Reverse aging by manipulating your own hormones for maximum growth hormone production.

Subject: growth-hormone-releasing substances

Submitted By: Chris Klingeisen, Bronx, NY

QUESTION:

In your book you talk about exogenous hormones, and how detrimental they can be to the body's natural hormone production. My questions are:

1) Would supplementing with Mucuna (standardized to 15% L-Dopa) before sleep result in down-regulation of natural GH? Since L-Dopa is supposed to stimulate the release of hypothalmic GHRH, I would think that it'd be far enough up on the axis that negative side effects would be either reduced or non-existent. The fact that the Mucuna itself is not a hormone would also lead me to think that the law of exogenous hormones would not apply. I definitely don't want to hurt my natural GH production, and I'd only be using the Mucuna in pre-contest type situations to get extra 'cut.' Would this strategy back-fire on me?

2) What about glutamine? It's been shown to increase GH levels, but does it drive down natural GH production? Should glutamine be avoided?!?

ROB'S ANSWER:

1) You are correct that the feedback problem is muted "the higher up the axis" you go because the body has more regulatory control. However, for the same reason, the efficacy is typically muted the higher up the axis you go.

2) I feel confident in saying that glutamine will not drive down natural GH production. At the same time, it may not drive it up. The evidence that glutamine stimulates GH release is not nearly as convincing as many supplement manufacturers would have you believe. Having said that, there is impressive evidence showing that glutamine supplementation may convey other benefits i.e., anti-catabolic and immune-supportive. The biggest problem with this nutrient is that it is so painfully expensive.

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Subject: fats

Submitted By: Phillip Smith, New York, NY

QUESTION: The whole topic of fats confuses me. I always thought that "essential fatty acids" referred to omega 3 and omega 6, but I read recently there is also omega 9 essential fatty acids?! Also, what does "saturated, "monounsaturated," and "polyunsaturated," actually mean and what's the relationship between these terms and the omega distinctions? I'm really trying to understand this stuff, but it makes my head spin. Any help would be appreciated.

ROB'S ANSWER:

First, let me clarify that omega 9 is not an EFA (essential fatty acid); nor is omega 7, for that matter. Only omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are essential.

Contrary to popular belief, "omega" does not denote essentiality. Rather it is a numbering system that biochemists use to identify carbon atoms in a fatty acid. In a saturated fatty acid, all carbon atoms are bound to a maximum number of hydrogen atoms. In a monounsaturated fatty acid, hydrogen atoms are missing and carbons are "double bonded" to each other at one (i.e., "mono") place on the fatty chain. If the location of the double bond is 7 carbon atoms from the "methyl group" (which refers to one end of the fatty acid, situated opposite to the "carboxyl group"), then it is called "omega 7" (or palmitoleic acid); if the double bond occurs at carbon 9 then it is called "omega 9" (or oleic acid). As you may have guessed, a polyunsaturated fatty has more than one (i.e., "poly") double-bond. The more double-bonds a fatty acid has, the less "saturated" it is because the carbons are bonding to each other rather than to hydrogen atoms. Omega 3 (alpha-linolenic acid) is "less saturated" than omega 6 (linoleic acid); but the relevant difference in terms of the omega designation is that the first double-bond occurs at different locations: the 3rd carbon atom and the 6th carbon atom, respectively. The amount and location of the double bonds dictate the physical and chemical properties as well as the biological functions of fatty acids.

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Subject: artificial sweeteners

Submitted By: Hal Bush, Fort Worth, TX

QUESTION: I heard that artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, etc. can raise insulin even though they don't contain carbohydrates and don't raise blood sugar levels. Is this true?

ROB'S ANSWER:

Sensory factors (sight, taste, smell, etc.) in food selection is widely accepted. However, the effects of sensory stimulation on physiologic processes, such as insulin release, is less well understood. Specifically, the issue of whether artificial sweeteners, via what is termed a preabsorptive or cephalic phase response, stimulate insulin release is controversial.

Based on the studies I've reviewed, here's what we know:

1) Cephalic phase physiological responses are relatively small as compared with the physiological response elicited when food is metabolized. (Therefore, if an artificial sweetener causes insulin secretion it does so to a lesser extent than sugar.)

2) The cephalic phase response is less prominent in humans than in animals.

3) Given the inconsistent results obtained by experiments designed to demonstrate a cephalic phase insulin response in humans, significant inter-individual variation can be inferred.

In light of the foregoing, artificial sweeteners are preferable to sugar in terms of insulin release. The fact that they have fewer or zero calories and that they do not add to liver glycogen stores represent further fat loss advantages over sugar. However, whether a given artificial sweetener is safe to consume is another matter, which needs to be carefully considered.

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Subject: diabetes and the NHE Eating Plan

Submitted By: Name changed by Extique due to personal content

QUESTION: I have Type I diabetes. Will the NHE plan work with "artificial" insulin?

ROB'S ANSWER:

The NHE Eating Plan is intended for healthy individuals. You have a serious medical condition. I wish you the best of health and happiness - and I regret that the dietary aspect of the NHE program cannot be suitably applied to help you achieve these ends.

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Subject: 1) coffee relative to carb limits 2) the post-workout meal

Submitted By: George Plonka, Director Crowsnest Pass Weight Club, Blairmore, Alberta, Canada

QUESTION:

1) I start each day with a couple of cups of coffee. I understand that this may increase my blood sugar levels. In view of this, does coffee alter my carbohydrate limits during the "metabolic shift"?

2) My pre- and post-workout meals are in the form of shakes, and the available whey protein supplements contain small amounts of carbohydrate per serving ( 6 to 8 ). Would this detract from the effectiveness of the meals as fat burners in a hormonal sense?

ROB'S REPLY:

Regarding your first question, did you read the information on Ask Rob concerning coffee in relation to fat burning?

READER'S REPLY:

Thanks, I missed it initially, but now found it and read it.

ROB'S ANSWER:

1) Having read the information concerning coffee/fat-burning on Ask Rob, you see that while it sheds light on the subject it doesn't directly answer your question - so I will do so now. No, coffee does not alter the carbohydrate limits during the metabolic shift or at any other time. You are correct that coffee ingestion may prompt a transient increase in blood sugar level. However, it does not ADD sugar to your system nor does it add calories (provided you drink it black, of course). These facts, along with the information you read on Ask Rob regarding coffee/fat-burning, render coffee a non-factor in terms of carb limits.

2) The answer to this question is also no. As an initial matter, recall from NHE that carbohydrate is not the only macronutrient that stimulates insulin release. The incremental difference in insulin release associated with such a small amount of carbohydrate is insignificant, especially in light of your obligation to account for the carb grams and thus reduce carbohydrate intake at your next meal or "average down" throughout the rest of the day. In other words, as a general proposition, as long as one adheres to daily carb limits and the per-meal limit, total daily fat burning will be roughly the same regardless of how the daily carb allotment is distributed.

. . . as long as one adheres to daily carb limits and the per-meal limit, total daily fat burning will be roughly the same regardless of how the daily carb allotment is distributed.

more about coffee (2-1)

more about coffee (2-2)

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