You know, as a biochemist, I see things at a different level than most people do. At the molecular level. Now, don't get me wrong. . . I view the body as a collection of organs and systems, like you do. But there's a whole level of activity going on, behind that "bag of guts" that we are. Metabolism. Energy production. Storage. And more.
Recently, I heard of another trendy diet (biochemists, like doctors and dieticians, keep their ears to the ground, on such things). It was a type of fad diet in the "intermittent fasting" category. In other words, there's an 8 hour eating window, followed by varying periods of fasting, lasting from 12-16 hours. No problem here. After all, the word "breakfast" was coined, to describe the meal that BREAKS the FAST, between dinner and morning. The problem I have, is with the science behind it.
The "authors" of this diet say that, during the fasting period, the body switches from using glucose for fuel, to using body fat. Well. . .not quite. There's a fly in the ointment. A fly spelled g-l-y-c-o-g-e-n. What's glycogen? It's a polymer (a chain) of glucose molecules, stored in the liver (and in muscle tissue), to act as easily available fuel, if the anticipated supply of glucose isn't there. So when you fast, the body goes FIRST to its glycogen, and breaks off pieces (glucose), to keep you fueled. When the supply of glycogen runs short, it goes to fat (first), then protein, for energy. But the switchover process takes around 12 hours and can be sluggish.
If you're on a high-protein, low-carb regimen, you're keeping your carb intake low, meaning that you're not making a lot of glycogen. Low glycogen reserves prod the body, into using its own fat, for fuel. When the body burns its own fat, it does so by lopping off two-carbon units, for fuel. These two-carbon units are known as acetoacetic acid ("ketone bodies") and can be detected in the urine, using ketone sticks.
While we're on the subject of lower-carb diets, I should mention that about 75% of the cholesterol circulating in your blood is MADE BY THE BODY, from glucose. Molecules of glucose are rearranged and linked, to form a substance called squalene [SKWAY-leen]. The body then closes some open molecular rings and forms a few bonds and voila! Cholesterol. History has shown that decades ago, doctors were only mildly successful at reducing high cholesterol values, by telling patients to cut out all cholesterol from their diets. For many people, cutting carbohydrate intake can be more effective. Talk to your doctor about this.
Recently, I heard of another trendy diet (biochemists, like doctors and dieticians, keep their ears to the ground, on such things). It was a type of fad diet in the "intermittent fasting" category. In other words, there's an 8 hour eating window, followed by varying periods of fasting, lasting from 12-16 hours. No problem here. After all, the word "breakfast" was coined, to describe the meal that BREAKS the FAST, between dinner and morning. The problem I have, is with the science behind it.
The "authors" of this diet say that, during the fasting period, the body switches from using glucose for fuel, to using body fat. Well. . .not quite. There's a fly in the ointment. A fly spelled g-l-y-c-o-g-e-n. What's glycogen? It's a polymer (a chain) of glucose molecules, stored in the liver (and in muscle tissue), to act as easily available fuel, if the anticipated supply of glucose isn't there. So when you fast, the body goes FIRST to its glycogen, and breaks off pieces (glucose), to keep you fueled. When the supply of glycogen runs short, it goes to fat (first), then protein, for energy. But the switchover process takes around 12 hours and can be sluggish.
If you're on a high-protein, low-carb regimen, you're keeping your carb intake low, meaning that you're not making a lot of glycogen. Low glycogen reserves prod the body, into using its own fat, for fuel. When the body burns its own fat, it does so by lopping off two-carbon units, for fuel. These two-carbon units are known as acetoacetic acid ("ketone bodies") and can be detected in the urine, using ketone sticks.
While we're on the subject of lower-carb diets, I should mention that about 75% of the cholesterol circulating in your blood is MADE BY THE BODY, from glucose. Molecules of glucose are rearranged and linked, to form a substance called squalene [SKWAY-leen]. The body then closes some open molecular rings and forms a few bonds and voila! Cholesterol. History has shown that decades ago, doctors were only mildly successful at reducing high cholesterol values, by telling patients to cut out all cholesterol from their diets. For many people, cutting carbohydrate intake can be more effective. Talk to your doctor about this.
Comments
Post a Comment