Metabolic Flexibility: You Need to Burn That Fat Off!

Large and In Charge Mouse

I hope all of you got to watch the Vikings win this past Sunday!  Whoo ha!!

Onward to today’s topic of Metabolic Flexibility.

What is that and why do I care?

Physiology is Messy

Physiology is complex and messy.  Most theories just don’t hold up since they are too simple.  Note, this does NOT mean that the actions you need to take have to be complex, but the theory to explain all the inter-workings gets complicated at times.

Metabolic Flexibility (Met Flex) is the term to describe the ability of the body to burn both fats AND carbs efficiently.

Enter the Diabetic Stage Left

The basic definition of a diabetic is someone who does not handle carbs (carbohydrates) very well.  Their glucose management has gone awry and is messed up.  Don’t get me started on why the popular recommendation is then for diabetics is truck loads of CARBS!  Ok, just a short rant since it is my blog and I read research studies for fun.

Now to be entirely fair, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has cracked the door a bit to  low-carb diets for people with diabetes and pre-diabetes (and insulin resistant) but for weight control ONLY and it doesn’t recommend low-carb diets for blood glucose control, even though the new guidelines say,

“dietary carbohydrate is the major determinant of postprandial [after meal] glucose levels”.

If you are a diabetic or borderline diabetic, dumping a crap ton (technical term) into your system of the very thing that you have a hard time processing, is a bad idea.

Toxic Sugar

Keep in mind that HIGH level of glucose (sugar) in the blood is TOXIC.   Low levels are also bad, so the body has tons of controls to keep you at a happy medium (homeostasis for my fellow geeks).    The downside is that some of these short term controls (read, so you don’t die) come at a very high cost long term (read: destruction of other tissues).

Fat Metabolism: Torch the Muffin Top

In the USA, Even the Wild Animals Are Now Fat!

source: James Marvin Phelps (mandj98)

On the other end of the spectrum, although not as common, are people who can’t handle high amounts of dietary fats.  The machinery that processes fat has gone off the tracks and this too results in lots of collateral damage.

Summary So Far

So those are the bad circumstances

1) poor handling of carbs

or

2) poor handling of fats

For all practical purposes, the burning of protein as a fuel does not happen that much; despite all the fear mongering of bro-scientists everywhere in the bodybuilding circles.

Now, some poor bastards can have BOTH (fat and carb metabolism) gone awry and are an unfortunate metabolic wreck.

The Good Side

So if that is the bad side, people who are very metabolically INflexible to fats and carbs; there is a good side -  people are who very metabolically flexible to carbs and fats.  This is where you want to be.

You want the ability to handle fats AND carbs without any collateral damage and increase your health and performance.

How?

The most profound effector of this is ………EXERICSE!   Any surprise there?  A high levels of exercise, your body becomes very efficient at handling fats AND carbs (2).  There is accumulating evidence (1) that lower levels of body fat are also correlated to metabolic flexibility.    We used to think that fat cell sat around on their collective fat butts all day, but we now know they run a host of chemical messengers throughout the body.  Fat as it turns out is very metabolically active (think busy fat cells not lazy ones).

Metabolically Flexible Robots?  What?

KITT from Knight Rider: A Smart Robot

Now I don’t believe much of anything I read on Fox news, but there was a story about the military making new robots that can eat anything.  Sweet!  A metabolically flexible robot!  I always knew DARPA was ahead of us.

from Fox News (yeah I know, I am quoting fox news, eeek)

“Robotic Technology Inc.’s Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot — that’s right, “EATR” — “can find, ingest, and extract energy from biomass in the environment (and other organically-based energy sources), as well as use conventional and alternative fuels (such as gasoline, heavy fuel, kerosene, diesel, propane, coal, cooking oil, and solar) when suitable,” reads the company’s Web site.”

You gotta love the name too EATR.  ha!  For those that want to see the whole presentation on EATR, I tracked it down and you can get it HERE.

Are the Robots Ahead of Us?

It is time to add some more exercise and get more metabolically flexible soon, before a robot comes looking to eat you for lunch.    This also has a great side effect of decreasing that spare tire and muffin top too.

Sprints anyone?  Catch me if you can you lazy robot!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

PS

For those that are interested in this topic, hold on to your hats as I have a whole product coming out soon called “The Truth about Protein, Fats, and Carbs: Implications for Metabolic Flexibility”   I am also in the process of writing up some studies for peer review on metabolic flexibility (silly dissertation).

REFERENCES

1) MITOCHONDRIAL RESPIRATION IS INCREASED FOLLOWING
LIPID EXPOSURE IN CULTURED MYOTUBES FROM LEAN BUT
NOT OBESE DONORS

Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. Vol. 34, 2009
Boyle KE, Zheng D, Anderson ET, Neufer PD, & Houmard JA. Dept.
of Exercise & Sport Science & The Metabolic Institute, East Carolina
University, Greenville, NC

The skeletal muscle of obese humans oxidizes less lipid compared to
leans and is unable to respond to a lipid challenge. We utilized satellite
cells derived from vastus lateralis tissue of 7 lean (BMI=22) and 8 obese
(BMI=38) human males to determine the mechanisms involved with
the inability to utilize lipid with obesity. On day 6 of differentiation,
myotubes were incubated in differentiation media supplemented with
either 100?M oleate/palmitate + 0.05% BSA or 0.05% BSA for 24h. Cells
were then permeabilized and state 4, state 3, and uncoupled respiration
was measured in the presence of palmitoyl carnitine + malate (+succinate
for uncoupled). State 3 and uncoupled respiration increased in leans with
the lipid incubation (50% & 35%, respectively; P<0.05). There was no
corresponding change in the cells from obese donors. Mitochondrial
DNA copy number increased in leans but decreased in obese with lipid
incubation (16% & -13%, respectively; P<0.05) and COX-IV protein
content showed a significant lipid incubation x body size interaction (38%
increase in leans and -13% decrease in obese; P<0.05). These data suggest
that the skeletal muscle of obese individuals does not respond to lipid
exposure by increasing lipid oxidation; this metabolic inflexibility may be
a mechanism involved in the reduced ability to oxidize lipid evident in the
muscle of obese subjects.
Funded by NIH DK561112 & DK073488.

2) ADAPTATIONS IN NR4A3 ISOFORMS FOLLOWING EXERCISE
TRAINING IN OBESE HUMANS
Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. Vol. 34, 2009

Haus, J.M., Solomon, T.P., Kirwan, J.P. Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH

The orphan nuclear receptor NR4A3 responds to acute exercise and
has been implicated in the regulation of genes that mediate glucose
and lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle. Data on the effects of exercise
training on NR4A3 gene expression are lacking. We examined mRNA
expression of the known NR4A3 isoforms (A,B,C) from muscle biopsy
samples obtained at basal and under insulin stimulated conditions (INS)
during a 40 uU/m2/min hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp before and
after 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training. Subjects included obese
men and women. At baseline, NR4A3 isoform C was most abundant
(2.7±1.1, 3.5±1.4, 5.6±1.7 AU), and INS increased expression of all three
isoforms (3.4, 1.6, 4.7 fold; P<0.05). Exercise training increased basal fat
oxidation, glucose disposal rates (GDR) and basal mRNA expression of
NR4A3 isoforms B and C (1.4 and 2.1 fold; P<0.05 vs. pre). In addition,
the expression of NR4A3 isoforms A, B and C were decreased during INS
(-55, -29, -61% vs. Pre INS). Following exercise training, increased basal
expression of NR4A3 isoforms B and C may reflect the increase in basal
whole body fat oxidation. The exercise-induced attenuation of NR4A3
gene expression during INS is consistent with the observed improvements
in metabolic flexibility following exercise training. These novel data
provide evidence that NR4A3 may regulate glucose and lipid metabolism
following exercise training in obese, insulin resistant adults

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Nutrition Chat : Cholesterol, Protein, Muscle Growth and More!

Here I talk about the latest research on how to maximize muscle growth through nutrition based on a phone chat I had with Dr. Lonnie Lowery.

You probably know Dr. Lowery from his writings at TMuscle.com (may not be uber work friendly and also Iron Radio.  I encourage you to check out both.

Here we go!

Here I yap about

• Cholesterol -  Is it that Evil?

• mTOR – What the heck is that?  Why do I give a crap?

• Calories Are King!

• How Much Protein?

• Diabetics and Carbs

• Metabolic Flexibility

Let me know what you think and what questions you have!  Post away in the comments!

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

Greetings!

I trust everyone had a killer weekend.  Jodie and I were off to South Dakota for her family reunion.  I will have an update in the next day or so and some tips on how you can survive a 12 hour one way car trip.

Here is an interview I did with Rick from Exercise for Injuries.  We chatted about everything from Z-Health, to athletic performance, to corrective exercises.  Topics covered are:

I. Movement

• How I got my first client
• Rehab and prehab work for shoulder issues
• “Traditional” corrective exercise work vs “Non traditional” (Z-Health, neurology)
• Neuroplasticity.  What is that?  Why should I care?
• Can we grow more brain cells?  (Is there hope for me?)
• How does the brain get its information?
• Movement maps- Why are they important and how do they affect athletic performance.
• If you have a chronic shoulder issue, is the shoulder always the SOURCE of the issue? (Hint, nope)
• The ultimate assessment that is really really fast
• Can you get instant pain relief? Is that possible?
• What the heck is an arthrokinetic reflex?
• How can you get an instant increase in strength in seconds

II) Nutrition (starts at 12:47)

Metabolic Flexibility

• What is it?
• How can it help you?
• What happens with energy drinks like Monster, Red Bull, etc

Notes:
This was done back in June
Blog has been updated to this one at http://www.ExtremeHumanPerformance.com
I am hoping (fingers crossed) to graduate later this Oct

Special thanks to Rick at Exercises for Injuries for doing the interview.
Check out his site at

Exercises For Injuries

Any questions or clarifications, drop me some comment love.  Feel free to download this MP3 and pass it around to your friend and enemies.

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

Play Now:

 Interview with Mike T Nelson Extreme Human Performance [19:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Greetings from AZ!  Just wanted to drop you all an update that all is going well here in stupid hot and sunny AZ.  I think the temp is supposed to hit 116 F this weekend.

So far we have learned lots of new material about motivation, rapport building, behavioral changes, hormone regulation regarding blood sugar and appeite and I did two lectures on Metabolic Flexibility also.  Great times!  3 days down and only 2 more to go as the time just flies by.

I am off to bed since we start up early tomorrow AM again.

Any predictions on the big MMA fight tomorrow night?   I predict Lesnar will win!  What do you think?

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

I recently had a question about what I doing for my research and what a typical day is like for me, so I thought I would republish here for all of you.

What are my research projects like/what are my teaching responsibilities?

I am investigating the concept of Metabolic Flexibility. For a full literature review, see the link below

Metabolic Inflexibility Literature Review

We know that as people get closer to say a diabetic condition, their body has a harder time processing carbohydrates. The opposite of this should also be true, as they are closer to a “healthy” state, they should be able to efficiently use carbohydrates, fats and perhaps protein.

In my study I am looking at the effects of a commercially available Energy Drink to alter Heart Rate Variability (measure of heart health), Flow Mediated Dilation (measure of vessel health), changes in Respiratory Exchange Ratio (amount of carbs and fat burned during exercise) and is it an ergogenic (does it enhance exercise performance). I am also working on two other papers related to Metabolic Flexibility and Heart Rate Variability (HRV).

I am a Teaching Assistant (TA) for KIN 3385 Human Physiology and KIN 4385 Exercise Physiology labs. I also do a lecture on occasion for both.

What is a typical day like?
Day to Day varies quite a bit. Here is a recent Tuesday

5:40am–get up, head to the lab
Too early to think, so I make sure to set everything out the night before.

6:30am prep and then subject testing. Have a bowl of oatmeal and protein shake with Biotest super food (fruit/veggie supplement). Normally at home I have eggs and spinach.

9:00am finished subject testing

9:10-11:10am Human Physiology labs (TA)

11:10-12:30 email, review study for meeting
Grilled chicken breast with veggies and olive oil.

12:30-1:30pm, U of MN staff meeting

1:30-2pm change clothes, drive to work

2-5pm work in Technical Services at Boston Scientific
I’ve been working there for 9 years now and I started after I spent 7.5 years in college on the “first go round”. I was able to drop to 24 hours a week 2 years ago in order to finish my PhD.

A snack made with organic whole plain yogurt, protein powder and a bit of sugar free pudding mix, with berries.

5:45pm get home, unpack, change and get ready for client
Chicken breast with veggies and olive oil

7-9pm training a client in my garage gym
I also train at this time. This time we were working on some bench, rows using gymnastic rings attached to the power rack and KB snatches. Warm up is Z Health Neuro Warm Up and any other special Z Health drills to get his movement up to par before we lift.

Here is a video on how to do a neutral bench press shot in my garage gym.

9pm prep food for the next day, shower, etc
Post training meal of grilled salmon, broccoli and sweet potato with butter and cinnamon. Tasty!

10pm off to bed, rinse and repeat

Tuesdays tend to be a busier day, but most days are pretty packed lately although what I am working on tends to vary.

The key is to plan ahead. I like to do all my food prep on Sunday (or lately it has been Wed evenings) so that I am good to go before the weeks starts.

What tips do you have to get through your busy weeks? Post them in the comments section.

Here is another tip for you–a video on how to cook salmon in just minutes!

Rock on
Mike T Nelson