Category: Info

The taste of sugar is one of the most basic sensory experiences for humans and other animals. The sweet taste is one of the first sensory pleasures we experience. Our mother’s milk and formula milk taste sweet due to the milk sugar lactose. Eating sugar activates the brain’s reward system, making us feel good. This was useful when sugar was ...

A new research trial shows that dietary and lifestyle changes can deliver an immediate and rapid reduction in biological age. As ageing is the primary cause of chronic disease, this reduction has the power to help us live both healthier and longer, otherwise known as healthspan, as opposed to just lifespan which may not take into account quality ...

If you’ve read the blog post Diet and Lifestyle Can Reduce Biological Age you’ll know that a few dietary, lifestyle and supplement interventions can reduce biological age. The research goal of scientists in the field of longevity has shifted from the search for strategies to extend lifespan to instead looking at how to increase the years we ...

From about 25 years of age we begin to lose muscle mass. We may lose up to 40% of muscle mass between our 20s and our 80s. This gradual loss of muscle mass, muscle strength and physical performance as we age is known as sarcopenia. Lower levels of testosterone, progesterone and oestrogen, increasing insulin resistance and higher levels of ...

If you’ve read the blog post on Exercise and Mental Health you’ll be in no doubt as to the benefits of exercise for psychological well being. However, it is important to remember that exercise is a stressor and it is possible to over-do it. The symptoms of over-training include: heavy legs sleep problems and fatigue increased ...

If you’ve read the blog post on Exercise and Mental Health you’ll have some understanding of the power of physical activity to transform how you feel. You do not have to be lifting weights in a gym or sweating it out at a boot camp to be physically active (although these are excellent if you like that kind of thing). Any physical activity ...

The evidence for the positive effects of exercise on mental health is uncontested. This goes for all age groups and all kinds of physical activity. Physical activity can boost self-esteem, improve sleep quality, increase energy and help prevent some forms of mental illness such as anxiety and depression. Exercise also stands up alongside ...

Each person’s microbiome is highly individual and if you’ve read the blog post Microbiome, Diet and Health you’ll know that what we eat is one of the most important forces shaping the gut microbiota. In as little as 24-hours of dietary changes there may be transient alterations in gut microbial composition. However,  it is our long term, ...

If you’ve read the blog posts on Microbiome, Diet and Health and Microbiome, Fibre and Fermentation you’ll have some idea of the relationship between what we eat, our microbiome and our health. Here we’ll look at the interactions between phytochemicals and the gut microbiota. Phytochemicals are chemical compounds naturally occurring in ...

The gut microbiota, which encompasses the trillions of organisms in the gastrointestinal tract, is emerging as a major factor in the health of the body and susceptibility to disease. These organisms assist with digestion, protect against invading organisms and help regulate metabolism, weight, hormones, mood, behaviour and immunity (1). While ...