Accidental Health

9. October 2008 William Davis (2)

"I shall never have smallpox for I have had cowpox; I shall never
have an ugly pockmarked face."

Such was the idle comment made by a milkmaid to Edward Jenner in 1768 when Jenner was 19, a remark that later prompted his investigations into using isolates of cowpox injected into humans as the first vaccination against the devastations of the European epidemic of smallpox.

(A caricature of Jenner administering cowpox vaccine to people, causing them to sprout bovine appendages. Image courtesy Wikipedia and the Library of Congress.)

When I look back, something similar has happened here.

Although the Track Your Plaque program is intended to stop and reverse coronary plaque using the only available means of tracking coronary plaque, i.e., heart scans, an unintended panel of benefits follow:

--People lose weight, often dramatically
--People gain greater energy
--Thinking is clearer, emotions more stable
--Sleep is deeper
--Bone density increases
--Physical strength and coordination improve
--Winter blues dissipate
--Blood sugar drops dramatically
--Blood pressure drops

Cholesterol (lipid) panels also settle to values that most physicians deem impossible or impractical, given our target of 60:60:60, i.e., LDL 60 mg/dl or less, HDL 60 mg/dl or higher, triglycerides 60 mg/dl or less. And medications are not always necessary to achieve these values. (When I show these values to my colleagues, they declare them flukes, unobtainable only in select people with high doses of medications.)

I didn’t set out to find the next weight loss solution, nor the key to boundless energy. My goal was "simpler": create a program of heart health. I am, after all, a cardiologist.

I was so intently focused on achieving incremental improvements over the steps leading to heart disease prevention that I failed to recognize the profound phenomena that accompanied it: people were quicker, smarter, thinner, and healthier.

In other words, I believe that we have inadvertently created a program of super health and performance.

Ironically, most people don't want to talk about heart disease, let alone reversal of heart disease. They do want to talk about getting thinner, feeling more energetic, living longer, better cholesterol values, etc.

Perhaps there's a lesson in this.
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Comments (2) -

  • Anonymous

    10/9/2008 1:05:00 AM |

    Dr. Davis:
    You are providing miraculous advice for people who have lost all hope for the medical profession and all hope for recovery from their ills.

    I come from a very long line of heart-attack/stroke victims. My entire family on my Dad's side has died (young and middle age) from heart related ailments. I myself had a stroke at age 46.

    Lying in bed in the hospital, thanking whatever gods came to my rescue that my mind seemed intact even though my body was not responding as well as I'd hoped, my priorities shifted. I had only one goal, to recover and find a way to become healthy again.

    It was a long road. The neurologist could give me no advice on diet. I started shunning all doctors and started researching and reading all I could on nutrition. I was sure it was nutrition. Once I discovered the low-carb community and implemented low-carbing in my life, I was saved. And the truth shall set you free and it did for me.

    Dr. Davis, you are a pioneer who saw that conventional methods were not working with your patients. You did not blindly turn your back on them and continue doing what almost every doctor was doing, you began your own truth-seeking journey.

    For this you stand with very few other doctors who did the right thing and I thank you. It is because of you and others like you that I am still alive.

  • Joe D. Goldstrich, MD, FACC

    10/9/2008 12:18:00 PM |

    Nathan Pritikin had a similar experience almost 50 years ago. He started his program to try to reverse heart disease and ended up naming his facility the "Pritikin Longevity Center" after seeing a wide range of dramatic health benefits. Pritikin's coronary arteries were free of plaque at his autopsy. Diet and exercise rule!!

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Collective wisdom

Collective wisdom

12. October 2007 William Davis (5)

As public consciousness and knowledge about health issues grows, thanks to the internet and other media, I predict that:

1) Hospitals will recede into a role of acute and catastrophic care ONLY, dropping the charade of providing health, which they do NOT.

2) Doctors and other health professionals will begin to see themselves as providers of acute and catastrophic care, also. They will stop providing day to day care, such as treating high blood pressure, cholesterol, breast exams, and other preventive maintenance.

3) Instead, preventive care will be self-provided. The public will have acquired sufficient savvy and know-how to manage issues like blood pressure themselves. They will need the assistance of helpful information resources, web-based for the most part. Much preventive care can, in fact, be algorithm-driven, just like following a simple recipe.

All the worries about runaway health care costs will be much reduced, since excessive testing driven by liability worries will disappear, repeated office visits for day-to-day issues will go away. Yes, you will need a doctor and hospital for a broken leg, car accident, unexpected cancer, or non-compliance or neglect of prevention.

But osteoporosis, high blood pressure, nutrition, weight loss, hormone management, cholesterol issues, minor complaints will all be managed by people themselves with the assistance of web-based knowledge systems.

I already sense this sort of phenomeonon developing, though in its infancy, in venues like the Track Your Plaque Forum and other health portals, places where the information being discussed exceeds the quality of information you can obtain from your doctor. Over and over again, for instance, the sophistication and knowledge demonstrated by our Track Your Plaque Forum discussions shows that the public is capable of far more understanding of health issues than many previously believed. Most of our members could carry on a credible conversation with trained lipid experts. The knowledge base of our members exceeds that of 98% of most of my colleagues when it comes to heart scans, lipoproteins, and nutrition.

I am in awe of Wikipedia, the popular online encyclopedia. Five 20- and 30-somethings have created a knowledge base that has now eclipsed Encyclopedia Britannica in size and scope, with equivalent accuracy, and relatively little cost. I'd like to see the same phenomenon occur in health care information, helping to usurp the current paternalistic "I'll tell you what to do" model.
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Comments (5) -

  • wccaguy

    10/13/2007 2:14:00 AM |

    Hey Doc,

    A terrific vision to strive to make happen.

    One problem is...  How are we supposed to rollback the control that doctors have over key elements of our own preventative health programs if all them are devoted to crisis management.

    The intersections Doctors currently control include at least the following

    1) ordering blood tests,

    2) ordering CTAs when required

    3) delivery of CT calcium score scan info to doctors (I've been told no doctor is required to get a CT scan.  Is that true?

    4) prescribing drugs like statins in situations that aren't emergencies but still critical.

    Moreover, if a doctor's approval is necessary to get reimbursement for these more costly tests, how is interfacing with the doctor avoided?

    Thoughts?

  • Gary Greenfield

    10/13/2007 9:17:00 AM |

    I recently came across your blog and I greatly appreciate and agree with what I have read thus far.  It is indeed refreshing to cross paths with an allopathic physician whose views  run contrary to popular brainwashed opinion. It seems as though our culture has removed God from His rightful place in society and replaced Him with physicians.  The average patient today is willing to pay any cost for treatment to prolong his life and hospitals are willing to allow no ceiling on costs to save a life.  In the meantime, what price is a man willing to pay to save his soul and what price are hospitals, (once religious institutions) willing to pay to address the salvation of the soul?  I'm afraid the tables have turned and what you are observing  and writing about is a direct consequence of this delema.

  • jpatti

    10/13/2007 6:44:00 PM |

    It won't happen like this.  

    Sure, motivated patients will largely provide their own health care and manage it themselves.  I just bought an endocrinology textbook and ordered some lab work before coming to your blog today.  But I am not most people; most patients are not motivated.

    There are 6 diabetics in my family.  I'm the only one willing to give up *sugar* let alone wheat and other problematic grains.  I've given copies of Bernstein's book to them, made homemade sugar-free chocolate, etc.  This has almost no impact on their life choices.

    I've sat and listened to my husband's stepmother talk about how much her feet hurt WHILE eating cookies and cake.  I don't choose to be a nag, and have already provided the necessary information, so there's nothing to do for her but sit and listen and be sympathetic.

    This is the reality of the vast majority of patients: they do what they want to do and count on their doctors to fix them.  

    Heart disease is very similar to diabetes, 99% of the outcome is in the patient's hands.  Doctors can't actually do much to effect the course of the disease other than provide recommendations.  

    The doctors you criticize for not empowering their patients have an awful lot of stupid patients too.  Some of these patients *deserve* some of these doctors.

  • Dr. Davis

    10/14/2007 1:41:00 PM |

    Yes, unfortunately, there is a substantial segment of the American population who will never mind their own health. But the "bell curve" will shift to the right over the next 50 years. I don't have illusions that this will happen next week. This is a evolutionary process that will affect our children more than us. But it needs to happen.

  • Dr. Davis

    10/16/2007 10:51:00 PM |

    I think the path to self-empowerment will require decades and come from a variety of changes, such as increasing availability of direct-to-consumer laboratory testing; reduced price barriers for imaging tests; more medications transferred into over-the-counter status; more info and more powerful nutritional supplements. Also, the growth of medical savings accounts and similar tools that allow self-directed health care purchasing will introduce greater consumer choice into the equation. But it will evolve over time.

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"Flying in the fog"

"Flying in the fog"

2. March 2008 William Davis (3)
I received this wonderful response to The Heart Scan Blog post Hammers and Nails:

I am 65 years old. I had a stent inserted in the "widow-maker" artery (80% blockage) a year ago. I had passed out a couple of times (heart rate dangerously low - 30s). I rode to the hospital in an ambulance. Tests revealed short LBBB episodes; mild mitral regurgitation, mild tricuspid regurgitation. Catherization showed 3 vessel CAD. I was told that a medicated stent was absolutely necessary given the situation; regardless, I have to accept that. A pacemaker was installed to prevent bradycardia and keeps heart rate from dropping below 60. I have 20% L distal main blockage and 90% lesion of the high first obtuse marginal at the takeoff. The right coronary had 60% posterior lateral branch stenosis.

Since then I have reduced TG from 360 to 60, LDL from 89 to 82 (although a few months ago it was in the mid-70s), and increased HDL from 30 to 46. I went from 265lbs to 190lbs and hope to eventually get to 180lb this Spring. I did it by progressing from walking to trotting (slow run) and dietstyle changes (low-GI veggies, fruits, etc.) .













On a recent visit the cardiologist said the the LDL needs to be 70 or below to "freeze" the 90% blockage and gave me a prescription for Lipitor. I asked if there were alternatives, like diet, supplements, etc. He admitted that he did not know about those alternative but did know Lipitor. When the only tool you have is a hammer then everything is a nail. I understand that the 90% blockage is important but will not take the Lipitor to achieve the 12 points reduction. Seems like an overkill.

I asked him if there was a way to evaluate my current condition. I was told there was no way. Basically, if I have no symptoms, good. If I have symptoms then it will have to be evaluated. Death could be the only symptom. I swear he was about to say bypass surgery ($$$$$$!) was inevitable. Something is wrong with this "fly-in-the-fog-and-hope-you-don't- hit-a-mountain" approach. Hope is not a strategy!

I am confident that I can reduce LDL to below 70 based on eliminating wheat-products in my diet plus increasing oat bran in my diet. I also take fish oil daily (EPA/DHA-2g). I am looking for a new cardiologist. I just recently purchased your book and find it very instructive. In the meantime I have an appointment with my primary care physician to discuss implementing the Track Your Plaque program. I realize that the one stent will skew the scan numbers but can be used as a baseline number.


Phenomenal weight loss! That alone has likely cut this man's risk in half. But is that it? Is the cardiologist correct--take Lipitor and hope for the best?

Of course not. There are many additional strategies to employ. Eliminating wheat from the diet is an excellent idea: HDL will skyrocket, triglycerides drop even further, small LDL will drop like a stone, blood sugar and blood pressure will drop. He will have more energy, get rid of afternoon energy slumps, sleep better.

He has already added fish oil. If his cardiologist did not mention this, I would say he was guilty of malpractice. The data supporting the addition of fish oil to the treatment program of anyone with heart disease is overhwelming. GISSI Prevenzione: 11,000 participants--28% reduction in heart attack, 45% reduction in death from heart attack. The Japanese JELIS trial of 18,645 participants--19% reduction in dangerous heart events. It's also clear that omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil also compound the benefits of statin agents, should this man choose to begin Lipitor.

Vitamin D brought to normal blood levels is his next "secret weapon" that will further boost his lipids and lipoproteins further into not just "normal" territory, but beyond belief. Even though we aim for 60-60-60 for LDL-HDL-triglycerides in the Track Your Plaque program, adding vitamin D can yield numbers you've never seen before. It's not uncommon, for instance, to see a 10 or 20 mg/dl jump in HDL.

Identify all other hidden causes of coronary plaque. If all the causes have not been fully identified, how can anyone hope to gain full control over coronary plaque growth?

Re: LDL cholesterol of 89 mg/dl at the start. Of course, this is a calculated value, not measured. Because HDL was low and triglycerides high at the start of his program, this means that true LDL--if actually measured--was probably more like 180 to 250 mg/dl, and it was probably nearly all small. So his cardiologist might have advised a helpful treatment, though for the wrong reasons.

Our reader has gone a long way on his own in creating his own prevention program. But there's yet more to do, particularly if the goal is reversal. It is shocking to me that a man like our reader, clearly articulate and motivated, gets virtually no advice beyond "take Lipitor" after all the procedural benefits have been reaped.

Even though one artery can no longer be "scored" due to the presence of the metallic stent, a heart scan would still be invaluable for long-term tracking purposes, just as we advocate in the Track Your Plaque program.



Copyright 2008 William Davis, MD
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Comments (3) -

  • Anonymous

    3/2/2008 6:04:00 PM |

    Dr. Davis -

    I am the "anonymous" reader who posted the "flying in the fog" comment.  Thank you for commenting on my adventure!  However, there is one correction I would like to point out and that is my weight.  I typed "365" and that is a typo; it should be 265.  

    Here is before-after pix.  'Before' was about 5 years ago; complete with wheat-belly.  'After' is recent after playing catch with my adult son.  Note the shirt is the SAME.   http://s88082351.onlinehome.us/oldnew.png

    I have to say that after the stent was inserted the only advice I received was to walk daily for at least 45 minutes and follow AMA recommend diet.   I asked how this kind of thing can be prevented from happening again and was told that the walking and exercise would help -- that was IT.  If not for an acquaintance in California who completely reversed his plaque growth I would have been left to think that it was hopeless and just wait for a disaster.  I had the occasion to visit the man in California last June.  It was absolutely mind-boggling learning experience.  He is my age and was overweight when he began his program 5 years ago that he and his cardiologist developed.  What struck me was that he did not look his age but 20 years younger!  

    I am very, very grateful that you have this blog.  I discovered your blog by accident and, as I mentioned, purchased your book.  I plan to join your forum site as well.  Where does one go when a cardiologist does not offer or volunteer information or when trying to get answers to questions seem like trying to chisel granite for a response?   Horrific.  This blog serves as a beacon especially to those like me that discover they have been abandoned -- left in the desert to fend for themselves with no place to go.  

    Thank you, Dr. Davis!  

    Have a great week.

  • Dr. Davis

    3/3/2008 11:51:00 PM |

    Thanks for you wonderful story. I've gone back and added your photo directly into the post.

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Bet you can't fast

Bet you can't fast

26. May 2011 William Davis (28)
People who continue to consume the world's most destructive grain, i.e., wheat, can rarely endure fasting--not eating for an extended period--except by mustering up monumental willpower. That's because wheat is a powerful appetite stimulant through its 2-hour cycle of exaggerated glycemia followed by a glucose low, along with its addictive exorphin effect. Wheat elimination is therefore an important first step towards allowing you to consider fasting.

Why fast? I regard fasting as among the most underappreciated and underutilized strategies for health.

In its purest form, fasting means eating nothing while maintaining hydration with water alone. (Inadequate hydration is the most common reason for failing, often experienced as nausea or lightheadedness.) You can fast for as briefly as 15 hours or as long as several weeks (though I tell people that any more than 5 days and supervision is required, as electrolyte distortions like dangerously low magnesium levels can develop).

Among its many physiological benefits, fasting can:

  • Reduce blood pressure. The blood pressure reducing effect can be so substantial that I usually have people hold some blood pressure medications, especially ACE inhibitors and ARB agents, during the fast since blood pressure will drop to normal even without the drugs. (A fascinating phenomenon all by itself.)

  • Reduce visceral fat, i.e., the fat that releases inflammatory mediators and generates resistance to insulin.

  • Reduce inflammatory measures

  • Reduce liver output of VLDL that cascades into reduced small LDL, improved HDL "architecture," and improved insulin responsiveness. (The opposite of fasting is "grazing," the ridiculous strategy advocated by many dietitians to control weight. Grazing, or eating small meals every two hours, is incredibly destructive for the opposite reason: flagrant provocation of VLDL production.)

  • Accelerate weight loss. One pound per day is typical.


Beyond this, fasting also achieves unique subjective benefits, including reduced appetite upon resumption of eating. You will find that as single boiled egg or a few slices of cucumber, for example, rapidly generate a feeling of fullness and satisfaction. Most people also experience greater appreciation of food--the sensory experience of eating is heightened and your sense of texture, flavors, sweetness, sourness, etc. are magnified.

After decades of the sense-deadening effects of processed foods--over-sugared, over-salted, reheated, dehydrated then just-add-water foods--fasting reawakens your appreciation for simple, real food. On breaking one of my fasts, I had a slice of green pepper. Despite its simplicity, it was a veritable feast of flavors and textures. Just a few more bites and I was full and satisfied.

Once you've fasted, I believe that you will see why it is often practiced as part of religious ritual. It has an almost spiritual effect.

More on fasting to come . . .
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Comments (28) -

  • Soul

    5/26/2011 12:43:19 PM |

    Thought this interesting, talking about wheat, saw yesterday on the news that NBC is hosting "health week" this week.  It is sponsored by General Mills, if I remember correctly, with emphasis on the importance of eating whole wheat for good health.

  • Gene K

    5/26/2011 3:56:41 PM |

    1. Should I continue to take all my supplements and medications during fasting, e.g. Niacin, or does it depend?
    2. If upon fasting, satiety comes after eating a small amount of food, how do I make sure my nutrition is sufficient to maintain the muscle mass? How do you combine fasting and exercise?

  • Joe

    5/26/2011 4:52:26 PM |

    Gene, my guess is that you can't. Or shouldn't. But then you're probably not going to fast for more than a few days at most, so going without exercise for a few days is probably not going to cost you any muscle mass.

    I would also think it's probably okay to take your usual supplements, too.  Medicines may be a problem, depending on what they are.  People with serious health issues probably should avoid fasting altogether, unless under the close supervision of his or her doctor.

    I'm interested in hearing what Dr. Davis has to say regarding fasting.  Hurry up doc!

    Joe

  • Kent

    5/26/2011 5:22:21 PM |

    Is it true that fasting can also improve LP(a)?

  • Steve Cooksey

    5/26/2011 8:27:45 PM |

    Agreed Dr. Davis.

    I am a big fan of intermittent fasting.... looking forward to more posts.

  • Rob O.

    5/26/2011 8:54:14 PM |

    I've had a similar experience to your post-fast feeling upon eating by doing a 2 or 3 day liquid-only diet that's heavy on water and includes a large protein shake each day.  It's as though you have to periodically remind the part of your brain that listens to the stomach what "full" means.

    Like the others, I'm very interested in what the doc has to say in the next article in this series!

  • Paul

    5/26/2011 9:28:09 PM |

    To what extent does a person with impaired adrenal and/or thyroid function need to be careful when fasting or low-carbing?

  • Mark. Gooley

    5/26/2011 10:24:13 PM |

    Type 1 diabetic for 40 years, and nowadays I eat about a thousand-calorie high-fat breakfast and a similar dinner.  I rarely eat lunch, and skipping breakfast (simply omit the pre-meal shot of insulin) as well is usually not a big deal any more: I do it occasionally.  Control of blood sugar is much easier now, and Hb A1c around 6 rather than over 10: still room for improvement.  When I was eating skimmed milk with Grape-Nuts or Uncle Sam (whole wheat flakes with whole flaxseed) for breakfast I would have blood sugars as high as 300 by mid-morning and a powerful hunger by lunchtime.  Whatever benefits fasting may have, I find it a lot easier now than it once was, and plan to try it more often, as I'm still overweight.

  • Gene K

    5/27/2011 3:07:21 AM |

    Is snacking on raw green vegetables between meals also considered grazing?

  • JLL

    5/27/2011 11:22:09 AM |

    I experimented with intermittent fasting (IF) for a little over a year. I first got interested in IF through calorie restriction (CR) -- there were a couple papers suggesting that you could extend lifespan through IF without the CR, which seemed like the perfect combination.

    These papers are still quoted on many blogs, but I doubt many have actually read them, since none of them actually show you can increase lifespan without restricting calories. See this post for a more detailed analysis:

    http://inhumanexperiment.blogspot.com/2010/05/does-intermittent-fasting-increase.html

    Anyhow, I still think there might be benefits for doing intermittent fasting -- though I've also seen some studies showing it might have negative effects as well -- and certainly it seems pretty good for weight loss. When I was on a high-fat, low-carb diet and fasting for 24 hours, then eating for 24 hours, I was the leanest I'd ever been. And that was without trying or counting calories:

    http://inhumanexperiment.blogspot.com/2009/08/year-of-intermittent-fasting-adf.html

    And one more shameless plug, some tips for those who have trouble going without food for 24 hours (or more):

    http://inhumanexperiment.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-to-deal-with-5-most-common.html

    Personally, I never went for several days without food. I'm not sure it's needed for weight loss anyway, although it might have other health benefits.

    - JLL

  • Dr. William Davis

    5/27/2011 11:40:28 AM |

    Hi, Gene--

    Green vegetables have no discernible postprandial chylomicron/VLDL consequence and is the exception. I'd consider that safe "grazing."

    We usually hold niacin during a fast due to the fluid struggles, which can magnify the hot "flush." We usually continue the other supplements, however.

  • Dr. William Davis

    5/27/2011 11:41:49 AM |

    Hi, Paul--

    If not yet corrected, I don't think it would be a good time to fast, since you could feel pretty crumby during your fast.

    Fasting should be a positive experience, not something to endure. I'd wait until these issues are corrected.

  • Dr. William Davis

    5/27/2011 11:45:56 AM |

    Hi, JLL--

    Agreed. In fact, I believe that the greatest benefits of intermittent fasting are the subjective benefits of reawakened taste and appreciation of food, rather than the physiologic benefits. Nonetheless, it makes sense that, since atherosclerosis and arterial dysfunction are to a large degree postprandial phenomena, prolonged "no-prandial" periods might facilitate arterial health.

  • Carl N

    5/27/2011 1:26:16 PM |

    Is it possible that current wheat strains have been selected or genetically engineered to be addictive?

  • Steve O

    5/27/2011 4:36:54 PM |

    Today's Urban Dictionary Word of the Day: Carb Coma -- The sleepy feeling after eating a large meal comprised chiefly of carbohydrates, whether in the form of rice, noodles, bread or dough.  "Dude, I was totally dozing at the office after that giant serving of chow mein for lunch. Total carb coma."

  • Curtis

    5/27/2011 6:12:12 PM |

    I have been following Fast-5 for three years, and quickly got down to a healthy weight. I'm 58 years old and lost 25 lbs to get down to 160lb (5'-11''), and a reasonable BMI. I fast daily for 19 to 21 hours with absolutely no effort required - it is just the way I live now. During this whole time I have made no effort to restrict wheat in any way. I don't eat a lot of wheat and I don't eat it every day, but on the day after pigging out on pizza I have no trouble with my fasting. There's your black swan.

  • Might-o'chondri-AL

    5/28/2011 12:28:56 AM |

    Ketone metabolites from Beta oxidation of fatty acid, B-hydroxy-butyrate , increase when fasting;  these metabolites act on visceral fat receptor HM74A. The result is upregulation of the anti-inflammatory  molecule adiponectin;  it (adiponectin)  also keeps less glycerols  (think of tri-glyceride group).

    The increased adiponectin upshot is the white visceral adipose (not subcutaneous fat) does less lypo-lysis (fat cleaving) and there is a reduced level of free fatty acids going into circulation.  This relief, from excessive "freed" fatty acids ,  permits the response to insulin to improve (ie: sensitivity to insulin better) when go back to eating;  and the longer the fast went on for  the longer the boost of circulating adipinectins stays  around   than before.

    Low serum adiponectin levels are common in the obese, hyper-glycaemic,  diabetic;  individuals with  hyper-triglycerides, coronary artery disease (and often even the children of  hyper-tensives.  Metabolic syndrome tends to low adiponectin and concurrent high levesls of circulating triglycerides.

    The  actual anti-inflammatory action of adiponectin is a major  part of why the fast makes the body feel so much better;  the digestive  organ rest is given too much focus.   Many individuals report  " pain gone"  from diets  that favor more ketone derived energy
    production (like low carb,  calorie restriction &/or  ferments for gut bacteria) ;  because,  there too, the metabolite Beta hydroxy-butyrate is instigating more circulating adiponectin that  then stymies pro-inflammatory cytokines.

  • Dr. William Davis

    5/28/2011 3:08:20 PM |

    Hi, Might--

    You make a crucial point that, I believe, explains much of the benefits to fasting: via improvements in cytokine levels and tissue responsiveness, especially adiponectin.

    Fabulous!

  • Dr. William Davis

    5/28/2011 3:09:26 PM |

    Hi, Curtis--

    Exactly. There are going to be exceptions. However, I speak for the 80% or more people who do indeed have addictive and appetite-increasing relationships with wheat.

  • Shreela

    5/29/2011 6:08:03 AM |

    I wasn't able to fast when Dr. Davis started discussing it about 1-2 years ago. Most of my life, if I didn't "graze", I'd get hypoglycemic symptoms like my mother, and my paternal grandmother. My mother even got a note from my doctor that I had to have a sandwich before Jr high band practice, else I'd get headaches or light-headed - that's how long I've dealt with frequent hypoglycemia episodes.

    So I came up with my own personal mini-fast-challenge. I would only eat when an actual hypoglycemic symptom happened, ignoring the regular hunger pangs. Then when I ate, I avoided sugars, starch and wheat - I did have a bit of rice though. I'm guessing it was about 3-4 days before I could go 5-6 hours with no hypoglycemic symptoms, and about 10'ish days before I could go 12 waking hours with no calories (I draink tea with stevia).

    Looking back, both my parents' families ate lots of wheat: bread, biscuits, pasta, so that's probably what gave my paternal grandmother, mother, and then me our hypoglycemia. If I have a hypoglycemic symptom, I start my mini-fast-challenge again. I finally figured out my family's curse is wheat, so I avoid it except the occasional pasta dish.

  • Paul Lee

    5/30/2011 11:27:42 AM |

    I followed the "East Stop Eat" approach a while back, with good results. I agree with one poster that said best to skip the breakfast insulin surge. In fact I think the whole "three square meals" with grazing in between, needs to be challenged (perhaps one meal a day). My guess is that humans are designed to go days without food and have plenty of energy. Its an ability that needs to be regained. Also I gather fasting is good for HGH response, especially if combined with resistance training.

  • Matt Titus

    5/30/2011 4:34:48 PM |

    Dr. Davis, I have done intermittent fasting for a long time...so long, I have lost count but I think that it has been 4 years. I do my version on a daily basis so it I am not as strict as someone who does this occasionally. Now that being said, my final meal of the day is the meal that I begin my fast so I keep it as nutritious and ketogenic as possible. So, I eat my final meal at around 7:00 P.M. I don't eat again until 3:00 P.M. the following day. Eating is such a treat and I eat very tasty low carb food when I break my fast. I will have my morning coffee with heavy whipping cream and MCT oil. Or I will have a glass of water with MCT oil. I take my vitamin D at this time of day because it wards off any allergy bugs lurking in the air. This summer I would like to lose 10 lbs so I will just kick up my fasting method in intensify my diet by keeping it balanced between protein and fats.

    I am not athletic in the least but I find that being active is not hindered during fasting. I strongly believe that we should not need to eat before exercise. Nor should we need to eat immediately after exercise.

  • Mary Titus

    5/30/2011 4:38:17 PM |

    Sorry, I just noticed that post came up under my husband's name. That post on fasting should come up under my name Mary...I am the one playing flute.

  • Mary Titus

    5/31/2011 4:27:54 AM |

    Yes, I do agree with you . I read about HGH becoming activated through a combination of fasting and resistance training.

  • bbtri

    6/6/2011 1:17:06 AM |

    18 hour fasts are easy, 24 hour fasts are hard, but once I break the 24 hour barrier, another 12-16 hours isn't bad.  My diet isn't wheat heavy, but I certainly don't avoid it.  What works for me is moderate physical activity, which gets me over the hump.  The hump may be the switchover from carb burning to fat burning, which moderate activity of a couple hours duration trains the body to do.

  • Whoosh

    6/9/2011 6:36:41 PM |

    I was quite sold on IF but keep finding conflicting findings, any comments on this http://chriskresser.com/blog/intermittent-fasting-cortisol-and-blood-sugar/ ?

  • M R

    6/29/2011 9:22:19 PM |

    Dr. Davis,
    Please refer me to your source of  "wheat is destructive".  I have eaten Shredded Wheat breakfast cereal every day for 25 years.  It is the only breakfast cereal I am not allergic/sensitive to.  After eating it for breakfast, it fills me up and I do not eat again for 6 hours.  I understand about wheat products raising a person's glycemic index, but I have read that the fiber in Shredded Wheat takes so long to digest that it actually controls a person's blood sugar all day.
    I am a healthy, near ideal-weight 50 year-old female.  My experience finds this statement to be false: "wheat is a powerful appetite stimulant through its 2-hour cycle of exaggerated glycemia followed by a glucose low, along with its addictive exorphin effect".
    Thank you for your time.

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