Cortisol and EFA's


(Heather Meyer) #1

I dont know if its true…but i heard that EFA’s lower cortisol? or block production? Reason i ask…

I am working out strenously 6x week while eating a fairly large deficit. I have been concerned about whether the combo of IF plus exercise plus larger calorie deficit is going to bump up cortisol production? But i heard someoen was working on lowering it by using EFAs. So… any thoughts as to whether it would be benefical? Do EFA’s raise calories?


(Sheri Knauer) #2

When you say EFA are you referring to Essential Fatty Acids? If so, then raising the amount of EFA’s you consume will raise calories since fat has more calories than the other macros per gram. If you are in a large calorie deficit and working out strenuously 6x/week, that is a major stress on your body and your cortisol production will be through the roof. The best way to reduce cortisol is by minimizing stress, doing gently exercise like walking, yoga, meditation, getting plenty of sleep, etc. Honestly, I would not be in a large calorie deficit while working out strenuously. You need to fuel your workout while providing your body with the necessary nutrients for post workout repair and to build a stronger body. EFA’s do not lower cortisol. EFA’s, however, are essential for many processes in your body and essential for optimal cell membrane integrity.


(Erin Macfarland ) #3

Agree with @Sheri_Knauer! I’m a CPT, and have eaten LCHF for over 5 years. I’m wondering why you are eating at such a deficit and working out so much…and trying to mitigate the stress on your body by using a supplement? It will catch up with you. Just because you eat keto doesn’t mean your body won’t think it’s starving. So, maybe work on upping your energy intake. Calories, energy, are nutrients too.


(Heather Meyer) #4

I am essentially trying to do a variation of a PSMF on every other day, which requires a significant cut of calories. (Based on Lyle MacDonald’s RFL handbook)

I would say i am experimenting trying it out to see what the difference would be. But honestly, if lack of calories plus strenuous workout = cortusol through the roof, i should probably dial back and up my calories i guess.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #5

The two main essential fatty acids are α-linoleic (ω-6) and α-linolenic (ω-3). (Assuming my brain is working tonight.) You don’t need much of either, and especially don’t want too much ω-6, since it is pro-inflammatory in quantity.


(Erin Macfarland ) #6

@PortHardy what is your goal though? Are you already lean or do you have enough body fat to help close the gap on your energy requirements?


(Full Metal KETO AF) #7

I think there is a tendency to demonize PUFA and Omega6 in the keto world. Omega6 is also an essential fatty acid. Omega3 DHA is very important for brain function among other things. The brain is roughly 30% PUFA. That’s right, 30% The highest dietary sources for healthy Omega6 Arachidonic Acid are chicken and eggs. This is what’s missing in the vegan/vegetarian diet which they try to supplement with ineffective low absorption EFA substitutes like borage or flax oil which we can only utilize about 9% of. Animal Omega6 is very different from plant based Omega6 in seed oils, it is fully bio available. Not consuming enough Arachidonic Acid and DHA is associated with reduced intelligence and foggy brain function. Inflammation is oversimplified too but another day for that.

:cowboy_hat_face:


(Heather Meyer) #8

I am probably sitting at 50% body fat so i have plenty to spare!


#9

I believe diet structure change is in order. Instead of having systematicly higher stress levels and even hard time putting on muscle due large calorie deficit, you should do 24 hour fast twice a week and have surplus (+100-200) calories on the other days (more well known as 5:2). Not only ur stress levels will go down, but also ur able to put on muscle much easier and it will add cumulative effect in fat burning.

I would also drop the workouts to max 3-4 per week, as overworking ur body with little to no rest only adds more stress and not muscle gains & fat losses as one would logically think.


#10

@PortHardy … I don’t know about EFA’s lowering cortisol, but my personal experience has been that ginger extract (capsule form) is amazingly effective in dealing with it. @SlowBurnMary had recommended it as way of dealing with my hefty Michelin tire-like midsection. And, wow, did it work! That whole roll has nearly gone away after just taking the ginger steadily for 2-3 months. (And, there’s still another 40 pounds or so to drop before I’m back in “normal” weight range.)
My daily stress level is pretty high, and should be doing horrible things to up the cortisol production- but its not. The ginger is the only thing I started taking during Keto - in addition to the normal supplement regimen - so I am led to believe that’s reason for the drastic reduction. As far as working out goes, I don’t do alot. Planking, a few of the Callenetic exercises, walking at work, and playing with the puppy…that 's about it.
So, maybe try adding in a few capsules of ginger a couple times a day, and see what happens. It can’t hurt.


#11

Here’s study relating magnesium deficiency to poor regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis.

Magnesium deficiency induces anxiety and HPA axis dysregulation: Modulation by therapeutic drug treatment

Mg deficiency caused an increase in the transcription of the corticotropin releasing hormone in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN), and elevated ACTH plasma levels, pointing to an enhanced set-point of the HPA axis. (LINK)

One more reason to ensure adequate magnesium levels, either by diet (food and water sources) or supplementation if needed.


#12

Yes indeed @PortHardy - highly recommend Ginger as an all-around best friend for hormonal healing and general health. There’s plenty of evidence that it reduces cortisol. It also does a ton of other stuff, as mentioned in other posts here on the forum.

I’d start w/ one capsule per meal, then up it to two caps/meal, which is what I try to take.

I’ve also lost most all my extra midlife upper belly roll and am just back to my pre-midlife belly low roll which continues to change :star_struck:


(Heather Meyer) #13

Hmm… interesting that. Did you feel a warming sensation from taking it? What dose of ginger capsule did you take?


(Heather Meyer) #14

Im suffering from Big belly…skinny arms and legs and chest and butt…yikes!


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #15

That’s because we generally get too much, especially when we ingest vegetable oils. Ω-6 fatty acids are inflammatory in quantity, even though essential to our diet. Also, it’s hard to keep ω-6 and ω-3 in balance, since they fight for the same receptors. Not only that, but the much-feared trans fats are partially hydrogenated polyunsaturated fatty acids, which is just more to demonize, I guess.

Oh—PUFA’s also lower cholesterol, which is enough to make them the devil’s spawn, in my book, given how important cholesterol is to our health.


#16

Tangent Alert:
How the heck did you get the omega symbol? Copy-paste?
And should it be upper or lower case to get the Greek Grammar seal of approval?


(Full Metal KETO AF) #17

@PaulL Like many things the role of good omega6 gets lost in the universal demonisation of some things in keto including inflammation which we would certainly die if it wasn’t there to trigger healing in the body and to draw our attention to potential injury from continuing to push stressed joints and muscles.

Omega6 is very important and there needs to be a distinction between seed oils (bad and inflammatory because they don’t work in our bodies) and animal sourced Omega6 like that in beef, eggs and poultry. I have watched this video several times and I keep picking up stuff from it.

Important information that might help anyone. :cowboy_hat_face:


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #18

Let me try again, because I obviously didn’t state it clearly, before:

Above a certain dose, ω-6 fatty acids excite inflammatory processes in the human body. Below that dose, they are fine. We need ω-6 fatty acids as an essential part of our diet, but we don’t need much, and the challenge in today’s dietary environment is to hold our intake down, not to increase it.

The primary ω-6 fatty acid needed by the body is—if I’ve got this right—α-linoleic acid, and the primary ω-3 is α-linolenic. And again, if I’ve got this right, it is not necessary to include those specific fats in our diet, because the body can convert the ω-6 and ω-3 fats we do eat into the ones that it needs.

@carolt, you’re deeper into this than I am. Comments and corrections, please?


(Full Metal KETO AF) #19

@PaulL I still suggest watching the linked video I posted as it relates to pretty much all mental issues. Linoleic acids do not convert to arachidonic acid. Dr. Ede talks about this subject a fair amount in the presentation which I found fascinating and enlightening. Maybe the truth lies somewhere in the middle but I am all out with you on the vegetable / seed oils. The amount we get from animal sources seem needed and adequate.


#20

I like charts…

Some people don’t convert plant-based ALA very well, so animal sources of the w-3 side are more bio-available, hence fish oil supplements etc. Some people avoid flax or chia as a source if they have a problem with the estrogenic aspects?
I figure if I’m eating a good deal of beef, pork, chicken fat I’m probably adequate on the w-6 side of the equation.

@atomicspacebunny probably has a bunch of info about the inflammatory aspects of other PUFAs.