, it appears that dietary factors are not only important environmental determinants of adiposity, but also may affect components of the metabolic syndrome and modulate the actions of adipokines. Dietary total fat and saturated fat are associated…
Read moreChocolate is a delicacy which is enjoyed by most people and also other animal species. Chocolate is not healthy for dogs who love this treat.The reason is their slow metabolism of the methyl xanthnine alkaloid Theobromine. The amount of theobromine in a product depends on whether it is bakers chocolate (390-450 mg / oz chocolate…
Read moreIn most surveys quantitative data are gathered with questionnaires and interviews. A comparison of such self reported data with measured equivalents shows that people systematically underestimate or overestimate frequencies (cigarettes smoked daily, age of onset, time to pregnancy) or clinical parameters (height, weight, blood pressure). This may occur because participants intentionally or unintentionally round figures…
Read moreMaruyama and colleagues in Osaka Japan have reported a fascinating study on eating quickly and eating until full ( Maruyama et al 2008 The joint impact on being overweight of self reported behaviours of eating quickly and eating until full: cross sectional survey BMJ vol 337 pp 1091-1093Eating quickly, gorging and binge eating have been…
Read moreIn the December 2008 British Journal of Nutrition Chapkin et al ( Bioactive dietary long chain fatty acids: emerging mechanisms of action BJN vol 100 pp 1152-57) discuss the role of dietary long chain fatty acids. They describe the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells as containing self organising intrinsically unstable liquid ordered domains or lipid…
Read moreDioxins are polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, formed from two benzene rings joined by 2 oxygen bridges, forming an aromatic ether. These are environmental pollutants and are teratogens, mutagens and possibly carcinogens. They are fat soluble and accumulate in mammalian tissues , giving them a prolonged biological life.Chlorine atoms are attached at 8 different sites at positions 1-4…
Read moreIn a study reported in the BMJ and accompanied with an Editorial the effect of caffeine intake during pregnancy is discussedThere are two variables which are important for the mother.The metabolism of caffeine depends on genetic and environmental factors. Caffeine is metabolised in the liver primarily by CYP1A2 and NAT2, and people can be classified…
Read moreA protein that regulates lifespan in yeast by its genome may function in the same manner in mammals, or more specifically the mouse. The protein is a family of proteins called sirtuins. .In yeast sirtuin , called Sir2 is a guard and protector of the organism’s genome, preventing genes from expressed at the wrong time…
Read moreA recent letter to the Times by Martin Waters tells of the accidental finding of the Universal Truth. The length of Martin Water’s leg ( 37 ins ) is exactly 4.7 times the length of his hand ( 7.9 ins ) . The circumference of his head when multiplied by 4.7 equals exactly the height…
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