Get Tested For Food Intolerances
If your are allergic to a particular food, you generally know about it. You will have an instant reaction and in some cases it is life threatening such as in a peanut allergy. Food intolerances are very different. The body’s reaction can be quite subtle and it can take several hours even days for any […] (more…)

Phew! My Thumb is Recovering: Help Soon For Kitchen Klutzes Like Me!
Yeah! I survived the horrible pain after nearly lopping off the top of my thumb, racing to the hospital, and getting five stitches. And I've finally emerged from the cloud that seems to have hung over me since I began… (more…)

Three Ways Music Can Help You To Lose Weight
Music is the key to the soul. It can lift you up and put a smile on your face or alternatively it can bring you down and reduce you to tears. Music is powerful and fortunately you can use it to help with your weight loss. (more…)

Modulation of adipocyte lipogenesis by octanoate: involvement of reactive oxygen species
Background:
Octanoate is a medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) that is rich in milk and tropical dietary lipids. It also accounts for 70% of the fatty acids in commercial medium chain triglycerides (MCT). Use of MCT for weight control tracks back to early 1950s and is highlighted by recent clinical trials. The molecular mechanisms of the weight reduction effect remain not completely understood. The findings of significant amounts of MCFA in adipose tissue in MCT-fed animals and humans suggest a direct influence of MCFA on fat cell functions.
Methods:
3T3-L1 adipocytes were treated with octanoate in a high glucose culture medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and 170 nM insulin. The effects on lipogenesis, fatty acid oxidation, cellular concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the expression and activity of peroxisome proliferator receptor gamma (PPAR?) and its associated lipogenic genes were assessed. In selected experiments, long-chain fatty acid oleate, PPAR? agonist troglitazone, and antioxidant N-acetylcysteine were used in parallel. Effects of insulin, L-carnitine, and etomoxir on ?-oxidation were also measured.
Results:
?-oxidation of octanoate was primarily independent of CPT-I. Treatment with octanoate was linked to an increase in ROS in adipocytes, a decrease in triglyceride synthesis, and reduction of lipogenic gene expression. Co-treatment with troglitazone, N-acetylcysteine, or over-expression of glutathione peroxidase largely reversed the effects of octanoate.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that octanoate-mediated inactivation of PPAR? might contribute to the down regulation of lipogenic genes in adipocytes, and ROS appears to be involved as a mediator in this process. (more…)

Extrahepatic tissue concentrations of vitamin K are lower in rats fed a high vitamin E diet*
Background:
An adverse hematological interaction between vitamins E and K has been reported, primarily in patients on anticoagulants. However, little is known regarding circulating levels or tissue concentrations of vitamin K in response to vitamin E supplementation. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of different levels of dietary ?-tocopherol on phylloquinone and menaquinone-4 concentrations, while maintaining a constant intake of phylloquinone, in rat tissues.
Methods:
Male 4-wk old Fischer 344 rats (n = 33) were fed one of 3 diets for 12 wk: control (n = 13) with 30 mg all-rac-?-tocopherol acetate/kg diet; vitamin E-supplemented (n = 10) with 100 mg all-rac-?-tocopherol acetate/kg diet; and vitamin E-restricted (n = 10) with (more…)

How Lamb and Pears Can Help Your Food Allergy
Lamb and pears may appear to be a strange combination, but the reason they are chosen as part of a food allergy diet is because they are rarely indicated in allergies. (more…)