About
75
Publications
99,793
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
8,655
Citations
Introduction
Current institution
Additional affiliations
July 1994 - present
Publications
Publications (75)
Despite negative press reports on the effect of meat and other animal-source foods (ASFs) on human health and a vocal minority who contend that humans evolved as vegetarians, scientific evidence contradicts these views. For several million years before the development of agriculture, our ancestors were heavily reliant on ASFs as a source of energy...
No abstract available.
Objective. This study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a Chinese herbal medicine formula (RCM-104) for the management of simple obesity. Method. Obese subjects aged between 18 and 60 years were selected for 12-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Subjects were randomly assigned to take 4 capsules of either the RCM-104...
Acne affects 80–90% of individuals during puberty, which is a period associated with a normal decline in insulin sensitivity (Bloch et al, J Pediatr 110:481–487, 1987). Hyperinsulinemia stemming from insulin resistance may play a key role in activating a hormonal milieu conducive for acne development. Acne remains relatively unknown among non-Weste...
a The change in weight at 1 year as a function of the dietary self-management score (a higher score reflects greater dietary self-management) (r = −0.41, p = 0.003). b The change in HbA1c at 1 year as a function of the dietary self-management score (r = −0.32, p = 0.02).. The shaded boxes indicate the 25th, 50th (median) and 75th percentiles and th...
a The correlation of the change in energy intake at 1 year and the change in waist circumference (r = 0.34, p = 0.008). b The correlation of the change in energy intake at 1 year and the change in HbA1c (r = 0.32, p = 0.01). HP individuals are denoted by solid diamonds and HC individuals are denoted by open diamonds. The regression line is for the...
Short-term dietary studies suggest that high-protein diets can enhance weight loss and improve glycaemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. However, the long-term effects of such diets are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether high-protein diets are superior to high-carbohydrate diets for improving glycaemic control in indivi...
One of the 'buzz words' increasingly used in connection with foods is Glycemic Index or "GI". The GI rating method allows carbohydrate-containing foods to be given a numerical value based on their effect on postprandial blood glucose level relative to each other, and was originally defined to aid in the management of diabetes (Jenkins & others 1983...
Fish are a rich source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), two long-chain polyunsaturated n-3 fatty
acids (LC n-3 PUFA) with cardiovascular benefits. A related but less-investigated LC n-3 PUFA, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA),
is more common in seal oil and pasture-fed red meats. This study compared indicators of platelet fu...
A recent study challenges the current medical paradigm that diet and acne are not linked. The study concluded that acne is nutritionally related through a mechanism involving insulin resistance, and hypothesised that lowering hyperinsulinaemia through dietary modification (by changing to a higher protein low-glycaemic load diet) may decrease the in...
As meat is a rich source of the omega-3 fatty acid docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and Australians consume six times more meat than fish, investigation of the potential health benefit of DPA is warranted. The aims were to compare the effects of seal oil supplementation with fish oil, on measures of plasma lipids and blood pressure in hypertriglyceridae...
Observational evidence suggests that dietary glycemic load may be one environmental factor contributing to the variation in acne prevalence worldwide. To investigate the effect of a low glycemic load (LGL) diet on endocrine aspects of acne vulgaris, 12 male acne sufferers (17.0 +/- 0.4 years) completed a parallel, controlled feeding trial involving...
Dietary factors have long been implicated in acne pathogenesis. It has recently been hypothesized that low glycemic load diets may influence sebum production based on the beneficial endocrine effects of these diets.
To determine the effect of a low glycemic load diet on acne and the fatty acid composition of skin surface triglycerides.
Thirty-one m...
Many laboratories offer glycemic index (GI) services.
We assessed the performance of the method used to measure GI.
The GI of cheese-puffs and fruit-leather (centrally provided) was measured in 28 laboratories (n=311 subjects) by using the FAO/WHO method. The laboratories reported the results of their calculations and sent the raw data for recalcul...
Human ancestral diets changed substantially approximately four to five million years ago with major climatic changes creating open grassland environments. We developed a larger brain balanced by a smaller, simpler gastrointestinal tract requiring higher-quality foods based around meat protein and fat. Anthropological evidence from cranio-dental fea...
No previous study has sought to examine the influence of dietary composition on acne vulgaris.
We sought to compare the effect of an experimental low glycemic-load diet with a conventional high glycemic-load diet on clinical and endocrine aspects of acne vulgaris.
A total of 43 male patients with acne completed a 12-week, parallel, dietary interven...
Acne prevalence varies substantially between populations and is low in non-Westernised societies consuming traditional diets. A unifying feature of traditional diets is low glycaemic load. High-glycaemic-load diets have recently been implicated in acne aetiology due to their ability to affect insulin demand, androgen bioavailability and insulin-lik...
Although the pathogenesis of acne is currently unknown, recent epidemiologic studies of non-Westernized populations suggest that dietary factors, including the glycemic load, may be involved.
The objective was to determine whether a low-glycemic-load diet improves acne lesion counts in young males.
Forty-three male acne patients aged 15-25 y were r...
Background – The in vivo glycaemic index (GI) testing of foods can give a broad range of results between
laboratories and even within laboratories for the same food item. Demographic factors such as gender, ethnicity and age of participants may influence the glycaemic responses in the individuals to a standard Oral Glucose tolerance test (OGTT), h...
Background – Glycemic Response (GR) is the extent to which any food raises the blood glucose level and is
controlled by the structure of the carbohydrate and its rate of digestion and absorption by the small intestine.
Glycaemic index (GI) is a measure used to rank carbohydrates based on their effect on the blood glucose level relative to a stand...
High-fat diets are implicated in the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and obesity. Large intakes of saturated and trans FA, together with low levels of PUFA, particularly long-chain (LC) omega-3 (n-3) PUFA, appear to have the greatest impact on the development of CVD. A high n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio is also considered a marker of elevated r...
Objective: To determine whether analysis of food intake data using different food group classification systems changes the apparent contribution of defined food groups to total daily fat intake.
Design: Three food classification systems were used to assess dietary intake of male omnivore subjects from a food frequency questionnaire.
Setting: RMIT U...
Considerable debate has taken place over the safety and validity of increased protein intakes for both weight control and muscle synthesis. The advice to consume diets high in protein by some health professionals, media and popular diet books is given despite a lack of scientific data on the safety of increasing protein consumption. The key issues...
In view of the reported potential anti-inflammatory activity of the New Zealand green lipped mussel (NZGLM), we aimed to compare the effect of low dose marine oil supplementation, from mussels and fish, in reducing blood markers of inflammation. Thirty apparently healthy males and females were recruited from the general public in Melbourne, Austral...
The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of a relationship between plasma homocysteine (Hcy) and phospholipid FA (PUFA) in healthy Australian males. One hundred thirty six healthy male subjects aged 20-55 yr were recruited from the Melbourne metropolitan area. Each volunteer completed a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire...
The influence of feeding systems on the levels of functional lipids and other fatty acid concentrations in Australian beef was examined. Rump, strip loin and blade cuts obtained from grass feeding, short-term grain feeding (80 days; STGF) and long-term grain feedlot rations (150-200 days; LTFL) were used in the present study. The typical Australian...
There is growing awareness that the profound changes in the environment (eg, in diet and other lifestyle conditions) that began with the introduction of agriculture and animal husbandry approximately 10000 y ago occurred too recently on an evolutionary time scale for the human genome to adjust. In conjunction with this discordance between our ancie...
The general health message to the public about meat consumption is both confusing and misleading. It is stated that meat is not good for health because meat is rich in fat and cholesterol and high intakes are associated with increased blood cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease (CHD). This paper reviewed 54 studies from the literature in re...
Flavonoids may be partly responsible for some health benefits, including antiinflammatory action and a decreased tendency for the blood to clot. An acute dose of flavanols and oligomeric procyanidins from cocoa powder inhibits platelet activation and function over 6 h in humans.
This study sought to evaluate whether 28 d of supplementation with coc...
Both n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are recognized as essential nutrients in the human diet, yet reliable data on population intakes are limited. The aim of the present study was to ascertain the dietary intakes and food sources of individual n-6 and n-3 PUFA in the Australian population. An existing database with fatty acid composi...
In view of previously reported anti-inflammatory bioactivity of the New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel (NZGLM), the overall lipid profile and fatty acid and sterol composition of the NZGLM from various sites in New Zealand (Hallam Cove, Port Ligar. Little Nikau) were investigated using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and gas liquid chromatography (GLC...
Background - Although consumer knowledge of food labels is a well researched topic, the information consumers use on food labels needs to be researched in more detail. Objective - To discover consumer's, health professional's and allergen sufferers knowledge and perception of changes to food label regulations by Food Standards Australia New Zealand...
Background - There is growing evidence that red meat contributes significantly to the intake of omega 3 long chain PUFA in western diets. The type of feeding regime used in animal production, can influence the lipids in red meat due to the fatty acid composition of the feed. Pasture feed being relatively rich in a-linolenic acid (18:3 n-3), while g...
Background - Most foods containing long chain PUFA have only trace levels present. When reported in databases to one decimal place in grams/100 grams food, these amounts are rounded down to zero. In the context of the total diet, the intake levels of many PUFA are significantly under reported. The fatty acid data base developed by the Food Science...
The lipid, FA, and sterol composition of the New Zealand green lipped mussel (NZGLM, Perna canaliculus) and of the Tasmanian blue mussel (TBM, Mytilus edulis) were compared using TLC-FID and GC-MS. The respective mussel species were obtained from three different sites in both New Zealand (NZ) and Tasmania. Lipid class distribution of both mussel sp...
To determine whether healthy males who consumed increased amounts of dietary stearic acid compared with increased dietary palmitic acid through the consumption of commercially available foods, exhibited any changes in plasma lipids, platelet aggregation or platelet activation status.
A randomised cross-over dietary intervention.
Nine free-living he...
Field studies of twentieth century hunter-gathers (HG) showed them to be generally free of the signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Consequently, the characterization of HG diets may have important implications in designing therapeutic diets that reduce the risk for CVD in Westernized societies. Based upon limited ethnographic data (...
The aim of this study was to determine the acute and chronic effects of low doses of long chain (LC) n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (<100 mg per day) on plasma LC n-3 PUFA levels using a novel delivery form; bread containing microencapsulated tuna oil (MTO). Six omnivores (three men and three women) participated in the acute study, which in...
Arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease, lacking an adequate therapeutic treatment with minimal side effects. Therapy has traditionally involved the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs which are often accompanied by severe side effects. Clinical and animal studies have demonstrated oils rich in marine derived omega-3 polyunsaturated fa...
To determine whether healthy males who consumed increased amounts of dietary stearic acid compared with increased dietary palmitic acid exhibited any changes in their platelet aggregability, platelet fatty acid profiles, platelet morphology, or haemostatic factors.
A randomized cross-over dietary intervention. Subjects and interventions: Thirteen f...
There is growing awareness that the profound changes in the environment (eg, in diet and other lifestyle conditions) that began with the introduction of agriculture and animal husbandry 10 000 y ago occurred too recently on an evolutionary time scale for the human genome to adjust. In conjunction with this discordance between our ancient, genetical...
Scientific evidence is accumulating that meat itself is not a risk factor for Western lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular disease, but rather the risk stems from the excessive fat and particularly saturated fat associated with the meat of modern domesticated animals. In our own studies, we have shown evidence that diets high in lean red meat...
Dietary factors play a critical role in human health. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine micronutrient intake and status of subjects who were habitual meat eaters eating different quantities of meat with those who were habitual vegetarians or vegans. One hundred and thirty-nine healthy male subjects (vegan, n = 18; ovolacto-vegeta...
Both anthropologists and nutritionists have long recognized that the diets of modern-day hunter-gatherers may represent a reference standard for modern human nutrition and a model for defense against certain diseases of affluence. Because the hunter-gatherer way of life is now probably extinct in its purely un-Westernized form, nutritionists and an...
To determine the effect of habitual omnivorous and vegetarian diets on folate and vitamin B12 status and the subsequent effect on homocysteine concentration.
Cross-sectional comparison of free-living habitual meat-eaters and habitual vegetarians.
The study was conducted at RMIT University, Melbourne.
One hundred and thirty-nine healthy male subject...
The aim of this study was to assess thrombosis tendency in subjects who were habitual meat-eaters compared with those who were habitual vegetarians.
Cross-sectional comparison of habitual meat-eaters and habitual vegetarians.
Free living subjects.
One hundred and thirty-nine healthy male subjects (vegans n = 18, ovolacto vegetarians n = 43, moderat...
Vegetarians have lower platelet and plasma concentrations of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) than do omnivores. We recently showed that male vegetarians have higher platelet aggregability than do omnivores.
We investigated whether male vegetarians (n = 17) who consumed an increased amount of dietary alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) showed any cha...
Stearic acid is a saturated fatty acid found in meat fat and chocolate. Studies from more than 30 yr ago indicated that stearic acid might promote blood clotting through increased platelet aggregation (1). More recent studies have indicated that stearic acid is unique as a saturated fatty acid in that it does not cause an increase in blood choleste...
Arachidonic acid (AA) in the diet can be efficiently absorbed and incorporated into tissue membranes, resulting in an increased
production of thromboxane A2 by platelets and increased ex vivo platelet aggregability. Results from previous studies have shown that AA is concentrated in the membrane phospholipids of
lean meats. However, the concentrati...
Foods which increase tissue arachidonic acid levels have been proposed to increase thrombosis tendency, presumably through increased platelet aggregation. This study examined the effect of doubling the dietary arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) using meat- or fish-based diets on the systemic production of prostacyclin (PGI2) and thromboxane (TXA2) in 29 he...
Two small-scale dietary intervention studies were conducted to examine the effect of diets rich in arachidonic acid (AA) and n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCP), on the in vivo production of prostacyclin (PGI2) and thromboxane (TXA2). The first was a pilot study and contained insufficient numbers for statistical analyses. It involv...
Linoleic acid [18:2(n-6)] is the most abundant polyunsaturated fatty acid in the Western diet and is considered to be the primary source of tissue arachidonic acid [20:4(n-6)]. Dietary 20:4(n-6) may also contribute to tissue 20:4(n-6) levels in humans, but the extent of this contribution is unclear. We believe that literature estimates of 20:4(n-6)...
We examined the effect of dietary supplementation of linoleic acid (LA), arachidonic acid (AA) or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to rats fed a diet low in linoleic acid on in vitro and in vivo production of prostacyclin. Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed a high-fat diet (50% energy as fat, 1.5% linoleic acid) for two weeks. Three of the groups were th...
