Melatonin is secreted from the pineal gland, the seat of the soul, the third eye. Pinealectomy induces circadian arrhythmia and has interesting effects on adipose tissue biology.
Exhibit A. In 2004, Alonso-Vale and colleagues showed that 6 weeks after pinealectomy, [melatonin-deficient] rats subjected to fasting exhibited an impaired energy conservation response. That is, they lost more weight and significantly depleted their adipocytes:
Posted in circadian, empty calories, Energy balance, Leptin, melatonin, TPMC
Tagged body composition, calories, calories proper, carbs, circadian rhythm, diet, energy balance, insulin
BMAL1 and CLOCK, ‘positive’ regulators of circadian gene expression, activate transcription of the negative regulators Per, Cry, and Rev-erb. PER and CRY inhibit BMAL1 and CLOCK, whereas Rev-erb inhibits Bmal1. It is said that Rev-erb is “an important link between the positive and negative loops of the circadian clock.” You don’t really need to know any of that to follow this blog post.
Posted in Advanced nutrition, circadian, diet, Energy balance, fat, insulin, melatonin, muscle, resveratrol, TPMC, wine
Tagged body composition, calories, calories proper, circadian rhythm, energy balance, energy expenditure, fat, insulin
A randomized pilot trial of a moderate carbohydrate diet compared to a very low carbohydrate diet in overweight or obese individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus or prediabetes (Saslow et al., 2014)
Disclaimer: this study was not ground-breaking; it was confirmation of a phenomenon that is starting to become well-known, and soon to be the status quo. That is, advising an obese diabetic patient to reduce their carb intake consistently produces better results than advising them to follow a low fat, calorie restricted diet.
The two diets:
Moderate carbohydrate diet
In their words: “Active Comparator: American Diabetes Association Diet. Participants in the American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet group will receive standard ADA advice. The diet includes high-fiber foods (such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes), low-fat dairy products, fresh fish, and foods low in saturated fat.”
Very low carbohydrate diet
In their words: “Experimental: Low Carbohydrate Diet. Participants will be instructed to follow a low carbohydrate diet: carbohydrate intake 10-50 grams a day not including fiber. Foods permitted include: meats, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, cream, some nuts and seeds, green leafy vegetables, and most other non-starchy vegetables. Because most individuals self-limit caloric intake, no calorie restriction will be recommended.”
Both groups were advised to maintain their usual protein intake.
Posted in Advanced nutrition, diet, Dietary fat, fat, insulin, Ketosis, muscle, Protein, TPMC
Tagged Atkins, body composition, calories, calories proper, carbs, diet, energy balance, energy expenditure, fat, insulin, ketogenic, ketosis, muscle, nutrition, obesity, protein
The control of circadian gene expression is complex, with layer upon layer of suppressors and enhancers, numerous transcription factors, and a lot of interactions. A gross oversimplification: Clock and Bmal1 are positive regulators of circadian gene expression; Per and Cry are negative (you don’t really need to know any of this).
From Birky and Bray, 2014
Some pretty cool progress has been made in examining the effects of global and tissue-specific deletion of circadian rhythm-related transcription factors. Bear with me 🙂
For example, global Bmal1 knockout mice (ie, mice that don’t express Bmal1 anywhere in their whole body. Zero Bmal1. Nil.) (Lamia et al., 2008). These mice are obese, and exhibit impaired glucose tolerance yet improved insulin sensitivity.
Posted in Advanced nutrition, angiotensin, circadian, clamp, depression, diet, Dopamine, Energy balance, insulin, melatonin, vasopressin
Tagged bipolar, body composition, calories, calories proper, carbs, circadian rhythm, depression, diet, empty calories, energy balance, energy expenditure, insulin, mania, melatonin, mortality, nutrition
From Times LIVE: “Does junk food make you lazy?”
“A diet rich in processed foods and fat – and the extra weight that comes along with it – may actually cause fatigue, a lack of motivation and decreased performance, according to a recent study involving lab rats… excessive consumption of processed and fat-rich foods affects our motivation as well as our overall health.”
(this is categorically false as both diets used in the study being discussed were very low in fat.)
And from Psych Central: “Rat study shows junk food can make you lazy”
The theory itself isn’t too far-fetched: a crap diet can cause weight gain and reduced energy expenditure, or a tendency to minimize any kind of physical activity… instead of: “’laziness’ causes obesity.” And whether or not it’s true, unlike what some would have you believe, this wasn’t the study to prove it.
Posted in Advanced nutrition, diet, Dopamine, empty calories, Energy balance, Sugar
Tagged calories, calories proper, carbs, diet, empty calories, energy balance, fat, fiber, nutrition, sugar
Insulin secretion is attenuated by sympathetic nervous system activity; eg, via exercise. Theoretically, exercising after a meal should blunt insulin secretion and I don’t think this will lessen the benefits of exercise, but rather enhance nutrient partitioning. And this isn’t about the [mythical?] post-workout “anabolic window.”
Sympathetic innervation of pancreas: norepinephrine –> adrenergic receptor activation = decreased insulin secretion & increased lipolysis (Stich et al., 1999):
note how quickly catecholamines are cleared upon exercise cessation
Posted in Advanced nutrition, Exercise, insulin, Protein, strength, Sugar, TPMC
Tagged calories, calories proper, carbohydrates, carbs, diet, energy balance, energy expenditure, exercise, insulin, nutrition
Jane Plain recently wrote a great article about the relationship between insulin, dietary fat, and calories. There are a lot of data on this topic, which collectively suggest: context matters!
For example,
Insulin and ketone responses to ingestion of MCTs and LCTs in man. (Pi-Sunyer et al., 1969)
14 healthy subjects, overnight fasted; dose: 1g/kg.
In brief, MCTs
Posted in Advanced nutrition, coconut, Dietary fat, Energy balance, fat, insulin, Protein, TPMC
Tagged calories, calories proper, carbohydrates, carbs, diet, empty calories, energy balance, fat, insulin, nutrition, protein
Nutritional ketosis is a normal, physiological response to carbohydrate and energy restriction. A ketogenic diet
In ketoacidosis, gluconeogenesis occurs at a very high rate and the lack of insulin prevents glucose disposal in peripheral tissues. Skeletal muscle protein breakdown contributes gluconeogenic substrates, exacerbating the problem. This can cause blood glucose to reach pathological levels, exceeding 250 mg/dL.
Posted in Advanced nutrition, diet, Dietary fat, fat, insulin
Tagged carbohydrates, carbs, diet, energy balance, fat, insulin, ketoacidosis, ketogenic, ketones, ketosis, nutrition, obesity, protein, sugar
For overall health and well-being, fermented foods like sauerkraut and kefir are great. Especially when following a low carbohydrate diet which is generally low in the types of foods which feed the gut microbiome.
For those with gastrointestinal problems, the gut microbiota is probably involved. Whether it is bacterial overgrowth or dysbiosis, gut bugs are usually the culprit. Treatment options vary widely, ranging from global extermination with vinegar & a low fibre diet (as per Jane Plain), or remodeling the microbiome with a prebiotic like galactooligosaccharides. Probiotics like bifidobacteria
Resistant starch has been around for a while, and when I was in school it received about 10 minutes of attention during the fibre lecture. But Jimmy Moore and Richard Nikolay have been talking about it a lot lately so I decided to freshen up on the topic. In brief, it can be therapeutic for GI issues, but some studies have shown mixed effects on glucose & insulin metabolism. The former is virtually unarguable, but I found the latter interesting. And the impact of resistant starch on ketosis is included as well.
Posted in Advanced nutrition, clamp, diet, fiber, Grains, insulin, Ketosis
Tagged bifidobacteria, carbohydrates, diet, energy balance, fibre, grains, insulin, ketogenic, ketosis, microbiota, nutrition, prebiotics, protein
“Dietary protein has a purpose, and that purpose is not carbs.” Nor is it to break ketosis or stall weight loss.
Drastically increasing protein intake may reduce the degree of ketosis in the context of a large energy surplus, but this is likely due more specifically to the large energy surplus than the protein. This would explain why Warrior dieters (1 meal meal per day) often report reduced ketones if they eat too much protein. It’s more likely that the 2000 kcal bolus is exerting it’s anti-ketotic effect by being a large energy surplus, such that anything other than 90% fat would blunt ketosis. It’s not the proteins… Want proof? Here’s an n=1 to try: give up Warrior dieting for a few days and try 3 squares. My bet is that you’ll be able to increase protein intake and still register ketones as high or higher than before. There are data to support this and reasons why it may not matter (below).
disclaimer: I don’t think “deep ketosis” is necessary to reap the benefits of carbohydrate-restriction. But if you love high ketone meter readings, then this might be a better strategy to maintain deep ketosis while getting adequate protein. win-win.
if I hear: “oh no, I was kicked out of ketosis!” one more time…
All of the studies below are confounded one way or another, but so are we humans.
Posted in Advanced nutrition, diet, Dietary fat, Energy balance, fat, insulin, Ketosis, Protein
Tagged Atkins, body composition, calories, calories proper, carbs, diet, energy balance, fat, insulin, ketosis, nutrition, obesity, protein