Archive for the ‘- Fats’ Category
Message: With seemingly endless amount of diets in the world, it all boils down to only three principal types of them: limiting calories, fats, or carbohydrates. Which one is best for you?
- Limiting calories is a very beneficial approach, health benefits-wise. It also requires self-discipline, so the best results are achieved with programs offering planning, support, and psychological services, online or offline.
- Limiting fats works well for physically very active people, not obese, and spending high amounts energy including calories from food carbohydrates.
- For obese people and those with insulin resistance, the best way of eating is limiting carbohydrate total intake and/or the kind of carbs in their foods (complex versus simple, fast absorbing versus slowly absorbing).
Reading:
Thirty Percent Less Calories = Thirty Percent Better Memory
Dietary Restriction and Life Span
Can Adults Benefit from Calorie Restriction?
Beware of Western Diet!
Two energy sources: carbohydrates vs fatty acids
Carbohydrate-Biased Control of Energy Metabolism: The Darker Side of the Selfish Brain.
Age gracefully
Most fats seem to be protective against Alzheimer disease
In 1989-99, an association was found, between dietary fat composition and cognitive performance in later adult years: the higher intake of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and the lower intake of saturated fat — the higher cognitive performance. Another, epidemiologic study conducted in 1997 suggested that high intake of total fat, saturated fat, and dietary cholesterol may increase the risk of dementia.
However, researchers at St Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, Ill found increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease among people with high intakes of saturated and trans-unsaturated fats and decreased risk with high intakes of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Consumption of vegetable fat and a high ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fats were also protective, whereas total fat, animal fat, and dietary cholesterol had no association with Alzheimer disease.
Sources
Brain Res. 1989;505:302-305
Behav Neurosci. 1996;110:451-459
Behav Brain Res. 1999;101:153-161
Am J Epidemiol. 1997;145:33-41.
Arch Neurol. 2003;60:194-200
Message: Do not fear the fat
In 1989-99, an association was found, between dietary fat composition and cognitive performance in later adult years: the higher intake of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and the lower intake of saturated fat — the higher cognitive performance. Another, epidemiologic study conducted in 1997 suggested that high intake of total fat, saturated fat, and dietary cholesterol may increase the risk of dementia.
However, researchers at St Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, Ill found increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease among people with high intakes of saturated and trans-unsaturated fats and decreased risk with high intakes of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Consumption of vegetable fat and a high ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fats were also protective, whereas total fat, animal fat, and dietary cholesterol had no association with Alzheimer disease.
Sources
- Brain Res. 1989;505:302-305
- Behav Neurosci. 1996;110:451-459
- Behav Brain Res. 1999;101:153-161
- Am J Epidemiol. 1997;145:33-41.
- Arch Neurol. 2003;60:194-200
Why is fat so tasty?
Most animals, including humans, prefer high-fat food to low-fat food. Fatty foods are very palatable though the fatty acids, which make these foods fatty, are tasteless. On the other hand, sweet, sour, salty, or bitter foods are recognized by the corresponding receptors of the taste buds. The receptors then send information to the brain areas responsible for positive or negative sensations called hedonic or aversive. But how the tasteless fatty acids manage to make fatty foods so tasty?
Recently, it was suggested that long-chain fatty acids attaching to their specific transporter in the tongue. These long-chain fatty acids are recognized on the tongue, and then neuropeptides and neurotransmitters such as the famous “reward chemical” beta-endorphin is released in the brain.
Source: J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2007 Feb;53(1):1-4.
Message: Avoid meals that are high in both fats and carbs
Most animals, including humans, prefer high-fat food to low-fat food. Fatty foods are very palatable though the fatty acids, which make these foods fatty, are tasteless. On the other hand, sweet, sour, salty, or bitter foods are recognized by the corresponding receptors of the taste buds. The receptors then send information to the brain areas responsible for positive or negative sensations called hedonic or aversive. But how the tasteless fatty acids manage to make fatty foods so tasty?
Recently, it was suggested that long-chain fatty acids can attache to their specific spots on the tongue and be recognized by specific transporters; the brain receives the signal and releases (along with many neuropeptides and neurotransmitters) the famous “reward chemical” beta-endorphin (1)
Another story is, what metabolic consequences these process have comparing with well known effects of the sweet taste of carbohydrates. Turns out that without carbs, fat fails to be fattening. This is exactly what happens on the ketogenic diet having well known neuro-protective and metabo-protective effects (2).
Sources
- J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2007 Feb;53(1):1-4.
- Frontiers in Neuroenergetics, 2011, 3:8.
It has been suggested that nutrition may play a role in age-related hearing loss and that it may be associated with poor micronutrient status. For example, Vitamin B-12 or folate deficiencies may negatively influence blood flow to the cochlea, leading to age-related hearing loss. Australian researchers showed that people with hearing loss were more likely to be exposed to workplace noise, be a current smoker, have a doctor-diagnosed history of stroke or type 2 diabetes, and to have Vitamin B-12 (1).
In Finland, two groups of 40-59-year olds were studied, 1) one on a diet high in saturated animal fats, 2) the other on a diet high in polyunsaturated fats. After 5 years of follow up, blood vessel condition was better in the group 2 and the participants hearing ability was also significantly better in all frequencies. After that, the diets in the two groups were reversed. Four years after the diet reversal the hearing in the now low-fat group was improved and the hearing in the now high-fat group was deteriorating. The authors concluded that a diet high in polyunsaturated fats may stop, if not reverse, hearing loss (2).
In a recent Dutch study, 720 participants 50–70 years of age without hearing loss were tested for levels of polyunsaturated fats, very long-chain n-3 PUFA in their plasma. In high sound frequencies, there was no correlation of hearing acuity and PUFA concentrations in plasma. However, in the low frequencies, the higher PUFA levels corresponded to better hearing abilities. The authors found their results “encouraging, but requirig confirmation from future studies.” (3)
Serum Homocysteine and Folate Concentrations Are Associated with Prevalent Age-Related Hearing Loss. Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 140, No. 8, 1469-1474, Aug, 2010
DIETARY PREVENTION OF HEARING LOSS. Acta Otolaryng 70: 242-247, 1970
PLASMA VERY LONG-CHAIN N-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS AND AGE-RELATED HEARING LOSS IN OLDER ADULTS. THE JOURNAL OF NUTRITION, HEALTH & AGING Volume 14, Number 5, 347-351, 200
It has been suggested that nutrition may play a role in age-related hearing loss and that it may be associated with poor micronutrient status. For example, Vitamin B-12 or folate deficiencies may negatively influence blood flow to the cochlea, leading to age-related hearing loss. Australian researchers showed that people with hearing loss were more likely to be exposed to workplace noise, be a current smoker, have a doctor-diagnosed history of stroke or type 2 diabetes, and to have Vitamin B-12 (1).
In Finland, two groups of 40-59-year olds were studied, 1) one on a diet high in saturated animal fats, 2) the other on a diet high in polyunsaturated fats. After 5 years of follow up, blood vessel condition was better in the group 2 and the participants hearing ability was also significantly better in all frequencies. After that, the diets in the two groups were reversed. Four years after the diet reversal the hearing in the now low-fat group was improved and the hearing in the now high-fat group was deteriorating. The authors concluded that a diet high in polyunsaturated fats may stop, if not reverse, hearing loss (2).
In a recent Dutch study, 720 participants 50–70 years of age without hearing loss were tested for levels of polyunsaturated fats, very long-chain n-3 PUFA in their plasma. In high sound frequencies, there was no correlation of hearing acuity and PUFA concentrations in plasma. However, in the low frequencies, the higher PUFA levels corresponded to better hearing abilities. The authors found their results “encouraging, but requirig confirmation from future studies.” (3)
- Serum Homocysteine and Folate Concentrations Are Associated with Prevalent Age-Related Hearing Loss. Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 140, No. 8, 1469-1474, Aug, 2010
- DIETARY PREVENTION OF HEARING LOSS. Acta Otolaryng 70: 242-247, 1970
- PLASMA VERY LONG-CHAIN N-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS AND AGE-RELATED HEARING LOSS IN OLDER ADULTS. THE JOURNAL OF NUTRITION, HEALTH & AGING Volume 14, Number 5, 347-351, 200
According to this review, a simple dietary change towards lower carbohydrate intake and higher fats intake, may be efficiently protective against AD. >> read the article
Veldhors and colleagues at Maastricht University, Netherlands, compared the effects of a high- (HP) and normal-protein (NP) breakfast on satiety and subsequent energy intake at lunch time. Casein was the only source of protein during breakfast to eliminate the influence of different amino acid composition. They reported that:
1. Taste perception, hedonic, and reward properties of the pretest brekfast did not differ for HP and NP.
2. Insulin and glucose was higher after NP in less than 1 hour. Satiety (3 and 4 hours after breakfast) and fullness (less than 1 hour) were higher after HP. Energy intake at lunch did not differ after HP versus NP.
The present study shows that a breakfast with 25% of energy from casein is rated as being more satiating than a breakfast with 10% of energy from casein at 3 and 4 h after breakfast, coinciding with prolonged elevated concentrations of plasma amino acids, but does not reduce subsequent energy intake.
Veldhors and colleagues at Maastricht University, Netherlands, compared the effects of a high- (HP) and normal-protein (NP) breakfast on satiety and subsequent energy intake at lunch time. Casein was the only source of protein during breakfast to eliminate the influence of different amino acid composition. They reported in British Journal of Nutrition (2009, 101, 295–303 ) that:
1. Taste perception, hedonic, and reward properties of the pretest brekfast did not differ for HP and NP.
2. Insulin and glucose was higher after NP in less than 1 hour.
3. Satiety (3 and 4 hours after breakfast) and fullness (less than 1 hour) were higher after HP.
4. Energy intake at lunch did not differ after HP versus NP.
“The present study shows that a breakfast with 25% of energy from casein is rated as being more satiating than a breakfast with 10% of energy from casein at 3 and 4 h after breakfast, coinciding with prolonged elevated concentrations of plasma amino acids, but does not reduce subsequent energy intake,” concluded the authors.
I calculated the ketogenic ratios of the pretest breakfasts. They both turned out to be below the ketogenic threshold, which is 1:2 according to the Wilder & Winter formula: 1:0.418 for NP and 1:0.565 for HP, which means that both breakfasts helped the carbohydrate but not fat metabolism. How the switch to the fat metabolism due to higher ketogenic ratios at breakfast influences metabolic and psychological parameters during the day, is a different story.
A low-fat diet may be good for your body, but not necessarily for your mind. In a study at Wake Forest University, researchers found that monkeys on a low-fat diet were more hostile than monkeys that were fed foods high in fat. It is though that lower cholesterol decreases levels of serotonin and weakens emotional control.
Low fat diets can make you depressed. Research has linked diets that drastically cut down on all types of fat with an increase in symptoms of depression. Study conducted by University of Sheffield, demonstrated that meals rich in fat, significantly reduced pain perception in healthy human subjects (Physiology & Behavior. 65(4-5):643-8, 1999)
Any restrictive diet can cause depression sometime called diet blues. For people on a low fat diet a quick fix can be a carbohydrate-containing snack – a fruit or a hard candy. For people on the initial stages of low carbohydrate diets a quick fix is completely different. Turkey and chicken contain a good source of mood-enhancer tryptophan, an amino acid which is a raw material for serotonin – which can be low in people suffering from depression. Poorly eating and sleep habits can negatively influence otherwise normal serotonin levels.
A low-fat diet may be good for your body, but not necessarily for your mind. In a study at Wake Forest University, researchers found that monkeys on a low-fat diet were more hostile than monkeys that were fed foods high in fat. It is though that lower cholesterol decreases levels of serotonin and weakens emotional control.
Low fat diets can make you depressed. Research has linked diets that drastically cut down on all types of fat with an increase in symptoms of depression.
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that after about one week on a low carbohydrate diet, mood and energy levels go through the roof. Researchers speculate that this can be explained by interplay of brain chemicals after the brain stops running on glucose and switches on ketons for fuel.
The brain is the organ most sensitive to a change in blood glucose level – too little produces fatigue, confusion, irritability and aggression. Decreased glucose sensitivity often develops due to excessive consumption of refined sugar and simple carbohydrates, like in white flour. When the brain adapts to the use of ketones instead glucose, these symptoms disappears.
Study conducted by University of Sheffield, demonstrated that meals rich in fat, significantly reduced pain perception in healthy human subjects.( Physiology & Behavior. 65(4-5):643-8, 1999)
