The following posts represent steroid profiles originally released by Ken Hess for Primordial Performance.
©Eric Potratz, All Rights Reserved.
Printed with Permission.
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The following posts represent steroid profiles originally released by Ken Hess for Primordial Performance.
©Eric Potratz, All Rights Reserved.
Printed with Permission.
Lectins in Peanuts Clog Arteries
November 25th, 2009 -A peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole grain bread looks pretty wholesome and harmless, doesnít it? Well, looks can be deceiving. This delicious meal is packed with a deadly lectin that clogs your arteries.
The trouble seems to stem from a lectin specific to peanuts called Peanut Agglutinin(PNA). Lectins are sugar-binding proteins found all throughout nature, and are thought to play an important role in plant defense against being eaten. (1) PNA is particularly resistant to breakdown in the gut, and has been shown to penetrate the intestinal walls mostly intact and bind to the smooth muscle cells in the arteries, leading to atherosclerosis (build-up of plaque within the arteries) and fibromuscular lesions. (2) Aside from being a know allergen, PNA has also been shown to stimulate cellular proliferation of colon cancer cells (3).
Even if you donít have any peanut allergies, eating peanuts may still increase your heart disease and colon cancer risk. Peanuts have side-effects, so you are probably safer choosing almond butter for that next ìnut butterî sandwich.
References -
1. Agrarian Diet and Diseases of Affluence – Do Evolutionary Novel Dietary Lectins Cause Leptin Resistance?
Tommy J?nsson, et al.
BMC Endocrine Disorders 2005, 5:10doi:10.1186/1472-6823-5-10
2. Atherogenic Potential of Peanut Oil-Based Monounsaturated Fatty Acids Diets
Loren Cordain, Ph.D.
Lipids 1998 Vol. 33 no. 2 Page 229
3. Peanut lectin stimulates proliferation of colon cancer cells by interaction with glycosylated CD44v6 isoforms and consequential activation of c-Met and MAPK
Singh R et al.
Glycobiology.2006 Jul;16(7):594-601
Carbohydrates Drive Up Cholesterol
October 16th, 2009 – Despite what your doctor and favorite fitness magazine tell you, dietary cholesterol is not the enemy. In fact, our own cells manufacture roughly 80% of the cholesterol in our body (1). Increase your dietary intake, and normally the body will compensate by producing less of its own. Decrease, and your body will make more.
So where do carbohydrates fit in to all of this?
When you ingest carbohydrates, they are broken down into glucose and released into the blood stream. This raises blood sugar levels, and the body releases insulin to deliver the sugar to the various cells in the body for use as fuel. Aside from storing nutrients in the body, insulin also stimulates the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which determines the rate and amount of cholesterol produced by our cells. (2) The more cholesterol our cells produce, the less they remove from the LDL particles in the blood, and the more cholesterol remains in circulation.
Take home message – It’s the toast, not the eggs.
References
1. Protein Power
Dr. Michael Eades
New York, NY: Creative Paradox LLC (2000)
2. Interaction between cholesterol and glucose metabolism during dietarycarbohydrate modification in subjects with the metabolic syndrome
Maarit Hallikainen, et al.
Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, Dec 2006; 84: 1385 – 1392
Carbohydrates Negatively Effect Growth Hormone
We’ve all heard that growth hormone (GH) does a ton of great stuff for our bodies including burning body fat, increasing protein synthesis, increasing nitrogen retention, and decreasing protein catabolism. (1) This means more muscle, less fat, and a happier, healthier, sexier you. So how can we maximize the effects and release of growth hormone we get in response to strenuous exercise?
Keep your post workout carbohydrate levels in check.
When we exercise, blood glucose and insulin levels decrease, and GH levels increase. GH levels can remain this way for an hour or more. (2) However, as soon as blood glucose and insulin levels rise, GH levels will drop back down, as insulin acts to suppress GH secretion. (3) Keeping carbohydrate intake to a minimum after exercise will keep blood glucose and insulin levels down and GH up for a longer period of time.
How do you boost GH levels and keep it elevated after a workout? Consider protein instead of carbs for your post workout nutrition!
References -
1. Amino Acids and Proteins for the Athlete: The Anabolic Edge
Mauro G. Di Pasquale
CRC Press 2008 Pages 27-28
2. Plasma insulin, growth hormone, and blood sugar during exercise in man
Sawhney RC, Malhotra AS, Gupta RB.
Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 1982 Apr-Jun;26(2):119-24
3. Good Calories Bad Calories
Gary Taubes
Alfred A Knopf 2007 Pages 390-391
Carbohydrates Can Cause Stiff Joints and Wrinkled Skin
November 25th, 2009 – Yes, you read that right. Excessive carbohydrate consumption can speed up the aging process by producing nasty molecules called advanced glycation end-products.
Advanced glycation end products (AGE) form in the body when glucose (carbs) attaches itself to a protein (a process called glycation) without enzymatic control. The more glucose in the blood, the more this process occurs, and the harder it is for the body to reverse the process and/or dispose of harmful AGEs.(1)
Collagen proteins, found in skin, tendons, cartilage, and bones are especially prone to injurious affliction from these glycosalated molecules. As AGEs build up and cause damage to this bodily tissue, the skin will toughen and appear leathery, and joints will stiffen. (1) AGE have also been linked to other age related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, cataracts, diabetes, and atherosclerosis to name a few. (3)
Reducing advanced glycation end-products will involve consuming less high glycemic carbohydrates, or making sure you reduce you blood sugar by burning it off shortly after consuming a high carbohydrate meal.
References -
1. The Carbohydrate Hypothesis
Gary Taubes
Good Calories Bad Calories 2007 Pages 191-193
2. Irreversibly glycated LDL induce oxidative and inflammatory state in human endothelial cells; added effect of high glucose.
Toma L, Stancu CS, Botez GM, Sima AV, Simionescu M.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2009 Oct 19 PMID: 19850013
3. Advanced glycation and lipoxidation end products–amplifiers of inflammation: the role of food
Gil A, Bengmark S.
Nutrition Hosp. 2007 Nov-Dec;22(6):625-40 PMID: 18051988
Sugar Addiction is Real
November 25th, 2009 -There is more to your sweet tooth than simply enjoying the taste of sugary foods. You can become high on sugar, and eventually addicted.
Recreational drugs and simple carbohydrates like those found in sugary comfort foods are both involved in the reward mechanisms of the mesolimbic dopamine system and the nucleus accumbens (a collection of neurons in the brain involved in reward and pleasure). (1) Stimulation of dopamine and the reward/pleasure center in the brain lead to cravings and feelings of addiction. Once youíre hooked, regular or non-sugary foods donít have the same dopamine response, and thus leave you feeling unsatisfied. (1)
With frequent, repeated exposure to sugar, feelings of satiety decrease, meaning it takes more sugary food and a longer period of time for you to feel satisfied. (2)
Like drugs, the more sugar you eat, the more you crave it, and the more it takes for you to feel satisfied (3). It ís a vicious cycle, and something to think about the next time you find yourself staring down a pint of Ben & Jerryís.
References -
1. Deficits of mesolimbic dopamine neurotransmission in rat dietary obesity.
Geiger BM, et al.
Neuroscience. 2009 Apr 10;159(4):1193-9. Epub 2009 Feb 11.
2. Daily bingeing on sugar repeatedly releases dopamine in the accumbens shell.
Rada P, et la.
Neuroscience. 2005;134(3):737-44
3. Accumbens dopamine-acetylcholine balance in approach and avoidance
Bartley G Hoebel, et al.
Current Opinion in Pharmacology Volume 7, Issue 6, December 2007, Pages 617-627
Triglycerides: High Glycerol Phosphate Makes You Store Fat
December 8th, 2009 - We’ve all heard that carbs make you fat. When we eat carbohydrates our bodies release insulin, a storage hormone that takes the sugars entering the blood stream and stuffs them into our cells. What you may not have heard, however, is that on top of insulin, carbs have a unique ability to increase blood triglyceride levels and make us store it as fat. This ability comes in the form of a simple molecule called glycerol phosphate.
The fat stored in our fat cells is made up of triglycerides. Triglycerides are composed of three (tri) fatty acids bound to a single glycerol molecule. Glycerol phosphate is a key component in the process of binding free fatty acids together to form triglycerides, as it provides the glycerol backbone that the fatty acids bind to.
Glycerol phosphate is a byproduct of carbohydrate metabolism (by glycolysis). The more glucose broken down for energy, the more glycerol phosphate we have available, and the more free fatty acids can be bound together to form triglycerides and stored as fat. In fact, the rate at which the body assembles fatty acids into triglycerides largely depends on the availability of glycerol phosphate. (1)
References -
1. Good Calories Bad Calories
Gary Taubes
Alfred A Knopf 2007 Pages 388-389
Lipoprotein Lipase Important for Fat Burning
January 7th, 2010 - Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is an enzyme that breaks apart fat (triglycerides) into their fatty acid components for transport and use inside cells.
An increase in lipoprotein lipase activity means an increase in the flow of fatty acids into the cell. An increase in LPL activity in muscle cells means they will use more fat and less sugar for energy, which is a good thing if you are trying to stay lean. An increase in LPL activity in fat cells, however, will mean increased fat stores. There are many factors involved in the regulation of LPL activity, but two big contributors are the hormones insulin and testosterone.
Insulin increases LPL activity in fat cells, while decreasing LPL activity in muscle cells. (1) Anything that drives up insulin (mainly dietary carbohydrates) will increase the flow of fatty acids into fat cells for storage and cause muscle cells to burn sugar instead of fat.
Testosterone also has a regulatory effect on LPL activity in muscle. Lipoprotein lipase activity in the fat cells of the abdominal region is greater in men than in women, and reduced testosterone levels only increases activity. Keeping testosterone levels high, however, works to reduce LPL activity in the male abdominal fat cells thus discouraging fat storage in this area. (2)
References -
1. Lipoprotein lipase regulation by insulin and glucocorticoid in subcutaneous and omental adipose tissues of obese women and men.
Fried SK, Russell CD, Grauso NL, Brolin RE.
J Clin Invest. 1993 Nov;92(5):2191-8
2. Good Calories Bad Calories
Gary Taubes
Alfred A Knopf 2007 Pages 397-399
Insulin Sensitivity Affects Testosterone Levels in the Body
January 7th, 2010 - Research has shown that people with type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome (i.e. insulin resistance) have significantly lower testosterone levels than regular men. (1,2) Insulin resistance is basically a condition where the insulin created by the body is insufficient to drive nutrients into the muscle and fat cells. This stems from having chronically elevated blood insulin levels.
Under constant stimulation from insulin, cellís become less sensitive to its effects, requiring more and more insulin to get nutrients into the cells. Therefore, anything which drives up blood sugar – like sugar, rice, pasta, beer, carbs of all kinds – and thus insulin levels can lead to a reduction in insulin sensitivity. Reduced insulin sensitivity equals lower testosterone levels.
References -
1. The dark side of testosterone deficiency: II. Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.
Traish AM, Saad F, Guay A.
J Androl 2009 Jan-Feb;30(1):23-32
2. Low testosterone levels are common and associated with insulin resistance in men with diabetes.
Grossmann M, Thomas MC, Panagiotopoulos S, Sharpe K, Macisaac RJ, Clarke S, Zajac JD, Jerums G.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 May;93(5):1834-40
Avoid Carbs and Stimulate Amino Acids Uptake
February 19th. 2010 – You’ve probably heard that eating a high carbohydrate meal after training is better than a low carb meal. However, this may not be the case. Keeping post-exercise carbohydrate consumption low can prolong the nutrient uptake window created from training (via increased insulin sensitivity). (1) This is because training increases the muscle cells demand for nutrients, including amino acids, for repair and sugars to replace muscle glycogen.
The resulting increase in insulin sensitivity after exercise enhances the flow of nutrients to the muscle cells in need, as well as increases the use of fat as an energy source since sugars are not available. As glycogen stores fill up, however, the cells ability to take up amino acids (for growth) and fat (for fuel) will decrease.
The idea behind the high carb theory is that when you exercise, you use up muscle glycogen. The most efficient way to replenish your glycogen stores is through carbohydrate intake. If your training frequency has you exercising several times a day or every few hours, you’ll need too replace your energy stores more quickly to prepare your body for the next workout, and eating more carbs post exercise will help. If, on the other hand, you train once per day or several times a week and are more concerned with body composition, a carbohydrate restricted eating approach may prove more effective.
References –
1. Amino Acids & Proteins for the Athlete
Mauro D. Pasquale
Taylor And Francis Group 2008 Pages 356-358
Insulin’s Effect on Blood Pressure
February 19th, 2010 – In a previous article, I talked about how high carbohydrate diets can increase triglycerides (blood fats), or high cholesterol. It also appears that high carbohydrate consumption can increase hypertension, or high blood pressure. Check this out.
It’s not actually the carbohydrates doing the damage; rather it’s their corresponding hormone – insulin. The more carbs we eat, the more insulin our bodies pump into the blood stream to shuttle the glucose into cells for storage. When we are in a hyperinsulinemic (high insulin) state, like the one you’re in when you eat a high carbohydrate diet, the kidneys will retain more sodium than normal. (1) This is the body’s protective mechanism to maintain proper electrolyte balance, by retaining water to keep the sodium sufficiently diluted. More water leads to increased blood volume, and thus more pressure on the walls of the blood vessels.
Insulin also stimulates the smooth muscle cells of the arterial walls, acting like a growth hormone and causing them to enlarge and thicken. (2) As they grow, the interior space of the blood vessels decreases, which further increases blood pressure. Combine narrowed vessels with increased blood volume and you have a perfect recipe for a heart attack.
References -
1. Insulin and renal sodium retention in obese adolescents.
Rocchini AP, Katch V, Kveselis D, Moorehead C, Martin M, Lampman R, Gregory M.
Hypertension. 1989 Oct;14(4):367-74 PMID: 2676858
2. Protein Power
Dr. Michael Eades
New York, NY: Creative Paradox LLC (2000)