Interesting Supersize Me Study

Supersize Me" Follow-up Study has some Unexpected Results
>
> The docu-movie "Supersize Me" has spawned a follow-up study in
> Sweden that has some surprising results. Dr. Frederik Nystrom
> selected 12 men and 6 women, all slender and in good health, to eat
> 2 meals per day at McDonalds, Burger King, or other fast food
> restaurants over four weeks. The volunteers were also asked to stop
> exercising during that same time, with a goal of increasing body
> weight by 10-15 % to measure the effects of a sudden surge in
> calories.
>
> Here's what they found. On average the volunteers gained 14.3
> pounds, while one ballooned by 26.4 pounds.
>
> Based on blood tests done at the beginning, middle, and end of the
> experiment, levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), a liver
> enzyme, increased dramatically after only one week, and quadrupled
> over the four-week study. ALT levels rose to dangerously high
> levels in 11 out of the 18 subjects. One person had to be withdrawn
> because his levels increased to 10 times the normal level. This
> study proved that high ALT levels can be caused by food alone
> without any alcohol consumption. And the researchers reported that
> the rise in ALT was due to carbohydrates, specifically the sugar in
> the soda, and not to the fat in the hamburgers.
>
> Two volunteers developed fatty liver, also known as liver
> steatosis, in which fat cells build up to dangerous levels and
> increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Last year I
> reported a University of San Diego study that estimated 10% of
> "healthy" children have fatty livers. (You can download the 2007
> Health Tips book atwww.innovativehealing.com It's free.) Could it
> be all of the high fructose corn syrup and sugar? And we know that
> diabetes is on the rise in children as well as adults.
>
> On the bright side, they found that the "healthy" HDL cholesterol
> levels actually increased over the four-week period while consuming
> a high fat diet. This contradicts most of the research in the US.
>
> So, if you are still eating a lot of fast foods, hopefully this
> will motivate some change. If you've already made the change, but
> have loved ones who haven't, send this tip along to them! It's
> viral in a good way!
>
> Resource: Kechagias S, Ernersson A, Dahlqvist O, Lundberg P,
> Lindström T, Nystrom FH. Fast food based hyper-alimentation can
> induce rapid and profound elevation of serum alanine
> aminotransferase in healthy subjects. Gut. 2008 Feb 14

[Myown]

Good thread!

[Deb_c430]

Wow interesting,  but not so surprising at all!

I always wonder about preservatives in food.   Think there is  damage being done them as well!

Thanks interesting!

Deb

[working dog]

thanks for the info ....billy

[goldyn]

I have a hard time beliving its the carbs that caused the rise in alts, before treatment i was having my alts checked on a regular basis, after 1 month on the atkins diet my alts rose from  the 50s to the 120s the highst they ever were, and it took a few months to get them back in the 50s,I  truly belive the almost all meat , fat diet caused the rise...

[Wassup]

My mom hates fast food, so we usually go to a coffee shop, or mex.,ital., chinese, etc. restau.  I havn't had red meat in about 8 mos. and my milk habit has been replaced with Soy milk. I'm trying to lower my LDL. (see, I'm already using my acronym list). LDL- Laughing darned loud?  JK-Just kidding! Thanks for the post, Jared would be proud.  Many hugs, Ant B

[Wassup]

Yes, I wonder about preservatives too, but the really scarey one is meat tenderizer.  Do they still sell M.S.G. (Monosodium glutemate), (sp?) Hugs, Ant B

[Mikkimoe]

Hey gal - yep I believe it! It's probably why my liver is not bad off after 36 years, even when I had my wine at night - lots of good eating. Use to only eat the food I grew when I was a young vegetarian hippi living on 40 acres...those were the days, but good eating habits have always stayed with me and my weight has not changed since I was a teenager. But as my work life got more hectic and I started traveling all the time I started slipping up and started eating junk food at airports etc - it is interesting that all my worse sicknesses were after I was eating unhealthy. (RA , IC, IBS, Colitis etc) I have learned my lesson...but strangly enough have added white chocolate to my diet. I have become addicted to Lindor truffles every since I became chronic (I have 2-3 per day)...guess they replaced my wine :-)

[susan400]

Cheers,   bottoms up to a hamburger and a diet coke!!!     :)   Ha-Ha  

Susan

[Deb_c430]

I am not sure about MSG,  Chinese food?

I to have developed a small chocolate craving! I was always more a fruit eater, healthy in moderation.  

Lately chocolate!  I like dark chocolate!  There is a candy bar  from World trade Store, (think thats the name)   dark chocolate with cranberries in it.

I used to enjoy my glass of wine also! Sighs

[Mikkimoe]

I love chinese food but it seems that if I have to much or add any soy sauce I get sick to my stomach. My tummy has been ultra sensitive. I eat tiny tiny meals and nothing tasts very good (Except the white chocolate) Hate to think how it will be on tx if it's already like this.

PS - check out the picture I posted for you gals on my site...I figured he would bring you gals good luck or at least a smile.....

[Forseegood]

Hi, nice to see you...I really think a balanced diet and some exercise is what we all need...too, too much high protein can cause your alts to rise, from what I've read...and then too many simple carbs *can* cause you blood sugar problems, among other things, like weight gain (just talking about mostly us middle aged folks, me think while youre a lot younger, you can get away with more junk food, etc...but not too much, considering the obesity and diabetes rates in kids nowadays) course if youre treating, guess you gotta eat what you can, I'm getting a lot of good veggie powders, etc...to mix in smoothies...if the real deal is too gross for me to eat)

[jmjm530]

Forsee: On the bright side, they found that the "healthy" HDL cholesterol
> levels actually increased over the four-week period while consuming
> a high fat diet. This contradicts most of the research in the US.
-------------------
Not sure if this is accurate. HDL generally follows Total Cholesterol (TC), so it's to be expected that anything that raises TC will raise both LDL (the bad) and HDL (the good). More important are the ratios such as HDL to LDL. Unfortunately, the McDonalds diet does nothing to improve them, quite the opposite.

-- Jim

[Deb_c430]

I just looked over my shoulder and swear I saw him!  

[Mikkimoe]

Yep he's there looking over us....oui baby...gotta love that guardian angel.

[Lady Lauri]

I can count on one hand how many times I've eaten at a fast food place in years! And than it was only due to traveling and starving! Hate it anyway. We need some organic, healthy food drive throughs!!

wassup, MSG is in dam near everything! When you do order chinese, tell them no MSG (and hope they do it!) It's in soups (Cambells too), dips, any boxed food (flavored rice, pasta, etc.), anything that needs 'flavor', it's in! If it just say's 'natural flavors', it's often MSG!

A friend said to me about 2 yrs. ago ...."ya' know, for a person that eats organic and all good, you sure are sick a lot, maybe you should eat junk and drink more!"...BUT...we didn't know I had Hep over 30 yrs. yet so bottom line is what shape would I be in now had I not ate well, drank little, etc??

Susan, I can never get over those that order the whopper with fries and a diet coke,lol!

LL

[susan400]

Oh, you mean, like Me????    Ha-Ha??    Seriously, it's the RARE occasion that I do McDonald's or Wendy's or B.King.  When I do, I try to order as nutritiously as possible with my Diet Coke thrown in for good measure!!   I do get a craving for pizza about once a month and I indulge in that.  I don't think that I'll ever be able to do the 'healthy-freak diet',  no offense meant to anybody.  I eat some veggies and some fruit and some whole grains, but I have no desire to give up all my meats, my dairy, etc.  I've had to give up on everything else that I used to do, drinking, smoking, drugs - which I think that I'm feeling relieved to have that behind me, that I'm going to keep right on eating what I want to, until somebody tells me that it's harming me in a life threatening manner, i.e., 'you have serious diabetes', or 'you have extreme hypertension' - something along those lines.  I went through this whole craze of trying to do 'juicing', cut back on my sugars and all that stuff and it made no difference in my getting SVR.  So, I'm like, what's the point in that, I'd rather enjoy my meals.  So, now, I just try to do it in moderation and get my daily exercise.  You've seen me, do I look obese to you?     Anyhow, that's my opinion......  and we're all allowed to think however we want, right???    I am looking forward to seeing you on Sun.  Don't forget to set your clock forward on Sat. night!!!     Susan

[gauf]

Yah, but a double whopper with cheese is just soooooo good. I used to eat one every 3 or 4 days. Now, once every 3 or 4 months!  Carbs DO raise LFTs'.

http://tinyurl.com/266apm

[scratchinghead]

HR is right when he suggests smaller meals spread through the day consisting of protein embedded carbohydrates. Or was it carbohydrate embedded proteins?

[Wassup]

Now you've got me scratching MY HEAD! I'll stick to gem embedded gold!  At least for a minute.  Hugs, Ant B

[Deb_c430]

We rarely eat fast food, like Lady L mostly when traveling, would rather eat a sandwhich!

Also it's rare I eat frozen food, I have always like to cook so like to make things fresh and simple.

But dang if today I made a plan to go store and get some frozen stuff, I am not into cooking at all right now!  Need food!

I like pizza and everynow and then something like a cheese burger!  I think or have always though all things in moderation,  except alcohol!  I can't even convince me any  more a small glass of wine is ok!

Ok scratching head over scractching head

[jmjm530]

Gauf: Carbs DO raise LFTs'
------------------------------------------
I was able to normalize my LFT's only twice prior to treatment. Both times I was on the Pritkin diet which is very high carb, very low fat and low protein. Conversely, when I went on the Zone diet, which is more balanced (40-30-30) diet in terms of cabs, proteins and fats -- my LFTs went up, even beyond normal baselines. At least with me, I found proteins and fats the culprit in raising LFTs perhaps because they make the liver work harder.

[scratchinghead]

What HR was saying was that don't eat carbs or proteins alone because they burn a lot faster. You can lower the glycemic index of a fast burning carb by eating it with protein. At the same time, fast burning protein will be slowed down when combined with a carbohydrate.

[Deb_c430]

Wasn't there once a theory or diet  that said do not mix carbs and protiens?  

I remember reading or seeing something on tv about it once?

[Lady Lauri]

Deb..I totally started eating **** food on tx!! Chips, candy, OMIGOD, even some 'boxed food', lol! And pizza was in! I always pack 'good food' on trips....my kids hated it! they wanted a happy meal!
  And I want a wine too :(......still whine about my wine :)

Susan...did you order a diet coke at breakfast??? Did I miss that (like I could remember!)
  I am not religious on the health food....do like a pizza at times, eat meat at times, and even Breyers and chips , lol. I eat about 80% good, organic. You can even get organic milk, etc. I feel the **** they put in the food is worse, like even chips (yes like them at times! but I eat about 6 of them!) .... plain is basic chips, bar-b-que, flavored has a 100 additives and so on. Don't do soda tho, just never liked it either. Love juicing but it is quite the PIA when in a hurry!! So....it's not a daily thing!
  No mam, you don't look fat :)....so have a regular coke, lol!
See you Sunday, but need the addy again :(

LL

[jmjm530]

Actually Barry Sears' Zone diet talks about similar, but if I have it right, it's the "fat" ,not the protein that in a sense lowers the glycemic index by slowing down the rate of carb absorption. Sears recommends protein also to be eaten at the same time, but I think for other reasons. But back to the fat -- take non-fat ice cream and premium ice cream. Which one do you think will release the sugars faster into the blood? It's the non-fat ice cream.

My point was a little different and more to the diet content as a whole and not to what must be eaten with what.

On the Pritkin diet, for example, it's mostly carbs which can be eaten by themselves. These are mostly complex carbs like brown rice, potatoes, vegetables, etc. Now Sears (and probably HR) would say this is bad because brown rice or poatoes by themselves are high on the glycemic index and if you eat them alone there's nothing to slow the carb absorption. But still, I found that my liver enzymes normalized on this high carb, very low fat/protein diet and that my liver enzymes rose on a zone-type diet that HR seems to advocate. I also never felt very well on a zone-type diet. Just an observation.

-- Jim

[scratchinghead]

too many fad diet names.

Here is one of the HR quotes. I can't find the one with the word "embedded":
Many small meals each with fiber embedded slow resorption carbs+30% lean protein+ only healthy fats/oils"