SHR

Reducing added sugar intake has become a ubiquitous recommendation by private and public health agencies across the world, and with good reason. Dose-response research has shown that metabolic derangements begin with at least 10% of energy intake coming from added sugars and escalate as the dose increases. Although this research was conducted with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), the authors speculate that similar results would be observed if sucrose (table sugar) were used as well because of their similar chemical structure (half glucose and half fructose). Of course, media coverage of the link between sugar and obesity has resulted in a predominant public view that HFCS is particularly detrimental. Whereas sucrose and HFCS are often viewed as detrimental to health, honey has been traditionally viewed as a “natural” sweetener believed to have health benefits other sugars don’t. Sure enough, honey does indeed contain numerous bioactive compounds that may benefit health if consumed...

Have you ever wondered how cooking meat influences its digestibility? It seems like such a simple question – one that should have been answered long ago considering most people eat meat on a daily basis. Alas, it was only recently that Oberli et al from France took to the science to provide an answer. In the first study of its kind, they fed isotopically labelled beef to a small group (n=16) of healthy men and women and followed it through the digestive tract and metabolic pools of the participants. After consuming a standardized diet (1.4 g/kg protein) for one-week prior to the experimental day, in the morning after an overnight fast, each subject was provided 10 minutes to eat 120 grams (27 g protein) of isotopically labelled minced beef steak (mincing reduces the influence of individual chewing efficiency) that was either  fully-cooked meat [FCM; 90°C (194°F) for 30 minutes] or rare...

A major focus of dyslipidemia treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), which is not without good reason. LDL-c has been extensively researched and implicated as a causal factor in the buildup of arterial plaque. Observational data clearly shows that high LDL-c is a risk factor for CVD, but this research also shows that low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) is a risk factor. Classically, HDL-c is responsible for reverse cholesterol transport, meaning it gathers the cholesterol that could become plaque and brings it back to the liver. Although this role made HDL-c appear to directly counter that of LDL-c, it is now known that HDL-c has many non-classical functions as well, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticoagulant activities. However, it may be that HDL-c is only protective in non-healthy populations, as genetic mechanisms that raise plasma HDL-c do not seem to lower risk...

Lactose Intolerance and the Modern Dairy Industry The principal distinguishing characteristic of mammals is the reliance on mother’s milk during infancy. Notably, the milk sugar lactose provides about half of an infant’s energy demands during this time, and this sugar is nearly exclusively found in milk, begging the question of evolutionary importance. Lactose is a sugar composed of a combined glucose and galactose molecule, both of which play an important role in the biosynthesis of complex carbohydrates, glycoproteins, and glycolipids within most living organisms.  For instance, galactose is one of the six carbohydrates used for construction of gangliosides, which are essential membrane components that play an important role in cell communication and immunity. In order to absorb lactose from the digestive tract, the enzyme lactase is required. Most humans normally stop producing lactase after weening and consequently become lactose intolerant. However, some humans retain this ability, and the importance of this...

Earlier this year I came across a manuscript that argued the current classification of fatty acids, which is based on chemical composition, is inaccurate when discussing health and disease. With 516 references to research evaluating the physiological effects of each fatty acid known to exist, the paper proposed a new classification system for fatty acids that is based upon their biological activity. Although this is a step in the right direction, even the physiological effects of fatty acids are not always absolute. For instance, milk-fat is about 70% saturated fatty acids (SFA) and 30% palmitic acid, which according to the aforementioned manuscript is a fatty acid that does increase one or more cardiometabolic risk factors. However, not all sources of dairy fat have similar effects despite identical fatty acid profiles. A fairly recent review of the influence of dairy products and milk-fat consumption on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk found that CVD...