Maximum Nutrient Partitioning

2012-01-17T19:17:00.002-05:00

Please read my squidoo lens:

How To Reverse Chronic Disease And Regain Strength And Flexibility At Any Age

Also, I've been doing a ton of work on new website because I have my first poetry book out now:
http://www.bruisedroseblossoms.com
plus my new blog:
http://bruisedroseblossoms.wordpress.com/

So I've been focusing a lot on the poetry side of things, though I have begun writing a book based on the Squidoo lens above! ;)

2011-11-04T09:16:00.010-04:00

Amazon links for MNP/healthy lifestyle:

Dozens of Dr. McDougall foods available for Subscribe & Save.

7 Nile Spice Soups available for Subscribe & Save

Taste Adventure Instant Soup

Cheap Electric Kettle I use for Cup-O-Soups, etc

Koyo Ramen

Good hot sauce

Instant Mashed Garlic Potatoes

More to come later.

2010-06-18T12:41:00.007-04:00

MNP Recipes

Liquid sucralose for truly calorie-free sweetening:

(most store-bought sucralose actually has 3.1 kcal of maltodextrin per serving, so it's barely different than using pure maltodextrin). Enjoy!

Red Lentil Tomato Soup

2 3/4 C H2O
1 C Red Lentils
1 29 oz Can Tomato Sauce
2 potatoes, chunked
handful of baby carrots, chunked
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 T garlic

Simmer 1 1/2 hours, serve with stoneground whole wheat bread.

Split Pea Soup

1 lb bag split peas
1-2 squirts Liquid Smoke
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/4 t black pepper
many squirts of Sontava Habanero Sauce (or similar Habanero + carrot juice hot sauce)
1 T diced garlic
7 cups Water
1 handful salt (salt to taste)

1. Bring to boil, stirring frequently.
2. Cover and simmer for 1 hr.
3. Carefully blend with hand blender until smooth.

Basic Beans

3 Cans Pinto Beans
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
1 can (10 oz ) diced tomatoes & green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 lg onion, diced
1 T garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
few squirts of ketchup and mustard

1. Lightly spray pan and saute onion and garlic until soft on med-high, stirring occasionally.
2. Add saute to rest of ingredients in a saucepan and simmer covered 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Basic Bread

1 1/2 C Stone-ground Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice
3/4 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 C raisins

3 med-large ripe bananas

1. Use hand blender to liquefy bananas.
2. Mix into dry ingredients to make fairly stiff but moist batter.
3. Spray pyrex 8X6X2 dish, bake @ 350 degrees for 32 mins, placing a sheet of aluminum foil on top after 16 mins.

2008-12-04T12:03:00.058-05:00

Achieving Maximum FAT Oxidation By Increasing Total Energy Expenditure

In the previous post, I gave an overview of postabsorptive metabolism, or how the body processes macronutrients on an empty stomach and also during exercise. Here let's delve further into the issue of maximizing FAT oxidation. Studies have compared sedentary people with trained athletes, and have found that going from couch potato to trained athlete increases maximum FAT oxidation significantly, despite both subjects performing exercise of the same intensity.

The literature shows that maximum FAT oxidation occurs at about 63% VO2 MAX, which is equivalent to a decent jog: one where you are breathing heavily, yet can still manage to chat with a partner. VO2 MAX intensity above 63% leads to less FAT oxidation and greater reliance on CHO energy. An untrained man may burn about 10-15 g/h at this pace, while seriously trained athletes can achieve levels of 30-40 g/h at the same VO2 MAX. By combining MNP 100% Muscle with these high levels of FAT oxidation achieved via serious exercise, you have found the most direct path towards improving body recomposition!

Research has illuminated how the body increases FAT Oxidation in response to long term increases in total energy expenditure (TEE). There are several factors, all of them facilitated by the increasing levels of the specific enzymes.

Training Causes Important Changes In Muscle:

Increased Capillary Density. This enhanced blood flow increases the ability of muscle to oxidize FAT (and transport nutrients, etc.). As muscle fiber area increases, capillary density increases proportionally.
Increased fatty acid entry into mitochondria. This increases respiratory capacity; in untrained subjects,fatty acid uptake by mitochondria is limited by the lactate threshold, thus a ceiling for FAT oxidation is hit. But after heavy training the body adapts and the raises the lactate threshold.
Increased size and number of mitochondria (2). Again, this increases the ability of muscle to burn FAT at a higher % of VO2 MAX, which allows maximal FAT oxidation and preserves glycogen stores (this saves more glycogen for high intensity bursts, which is a very beneficial evolutionary adaptation, obviously).

These scientific findings explain why, during exercise of thesame intensity, fat oxidation is higher in endurance-trained versus sedentary subjects. So let's use this science-based information for motivation. It's great to know that the harder you work, the more the body will helps push you towards Maximum Nutrient Partitioning. The great lesson of health is that by obeying the biology of the body (working hard on diet and exercise), you create the tools you need to achieve your goals. Now that's what I call MNP 100% Muscle.

References (Click On The Links To Download The Entire .pdf File):

1. Regulation of fatty acid oxidation in untrained vs. trained men during exercise. Am J Physiol. 1998 Mar;274(3 Pt 1):E510-5.

2. Adaptations of skeletal muscle to endurance exercise and their metabolic consequences. J Appl Physiol. 1984 Apr;56(4):831-8.

3. Fat metabolism during low-intensity exercise in endurance-trained and untrained men. Am J Physiol. 1994 Dec;267(6 Pt 1):E934-40.

4. Muscle fiber hypertrophy, hyperplasia, and capillary density in college men after resistance training. J Appl Physiol. 1996 Nov;81(5):2004-12.

5. Effects of fatty acids on exercise plus insulin-induced glucose utilization in trained and sedentary subjects. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2002 Jan;282(1):E125-31.

2008-08-15T08:28:00.209-04:00

Postabsorptive Metabolism (From Fasting To Exercise)

When the stomach is empty, and dietary macronutrients are finished being processed, the body supplies its entire energy requirements using endogenous fuel. During typical human metabolism (regular food intake), Glycogen and FAT oxidation dominate. Since maximal glycogen capacity is only 700-1100g (the higher end reached by athletes), even people on a high-carbohydrate diet maintain only 2-3000 kcal of CHO-derived glycogen. Thus, as glycogen stores steadily deplete, the body must inevitably shift oxidation away from CHO and towards increased FAT (and PRO) oxidation (1-5).

For example, Horton et al. compared the metabolic effects of a 13-h versus a 72-h fast (1). 8 male subjects with an average 22.9% body fat and 136 lbs of LBM (out of a total weight of 177 lbs) were kept in a whole room indirect calorimeter. Calorimetry is an accurate method of measuring macronutrient oxidation, via the ratio of Co2 to O2 emitted from the respiratory tract (most studies I reference use some form of calorimetry, the gold standard for metabolism studies). The results confirm the inevitable metabolic shift that occurs during postabsorpive metabolism.

Oxidation Rates During Fasting From Figure 1 (in grams per hour):
................13-h..........72h
PRO ............3.............3
CHO............12............6
FAT ............6.............8

Total kcal needs during the 13-h fast were met by a fuel mixture of 42% CHO, 47% FAT, 11% PRO. As glycogen stores deplete, the fuel mix shifts, thus the 72-h fast met TEE by oxidizing 23% CHO, 66% FAT, 11% PRO. Notice that the longer the fast, the more FAT oxidation is used to meet energy needs. During the 13-h fast the FAT:PRO oxidation ratio was 2:1 (6 g/h:3 g/h). During the 72-h fast this ratio increased to 2.7:1. Simply put, postabsorptive metabolism is dominated by FAT oxidation, as other studies confirm (2,3). Thus short-term fasting (5-10 hours) can be a useful tool for reducing fat stores, because it causes a loss of 4-6 grams of FAT per hour. In addition, another finding of this study is that insulin response during refeeding tends to be larger as the fast lengthens. Thus, although protein stores are slightly reduced during a short fast, they can be easily replaced during refeeding if the diet is high in insulin-stimulating CHO. Therefore, despite short term fasting during the day, over 24-h net FAT may be lost while lost while protein stores remain the same (or even increase if both MNP and exercise are implemented).

It is important to realize that an individual's exact oxidation rates during fasting will be determined by their total energy stores (glycogen, FAT, PRO) and total energy expenditure (TEE). Thus, the lower your current stores of glycogen and protein, the more the body relies on FAT oxidation to cover the energy gap. As an example, check out the lean gains blog, which showcases the practical results of using fasting as a tool for body recomposition. Short-term fasting (5-10 hours) is not required for optimal body recomposition, but it can be a useful tool because, as mentioned previously, without food coming in glycogen stores steadily fall and the body must shift towards increased FAT oxidation to meet energy needs (this effect is further enhanced by exercise). Also, as the body adapts to regular fasting, hormones like catecholamines circulate to keep hunger at bay. Daily fasting and refeeding may be easier for some people to adhere to because one can eat several large, satisfying MNP meals in the evening instead of spreading those kcal out into many small meals during the day. Still, the overall physics remains the same so the 4 Rules Of MNP still apply!

Post-Absorptive Macronutrient Oxidation During Exercise

Exercise is by definition an increase in the total amount of energy oxidized by an organism (a significant increase in Total Energy Expenditure). It should be clear by now from this blog and the fasting studies discussed above that the body's current level of energy stores (Glycogen, Lipid, Protein) have a significant effect of the fuel mixture that is oxidized during exercise. Thus, studies that examine the post-exercise period (without refeeding), show steadily increasing FAT oxidation, and decreasing CHO oxidation. Yet if a mixed meal is consumed, FAT oxidation will be lowered because FAT is last place in the oxidative hierarchy.

For example, studies show women tend to oxidize more FAT during exercise than men (4,5). The main reason for this is that women often have a higher % of body fat than the men (for example, 23.3% Vs. 17.9% from Table 1 in reference 5). Therefore it makes sense that in general, female metabolism relies on FAT oxidation a little more than men. But the overall lesson here is that the unique mix of stored energy found in a particular person is by far the major factor that determines substrate oxidation rates.

Regardless of differences due to varying energy stores, it is well established that CHO and FAT are the main fuels for human metabolism, especially during exercise, where protein oxidation takes a back seat (1-5). (In fact CHO is the key to endurance and high intensity exercise: my next post will cover some fascinating cycling studies and some other muscle-related issues).

Practical Estimates Of CHO And FAT Oxidation During Exercise In Average People

Studies that determine macronutrient oxidation rates during both low- and high-intensity exercise help provide accurate estimates for active men and women (though the data needs to be converted into more practical numbers, as is done below).

Oxidation rates extrapolated from Table 3 of reference 4:

..........................Men...................Women
45% VO2 Max........78 g/h CHO......53 g/h CHO
.......................16 g/h FAT........15 g/h FAT
TEE=..................464 kcal/h.........358 kcal/h

Fuel Mix:.........69% CHO/31% FAT....62% CHO/38% FAT

65% VO2 Max........137 g/h CHO......95 g/h CHO
.......................13 g/h FAT........14 g/h FAT
TEE=..................679 kcal/h..........515 kcal/h

Fuel Mix:........83% CHO/17% FAT.....76% CHO/24% FAT

Oxidation rates extrapolated from Figure 1 from reference 5:

..........................Men...................Women
42% VO2 Max........67.5 g/h CHO.......41.4 g/h CHO
.......................13.2 g/h FAT........12.9 g/h FAT
TEE=................. 395 kcal/h..........287 kcal/h

Fuel Mix:..........70% CHO/30% FAT.....60% CHO/40% FAT

67% VO2 Max........134.7 g/h CHO.......80.9 g/h CHO
.......................10.0 g/h FAT........14.0 g/h FAT
TEE=..................642 kcal/h..........458 kcal/h

Fuel Mix:..........86% CHO/14% FAT......72% CHO/28% FAT

Note: protein oxidation is minimal during exercise (typical subjects have adequate glycogen stores), so studies tend to leave it out for simplicity, but the amount does becomes significant after several hours in the postabsorptive state (burning 1-3 g/h or more, see previous section). So if you exercise on an empty stomach, with glycogen stores already low, the body is forced to convert more protein into glucose, because CHO energy is the main fuel for exercise (and is the only fuel for the brain). This is why low-carb diets degrade exercise performance (my next post will cover cycling studies that demonstrate this in spades: high carb diets are required for optimal human performance. Also notice how the data below also supports this).

As you can see both studies got similar results, revealing an accurate estimation of the fuel mixture burned during both low and high intensity exercise (in moderately active people):

...................LI (45% VO2 Max)...............HI (65% VO2 Max)
MEN:........70% CHO/30% FAT...........85% CHO/15% FAT
WOMEN:....60% CHO/40% FAT................75% CHO/25% FAT

Since the MNP diet has a much higher CHO:FAT ratio than the typical diets used in these studies, let's compare some data from a study I've previously written about, since it's more applicable to MNP (6).

Total 24h Energy Intake: 2121 kcal
Macronutrient Ratio Of Diet:
78% CHO/4% FAT/18% PRO

Total 24h Energy Expenditure: 2580 kcal TEE
Fuel Mixture Oxidized Over 24h:
57% CHO/31% FAT/12% PRO

Net kcal deficit: -456 kcal (subjects performed 2.5 hours of LI cycling)

First of all, the fuel mixture here is over the entire day, not just the oxidation rates during exercise like the previous figures. Still, it is interesting because it demonstrates that on a 78% CHO/4% FAT sub-maintenance MNP diet, on a day in which low intensity cycling was performed, 24h FAT oxidation accounts for about 31% of TEE (subjects included 6 females and 5 males). My point is again that a single day's energy intake and macronutrient ratio has only a small effect on 24h substrate oxidation; it is not today's menu that determine the amounts of macronutrients the body burns to meet energy needs, it is the long term menu. That is to say, it is the body's current levels of energy stores in the form of glycogen, protein and lipids. This makes perfect sense, as the amount of energy stored in an average man is 100-250,000 kcal (50k from protein, 50-200k from lipids, and 1-3k from glycogen), an amount that dwarfs the few thousand kcal that are consumed in a typical day. Just as physical health is determined by long term exercise and nutrition habits, the body's daily oxidative withdrawal from its energy bank is determined by the amounts of endogenous macronutrients available for oxidation.

Important Note: these FAT oxidation numbers reflect average or moderately trained people. In my next post I will detail studies that reveal how going from a couch potato to a trained athlete can cause you to double your maximal FAT oxidation, enabling one to burn over 40 grams of FAT per hour!

References (Click On The Links To Read The Entire .pdf File):

1. Prolonged fasting significantly changes nutrient oxidation and glucose tolerance after a normal mixed meal. J Appl Physiol. 2001 Jan;90(1):155-63.

2. Protein, fat, and carbohydrate requirements during starvation: anaplerosis and cataplerosis. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Jul;68(1):12-34.

3. Effect of dietary fat, carbohydrate, and protein on branched-chain amino acid catabolism during caloric restriction. J Clin Invest. 1985 Aug;76(2):737-43.

4. Lipid oxidation in fit young adults during postexercise recovery. J Appl Physiol. 2005 Jul;99(1):349-56. Epub 2004 Dec 10.

5. Effect of exercise intensity on 24-h energy expenditure and nutrient oxidation. J Appl Physiol. 2002 Mar;92(3):1045-52.

6. Metabolic effects of a mixed and a high-carbohydrate low-fat diet in man, measured over 24 h in a respiration chamber. Br J Nutr. 1982 Jan;47(1):33-43.

2008-08-12T09:23:00.040-04:00

Muscle Gain During Energy Deficits, "Good Fats," And The Glycemic Index

As I noted in my 1st MNP post (specifically the "Efficient Protein Utilization" section), studies show that protein stores can increase while fat stores decrease (muscle gain with fat loss). Click on references 3 and 4 in my MNP 100% Muscle post to read the full .pdfs. The higher the ratio of CHO:FAT (and starches:sugars) in the diet, the more likely it is that when you add exercise you can build muscle without a kcal surplus. MNP helps maximize muscle and minimize fat stores, regardless of kcal level. That means if you maintain your total kcal and total energy expenditure (TEE), but implement MNP principles, you will begin to retain more muscle and less fat than previously, despite the fact that your total energy balance did not change. With MNP, gaining muscle while losing fat becomes a reachable goal.

Body recomposition happens constantly, but MNP 100% Muscle is all about figuring out how to combine surplus MNP kcal with exercise to produce the maximal muscle gains possible while fat stores remain level. If you exercise rigorously (depleting glycogen and FAT stores), plus you adhere to MNP, you will be able to find your MNP "sweet spot:" the point at which you gain the most net muscle without gaining net fat.

Essential Fats: Blown Way Out Of Proportion

The supplement industry has done an impressive job getting people to think they need to swallow pills of borage oil, flax oil, fish oil, etc., to improve health and stave off fat deficiency. The truth is, worrying about fat deficiency (or protein deficiency) is totally unnecessary when you are feeding your body biologically appropriate fuel. The human machine, when satisfied regularly with whole plant foods, has no problem meeting protein or fat needs. Consider this: fatty acid deficiency basically only occurs in patients receiving unnatural, fat-free intravenous nutrition (or long-term starvation). And most impressive is the fact that even in these patients simply applying a little vegetable oil to their skins cures their problems. That's right, the human body is so exquisitely designed via millions of years of evolution that it is not even necessary to EAT FAT to reverse fatty acid deficiency! Here is the study I'm talking about:

Marcason W. Can cutaneous application of vegetable oil prevent an essential fatty acid deficiency? J Am Diet Assoc. 2007 Jul;107(7):1262.

The answer is yes, rubbing small amounts of vegetable oil on the skin of these subjects reversed their symptoms. The truth is, chronic disease is NOT caused by a lack of fatty acids, it is caused by eating a biologically inappropriate diet. And deficiencies, in the extremely rare instances when they do occur, are generally caused by lack of whole plant food, and especially, lack of sufficient kcal. For example, in the study I cited above, fatty acid deficiency was caused by an unnaturally fat-free intravenous diet. Similarly, in the past researchers interested in protein deficiency have done the same thing to study it: they used an unnatural protein-free diet, precisely because it is necessary to cause noticable deficiency. In other words, they cannot feed humans real plant food without inevitably meeting protein and fat needs (at least not ethically, as subjects would be required to go through long-term starvation). That is why artifical diets deficient in fat and protein must be used just to study the deficiency diseases. Chronic disease, on the other hand, is the result of overconsumption of the wrong foods, not deficiency of anything. Yet essential fat supplement companies take correlational data and imply that "improving the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats" will dramatically improve health: but don't believe the hype. What those correlation studies are showing is the well-established postive effect of increasing the ratio of plant to animal foods in the diet. The evidence shows that to optimize health and prevent deficiency, you eat a diet that is compatible with the herbivorous design of the human machine. Let nature take its course and you easily maximize healing potential and meet nutritional needs. Whatever the small effect of altering the kinds of plant fat you eat, the truth is human fat needs are as low as 1-2% of kcal, as shown in this study below.

Sanders TA. Essential fatty acid requirements of vegetarians in pregnancy, lactation, and infancy. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Sep;70(3 Suppl):555S-559S.

If you eat whole plant foods, unless you are anorexic and starving to death, you very easily meet the body's tiny essential fat needs. Don't confuse the use of supplements as drugs to treat diet-caused illness with the easily met requirements of the body when consuming a 95-100% vegan diet. Even if you were trying to create a fatty acid deficiency in yourself, you would have an incredible challenge, because you wouldn't be allowed to eat most plants, as they usually contain small amounts of fat. You could eventually do it on an artifical fat-free diet (say hard candies and coca cola), but on real foods consumed in practical amounts you would easily meet needs. It is a testament to advertising that Americans, who eat some of the largest amounts of FAT ever ingested by a population (including essential fats), have come to believe they need to add additional pills full of oil to their already excessively fatty diets! When you consider the fact that just applying a little Vitamin E oil to your skin will cure a deficiency caused by an unnatural zero-fat diet, you begin to see just how overblown nutrition myths can get. That is why the most strict MNP diet is 5% of kcal from fat. That amount is more than enough to meet fatty acid needs, yet small enough to reap huge benefits from MNP.

The Shortcomings Of The Glycemic Index

Read this debunking article for a full understanding of its limitations. Notice the first yellow box which reveals just how useless the index is not just for health, but for body recomposition! If you base your food choices on this index you might as well just spin a roulette wheel. The first example shows that shredded wheat, a good starchy food useful for health and MNP, has a score of 83, which seems high compared to chocolate cake which gets a 38! Or even better a baked potato scores 85 and peanut M&Ms score 33. And beyond that when you mix several foods the effect is hard to predict anyway. That's why it's important to stick with the big picture for both health and body recomposition: maximize the CHO:FAT ratio of your diet and choose complex carbs over simple sugars. That will lead to much better results than applying the Glycemic Index. Now, I've been very harsh on the GI, but perhaps there is some use to be had by comparing the effect of different starchy plants . For example, baked potatoes score 85 but boiled potatoes score 101, perhaps indicating that boiling would help speed digestion and make overfeeding easier. Yet the Satiety Index study found that boiled potatoes were the most satisfying (stayed hunger the longest), so it is not clear that such info would be very helpful (to be clear, potatoes have a great ratio of macronutrients for MNP, but they may be a bit harder to overfeed on because they are so satisfying).

Holt, S.H., Miller, J.C., Petocz, P., Farmakalidis, E. (Department of Biochemistry, University of Sydney, Australia.) "A satiety index of common foods." European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 49, September 1995, pages 675-690.
Holt, S.H., Brand Miller, J.C., Petocz, P. (Department of Biochemistry, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.) "Interrelationships among postprandial satiety, glucose and insulin responses and changes in subsequent food intake." European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 50, December 1996, pages 788-797.

Besides, why not keep it simple? If you strictly follow the 4 rules of MNP, you will reap the inevitable metabolic rewards. Still, the side issues are helpful for increasing one's awareness of nutrition and metabolism in general. Keep in mind the resilience of the human body: it is not the frail genetic mishap found in the popular media, where genes get blamed for everything and the clear relationship between animal foods and human disease is glossed over with help from corporate interests (a huge part of the "modern" economy is based on treating the constellation of illnesses caused by biologically inappropriate diets). When fed 95-100% plant foods the body's healing potential is maximized, and no pills are needed, whether they're filled with essential fats or prescription drugs. Thanks to my readers for bringing up these questions! Future topics will include fasting, satiety cues/gastric emptying rate/processed food, alcohol and more.

2008-08-08T11:58:00.062-04:00

MNP 100% Muscle (4 Rules And 34 Selected References)

Before we get into the practical details of MNP 100% Muscle, let's review the science-based guidelines for Maximum Nutrient Partitioning:

RULE #1: To optimize the efficiency of protein deposition, maximize the ratio of CHO:FAT in the diet: 75-85% CHO, 5-10% FAT, 10-15% PRO. The evidence from metabolism science is striking. If you aren't eating a high carbohydrate, low-fat diet each gram of net PRO you gain will come along with 3-15 grams of FAT that you will have to burn off with exercise and/or a daily kcal deficit. Why not focus on gaining muscle without the fat? The traditional "2 steps forward, 1 1/2 steps back" approach to muscle gain provides limited results because high fat diets are terrible for body recomposition goals (unless you are training to become a Sumo Wrestler)! Examine the references at the end of this post and you will notice a clear pattern: overfeeding studies using a high fat diet pack on some muscle and a lot of fat.

Studies show that as the CHO:FAT ratio of the diet increases, more insulin is released: and the higher the overall insulin response, the higher the percentage of dietary protein that is deposited as muscle. That is why a pair of 4-day starch overfeeding studies using a 4300 kcal diet at 20% FAT (and no exercise) caused daily increases of 3/4 LB of LBM. Subjects gained more net PRO (70g) than net FAT (25-75g). If a similar diet is further reduced to 10% FAT, metabolism shifts further in the right direction, and large muscle gains become possible with no increase in FAT storage at all. Remember, that 20% starch overfeeding diet pushed 2/3 of dietary protein into storage (about 70 out of 100 g deposited each day)! I estimate that for each 25 kcal subjects ate above TEE, they deposited 1 gram of PRO (25 kcal/g PRO). In my personal research I've calculated the kcal/g PRO results of dozens of studies. Most overfeeding studies average 50-150 kcal per gram of PRO deposited, which reflects the fact the muscle gained comes with a lot of FAT! MNP 100% Muscle, if followed strictly, will allow you to gain muscle without the unwanted fat burden, especially when combined with regular exercise.

RULE #2: To guarantee significant increases in LBM, consume more total kcal than you expend. By carefully measuring energy intake and energy expenditure, one can slowly increase surplus MNP kcal until the MNP 100% Muscle "sweet spot" is located. This is the point where you gain maximum muscle while fat stores remain level. Extrapolating from the 34 studies cited below, the MNP diet should cause a net gain of at least 5 grams of PRO for each 100 kcal you eat above TEE (total energy expenditure). Thus, if you apply MNP 100% Muscle strictly and eat on average 500 kcal more than you expend, you can expect to gain about 1/4 LB of LBM (muscle) per day, without any fat gain.

RULE #3: To limit De Novo Lipogenesis, maximize the ratio of starches to sugars. Complex carbohydrates are not just the foundation of a healthy diet, they are also the ideal CHO source for putting on muscle, but not fat. Although the conversion of carbohdrates into fat is a quantitatively minor metabolic pathway in humans (and up to 30% of the intial energy is lost in conversion anyway), overfeeding simple sugars may overcome glycogen stores and lead to significant DNL. Recall that by eating a very low fat diet, you eliminate the main cause of fat gain (a mere 3-5% of FAT energy is lost when FAT is shuttled into storage). By taking the additional step of replacing simple sugars with starches, you keep DNL in check, allowing you to reach your body recomposition goals in the most efficient manner possible.

RULE #4: To stimulate protein synthesis in all areas of the body, perform regular exercise, but not so much that you expend too much energy and thus limit your results (studies show PS can remain elevated for 48 hours; a solid full body workout every few days is enough to capture most of the benefits). Whether you use isometrics (pure muscle contraction), bodyweight exercises, weight training or a simple combination of Hindu Push-ups and Squats, what matters is that you regularly challenge your whole body in a safe manner. Stretching exercises should be the foundation, with additional muscle work added on top. Regular stretching and exercise will stimulate protein synthesis and deplete glycogen and fat stores. But don't over do it or you may begin to find it increasingly difficult to eat more kcal than you expend!

Tools To Help Measure Energy Balance

To apply the rules of MNP most effectively, you must count kcal. I suggest you start out overfeeding in 100 kcal increments, so you can carefully find your personal MNP 100% Muscle "Sweet Spot." The higher your energy surplus, the more muscle you will gain. Here are 2 helpful calculators:

Basal Energy Expenditure

Total energy expenditure

To greatly simplify the tracking of kcal intake and macronutrient percentages, sign up for a free account HERE.

Starches: The Key To Efficient MNP.

Suffice it to say you'll be eating a lot of foods like rice, pasta, noodles, beans, fat-free saltine crackers, bean thread noodles, etc., being sure to keep total kcal from FAT under 10%. Fellow sugar-addicts like myself will have to experiment to see just how much you can limit simple sugars without going totally insane! I am a sugarholic who has finally, in the last couple years, managed to defeat my sweet tooth with the help of Splenda (sucralose) and a big dose of willpower.

Here is a relevant list of foods from nutritiondata.com (the ranking results aren't totally accurate, but they'll give you a good idea):

Foods highest in Starch, and lowest in Total Fat (based on levels per 100-gram serving)

Please let me know which starchy foods or recipes you find a especially useful for overfeeding, I'd appreciate it.

A Personal Note

I want to stress that the large improvements in body recomposition that I often talk about are possible, but require a serious commitment to MNP rules and overfeeding. This is not a plan for the weak-willed. I've tried to present the evidence that starches are ideal for both disease prevention and body recomposition. But keep in mind that fats and simple sugars are concentrated energy sources, and thus highly addictive. That's why very few "modern" people have ever come close to eating a truly low fat, starch-based overfeeding diet (although billions of people currently stay trim and healthy on a starch-based maintenance diet). In general, the power of MNP is unknown. But the well-controlled metabolism studies reveal the its true power, and if you survey the data yourself, you'll find that the evidence is robust.

Personally, I've only gotten serious about fitness and body recomposition in the last couple years (though I've long been researching nutrition). This is when I began the intensive survey of metabolism/overfeeding science that eventually led to MNP. I am currently doing my first serious cut and have not yet applied MNP overfeeding strictly (though I'm certainly looking forward to it). I have made significant progress the last couple years, and now have much more muscle and less body fat than I've ever had (162 lbs currently). But, like many of you, I am still near the beginning of this exciting journey, and my previous effort has been erratic and experimental, both in terms of diet and exercise. My first muscle gains came from pure isometrics, but I also like stretching, bodyweight exercises, and carrying heavy objects (I've never been a gym rat though). I consider myself to have just passed the beginner stage (although I am quite confident I will make great strides in the next few years, all of which I will document in this blog). I'll get some pictures up soon, but the whole point of this blog is that the evidence is what's important, not anecdotes or testimontials. What really matters is the big picture evidence. The studies reveal what is possible when you pay attention to macronutrient ratios, energy intake and energy expenditure. As they say, the truth is out there, it's just not widely distributed yet!

Follow Only The Evidence, Ignore The Status Quo

In that spirit, here is a large sample of the scientific studies which have influenced me to create MNP. Those studies available for free I have linked directly to the complete .pdf file. The abstracts of the rest may be found with a quick google search. I've tried to crystallize the truth about how human metabolism functions in this blog, but for further understanding I recommend you at least survey the excellent charts, tables, and discussion sections of these little-known studies. By forming a coherent and detailed understanding of metabolism, you gain the chisels necessary to sculpt your body into a vibrant display of inner health, outer beauty, and iron willpower. You learn the metabolic rules of the game. By adhering to the 4 rules of the MNP 100% Muscle plan, you put yourself on the fast track towards Maximum Nutrient Partitioning!

34 Scientific Studies For Further Study (including links to 17 entire studies in .pdf format):

1. Variation in the apparent sensitivity of the insulin-mediated inhibition of proteolysis to amino acid supply determines the efficiency of protein utilization. Clin Sci (Lond). 1998 Dec;95(6):725-33.

2. Stimulation of protein turnover by carbohydrate overfeeding in men. Am J Physiol. 1989 Sep;257(3 Pt 1):E413-7.

3. Dietary Carbohydrate Deprivation Increases 24-Hour Nitrogen Excretion without Affecting Postabsorptive Hepatic or Whole Body Protein Metabolism in Healthy Men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Aug;88(8):3801-5.

4. Metabolic effects of a mixed and a high-carbohydrate low-fat diet in man, measured over 24 h in a respiration chamber. Br J Nutr. 1982 Jan;47(1):33-43.

5. Changes in macronutrient balance during over- and underfeeding assessed by 12-d continuous whole-body calorimetry. Am J Clin Nutr. 1996 Sep;64(3):259-66.

6. Fat and carbohydrate overfeeding in humans: different effects on energy storage. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995 Jul;62(1):19-29.

7. Effects of high-calorie supplements on body composition and muscular strength following resistance training. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2002 Sep;42(3):340-7.

8. Human fatty acid synthesis is stimulated by a eucaloric low fat, high carbohydrate diet. J Clin Invest. 1996 May 1;97(9):2081-91.

9. Human fatty acid synthesis is reduced after the substitution of dietary starch for sugar. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Apr;67(4):631-9.

10. Glycogen synthesis versus lipogenesis after a 500 gram carbohydrate meal in man. Metabolism. 1982 Dec;31(12):1234-40.

11. Glycogen storage capacity and de novo lipogenesis during massive carbohydrate overfeeding in man. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Aug;48(2):240-7.

12. Metabolic response to small and large 13C-labelled pasta meals following rest or exercise in man. Br J Nutr. 2001 Jun;85(6):671-80.

13. Metabolic response to a large starch meal after rest and exercise: comparison between men and women. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003 Sep;57(9):1107-15.

14. Effect of carbohydrate overfeeding on whole body and adipose tissue metabolism in humans. Obes Res. 2003 Sep;11(9):1096-103.

15. Effect of carbohydrate overfeeding on whole body macronutrient metabolism and expression of lipogenic enzymes in adipose tissue of lean and overweight humans. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Oct;28(10):1291-8.

16. Short-term alterations in carbohydrate energy intake in humans. Striking effects on hepatic glucose production, de novo lipogenesis, lipolysis, and whole-body fuel selection. J Clin Invest. 1995 Dec;96(6):2735-43.

17. Metabolic efficiency and energy expenditure during short-term overfeeding. Physiol Behav. 2005 Aug 7;85(5):593-7.

18.Excess energy and nitrogen balance at protein intakes above the requirement level in young men. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Oct;48(4):1015-22.

19. Imprecise control of energy intake: absence of a reduction in food intake following overfeeding in young adults. Physiol Behav. 2005 Apr 13;84(5):669-75.

20. Energy expenditure and subsequent nutrient intakes in overfed young men. Am J Physiol. 1990 Sep;259(3 Pt 2):R461-9.

21. Metabolic response to experimental overfeeding in lean and overweight healthy volunteers. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992 Oct;56(4):641-55.

22. Hormonal response to overfeeding. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Apr;49(4):608-11.

23. The effect of 6 weeks of overfeeding on the body weight, body composition, and energy metabolism of young men. Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):978-88.

24. Overfeeding and energy expenditure in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992 Nov;56(5):857-62.

25. Plasma adrenal, gonadal, and conjugated steroids before and after long-term overfeeding in identical twins. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998 Sep;83(9):3277-84.

26. Nitrogen balance of men with marginal intakes of protein and energy. J Nutr. 1975 Jul;105(7):914-23.

27. Liquid carbohydrate/essential amino acid ingestion during a short-term bout of resistance exercise suppresses myofibrillar protein degradation. Metabolism. 2006 May;55(5):570-7.

28. Influence of weight training exercise and modification of hormonal response on skeletal muscle growth. J Sci Med Sport. 2001 Dec;4(4):431-46.

29. Macronutrient intake and whole body protein metabolism following resistance exercise. Med-Sci-Sports-Exerc. 2000 Aug; 32(8): 1412-8.

30. Lean-body-mass composition and resting energy expenditure before and after long-term overfeeding. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992 Nov;56(5):840-7.

31. Deliberate overfeeding in women and men: energy cost and composition of the weight gain. Br J Nutr. 1986 Jul;56(1):1-9.

32. Lean body mass in obesity. Int J Obes. 1983;7(2):99-107.

33. Protein requirements and muscle mass/strength changes during intensive training in novice bodybuilders. J Appl Physiol. 1992 Aug;73(2):767-75.

34. Effects of dietary fat on postprandial substrate oxidation and on carbohydrate and fat balances. J Clin Invest. 1985 Sep;76(3):1019-24.

2008-08-07T09:17:00.030-04:00

Responding To The Devil's Advocate

Reader Exnerd has proposed some interesting questions in response to my previous post. He raises two possible objections to the idea that energy intake above expenditure must always lead to an increase in energy storage (in the form of either CHO, FAT or PRO). First, he suggests that: "muscles are limited in their growth by muscle belly length. If you've got long tendons and short muscle bellies... [t]he laws of physics PREVENT your muscles from reaching gargantuan proportions because the angle of pull will become inefficient." He further points out that "pro bodybuilders are unable to substantially improve their weak spots."

Let's take the second question first. Metabolism science dictates that those professional bodybuilders, even those already on steroids, are simply not eating more kcal than they are expending through exercise (and they're likely eating too little CHO as well). The key point to realize is that these bodybuilders are expending enormous amounts of energy, and the higher their daily energy expenditure, the more kcal are needed just to meet energy balance. Remember, the greatest muscle gains in the literature do not come from studies which include exercise, they come from studies that used no exercise at all. I've previously cited the pair of starch overfeeding studies that led to 3/4 LB of LBM gained per day. Here is another study showing similarly large increases in LBM from massive overfeeding without exercise:

Short-term alterations in carbohydrate energy intake in humans. Striking effects on hepatic glucose production, de novo lipogenesis, lipolysis, and whole-body fuel selection. J Clin Invest. 1995 Dec;96(6):2735-43.

My point is: the less energy stores you oxidize during the day, the easier it is to eat more kcal than you expend! Thus athletes who expend huge amounts of energy daily are, in the strictest sense, working against their goal of increasing energy stores (protein). And if their diet is high in fat and protein, it makes the goal of improving body recomposition even harder, since carbohydrates determine the efficiency of protein deposition.

Just think of endurance runners - they tend not to be very muscular, not because of genetics or a lack of protein synthesis, but because they are constantly reducing energy stores via exercise. This relates to my previous example of Sumo Wrestlers: they more easily gain weight because they are not worried about oxidizing fat stores like bodybuilders. They certainly perform intense exercise, but in short bursts; you probably won't see them running around the track for hours at a time!

The high fat, high protein diet bodybuilders normally eat leads to large increases in fat stores, and thus they are forced to perform a huge amount of exercise to burn off the fat. This roundabout method limits their practical results: the MNP diet, on the other hand, will put on muscle while minimizing fat, thus reducing your need for fat-burning exercise. In other words, bodybuilders focus on working out more than on nutrition, and as I have argued, for Maximum Nutrient Partitioning, you must focus on 2 things: 1) maximizing the CHO:FAT ratio of the diet and 2) increasing total kcal intake ABOVE energy expenditure. These are the keys to efficiently growing protein stores! By eating an MNP overfeeding diet (increasing energy intake) and exercising less (decreasing expenditure), the energy equation is improved, revealing the shortest path to the goal of muscle gain and fat minimization. One thing to remember is that the bigger one gets, the more energy the body needs just to maintain energy stores (thus the more muscle you gain, the more kcal you have to eat to maintain it). So yes, as you gain weight it becomes progressively harder to put on muscle (especially if you eat too much fat and exercise constantly). But, as long as you can physically manage eating more kcal than you expend via exercise, YOU WILL GAIN WEIGHT! That is what metabolism science and physics have established.

As far as the first question goes, I don't think it is true that differing muscle lengths, i.e.,"long tendons are short bellies" will somehow prevent energy stores from increasing. If this were true, overfeeding studies that compare obese and lean subjects should show a less efficient deposition of surplus energy stores as body mass increases (see study below). In other words, as protein stores (and total body mass) grow, less of surplus energy would be deposited. But this is not what happens. Instead studies show that the efficiency of weight gain is the same for both lean and obese subjects (adjusting for the increased metabolic cost of a larger body of course). Studies show that whenever subjects eat more kcal than they expend, their energy stores will increase, regardless of their size or the structure of their muscles. A minimum of 75% of energy consumed above expenditure is deposited into storage. A higher fat, lower carbohydrate diet increases this percentage, but either way 75-95% of surplus energy is must go into storage. The body does NOT control this, our digestive machinery has no choice but to deposit excess energy: we are designed via millions of years of evolution to do so with a minimum 75% efficiency. Download and read the entire study below for much more detail on this (they compare FAT and CHO overfeeding in lean and obese subjects):

Fat and carbohydrate overfeeding in humans: different effects on energy storage. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995 Jul;62(1):19-29.

Here is reader Exnerd's last question:

"If macronutrient breakdown can influence nutrient partitioning (and therefore help or hinder muscle gain), this seems to be the fact because of its impact on hormone levels. You have already argued how a diet high in starches and low in fat will raise insulin levels, putting the body in an anabolic state.

Yet insulin is not the only hormone responsible for muscle growth, testosterone definitely is another big player. I have read that in order to keep testosterone levels up, it is necessary to consume at least 100 g of fat daily. This seems to create a kind of catch-22, where you can't simultaneously optimize insulin and t-levels."

Remember the big picture: the goal of body recomposition is to increase protein stores while minimizing fat stores. It is simply not true that a certain amount of fat is required to increase protein stores. In my main MNP post, I cite the study below, which altered the macronutrient content of the diet to see the effects. Importantly, the diet with the highest efficiency of protein deposition contained ZERO fat. It was a maintenance diet (15 kcal/lb) that contained 0g FAT, 540 grams of CHO and 95.6 grams of PRO. That's 85% CHO, 15% PRO, 0% FAT. If fat was required for protein gain then this diet should have been the worst of all three studied. Yet the results were unequivocal: the lower the fat content of the diets, the MORE muscle was gained (protein was kept constant). The zero fat diet caused a net gain of 28.1 grams of protein over 24 hours, which translates to nearly 1/3 lb of LBM gained in a single day! Not only is 100g/d of fat not required for optimal muscle gain, the evidence is clear that the higher fat diet you eat, the worse the body recomposition results. It does not matter how much of the hormone testosterone the subjects had in their bodies during the different diets, because insulin is what pushes protein into storage, not testosterone.

Dietary Carbohydrate Deprivation Increases 24-Hour Nitrogen Excretion without Affecting Postabsorptive Hepatic or Whole Body Protein Metabolism in Healthy Men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Aug;88(8):3801-5.

Here is another study that directly contradicts the assertion that fat is needed for protein deposition:

Metabolic effects of a mixed and a high-carbohydrate low-fat diet in man, measured over 24 h in a respiration chamber. Br J Nutr. 1982 Jan;47(1):33-43.

As I've mentioned previously, this study compared two diets, both of which contained 88 grams of protein. The only thing altered was the CHO:FAT ratio. The mixed diet contained 85 grams of FAT and 228 grams of CHO. The MNP diet had only 9.5 grams of FAT and 406 grams of CHO. Precisely because FAT was lower and CHO intake higher, the MNP diet led to a gain of 17 grams of protein over 24h. The mixed diet caused a net gain of 11 grams of protein over 24h. Once again, an extremely low-fat diet caused more muscle gain than a higher fat diet (17 grams equals about 1/5 LB of LBM gained).

It is important to recognize that this study, and many overfeeding studies, directly measure gas exchange (calorimetry), thus the results are very accurate. These quality studies, and dozens of other related studies, show the same thing: the higher the ratio of CHO:FAT, the more dietary protein is deposited into storage. The hypothesis that fat intake/high testosterone levels control muscle gain is simply not supported by the evidence. But since testosterone and exercise are related in the public imagination, it is no surprise that so much focus is put on it. Studies may show that taking testosterone leads to reductions in body fat and increases in muscle, but that is because injecting hormones may increase appetite and activity levels: in the end the diet is still the brick and mortar that alters energy stores!

Remember, for Maximum Nutrient Partitioning, the big picture evidence is what matters most. The evidence from metabolism science defines the rules of MNP as:

1) To optimize the efficiency of protein deposition, maximize the ratio of CHO:FAT (75-85% CHO, 5-10% FAT, 10-15% PRO).
2) To guarantee significant increases in LBM: consume more total kcal than you expend.
3) To limit De Novo Lipogenesis, maximize the ratio of starches to sugars.
4) To stimulate protein synthesis in all areas of the body, perform regular muscle work, but not so much that you expend too much energy and thus limit your results (studies show PS can remain elevated for 48 hours; a solid full body workout every few days is enough to capture most of the benefits).

My sincere thanks to Exnerd for his thought-provoking questions! Everyone feel free to ask more. :) These are the basic rules of MNP. Soon I will explore the practical details of this further with the ultimate science-based body recomposition plan. I call it MNP 100% Muscle.

2008-08-06T10:43:00.025-04:00

Energy Intake And Macronutrient Ratios Determine Long Term Protein And Fat Storage

I've noticed that many people interested in body recomposition place way more emphasis on exercise than on diet. Yet the science is clear that total energy balance (intake minus expenditure) and the ratio of CHO:PRO:FAT:ALC are the major determinants of muscle and fat gain. As I've covered previously, studies on human metabolism show that basic physics holds: exercise is not required for large muscle gains. For example this classic overfeeding study by Forbes et al showed that "Forty-six percent of the 4.3-kg average weight gain experienced by these subjects consisted of lean body mass (LBM)." This comes out to 4.4 lbs of muscle gained in a three week period (18.8 grams of net protein added per day). Because the study used a high-fat diet (45% FAT!), the subjects gained an average of 115 grams of FAT per day as well. Each gram of protein came with nearly 3 grams of FAT. As the evidence I've shown previously reveals, if an MNP diet had been used the results would have been much improved. Still, the women in this study gained 1/5 LB of muscle PER DAY with zero exercise. Of course the starch overfeeding studies I've covered previously caused even more gains (3/4 LB LBM per day), and the reason is because the diet maximized complex carbohydrates and the CHO:FAT ratio. In the starch studies I estimate they ate 1800 kcal per day over their energy needs. Here the subjects ate 900-1700 kcal above needs. Had the diet been based on MNP principles, the body composition results would be improved a great deal.

Hormonal response to overfeeding. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Apr;49(4):608-11.

But my main point in this post is not to further support MNP as much as it is to elucidate the poorly realized fact that diet is the key to muscle gain, not exercise.

Strength Is A Skill And Not Directly Controlled By Muscularity

If you've done much reading on strength, you quickly realize that the smallest guy in the room might sometimes be the strongest, not because of genetics, but precisely because strength is the result of practicing neuromuscular coordination: developing skill through intense practice. For example, look at the size of these classic strongmen.

Many of today's famous bodybuilders would be easily outperformed by these classic (much smaller) strongmen. My point is simply that a higher level of protein storage does not necessarily mean a higher level of strength skill. Obese Americans have some of the largest protein stores on the planet, because "[o]bese individuals have a greater lean body mass (LBM) than normal weight subjects" (Forbes et al). Yet most have not developed their strength skill very much.

The Iron Willpower Of The Sumo Kid

The fact is the human body has no choice but to deposit surplus energy intake. If kcal intake is above expenditure, energy stores will increase. 75-95% of the energy will make it into storage (higher efficiency caused by fat overfeeding). The truth is, protein and fat stores can be increased to staggering amounts. Just imagine a child who will in the future become a massive sumo wrestler. If at age 10 you asked people to guess the kid's "genetic limit" for protein and fat stores, the guesses would be way off! This is because in the future that child will practice daily overfeeding, constantly eating more kcal than expending (on a fairly high fat diet obviously). Since the laws of physics don't change, this means protein and/or fat stores MUST increase.

Sumo wrestlers probably have equal or greater protein stores than the biggest bodybuilders; they are just covered by fat. The truth is genes do have an effect on one's natural activity level and appetite, BUT these things can be greatly controlled by the individual through diet. People often misunderstand this: energy is what builds muscles and fat stores, NOT EXERCISE! Dozens of overfeeding studies show large muscle gains in subjects not on an exercise program.

Exercise Is An Important Chisel In The Tool Kit, But Diet Alone Provides The Raw Materials

Exercise does some positive things for body recomposition. First, it oxidizes FAT. Second, it stimulates protein synthesis. But without food in the stomach, studies show that net protein balance is negative, because exercise stimulates both protein synthesis and protein breakdown.

Basically, the only limit to how much muscle a person may gain is determined by the macronutrient ratio of the diet and total kcal intake minus energy expenditure. As an aside, I wonder if the main practical effect of steroids is to increase appetite (because steroids cannot change the basic physics of metabolism).

Some people expend prodigious amounts of energy, eat a high fat diet that creates inefficient protein deposition (weak insulin response), fail to eat more kcal than they expend, and then wonder why they are a genetic "hardgainer." The truth is, whatever
their genetic foundation, they are confusing training specific neuromuscular skills with increasing protein stores. Those are two distinct but related goals.

As you gain weight, the metabolic cost of the additional weight gain requires you to eat relatively more energy to gain the same amount of muscle as before. So as you meet your short term goals it does becomes harder to eat more kcal than you expend. Weight tends to stablize because people are creatures of habit. But, as sumo wrestlers demonstrate, if you overfeed, you will gain weight, no exceptions. Sumos are huge because they overfeed religiously. Since the focus here is muscle gain not fat, we implement the principles of MNP. The evidence shows that body recomposition improves the fastest when MNP is combined with overfeeding (surplus kcal). There really isn't such a thing as a genetic limit, except that one may get so huge that they impair their health and die. Otherwise it's simply a question of whether the person eats more kcal than they expend. So when people talk about genetic limits they are really talking about their predisposition for a lower kcal diet and a high activity level. But physics guarantees that those things can be overcome if the knowledge of macronutrients is there, if the iron willpower is there. Certainly it is not easy to steadily grow protein stores while limiting fat gain, but with the MNP diet you can open up the most direct pathway towards the goal of growing protein stores (by regularly ingesting more MNP kcal than you expend).

2008-08-01T11:06:00.067-04:00

The Ideal MNP Diet is High In Starches, Low In Simple Sugars

Multiple lines of scientific evidence confirm that starches are not just the ideal food for human health, they are essential for Maximum Nutrient Partitioning. Complex carbohydrates digest more slowly than simple carbohydrates, providing a steady release of energy. The body responds by burning much of this energy directly for current needs (increasing CHO oxidation, decreasing FAT oxidation, as explained in the last post). Because of the slower release of energy, even very large starch meals are unlikely to create significant De Novo Lipogensis, especially when combined with exercise (as shown in the data I'll cite below). Simple sugars, on the other hand, are digested into glucose at a faster rate that may overcome the body's ability to burn the molecules for current energy needs. Thus, although most DNL occurs only when glycogen stores are maxed out, a sudden influx quick-digesting simple sugars can lead to small amounts of carbohydrates being converted via DNL into fat (though the inefficient process loses up to 30% of the initial energy). Therefore, the ideal MNP diet not only maximizes the ratio of CHO:FAT, but also the ratio of starch to simple sugars.

The two studies below by Hudgins et al. clearly demonstrate what I am saying, which is that replacing simple sugars with starches leads to less DNL:

Human fatty acid synthesis is stimulated by a eucaloric low fat, high carbohydrate diet. J Clin Invest. 1996 May 1;97(9):2081-91.

Human fatty acid synthesis is reduced after the substitution of dietary starch for sugar. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Apr;67(4):631-9.

Now, it is important to keep things in perspective: increasing the CHO:FAT ratio in the diet has a much greater partitioning effect than increasing the ratio of starch:simple sugars. For example, consider this study:

Glycogen synthesis versus lipogenesis after a 500 gram carbohydrate meal in man. Metabolism. 1982 Dec;31(12):1234-40.

Six healthy males were fed an enormous (2000 kcal) meal of "bread, jam, and fruit juice." They found that over 10 hours the subjects oxidized 133 g CHO for energy needs and deposited the rest (about 346g) as glycogen. The authors state in the abstract: "When a single high-carbohydrate meal is consumed, dietary CHO merely has the effect of reducing the rate of fat oxidation. These findings challenge the common perception that conversion of CHO to fat is an important pathway for the retention of dietary energy and for the accumulation of body fat."

Most people's fat stores are derived almost entirely from dietary fat, not from carbohydrates that were converted to fat via DNL (for example when researchers take fat samples they can tell what kind of fatty food you've been eating). But if this study had kept feeding the same meal until glycogen stores were maxed, then carbohydrates would indeed have begun to be converted into fats in large amounts, as revealed by this excellent (simple) carbohydrate overfeeding study by Acheson et al. (click on the link to download the entire .pdf):

Glycogen storage capacity and de novo lipogenesis during massive carbohydrate overfeeding in man. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Aug;48(2):240-7.

As the data reveal, enormous amounts of simple sugars (up to 1000g on day 10) will overfill glycogen stores and begin serious conversion of large amounts of CHO into FAT. Yet if those sugars were replaced with starch, the results would have been significantly different, with more muscle and less fat gained.

For example, the two studies below by Folch et al. demonstrate that even large meals of starch did not yield any net DNL in subjects. In fact, despite eating up to 1500 kcal of pasta, subjects oxidized net fat when moderate exercise was performed beforehand. Since a large starch meal increases insulin which increases the percentage of dietary protein deposited into storage, the practical result is that subjects were gaining muscle while oxidizing fat. Moderate exercise plus very large, very low-fat starch meals leads to increases in protein stores but not fat stores.

Metabolic response to small and large 13C-labelled pasta meals following rest or exercise in man. Br J Nutr. 2001 Jun;85(6):671-80.

Metabolic response to a large starch meal after rest and exercise: comparison between men and women. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003 Sep;57(9):1107-15.

2/3 LB Of Muscle Added Per Day With A 20% FAT Starch Overfeeding Diet (And No Exercise!)

The two studies cited below by Minehira et al. both used a 4 day starch overfeeding diet (4300 kcal, composed mainly of rice, pasta, crackers and biscuits). The subjects did not exercise, but ate 759g CHO, 91g PRO and 95g FAT per day. I estimate they ate an impressive 1800 kcal over their total energy expenditure. In both studies the subjects gained 3/4 lb of LBM per day (about 70 g/d of net protein). In one study subjects also gained about 25 grams of fat per day, in the other about 75 grams of fat. Since they ate 95 grams of fat each day, that means despite the starch overfeeding diet they still oxidized 20 and 70 grams of fat per day. The evidence suggests that if the CHO:FAT ratio was increased, to say 10% of kcal from fat, then 3/4-1 LB of LBM would be gained each day without any change in fat stores. Most impressive is the fact that insulin-mediated protein storage was so efficient on this diet: over 2/3 of dietary protein was deposited into storage (causing the best body recomposition results in the literature)! This is what inevitably happens when starch is overfed in such large amounts. Insulin remains high all day, constantly pushing protein (and most of whatever fat is eaten) into storage. The data tells the story: I encourage you to research all the studies I've cited in my last two posts. Especially consider how the results of these two studies below could be improved by increasing the CHO:FAT ratio and adding exercise.

Effect of carbohydrate overfeeding on whole body and adipose tissue metabolism in humans. Obes Res. 2003 Sep;11(9):1096-103.

Effect of carbohydrate overfeeding on whole body macronutrient metabolism and expression of lipogenic enzymes in adipose tissue of lean and overweight humans. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Oct;28(10):1291-8.

This does not mean overfeeding starches is easy; avoiding fatty and sugary foods is a challenge because they're literally addictive (and starches are high in fiber and bulk), but I'll outline some helpful techniques in future posts. By strictly applying the principles of MNP, you will eventually find your MNP 100% Muscle "sweet spot:" the point at which a high-energy MNP diet (combined with fat-burning exercise) leads to a daily net gain in protein but not fat. Imagine gaining 1/4 LB or more of muscle every day without increasing fat stores. That, in a nutshell, is what MNP 100% Muscle is all about. By understanding the way human metabolism works, body recomposition goals can be reached in the safest and most effective manner possible: with a high kcal, low-fat, starch-based diet.

2008-07-24T12:00:00.096-04:00

Elevating Insulin And Minimizing Fat Intake With A High-Carbohydrate Diet: The Key To Maximum Nutrient Partitioning

Overview

The goal of body recomposition is to increase net protein deposition, while minimizing net fat deposition. This post will detail how the MNP diet (very high carbohydrate, very low fat, moderate protein) works with the basic physics of macronutrient metabolism to achieve Maximum Nutrient Partitioning.

Obviously, the major factor influencing body composition is net energy balance (energy intake minus energy expenditure). Overfeeding studies confirm basic physics: any energy surplus is deposited, with 75-95% efficiency, as some combination of glycogen, protein and fat. But what most people don't understand is that the ratio of macronutrients in the diet has a large influence on exactly how much, and in what form, excess energy is stored. For example, studies even show that net protein gain can occur at the same as net fat loss. This is because the efficiency of energy deposition varies with each unique macronutrient. These nuances tend to be ignored, oversimplified or completely misunderstood, but once you understand them you unlock the secrets to optimal body recomposition.

Carbohydrates Versus Fat

Since glycogen stores are limited to about 2 pounds (for a fit male), over the long term calories consumed above total energy expenditure are mainly stored as either protein or fat. But here's the catch: when you eat a gram of fat, it is already in the chemical form of storage. Thus an impressive 95% of its energy is deposited. Excess carbohydrates, on the other hand, must be converted via De Novo Lipogenesis into fat. This deposits only 75% of the initial carbohydrate energy. In addition, the body only turns carbohydrates into fat when glycogen stores are overloaded (either because stores are full or because quick-digesting simple sugars have momentarily overcome the body's rate of CHO processing). And because DNL is inefficient, the body prefers to directly burn the energy than convert it to fat. All these factors help explain why eating fat is the best way to gain fat. Overfeeding studies show a clear pattern: whenever high fat and high carbohydrate overfeeding are compared isocalorically (same total kcal), the high fat diet leads to greater fat deposition (and also slightly less protein deposition). In the words of Dr. McDougall: "the fat you eat is the fat you wear."

Although carbohydrate overfeeding is significantly less efficient than fat overfeeding (i.e., more of the total energy is dissipated as heat loss), for the goal of MNP this is actually a good thing. If the goal is to get fat: overfeed fat. But if the goal is to gain muscle and minimize fat, the ideal diet must be a very high carbohydrate, very low fat diet. The is because carbohydrates stimulate the release of the anabolic hormone insulin. Insulin pushes both fat and protein into storage. Since the goal of MNP is to push protein (but not fat) into storage, the ideal solution is to eat a high-calorie, high carbohydrate, but very low fat diet.

The Oxidative Hierarchy

Metabolism studies use this term to describe the body's preference for oxidizing macronutrients. Alcohol is considered "perfect" and is at the top. This is because our bodies do not store alcohol directly (though a few % may be converted via DNL into fat). Alcohol is burned immediately for current energy needs. Carbohydrate oxidation is labeled "excellent," because when carbohydrate intake increases, the body quickly adjusts oxidation so it burns less fat, and more glycogen, for fuel. Protein is only considered "good," because large increases in protein intake only cause small increases in oxidation. Fat is low man on the totem pole, as it is the reserve fuel. The body is designed to oxidize the other three macronutrients first, so any increase in the oxidation rate of the favored three directly reduces fat oxidation.

Efficient Protein Utilization: The Secret Weapon Of MNP

First, some relevant quotes from metabolism science:

"In summary, the current studies show that efficient protein utilization is achieved by the inhibition of proteolysis rather than an increase in protein synthesis."

Variation in the apparent sensitivity of the insulin-mediated inhibition of proteolysis to amino acid supply determines the efficiency of protein utilization. Clin Sci (Lond). 1998 Dec;95(6):725-33.

"In other words, dietary carbohydrate is required for an optimal utilization of dietary proteins."

Dietary Carbohydrate Deprivation Increases 24-Hour Nitrogen Excretion without Affecting Postabsorptive Hepatic or Whole Body Protein Metabolism in Healthy Men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Aug;88(8):3801-5.

In plain terms, as carbohydrate intake increases so does the percentage of ingested protein that gets shuttled into muscle stores. For example, the study cited directly above used 3 isocaloric diets containing the same level of protein. Thus the effects of the ratio of carbohydrate to fat could be isolated.

PRO/FAT/CHO % PRO excretion (g/24-h)* insulin** CHO g net PRO g/%PRO***

15/83/2 .............95.6 ...............Low ...........13 g ..................0 ..... 0

15/41/44 ........... 75.6 ...............Med ...........280 g ............19.4 ... 20

15/0/85 ..............67.5 ..............High ..........540 g .............28.1 ...29

*Data from Fig. 2, converting urinary Nitrogen excretion to protein excretion.

**Insulin response from Fig. 1.

***Net 24h protein deposition (intake - excretion) and protein efficiency (% of dietary protein deposited)

The diets provided identical energy (15 kcal/lb) and protein. Thus the results clearly show the superiority of carbohydrates over fat for body recomposition. First of all, notice that the low-carb diet created a low insulin response, which lead to zero net gain of muscle over 24h. Protein requires a large insulin response to push it into storage. Thus, when the mixed diet raised carbohydrate intake to 280g, the insulin response was higher, therefore subjects gained 19 grams of protein (~95 g LBM=1/5 lb of muscle) over 24h, with 20% efficiency (19.4/95.6). Finally, the zero fat, 85% carbohydrate diet (540g) had the highest insulin response, which inevitably forced more protein into storage. Thus the net gain of protein was 28.1 g/95.6, an efficiency of 29% (28g of protein translates to nearly 1/3 lb of LBM). And remember, this is at maintenance (15 kcal/lb). Forget the specific numbers, the lesson here is that if you want to achieve Maximum Nutrient Partitioning, the key is a diet very high in carbohydrates, and very low in fat. The more you step on the carbohydrate accelerator, the stronger the insulin response, and the more protein from the diet is deposited into storage (indeed some starch overfeeding studies have achieved efficiency as high as 66%, with over 60g out of 90g of dietary protein deposited per 24h).

Let's move on to another example:

Metabolic effects of a mixed and a high-carbohydrate low-fat diet in man, measured over 24 h in a respiration chamber. Br J Nutr. 1982 Jan;47(1):33-43.

This classic study compared a mixed diet versus a MNP diet. Once again, protein was kept the same (88g/24h), allowing the ratio of carbohydrates versus fat to show its effect. As part of the study, subjects spent 24h in a respiration chamber (calorimetry is very accurate for measuring oxidation rates). They also cycled for 2.5 hours on a "bicycle ergometer," so the additive effect of exercise could be seen. Here are the startling results from Tables 2 and 3:

Diet kcal deficit PRO/FAT/CHO (g) PRO O* (g/24-h) net PRO g/%PRO
MD ....... -339 ........88/85/228 ............77 .................+11 ....13
HCLFD ...-456 ........88/9.5/406 ...........71 .................+17... 19
*Protein oxidation.

Notice what happens when exercise is combined with a low-kcal MNP diet. Both groups were in negative energy balance due to the addition of cycling. Yet despite a significantly greater net energy deficit (-456 Vs. -339), the HCLFD deposited 55% more net protein into storage compared to the MD (+17 Vs. +11). These data elucidate the lopsided power of carbohydrate versus fat when it comes to protein efficiency: while 19% of ingested protein made it to storage for the HCLFD, only 13% was stored by the MD, despite the fact that the MD group was over 120 kcal closer to meeting energy needs! In terms of body recomposition for the 24h period, both diets were successful. The MD increased LBM by about 55 grams, while reducing fat stores by 75 g. The HCLFD increased LBM by about 85 grams, while reducing fat stores by 80.5 grams (Table 3). Yet the HCLFD clearly outperformed the MD, causing more net muscle gain and more net fat loss, despite a greater net energy deficit! Such is the power of increasing the ratio of CHO:FAT in diet.

Confirming these results is the superb study by Horton et al., which compares the different effects of carbohydrate and fat overfeeding. If you want a deeper understanding of these issues, click on the citation below to download and study the full .pdf file. In this study carbohydrate overfeeding achieved much better body recomposition results compared to fat overfeeding, and how could it not, human metabolism and physics make it the inevitable result.

Fat and carbohydrate overfeeding in humans: different effects on energy storage. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995 Jul;62(1):19-29.

In 2002, Rozenek et al. published a study confirming that carbohydrate overfeeding combined with weight training created a better recomposition result than an isocaloric diet higher in total protein.

Effects of high-calorie supplements on body composition and muscular strength following resistance training. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2002 Sep;42(3):340-7.

Both groups trained 4 d/wk for 8 weeks, with each session lasting between 60-90 minutes. Each group, in additional to their regular diets, ingested a daily supplement containing 2010 kcal (a control group did not get the supplement). The high protein group received an extra 356g CHO, 106g PRO, 18g FAT. The high carbohydrate group received an extra 450g CHO, 24g PRO, 14g FAT.

Here are the results from Table II:

......Group 1 (CHO/PRO)..Group 2 (CHO) ..Group 3 (CTRL)
Fat gain/loss ..+200g (.4 lb)...-300g (-.7 lbs) ....-800g (1.8 lbs)
LBM gain ....+2.9 kg (6.4 lbs)...+3.4 kg (7.5 lbs) +1.4 (3.1 lbs)

Once again the metabolic consequences of higher carbohydrate, lower fat diets is confirmed: the CHO group actually lost .7 lbs of fat while gaining 7.5 lbs of muscle! The CHO/PRO group gained .4 lbs of fat and 6.4 lbs of muscle. Clearly, overfeeding combined with exercise gave both supplemented groups excellent body recomposition results, yet the best results were in the CHO group. Since the unsupplemented diets were typical (high in fat), the results would have been even more striking if the ratio of carbohydrates to fat was shifted further towards optimal protein efficiency (MNP).

50-100 Grams Of Protein A Day Is Enough For MNP

By understanding the way basic physics and human metabolism intersect to produce body composition, Maximum Nutrient Partitioning can be achieved. The most efficient pathway towards maximizing muscle and minimizing fat is the MNP diet. Don't believe the hype - bucketloads of protein are not necessary, and as demonstrated by the studies I've cited, protein intake greater than 90-100g/d is not necessary for large muscle gains, and in fact can be counter productive.

The Three Main Factors Of MNP

Through examining well-designed studies, the basics of optimal body recomposition are brought into the light:

#1 Step on the carbohydrate accelerator.

Eat a diet very high in CHO, very low in FAT, and moderate in PRO. Carbohydrates will directly stimulate insulin, which will push both protein and fat into storage. Yet since FAT intake is strictly controlled, net muscle gain will be achieved with minimal fat gain.

#2 Further shift metabolism towards MNP with exercise.

Exercise stimulates energy expenditure (FAT/CHO oxidation) and significantly increases protein synthesis (for up to 48 hours). When you combine the MNP diet with exercise, you are working with millions of years of evolution to help sculpt your ideal body.

#3 Keep basic physics in mind.

Although one can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time using MNP, the power of MNP becomes more obvious as surplus kcal accumulate. When consuming significantly more kcal than expending, protein stores grow quickly. What the classic bodybuilding mantra of "eat big, lift big" is missing is the strong effect of the macronutrient ratio in the diet. Extrapolating from starch overfeeding studies, it appears that combining MNP overfeeding (1000-1500 kcal above maintenance) with fat-burning exercise will put on 1/2-3/4 lb of LBM per day, with zero fat gain! Although total kcal intake is the biggest factor in overall weight gain, the macronutrient ratio of a diet also has a profound effect on body composition. Most overfeeding studies use a high fat diet, so the weight gained tends to have a high ratio of FAT to PRO. So for every 1 gram of net protein gained, they also gain 8-14 grams of FAT. But studies that keep FAT below 20% deposit much less fat. So for every 1 gram of protein, they gain only 1-4 grams of FAT. But the MNP diet is even lower in FAT: 5-10%, so the results are even better. For more detail about the practical details of the ultimate body recomposition plan check out MNP 100% Muscle.

More To Come

Minor MNP factors will be covered in future posts (complex carbohydrates versus simple sugars, alcohol, fasting, speed of digestion/gastric emptying/satiety signals, high intensity versus low intensity). Thank you for reading; feel free to ask questions. By implementing Maximum Nutrient Partitioning daily (in addition to exercise), you are choosing to follow most direct pathway to a more muscular and less fat you. You get the most bang for your metabolic buck. You get Maximum Nutrient Partitioning.

2008-07-23T07:58:00.006-04:00

Metabolism Lesson #1: The Herbivorous Human Digestive Tract

You are a biological herbivore. Contrary to popular opinion, nutritional science shows that the human digestive tract is optimized for the metabolism of plant food (energy). As you will learn in the articles below: 1) humans are primates, and like all our primate cousins, our bodies excel at processing plant energy. 2) every time humans eat significant amounts of animal food, chronic diseases run rampant. Though controversial in popular culture, reality-based thinkers must eventually submit to the abundant evidence. Here are two articles surveying the evidence:
http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/030700pumeatinthehumandiet.htm
http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.html
Notice how the human primate possesses all the biological characteristics of an herbivore: from the beginning of the digestive tract to the end, we match up precisely with herbivores, and not omnivores nor carnivores. Just look at the mouth, for example: notice the amylase (starch-digesting enzyme) and carb taste buds - no protein taste buds like carnivores have, the jaw which goes side-to-side (carnivore and omnivore jaws only go up and down). Notice that we sip water like herbivores. Carnivores and omnivores lap up water; they cool themselves by panting, whereas herbivores cool themselves (sweat) via millions of tiny pores found all over the body. Other examples include the length of our intenstines, the fact that only herbivores have seminal vescicles (this one's for you guys)! And of course there's the fact that human stomach acid is 20 times weaker than a carnivore. Please check the links - I'm only scratching the surface here.

In addition to this powerful evidence from biology, is the robust scientific data showing that chronic diseases are not only caused by animal foods, but returning to a biologically appropriate diet of 95-100% plants reverses chronic diseases, from diabetes to artery disease, from osteoporosis to kidney disease. The fact is anytime people eat significant animal food disease rates skyrocket (see The China Study, for example) . Since most nutrition studies are correlational in nature, scientists become obsessed with "risk factors" - focusing on minutia without necessarily considering the big picture. Researchers can see that limiting "saturated fat," "cholesterol" and "animal protein" reduces disease, yet they are generally so inextricably woven into the fabric of cultural inertia (and hypnotized by their own meaty diets) that they are blind to the overall reality: all these "risk factors" precisely describe a diet high in animal foods. They write about a supposedly mysterious "metabolic syndrome," which is science-speak for the constellation of disease symptoms that occur whenever the herbivorous human body is fueled with biologically inappropriate fuel (meat, dairy, refined oils, etc.). There is no mystery, only physical reality: every time a strict vegan diet is studied or implemented, dramatic improvements in health are not far behind. (Click this link and scroll down to see info on how a low-fat vegan diet reverses early prostate cancer.) Had these results been achieved by pills, it would be a financial windfall for the pharmaceutical industry. The data would be trumpeted from the rooftops. But no pill will ever remove the cause at its source: the biologically inappropriate animal food that is put into a digestive tract designed for plant foods. This blog will be mainly about improving body recomposition via my system of MNP (Maximum Nutrient Partitioning) - but you won't fully understand the nuances of metabolism without first realizing the underlying architecture of our herbivorous biology. Explore these links thoroughly for in-depth articles and most importantly, big-picture scientific evidence that supports what I am saying (simply reading through all of Dr. McDougall's free newsletters will give you a fuller understanding of nutrition than dozens of college level nutrition courses - after all, the average Registered Dietitian would recommend meat and dairy to a dying heart disease patient, oblivious of the proven cure):
Dr. McDougall
http://www.pritikin.com/research/research_StudiesResearch.shtml

Respecting our herbivorous adaptations, which have occurred over millions of years of evolution, maximizes the healing potential of the human body by removing the major "risk factors" of disease. Check out the practical, disease-reversing results, in real people:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/star.html
http://www.pritikin.com/stories/stories ... ests.shtml

The combined scientific and anecdotal evidence reveals that every bite of animal food directly increases waste buildup in humans. Simply put: animal food is dirty fuel for the human machine. Eating significant amounts opens up a Pandora's Box of consequences: artery-lined plaques, cancer promotion, osteoporosis, diabetes, kidney stones, autoimmune diseases, and more! Multiple areas of the body become increasingly burdened; the body is always healing, but eating animal food several times a day overloads healing potential, causing disease.

For example, high-sulfur amino acids from animal proteins are very acidic; the body has to maintain a precise pH, thus it is forced to pull calcium from the bones to buffer the large acid load. Studies show that calcium balance is negative when animal proteins are eaten. This steady loss of bone increases porosity, and osteoporosis is the result. The fancy term is "metabolic acidosis."

Artery disease is another example. The cholesterol and saturated fat burden from meat and dairy consumption line primate arteries with plaque, which may eventually rupture (called "stroke" if it happens in the brain, "heart attack" if near the heart, etc.). The point is each chronic disease has its own specific symptoms, yet the big picture is clear: the body's healing potential is overcome whenever significant amounts of animal calories are consumed. Eat animal foods daily and the body becomes backlogged with so much metabolic waste that it cannot keep up with detoxification and removal (healing potential is overcome). That is why scientific studies show that all chronic diseases respond positively to a low-fat vegan diet. Our digestive specialization in plant foods comes at a cost: when we eat high on the food chain, a build-up of metabolic waste products occurs. It is an evolutionary mismatch, and it causes stupendous amounts of suffering and illness.

Welcome to MNP! Each post will contain, and link to, evidence-based information that will give you the tools to create not only health, but optimal body recomposition. You will learn the keys to muscle gain and fat minimization. Once you know the basics of human metabolism, the pathway towards success opens wide.

Topics covered will include overfeeding/underfeeding, macronutrient oxidation (CHO PRO FAT ALC, focusing on optimizing fat loss and muscle gain), protein synthesis, insulin, metabolism science (calorimetry studies), De Novo Lipogenesis, nutrition myths, and much more! The shocking but true scientific data will be discussed, cited, and excerpted for all to see. The evidence directly contradicts popular opinion: but reality often does. This blog is my tribute to everyone who is willing to think for themselves, to everyone who is willing to weigh the evidence regardless of the status quo. A low-fat vegan diet is not just the ideal diet for health, it is also the best tool for sculpting the body into a lean, muscular frame. You'll gradually build up a fundamental understanding of how the intersection of basic physics and human metabolism inevitably determines the efficiency of muscle gain and fat minimization. Follow this blog and you will learn the unique characteristics of the four macronutrients, and be able to apply them to maximize your practical results. After all, who doesn't want to be leaner, more muscular, and healthier?

For a deeper understanding, explore these additional links:

Dr. McDougall Video Lecture "The Perils of Dairy"

T. Colin Campbell PhD Video Lecture: "Meat, Dairy Cause Cancer"

Dr. McDougall Article "Dairy Products and 10 False Promises"

And especially:
Dr. McDougall's Free Newsletter Archive

Finally, here's a superb big-picture nutrition lecture given by Dr. McDougall in 2007. He gave it as a free download a while back, but I can't find the link, so I've uploaded it HERE. With piercing logic and plain english, McDougall brilliantly elucidates the life-changing power a low-fat, high starch vegan diet. An entertaining, inspiring and extremely educational tour-de-force!