When the call of your sweet tooth gets too strong, turn to dark chocolate as it seems to have interesting side effects! Switzerland, world leader of chocolate eating with 12 kilograms per year per inhabitant, also holds comes first in terms of Nobel prize to population ratio, with 30 Nobel laureates for 10 million inhabitants, after Sweden (but the author…
- 30 October 2015
WINE IS BOTH GOOD AND BAD FOR OUR HEALTH.
Wine is the best beverage… and the worst! Despite its cardiovascular benefits, due to its richness in antioxidant tannins, red wine is nevertheless an alcoholic beverage – no need to evoke here the well-known hazards linked to alcohol abuse – and a big purveyor of carbohydrates. So, do drink sparingly (one glass per meal), and prefer high-quality tannic red wines.
- 29 October 2015
ELDERLY PEOPLE USE TOO MUCH SALT AND SUGAR.
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…
- 28 October 2015
THE BRAIN NEEDS PLEASURE.
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…
- 27 October 2015
MEN TOO GET FATTY LIVER.
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…
- 27 October 2015
THE BRAIN NEEDS 20 MINUTES TO ACTIVATE SATIETY SIGNALS.
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…
- 23 October 2015
BEER’S GLYCEMIC INDEX IS HIGHER THAN SUGAR’S.
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…
- 22 October 2015
OUR CLOTHES MISLEAD US.
Lycra (or spandex) is a hazard for our figure! Even our clothes have changed and are apt to mislead us, as stretchy fabrics allow them to “enlarge” with us; therefore we cannot anymore rely on them for a reliable reference. Indeed, almost all plus-sized garments include elastic fibers. Moreover, in the 1990’s, the major brands enlarged their sizes so that…
- 21 October 2015
ALTHOUGH ACID-FLAVORED, LEMON IS ALKALINIZING FOR THE BODY.
The acid-base metabolism, i.e. the balance of acidity and alkalinity of the body (of “+” and “-“in our body), is an important component of our health. Excess acidity (too much “- “) tends to promote inflammation, metabolic slowing down, demineralization, etc. This balance notably depends on our diet, which has either an acidifying (-) or an alkalinizing (+) effect on…