Do you have enough energy to run a Marathon?
The human body has basically two systems for producing energy. One system is based on burning sugar (carbohydrates). This system can be completely anaerobic, meaning it does not require oxygen to produce energy, though to obtain the maximum amount of energy from the glucose molecule; oxygen is needed for the last step. The other system is one that burns fat. This system is completely aerobic which means it requires oxygen.
There are approximately 160,000 calories stored in a trim, athletic body for energy. Of these calories only 2500 are sugars (glucose and glycogen). Glucose is predominately found floating around in the blood stream and glycogen, which can easily be converted into glucose, is predominately found in the liver. This is only 1.5% of your total available energy.
The sugar-burning system was never designed to be our primary source of energy. It is meant to be the body’s turbo charger. It is an energy system for quick mobilization giving us energy to flee or defend ourselves from an aggressor. It is a turbo charger and a very hot burning fuel. When a person needs fuel over and above what fat can provide, their body is designed to dig into their glycogen stores and burn sugar (glycogen broken down into glucose). Otherwise, most of a person’s energy production throughout the day should predominantly come from the burning of fat.
Of the 160,000 stored calories, 23,000 calories, or 14.3%, of a person’s stored energy come from protein. The body would prefer not to use protein for energy because these types of molecules have so many other very important uses. In addition, proteins are not the most efficient energy source. The body likes to use proteins to make such things as cell membranes, carriers (like hemoglobin and HDL), and hormones such as insulin and enzymes (the catalysts made by the body to make most of the biochemical equations in the body happen). In contrast, a whopping 134,500 calories (84% of stored energy) contained in the body are stored as fat. The more overweight a person is, the higher this number will become.
When you eat a diet loaded with carbohydrates, the glucose which your body does not burn will first be stored as glycogen. Once the glycogen stores become filled, your body will store this energy as fat. Carbohydrates very easily convert to fat for storage. When meals consisting primarily of carbohydrates are eaten, glucose levels in the body rise fairly quickly. This results in a rise in insulin levels to transport the glucose. The rise in insulin signals the body to burn sugar and fat burning is inhibited. All excess glucose is then converted to fat and stored. The turning off of fat burning and the conversion of glucose to fat creates overweight bodies unless there is a large amount of physical activity. Unfortunately, in our modern culture few people have the amount of physical exercise required to handle a high carbohydrate diet.
A vicious cycle caused by high carbohydrate consumption can easily catch even athletes off guard. For example, a runner loads up with carbohydrates and this causes insulin levels to rise and prevents the burning of fat. If this pattern becomes routine, over time the muscle cells become use to sugar burning and poor at fat burning. In addition, the athlete often experiences food cravings. Because of the high amounts of carbohydrates in the diet, blood sugar levels rise and fall and the body becomes more and more dependent on carbohydrates and poorer at fat metabolism. The immune system is affected and the endocrine system is affected. Unfortunately, the cells become resistant to insulin, other hormones and even nutrients. Even worse, the peaks and valleys in blood sugar levels affect temperament and moods. Turning your body into a sugar burning, fat storing machine is very easy to do and it can become a slippery slope affecting a person’s health and well being.
A marathon runner needs to train his/her body to burn fat. Burning fat stores in the body has none of the above complications. It is important to condition your body to go the distance by stimulating your aerobic, fat-burning muscle fibers. Anaerobic, fast-twitch, sugar-burning muscle fibers cannot sustain you over the long run. It is the slow-twitch, fat-burning muscle fibers that are singularly better suited to face the challenge of long distance running. No matter how full the glycogen stores, there can never be enough glycogen stored for an endurance race unless a large amount of the energy used comes from fat burning.
Athletes who participate in highly explosive activities such as sprinting and weight lifting have higher concentrations of sugar-burning muscle fibers. These muscle fibers can be as much as 55% of the muscle. Seasoned distance runners and cross-country skiers on the other hand, have been measured with aerobic, fat-burning muscle fiber percentages topping 90%.
If you are not a marathon runner this sugar-burning and fat burning phenomenon still affects you – maybe even more so. To begin with, when a person has less activity during their day they also have less of a need for carbohydrates and increase the chance that they will be “growing” their fat stores. The higher amounts of carbohydrates in the diet increases both blood sugar and insulin which in turn shuts off fat metabolism, and puts excess carbohydrates into fat storage. In addition, because of inactivity there is poorer circulation in the body and the cells may not be receiving as much oxygen. The reduction in available oxygen at the cellular level also shuts down fat metabolism, since fats cannot be used for energy unless there is ample oxygen available. This is one reason that walking, even though it does not burn that many more calories than watching TV, greatly aids a person’s health. Walking increases circulation which increases oxygen getting to the cells. This in turn aids in fat burning, especially if you are walking at a pace that allows you to carry on a conversation. Both diet and exercise affect the way a person produces energy (their metabolism) whether they are a marathon runner or the vice-president of a company. In the end these two choices are two of the biggest contributors to a person’s health.
The best fat for endurance athletes: Coconut Oil
When excessive carbohydrates are ingested the excess energy is stored as triglyceride fatty acids made of three 14 carbon chains and one glycerol molecule. Fats, too, are predominately stored in this exact same form and as the exact same molecule. You cannot tell the difference between a triglyceride made from carbohydrates and a triglyceride made from fats. They are completely identical.
There are a few fats on this planet that are unique. Coconut oil and palm kernel oil are, without question in that category. These oils are predominantly composed of a group of unique fat molecules known as medium-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids are very different from the long chain fatty acids found in animal and seed oils. Most of these long chain fats, when eaten in excess, go into fat stores. Medium chain fats, however, are never deposited or placed into storage in the body.
Even though coconut and palm kernel oils are predominately composed of saturated fats, they do not have a negative effect on cholesterol. Natural, non-hydrogenated coconut and palm kernel oil tend to increase HDL cholesterol and improve the cholesterol profile. Medium chain fatty acids do not require digestion, they are not transported in the blood stream, and they are not linked to degenerative disease. People who traditionally consume large quantities of these oils as part of their ordinary diet have a very low incidence of heart disease and have normal blood cholesterol levels. This has been well supported by numerous population studies. Research shows that people who consume large quantities of coconut oil have remarkably good cardiovascular health.
For the endurance athlete, coconut oil is easily converted into energy by the body and is preferred over carbohydrates for energy! All long chain fatty acids, stored in our bodies, in animals as fat and seeds as an oil, require a switch from sugar-burning to fat-burning to occur in our bodies. However, the production of energy from the medium chain fatty acids is done by the slow-twitch fat burning muscle cells without the “startup” sugar burning. In fact, the body prefers the burning of medium chain fatty acids for energy instead of sugar burning. Using coconut oil in the diet, adding it to your smoothies and sports drinks, makes it easy to switch off the sugar burning and enhance the fat burning muscle fibers.
For infants and the elderly alike as well as those struggling with fatigue and energy issues, the use of the medium chain fatty acids for energy is phenomenonal. Most people who switch from other oils to coconut oil notice a change in metabolism and energy levels, even if they are non-athletic or have health issues.
Adding coconut oil to the diet stops the problem of fluctuating blood sugars, food cravings, and mood swings. If carbohydrates are eaten in moderation, there will be no insulin response or blood sugar spike and the coconut oil will propel the body into even more fat burning, using energy stores.
Degenerative Disease and Coconut Oil
Heart disease, stroke, and atherosclerosis account for nearly half of all the deaths in the United States. Yet, in countries where people eat a lot of coconut products, cardiovascular disease is much less frequent. In Sri Lanka, for example, where coconut oil has been the primary dietary fat, the death rate from heart disease is one of the lowest in the world. However, in areas of India, where coconut oil has been largely replaced by other vegetable oils, cardiovascular disease is on the rise. People have been encouraged to switch from their traditional cooking oils, such as coconut oil, in favor of vegetable oils that are promoted as "heart-friendly." Researchers involved with studies on diet and heart disease in India are now recommending the return to coconut oil to reduce the risk of heart disease. This recommendation is based on their findings showing an increase in the occurrence of heart disease as coconut oil is replaced by other vegetable oils. [Sircar, S. and Kansra, U 1998. Choice of cooking oils-myths and realities. J Indian Med Assoc 96(10):304]
Toxic HNE from polyunsaturated oil* *Information taken from an article written by Dr. Bruce Fife
One reason the seed oils may be increasing the risk of heart disease and cancer is a toxic substance called 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (HNE for short). This substance forms in especially high amounts in vegetables oils that contain linoleic acid, which include canola, corn, soybean, and sunflower oils. Soybean oil is about 54 percent linoleic, canola a bit lower, corn oil a little higher at approximately 60 percent, and sunflower oil is even higher than that. The compound does not arise in saturated oils such as coconut oil or animal fat. Because coconut oil is heat stable, does not form HNE, and does not promote heart disease, many physicians and nutritionists are now recommending it for cooking and food preparation.
If you eat foods cooked in vegetable oil, many nutritionists are saying “watch out, you could be damaging your health”. Saari Csallany, a professor of food chemistry and nutritional biochemistry at the University of Minnesota says “There’s a tremendous literature in biochemistry on HNE, a library of studies going back 20 years. It’s a very toxic compound.” Csallany recently gave a report on this current research on HNE at the 2005 American Oil Chemists Society annual meeting in Salt Lake City.
“HNE’s toxicity is that it reacts very energetically with biomolecules” once it is absorbed into the body via food, Csallany said. “It reacts with the various kinds of amino groups—proteins, DNA, RNA, affecting basic cellular processes,” she added. “The absolute best oil to use for cooking is coconut oil,” says Dr. Bruce Fife, president of the US based Coconut Research Center and author of the best-selling book The Coconut Oil Miracle. “Coconut oil has only 1 percent linoleic acid, the lowest amount of any oil, making it the safest oil to use for cooking.”
Benefits of burning Fat:
Fat is far more abundant than sugar in the body. (Over 80% of the stored calories available in the body for fuel is fat)
Fat burning increases the amount of natural killer cells and helps to protect the body from viral, bacterial and fungal attack.
Fat burning stimulates the secretion of natural antioxidants in the body to counteract the harmful effects of free-radical oxidation caused by anaerobic stress.
Aerobic fat-burning for energy increases cell sensitivity to insulin. This is why aerobic activity (exercise) significantly lowers blood sugar levels in diabetics. For the runner it helps to eliminate excessive insulin levels and promotes a stable blood sugar. The net result is an increased state of stable blood sugars and consistent energy.
Becoming a Fat Burner will:
Increase the size and number of mitochondria (energy producing organelles on the cell) of the muscles.
Increase the body’s ability to clear the blood of triglycerides after eating.
Increase the secretion of substances that stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and foster relaxation.
Promote optimal circulation and blood lipid (fat) profiles, as well as decrease blood platelet clumping.
When the body burns sugar it produces more carbon dioxide per unit of oxygen than when it burns fat. Fat is the “cleanest burning fuel”. If you have to gasp or pant, or use heavy breathing this is a definite sign that you are burning sugar. This happens because the pH of the blood becomes lower because of the increased acids produced. These acids are buffered with natural bicarbonates. The end product of the buffering is carbon dioxide – which you exhale. The only solution for the body is to increase breathing.
Teaching Until Now
Most teaching from the 1970’s until now has been that carbohydrates are a runner’s best friend and fats slow you down. However, most runners who adhere to the carbohydrate rich diets even though they can be fairly successful don’t feel that great. After a number of years their bodies begin to show signs of wear and tear and they eventually conclude that breakdown is an inevitable outcome of running so many miles. Not once do they stop to consider that diet may have something to do with how they feel. Prevailing running culture believes the more carbohydrates you eat the more energy you will have. They don’t realize you need to eat fat to burn fat and that by concentrating on carbohydrates and starches they inhibit fat utilization and promote sugar-burning along with fat storage.
Most health care professionals, as well as our FDA, have advocated a low fat, high carbohydrate diet. However, America has increasingly become more and more overweight, and less and less healthy. Diabetes is skyrocketing and cancer is in the process of surpassing heart disease as the number one killer of Americans. Today, it is not uncommon for children to die before their parents, and once again people are looking at their health and questioning standard teachings on health, which came out of research and teachings from the 1970’s.
Current Understanding of Coconut Oil and How it is different as an energy source:
Coconut oil is the highest natural source of medium- chain fatty acids. In its unadulterated state, coconut oil contains about 64 % medium chain fatty acids. MCT oil (MCT stands for medium chain triglyceride) is 100% medium chain fatty acids and made from coconut and palm kernel oils. Both coconut and MCT oils have a wide variety of uses and applications. They are used to heal hospital patients, improve the endurance and performance of athletes and nourish babies.
Eating foods containing medium chain fatty acids is like putting high octane fuel into your car. The car runs smoother and gets better gas mileage. Medium chain fatty acids digest immediately to produce energy and stimulate metabolism. They are easily absorbed by the mitochondria and funneled directly to the liver and converted into energy. This has led athletes to use MCFA’s as a means to enhance performance.
In one study, which extended over a six week period, mice were subjected to a swimming endurance test every other day. They were placed into water with a constant current and forced to swim until they reached exhaustion. Total swimming time until exhaustion was measured. There were two groups of mice, those that received medium chain fatty acids in their diet along with standard feed and those that just received standard rations. At first there was little difference between the two groups of mice. However, those that received the medium chain triglycerides quickly began to out-perform the others and continued to improve throughout the testing period. [Fushiki, T. and Matsumoto, K. 1995, Swimming endurance capacity of mice is increased by chronic consumption of medium-chain triglycerides, Journal of Nutrition 125:531]. It is believed by many that tests such as this one demonstrate that medium chain fatty acids have the ability to enhance endurance and exercise performance, at least in mice.*
Another study using human subjects support the animal studies. In this study conditioned cyclists were used. The cyclists pedaled at 70% of maximum for two hours, then immediately embarked on a 40K trial ride which lasted about 1 hour. During their ride they were given one of three drinks:
- A solution made of medium chain fatty triglycerides
- A sports drink
- A sports drink/medium chain triglyceride combination
The cyclists who drank the sports drink/medium chain fatty acid mixture performed the best during the time trial. The authors of this study theorized that the medium chain fatty acids in the drink may have given the cyclists an additional source of energy, thus saving their glycogen stores. Glycogen would have been used up during the three-hour ride. The belief has been that more glycogen in the muscle the greater the athletes endurance. So, in a follow up study, to test the glycogen-sparing hypothesis, participants cycled at 60% of their maximum for three hours while drinking one of three beverages as done in the earlier study. Following the exercise, glycogen levels were measured and found to be the same as before for all three groups. The conclusion was that the medium chain triglycerides did not spare glycogen stores, yet did improve performance and must be attributed to some other mechanism. [Applegate, L. 1996 Nutrition. Runners World 31:26] *
* Both of these studies and much more information can be found in Dr. Bruce Fife’s Books The Coconut Miracle and The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil.
My belief is that even though the medium chain triglycerides did not “save” glycogen stores, these special fatty acids provided an additional energy source for the cyclists and the mice. In all three trials the “contestants” burned sugar/glycogen stores and probably worked on some of their fat stores. However, in the individuals who also received the medium chain fatty acids, yet one other fuel source became available which burned cleanly and very efficiently. That is why those who have the MCT oil in addition to the other food did the best.
Centenarian studies
There are several major centenarian studies going on around the world. They are trying to find the variable that would confer longevity among people who live to be 100 years old. Why do centenarians become centenarians? Why are they so lucky? Is it because they have low cholesterol, exercise a lot and live a healthy, clean life? I have a great grandfather who lived to be 103. He was sharp as a tack, even till the end of his life. He went to the women’s college basketball tournaments until he was 99. He just got on a bus and went! His wife died in her 60’s, and some of his siblings only lived into their 50’s and 60’s. Why was he different? Why did he live so long when his siblings and parents died at much earlier ages? My grandfather lived to be 100, but he had brothers and sisters who died with half that life span. Why? One of his brothers died from a lung condition you normally see with heavy smokers, yet he never smoked a day in his life. Why did they all die so young and my grandfather live to be 100?
One of the oldest persons ever recorded was Jean Calumet of France who died at 122 years of age. She smoked all of her life and drank. How can this be? According to Dr. Rosedale, what researchers are finding from these major centenarian studies is that there is hardly anything in common among these people. They have high cholesterol and low cholesterol, some exercise and some don't, some smoke, some don't. Some are nasty as can be, some nice and calm and some are ornery. But, they all have relatively low sugar for their age, and they all have low triglycerides for their age. And, they all have relatively low insulin. Now, some feel Dr. Rosedale goes to too much of an extreme with his beliefs, but I do believe he has some valid points.
Neither my grandfather or great grandfather were much for sweets. They ate moderate amounts of food, worked with their hands and were active even as they aged. They didn’t drink purified water and they didn’t eat lots of vegetables and fruits. They did eat a variety of foods and had a “balanced” diet, not low in fats, but moderate in fats and proteins and definitely not high in carbohydrates. They ate out of their gardens and they raised their own meat. They lived during a more simple time and they didn’t take any pills their entire life. I believe their balanced, lower carbohydrate diet was at least somehow linked to their long survival.
I have a friend who struggled with high lipids in his blood. He and his wife became mostly vegetarian. The more vegetarian they became the higher the amount of carbohydrates they ate and the lower the amount of fats and proteins. Over the course of time his triglycerides became quite high. So for a year he became a strict vegetarian eating only veggies, fruits and complex carbohydrates. His lipid levels became much, much worse. Why? Because carbohydrates turn into triglycerides very quickly and this type of diet does not address the insulin and blood sugar issues. It does appear that the way to control blood lipids is by controlling insulin. With the addition of proteins and fats and the reduction some carbohydrates, his triglyceride levels has now come down.
In the early 1970’s, Dr. Cruz dripped insulin into the femoral artery of a dog by accident. The artery became almost totally occluded with plaque. I do not believe it is a coincidence that 80% of diabetics die from heart attacks. Insulin, without question, greatly contributes to plaque formation in the arteries and may be the main cause of occlusions. In addition, insulin causes the blood to clot too quickly. This is a deadly combination.
Everybody should be burning almost all fat as they go through their day and as they sleep at night, with only a few minor exceptions. Your brain will burn sugar, but your heart predominately burns fat. In fact, eating a fat like coconut oil can actually cause a speeding up of the heart rate, because of the available fat energy it receives.
The carbohydrate/insulin roller coaster:
A carbohydrate/insulin roller coaster occurs when carbohydrates are the primary energy source. The person initially stores up glucose and glycogen and the energy which is not used is immediately transferred into triglycerides and put into fat stores. The carbohydrates eaten create a soaring blood sugar level which is followed by a huge insulin response. The high sugar and insulin levels shut off fat metabolism and switch the body over to sugar burning. The blood sugar and insulin levels also create an inflammatory response in the body, feed pathogens, weaken the immune system, disrupt the endocrine system, make cell membranes difficult to penetrate and deaden cell receptor sites. If the person has been doing this a long time the insulin levels will remain high and sugar burning will continue while fat burning will be inhibited. The body will again become hungry due to sinking blood sugar levels, because predominantly sugar burning is going on. Some people even experience hypoglycemia if the condition has become advanced. So more food is eaten. Again there is a blood sugar spike followed by an insulin spike and again extra carbohydrates are stored as fat, but virtually no, or very little, fat burning takes place before the next meal is eaten.
What you have is a body with a weakened immune system that feeds pathogens. You have a body that is not burning fat but storing it up and predominantly burning sugar. You also have mood swings, toxins accumulating from the metabolism of sugar and inflammation in the body coupled with reduced cell communication. The carbohydrate roller coaster does not make room for a long productive life.
Athletes often times get by with the carbohydrate roller coaster, at least until they retire. The exception is with a marathon. If they do not train their bodies to burn fat then they will hit the wall at some point between 18 and 20 miles. There will never be enough glycogen and glucose in a body for this long of an endurance race.
Otherwise, athletes who load themselves up with carbohydrates can usually use up much of the carbohydrates they ingest and are constantly needing to replace glycogen stores. Exercise aids insulin by somehow making the “lock and key” system work more efficiently. Exercise lowers blood sugar levels, increases circulation, and improves a person’s health. However, once the athlete slows down, or retires, they will be in for a surprise. All that training for all that carbohydrate burning will catch up with them.
As a rule, non-athletes and nonactive adults have problems with metabolism, energy levels, circulation, cell communication, hormones, mood swings, cravings etc. at a much earlier age than athletes and active adults. As these problems become more serious, disease often times creeps in. In today’s culture, Americans can have these problems when they are in their 20’s and 30’s, while the last generation saw these things in their 40’s and 50’s and their parents had problems in their 60’s and 70’s though many of them lived up into their 80’s and 90’s with very little to complain about.
My great grandparents would both be over 130 years old if they were alive today. They had many children. My grandparents chose to only have 2, though they could have had more. My mother thought she was choosing wisely to only have 3, but became so loaded with fibroid tumors that she could not have conceived if she wanted to. I found myself completely infertile when I was 18 and 19 and did not conceive and bear a child until I was almost 30. Even then, after much work, it was 4 years before I conceived again. Though I now have 7 children I was diagnosed as infertile in my earlier years and did not begin to have children close together, as a normal healthy mother would, until I was in my mid 30’s. My last 4 children are 18 to 20 months apart. Infertility is very much on the rise. Today many people find they cannot have children. Anyone who says Americans are getting healthier is misinformed.
When I was in grade school children did not come down with leukemia. You just never saw it. Children rarely died before their parents. And cancer was not a household word. Taking a look at centurians; looking at the number of children who are dying before their parents and todays infertility rates; I do not believe America is getting healthier. Insulin and blood sugar levels appear to be a major factor affecting wellness and longevity. Exercise and fat burning coupled with a moderate to low carbohydrate diet appear to be a key component to living a long and healthy life.
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