That Health Science Writing Blog

Resistant starches come in 5 classes, one of which can be found in unripe (green) bananas. Photo Credit:  Mnn.com        There's been quite a lot of buzz lately over prebiotics, probiotics, gluten-free eating and low-carb diets. Carbohydrates really take a lot of flack for being a contributor to type two diabetes melitus and the obesity epidemic, but what about complex starches that fall under the umbrella of this controversial macronutrient?  What about resistant starches? A resistant starch, as defined by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, is "the starch fraction that escapes digestion in the small intestine of healthy humans." Essentially, what a resistant starch is "resisting" is the enzymatic breakdown and fractionation of strands of bonded glucose that typically occurs in the small intestine through the process of hydrolysis. Resistant starches occur naturally but they can also be produced through the application of coo...

Quercetin is abundant in foods such as apples, onions, and more! Photo Credit: Imagemag.ru                                                                                              Many of us have heard the phrase “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but recent research has strengthened the health-connection between eating quercetin-abundant foods (like apples) and reduced inflammation in the body.   A recent meta-analysis studying the effects of dietary quercetin supplementation on blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP:   a protein that is produced in the ...

             Apples and tomatoes are concentrated sources of ursolic acid and tomatidine, respectively. Photo Credit:  Tomatokumato.com                                                                                                                                   Dr. Chris Adams presented research examining one pathway of skeletal muscle atrophy (SMA). SMA (musc...

Research seeks to preserve and improve brain function through cognitive training. Photo Credit:  PBS.org                                                                          The Lefeber Winter Series on Aging welcomed Dr. Michael Marsiske to speak on research challenging the notion of irreversible declines that occur with aging. Recent research hopes to bolster the well being of the older adult population through cognitive training (CT). While vocabulary and knowledge increase with age, older adults show decreases in processing and memory. Decreases can continue until an older adult’s functional threshold is reached. Concer...