Category Archives: Reviews

Calories and Energy Balance: How Weight Loss (or Gain) Occurs (Pt. 1)

Introduction Having thoroughly covered the difference between weight loss and fat loss and the importance of body composition, I would now like to build upon our discussion and talk about calories and energy balance given that these two topics are … Continue reading

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Is the Carbohydrate-Insulin Model of obesity over?

Introduction Obesity is ultimately the result of excessive body fat accumulation. Given the explosion of obesity rates around the globe, understanding how people become obese has been the center of much scientific investigation. The consensus model that informs most attempts … Continue reading

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Weight loss versus fat loss: important difference or pedantic point?

Introduction Weight loss, fat loss, who cares? They are essentially the same thing…right? While it might seem pedantic at first, the difference between the two terms is quite important, despite the fact that most people (myself included) tend to use … Continue reading

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Can excess protein get stored as body fat? Pt. 3

Introduction Today I (briefly) bring you yet another study looking at the effects of higher protein intakes on body composition. And by higher intakes, I mean consuming protein at levels >3g/kg of bodyweight (1.3g/lb for those not metrically inclined). By … Continue reading

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Can excess protein get stored as bodyfat? Pt. 2

Introduction & background Today’s post will be short and sweet. Previously I covered the topic of excess protein being converted to fatty acids and contributing to fat gain (found here, here and here; this was a rather popular one). In … Continue reading

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Protein: is it really as bad as they say it is?

Introduction & background Early last March a provocative study published by Levine et al. [1] in the prestigious Cell Metabolism has really shaken up the nutritional science world ever since one of the authors of the study suggested that eating … Continue reading

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Can excess protein be stored as body fat?

Introduction It’s not uncommon to hear claims that dietary protein eaten in excess of some arbitrary number will be stored as body fat. Even those who are supposed to be reputable sources for nutrition information propagate this dogma. These claims … Continue reading

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Red meat: back on the chopping block

Introduction In a recent article published last week in the prestigious Nature Medicine journal [1], researchers presented novel data on the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease (CVD), arguing that it’s not the saturated fat (SFA) or cholesterol in your red meat … Continue reading

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Protein supplementation and resistance training: worthwhile or worthless? – ARTICLE REVIEW

Muscle performance, size, and safety responses after eight weeks of resistance training and protein supplementation: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial Walter AA, Herda TJ, Costa PB, Ryan ED, Stout JR, Cramer JT. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 2013, … Continue reading

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An objective look at L-carnitine supplementation for fat-loss and enhanced performance

Opening Comments Over the past 25-plus years carnitine has received a lot of attention, both from researchers and supplement companies alike. Indeed, both camps are interested in carnitine’s role in fat metabolism; however, it is for two very different reasons. … Continue reading

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