Nutrition

Mass building nutrition

Q: Most weight training coaches agree that you need extra calories to build muscle. But the question is, how many extra calories? On one side you have those who say you should eat a few hundred calories more than your maintenance calories and on the other side you have those who say you should eat a ton of food and train hard. What do you think is best for a man who wants to build muscle?

Dr. Bowden: "Train hard and eat a ton of food" sounds like a great philosophy.... if you're working towards becoming a sumo wrestler.

I think the "eat a ton of food and train hard" approach is kind of like practicing clay pigeon shooting with a blindfold on. You might hit the target, but you might also hit one of the other shooters. I think it's much smarter to start with a controlled amount of extra calories and see if that amount is enough to hit the target. Ask yourself what your performance looks like, what your energy levels look like and whether you like the results in the mirror. If you are not happy with the results, keep adjusting the calories until you are satisfied.

If you're a bodybuilder, you're going to be training hard anyway, so it's just a matter of how much you should eat to ensure that most of the extra calories are used to build muscle rather than fat. "Eat a ton of food" is way too unscientific for most bodybuilders today.

How healthy is fasting?

Q: What do you think about intermittent fasting? I've read about plans that involve periodic 24-hour fasts. Other plans involve fasting on alternate days. It is claimed that this type of fasting can improve insulin sensitivity and prolong life expectancy, among other things. What are your thoughts on this topic?

Dr. Bowden: The idea of fasting as a strategy to improve health has been around since the days of Hippocrates - the man who is considered the father of modern medicine. Fasting is used in the religious realm as a spiritual discipline and many spa clinics use some form of fasting - often referred to as a detoxification program - as part of their treatment program.

"Fasting and detoxification are the missing pieces of the Western diet," says my friend Dr. Elson Haas, author of "The New Detox Diet." Haas has been using detox programs as part of his medical treatments for over 30 years. "Fasting is by far the best natural healing therapy I know of," he told me. "People need a break from what they eat every day. Fasting can give the body a break during which it can restore its balance." But true fasting - even for just one day - can be really hard on the body. "A more widespread and looser definition of fasting includes juices from fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as herbal teas," Haas says. "Fresh juices are easily absorbed by the body and require minimal digestion, while still providing lots of nutrients. They can encourage the body to eliminate waste products. Juice fasting is healthier than water fasting because it supports the body nutritionally while cleansing the body and maintaining your energy levels."

You've probably heard about all this fasting on alternate days because of some experiments done on mice at the University of California at Berkeley. The scientists starved the poor mice on alternate days and allowed them to eat whatever they wanted on the days in between. "We found that fasting can reduce the proliferation rate of cells in the skin and breast area," lead researcher Krista Varady told me. "This resulted in a reduced risk of breast and skin cancer."

I won't bore you with the details of the research, but just mention that the scientists also found that you don't have to completely abstain from all food intake on fasting days. You can maintain 25 percent of your normal food intake on these days - which is roughly equivalent to one meal - and still reap the benefits.

But don't use fasting as a weight loss strategy. It never works. Even in the mouse experiments, the animals overcompensated for their fasting days by eating more on the non-fasting days and ended up consuming the same amount of calories as they would on a normal diet.

Since the only life-extension strategy that has ever worked in the lab is calorie restriction, and some theorists suggest that downregulation of insulin signaling may be part of the reason for this, consuming fewer calories in the context of a nutrient-dense diet makes sense. So occasionally taking a day off from your regular diet and giving your digestive system a break is not a bad idea.

Food allergies and the elimination diet

Q: Is it true that if you eat a certain food all the time, you can develop an allergy to that food?

Dr. Bowden: It is true that both allergies and hypersensitivity (which is much more common) can develop later in life and this can be the case even with foods that you have been able to eat for a long time without obvious reactions. This problem seems to be more prevalent with foods that contain ingredients (such as wheat) that are found everywhere and that we consume in far greater quantities than ever before in the history of the human diet. A very good way to find out if your body is reacting to a particular food, or to identify a possible "suspect", is to use a so-called elimination diet, which I have described in more detail in my book "The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth".

Such an elimination diet is simple detective work. You simply eliminate a potentially intolerable food from your diet for a few weeks. If certain symptoms such as headaches, concentration problems or tiredness disappear as a result, then you have identified the culprit. It is often possible to reintroduce this food into your diet periodically, e.g. once every four days, without any problems.

An alternative sweetener?

Q: I recently read that xylitol powder can be used as a sweetener. What is xylitol and do you recommend it?

Dr. Bowden: Xylitol is often referred to as birch sugar and is made from birch bark. It is my favorite sweetener that has quite a specific taste. Xylitol has no real drawbacks - except that it can be lethal to pets. It tastes like sugar, but has 40 percent fewer calories. Xylitol can be used in hot drinks such as coffee and has virtually no glycemic impact. It also has the added benefit of preventing certain bacteria from sticking to body tissues, making it the perfect sweetener for healthy chewing gum. You can also use xylitol in baking, using the same amount as sugar. This makes xylitol the perfect sugar substitute for diabetics and as part of a low-carb diet.

Is my microwave trying to kill me?

Q: Is a microwave really dangerous or is this just another conspiracy theory?

Dr. Bowden: I'm torn on this question. The general consensus is that microwaves are perfectly safe, but they say the same thing about cell phones...and I don't think the last word has been said on the subject. Among natural food advocates, it is considered a kind of given fact that microwaving changes the "energetic" nature of food, but this is very difficult to prove and easy to dismiss as the gobbledygook of the aluminum hat faction. There was a lawsuit in 1991 in the case of a hip surgery patient who died after a simple blood transfusion after a nurse heated the blood in a microwave. (Blood is normally warmed before a transfusion, but not in a microwave). This has given new impetus to the argument that more happens during microwave heating than we previously believed. But who really knows? It's hard to get really good information on this topic - much like cell phone radiation. Most of the arguments come from obscure European studies that are almost impossible to find, but still, the whole thing is a little scary. I'm of the opinion that microwaved food tastes pretty awful. If heat from any source was the same, then a microwaved potato should taste the same as a baked potato, but it doesn't - and this supports the suggestion that there's more going on here than we realize. You can try this out for yourself by microwaving a sweet potato. Horrible.

Personally, I rarely use a microwave for cooking.

Fish oil for depression

Q: Does fish oil really help with depression? I don't suffer from clinical depression, but who couldn't benefit from a mood booster?

Dr. Bowden: There is some ongoing research by Dr. Andrew Stoll at Harvard University regarding the use of fish oil for depression in people who suffer from bipolar disorder. These studies are using really high doses - 10 grams - but even lower doses are showing an effect, which is especially true when combined with nutrients like folic acid and a low-sugar diet. That's good for a lot of things, but also for depression? It would seem so. While it's not proof, it is a fact that almost every behavioral or cognitive disorder that has been studied has been found to have really low levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the bloodstream.

As omega-3 fatty acids are incorporated into cell membranes, making them more porous and flexible, it could make it easier for neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which have mood-enhancing effects, to enter the cells, which would be reflected in a better mood.

Alli to support fat loss

Q: My wife insists on trying this Alli weight loss drug now that it is available over the counter. This seems like pretty garbage to me. What's really going on with Alli?

Dr. Bowden: Well, no one has ever called me a marriage counselor and certainly not someone who is always politically correct, so I'll be blunt and direct: You're right and your wife is wrong. Alli is total garbage. But it's a lesson for us. Salespeople - including salespeople in the drug manufacturing business - love to throw percentages around because they can be accurate and dishonest at the same time.

For example, let's say there's a 1 in 10 million chance of winning the lottery and I have a system that I can guarantee to increase your chances of winning the lottery by 100%. However, this only increases your chances of winning from 1 in 10 million to 2 in 10 million! Think about this the next time you read about how people who took a certain weight loss drug "lost 43 percent more weight." Or that someone who took a certain bodybuilding supplement "built 37 percent more muscle. This can be accurate but still bullshit. Often this means that the control group lost one pound of weight per month, while the group that used the drug lost 1.43 pounds per month.

Alli is nothing more than an over-the-counter, weaker version of the long-standing drug Xenical (the generic name of the active ingredient is orlistat). It already didn't work very well as full strength Xenical. I'm not sure why changing the name and reducing the dosage would solve this problem, but what do I know.... Alli is a member of the group of weight loss drugs called digestive inhibitors. It prevents some of the fat you eat from being digested and absorbed by your body. It does this by inhibiting the digestive enzyme lipase, which breaks down fat.

The result? About 30 percent of the fat you eat doesn't end up on your hips. A side effect of this drug is euphemistically called "anal leakage" and describes what happens to the fat you don't digest. Any more questions? How about this one: "What happens to the fat that's already on your hips?" The answer is: nothing.

The first major study to publicize Xenical was a two-year European study that showed that patients using Xenical lost between two and three percent more weight than members of the placebo group. A second two-year study put overweight patients on a calorie-restricted diet and gave them 120 mg of Xenical three times a day. At the end of the year, these patients had lost 9 pounds more than the control group. Look closely at these figures. Nine pounds within a year - that's three quarters of a pound per month. A similar study from the US produced a weight loss of 1.5 pounds per month in Xenical users.

People lose weight when they use Xenical or Alli because these drugs basically reduce calorie intake automatically. For example, if you consume 2,500 kcal per day and 30 percent of those calories are fat, then you would normally consume 750 kcal in the form of fat. By taking Xenical, a third of these fat calories are not absorbed, so that 750 kcal theoretically become 500 kcal. So you save 250 kcal while eating the same meals (note the word "theoretically"). Stick with this plan for a week and you will have saved 250 kcal times seven or 1,750 kcal or about half a pound of fat.

Of course, you could easily cut unhealthy calories and unhealthy simple carbs and give up Alli, but that idea is not supported by a 150 million dollar marketing budget.

So is Alli the answer? Probably not, unless you own shares in Glaxo.

Is brown rice healthy?

Q: I don't do well with carbohydrates, which is why I strictly control the carbohydrates in my diet. However, I have been thinking about adding brown rice to my diet. What's the real story behind brown rice: is it good for me or is it overrated?

Dr. Bowden: Brown rice is not the worst thing, but it is overrated. The glycemic index and glycemic load of brown and white rice are very similar and brown rice is quite poor nutritionally. It contains more fiber, which is good - 3.5 grams per cup compared to half a gram for white rice - and slightly fewer carbohydrates and calories. That said, there is not that much difference. Nutritionists love brown rice, but they also love whole wheat bread, which is pretty much the same garbage as white bread. Brown rice is not the worst thing in the world. If you want to add some carbs to your diet, small portions are fine - especially if it's not the main course and is combined with fat, protein and vegetables in a relatively low-calorie meal.

Apple cider vinegar: Quackery?

Q: Is there any truth to all the hype about apple cider vinegar? I've heard everything from weight loss benefits to acne prevention.

Dr. Bowden: Ah, apple cider vinegar. You can be sure that if this stuff had been developed at the time of multi-level marketing, it would be selling for $40 a bottle with claims ranging from curing cancer to regrowing hair on balding people.

I also wrote about apple cider vinegar in my book "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth". Why? Because foods (or medicines) that have lived up to their reputation for hundreds or sometimes even thousands of years should get attention - even if there is no "hard" evidence of their value. If there is no evidence of an effect, this is not proof that something has no effect.

So it looks like this: Apple cider vinegar is probably a good thing, but there is little scientific evidence for its effects. This does not mean that apple cider vinegar is worthless. First of all, it's a real thing, made from natural foods and loaded with many of the same phenols found in apples.

Second, a study published in the journal Diabetes Care suggests that apple cider vinegar may promote healthy blood sugar levels. A friend of mine, Dr. Jeff Volek, a highly respected scientist, believes that salad with apple cider vinegar at the beginning of each meal has the potential to help control blood sugar levels. Unpasteurized vinegar is overloaded with nutrients and contains up to 50 different minerals, vitamins and amino acids, depending on the raw material used in its production. Is apple cider vinegar a cure-all? Probably not and it is definitely not a cure for obesity. But I always have a bottle of apple cider vinegar in the fridge. When you buy apple cider vinegar, look out for terms like unpasteurized, unfiltered, traditionally fermented or something along those lines. The process of pasteurization destroys many of the heat-sensitive vitamins and enzymes that make apple cider vinegar so healthy.

by Jonny Bowden, PhD

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/question-of-nutrition-2

Are you one of those rapeseed oil guys who wouldn't eat anything with a face? Or are you a fish-eating machine that would eat pretty much any animal that doesn't wear a flea collar?

Regardless of your stance on meat vs. plant-based diets, if your goal is to look good naked, you'll probably be taking some sort of essential fatty acid supplement.

Linseed oil and fish oil are the most commonly consumed forms of essential fatty acids and many will consider these two sources of essential fatty acids to be interchangeable, but these two oils are distinctly different in many ways.

While both oils are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, there are distinct differences beyond the fact that flaxseed oil is suitable for vegetarians, while fish oil is not. Let's start with some basics about essential fatty acids. The two primary essential fatty acids (EFAs) are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids are considered essential because your body cannot produce them itself and therefore they must be obtained from food.

Table 1: Adapted from Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill by Udo Erasmus

According to research by Simopoulos, the typical Western diet contains about 20 times as many omega-6 as omega-3 fatty acids. When you compare this to the 2:1 ratio that scientists consider ideal, it quickly becomes clear how suboptimal our diet is in this regard.

There are three reasons for this unhealthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in our diet:

• A deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids
• Excessive consumption of omega-6 fatty acids
• An inability of the body to convert dietary omega-3 fatty acids into omega-3 fatty acids that can be utilized by the body

The third point is the crux of the matter: can linseed oil fulfill its role as an omega-3 supplier?

Linseed oil is not an optimal source of omega-3 fatty acids

Twelve years ago, I looked into the effects of fish oil when a trainer at my gym complained of excessively dry skin on his hands during the winter. His hands looked as if they were covered in small cuts, some of which were even bleeding. When I asked him if he was taking omega-3 fatty acids, he told me that he was taking three tablespoons of linseed oil a day.

Referring to what I had read at the time, I recommended that he replace the linseed oil with fish oil for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And the result? Within a few days his hands healed completely - no more cracks and no more bleeding.

Why couldn't linseed oil do its job?

Linseed oil is one of the richest sources of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and contains over 50% ALA, which is why it is often referred to as one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. The problem, however, is that the omega-3 fatty acids contained in linseed oil cannot be sufficiently converted into the actually important "players" in the body. The omega-3 fatty acids contained in linseed oil are simple ALS, which is a precursor to the magical EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids. However, just because linseed oil increases ALA levels in the blood does not mean that your body will convert this ALA into EPA and DHA. To confirm this, a 12-week study showed that linseed oil was not efficiently converted to DHA. Another study lasting 4 weeks showed that the EPA concentrations that could be achieved with the help of linseed oil were only half as high as when fish oil was used.

The inadequate conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA is related to competitive enzyme inhibition. Based on the fatty acid flow chart below, there are a number of intermediate steps that must be completed before ALA can be converted to EPA and then to DHA.

A very important enzyme called delta-6-desaturase (D6D) is required for this conversion.

Alpha-linolenic acid (linseed)

↓

Δ-6 Desaturase
↓
Octadecatetraenoic acid
↓
Elongase enzyme
↓
Eicosatetraenoic acid
↓
Δ5 Desaturase
↓
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
↓
Elongase enzyme
↓
Docosapentaenoic acid
↓
Δ4 Desaturase
↓
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)

Scientific research suggests that the amount of D6D decreases as we age. While we can't do much about the numbers on our birth certificate, it should be noted that diabetes, trans fats, alcohol and radiation have also been identified as causes of declining D6D levels.

If you're a regular reader of this site, then you should know how important blood sugar control is, so diabetes probably shouldn't be a concern. And if looking good naked is somewhere on your agenda, your trans fat consumption is likely to be minimal and your alcohol consumption below Lindsay Lohan levels.

As for radiation, it's everywhere. However, there are ways to minimize it. There are also some key nutrients you can supplement to build your D6D capacity, which include zinc and magnesium. Most of us are deficient in these two super minerals, which are crucial for many aspects of overall health.

(A tip on magnesium: if you have chocolate cravings all the time, this is a sign that you could be suffering from a magnesium deficiency. So if you've just eaten your child's birthday cake, you might want to get yourself some ZMA® ).

A second chance for flaxseed?

While flaxseed oil is probably not an effective way to get the amounts of EPA and DHA your body so desperately needs, flaxseed does have some benefits. Flaxseed is available in three forms: whole flaxseed, ground flaxseed and flaxseed oil. I prefer my clients to take whole flaxseed or ground flaxseed as both are an excellent source of fiber. Fiber helps cleanse the intestines and supports blood sugar control, which can lead to lower body fat levels.

Whole flaxseeds also contain lignans, which have been shown to affect estrogen levels. Many of my clients have symptoms of high estrogen levels and when I run hormone tests on them, 90% of them have elevated estradiol levels.

There are two primary reasons for this. Number one is estrogen mimicking compounds that are found in our environment called xenoestrogens. We are increasingly bombarded with xenoestrogens in the form of contaminated water and food, chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides, and plastics containing bisphenol A. The ugly thing about these little monsters is that they alter the conversion of cholesterol into steroid hormones.

Reason number two is the high activity of the enzyme aromatase. Aromatase is an enzyme that converts androgens like testosterone and androstenedione into estrogen. Remember all the hype about prohormones in the late nineties? Everyone had visions of cracking Mark McGuire's locker and reaching Bic Mac's proportions. Unfortunately, this is a prime example of something that looked good on paper but didn't work in the human body.

The main problem with androstenedione was that it can be converted into both testosterone and estrogen. So while some guys got more muscular and stronger from this stuff, others grew breasts and started asking their training partners if their training pants made their butts look bigger.

To reduce the amount of xenoestrogens you are exposed to, the first thing you need to do is reduce the amount of xenoestrogens you are exposed to. Limit the use of plastic, store your food in glass containers instead of plastic or Tupperware and never heat food in plastic packaging in the microwave. By doing so, you are giving your body real xenoestrogen injections.

As for aromatase, this is where the lignans in whole flaxseeds come in. Flaxseeds are the richest source of the plant lignan secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG0) - a type of phytoestrogen similar in structure to endogenous sex hormones.

After consumption, the intestinal flora metabolizes SDG to enterodiol (ED) and enterolactone (EL), which are also known as mammalian lignans. There are studies that show that ED and EL both inhibit the aromatase enzyme.

Although I do not recommend flaxseed oil as a source of omega-3 fatty acids, I would recommend consuming flaxseed in shredded form or even as whole flaxseeds to inhibit the effects of the aromatase enzyme.

Use both to your advantage

In our world of Frankenstein foods and toxic fats, it's a smart idea to make omega-3 fatty acids a top priority - but relying on flaxseed oil is not such a good idea. Whether your goal is to build muscle, lose fat or boost your performance, an animal source of essential fatty acids like fish oil is much more effective than flaxseed oil.

But don't throw the flaxseed out with the fatty acid bath water. Whole or crushed flaxseeds still have important health benefits to offer. Try using a high quality fish oil supplement to meet your EPA and DHA needs and use some high fiber whole flaxseed for its benefits in blood sugar control and aromatase inhibition. While this may not help you land a vegan girlfriend, with more muscle, less fat and better overall health, I'd be very surprised if you have a hard time finding a carnivore to keep you company.

References

1. Adlercreutz H, Bannwart C, Wähälä K, Mäkelä T, Brunow G, Hase T, Arosemena PJ, Kellis JT, Vickery LE. Inhibition of human aromatase by mammalian lignans and isoflavonoid phytoestrogens. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol, 44:147-153, 1993
2. Barceló-Coblijn G, Murphy EJ, Othman R, Moghadasian MH, Kashour T, Friel JK. Flaxseed oil and fish-oil capsule consumption alters human red blood cell n-3 fatty acid composition: a multiple-doing trial comparing 2 sources of n-c fatty acids. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Sep;88(3):801-9.
3. Basch R, Bent S, Collins J, Dacey C, Hammerness P, Harrison M, Smith M, Szapary P, Ulbricht C, Vora M, Weissner W. Natural Standard Resource Collaboration. Flax and flax seed oil (Linum Usitatissimum) a review by the Natural Standard Research Colloboration. J Soc Integr Oncol 2007 Summer 5; (3): 92-105.
4. Borriello SP, Setchell, KDR, Axelson M, Lawson AM. Production and metabolism of lignans by the human faecal flora. J Appl Bacteriol, 58:37-43, 1985.
5. Erasmus, Udo. Fats that Heal Fats that Kill. Alive Books. Barnaby BC Canada. 1997.
6. Simopoulos, Artemis. The Omega Diet. Harper Collins. New York, NY. 1999.
7. Frye C, Bo E, Calamandrei G, Calzà L, Dessì-Fulgheri F, Fernández M, Fusani L, Kah O, Kajta M, Le Page Y, Patisaul HB, Venerosi A, Wojtowicz AK, Panzica GC. Endocrine Disrupters: a Review of SOMe Sources, Effects, and Mechanisms of Actions on Behavior and Neuroendocrine Systems. J Neuroendocrinol. 2011 Sep 27. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2826.2011.02229.x. (Epub ahead of print)
8. Horrin DF. Loss of delta-6-desaturase activity as a key factor in aging. Med Hypotheses. 1981 Sep;7(9):1211-1220.
9. Lord, RS & Bralley JA. Laboratory Evaluations for Integrative and Functional Medicine. Duluth, GA: Metametrix Institute.
10. Liu S, Baracos VE, Quinney HA, Clandin MT. Dietary omega-3 and polyunsaturated fatty acids modify fatty acyl composition and insulin binding in skeletal-muscle sarcolemma. Biochem J. 1994 May 1;299 (Pt 3): 831-7.
11. Mantzioris, E, James MJ, Gibson RA, Cleland LG. Dietary substitution with an α-linolenic acid-rich vegetable oil increases eicosapentaenoic acid concentrations in tissues. Am J Clin Nutr-1994-Mantzioris-1304-9.
12. Shimp JL, Bruckner L, Kinsella JE. The effects of dietary trilinoelaidin on fatty acid and acyl desaturases in rat liver. J Nutr. 1982 Apr;112(4):722-35.

By Robert Yang

Control them and get hard and defined more easily

When you think of hormones, especially in the fitness and bodybuilding world, you probably think of things like testosterone, insulin, cortisol and growth hormone. You probably won't think of GLP and GIP.

GLP and GIP are hormones of the digestive tract and your ability to get hard and defined can stand or fall with them. The funny thing is, most people have never heard of these hormones and even experts didn't fully understand their full impact until recently.

The unexpected revelations of a gastric bypass

Gastric bypass surgery has become the treatment of choice for severely obese patients. This surgery can also be seen as proof that the calorie model of metabolism is correct.

When this surgery was originally developed, the idea was to reduce the volume of food that could be eaten. It was believed that the observed fat loss was based solely on the fact that patients were eating less or absorbing less food. It was believed that this reduced calorie intake was the only reason for the weight loss.

If you physically reduce the size of the stomach, then the patient can't eat as much as before and loses weight. That was the theory and reducing calorie intake definitely plays a role. But is that the whole story?

Slowly, a new understanding of what is happening developed. There is an unintended and only recently discovered consequence of these gastric bypass operations: reduced hunger and (to a lesser extent) reduced cravings. How can this be? This surgery does not take place in the brain, which is the area that controls these feelings.

Even more interesting is the fact that in a high percentage of patients who suffered from diabetes or insulin resistance before the surgery, these problems disappeared completely. Imagine that before the surgery you were plagued by constant hunger, insatiable cravings and diabetes and as you recover from the surgery you realize that your hunger and cravings have disappeared and your diabetes has been cured.

What is happening here?

The positive effects that this surgery has on metabolism and weight loss are not simply a matter of calories, but are related to an unintended manipulation of the endocrine properties of the mucous membranes of the digestive tract. Endocrine in this context refers to the hormonal activity of the digestive tract.

The digestive system is not simply a place where food is digested and absorbed. The digestive system also secretes hormones.

In order to absorb food and regulate metabolism, the body needs a way to enable communication between the brain, pancreas and other organs and tissue types regarding the type of food being fed. Is the food a large bowl of sweet cereal that requires a large amount of insulin? Or is it a huge steak that will linger in the stomach for a while to be digested?

Our digestive tract is lined with sensory cells that "examine" the food that has been eaten. These cells provide the body with information about the quantity and composition of the food consumed and send signals via hormones/peptides to the brain, pancreas, fat cells, etc.

It is now believed that these hormones of the digestive tract are the primary mechanism by which these operations exert their effects.

GLP and GIP

The glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) and the glucagon-like peptide (GLP) are probably the two most important hormones. These hormones are also known as incretins.

These two hormones switch off hunger in the brain and stimulate the release of insulin as soon as they perceive large amounts of glucose. These two hormones are the reason why glucose injected directly into a vein causes much less insulin to be released than the same amount of glucose consumed.

GIP is secreted by so-called K sensory cells that line the digestive tract in the upper small intestine where food leaves the stomach (the duodenum). GLP is secreted by the L sensory cells, which are also located in the duodenum, but have a higher concentration in the lower part of the intestine.

With gastric bypass, GIP concentrations are reduced while GLP levels are increased. This is because the area of the intestine that contains most of the GIP-secreting cells is bypassed and no longer has contact with the food, while most of the areas that secrete GLP remain intact.

GIP and GLP have very different effects on metabolism, they both suppress appetite and both cause insulin secretion (but only in the presence of glucose). Obese people and diabetics have reduced GLP activity and the influence of GIP on the pancreas is suppressed.

GPL has several effects that make it very beneficial for diabetics and obese people compared to GIP. GLP reduces the levels of the hormone glucagon - a hormone that is out of control in diabetes and causes glucose to be continuously released from the liver. GLP also helps the body to produce new, more functional pancreatic cells, restoring the correct function of the insulin mechanism.

GLP also reduces the breakdown of muscle tissue. It also slows down the release of food from the stomach, which means that other hunger hormones (such as ghrelin) remain suppressed for longer.

All of this leads to more GLP, less GIP, lower glucagon levels (which normalizes blood sugar), restoration of insulin sensitivity and reactivity, suppressed appetite, reduced cravings and increased fat burning. These changes positively influence the amount of calories consumed.

Note: We do not yet know how long this effect lasts, as some patients regain the weight they have lost over the years, but rarely to the weight they once had.

What does this mean for us?

All of this shows us that weight loss is not simply a matter of calorie math, but involves complex interactions of hormonal biochemistry.

Most people do not need to undergo expensive and risky surgery to reap the same effects and benefits. GLP and GIP levels can also be manipulated with food. Fiber (especially viscous fiber), protein, bitter foods, probiotics and other factors are also able to manipulate the sensory cells of the digestive tract, thereby reducing hunger, helping with cravings and restoring insulin sensitivity.

How can you use this science for fat loss?

1. Use GIP and GLP to your advantage by eating foods that stimulate their appetite suppressing effects but not their insulin stimulating effects. This means protein, fat and fiber without starch and sugar. Protein, fat and fiber will all have an impact on GIP and GLP, and as long as you don't eat large amounts of starch or sugar during the same meal, you will get full faster and stay full longer.
2. Never combine fat and starch/sugar. This combination will greatly increase GIP levels and lead to higher insulin secretion over time.
3. Choose viscous fiber. This type of fiber lines the digestive tract and makes it "think" there is more food in the digestive tract than there really is. Using a fiber-based drink as a snack is an excellent way to take advantage of this effect. The best fibers for this purpose are oat bran, acacia and glucomannan. But be careful, because if these fibers are consumed in combination with sugar or starch, you can achieve exactly the opposite effect. Remember that you are using fiber to control your appetite, not to eliminate it. Avoid products that are designed to eliminate appetite and are overloaded with sweeteners.
4. Eat the right carbohydrates. High-fiber carbohydrates such as non-starchy vegetables and less sweet fruits have the best fiber to sugar/starch ratio. These are the carbohydrates you should prioritize.
5. Branched-chain amino acids - and leucine in particular - can have a special effect on GLP. A BCAA supplement that is used as a snack and not simply to promote post-workout recovery may be a wise choice.

References

1. Shalev A1, Holst JJ, Keller U. Effects of glucagon-like peptide 1 (7-36 amide) on whole-body protein metabolism in healthy man. Eur J Clin Invest. 1997 Jan;27(1):10-6.
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By Dr. Jade Teta

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/the-hidden-fat-loss-hormones