Re: Beets and Sweet Potatoes

[Guest guest]

Congrats on your improved health!

Here’s a recent thread about IGF-1*. Look below the message to see responses to the thread:

/message/29021

We’ve had previous discussions about the Okinawan purple fleshed sweet potato (sometimes available in oriental US markets) which might actually contribute to the longevity of the Okinawans. The purple sweet potato is delicious. Here’s a link to pics of purples:

http://tinyurl.com/26jnkz2

* To access previous discussions or the archives, go to the home page: / and type the desired topic into the “search” box. (in this case I typed in “IGF-1”)

On 8/17/10 1:06 PM, " silverman_wendy " <silverman_wendy@...> wrote:

Hi all,

I have been on CR for about 8 months now with amazing results all around. Recently, I have started to include small portions of fresh beets and sweet potatoes into my dinner regimen.

I was wondering if anyone has insight on the IGF-1 effect of beets and sweet potatoes. More simply, can I eat these everyday or just as a treat?

Thanks!

-

[Guest guest]

Beets and Sweet potatoes are healthy foods low in calorie density and high in nutrient density and that, IMHO, fit in well to a CR regime. It seems like excess protein, concentrated proteins and isolated proteins as being the foods I would be most concerned about with raising IGF-1.RegardsJeff

On 8/17/10 1:06 PM, "silverman_wendy" <silverman_wendy@...> wrote:

Hi all,

I have been on CR for about 8 months now with amazing results all around. Recently, I have started to include small portions of fresh beets and sweet potatoes into my dinner regimen.

I was wondering if anyone has insight on the IGF-1 effect of beets and sweet potatoes. More simply, can I eat these everyday or just as a treat?

Thanks!

-

[Guest guest]

,

Beets and sweet potatoes are generally good foods with many types of nutrients.

They are not as starchy as regular potatoes.

IGF-1 is a hormone that stimulates muscle growth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin-like_growth_factor_1

" IGF-1 is a hormone similar in molecular structure to insulin. It plays an

important role in childhood growth and continues to have anabolic effects in

adults. "

IGF-1 is generally increased by consuming protein, and it is reduced by

exercise. Do not confuse IGF-1 with " glycemic load " which is the glucose spike

generated by foods containing carbohydrates.

Many CRONies try to avoid blood sugar spikes by eating complex carbohydrates, by

adding fiber to their diet, and by eating several small meals, rather than fewer

large meals. Regardless of how you space your meals, carbohydrates always

stimulate an insulin response that causes excess glucose to be stored as fat.

In general, it is very hard to control specific molecular mechanisms through

diet, except at a very gross level. It is like trying to control the number of

times you breathe per day.

Tony

--- In , " silverman_wendy " <silverman_wendy@...>

wrote:

>

> Hi all,

>

> I have been on CR for about 8 months now with amazing results all around.

Recently, I have started to include small portions of fresh beets and sweet

potatoes into my dinner regimen.

>

> I was wondering if anyone has insight on the IGF-1 effect of beets and sweet

potatoes. More simply, can I eat these everyday or just as a treat?

>

> Thanks!

> -

>

[Guest guest]

Jeff,

You ask " Where would the extra glucose come from? "

With a USDA diet of 15% protein, 55% carbohydrate, and 30% fat, the glucose

comes, of course, from the carbohydrates. The Zone diet has 40% carbohydrates.

Since we eat usually three times per day, our bodies have to store the energy

from the food to power our body when we are not eating. This is done by

converting the sugars to glycogen or fat.

The body has a limited capacity for storing glycogen

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycogen): " (100†" 120 g in an adult) soon after a

meal "

The rest of the carbohydrate has to be stored as fat through Lipogenesis

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipogenesis)

Eating is not like being on a glucose drip in a hospital. On a glucose drip,

the amount of glucose administered corresponds to what is being burned from

minute-to-minute, so it is not stored as fat.

Also, someone on negative energy balance will be losing weight and, in this

case, the carbohydrates are not stored as fat, but rather the body fat is

consumed to meet the metabolic requirements through lipolysis and

gluconeogenesis.

But anybody on a steady state (steady weight maintenance, CR or no CR) who eats

a meal will have a postprandial glucose spike that stimulates insulin production

and lipogenesis. The only way to avoid this is to be on a glucose drip instead

of eating real meals.

We eat a meal. Glucose goes up. It is stored as fat. We get hungry. The fat

is burned. We eat again and the cycle is repeated until we die.

Tony

>

> >

> > Many CRONies try to avoid blood sugar spikes by eating complex

carbohydrates, by adding fiber to their diet, and by eating several small meals,

rather than fewer large meals. Regardless of how you space your meals,

carbohydrates always stimulate an insulin response that causes excess glucose to

be stored as fat.

> >

>

> While I understand the logic and application of this last statement for anyone

who is in a constant state of positive energy balance, for someone following a

CR diet, where would the extra glucose (calories) be coming from? Anyone

following CR would be in a lower steady state or a negative energy balance.

>

> Protein which may not stimulate an spike in glucose, also stimulates an

increase in insulin as the insulin index showed.

>

> Regards

> Jeff

>

[Guest guest]

By focusing on the free sugar in sweet potatoes, you lose sight of the whole

picture. Starch is a polymer of glucose.

http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/carbohydrates1.html

Don't forget that the amylase in saliva turns all starches into glucose.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amylase

" Amylase is an enzyme that breaks starch down into sugar. Amylase is present in

human saliva, where it begins the chemical process of digestion. Foods that

contain much starch but little sugar, such as rice and potato, taste slightly

sweet as they are chewed because amylase turns some of their starch into sugar

in the mouth. "

Here is the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22

(2009) for 1 cup (328g) of Sweet potato, cooked, boiled, without skin:

kcal: 249

Protein 4.49g

Total lipid (fat) 0.46g

Carbohydrate 58.12g

Fiber 8.2g

Sugars 18.83g

Sucrose 4.69g

Glucose (dextrose) 1.77g

Fructose 1.41g

Starch 17.12g

A cup of sweet potatoes has as much carbohydrate as a couple of Cokes, but

unlike the soda, it has some useful nutrients like vitamin A and beta carotene.

The fact that one cup of sweet potatoes has 249 calories means that the 58 grams

of carbohydrate are completely metabolized (232 Calories from carb, 18 calories

from protein).

Tony

http://www.scientificpsychic.com/health/healthfr0.html

> >

> > >

> > >

> Many CRONies try to avoid blood sugar spikes by eating complex

carbohydrates,

> by adding fiber to their diet, and by eating several small meals, rather

than

> fewer large meals. Regardless of how you space your meals, carbohydrates

> always stimulate an insulin response that causes excess glucose to be stored

> as fat.

> > >

> >

> > While I understand the logic and

> application of this last statement for anyone who is in a constant state of

> positive energy balance, for someone following a CR diet, where would the

> extra glucose (calories) be coming from? Anyone following CR would be in a

> lower steady state or a negative energy balance.

> >

> > Protein

> which may not stimulate an spike in glucose, also stimulates an increase in

> insulin as the insulin index showed.

> >

> > Regards

> >

> Jeff

> >

>

>

>  

>