Thermogenesis: Breaking down the Fa(c)ts


Left and right, we hear different phrases or terms related to weight management—perhaps the most common term we may hear is “fat-burning.” To some, it may light up the eyes with excitement because it seems like a quick fix to getting rid of excess weight—however, it is not that simple! Fat-burning is a term for the breakdown of fat in our bodies and it can be activated in different ways. Fat oxidation or fat-burning can get activated either through exercise or consumption of certain foods—and can even be activated through the simple act of shivering because you are cold. Using exercise as an example, if you are exercising at a lower intensity, your body may switch on its fat-burning abilities to use as a fuel instead of breaking down sources of carbohydrates as fuel for your body.1

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What is the best time of day to take a probiotic?

Probiotics have been steadily gaining more attention as research continues to reveal just how important a healthy gut microbiota is. Your microbiota has an astonishing level of impact on you, including, but not limited to, impacting nutrient absorption, playing a role in immune defences, and even producing neurotransmitters like serotonin.1 When we consume beneficial bacteria in our foods, or as supplemental probiotics, they can join forces with our intrinsic, or natural, resident microbiota, helping to prevent our gut microbiota from getting out of balance.

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Get Defensive: Immunity & Exercise


Liz Applegate, NeoLife SAB
Ph.D., Nutrition, Sports Nutritionist

We all know the drill: wash your hands, avoid touching your face and eyes, stay at home and stay at least 1.5 – 2m apart when in public to maintain physical separation. These along with other guidelines are in place for our own safety in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. But wait!! What about one of our best defences against illness? Exercise!! Regular moderate to vigorous activities like walking, jogging and dancing adding up to 150 minutes weekly, play a critical role in supporting your immune system and protecting your body against illness caused by bacteria and viruses. In fact, staying fit (or getting fit) during this pandemic may be your ticket to staying healthy at this critical time and even after the acute threat passes.

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Keeping up your Vitamin D Levels

Dr. Arianna Carughi
SAB Member, Nutritional Scientist

One of the most important things we can do these days is keep up our vitamin D status (or levels in our blood). Coming up to winter and with “lockdown” and “stay-at-home” orders we should redouble our efforts to obtain vitamin D in our diet. Why? Because studies show that optimal levels of this vitamin appear to protect and improve the time course of difficult-to-treat viral respiratory tract infections such as influenza.

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Improving our Immune Resilience: Role of Phytonutrients

By Dr. Arianna Carughi
SAB Member, Nutritional Scientist

A strong, well-functioning immune system is the cornerstone of good health. Continuing on SAB member, Dr. Diane Clayton’s article Supporting your Immune System and SAB Director, John Miller’s article Human Immune Function: Facts and Realities for today, and always, I wanted to focus on the role of phytonutrients in improving our immune resilience. These powerful food components play an important role in our health, supporting and modulating immune function to keep us healthy and prevent specific diseases.Continue reading