Chapter 4: 80% of Body Comp Is Determined by What You Eat

Question 1

Why is insulin known as the “master hormone?”

Answer 1

It facilitates the transport of nutrients and hormones to target organs and storage depots in the body.

Question 2

What is the primary role of insulin?

Answer 2

Insulin is a hormone that is primarily responsible for enabling the liver, muscle and fat cells to repair, regenerate and store energy for future use.

Question 3

True or False

High insulin levels are not generally problematic during puberty and pregnancy.

Answer 3

True
Insulin helps regulate Insulin Growth Factor and Epidermal Growth Factors, which play critical roles in health when present in proper balance or during specific circumstances when they are especially important.

Question 4

True or False

The Standard American Diet (SAD) results in wildly excessive insulin levels for a large number of people.

Answer 4

True

Question 5

What effects do a high insulin-producing diet have directly on cell division?

Answer 5

A high insulin-producing diet results in an excess of growth factors in the bloodstream. This leads to accelerated cell division (accelerated aging) and a deregulation of healthy cell division (increased cancer risk).

Question 6

How does a high insulin-producing diet drive increases in appetite?

Answer 6

High blood insulin levels deplete the bloodstream of energy by driving nutrients into their cellular storage depots. This causes an increase in appetite, particularly for quick energy carbohydrates, and a consequent additional surge of insulin.

Question 7

What is the relationship between glucose and Vitamin C?

Answer 7

Glucose and Vitamin C compete along the same pathways for entry into cells.

Question 8

True or False

It is believed that a high-carb meal can suppress immune function for several hours afterwards.

Answer 8

True

Question 9

True or False

Insulin is secreted into the bloodstream before you ever take a bite of food…just by looking at a menu.

Answer 9

True

Question 10

What stimulates insulin secretion?

Answer 10

1. The mere thought of food

2. Once the first bite is taken, the salivary enzyme amylase stimulates more insulin release.

Question 11

What does insulin do with ingested amino acids and fatty acids?

Answer 11

It sets them aside, allowing glucose to be burned first.

Question 12

What happens to ingested glucose beyond the body’s immediate metabolic needs?

Answer 12

Excess glucose beyond the immediate metabolic needs is converted into glycogen for storage in the liver and muscle tissue. When liver and muscle glycogen stores are full, remaining glucose is converted to triglyceride and transported to fat cells for storage.

Question 13

How does high insulin inhibit the burning of the body’s internal energy stores?

Answer 13

High insulin levels lock triglycerides into the fat cells, lock amino acids into the muscle cells, and lock glycogen into muscle and liver cells. As a result, ingested glucose is burned through until blood glucose levels diminish. Then, low blood glucose results in fatigue and hunger for quick energy in the form of carbohydrates.

Question 14

True or False
Even with plenty of available energy stored in fat, muscle and liver cells, low blood glucose levels make your brain think you are starving.

Answer 14

True
With low blood glucose levels, your brain thinks you are starving and energy deprived, even though you have plenty of calories available for energy stored in fat, muscle, and liver cells.

Question 15

What is hyper-insulinemia?

Answer 15

Chronically high insulin levels

Question 16

How can gluttony and sloth be considered symptoms rather than causes of obesity?

Answer 16

According to Gary Taubes, a diet promoting hyper-insulinemia promotes a vicious cycle of excess calorie consumption, inhibited energy burning, and excess energy storage. This is the opposite of the sentiment espoused by conventional wisdom: that excess body fat is a result of poor discipline and will power with diet and exercise habits.

Question 17

True or False
The traditional calories in-calories out paradigm has proven itself to be an epic fail when it comes to explaining the rise in obesity rates in the Western world.

Answer 17

True

Question 18

True or False
Obesity is a function of hormonal dysfunction driven by the wildly excessive insulin production caused by a high-carb diet.

Answer 18

True

Question 19

True or False

Weight loss and achieving optimal body composition are primarily a function of hormone optimization.

Answer 19

True

Question 20

What factor determines whether you are predominantly a fat-storer or a fat-burning beast?

Answer 20

The average level of insulin you produce

Question 21

How does a pattern of high-carb intake/high insulin production trigger the fight-or-flight response?

Answer 21

Since your body perceives low blood glucose (and the sluggish feeling that accompanies it) as a stressful event, triggering the release of cortisol into the bloodstream.

Question 22

How does cortisol address the immediate energy needs of the body?

Answer 22

Cortisol promotes the catabolization of amino acids into glucose for quick energy in a process known as gluconeogenesis (Latin for “sugar+new+make”). The ensuing blood glucose rush gives you the boost your brain thinks you need commonly at the expense of your muscle tissue.

Question 23

What is gluconeogenesis?

Answer 23

It is the process by which the liver synthesizes glucose from amino acids.

Question 24

Describe the “roller coaster” of the high-carb diet.

Answer 24

A brief glucose spike from a high-carbohydrate meal, snack, or beverage is followed by an insulin-generated energy lull or crash which, in turn, is followed by a consequent craving for more carbohydrate. The cycle either repeats with the ingestion of more carbs or, if carbs are not obtained promptly, the stress response kicks in to convert (catabolize) amino acids into glucose.

Question 25

True or False
Even for Primal-aligned eaters, gluconeogenesis will result in a breakdown of lean muscle tissue to provide the necessary amino acids to make glucose.

Answer 25

False
Amino acids to make glucose are typically taken from ingested protein rather than from lean muscle tissue in such an example.

Question 26

True or False

Excess glucose is toxic in the bloodstream.

Answer 26

True