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The skinny on weight loss: Part XVI

by Dr. Bruce J. Grandstaff
| June 30, 2010 9:00 PM

In my last article entitled HGH: The fountain of youth hormone - I talked about human growth hormone that keeps us young in many ways even as we age if we can access it. The problem usually is not amounts of HGH but access to it as we age. I explained that to increase the release of HGH we needed to increase and intensify those factors that stimulate its release from the pituitary gland. One of those factors was producing more PGE (a good eicosanoid.)

The Ideal Protein Diet/Treatment increases all those factors except for deep sleep and exercise, which are up to the individual.

So what is PGE (the good eicosanoid) and what will it do for me other than help access HGH? Simply this: Eicosanoids are how the body controls inflammation. The popular omega-3 (ex. fish oils) and particularly the omega-6 (ex. linoleic oil) fatty acids are the building blocks of compounds referred to as eicosanoids.

Even though they may exist for seconds or milli- seconds before being degraded, they may be some of the most powerful substances in the body in terms of orchestrating profound physiological effects. These 'biological controllers' work inside the cell, but also serve as 'mini-hormones' in that they signal adjacent cells to perform specific tasks.

Among other things they are responsible for the degree of inflammation associated with the immune response (i.e. how much fever, how much pain, how much swelling is produced during a 'counter attack' on an invading pathogen. In layman's terms, they "send out the calvary and call it back." In other words, eicosanoids modulate the degree and intensity of the immune response ensuring the minimum amount of 'collateral damage' is done. Drugs can only increase the immune response or suppress it, they cannot modulate it.

How important is all of this to you? In conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, Chrohn's disease, pelvic inflammatory disease, colitis or any "it is", there is an exaggerated immune response, so prescribing 'immunosuppressants' seems logical. However, there is only so far you can go with these until the patient becomes immunosuppressed and all the side effects come back to haunt us. Then the patient is prescribed immunostimulants. (Consider the side effects of steroids and Vioxx.)

What role can our diet play in all of this? The following lists the general classes of eicosanoids and their physiologic effects. Notice how the two pancreatic hormones insulin and glucagon influence the expression of the two classes.

It is apparent that one would probably prefer to live the majority of one's life under the direction of the series one eicosanoids, although at times, the series two eicosanoids are very important. If you have an infection, you need an inflammatory response - but not too much. If you are bleeding, platelets need to coagulate, but you wouldn't want 'sticky blood' all the time. Optimal health depends on a balance between the two types and many chronic disease states arise when the eicosanoids are constantly out of balance.

Glucagon Dominant:

Series One Eicosanoids

• Act as vasodilators

• Act as immune enhancers

• Decrease inflammation

• Decrease pain

• Increase oxygen flow

• Increase endurances

• Prevent platelet aggregation

• Dilate airways

• Decrease cellular proliferation

Insulin Dominant:

Series Two Eicosanoids

• Act as vasoconstrictors

• Act as immune suppressors

• Increase inflammation

• Increase pain

• Decrease oxygen flow

• Decrease endurances

• Prevent platelet aggregation

• Constrict airways

• Decrease cellular proliferation

• Increase cellular proliferation

The Ideal Protein Diet/Treatment has yielded wonderful benefits not only with regard to weight loss and control, but also with those who suffer from such diseases as hypertension, asthma, COPD, immune disorders and type II diabetes to name a few.

To learn more about the Ideal Protein Diet/Treatment please call (208) 772-6015 for a free consultation or to attend our next class. Come on Coeur d'Alene, lets lose weight and get healthy together.