The brain interacts directly with the taste receptors of the tongue. There are several types of receptors, each dedicated to a specific taste (salty, sweet, fatty, bitter, etc.). Those dedicated to the detection of sugary flavors, the Glut receptors, convey their data directly to the brain through the glossopharyngeal nerve, bypassing the metabolic pathways. Let us point out, on this…
The glycemic index (GI) measures the variation of the blood sugar level (glycemia) after the ingestion of a high-carbohydrate food. The reference food is glucose, with a GI of 100; the glycemic index scale is therefore graduated from 0 to 100. Eating high-IG foods triggers a dramatic surge in the blood glucose concentration, which in turn triggers a large release…
The brain permanently swings between necessity and pleasure. This is the whole issue of the relationship between two key areas called the arcuate nucleus and the nucleus accumbens. The former, which is located in the hypothalamus, is part of the brain stem, i.e. of what is sometimes improperly called “reptilian brain”, the realm of instinct. There sits the need to…
Whereas no one in our media-controlled world can still ignore the noxious effects of junk food on the cardiovascular system, fewer people know that our poor diet habits also endanger our liver. However, some 70 million Americans may suffer from nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), also called NAFLD (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease). NASH is a fast-spreading disease in the Western hemisphere, and…
First of all, let us explain the difference between satiation and satiety. Satiation is the fulfillment one feels after a good meal. It depends on the foods ingested and their mastication (mastication has a potent effect on satiation). It also varies dramatically according to the amount of protein, of certain saturated fatty acids, of dietary fiber and low-GI carbohydrates in the…
Man originally was a hunter-gatherer and our organism is therefore designed to profit as much as possible from periods of abundance in anticipation of unavoidable food shortages. As long as the vast majority of mankind remained chronically underfed, this wasn’t a problem. Fat people were oddities – King Henry VIII of England, rotund Chinese mandarins and adipose oriental potentates spring…
Eating too much sugar might make your skin more wrinkled. Excess blood sugar promotes protein glycation, i.e. a chemical process that targets collagen and deteriorates it by crosslinking, thus promoting accelerated skin aging. Monitoring our sugar intake may therefore keep us younger-looking!
Most scientists think that omega-3 fatty acids from fish are the best of all. Their cardio-protective benefits and their antidepressant action have both been widely commentated on. Our brain is made of “fats” and it loves omega-3. Incidentally, paleontologists maintain that the first signs of intelligence in primitive men appeared in groups living near lakes or seas: fish eaters! And…
Apart from its alcoholic content, beer has an extremely high glycemic index, even higher than that of white sugar! It is therefore of the utmost importance to restrict one’s intake of it, especially outside meals. When beer is drunk at mealtimes, its glycemic load may be somewhat balanced by that of the food (depending on the menu, obviously). And as…