Carbohydrate Propaganda

Still busy working on a side project, but didn't want anyone to miss out on some more quality carbohydrate propaganda.

First up is Scott Abel, totally abusing his power as the world's most successful fitness trainer in marketing some bogus supplement.  He claims this supplement boosts leptin, strengthens your immune system, keeps sex hormones at peak function for muscle building, increases athletic performance and more.  Yeah right Scott, like any supplement could to that! 

 

And then Riles, a total starch-pusher that thinks carbohydrate is good just because it helps him to be really muscular and lean and feel really good, sent me a video of some kid talking about a study in which 11 out of 20 type 2 diabetics were able to come off of their insulin by eating a high-fiber, high-carbohydrate diet for 16 days.  The kid's name is Robby Barbaro.  Something sound fishy about that name?  You bet it does!  Barbaro sounds eerily similar to "Carbaro."  But hey, I can't be trusted.  I live in a town called CARBondale - a town mysteriously lacking in obese people, gyms, and fast food joints.  In fact, THIS is the only fast food burger joint in town.  Sounds like a Commie conspiracy against America if you ask me! 

Oh yeah, here's CARBaro (who is a 22-year old type 1 diabetic):

      

Note, after reviewing several of JW Anderson's studies, one thing is clear.  It's not the carbohydrate per se that causes the positive insulin-sensitizing impact and enhanced glycemic control.  It's not necessarily the severe fat restriction either.  It appears that the big drops in triglycerides and increase in insulin sensitivity that commonly occur on the type of diet used by Anderson, as well as in real life in clinical practice by guys like Joel Fuhrman (who prescribes a "beans and greens" approach to reversing type 2 diabetes), result from a heavy intake of fiber - including resistant starch discussed last week, and a high ratio of starch or "complex" carbohydrate to simple sugars. 

This increases the production of short-chain fatty acids in the gut such as acetate, butyrate, and propionate - discussed in part in this FREE EBOOK , which increases metabolism, decreases appetite, causes spontaneous weight loss, increases physical activity, drops triglycerides, lowers cholesterol, improves both insulin and leptin sensitivity, and improves HDL to LDL ratio all in one shot.  This also patterns an improvement in gut flora to favor the type of gut flora seen in lean people such as rural Africans as opposed to that seen in the obese, which also provides better resistance to infection and decreased chance of developing bowel cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and more. 

You can hear more about resistant starch and fiber in my latest videos at:

http://youtube.com/180degreehealth
 

Resistant Starch

Not trying to promote resistant starch as the next Acai berry or something like that, but the studies done on resistant starch show that, like fiber - and perhaps to an ever greater degree, resistant starch is something that sets refined carbohydrates apart from unrefined carbohydrates - and that sets starch apart from sugar, particularly refined sugar.   

For losing weight, there's no question that the studies on it reveal a rise in metabolism and a spontaneous decrease in food consumption that is patterned by drops in triglycerides, insulin resistance, and other facets of metabolic syndrome as would be expected with big improvements in insulin sensitivity.  This is most likely due to the increase in production of butyric and propionic acids in the digestive tract, known to exert tremendous metabolic enhancement. 

For more on butyric acid, the importance of a healthy metabolism, and a lengthy discussion on the difference between refined and unrefined carbohydrates in terms of how they influence weight, appetite, digestion, insulin sensitivty, and so on - please READ THIS FREE EBOOK.





Side tangent, sharing some local culture, and attempt at humor:

Resistant starch, the ultimate "prebiotic" also likely plays a role in the microbial environment of the GI tract as well, changing the microbial environment towards one that fosters colonization by the very type of bacteria associated with leanness, heightened immunity, protection from colon cancer, and so on. 

If I had to choose between taking probiotics or consuming more resistant starch for improving gut flora, I'd go all in on resistant starch as being a more effective route.

A good analogy might be that of trying to attract white people to an area, something I'm very familiar with as I live near Aspen, CO where virtually all marketing and business efforts are geared up towards attracting affluent white people and their money to the area. 

Taking probiotics is akin to kidnapping affluent white people and bringing them in by bus to an Aspen filled with Pawn shops, tattoo parlors, Swap meets, discount liquor stores, a Bass pro shop, and an RV Superstore - all things a truly offensively-wealthy white person is terribly fearful of, or being associated with.

Consuming resistant starch is like building golf courses, constructing massive timeshare developments adorned with the name Ritz Carlton, building ski areas, hosting a Classical Music Festival, a Food and Wine Festival, and most genius of all - a Jazz Festival with no Jazz (affluent white people think Jazz is really cool, but don't want to admit that they don't actually like it and would rather see Wilco, the Black Crowes, Skynard, the Dixie Chicks, and Glenn Frey). 

Get that going and you won't need to kidnap any rich white people.  The skies will darken with private planes within minutes, and you will be surrounded by popped collars, sweatered chihuahas, George Hamilton, and rumors of Johnny Depp building a house up Castle Creek. 

"If you build it, they will come."   

Read more about resistant starch at http://www.resistantstarch.com/

For an even more extreme abuse of stereotypes of my semi-hometown (I did graduate from Aspen High School), please enjoy this quality All-American television programming trailer.  I'm so proud.

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