Soil based spore forming probiotics! They don't need refrigeration and survive to flourish in the intestinal tract, unlike aerobic probiotics. They restore the gut biome that was diminished by antibiotics and a grain or sugar based diet. One of my favorites is Megaspore!
blog.designsforhealth.com/node/1153
Spore-forming probiotic bacteria have recently received an increasing amount of scientific and commercial attention for their therapeutic qualities. Spore-based probiotics are soil-based microorganisms that are formed from spores and found in dirt and vegetation. Unlike most traditional probiotics which are similar to those naturally found in the human GI tract such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, spore-based probiotics derived from Bacillus species are delivered as dormant spores. The endospores encapsulate the beneficial bacteria making them extremely stable and highly resistant to stomach acid’s low pH, resulting in the delivery of more usable probiotics to the small intestine where they then revert to active, growing bacteria.
Spore-based (or ground-based) probiotics are naturally-occurring friendly bacteria that have been shown to support health in several ways. Spore-based strains (e.g. Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus coagulans) are vital to the food chain as they have the intrinsic ability to produce a multitude of enzymes, secretory proteins, antimicrobial compounds, vitamins, and carotenoids. Throughout history, human beings have consumed spore-based probiotics through the ingestion of fermented foods and raw vegetables that are contaminated with soil microflora. For example, Bacillus species are found in naturally-fermented soy, locust bean, maize, and rice. Popular functional foods with these friendly bacteria are mostly eaten in traditional cultures such as Japanese Natto, African Gari, Indian Rabadi, and Chinese Douchi. Unfortunately, westernized cultures have shifted away from eating traditionally-fermented foods, raw vegetables grown in the soil, and plant-based whole foods diets to more calorie-rich, nutrient-poor diets, and have decreased the amount of time spent outside playing in the dirt.
Bacillus subtilis has a unique ability to form spores that protect the microbes from harsh conditions such as high temperatures, desiccation, ultra-violet and gamma radiation, and ambient humidity. This is excellent for clinical use, as these spore-forming strains are shelf-stable, do not require refrigeration, and can resist gastric hydrochloric acid, pancreatic enzymes, and bile. While these spores lie dormant in the bottle, research shows that bacilli can adhere to the intestinal epithelium and revert to growing bacteria and propagate robustly once they reach their intended destination, the large intestine.
Taxonomically, it is important to note that while both the probiotic Bacillus species (e.g., B. subtilis, B. coagulans, B. licheniformis, etc.) and the potential human pathogenic species, B. anthracis and B. cereus, fall into the same “group 1” of Bacillus clusters, they are separated into two distinct and different clans and are not the same.
Because nearly 70% of the immune system resides in the GI tract interacting with the gut microbiome, it is important to maintain optimal levels of beneficial and commensal species and keep pathogenic and unhealthy species at bay. Imbalanced gut microflora, or dysbiosis, disrupts our overall health and wellness and is associated with undesirable GI symptoms and the pathogenesis behind many gastrointestinal diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases and irritable bowel syndrome. In additional to traditional human-derived probiotic strains, spore-forming, soil-based probiotic supplements promote healthy digestion and bowel regularity, stimulate balance in the gut, encourage a healthy immune function, and support balanced inflammatory processes. Spore-based probiotic supplements can be used in combination with traditional human-derived probiotic supplements for enhanced benefits.
blog.designsforhealth.com/node/1153
Spore-forming probiotic bacteria have recently received an increasing amount of scientific and commercial attention for their therapeutic qualities. Spore-based probiotics are soil-based microorganisms that are formed from spores and found in dirt and vegetation. Unlike most traditional probiotics which are similar to those naturally found in the human GI tract such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, spore-based probiotics derived from Bacillus species are delivered as dormant spores. The endospores encapsulate the beneficial bacteria making them extremely stable and highly resistant to stomach acid’s low pH, resulting in the delivery of more usable probiotics to the small intestine where they then revert to active, growing bacteria.
Spore-based (or ground-based) probiotics are naturally-occurring friendly bacteria that have been shown to support health in several ways. Spore-based strains (e.g. Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus coagulans) are vital to the food chain as they have the intrinsic ability to produce a multitude of enzymes, secretory proteins, antimicrobial compounds, vitamins, and carotenoids. Throughout history, human beings have consumed spore-based probiotics through the ingestion of fermented foods and raw vegetables that are contaminated with soil microflora. For example, Bacillus species are found in naturally-fermented soy, locust bean, maize, and rice. Popular functional foods with these friendly bacteria are mostly eaten in traditional cultures such as Japanese Natto, African Gari, Indian Rabadi, and Chinese Douchi. Unfortunately, westernized cultures have shifted away from eating traditionally-fermented foods, raw vegetables grown in the soil, and plant-based whole foods diets to more calorie-rich, nutrient-poor diets, and have decreased the amount of time spent outside playing in the dirt.
Bacillus subtilis has a unique ability to form spores that protect the microbes from harsh conditions such as high temperatures, desiccation, ultra-violet and gamma radiation, and ambient humidity. This is excellent for clinical use, as these spore-forming strains are shelf-stable, do not require refrigeration, and can resist gastric hydrochloric acid, pancreatic enzymes, and bile. While these spores lie dormant in the bottle, research shows that bacilli can adhere to the intestinal epithelium and revert to growing bacteria and propagate robustly once they reach their intended destination, the large intestine.
Taxonomically, it is important to note that while both the probiotic Bacillus species (e.g., B. subtilis, B. coagulans, B. licheniformis, etc.) and the potential human pathogenic species, B. anthracis and B. cereus, fall into the same “group 1” of Bacillus clusters, they are separated into two distinct and different clans and are not the same.
Because nearly 70% of the immune system resides in the GI tract interacting with the gut microbiome, it is important to maintain optimal levels of beneficial and commensal species and keep pathogenic and unhealthy species at bay. Imbalanced gut microflora, or dysbiosis, disrupts our overall health and wellness and is associated with undesirable GI symptoms and the pathogenesis behind many gastrointestinal diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases and irritable bowel syndrome. In additional to traditional human-derived probiotic strains, spore-forming, soil-based probiotic supplements promote healthy digestion and bowel regularity, stimulate balance in the gut, encourage a healthy immune function, and support balanced inflammatory processes. Spore-based probiotic supplements can be used in combination with traditional human-derived probiotic supplements for enhanced benefits.
SIBO Me? Well yes, if you've ever taken an antibiotic or eat or ate a grain based or sugar based diet you could well have an overgrowth of yeast in your small intestines. Do you have reflux? Osteopenia or osteoporosis? Bring it up with you functional doctor for a possible round of anti yeast medications.
www.wheatbellyblog.com/2020/08/50-shades-of-sibo/
We often talk about small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, SIBO, as if it were an all-or-none thing—it is not.
In fact, SIBO can show itself in an impressive variety of ways. It can show as the joint and muscle pains of fibromyalgia, the skin rash of rosacea, the neurological impairment of Parkinson’s disease, or the urgent bowel movements of irritable bowel syndrome. Recall that the many ways that SIBO shows itself are due to endotoxemia, the entry of bacterial breakdown products, especially lipopolysaccharide, LPS, into the bloodstream. This explains how intestinal bacteria can be expressed on the skin, in liver, coronary arteries, or brain.
In its most basic definition, SIBO is a situation in which undesirable bowel flora species, mostly so-called Gram negative Enterobacteriaceae species (E. coli, Salmonella, Pseudomonas, and many others) as well as a limited number of Gram positive species (Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus), have proliferated. When these species dominate, they also suppress the numbers of “healthy” species such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacteria, Faecalibacteria, and some forms of Clostridia. By doing so, they also degrade the thin single-layer mucus lining of the small intestine (unlike the tougher two-layer mucus lining of the colon), reduce production of the enzyme alkaline phosphatase that would ordinarily have disabled LPS molecules, and invade the intestinal lining. There is also an increase in intestinal permeability evident by such measures as an increase in blood levels of zonulin, just as with wheat and grain consumption. In other words, the ileum, jejunum, and duodenum are not well-suited to the army of bacteria that invade in SIBO. And, of course, there are trillions of such microbes, living and dying every hour of every day, releasing their toxic byproducts, some of which enter the human bloodstream: endotoxemia.
There are many variables in SIBO that can explain why one person may experience it as irritable bowel syndrome while another experiences it as Parkinson’s disease while another experiences no symptoms at all. Among such variables are:
I cannot overemphasize how varied the manifestations of SIBO can be. It could be a high triglyceride level on your cholesterol panel that refuses to drop despite following my program with wheat/grain/sugar elimination, taking omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil, and taking the other recommended nutritional supplements that improve insulin responses. Or it could be a skin rash that persists despite repeated courses of topical steroids. Or it could be a growing list of food intolerances.
And remember: This may be somewhat scary and intimidating. But burying your head in the sand about SIBO can lead to many health problems over the long-term: autoimmune diseases, fibromyalgia, ulcerative colitis, neurodegenerative diseases, diverticular disease, colon cancer and many other conditions. Recognize, then address, the 30-feet of abnormal bacterial proliferation and you can therefore drastically alter the course of your future health.
www.wheatbellyblog.com/2020/08/50-shades-of-sibo/
We often talk about small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, SIBO, as if it were an all-or-none thing—it is not.
In fact, SIBO can show itself in an impressive variety of ways. It can show as the joint and muscle pains of fibromyalgia, the skin rash of rosacea, the neurological impairment of Parkinson’s disease, or the urgent bowel movements of irritable bowel syndrome. Recall that the many ways that SIBO shows itself are due to endotoxemia, the entry of bacterial breakdown products, especially lipopolysaccharide, LPS, into the bloodstream. This explains how intestinal bacteria can be expressed on the skin, in liver, coronary arteries, or brain.
In its most basic definition, SIBO is a situation in which undesirable bowel flora species, mostly so-called Gram negative Enterobacteriaceae species (E. coli, Salmonella, Pseudomonas, and many others) as well as a limited number of Gram positive species (Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus), have proliferated. When these species dominate, they also suppress the numbers of “healthy” species such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacteria, Faecalibacteria, and some forms of Clostridia. By doing so, they also degrade the thin single-layer mucus lining of the small intestine (unlike the tougher two-layer mucus lining of the colon), reduce production of the enzyme alkaline phosphatase that would ordinarily have disabled LPS molecules, and invade the intestinal lining. There is also an increase in intestinal permeability evident by such measures as an increase in blood levels of zonulin, just as with wheat and grain consumption. In other words, the ileum, jejunum, and duodenum are not well-suited to the army of bacteria that invade in SIBO. And, of course, there are trillions of such microbes, living and dying every hour of every day, releasing their toxic byproducts, some of which enter the human bloodstream: endotoxemia.
There are many variables in SIBO that can explain why one person may experience it as irritable bowel syndrome while another experiences it as Parkinson’s disease while another experiences no symptoms at all. Among such variables are:
- Variation in SIBO species—One person may have more Salmonella, for instance, while another may have more Enterococcus.
- Variation in “healthy” species—Someone may have preserved more Lactobacillus species, while another may have lost all their Bifidobacteria species.
- Variation in degree of loss of intestinal alkaline phosphatase—In addition to being a species-dependent process, this is also affected by dietary factors and genetics.
- Differences in effects on bile acid metabolism—Various bacterial species differ in their capacity to interfere with bile acid metabolism.
- Differences in effects in interfering with pancreatic enzymes—SIBO species that reach as high as the duodenum where pancreatic enzymes are released may or may not interfere with fat and protein digestion.
- The presence of H. pylori in the stomach—The presence of this potential ulcer-causing species can influence SIBO species composition. This becomes a huge factor if, over time, H. pylori leads to atrophy of the stomach lining and loss of stomach acid production, providing an open door to SIBO.
- The integrity of the mucus lining—Early in SIBO, the mucus lining may remain intact. As bacterial species increase and become increasingly dominated by aggressive SIBO species, the mucus lining can degrade considerably.
- Loss of butyrate-producing species—Greater loss of butyrate-producing species can mean greater intestinal wall inflammation and greater degree of metabolic distortions such as high triglycerides and greater insulin resistance in the host (i.e., you).
- How high up the gastrointestinal (GI) tract have microbes climbed? SIBO confined to 8 feet of the distal ileum will typically be milder than SIBO occupying the full 24-foot length of the small intestine. Full-length SIBO is the form best detected with breath hydrogen (H2) gas, such as that detected by the AIRE device.
I cannot overemphasize how varied the manifestations of SIBO can be. It could be a high triglyceride level on your cholesterol panel that refuses to drop despite following my program with wheat/grain/sugar elimination, taking omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil, and taking the other recommended nutritional supplements that improve insulin responses. Or it could be a skin rash that persists despite repeated courses of topical steroids. Or it could be a growing list of food intolerances.
And remember: This may be somewhat scary and intimidating. But burying your head in the sand about SIBO can lead to many health problems over the long-term: autoimmune diseases, fibromyalgia, ulcerative colitis, neurodegenerative diseases, diverticular disease, colon cancer and many other conditions. Recognize, then address, the 30-feet of abnormal bacterial proliferation and you can therefore drastically alter the course of your future health.
The new kids on the block for diabetic and health friendly artificial sweeteners are bochasweet and allutose! So far they seem beneficial and benign. For bochasweet see www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/review-bocha-sweet-sugar-replacement-tastes-like-sugar-606286/ and for allutose see www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326198. There are limits on these sweeteners. Allutose is listed as safe up to 54 grams which equals a quarter cup. I use a variety of sweeteners: Stevia, erythritol, allutose, and bochasweet.
Dr. Jason Fung has a metabolic clinic for weight loss and insulin resistance reversal. I like to combine intermittent fasting with low carb and ketogenic diets to both lessen the sugar load and reset the metabolism. What a perfect combination!
Intermittent fasting is the ancient secret of health. It is ancient because it has been practiced throughout all of human history. It’s a secret because this powerful habit has been virtually forgotten, although many are re-discovering this dietary intervention. It can carry huge benefits if you do it right: weight loss, reversal of type 2 diabetes, increased energy and many other things.https://www.dietdoctor.com/intermittent-fasting
We asked the great guru on intermittent fasting, Dr. Jason Fung, to assemble this simple beginner’s guide, where you can learn everything you want to know about it.
Introduction – A Natural Part of Life
Intermittent fasting – isn’t that starvation?
No. Fasting differs from starvation in one crucial way. Control. Starvation is the involuntary absence of food. It is neither deliberate, nor controlled. Fasting, on the other hand is the voluntary withholding of food for spiritual, health, or other reasons.
Food is easily available, but you choose not to eat it. This can be for any period of time, from a few hours up to days or even weeks on end. You may begin a fast at any time of your choosing, and you may end a fast at will, too. You can start or stop a fast for any reason, or no reason at all.
Fasting has no standard duration since it is merely the absence of eating. Anytime that you are not eating, you are fasting. For example, you may fast between dinner and breakfast the next day, a period of approximately 12-14 hours. In that sense, fasting should be considered a part of everyday life.
It is perhaps the oldest, and most powerful dietary intervention imaginable.
Consider the term ‘break fast’. This refers to the meal that breaks your fast – which is done daily. Rather than being some sort of cruel and unusual punishment, the English language implicitly acknowledges that fasting should be performed daily, even if only for a short duration.
Fasting is not something queer and curious, but a part of every day, normal life. It is perhaps the oldest, and most powerful dietary intervention imaginable. Yet somehow we have forgotten its awesome power and ignored its therapeutic potential.
Learning how to properly fast gives us the option of using it or not.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?
At its very core, fasting simply allows the body to burn off the excess body fat. It is important to realize that this is normal and humans have evolved to fast without detrimental health consequences. Body fat is merely food energy that has been stored away. If you don’t eat, your body will simply ‘eat’ its own fat for energy.
Life is about balance. The good and the bad. The yin and the yang. The same applies to eating and fasting. Fasting, after all, is simply the flip side of eating. If you are not eating, you are fasting. Here’s how it works.
When we eat, more food energy is ingested than can immediately be used. Some of this energy must be stored away for later use. Insulin is the key hormone involved in storage of food energy.
Insulin rises when we eat, helping store the excess energy in two separate ways. Sugars can be linked into long chains called glycogen and then stored in the liver. There is, however, limited storage space and once reached, the liver starts to turn the excess glucose into fat. This process is called De-Novo Lipogenesis (meaning literally Making Fat from New).
Some of this newly created fat is stored in the liver, but most is exported to other fat deposits in the body. While this is a more complicated process, there is no limit to the amount of fat created. So, two complementary food energy storage systems exist in our bodies. One is easily accessible but with limited storage space (glycogen), and the other is more difficult to access but has unlimited storage space (body fat).
The process goes in reverse when we do not eat (fasting). Insulin levels fall, signaling the body to start burning stored energy as no more is coming through food. Blood glucose falls, so the body must now pull glucose out of storage to burn for energy.
Glycogen is the most easily accessible energy source. It is broken down into glucose molecules to provide energy for the other cells. This can provide enough energy to power the body for 24-36 hours. After that, the body will start breaking down fat for energy.
So, that the body only really exists in two states – the fed (insulin high) state and the fasted (insulin low) state. Either we are storing food energy, or we are burning it. It’s one or the other. If eating and fasting are balanced, then there is no net weight gain.
If we start eating the minute we roll out of bed, and do not stop until we go to sleep, we spend almost all our time in the fed state. Over time, we will gain weight. We have not allowed our body any time to burn food energy.
To restore balance or to lose weight, simply increase the amount of time we burn food energy (fasting). In essence, fasting allows the body to use its stored energy. After all, that’s what it is there for. The important thing to understand is that there is nothing wrong with that. That is how our bodies are designed. That’s what dogs, cat, lions, bears do. That’s what humans do.
If you are constantly eating, as is often recommended, then your body will simply use the incoming food energy and never burn the body fat. You’ll only store it. Your body will save it for a time when there is nothing to eat.If this happens, you lack balance. You lack intermittent fasting.
Dr. Jason Fung has a metabolic clinic for weight loss and insulin resistance reversal. I like to combine intermittent fasting with low carb and ketogenic diets to both lessen the sugar load and reset the metabolism. What a perfect combination!
Intermittent fasting is the ancient secret of health. It is ancient because it has been practiced throughout all of human history. It’s a secret because this powerful habit has been virtually forgotten, although many are re-discovering this dietary intervention. It can carry huge benefits if you do it right: weight loss, reversal of type 2 diabetes, increased energy and many other things.https://www.dietdoctor.com/intermittent-fasting
We asked the great guru on intermittent fasting, Dr. Jason Fung, to assemble this simple beginner’s guide, where you can learn everything you want to know about it.
Introduction – A Natural Part of Life
Intermittent fasting – isn’t that starvation?
No. Fasting differs from starvation in one crucial way. Control. Starvation is the involuntary absence of food. It is neither deliberate, nor controlled. Fasting, on the other hand is the voluntary withholding of food for spiritual, health, or other reasons.
Food is easily available, but you choose not to eat it. This can be for any period of time, from a few hours up to days or even weeks on end. You may begin a fast at any time of your choosing, and you may end a fast at will, too. You can start or stop a fast for any reason, or no reason at all.
Fasting has no standard duration since it is merely the absence of eating. Anytime that you are not eating, you are fasting. For example, you may fast between dinner and breakfast the next day, a period of approximately 12-14 hours. In that sense, fasting should be considered a part of everyday life.
It is perhaps the oldest, and most powerful dietary intervention imaginable.
Consider the term ‘break fast’. This refers to the meal that breaks your fast – which is done daily. Rather than being some sort of cruel and unusual punishment, the English language implicitly acknowledges that fasting should be performed daily, even if only for a short duration.
Fasting is not something queer and curious, but a part of every day, normal life. It is perhaps the oldest, and most powerful dietary intervention imaginable. Yet somehow we have forgotten its awesome power and ignored its therapeutic potential.
Learning how to properly fast gives us the option of using it or not.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?
At its very core, fasting simply allows the body to burn off the excess body fat. It is important to realize that this is normal and humans have evolved to fast without detrimental health consequences. Body fat is merely food energy that has been stored away. If you don’t eat, your body will simply ‘eat’ its own fat for energy.
Life is about balance. The good and the bad. The yin and the yang. The same applies to eating and fasting. Fasting, after all, is simply the flip side of eating. If you are not eating, you are fasting. Here’s how it works.
When we eat, more food energy is ingested than can immediately be used. Some of this energy must be stored away for later use. Insulin is the key hormone involved in storage of food energy.
Insulin rises when we eat, helping store the excess energy in two separate ways. Sugars can be linked into long chains called glycogen and then stored in the liver. There is, however, limited storage space and once reached, the liver starts to turn the excess glucose into fat. This process is called De-Novo Lipogenesis (meaning literally Making Fat from New).
Some of this newly created fat is stored in the liver, but most is exported to other fat deposits in the body. While this is a more complicated process, there is no limit to the amount of fat created. So, two complementary food energy storage systems exist in our bodies. One is easily accessible but with limited storage space (glycogen), and the other is more difficult to access but has unlimited storage space (body fat).
The process goes in reverse when we do not eat (fasting). Insulin levels fall, signaling the body to start burning stored energy as no more is coming through food. Blood glucose falls, so the body must now pull glucose out of storage to burn for energy.
Glycogen is the most easily accessible energy source. It is broken down into glucose molecules to provide energy for the other cells. This can provide enough energy to power the body for 24-36 hours. After that, the body will start breaking down fat for energy.
So, that the body only really exists in two states – the fed (insulin high) state and the fasted (insulin low) state. Either we are storing food energy, or we are burning it. It’s one or the other. If eating and fasting are balanced, then there is no net weight gain.
If we start eating the minute we roll out of bed, and do not stop until we go to sleep, we spend almost all our time in the fed state. Over time, we will gain weight. We have not allowed our body any time to burn food energy.
To restore balance or to lose weight, simply increase the amount of time we burn food energy (fasting). In essence, fasting allows the body to use its stored energy. After all, that’s what it is there for. The important thing to understand is that there is nothing wrong with that. That is how our bodies are designed. That’s what dogs, cat, lions, bears do. That’s what humans do.
If you are constantly eating, as is often recommended, then your body will simply use the incoming food energy and never burn the body fat. You’ll only store it. Your body will save it for a time when there is nothing to eat.If this happens, you lack balance. You lack intermittent fasting.
Dr. William Davis, author of the bestselling book Wheat Belly, writes a list of conditions that are caused by wheat and grain consumption (especially products made from modern semi-dwarf wheat strains), reversing or minimizing with their removal. Note that this list overlaps substantially with the list of conditions virtually unknown in non-grain consuming cultures but plague such people to extraordinary degrees when they are exposed to Western foods. Believe it or not, this is not a complete list, leaving out some obscure conditions.
This is not to say that, for example, every instance of sarcoidosis or CREST Syndrome will reverse. But, as I often point out, there is NOTHING lost in trying—there are no toxic intravenous drugs here, no one develops side-effects like type 2 diabetes, liver failure, or sudden cardiac death from this lifestyle, even though these are well-known side-effects of common drugs. I would be far more reluctant to start a modern drug for, say, rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn’s disease than I would in starting this lifestyle. The only downside I know of is . . . inconvenience. And even that is minimal for those of us who have simply learned to prepare more of our own foods, shop more selectively, etc.—not a big price to pay to be relieved of so many health conditions.
Among the conditions reversed or reduced by this lifestyle:
Acanthosis nigricans
Acid reflux
Acne
Allergy
Alopecia areata
Ankylosing spondylitis
Anxiety
Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome
Addison’s disease
Asthma
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
Autoimmune hepatitis
Autoimmune inner ear disease
Autoimmune pancreatitis
Autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura
Barrett’s esophagitis
Bile stasis
Binge eating disorder
Bipolar illness (manic phase primarily)
Bulimia
Cardiomyopathy (dilated or congestive)
Celiac disease
Cerebellar ataxia
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Constipation, obstipation
CREST syndrome
Coronary disease, angina
Crohn’s disease
Cutaneous vasculitis
Dandruff
Dental plaque, gingivitis
Depression
Dermatitis herpetiformis
Dermatomyositis
Diabetes, type 2 (potentially type 1 if changes instituted before pancreatic inflammation/beta cell destruction complete)
Discoid lupus
Dysbiosis
Eczema
Erythema nodosum
Esophagitis, esophageal spasm
Fatigue
Fatty liver
Fibromyalgia
Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome
Gallstones, bile stasis
Gastroparesis
Gluten encephalopathy
Grave’s disease
Hair loss, non-immune
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Heartburn
Hypertension
Hypertriglyceridemia
Hypochlorhydria
Icthyosiform dermatoses
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
IgA nephropathy
Insulin-dependent diabetes (type I)
Iron deficiency anemia
Irritable bowel syndrome
Juvenile arthritis
Metabolic syndrome
Migraine headache
Mixed connective tissue disease
Multiple sclerosis
Myasthenia gravis
Myocarditis
Non-alcoholic liver disease
Obesity, overweight
Obstipation
Peripheral neuropathy
Pernicious anemia
Plantar fasciitis
Polyarteritis nodosa
Polychondritis
Polymyalgia rheumatica
Polymyositis dermatomyositis
Pre-diabetes
Primary biliary cirrhosis
Psoriasis
Raynaud’s syndrome
Reiter’s syndrome
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sarcoidosis
Schizophrenia, paranoid (limited to reduction of paranoia, auditory hallucinations)
Scleroderma
Seborrhea
Seizures, primarily temporal lobe
SICCA syndrome
Sjögren’s syndrome
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Temporal arteritis
Ulcerative colitis
Uveitis
Vasculitis
Vitiligo
Wegener’s granulomatosis
Think you might achieve something similar with counting calories or points? Not a chance. That's why the Wheat Belly lifestyle is, more than a way to lose weight, a way to regain health across an impressive list of health conditions.
Mark Sisson, the wonderful Paleo guru, describes how different levels of carbohydrates in the body effect our natural weight. http://www.marks"dailyapple.com/the-primal-carbohydrate-continuum/#axzz3QDAZo5Yd
A low carb diet restricts carbohydrate grams to below 100 total or about 50 net grams of carbs a day. At this level the body doesn't switch to a fat burning metabolism but does easily utilize fat in the diet and on the body. A ketogenic diet restricts carbs to below 50 total or 20 net grams of carbs a day. At this level stored glucose in the body is used up and the body naturally switches to a fat metabolism feeding the brain and other organs fatty acid ketones. Our body switches to this natural fat metabolism when we skip a meal or fast overnight sleeping. When we let our body stay in this state by restricting carbs we tap into our seemingly endless supply of stored fat which suppresses appetite. An added bonus is the inefficient use of fat which burns more calories per day than on a standard low fat high carb diet and a muscle sparing effect seen only on low carb diets.
How hard is it to lose weight on a low carb or ketogenic diet? How hard is it to gain weight on a ketogenic diet? Sam Feltham carried out an experiment a few months ago that caught a lot of attention. For three weeks he pigged out on low-carb LCHF foods, 5,800 calories a day. On the low carb diet he gained less than 3 pounds instead of the expected 16. Then he did the same experiment eating 5800 calories on a high carb low fat diet. This time he gained 16 pounds.
The difference in waist circumference was even more significant: 5,800 calories of LCHF food for three weeks reduced his waist measurement by 1 1/4 inches (3 cm). The same amount of junk food led to a 3 1/2 inch (9.25 cm) increase in his waist. Weight put on at the stomach always signals blood glucose problems and when you are having blood glucose problems you are blocking the ulilization of fat both in the diet and on the body.
Once you stop the overconsumption of cabohydrates your body is able to tap into fat stores. Maybe when this happens fat is burned up, raises body temperature, or is otherwise wasted and therefore less excess fat is converted to fat.
So how easy is it to lose weight on a ketogenic diet? The research shows low carb diets out perform low fat high carb diets. Google "23 studies on low carb and low fat diets" at authoritynutrition.com. I find we can eat more calories, diet without hunger, and maintain daily energy and still lose weight on a ketogenic diet. Dr. Attia reports at eatingacademy.com that he eats significantly more calories to maintain the same weight. I too eat between 2000-7000 more calories a week to maintain my weight. When I eat at my basal metabolic rate I lose a couple pounds a week. That never happened on a low fat high carb diet.
So if you are slow to lose weight, hang in there and give it more time. I think the body wants to be lean but not when we are eating a lot of carbs and lurching from one sugar crash to the next. Then the body is so busy processing carbs into energy, or more likely fat, that it can't do anything with the fat on our body. When we are eating a low carb or ketogenic diet our body does see our stored fat and wants to use it up before needing to refuel. Until we get close to a low percentage of body fat our body will want to run on stored fat and weight loss will occur naturally.