NEW STUDY!

By Steve Blechman

A new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition on August 28, 2020 was entitled: Physiological Responses to Maximal Eating in Men. The study was most recently reported by ScienceDaily on July 24, 2020. It said, “a new study, which involved participants eating pizza well after feeling ‘full’ in order to test what immediate effects this had on the body, finds that our metabolism is surprisingly good at coping with overindulgence.”

“Researchers at the Center for Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism at the University of Bath compared the effect of normal eating (i.e., ‘eat until you are comfortably full’) with maximal eating (i.e., ‘eating until you cannot manage another bite’)” in young healthy men ages 22-37.

“In this study, the average calorie intake in the all-you-can-eat trial was over 3,000 kcal, roughly 1.5 large pizzas. However, this varied a lot, with some individuals able to consume up to two and a half large pizzas in one go.”

Remarkably the “all that you can eat Pizza Diet Group” did not have a negative effect on metabolic health in a single meal, such as blood sugar or blood lipids! “Blood sugar (glucose) levels were no higher than after a normal meal.”

Not surprisingly, four hours after the unlimited pizza meal, they felt sleepy with no desire to eat sweets or any other food. This was the result of increase release of the appetite-suppressive hormones GLP-1 and peptide YY in the gut and insulin in the blood from the pancreas, which increases tryptophan and serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain that promotes sleep, relaxation and suppressing of appetite and craving of sweets. Results of this study found that an occasional single cheat meal of unlimited pizza ingestion did not have a negative effect on metabolic health in young healthy adults.

This is good news for people on weight-loss diets who overindulge occasionally with a cheat meal. One day a week of pizza won’t have a negative effect on your health or diet.

Pizza is one of the most favorite foods worldwide! The delicious crust, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese is addicting. When I eat pizza, I get a giant surge of dopamine, the feel-good hormone in the brain. Pizza is my favorite cheat meal that I recommend as part of the low-carb Mediterranean Diet. It is rich in carbs, fat, sodium and calories, but pizza can also be made healthier with whole wheat crust, fresh tomatoes, and extra-virgin olive oil with fresh vegetable toppings. One slice of pizza contains 12 grams of protein, and it is rich in the antioxidant lycopene found in the tomatoes. The monounsaturated fats found in the extra-virgin olive oil enhance the absorption of lycopene. Extra-virgin olive oil is also rich in healthy polyphenols.

Sunday nights are usually my high-carb cheat meal of pizza. I eat all I want with red wine. It’s a great way to tame the stress from work and the coronavirus pandemic. Stress increases the levels of the hormone cortisol in the blood. High cortisol levels also increase the “hunger hormone” ghrelin, which stimulates appetite. High cortisol levels also increase abdominal obesity and insulin resistance. Carbohydrates lower cortisol levels in the blood as a result of stress. The carbs from the pizza also help me relax and get a great night’s sleep. One hour before bed I take AML ThermoHeat Nighttime Fat Burner® with Melatonin.   

Before eating my cheat pizza meal, I take one serving of Advanced Molecular Labs (AML) ThermoHeat Fat Burning Protein® containing 5 grams of the amino acid leucine. It helps me burn more body fat after eating the high-carb fat/calorie pizza! And it also lowers the glycemic response and postprandial rise in post-meal increase of glucose. It also potentiates carbohydrate and glucose-meditated brown adipose tissue (BAT). A recent study published in the Journal of Biomedicines on June 13, 2020 reported that pure leucine with carbohydrates activates brown adipose tissue (BAT) and energy expenditure and calorie burning.

The widely held belief that all body fat is bad is currently being heavily scrutinized, due to the recent discovery of a different type of fat in humans known as brown fat. This type of body fat can actually burn off energy in the form of heat by a process known as thermogenesis, which can ultimately reduce overall body fat. This discovery has provided the requisite paradigm shift spawning a new revolution in weight loss that is the primary focus of the book Thermo Heat™ Weight Loss Revolution by Michael J. Rudolph, Ph.D. that includes the foreword by Daniel L. Friedman, MD and Eugene B. Friedman, MD. You can click the link to order on Amazon here published by Advanced Research Media, Inc. You can also get a free PDF version here

The body has two forms of fat: white fat, or unwanted fat that can lie directly underneath the skin, and brown fat, which often is found in the shoulder blade region or the neck. Unlike white fat, brown fat is the good fat as it can help burn more calories. The more brown fat you have, the more calories you burn. 

Brown fat is packed with mitochondria loaded with UCP-1, the protein that uncouples fat burning with ATP (energy) production instead of converting the energy into heat via thermogenesis, making the mitochondria effectively the furnace of the cell. The emergence of brown fat as a readily available fat-burning furnace is revolutionary, but like any fire, it requires the proper kindling materials. The ability to get lean by producing extra brown fat, or enhancing the activity of existing brown fat, represents a promising way to burn fat and lose weight.

Several landmark discoveries and approaches to enhancing brown fat function are being explored at major research centers and universities worldwide, with great excitement. Brown fat research is a hot topic today.

Over the last few years, I’ve launched AML® THERMO HEAT, the most scientifically advanced brown fat and thermogenic supplement line ever developed! One of those products, AML™ THERMO HEAT® FAT BURNING PROTEIN, contains nutrients that have been shown to increase brown fat activation and thermogenesis, including whey protein enriched with 5 grams of the branched-chain amino acid leucine. Leucine is the key anabolic trigger of protein synthesis. Supplemental leucine by itself and synergistically combined with vitamin D3 and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) can help prevent lean muscle loss especially during low-calorie, low-carb or ketogenic diets. Also, two double-blind human studies have shown that the amino acid leucine (2.4 grams daily) and citrulline (2 grams daily) can lower the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6), and c-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation in the body. (SL Nutrition and Metabolism, September 5, 2017; BMC Research Notes, February 15, 2019)

AML™ THERMO HEAT® FAT BURNING PROTEIN also contains nitric oxide activators that have been shown to activate BAT and thermogenesis. Nitric oxide and nitric oxide precursors such as citrulline have been shown to increase BAT and thermogenesis. Grapeskin extract has been shown to increase nitric oxide production. Polyphenols are being studied for their role in fat metabolism and obesity management. Folic acid also boosts nitric oxide availability, by increasing BH4 and decreasing homocysteine levels. Research has shown that folic acid can lower homocysteine levels, increase insulin sensitivity and lower fasting insulin levels in type 2 diabetes. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), grains of paradise (40mg - standardized for 12% paradol, a clinically effective dose) and BioPerine® black pepper fruit extract are all included for further activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and thermogenesis. Grains of paradise, a spice containing 6-paradol, like chili peppers containing capsaicin, activate BAT, increase whole-body energy expenditure and decrease visceral fat (deep abdominal fat) in humans. It also contains allulose, a natural, low-calorie, fat-burning, thermogenic sweetener. It is approved for low-sugar/low-carb or ketogenic diets. Allulose does not impact blood sugar or insulin levels.

References: 

1. University of Bath. Pizza study shows body copes surprisingly well with one-off calorie indulgence. ScienceDaily, 24 July 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200724103753.htm>. 

2. Hengist, Aaron & Edinburgh, Rob & Davies, Russell & Walhin, Jean-Philippe & Buniam, Jariya & James, Lewis & Rogers, Peter & Gonzalez, Javier & Betts, James. (2020). The physiological responses to maximal eating in men. British Journal of Nutrition. 124. 1-32. 10.1017/S0007114520001270. 

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18. The influence of the type of dietary fat on postprandial fat oxidation rates: monounsaturated (olive oil) vs saturated fat (cream). LS Piers, KZ Walker, RM Stoney, MJ Soares and K O’Dea. International Journal of Obesity (2002) 26, 814-821 (2002)  

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21. Impact of 3-week citrulline supplementation on postprandial protein metabolism in malnourished older patients: The Ciproage randomized controlled trial. Bouillanne, Olivier et al. Clinical Nutrition, Volume 38, Issue 2, 564-574. April 2019 

22. Nitric oxide and mitochondrial biogenesis. Enzo Nisoli, Michele O. Carruba. J Cell Sci 2006 119: 2855-2862; doi: 10.1242/jcs.03062  

23. Allerton, T.D.; Proctor, D.N.; Stephens, J.M.; Dugas, T.R.; Spielmann, G.; Irving, B.A. l-Citrulline Supplementation: Impact on Cardiometabolic Health. Nutrients 2018, 10, 921.  

24. Yoshitomi H, Momoo M, Ma X, et al. L-Citrulline increases hepatic sensitivity to insulin by reducing the phosphorylation of serine 1101 in insulin receptor substrate-1. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2015;15:188. Published 2015 Jun 18. doi:10.1186/s12906-015-0706-4. 

25. Inflammatory markers response to citrulline supplementation in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial. Zahra Darabi, Mina Darand, Zahra Yari, Mehdi Hedayati, Amirhosein Faghihi, Shahram Agah and Azita Hekmatdoost. BMC Research.2019/12:89 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-019-4130-6.  

26. Cliff J. d C. Harvey, Grant M. Schofield, Micalla Williden, and Joseph A. McQuillan. The Effect of Medium Chain Triglycerides on Time to Nutritional Ketosis and Symptoms of Keto-Induction in Healthy Adults: A Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, vol. 2018, Article ID 2630565, 9 pages, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/2630565.  

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28. Miriam E. Clegg (2010) Medium-chain triglycerides are advantageous in promoting weight loss although not beneficial to exercise performance, International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 61:7, 653-679, DOI: 10.3109/09637481003702114  

29. Activation of the AMPK/Sirt1 pathway by a leucine-metformin combination increases insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle, and stimulates glucose and lipid metabolism and increases life span in Caenorhabditis elegans. Banerjee, Jheelam et al. Metabolism – Clinical and Experimental, Volume 65, Issue 11, 1679-1691. November 2016.  

30. Romero, M. J., Platt, D. H., Caldwell, R. B. and Caldwell, R. W. (2006), Therapeutic Use of Citrulline in Cardiovascular Disease. Cardiovascular Drug Reviews, 24: 275-290. doi:10.1111/j.1527-3466.2006.00275.x

31. Zhang Y, Guo K, LeBlanc RE, Loh D, Schwartz GJ, Yu YH. Increasing dietary leucine intake reduces diet-induced obesity and improves glucose and cholesterol metabolism in mice via multimechanisms. Diabetes 2007; 56: 164754. 

32. Grape seed and skin extract mitigates heart and liver oxidative damage induced by a high-fat diet in the rat: gender dependency. Kamel Charradi, Mohamed Mahmoudi, Salem Elkahoui, Ferid Limam, Ezzedine Aouani. Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 2013, 91:1076-1085, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjpp-2013-0225 

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35. Joffin, N., Jaubert, A., Durant, S., Bastin, J., De Bandt, J., Cynober, L., Moinard, C., Coumoul, X., Forest, C. and Noirez, P. (2014), Citrulline reduces glyceroneogenesis and induces fatty acid release in visceral adipose tissue from overweight rats. Mol Nutr Food Res, 58: 2320-2330. doi:10.1002/mnfr.201400507  

36. Salehpour A, Hosseinpanah F, Shidfar F, et al. A 12-week double-blind randomized clinical trial of vitamin D₃ supplementation on body fat mass in healthy overweight and obese women. Nutr J. 2012;11:78. Published 2012 Sep 22. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-11-7   

37. Vitamin D decreases adipocyte lipid storage and increases NAD-SIRT1 pathway in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Chang, Eugene; Kim, Yangha. Nutrition, 2016, Vol: 32, Issue: 6, Page: 702-8 10.1016/j.nut.2015.12.032 

38. Miriam E. Clegg (2010) Medium-chain triglycerides are advantageous in promoting weight loss although not beneficial to exercise performance, International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 61:7, 653-679, DOI: 10.3109/09637481003702114 

39. LaBarrie J, St-Onge MP. A coconut oil-rich meal does not enhance thermogenesis compared to corn oil in a randomized trial in obese adolescents. Insights Nutr Metab. 2017;1(1):30-3   

40. Farhat, G., Drummond, S., and Al‐Dujaili, E. A. S. (2017) Polyphenols and Their Role in Obesity Management: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials. Phytother. Res., 31: 1005-1018. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5830.  

41. Sugita, J., Yoneshiro, T., Hatano, T., Aita, S., Ikemoto, T., Uchiwa, H., Saito, M. (2013). Grains of paradise (Aframomum melegueta) extract activates brown adipose tissue and increases whole-body energy expenditure in men. British Journal of Nutrition, 110(4), 733-738. doi:10.1017/S0007114512005715   

42. Jun Sugita, Takeshi Yoneshiro, Yuuki Sugishima, Takeshi Ikemoto, Hideyo Uchiwa, Isao Suzuki, Masayuki Saito, Daily Ingestion of Grains of Paradise (Aframomum melegueta) Extract Increases Whole-Body Energy Expenditure and Decreases Visceral Fat in Humans, Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, 2014, Volume 60, Issue 1, Pages 22-27, Released April 24, 2014. 

43. Hattori, H., Yamauchi, K., Onwona‐Agyeman, S. and Mitsunaga, T. (2018), Identification of vanilloid compounds in grains of paradise and their effects on sympathetic nerve activity. J Sci Food Agric, 98: 4742-4748. doi:10.1002/jsfa.9009  

44. Ilic NM, Dey M, Poulev AA, Logendra S, Kuhn PE, Raskin I. Anti-inflammatory activity of grains of paradise (Aframomum melegueta Schum) extract. J Agric Food Chem. 2014;62(43):10452-7.  

45. THE THERMO HEAT® LOW-CARB MEDITERRANEAN DIET: WHY IT’S THE HEALTHIEST & BEST DIET FOR 2019 by Steve Blechman, https://advancedmolecularlabs.com/blogs/news/the-thermo-heat%C2%AE-low-carb-mediterranean-diet-why-it-s-the-healthiest-best-diet-for-2019 

46. The Thermo Heat® Weight Loss Revolution, by Michael J. Rudolph, Ph.D, including the foreword by Daniel L. Friedman, MD and Eugene B Friedman, MD.