Science Nutrition Blog | Alinea Nutrition

Iodine Requirements During Pregnancy: Timing, Thyroid Hormones, and Fetal Brain Development

In a 2019 survey sample of women in a UK, only ~20% were aware of the increased requirements for iodine for perinatal nutrition, despite clear...

Posted in Macronutrients Research, Women’s Health Nutrition

Appetite Regulation, Hunger & Satiety: Mechanisms and Implications for Weight Loss

Let's define the terms "appetite" and "hunger", two central concepts in appetite regulation. Appetite may be considered the process that influences food intake; hunger reflects...

Posted in Macronutrients Research, Metabolic Health, Nutrition Research

The Dietary Guidelines are Good for You

Why have dietary guidelines become such a focal point of nonsensical arguments? Like much contemporary noise in nutrition, the hard-chargers come from the low-carb world,...

Posted in Controversies in Nutrition, Dietary Guidelines, Nutrition Policy, Nutrition Research

Is Breakfast the Most Important Meal of the Day?

As a single meal, breakfast has perhaps received more emphasis and focus in the literature than any other. It has taken strong hold in public...

Posted in Chrononutrition, Metabolic Health, Nutrition Research

How Important is Calcium for Bone Health?

Calcium is one of the most debated topics in nutrition, and it brings together several challenges for nutrition research: Are randomised controlled trials influenced by...

Posted in Bone Health Nutrition, Micronutrient Nutrition, Nutrition Research

Poverty and Obesity: Ayn Rand vs. Nutrition Science

Came across a series of postulations about the relationship between poverty and obesity, and thought they are worth addressing from the perspective of evidence. These...

Posted in Causation, Controversies in Nutrition, Nutrition Policy, Nutrition Research, Research Methodology in Nutrition

Lipoprotein(a), Causality, and Checkmate on Low-Carb Cholesterol Denialism

I think this must be checkmate. I’ve noticed that in the low-carb/cholesterol-denialism (yes, they are synonymous) community, much attention is now being given to high...

Posted in Causation, Controversies in Nutrition, Nutrition Research, Research Methodology in Nutrition

Of Rats, PUFA, and Sydney Diet-Heart: Drawing a Line Under Polyunsaturated Pseudoscience

To say that hysteria about the health effects of polyunsaturated fats [PUFA] has reached fever pitch may be an understatement. It can be interesting watch...

Posted in Cardiovascular Nutrition, Controversies in Nutrition, Nutrition Research

Saturated Fat & Cardiovascular Disease: Evaluating the JACC ‘State-of-the-Art’ Review

Let’s consult a dictionary: state of the art steɪt əv ðɪ ˈɑːt/ phrase of state the most recent stage in the development of a product, incorporating...

Posted in Cardiovascular Nutrition, Controversies in Nutrition, Nutrition Research, Nutrition Science

‘Methodolatry’, RCTs, and the Limits of Reductionism: Part 2

Insofar as proof to 100% certainty does not exist, what is meant by the term ‘proof’ is in fact a sufficiency of data to support...

Posted in Nutrition Research, Nutrition Science, Scientific Epistemology

‘Methodolatry’, RCTs, and the Limits of Reductionism: Part 1

“Methodolatry”: the veneration of the RCT as the only valid method of investigation, dismissing or discounting valuable input from other sources. A cursory search of...

Posted in Nutrition Research, Nutrition Science, Scientific Epistemology

Evidence Based Nutrition & the Evidential Problem of Food

In the context of nutrition, the applicability of the precautionary principle – if in doubt, do nothing – can only extend so far, due to...

Posted in Controversies in Nutrition, Nutrition Research, Nutrition Science, Research Methodology in Nutrition