The Carb-Sane Asylum

This post may well make heads spin.  It sure did mine. A common claim in LC circles is that we "waste" excess fats through futile cycling.  Although this has not been demonstrated in any significant amount in humans except in massive fat overfeeding, it is still incorporated into books and blog posts by the likes of Dr. Mike Eades (futile cycling to "blow off" low carb excesses is stated as if fact in The 6 Week Cure). Inherent in these statements is the implication that this only happens for excess dietary fat when carbs are low ... insulin would be trapping the fats in the cells as the theories go.  Well ... Substrate cycling between de novo lipogenesis and lipid oxidation: a thermogenic mechanism against skeletal muscle lipotoxicity and glucolipotoxicity   (2004 Review Article,  PDF)

Response of plasma ASP to a prolonged fast  - Abstract only unfortunately OBJECTIVE:   To determine the changes in the plasma level of acylation stimulating protein (ASP) during a one month total fast in female subjects with marked obesity. DESIGN:   Patients with marked obesity underwent a month total fast, before, during (2 weeks), and at the end of which, a variety of relevant metabolic parameters were measured. SETTING:   A metabolic unit of a teaching hospital. SUBJECTS:   10 women with marked obesity were studied and the results compared with those in 16 age-matched controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:   Plasma ASP, lipoprotein lipids, apoB, free fatty acid, and ketone levels. RESULTS:   At baseline, fasting levels of ASP in the obese group were double that in control subjects (116 +/- 26 vs 53 +/- 30 nM P < 0.001). During the fast, ASP levels dropped progressively and were within the normal range at the end of the study (63 +/- 16 vs 53 +...

Subdivisions of subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue and insulin resistance This is a very interesting article.  They looked at not only visceral vs. subQ abdominal fat, but differentiated between two types of abdominal SCAT (subcutaneous adipose tissue):  superficial vs. deep. There is a well described fascial plane within the SAT of the abdomen (18, 28), with the superficial adipose layer possessing compact fascial septa (Camper’s fascia), whereas the deeper layer of adipose tissue has more loosely organized fascial septa (Scarpa’s fascia).  Fat lobules of the two sites also differ. The superficial layer is characterized by small tightly packed lobules, whereas those of the deeper layer are larger and distributed in an irregular manner (28). The thickness of the deep layer appears more variable among individuals and especially in relation to obesity (3). The presence of these fascial planes and differences in histol...

Comparative toxicity of fatty acids on a macrophage cell line (J774) In the present study, the cytotoxicity of palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, arachidonic, docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids on a macrophage cell line (J774) was investigated. The induction of toxicity was investigated by changes in cell size, granularity, membrane integrity, DNA fragmentation and phosphatidylserine externalization by using flow cytometry. Fluorescence microscopy was used to determine the type of cell death (Acridine Orange/ethidium bromide assay). The possible mechanisms involved were examined by measuring mitochondrial depolarization, lipid accumulation and PPARγ (peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor γ ) activation. The results demonstrate that fatty acids induce apoptosis and necrosis of J774 cells. At high concentrations, fatty acids cause macrophage death mainly by necrosis. The cytotoxicity of the fatty acids was not strictly related ...

Some more articles presented without comment for book-marking purposes: The anti-inflammatory and potential anti-atherogenic effect of insulin: a new paradigm Intensive Insulin Therapy Exerts Antiinflammatory Effects in Critically Ill Patients and Counteracts the Adverse Effect of Low Mannose-Binding Lectin Levels Anti-Inflammatory and Profibrinolytic Effect of Insulin in Acute ST-Segment–Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Is insulin an endogenous cardioprotector? Presented without comment, except to say that hyperinsulinemia is not the problem, it's what causes the hyperinsulinemia.  That being insulin resistance!

Having been introduced to "the English guy" aka Keith Frayn, I've discovered a rather extensive, as well as diverse, body of work by this researcher.   I'm sure to be sharing more in the coming weeks.   Visceral fat and insulin resistance – causative or correlative?   (link is to full-text PDF) The association between abdominal fat accumulation and risk of chronic diseases, including type II diabetes and coronary heart disease, has long been recognized. Insulin resistance may be a key factor in this link. Many studies have pointed to an association between insulin resistance and intra-abdominal fat accumulation (visceral obesity). However there is no clear proof of a causal link between visceral fat accumulation and insulin resistance. In assessing the probability of a causal link, it is useful to consider potential mechanisms. One such potential causal link is the release of non-esterified fatty acids from visceral fat into the portal ...