For people with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, psychotic disorders, bulimia, dementia,  or  other psychiatric disorders who prefer not to take medication, don’t improve with medication, can’t tolerate or, only partially benefit from medication, or have bothersome side effects from medication, trying a simple, low-carbohydrate diet is worth a go.

This statement is based on my study of science in combination with my experience with people in the real world.

Low-carbohydrate diets are safe for almost everyone and can lead in many cases to significant improvements in a wide variety of  symptoms. There are many potential benefits. If side effects do occur, they are generally harmless and temporary.

While dietary changes can’t always completely replace medications, they can improve overall health and make good sense as a viable alternative to medication in some cases, or as a complement to conventional care in other cases.

Here are seven reasons to try a low-carb or ketogenic diet for mental health:

1. Reduce inflammation.

High-sugar diets promote excessive, unnecessary inflammation inside the brain, triggering the release of various inflammatory cytokines—tiny SOS signals that recruit first-responder cells to the scene. Inflammation of this type is well established as a root cause of most psychiatric and neurological diseases. Low-carbohydrate diets have been shown to reduce markers of inflammation.

2. Improve blood glucose control.

The higher your blood sugar, the higher your brain sugar . . . each time your blood sugar spikes to unhealthy highs, you’re flooding your brain tissue with excess glucose. There are many ways that high glucose levels are toxic to brain cells, including the formation of sticky, dysfunctional proteins called “Advanced Glycation End products” or AGEs. Low-carbohydrate diets are very effective at lowering blood glucose levels. Protect your precious neurons from glucotoxicity.

3. Lower blood insulin levels.

Persistently or repeatedly high insulin levels can cause the insulin receptors on the surface of the blood-brain barrier to become insulin-resistant, meaning they can become damaged, desensitized, and decrease  in number. With fewer healthy, responsive insulin receptors on the surface of the blood-brain barrier to escort insulin into the brain, insulin levels inside the brain will fall.

Low brain insulin is dangerous, because brain cells require insulin to process glucose and turn it into energy. This sluggish glucose-processing problem is called “cerebral glucose hypometabolism,” and it is a major risk factor for neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Low-carbohydrate diets can be very helpful in lowering blood insulin levels.

4. Boost antioxidant defenses.

High-sugar diets cause excessive, unnecessary oxidative damage. Flooding cells with too much glucose all at once leads to a flood of oxygen free radicals, which are normally mopped up by our own natural, internal antioxidant molecules (such as glutathione).

There extra free radicals wreak havoc in the brain, damaging proteins, lipids, DNA, and other important cell components. They can even damage the blood-brain barrier, allowing unwanted substances from your blood  into the brain. Low-carbohydrate diets naturally help improve your internal antioxidant capacity.

5. Energise mitochondria.

High-sugar diets damage mitochondria, the energy-generating organelles inside brain cells. As a highly metabolically active, electrical organ, the brain is an energy hog, demanding about 20- 25 percent of the body’s energy. Mitochondria must be healthy to provide cells with a steady supply of energy. Low-carbohydrate diets—particularly ketogenic diets—have been shown to improve the health and vitality of mitochondria.

6. Stabilise stress hormones and appetite.

Refined carbohydrates, like sugar, flour, fruit juice, and processed cereals, place your hormones on an invisible, internal roller coaster. Every time your blood sugar and insulin spike to unnaturally high levels, they soon crash back down, triggering the release of stress hormones, including adrenaline.

Adrenaline surges, which can occur four to five hours after consuming too much sugar, can contribute to panicky, “hypoglycemic” symptoms, like anxiety, sweating, irritability, shaking, difficulty concentrating, and carbohydrate cravings. Low-carbohydrate diets help smooth out the highs and lows in blood sugar that lead to hormonal instability in the first place.

7. Raise BDNF levels.

High-sugar diets can reduce levels of an important molecule called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. BDNF is a key player in neuroplasticity—in other words, BDNF helps the brain cope with, respond to, and recover from stress. Healthy BDNF levels contribute to resilience—something we all need, as stress is a normal part of life. Low-carbohydrate diets—particularly ketogenic dietshave been shown to raise BDNF levels.

Note: A low-carbohydrate diet is not the only nutritional strategy worth considering; improving overall dietary quality with a whole-foods pre-agricultural diet (aka “paleo-style” diet) or a whole-foods post-agricultural diet (aka “Mediterranean” diet) may be helpful for some, especially for those without a significant degree of insulin resistance. However, neither of these approaches typically lower insulin and blood glucose levels as reliably as low-carbohydrate diets do.

Word of caution

People currently taking psychiatric medication (or medication of any kind) or who have a history of serious mental health symptoms, such as suicidal ideation, mania, or psychosis, should not embark on a low-carbohydrate diet without additional information and professional support, as medication levels can be affected, and some symptoms may temporarily worsen during the initial weeks of adaptation.

Take home message 

Most of us have been feeding our brains incorrectly for our entire lives and have no idea how much better we could feel if we ate differently.

A whole-foods, low-carbohydrate diet is a safe and healthy option for most people that can help improve brain metabolism, mental health symptoms, and overall health.

Thank you for reading

The post 7 Reasons To Try A Low Carb Diet appeared first on Sara Pugh Pilates Hypnosis Nervous System Biochemistry Leeds.

Type 2 Diabetes & Insulin

Type 2 diabetes can be summed up as too much sugar in the body, rather than just blood sugar that’s too high. This happens USUALLY by consuming too much sugar and carbohydrates too often and this ends up with the body having no where to put the extra sugar that is eaten. A bit like trying to stuff more clothes in a suitcase that is already full, so the clothes spill out, a bit like the sugar spilling out into the blood, giving high blood sugar which then leads to insulin resistance where the body ‘ignores insulin’.

Insulin lowers blood sugar by moving it into different cells, but if the cells are already full of sugar they can’t take anymore sugar, like trying to get on the tube in London when its packed.

The liver can make this extra sugar into fat which can be stored on the body or in the liver (non alcoholic fatty liver). This means a lot of people with fatty liver which often comes with insulin resistant should be cutting out sugar and carbs, rather than  good fats.

Pre-diabets, type 2 diabetes and fatty liver can be ‘reversed’ by fasting, ketogenic diet or just calorie restriction as it will force the body to use up its sugar supply and help with insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity is where the body responds properly to insulin, rather than ignoring it.

When insulin and sugar levels are high in the body, mTOR is activated and this is the main growth pathway in the body, so it will cause all cells to grow, including cancer cells. mTOR is not bad at all if it is not on all the time, but if mTOR is on all the time and the person is in ‘growth and storage’ mode all day then this makes a favourable environment for cancer to grow in. Cancer is complicated and it is not just about mTOR, sugar and insulin but this is why some people choose to fast, limit calories or sugar for health reasons.

People can also get insulin resistant / Type 2 diabetic due to stress, lack of exercise prolonged poor sleep and lack of/loss of muscle mass so it is not diet alone.

Plant molecules or neutraceuticals

As type 2 diabetes is multi faceted there are certain plant molecules that can help and have other benefits even if you don’t have insulin resistance as long as they are used in conjunction with other lifestyle changes.

Berberine  can modulate autophagy in adipose tissue to help prevent weight gain  and metabolic syndrome (pre diabetes) as well as protect against atherosclerosis (blocked arteries) . Berberine activates AMPK  inhibits mTOR and upregulates PPARγexpression. Berberine helps regulate glucose metabolism by increasing insulin sensitivity. Berberine also increases production of new mitochondria, which are what use fat and glucose in the body to make energy.

Metformin also activates AMPK and inhibits mTOR, which is why some biohackers use it for its potential anti-ageing and anti-cancer effects. Metformin works to inhibit AMPK and lower blood sugar  by slightly different mechanism to berberine.

Metformin has some gut related side effects like diarrhoea and  wind as well as possibly lowering B12 levels, where as berberine can help with some gut issues. Berberine has bad bioavailability so better used in liposomal form.

Cinnamon activates AMPK which then activates glucose utilisation and improves fat burning (if in a calorie deficit or in ketosis). Cinnamon improves metabolism by lowering fasting blood glucose levels and Hemoglobin HBA1c, a measure of average blood glucose levels over time. Cinnamon contains a key bioactive compound, trans-cinnamic aldehyde, which decreases bacterial survival by activating autophagy in microbial invaders, which can help ward off infections.

Milk Thistle is well-known for its liver-protective properties and Silibinin &  silybin from milk thistle inhibit mTOR  Silibinin activates AMPK, and can restore NAD+ levels in non-alcoholic fatty liver as fatty liver and type 2 diabetes come together most of the time.

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Salomone F, Barbagallo I et al. Silibinin Restores NAD+ Levels and Induces the SIRT1/AMPK Pathway in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver. Nutrients. 2017 Sep 30;9(10

Deng Y, Xu J. et al. Berberine attenuates autophagy in adipocytes by targeting BECN1. Autophagy, 2012; 10(10), 1776–1786

Fan A, Wang J. Berberine alleviates ox-LDL induced inflammatory factors by up-regulation of autophagy via AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway. Journal of Translational Medicine, 2015; 13(1), 92.

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Mahmoud AM, Hozayen WG et al. Berberine ameliorates methotrexate-induced liver injury by activating Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and PPARγ, and suppressing oxidative stress and apoptosis in rats. Biomed Pharmacother. 2017 Oct;94:280-291

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Gomes AP, Duarte FV et al. Berberine protects against high fat diet-induced dysfunction in muscle mitochondria by inducing SIRT1-dependent mitochondrial biogenesis. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2012 Feb;1822(2):185-95

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The post Type 2 Diabetes, Fatty Liver, Sugar, Keto and Fasting   appeared first on Sara Pugh Pilates Hypnosis Nervous System Biochemistry Leeds.

We are socially conditioned to fear hunger, told fasting is dangerous  and we have been told by ‘who knows who’ that we need to eat regularly, to ‘keep our metabolism going’.

This is not only wrong but it is promoting insulin resistance that leads to type 2 diabetes, obesity, hormone imbalances and in some cases cancer. Insulin is released every time we eat and insulin  is a storage and growth hormone and humans are not supposed to be in growth and storage mode all day. There are numerous studies that link calorie restriction and fasting to longevity.

Why Going Without Food For a Bit is A Good thing

• Firstly, it is not possible to burn fat when the body is in storage mode and insulin is high, this has been demonstrated over and over in studies.
• Secondly, if insulin is high all day the body starts to ignore it and become ‘insulin resistant’ which is the 1^st step in becoming a type 2 diabetic, some children as young as 10 are insulin resistant already.
• Thirdly, when food is around or ‘nutrient abundance’ a out bodies main growth switch mTOR is on all the time and mTOR will stimulate the growth of everything, including some cancers. mTOR is not bad at all,  but it is if it is on 12/7.

Our ancestors would have gone without food for up to days at a time and the body makes specific biological changes to adapt to this, so our are genetics are geared for fasting.

• Firstly, during a fast or in the absence of food the body switches from using  glucose to ketones as fuel which come from body fat.  Ketones are not only a great energy source for the brain, but the are also anti-inflammatory. Learn more about ketosis HERE
• Secondly to protect muscle, growth hormone increases during fasting so you don’t ‘waste away’, growth hormone also heals tissue and helps the body break down and burn fat. If our ancestors got weak during times of no food we wouldn’t be here.
• Thirdly, brain derived neutrophic factor (BNDF) increase during a fast and this is our natural anti-depressant and it also improves cognitive functions. Our ancestors needed to keep their mental faculties sharp during food shortages.

Why Fasting Is Good for Your Health

During periods where our body is energy nutrient deprived, autophagy acts a survival mechanism to make energy.

Japanese cell biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2016 for his research on autophagy.

Autophagy is key for

• Removing old damaged cells , organelles & proteins
• Removing damaged mitochondria ‘The power house of the cell’ (Mitophagy)
• Reducing plaques in brain & atherosclerosis
• Lipophagy fat breakdown and connective tissue around fat cells
• Removing unwanted cells eg pre cancerous, rouge immune cells
• Activating longevity genes like FOXO & surtuins

Autophagy is like a spring clean, or ripping out an old kitchen to put a new one in. Not enough autophagy is linked to many diseases, simply because people are constantly in a ‘fed state’

I feel deeply saddened that people have been mis-informed about food and fear fasting or being hungry as it is evident in society the impact of food being forced at us wherever we go.

The post Why banning eating on public transport is a good idea – Hunger Fear appeared first on Sara Pugh Pilates Hypnosis Nervous System Biochemistry Leeds.

Nuts are one of those mixed bag foods that have benefits, BUT for some people can be a nightmare, particularly if on a diet.

Firstly from lots of personal experience with fasting and keto diets, I have found that nuts for me are a problem as I eat the whole bag and undo my good efforts. Generally high fat high protein foods are usually very satiating. Science aside for now, I know other people who usually have self control, find nuts have the same effect on them. ‘One pop and you cant stop’

One reason for this is nuts are nice, easy to eat, don’t require preparation and can be eaten anywhere. Taking a small amount with you not the whole bag is advisable.

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