The LLVLC Show (Episode 419): Paleolithic Nutrition Expert And Research Biochemist Mat Lalonde

Great interview.

I went over and purchased Mat’s Nutritional Seminar online, but have not received any sort of download link. Any ideas? Where do I go to actually view this seminar?

Thanks

Kahn,

I agree, the insulin index is not a very valuable parameter. That being said, insulin is released in response to a protein meal because the amino acid transporters on the surface of cells are activated by insulin (i.e. insulin is needed for amino acids to be absorbed by cells). I’m not saying that carbohydrate aren’t worse than potatoes because they have similar insulin indices. I’m saying that if the carb hypothesis is formulated as follows “carbohydrates are detrimental to health because they cause insulin to spike and hyperinsulinemia is associated with almost every aspect of the metabolic syndrome”, which is often the case, then the argument does not make sense because certain proteins have higher insulin indices than certain carbohydrates.
I think excess carbohydrate consumption is detrimental to health but the culprit is mainly excess chronic consumption of fructose. Glucose appears to be much less problematic. I think a lot of confusion arises because of the many confounding variables. Chronic, excess consumption of table sugar (sucrose) is detrimental to health. But sucrose is one part fructose and one part glucose. Are they both bad? Studies appear to be fingering chronic overconsumption of fructose as one of the factors involved in the development of many aspects of the metabolic syndrome. Some over-feeding studies have shown that excess consumption of fructose is far worse than glucose on the shortish term. Someone might comment that most of the information we have on the subject of glucose versus fructose is unreliable because the studies have been performed with large excesses of these sugars over short periods of time (a gray area between acute exposure and chronic exposure). This is true. We often have to extrapolate the results of such studies to a chronic overconsumption scenario (slightly lower dose over a longer period of time) because long studies cost a lot of money and the researchers are not allowed to knowingly harm people (the doctor’s creed). Any damage done must be minimal and reversible.
Another confounding variable comes with grains, legumes and potatoes. These are sources of of starch, most of which will turn to glucose upon digestion. These foods also contain problematic compounds or anti-nutrients including prolamins, lectins, saponins, and phytates. So are these starchy foods bad because they will release glucose or are they bad because they contain problematic substances. Recent research is focusing on the nature of the bacteria in the gut flora as well as the integrity of the gut barrier and how these relate to disease. It turns out that specific populations of bacteria in the gut and gut integrity are associated with disease, especially autoimmune diseases. It has recently been shown that gut integrity not only plays a role in autoimmune disease but also in the metabolic syndrome. That is because the components of bacteria such as specific short-chain fatty acids, peptigloglycans, and lipopolysaccharides can activate receptors (GPR43, NOD1, TLR4 respectively) on the surface of cells that are part of the innate immune system. This causes systemic inflammation, a hallmark of the metabolic syndrome. In addition, the lipopolysaccharides from gram negative bacteria are endotoxins (toxic to the liver). These make their way to the liver and cause damage, which initiates fatty liver disease and impairs blood glucose metabolism (the liver and kidneys are the only organs that can release sugar into the bloodstream).
I’m going to stop here because I don’t want to turn this into a lecture. At the end of the day, glucose itself does not appear to be as bad as it is made out to be. I think that obtaining glucose from roots, tubers, bulbs and starchy vegetables is far healthier. Notice that I said “I think”. That is because I haven’t found a compelling evidence to falsify that hypothesis. I personally recommend to eat mostly protein and fat and to dose carbohydrate according to level of high intensity exercise. This appears to be ideal. I also don’t recommend white potatoes or dairy. I’m just not convinced they are as bad as people make them out to be. That is especially the case if the potatoes are of the russet variety and peeled or if the dairy contains A2 (as opposed to A1) casein and is fermented and provided by animals that were grass-fed. Again, I can’t find adequate evidence to truly indict these foods because the research is flawed. For example, all of the research I can find with regards to dairy does not differentiate between milk from grain or grass-fed cows.