Eat, Fast & Live Longer (BBC Horizon Documentary)

Thought this was interesting. Talks about intermittent fasting, and IGF-1.

why can't they genetically alter humans in a way that would downregulate this IGF-1?

moby wrote:why can't they genetically alter humans in a way that would downregulate this IGF-1?

They might turn out to be midgets.

BTW I'm surprised there isn't more discussion of fasting here, it looks like the best way to improve insulin resistance.

j87x wrote:

moby wrote:why can't they genetically alter humans in a way that would downregulate this IGF-1?

They might turn out to be midgets.

I'm talking about doing it after puberty (age 20+)

the same reason we can't genetically alter humans at all

I don't believe fasting is the best way to improve insulin sensitivity. Fasting can have many ill effects on the body. It has been shown to heighten DNA repair, but so has sleep. If you ask me, sleep was meant to be our intermittent fast. Consider that most intermittent fasting protocols (not normal fasting), require 16 hours of fasting. Well, if you ate a meal at 6 in the evening and didn't eat until 8 am the next morning, you are getting 14 hours of fasting. This is likely plenty of time to fast. Sleep is the most important thing to focus on, not the time going without food.

Do I believe rotating our caloric intakes can provide benefits, sure. But fasting for extended periods of time just isn't necessary and the stress-related effects aren't necessary either. The argument that the body has evolved to handle periods of famine isn't a good enough argument to support extended fasting. Just because we are evolved to deal with something doesn't make it beneficial. We have evolved mechanisms to handle stress, it doesn't mean incurring stress is always beneficial.

Altering macro ratios can help insulin resistance massively. Going on a high fat/ high protein diet with a carb intake of roughly 20-30% calories can increase insulin resistance. Intense exercise done consistently will increase insulin sensitivity. I mean, perhaps I'm wrong, I've been wrong before, but there hasn't been any evidence to show extended fasting increases longevity. Caloric restriction has been shown to increase longevity, but that is likely due to the fact that caloric restriction mitigates excessive insulin and IGF-1.

Doesn't exercising improve insulin sensitivity?

LawOfThelema wrote:the same reason we can't genetically alter humans at all

we actually can and we've already cured quite a few people by actually modifying their genes. How is changing mice genes any different from changing human genes apart from safety issues

LawOfThelema wrote:Doesn't exercising improve insulin sensitivity?

Large muscles increase your ability to oxidise fats so yes.

Hail the Warrior diet - Long live the Warrior diet.

moby wrote:why can't they genetically alter humans in a way that would downregulate this IGF-1?

You can alter gene expression through diet and lifestyle.

LawOfThelema wrote:
Doesn't exercising improve insulin sensitivity?

Depends on the kind of exercise. Excessively long durations of exercise just cause increases in cortisol levels and breakdown of muscle. After about 45-60 minutes of exercise, glycogen stores in muscles become depleted and the adrenal glands start releasing cortisol. Cortisol causes the breakdown of muscles.

I was just thinking today about dietary macronutrient composition and the vast amounts of speculation as to how it can contribute to insulin resistance. Sometimes we get caught up in complicated theories about nutrition that we forget the basics. Caloric excess and lack of physical activity probably contribute more to insulin resistance than the amount of sugar or saturated fats (or unsaturated fats) in your diet. Our bodies are built to handle a diversified diet of whole and unprocessed foods.

Human beings and domesticated animals are the first living things on earth that don't have to exert themselves physically in order to acquire food. About 90% of the population is noticeably unfit. Even people that look "normal-sized" are fat. In most modernized countries, young men in their 20s have very little muscle mass and strength.

IMO, exercise is pretty crucial. One might be inclined to dismiss exercise as unimportant because it's recommended by the mainstream health authorities. But not everything promoted by the mainstream is necessarily false.

I agree with anthonyspencer54. Good sleep is essential.

IR,

I actually agree a lot with what you said. We spend a lot of time nitpicking over various macro ratios. While I do feel that a low-carbohydrate diet can help with insulin sensitivity, when used short term and therapeutically, that does not even apply if your diet is made up of a ton of refined foods.

In my mind, the body's energy management systems are very complex and very sensitive to changes in the environment, and its very impressive. More than likely, insulin resistance is a protective mechanism of the body to mitigate the problems of an energy overabundance. IR pointed out it has only been fairly recently in our evolution that food has been available at the drop of a hat. The lack of activity combined with a hyper-caloric diet leads to an energy overabundance, one that burdens the electron transport chain. Having too many gluco- or lipogenic products within the cell will have this effect and the result is an overproduction of oxidative products. Insulin resistance is probably the body's way of protecting the cell and the mitochondria from this burden. It senses the body is to anabolic, there is just too much energy. While I don't feel calories in vs. calories out is enough to explain the whole situation, suffice it to say the "out" side is not in balance.

Obviously there are other factors that can contribute. ABC has pointed out that LPS can contribute to fatty liver, and fatty liver can create liver specific insulin resistance. Fat stores can become insulin resistance. There is a big hormonal imbalance occurring.

I believe that with proper exercise, sleep, a diet rid of refined foods, proper caloric intake, and a macro ratio that is suited for your metabolic type will eliminate insulin resistance.

I've been on the 5/2 diet for about 6 months and this is the least uncomfortable diet that I've been on. After a fast day of 600 calories, I don't have the urge to binge the next day.