Mens Health is on to us. Oh well, it was too good to not keep a secret right?
Martin Berkhan, you should have pulled your head out of your ass and wrote this book. I would have bought it.
8 Hour Diet
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
This is probably the most interesting IF research to date
Intermittent Fasting Research
I love this article, although it is rather old (published in 2003). It compares calorie, restriction, ad libitum, Intermittent Fasting and Paired Feeding (instead of ad libitum, paired feeding was given similar calorie amount to IF Rats).
Great read!
I love this article, although it is rather old (published in 2003). It compares calorie, restriction, ad libitum, Intermittent Fasting and Paired Feeding (instead of ad libitum, paired feeding was given similar calorie amount to IF Rats).
Great read!
Friday, September 28, 2012
The trials and tribulations of intermittent fasting
IF'ing is generally easy, sometimes too easy, so naturally you can get bored. Coming from a financial perspective boring is good. You want your long term investments to be safe, reliable, even predictable. I imagine a bad investment is like crash dieting. You throw all your money at a new exciting stock the same way a crash dieter throws themselves on the latest diet. You go up, you go down, but you never really gain health (or wealth). If you are wise you seek out the best mixture of stocks and mutual funds, real estate and tax deferred savings programs.
In health seek out the gold standards. Exercise regularly. Be careful of extremes, marathons and crossfit are awesome, but they will wear you down. Practice Intermittent Fasting. The easiest way to give your body a break, and a chance to get on with some autophagy. Stay away from long term fasting. If you are doing it daily maybe 16-18 hrs. Incorporate healthy foods like green tea and kale. Reduce your sugar and refined foods intake. Practice Tai Chi or Yoga or Meditation. Brush and floss.
I know, it sounds so mundane. My guess is the long term benefits will give you an abundance of health, just like safe, boring investments give you an abundance of wealth.
In health seek out the gold standards. Exercise regularly. Be careful of extremes, marathons and crossfit are awesome, but they will wear you down. Practice Intermittent Fasting. The easiest way to give your body a break, and a chance to get on with some autophagy. Stay away from long term fasting. If you are doing it daily maybe 16-18 hrs. Incorporate healthy foods like green tea and kale. Reduce your sugar and refined foods intake. Practice Tai Chi or Yoga or Meditation. Brush and floss.
I know, it sounds so mundane. My guess is the long term benefits will give you an abundance of health, just like safe, boring investments give you an abundance of wealth.
Carnitine perhaps?
Carnitine may also help you oxidize your fat ass...
The effect of l-carnitine on fat oxidation
"increased dietary fat oxidation in slightly overweight subjects was not accompanied by protein catabolism."
That's the good news. This too:
"Essentially, L-carnitine transports the chains of fatty acids into the mitochondrial matrix, thus allowing the cells to break down fat and get energy from the stored fat reserves." 1
This could be in part why people who go on a paleo diet lose fat. Not only is the insulin response improved, but with all that extra carnitine, the fatty acids are being burned more efficiently.
The effect of l-carnitine on fat oxidation
"increased dietary fat oxidation in slightly overweight subjects was not accompanied by protein catabolism."
That's the good news. This too:
"Essentially, L-carnitine transports the chains of fatty acids into the mitochondrial matrix, thus allowing the cells to break down fat and get energy from the stored fat reserves." 1
This could be in part why people who go on a paleo diet lose fat. Not only is the insulin response improved, but with all that extra carnitine, the fatty acids are being burned more efficiently.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Coffee and Health!
Here is an interesting study on coffee, and it just so happens the research takes place while subjects are fasted, so bonus points:
COFFEE
In conclusion:
"Drinking 200 mL (1 cup) coffee induces an increase in the resistance of LDL to oxidative modification, probably as a result of the incorporation of coffee's phenolic acids into LDL."
In other words the thing that makes LDL harmful to your arteries, which is oxidation, is slowed down by coffee consumption.
This is a very interesting study on my good friend coffee. Coffee increases metabolic rate, lipolysis, and most important fat oxidation in normal weight subjects. It is noted that obese subjects did not benefit significantly from coffee.
Take a Look: COFFEE!!!
COFFEE
In conclusion:
"Drinking 200 mL (1 cup) coffee induces an increase in the resistance of LDL to oxidative modification, probably as a result of the incorporation of coffee's phenolic acids into LDL."
In other words the thing that makes LDL harmful to your arteries, which is oxidation, is slowed down by coffee consumption.
This is a very interesting study on my good friend coffee. Coffee increases metabolic rate, lipolysis, and most important fat oxidation in normal weight subjects. It is noted that obese subjects did not benefit significantly from coffee.
Take a Look: COFFEE!!!
In conclusion here:
"A series of four trials was carried out to investigate the effects of caffeine and coffee on the metabolic rate and substrate utilization in normal weight and obese individuals. In the first trial 8 mg/kg caffeine was compared with a placebo in normal weight subjects. Metabolic rate increased significantly during the 3 hr after caffeine ingestion. While plasma glucose, insulin, and carbohydrate oxidation did not change significantly, plasma free fatty acid levels rose from 432 +/- 31 to 848 +/- 135 muEq/liter and were accompanied by significant increases in fat oxidation during the last hour of the test. In the second and third trials the effects of coffee providing 4 mg/kg caffeine were studied in control and obese subjects. Metabolic rate increased significantly in both groups; however, significant increases in fat oxidation were only observed in the control group. Plasma free fatty acids did not change in the obese. In the fourth trial, coffee was taken with a 3080 kJ meal. The thermic effect of the meal was significantly greater after coffee than after decaffeinated coffee and again fat oxidation was significantly greater after coffee. In conclusion caffeine/coffee stimulates the metabolic rate in both control and obese individuals; however, this is accompanied by greater oxidation of fat in normal weight subjects."
So yes, coffee is great while fasting, but more importantly, have a strong brew after heavy meals for it's special benefit of greatly increasing thermic effect and fat oxidation. I'll drink to that!
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Intermittent Fasting And Calorie Restriction
Intermittent Fasting has many beneficial health benefits, but if you're looking for weight loss, it seems (at least in rats) you had better combine it with calorie reduction. In this landmark study scientists note:
"By the end of this study, male C57BL 6 mice subjected to IF [intermittent Fast]
were consuming essentially the same amount of food in a 48-h
period as did those fed AL [Ad Libitum]. On the days they had access to food,
the IF mice ate roughly twice as much as did mice fed AL (Fig.
1a). Mice on the LDF [Limited Daily Feeding] regimen consumed 40% less food as
provided: this was reflected in their body weights, which were
49% lower than those of the AL-fed group. In contrast, at the
end of the study the body weights of mice maintained on the IF
diet or PF on a daily basis were only slightly below those of the
AL-fed group"
Remarkable.
But of course most of us practicing intermittent fasting, are not eating double the amount of calories to make up for it.
In fact, the IF that I practice might resemble more closely slight calorie restriction plus a small fasting period. I suppose I am hoping to get at least a small dose of the helpful benefits of each method. Besides I could not imagine fasting 36 hours every other day. That would be torture!
Alas, there are very similar benefits for insulin sensitivity betweem IF and Calorie Restriction:
"A prominent physiological change that
occurs in mammals maintained on reduced-calorie diets is
increased insulin sensitivity, which often is reflected in decreased fasting plasma levels of glucose and insulin (17). Fasting
serum concentrations of glucose and insulin in mice fed AL in
the current study averaged 150 mg dl and 3,400 pg ml, respectively (Fig. 2 a and b). The concentrations of glucose and insulin
were decreased significantly, to similar amounts, in mice maintained on either LDF or IF regimens with glucose and insulin
concentrations dropping to 100 mg dl and 700–1,100 pg ml,
respectively (Fig. 2). That similar changes are seen in IF and LDF
groups in the current study suggests that despite an overall
calorie intake similar to mice fed AL, IF has similar effects on
circulating glucose and insulin levels."
So that's good news for Rats on IF or CR!
Calorie Restriction VS Intermittent Fasting Both Healthy, but...
"By the end of this study, male C57BL 6 mice subjected to IF [intermittent Fast]
were consuming essentially the same amount of food in a 48-h
period as did those fed AL [Ad Libitum]. On the days they had access to food,
the IF mice ate roughly twice as much as did mice fed AL (Fig.
1a). Mice on the LDF [Limited Daily Feeding] regimen consumed 40% less food as
provided: this was reflected in their body weights, which were
49% lower than those of the AL-fed group. In contrast, at the
end of the study the body weights of mice maintained on the IF
diet or PF on a daily basis were only slightly below those of the
AL-fed group"
Remarkable.
But of course most of us practicing intermittent fasting, are not eating double the amount of calories to make up for it.
In fact, the IF that I practice might resemble more closely slight calorie restriction plus a small fasting period. I suppose I am hoping to get at least a small dose of the helpful benefits of each method. Besides I could not imagine fasting 36 hours every other day. That would be torture!
Alas, there are very similar benefits for insulin sensitivity betweem IF and Calorie Restriction:
"A prominent physiological change that
occurs in mammals maintained on reduced-calorie diets is
increased insulin sensitivity, which often is reflected in decreased fasting plasma levels of glucose and insulin (17). Fasting
serum concentrations of glucose and insulin in mice fed AL in
the current study averaged 150 mg dl and 3,400 pg ml, respectively (Fig. 2 a and b). The concentrations of glucose and insulin
were decreased significantly, to similar amounts, in mice maintained on either LDF or IF regimens with glucose and insulin
concentrations dropping to 100 mg dl and 700–1,100 pg ml,
respectively (Fig. 2). That similar changes are seen in IF and LDF
groups in the current study suggests that despite an overall
calorie intake similar to mice fed AL, IF has similar effects on
circulating glucose and insulin levels."
So that's good news for Rats on IF or CR!
Calorie Restriction VS Intermittent Fasting Both Healthy, but...
Friday, September 21, 2012
Carbs and Sugar still the bad guys
Of course, we have known carbohydrate and sugars dirty little secret for a long time now. This article kind of puts some of the scientific mechanisms eloquently:
Killer Carbs
I think it is very well known in the health blog community, but yeah, you are much better off getting your carbs and sugar from natural sources. I love mine in the form of sweet potatoes and grapefruits. One of the coolest effects of Intermittent Fasting is how it regulates your blood sugar. This doesn't mean you should have a chocolate ice cream orgy everynight, but you definitely can feel a little less of the impact when you go on a desert binge. And dammit to hell, what fun is life without a desert binge every once in a while (Or Pizza for that matter).
Killer Carbs
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