Part I: Understand Your Metabolic Type

Monday, September 06, 2010 by: Dr. David Jockers
Tags: metabolic type, diet, health news

(NewsTarget) Every individual has a unique biochemistry and metabolic style. Our dietary patterns should reflect these individual differences to a certain degree. Some individuals have strong appetites and fast metabolisms while others are rarely hungry and still have trouble losing weight. Understanding your own unique metabolic type can dramatically improve your ability to lose weight, stabilize your energy levels, and prevent/reverse disease processes.

Metabolic typing was the brain child of William Wolcott. Wolcott was interested to see how some people could thrive on a low fat, high carbohydrate diet while others suffered terribly while eating the same foods. He witnessed the same phenomena while observing people on low carb diets. He observed in his research how different cultures evolved their metabolisms based around the habitat they were exposed too.

Eskimo's and other northern cultures had a more sparse variety of vegetables and survived mostly on fish and wild game. Groups who evolved closer to the equator depended more on the rich agriculture that was common to their geography. Most of these cultures ate less meat and more vegetables. Your ancestral heritage can have a huge impact on your metabolism today.

According to Wolcott, most people can be classified according to three basic groups:
1. Fast oxidizers
2. Slow oxidizers
3. Balanced oxidizers

Fast oxidizers are typically leaner individuals who burn through the nutrients in their foods very quickly. When they eat carbohydrates, they rapidly turn the carbohydrate into glucose which is then immediately released into the bloodstream. This spike in blood sugar triggers a powerful release of large amounts of insulin to clean away excess sugar. The insulin fills the sugar reservoirs in the muscle and liver and then dumps the rest of the glucose into the fat tissue. This all can happen within a matter of minutes.

When fast oxidizers eat carbohydrate rich foods their blood sugar goes from very high to very low levels in a short period of time. When the brain senses low blood sugar levels its protective membrane becomes more permeable. This allows toxins such as heavy metals, pesticides, viruses, bacteria, and other harmful substances to cross over. The net result of this blood sugar imbalance is fatigue, brain fog, and carbohydrate cravings.

When fast oxidizers continue to eat the high levels of sugar and other carbohydrates that society promotes they are highly susceptible to mood, memory, and neurological disorders. Their brain cells will be more toxic and unable to stabilize the neurotransmitter traffic they are giving and receiving. This pre-disposes the individual to depression, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and other major issues.

Fast oxidizers will do much better eating foods with more proteins and fats in order to slow down their rate of oxidation and insulin release. This will promote stable blood sugar and sustained energy levels. Stable blood sugar is very important for a healthy brain and cellular detoxification mechanisms.

The best vegetables for fast oxidizers are those that are low in potassium such as cauliflower, spinach, and broccoli. Beans and legumes are rich in purines making them desirable for a fast oxidizer. This metabolic type can thrive without a lot of vegetables as long as they are avoiding sugars and eating plenty of healthy proteins and fats.

http://caloriecount.about.com/metabolic-type...
http://www.drkaslow.com/html/fast_oxidizer_d...
Wolcott, William; Fahey, Trish; The Metabolic Typing Diet, DoubleDay, New York, 2000.

About the author

Dr. David Jockers owns and operates Exodus Health Center in Kennesaw, Ga. He is a Maximized Living doctor. His expertise is in weight loss, customized nutrition & exercise, & structural corrective chiropractic care. For more information go to www.exodushc.com To find a Maximized Living doctor near you go to www.maximizedliving.com