Anyone following Brad's SCD theory (and using berberine)?

(Bob M) #1

Anyone following Brad’s (from Fire in a Bottle, FireInABottle) SCD theory? If you go to that website, select Blog, there’s a set of posts directed to his SCD theory.

I’ve been taking berberine, which is an SCD inhibitor. I also drink 1 cup of Pu-Erh tea a day (started drinking this months ago, before Brad’s posts), which is also an SCD inhibitor. This does seem to be limiting my hunger. At dinner multiple times, I’ve not been hungry, but ate because the family was. But I did eat a lot less.

Now, I’ve also been eating a high saturated fat diet for a while. While I initially got a huge decrease in hunger, there were issues. One was that I could eat a pretty normal dinner, even if I ate a lot of saturated fat for lunch. There was at least once where I ate lunch but no dinner, as I was not hungry, however. But this effect has waned over time, and I did not like mixing certain carbs with saturated fat. For instance, sweet potatoes and I don’t get along. And if I have normal croissants, I can seemingly eat them with no off switch.

Anyway, the high saturated fat diet MIGHT be having an effect over time. I read the half life of PUFA in our fat cells was two YEARS, meaning if you start getting rid of PUFA from your fat cells today, two years from now, it’s 50%, four years from now, it’s 25%. And that assumes you put no PUFA into your cells. Personally, I still eat chicken and pork, both of which are high in PUFA. So, it’s a very complex calculation.

(I have switched a lot of my meals to beef, but my wife cooks a lot of the meals for dinner. Those include chicken and pork, since these are easy to cook. Also, chicken can be difficult to replace. There’s no equivalent to chicken wings or fried chicken, for instance.)

If anyone else is taking berberine, let me know what you’ve found out. I’ll also be trying the stirculea oil. I can report back.

(Bob M) #2

By the way, Brad has a test of SCD1 levels, which is basically a blood test of fats in your blood. I got a 1.67, which he says is low. Maybe that might help, too.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #3

It’s not clear from the context whether SCD stands for “sickle cell disease” or “sudden cardiac death.”

In any case, I tend to the hypothesis that taking a supplement, however helpful, is a tweak, whereas identifying the underlying problem and addressing that is probably more effective over the long haul.

(It’s the difference between taking insulin to control your blood sugar, versus not eating so much carbohydrate in the first place.)

(Bob M) #4

I can see your point, but I’m not sure about that. For instance, I have been low carb/keto for 7+ years, yet am still nowhere near Ted Naiman or the body I had in my 20s. Why?

Part of that might be the damage I did to myself over 20+ years. It’s hard to reverse that damage.

As a scientist, I like to look at theories and see how they apply to me. I have tried:

  • resistant starch
  • high iodine intake
  • a liver cleansing protocol
  • The Croissant Diet
  • a high fat diet based on Jimmy Moore’s book
  • a higher protein diet a la Ted Naiman
  • bought a year’s supply of a CGM to test whether protein raises blood sugar
  • taken several thousand blood samples to attempt to see what happens with, eg, protein, eating later or earlier, and to ketones/blood sugar level
  • too many others to remember.

For me, I theorize that (1) my belly fat (all that remains now) is highly resistant to removal, and/or (2) there is something wrong with my food feedback mechanisms, such that I have hunger when I should not.

I think the berberine can potentially help with this, as can PUFA limitation, and an increase in saturated fat.

Now, is berberine the first thing you do when trying to lose weight? No, LC/keto is. But when you have been LC/keto 7+ years as I have, and STILL are “obese” by charts, maybe it’s time to try something new? (Note: I’m also muscular. When I was younger, I was muscular enough that I was “over weight” on charts because of that, and that’s when I could see all of the veins and arteries in my arms and each part of my quadriceps.)

But berberine does have some scientific evidence going for it. Here are some examples:

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So, if the combination of a high saturated fat diet and berberine allow me to get back into my 34 inch pants, I’d call that a benefit.

(Anthony) #5

I wish I had good advice for you, but only have well wishes. I’ve not tried either of those supplements.

I’m in a similar place currently, battling the last 10-15 pounds that are firmly planted on my belly/torso for over a year now.

I think maybe some of it could be due to stored PUFA, I do subscribe to the saturated fats are healthy theory. I’m starting to lean toward the idea it’s just “scarring” from years of poor choices, I don’t know. It is frustrating. I’ve pushed pretty hard to control this last bit but I’m at the point now I’m focusing on my interpretation of “clean and healthy” eating and letting the chips fall where they may. I hope you have better luck than I have had.

(Jane) #6

What does SCD stand for? I went to his blog and saw lots of articles on it, but nothing that explained what SCD stands for. I admit I only did a cursory search.

(Anthony) #7

From brads blog ROS theory of obesity part 2, part 1

“ This article takes on the other half of the equation – your stored body fat. The fat that enters the mitochondria is a blend of recently consumed dietary fat and stored body fat. Insulin and a hormone called leptin, released by fat cells, control long term fat storage levels by manipulating the level of saturation of body fat via their effects on an enzyme called stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD1). SCD1 only has one function. It turns long chain saturated fats into long chain monounsaturated fats. Insulin is an up-regulator of SCD1 and leptin down-regulates it. Insulin pushes your body fat towards unsaturation which causes you to store fat. Leptin pushes your body fat towards saturation which causes you to burn fat”

(Jane) #8

Thank-you!