Glucagon and Aging - Breakfast How Not To Start The Day Part III

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A question from one of our readers:

Dr. Mericle,

With respect to burning "fat" energy in the mornings before eating, what if you are not a long distance runner? The average person is not, particularly someone who is overweight. A typical run for me in my current condition is 2-3 miles. Would I still be burning fat with a 25-30 min. jog?

JoLee

Answer: Yes, you would still be burning fat as long as you stay in a glucagon state.

This is a very good question since most people today don't run at all -much less even 2-3 miles a day. This touches on one of the most important aspects of the MericleDiet and exercise as it relates to weight loss. Exercise for your immune system, but don't rely on exercise to lose weight and or keep weight off. Even running seven miles a day is not enough to burn any significant calories.

Back to the glucagon state of energy utilization

In the last newsletter I discussed the importance of entering a glucagon state for some part of every day. For me, running helps as it is a real distraction, something I do every day and I have my own rule of never eating before I run. The reason for not eating is that it is a lot easier to run in a state of energy utilization (glucagon) , not energy storage (insulin). Usually in hot weather I will run first thing in the morning. This actually shortens my glucagon phase as compared to running in the late afternoon. Usually if it is hot and I run early, I will try not to eat when I get back from the run until noon at the earliest. This gives me at least four or five hours in a glucagon state -higher energy levels and I get a lot more done. If you are going to eat early in the day, it is best to eat low on the glycemic index. Organic fruit, carrot or celery sticks and fresh organic salads are good choices.

You don't need to exercise to enter a glucagon state

Exercise can help to get you into a glucagon phase but is not necessary. All you really have to do is not go into an insulin state by eating. Most of us are going to eat something during most days but it is optimal if you can limit the time of food ingestion to the mid-day hours, noon to 6:pm or so. You will have a good glucagon phase in the morning and not go to bed on a large load of insulin in the evening. As mentioned previously, hyperinsulinism is implicated in many of our serious lifestyle illnesses.

Dr. Roy Walford and caloric restriction

It may seem hard to believe, but during periods of starvation during WWII, those who had their caloric intake reduced, had improvement in diseases such as heart disease and cancer. It was also noted that they did not age as much. This has been studied by the late Dr. Roy Walford, who was part of the Biosphere. There is no question that calorically restricted mice age much more slowly than those who are allowed to eat what they want. Dr. Walford also made the point that the calories that are eaten must be "nutritionally dense." This is also one of the premises of the MericleDiet. I don't want to suggest that one live a life of caloric restriction, but there is no doubt that reducing your caloric intake and not eating as often or as much will improve your health and slow your aging.

Insulin Glucagon Aging

Somewhere in the basic premise of caloric restriction and retarded aging is the yin and yang of human energy management -Glucagon and Insulin. Too much of either is not good and as noted previously, most people in America have way too much insulin. If you want to feel better and look better while you age more slowly, think glucagon, not insulin. Try to achieve "balance" between them. If you spend four hours a day in an insulin state, try to spend at least as much time in a glucagon state.

Conclusion

Understanding how glucagon and insulin affect your health and your weight is one of the most important concepts one can learn. Not only will you be able to work better, feel better and control your weight more easily, there now is impressive evidence that restricting your insulin secretion by reducing your frequency and quantity of feedings will retard aging.

Reference:

Dr. Walford and Caloric Restriction
http://www.walford.com
Stryer Biochemistry Fourth Edition
Thanks for your time.

Copyright � John Mericle M.D. All Rights Reserved

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