Carbohydrates 101 By Alex Glover Carbohydrates, love them or hate them they have been a topic of controversy in the last few years as the media and public health look to find another nutrition bad guy. The 80s advocated low fat diets, and now carbs are public enemy number one. Carbohydrates are separated into 3 different types: monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. Mono- saccharides: Glucose, fructose, galactose Disaccharides- sucrose,maltose Polysaccharides- starch, glycogen, cellulose Glucose is the main fuel source for the brain and the body, and even during periods of fasting or carbohydrate restriction, the body can synthesise glucose from certain amino acids, glycerol and lactate. So even though glucose is an essential fuel source, dietary carbohydrates are not necessarily essential to consume. Fructose is commonly known as fruit sugar and like glucose is a monosaccharide, the only difference is the arrangement of the molecules as both gluco
Protein 101 By Alex Glover Protein is not just for fitness enthusiasts looking to build muscle or recover from exercise. Protein has so many other functions in the body, such as transporting red blood cells through the protein haemoglobin, enzyme production (all enzymes are proteins), hormone production and immunity. Most of us should be eating more protein than the NHS guidelines recommend, especially those looking to build muscle or lose body fat. Dietary protein is essential to make regulatory T-cells in the body, which act as a patrol guard in the body looking for potential pathogens, particularly the amino acid arginine which can enhance a number of cellular immune mechanisms. Immunoglobulins are the main antibody used to engulf pathogens, these are also made from glycoproteins. Muscle gain Perhaps protein’s most well-known function is the growth and repair of cells within the body. Protein initiates muscle protein synthesis (MPS) by stimulating the mTOR pathway,