Many claim fructose should be avoided especially for people with the so-called metabolic syndrome. Yudkins started most of the hysteria with his book "Pure, White and Deadly", during the time "the cholesterol hypothesis" was very popular and he argued that it was fructose and not fat that raised the so-called "bad lipids". Uffe Ravnskov member of the editorial board of cholesterol has reviewed the literature and he see's no connection between blood lipids and disease(0).
In 1864 Dr. William Budd in England used large amounts of sucrose to treat diabetes, P.A. Priorry did the same in France in 1867.
Free fatty acids block glucose metabolism.(1) One of the points where free fatty acids block glucose is at the point where it is converted to fructose. When fructose is available it can bypass this barrier to the use of glucose and continue to provide pyruvic acid for oxidative metabolism. If mitochondria are damaged and not producing energy pyruvate can leave the cell as lactate allowing continued glycolitic energy. This can provide enough energy to the brain to sustain life in an emergency.
Liver has the highest capacity for metabolizing fructose but other organs and skeletal muscles can metabolize it via the Glut5 expression.(2, 3)
The ability of mitochondria to oxidize pyruvic acid and glucose is lost to some degree in cancer.(4) This disturbed redox balance of the cell will usually lead to the cell's death but if the cell can survive, the disturbed redox balance favors growth and cell division, rather than the normal differentiated function. Fructose prevents oxidative damage by maintaining and restoring the cell's redox balance(5).
Fructose lowers serum phosphate and fruit is protective against prostate cancer by lowering serum phosphate(6). Age suppressing gene Klotho suppresses the re-absorption of phosphate by the kidneys and inhibits the formation of activated vitamin D opposing the effect of the parathyroid hormone. In the absence of the gene animals serum phosphate is high; these animals age and die prematurely(7). Serum phosphate is increased in osteoporosis(8), treatments that lower serum phosphates improve bone remineralization with retention of calcium phosphate(9). Close association between high serum phosphate in normal range in humans and increased risk of cardiovascular disease has been found(10). Increase in respiratory quotient and co2 production by fructose/glucose is probably a factor for lowering serum phosphates because high altitude and carbonic anhydrase inhibitor increase blood co2 and decrease serum phosphate(11,12,13).
Sucrose is less fattening than glucose because more calories can be consumed without gaining weight. In one study rats ate 50% more calories in the form of coca cola or sucrose compared to a normal diet without gaining additional weight(14)
Fructose protects against Vitamin D deficiency in rats(15).
Sucrose is used to decrease pain in many settings including infants and adults.(16)
0. http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm#a
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC507380/
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9781312
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2652499/?tool=pmcentrez
4. http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/7/1/7
5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8783811
6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11036473
7. http://www.nature.com/ki/journal/v79/n121s/full/ki201126a.html
8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7354241
9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20428857
10. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/112/17/2627.full
11. http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/00365517209080248
12. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19188744
13. http://www.ijem.org.ir/browse.php?a_id=193&sid=1&slc_lang=en
14. http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/244/4/R500.a
15. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1221903
16. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091305796002274
Like your title, Fructose to the Rescue!
ReplyDeleteSo, I checked 2 markets here in Victoria this week for un-corn fructose and haven't found it yet. How to find the fruit or beet or cane sourced stuff? No luck online.. Still looking. A friend found some in Quebec.
For now using oj, peaches, melon, applesauce...
Fruit or white sugar is better, no need to get pure fructose.
DeleteFructose can be handy for digestion though, have seen some people doing really well with it. I find it in my health food store, I'm sure you can find it on iHerb. On the other hand, like Cliff says, it's better to have fruit or white sugar.
ReplyDeleteThe anti-sugar craze is really, really bothering me. I know an extremely thin person and can't convince her to more sugar. I'm getting really pissed by it.
Btw, I don't tolerate melon well. Is it because of betacarotene? I got really tired after it. I don't have this with OJ or grape juice, and I don't have this with grapes either.
@Cliff : how much salt do you take? I really need A LOT to get warm...
I also have a question concerning a cholesterol study Ray Peat talked about : he said there was a study on rats I believe where they would poison the rats with different stuff (like mercury), and gave them a big amount of cholesterol. They always survived. I've tried to find this study, but no luck yet.
Finally, have you ever tried progesterone? If so, in what form? Did you use RP's patented vitamin E-progesterone mix? I need a prescription to get hormones here in Belgium but don't want to go to any doctor anymore. I'm not sick anymore anyways, so there's no reason.
I've bought http://peatarian.com and plan on making something like PaleoHacks with it. Do you think that'd be a good idea?
Most refined fructose available is impure and made from corn so it should generally be avoided imo. Glucose works in synergy with fructose so eating fruit or sucrose is better in most situations.
DeleteCould be many reasons why you react to melons. They are generally pretty low in carbs so my best guess would be you didn't eat enough or it's too much bulk for your stomach.
I probably do at least 3000mg of salt, I use a lot.
I just got some progest-e to use for injuries. I did a drop on a toe I recently injured pretty bad and it helped a lot. I'm going to get some pregnenelone powder to try out soon
Cliff - I bought some pregnenelone, but I was wondering what brand you'd recommend? Also - have you ever tried Ray Peat's bright light stuff?
DeleteI notice I really get a bit more grouchy when there's no sun, and I'd like to get rid of that feeling.
I just ordered some from beyond a century.
DeleteI use a 250 watt heat lamp pretty much 24/7 when I'm at my house. This is a good light http://www.1800lighting.com/Bulbrite/item.cfm?itemsku=250BR40H
Cool! Does it help? I'd love to get indoor sun :)
DeleteYup it helps a lot, very good at reducing stress. I even use it at night which has made it so I no longer wake up to go pee and gives me very vivid dreams.
DeleteWait, are you saying you let it shine on you when you sleep(!)?
DeleteYea you could. Experiments done on animals show that after like 10hrs of darkness mitochondria enzymes go very low. Sparrows in New York produce year round because of the lights. You produce more hormones when the light is on.
DeleteI tried leaving a 75w heat lamp on me for a few hours last night. I was in ketosis by morning.
DeleteI eat plenty of sugar, so that's not the problem.
Maybe try eating some more sugar.
Deletei have seen mention of 'Red Light' attributed to Ray Peat. Is this the same thing as 'bright light' which is mentioned above.
DeleteI have been unable to dig up any information on the 'red light' topic. A search of the the raypeat web sites does not reveal much.
Anyone have any details so i could learn what's it about and how to implement etc
thx
red light is just that red/orange or yellow light. Heats lamps are a good source.
DeleteThanks Cliff
Delete& how are you supposed to use it & what's it good for?
I take it this is totally different from 'Light Therapy' which uses bright full spectrum &/or blue light in the mornings to reset the circadian rhythm.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_therapy
Red light helps increase mitochondria function. You can google 'red light mitochondria' for more information.
DeleteNice post,
ReplyDeleteHave a question for you, I've been following a Ray Peat diet for the past 2 weeks and it seems to be going good. Just curious about something.
If I eat a high sugar and salt meal (OJ, sugared and salted milk, and a few eggs as an example), about 30 minutes later I get a feeling of wanting to go into the gym for an hour and then run 10 miles. It's almost like an excited feeling in my body mixed with a feeling of an adrenaline rush.
I'm not sure if it's due to the addition fructose, sucrose, maybe sugar in general or maybe just carbs in general (coming from a low carb diet and I'm hypo). I'm certainly not complaining about the feeling, because I haven't felt this type of energy in a long time. I'm just hoping it's not due to a huge release in adrenaline everytime I eat a meal. Curious to know your thoughts.
What is your heart rate when you get that feeling?
DeleteProbably just a transient mental effect because of increased glycogen stores and T3 so you 'feel' like superman.
Adrenaline is a little different your heart rate will be fast like 100+bpm.
It could also be that your thyroid was bigger because of high TSH from a thyroid inhibiting diet so now that you are eating correctly you are unloading all the built up thyroid and you'll be 'hyperthyroid' for about a month until the thyroid normalizes in size.
You're probably exactly right. I'm basically in the middle of that feeling right now and my heart rate is about 70. Thanks for the help.
DeleteGreat articles so far too.
One more quick question, it may be too general but I'd just like to know your opinion.
DeleteI have a TSH of about 12. How far do you think diet can go with hypothyroidism before you need to supplement with thyroid? Do you think it's probably necessary that anyone who's hypothyroid takes a thyroid medication?
Aspirin, caffeine and sugar(OJ) can all help lower TSH. I would probably try diet for awhile and get retested, if TSH is still high maybe consider supplementing.
DeleteHi, I am very interested in Dr. Peat's philosophy and I am hoping it would help me balance my hormones. I was wondering if I am supposed to increase my calories if I plan to increase the amount of fructose & nutrient dense foods? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNo, just eat to appetite.
DeleteHey Cliff, It's Gabe A., I often comment on RP Fans, etc. I hope you are well. I had a question about the lights. I remember Ray even talking about using them in baby's rooms and before sleep (in your case during). I was curious as to how you are executing. Do you have them plugged into your regular ceiling lights? Can you cover them with fixtures? Do you have a mobile stand? Those kind of questions. I want to order them ASAP but don't know what the hell to do with them exactly, lol.
ReplyDeleteI use something like this http://www.tooldistrict.com/Do-it-Brooder-Heat-Lamp_p_101563.html that I got from the local hardware store. I rigged it up to a desk light holder and have it connected to my computer desk.
DeleteCLiff some interesting things on your blog here, some of it comes close to my real life anecdotes. Theres also a few other points I disagree with however.
ReplyDeleteI have to say my suspicion is that fructose isnt as harmful as people are saying, although HFCS is quite deadly, your post on it explains some it quite well.
Making orange juice is a lot of work :D
ReplyDeleteCliff, do you hit the RDAs with your diet? And what's your take on chocolate, as its high in iron and phytic acid?
I've made a Q&A website (peatarian.com), hopefully it'll get some activity.
It takes me 5 minutes to make six cups of orange juice.
DeleteI hit the rda's. Most are 300%+
I think chocolate is good, cocoa doesn't have phytic acid because its fermented. You can eat it with coffee if your worried about the iron but I don't think its that big of a concern.
Cliff,
ReplyDeleteWhat is the best source of vitamin A? I eat 8 oz of goat liver per week which equates to 50,000 IU. It has less than beef liver.
Also, what is the best (easiest) way to make orange juice? Do you manually squeeze the oranges?
Thanks Cliff!
Liver is the best source. Supplement could be ok but probably not necessary for most.
DeleteI use a glass hand juicer and strain with cheese cloth or a metal strainer.
Sorry Cliff, I wasn't really clear before. I wanted to supplement an extra 20-30,000 IU per week with a source other than liver (want to watch the copper intake). I have some fermented cod liver oil from green pasture. Do you have another recommendation?
DeleteAlso, when you juice 6 cups of orange juice, how many oranges does that take you? Google says that a medium sized orange yields about 2 oz which is about 15 g of sucrose, more concentrated than a conventional cup of OJ.
A generic retinol supplement is ok, I think thorne has a liquid supplement.
Deleteit takes me around 15-20 small oranges to make 6 cups of juice.
Hey Cliff I've been looking into various training methods recently and found Body By Science by Dr. Doug Mcguff www.bodybyscience.com, it basically is training superslow reps, 5 sets once a week for about 13minutes with minimal rest between sets. One thing that I find confusing about it is that you're supposed to hyperventilate, something I find goes against what Dr Peat says. My biochem skills are pretty worthless so I don't know what to make of this. Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI think concentric exercise is more beneficial. Hyperventilating is not beneficial. Seems like his book is low in inventory ;D
DeleteCliff,
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in your references to treating diabetes with large amounts of sucrose, which seems hard to believe.
Recently my health collapsed, and one of the problems is severe dysglycemia. I was forced to go very low-carb to stabiize my blood sugar, but now thyroid function, which was already poor, has deteriorated further. It is clear that I am managing my problem rather than fixing my metabolism.
I would love to try Peat's ideas but am blocked from the start because I can't handle carbs. If you have any thoughts or links to information on using sugar to cure sugar dysregulation, I would love to know.
Thanks.
http://books.google.com/books?id=ERMUAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA114&lpg=PA114&dq=on+the+treatment+of+Diabetes+william+budd&source=bl&ots=Bdp3MkMX8N&sig=C8Jb-rJLYdOQK0GSr_QAYx09Lho&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ZZmzT4byKIjZiALBv5yhAg&ved=0CJ4BEOgBMAc#v=onepage&q=on%20the%20treatment%20of%20Diabetes%20william%20budd&f=false This talks about william budd and his experience using sucrose to treat diabetes.
DeleteEating low fat and getting the majority of your calories from fruits while avoiding stress is probably your best bet.
abit offtopic I guess but: http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.se/2012/05/do-sugar-andor-saturated-fat-make-you.html#comment-form
ReplyDeleteaccording to this, eating Peaty makes you stupid. Totally goes against my own experience but it would be interesting if you could respond
I didn't look at the studies but from what I read I think we can't really determine how smart rats are by how fast they do a maze. The diets were deficient in omega 3 but it sounds like they were still loaded up with omega 6. The high triglycerides are protective against the toxic free fatty acids.
DeleteThe rats were probably pausing to contemplate how fucking stupid the experiment was.
DeleteSorry to bother you again but I just keep on encountering articles on the web that goes against what Dr. Peat suggests, but I would like to get your opinion on this http://ergo-log.com/loweryourheartrate.html
ReplyDeleteDoesn't really go against what peat says, most these people with high heart rate probably have high adrenaline and other associated stress hormones. That's what the researchers theorize too-
Delete"The researchers put forward the theory that people with a higher heart rate have an overactive sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is the part of the central nervous system that makes organs work harder. [Another part of the CNS, the parasympathetic nervous system, slows down organs' metabolisme.] "Subjects with pre-existing disturbance of their autonomic system may have a lower immunity defense system and an increased risk of dying if the individual develops cancer"
A high heart rate is only good when temps are also high, indicating a high metabolism.
hey cliff, if you wouldn't mind, I'd love to see a brief posting of what you eat on a daily/weekly basis. I'm also curious about your choices regarding conventional vs organic, and fresh vs packaged
ReplyDeleteI usually eat this each day, sometimes it changes depending on appetite and cravings but this is pretty typical: about a half gallon of OJ, ~1 cup of sugar, little over half gallon of milk or more, around 75g of bison steak or bison liver, 4-6tb gelatin, 1tb cocoa, 1tb instant coffee, some white rice and potatoes when in season.
DeleteI think organic is best but conventional can be ok in some cases. As long as your milk is vitamin free and oranges are somewhat ripe you're probably fine if they are conventional. I think grains should always be bought organic to avoid GMO, fruits like bananas are probably better if organic too. I'm not really fond of carton OJ as I've had bad experiences with them, I fresh squeeze my OJ in a glass juicer from local oranges.
Hi cliff,
ReplyDeleteI've been a little bit tired with table sugar (brown included) lately.
I want to experiment a new sweetener.
Could agave syrup or fructose powder (a beet derived one) actually perform better for my metabolism than sucrose ?
Basically, the more elevated fructose/glucose ratio the better no ?
white table sugar is probably best. I think agave syrup might be impure and should probably be avoided, fructose powder from beats could be ok but white sugar probably taste the same and is better imo.
DeleteHi Cliff
ReplyDeleteFirst off, great blog. I always like getting more resources to support eating this way as opposed to the more traditional stuff out there. My question regards protein intake and muscle retention in a hypocaloric diet. After reading your posts, I'm going to to switch to a diet based around sugar (milk, OJ, ripe tropical fruits, white sugar), starch (potatoes, white rice), proteins (milk, cheese, eggs, shellfish, some muscle meat), and saturated fats (butter, cream, coconut oil). But since I'm consciously cutting calories to burn fat (I fast for most of the day and just have a generous dinner. It's pretty easy to do most days and that way I don't really have to count my calories and can still be pretty social at night) I'm just wondering if I should throw in some whey protein since on some days I can easily see myself not getting much protein (Brad Pilon recommends 70-120 grams). I lift heavy 4 days a week and do some sprints a couple of days a week. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! -Mark
You'll burn more fat by not fasting all day. Eating right when you wake up then eating small frequent meals throughout the day will keep your thyroid metabolism higher which will ultimately burn more fat. Whey protein is a low quality protein source since a lot of the amino acids degrade from dehydration and it doesn't have the protective calcium. Better to use real foods like milk or cottage cheese.
DeleteThanks for the quick reply.
ReplyDeleteWhat I started doing today was having some sugar (in my morning coffee and in a couple of teas ) throughout the day. It's only about 50 calories of sugar at a pop, but is that enough?
Thanks for the reply on the whey part. So you don't think I should be concerned if I only have say 25-50g of protein a day (coming from fruit, potatoes/rice, milk, cottage cheese, meat)?
I would get at least 80g of protein, if your trying to build muscle or are an athlete you want closer to 1g per pound of lean mass.
DeleteI would put milk and sugar in the coffee
cliff what about for a bodybuilder getting close to shows they say to elimante fruit and dairy? I have all the symptoms of hypothyroid plus candida. and have battled water retention issues Im a 200 lb male 4% fat what would you recc for daily eating if im doing HIIT cardio 6 days a week and train 4 days a week hard and heavy pretty high volume! im 2 weeks out and took the risk of trying the OJ and pretty much everything else and I can see my cheeck bones again and bloatedness has gone down sense switching to refined cocnut oil and elimnating wheat?
ReplyDeletefew questioins
1) where do gluten free oats fall?
2) what to eat pre workout?
3) Ive been haviing 1 cup oats 1 cup berries, 8 oz oj, 4-6 oz meat, 1 tbl all nat peanut butter, and 1 tsp cocnut oil, is this ok for a meal example?
4) how much salt
5) should the sugar be eaten alone or with meals? I havnt added this yet and is it just table sugar or all natural cane sugar?
6) how much coconut oil a day?
7) is almond milk ok
thank you
1) where do gluten free oats fall? - They are fine if cooked well and eaten with fat. You want to balance out the phosphorus with calcium(milk, cheese, eggshells, cooked greens)
Delete2) what to eat pre workout? - sugar and protein is the best, I like OJ and milk personally because casein and whey have a lot of beneficial properties and the OJ has plenty of nutrients.
3) Ive been haviing 1 cup oats 1 cup berries, 8 oz oj, 4-6 oz meat, 1 tbl all nat peanut butter, and 1 tsp cocnut oil, is this ok for a meal example? - I would omit the peanut butter, rest looks fine maybe add some gelatin
4) how much salt - A couple grams a day is good.
5) should the sugar be eaten alone or with meals? I havnt added this yet and is it just table sugar or all natural cane sugar? - Always eat sugar with a meal preferably balanced with protein and nutrients, plain white sugar is best but is very pure and should be used sparingly or strategically with nutrient dense foods like cocoa powder.
6) how much coconut oil a day? - As much as you want, 2 tb a day will give you most of the benefits.
7) is almond milk ok - Almond milk is very high in PUFA and should be avoided, better to drink dairy milk you tolerate.