Fasting vs. Abstinence

/in /by

Before I talk about the differences between fasting and abstinence, I want to make it clear that I’m in favor of both approaches when used wisely. I don’t think either is the way you should eat for the rest of your life, but if you have specific objectives to control your weight or to reduce your risk of degenerative disease such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and even reduce your risk of cancer, I think they both can be beneficial. Let’s look at the pluses and minuses of each.

Definitions

Fasting is a controlled reduction in the number of calories eaten in 24 hours.

Abstinence is the complete avoidance of food within a given time frame, whether that’s complete days or specific hours of the day.

Pluses and Minuses: Fasting Versus Abstinence

The pluses:

Both fasting and abstinence take in fewer calories than the body needs, which can help with weight loss if sustained long enough.

Fasting can help you handle hunger because you’re eating something eventually.

Fasting can also force your body to deplete all glycogen stores, depending on the source of the calories.

Abstinence forces the body to use all storage forms of sugars; then it uses stored fat as a fuel, increasing the supply of ketones for fuel.

When fasting, calories can be manipulated during the day to ensure you can eat before exercise if it’s required.

With abstinence, no thinking is necessary; you don’t eat anything when you’re abstaining from food.

The minuses:

With abstinence, you’re taking in no calories, so hunger can become an issue.

If you need to eat before you exercise, abstinence will limit the time of day you can exercise.

When fasting, deciding what to eat and when to eat it requires planning; that can be challenging for some people while making life easier for others.

There are more pluses and minuses for each approach, but I think that these are the most significant upsides and potential downsides of each.

The Bottom Line

As I said at the beginning, I’m in favor of both approaches. They both have merits and challenges—the key is using them wisely.

Next week, I’m going to give you examples of abstinence and fasting and how to use them. In the meantime, give the abstinence approach a ride around the block. Don’t eat for 18 consecutive hours on Sunday or Monday (that includes the time you’re asleep, limiting your eating to just six hours; you get to decide whether to eat the first six or last six consecutive hours you’re awake.) You also get to decide what you’re going to eat. Don’t try it if you have a severe metabolic disorder such as type 1 or uncontrolled type 2 diabetes.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

The Fasting Dilemma

/in /by

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Because we’ve entered the “weight-gain portal” time of the year, let’s talk about the fasting craze that some people are doing and the rest are thinking about trying. As I see it, the problem is the lack of clarity in terminology and subsequently the execution of a fasting program. Terms such as “5:2” and “16:8” are thrown around. What exactly is a fast? What can it do for a person? What’s the best way to do a fast?

The problem begins with defining the term “fast”; there’s no consistent way the term is used, and that includes in the methodology of research studies. Fasting can mean avoiding all food and in some cases drink. That definition can describe fasts done for religious purposes as well as the fasts talked about for weight loss and controlling metabolism.

Another definition of fasting is severely reducing calories; if you lower your intake from 2,000 to 1,400 calories to lose weight, that’s a fast. If you’re drastically reducing calories for two to four days to help reset your immune system, that’s also a fast. But if you’re not consuming any calories, whether for a specific number of hours per day or a whole day, that’s more accurately called “abstinence from food.” Is that a big deal? Yes, and I’ll explain why on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Happy Thanksgiving

/in /by

Paula, Riley, Jamie, and I would like to wish every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving. Normally, we would send these good wishes next week, but after a battle with brain cancer, Jamie’s sister passed away on Thursday leaving behind two young children. With the activities associated with passings, it seemed fitting to take care of family needs next week.

At times like these it can be hard to feel thankful, but we’ll always remember the time we had with Nicki and all the love she shared with Jamie and Riley. I know that many of you will remember Nicki and her family in your prayers, and we’re grateful for that as well.

While you spend time with family and friends, remember that life is short no matter how long you live. Take the time to appreciate all those people in your life, family or not, and let them know it.

One of the things that you can do is to begin or continue to work on being the best version of yourself. You may or may not live one second longer, but you will be able to live every day you’re alive. That means the time you spend with those you love and who love you may be even better.

I’ll see you in the next Memo on the 30th. Insiders, I’m still available when you need me.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Cancelled!

/in /by

Thank you all for the prayers, good thoughts, and well wishes. I’m going to hang on to them for a while. My surgery was cancelled for this morning; Paula and I didn’t find out until we arrived at the hospital at 7:30 to check in. I was not alone. My surgeon had three surgeries cancelled for today; multiply that by many surgeons times several days, and you get an idea of how many people were disappointed. The surgery will be rescheduled for a date to be determined.

Why was it cancelled on such short notice? Because the hospital was overrun with COVID hospitalizations over the weekend. They have sufficient staff but no beds, even for an outpatient knee replacement surgery such as mine. I don’t know what it’s like where you live, but there’s a significant COVID resurgence in Michigan with no end in sight.

I’ll keep doing the prehab and be even better prepared when the knee replacement is rescheduled. I hope the reader who has had her aortic aneurism surgery postponed for the third time lives until her rescheduled surgery.

I looked at the data again since we got home: over 80% of those hospitalized haven’t been vaccinated. Take it from someone who understands the science—get vaccinated. It’s not a guarantee, but it puts the odds in your favor and helps all the people who need hospital beds.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Prehab Is Over

/in /by

One of the tests I took in preparation for surgery was to measure my levels of Staphylococcus aureus. In this case, they tested the nasal area, a common area for this serious pathogen. The test came back at zero. I was pleased because for the past three years I’ve been taking a Bacillus probiotic called Bacillus coagulans. You can check out the research by reading this Memo from 2018. It doesn’t mean I couldn’t get an infection, but zero is a good starting point.


Now on to Surgery

I’ve stretched and strengthened my legs about as much as I can in preparation for my knee replacement. My core is as strong as it ever has been. I’ve gotten as fit as I can within the limitations my knee has given me. As I said a while ago, the more pain you put in before the surgery, the less you’ll have after the surgery.

We’ll put that to the test beginning Monday afternoon. Many, many surgeries have been cancelled here in Grand Rapids because the hospitals are overrun with COVID patients; if I had not prepared by being a regular exerciser and doing the prehab, I might have had to spend the night rather than having outpatient surgery, and then my surgery might have been cancelled, too, but we got confirmation Friday that it’s on.

I’m really eager to get this done and get on with life; I’m ready for rehabilitation. My goal is to walk into the hospital and then to walk out. The medical staff probably won’t allow that but as long as I know I could, that’s fine with me.

Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes—keep them coming. I won’t write Tuesday’s Memo until I’ve recovered from the anesthesia and taken the first steps. I still plan on doing the Insider Conference call on Wednesday night so all Insiders will get the first-hand Dr. Chet version of the knee replacement experience.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Building a Healthy Microbiome

/in /by

After last week’s Memos on the importance of a healthy microbiome and immune health, let’s review how to have a healthy microbiome to protect your brain and boost your immune system.

First, eat a mostly plant-based diet: some raw, some cooked, some fermented. The raw will give you probiotics and fiber. The cooked, especially whole grains and beans, will give you fiber. The fermented such as sauerkraut and yogurt will give you even more probiotics.

Second, fast once in a while. I covered this in Memos from June, so you can re-read the Memos on fasting and microbiome health.

Third, reduce your refined carbohydrate and sugar intake. Simply put, they provide the bad microbes with the food they need to overtake the good bacteria. Good bacteria need fiber from foods or supplements, so make sure you’re getting 25–30 grams per day.

My knee replacement surgery is scheduled in six days, so I’ve been working on preparing my body to defend against staph infections. I’ll talk about that in Saturday’s Memo.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Science at Work

/in /by

The challenge this week was to watch two video podcasts, think about what you heard, and then provide comments and questions. For those of you who did it, thank you. For those that didn’t, I recommend that you take some time this weekend and listen to them. I’m going to share my thoughts but there’s so much information, I’ll hit only the highlights. Suffice it to say, based on the questions, there are many subjects that will need to be explained. That will take months to research and present in Memos and Insider conference calls in a way that’s understandable.

The point of the interviews with Dr. Jay Lombard was to find out the relationship between the microbiome and pathogenic bacteria and neurodegenerative disorders (NDD). That includes everything from Alzheimer’s disease to depression to Parkinson’s disease. Here are the three things that stood out to me out of the many concepts presented.


Three Things I Learned

Leaky Brain Theory
The prevailing thought is that the blood-brain barrier prevents almost everything from entering the brain via a series of tightly packed blood vessels and cells. Nutrients are let through along with some medications, but bacteria are thought to be barred.

But evidently the toxins of some pathogenic bacteria are able to cross this barrier and affect the production of the proteome, an organism’s complete set of proteins. Remember the tau mice from last week’s Memos? The bacterial toxins impact the way the tau and other proteins are folded, which renders them unusable, thus resulting in misshapen structures that can contribute to NDD depending on which proteins are affected.

Antibiotic-induced Reduction in Fevers
In the treatment of patients with NDD, one characteristic that most seemed to share is the inability to get significant fevers with infections. The cause appears to be chronic use of antibiotics over a lifetime which somehow reduces the ability of the immune system to create high fevers. The rise in temperature is a natural part of the immune system when dealing with infections; without it, the immune system will not be as effective at combating viruses or bacteria.

Heat-Shock Proteins
Think of heat-shock proteins as the “cleaners” of the body. One of their functions is to collect the misshapen proteins and take them to the organelles inside a cell; that’s where they’re taken apart and the amino acids reused. If you can’t generate a fever that’s high enough, they can’t do that job as well.

There were several other items on my list, but those were the most profound. The first question in your mind is most likely “What can I do about these?”


How Science Works

The reason I chose to focus on Dr. Lombard with the purpose of showing how science works was two-fold. First, he asked good questions. Many physicians would think “How can I fix this?” and stop there. What Lombard and Hyman asked was “What caused this?” or “How did this happen?” You find that out only by asking the right questions of patients.

The second is that Lombard went to the current research to find out if there were any answers, and he discovered where he might have been incorrect because someone had tested it. Remember that in the first interview he was sure that the bacteria C diff was related to ALS; two years later he found that there was more than a single pathogen that could be related to ALS and other NDDs. He learned and adapted his hypothesis: that’s how science is supposed to work. Instead of spending time heading in the wrong direction, science guides the research he’s currently doing so that eventually he may discover effective treatments for these neurological conditions.


The Bottom Line

If you haven’t watched the video podcasts, I urge you to do that; you’ll learn much more than by reading my review. More than that, you’ll have more questions. One of the things both Drs. Lombard and Hyman agreed on is that “we know close to nothing.” I agree wholeheartedly. When you begin by asking the right questions, you have a chance of finding out the answers. Another point they agree on is that there’s no single cause of any NDD. There are multiple factors that contribute; finding out what they are may help develop effective treatments by focusing on a potential cause.

For those of you who want answers, whether about what I’ve written or about the many other things covered in the podcasts, I’ll write more as time goes on to satisfy that “What should I do now?” question. Obviously, you’ll want to keep your microbiome as healthy as possible (a search for the term microbiome on drchet.com will point you in the right direction); beyond that I have questions I need answers to before I can provide more answers for you. I’m on it and when I know, so will you.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

How Science Works, Part 2

/in /by

How did you enjoy the first video? If you’re like me, there were some surprises and a whole lot more questions.

The second video is another interview with Dr. Jay Lombard recorded this year. Just like the other video, it isn’t an ad for a product but it does contain ads as do all YouTube videos. While the interviewer is different, the video demonstrates several things, none of which I’m going to tell you. The assignment is for you to learn how science really works. Listen closely to Dr. Lombard. If you want, send your thoughts and questions to drchet@drchet.com.

Here is the link to the second video: https://youtu.be/aCTTpFnSsD0

We’ll finish this look at how science works on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

How Science Works, Part 1

/in /by

If there’s one topic we’re all interested in, it’s making sure that we keep our minds clear and able to learn and recall things every day we’re alive. That’s confirmed by checking the number of people who read last week’s Memos on EAAs and brain health.

A long-time reader sent me a link to a video called “Doctor Thinks He Knows What Causes Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS!” I decided to listen to it while I worked out on the bike. It was interesting, so I listened to another podcast with the same doctor two years later. It was at that point I decided to make this a project for you.

Assignment 1 is to listen to a video podcast from Dr. Mark Hyman, a well-known physician who treats the entire patient, not just the symptoms. He interviews Dr. Jay Lombard, a neurologist, on current ideas as to the possible causes of a variety of conditions including depression and Alzheimer’s disease.

When you’re done, write down a couple of things that you learned or had questions about. Enjoy the first video—pay close attention to the last five minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETKZS5e33VA

Tomorrow, I’ll send you a second link to another video. If you listen and watch these videos, I think you’ll begin to learn how science works.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Should You Increase Your Essential Amino Acids?

/in /by

The question from Tuesday was this: how did the essential amino acids affect the transgenic tau mice on the low-protein and normal-protein diets? The addition of EAA to the transgenic mice on either diet appeared to neutralize the impact of the genetic mutation. The brain scans appeared to mimic the scans of the control mice fed either type of diet. There were positive changes in the genes impacted by the EAA supplementation as well as on neurotransmitters and other biochemicals.

Before we get too excited, a couple of facts.


Mice Are Not Humans

The results of this study are exciting when we consider brain health, but this was a study on rodents—the applicability to us as humans may be limited. What is encouraging is that when the same research group did a study on humans with EAAs, they found improvement in attention and cognitive flexibility. They’re now doing a study specific to the aging brain in human subjects similar to this one on rodents. It will be interesting to see what happens when it’s published.


EAAs Are Not All Equal

The EAA blend in this study was slightly different than what is typically offered. The company providing the EAAs for the study included high amounts of phenylalanine, almost the same amount as leucine which seems to always be found in the highest amount. Does that make a significant difference? Phenylalanine is important in the manufacture of signaling proteins. Might that be important for neurological benefits? We just don’t know yet. On top of that, there’s a small percentage of people with a genetic inability to process phenylalanine very well, so they would probably have to avoid higher amounts.


The Bottom Line

While this research update is interesting, there’s still a lot to learn about the use of EAAs for neurological benefit. I’ll keep an eye on it.

However, the research on EAAs and increasing muscle is solid; there’s little question about the benefit of keeping protein intake higher to retain muscle mass as we age. The critical factor is to be consistent, because digestive issues and satiety issues can sometimes derail good intentions. If it helps our brains as well, that’s a bonus at this point.

Tomorrow is the last day of the 25% off sale on Supplementing Your Diet as either a download for yourself or CDs to share with others, and that’s in addition to Member and Insider discounts.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Science Advances. Oct 2021. (7) 43. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd5046