What do we think about this?

(Barbara Greenwood) #1

Found this in an email from Brad Pilon (of Eat Stop Eat). What do we think?

In research, a super reproducible way to increase a person’s endotoxin levels is to make them drink 3/4 of a cup of heavy cream.

Drink some cream that’s high in saturated fat and 1 hour later all the markers of endotoxin damage skyrocket.

In fact, ANY MEAL that is high in saturated fat can create this type of endotoxin impact.

Endotoxins come from your gut bacteria and are associated with inflammation, arthritis, atherogenesis, insulin resistance, weight gain and even depression. You want to do what you can to protect yourself from endotoxins entering your body.

So should you avoid saturated fats like the devil? Are all those Paleo people wrong?

No.

You just have to make sure you have some fruit or fruit juice - This simple step will help prevent the rise in endotoxins, and the damage that they cause.

If you’re having bacon and eggs, have some orange slices.

Having Creme Brule? Have some Blueberries too.

#2

Does he provide a link or a clue to the studies he’s citing? That would be a starting point.

(John) #3

There are few things mentioned that I can find, very loose connections to obesity which seems more likely an effect than a cause, but I don’t see anything that suggests that any type of study has been done to prove fruit has an effect.
The fact that it is mentioned makes me assume the whole thing is poopoo though I don’t know why fruit would have anything to do with anything.

The first thing I see on his site to see what he is selling is:

“To lose weight you need to eat less and move more” is a true statement

That’s all I really need to know about the guy.

(betsy.rome) #4

Adding orange slices to your bacon & eggs meal = forget about ketosis. Right?

(Barbara Greenwood) #5

Nope, no references cited.

He is one of the original popularisers of fasting. That’s what I know about the guy. But the stuff about endotoxins rang a bell somewhere in the back of my brain - just can’t place where exactly.

(Clara Teixeira) #6

This link is an interesting view on the effects of sugar on endotoxins.

#7

OK I think I found the study:

I also found this observation and explanation from a related article. Also, good stuff in the comments secton.

Simple administration of oral endotoxin to the experimental mice stopped this effect completely.
…
the immune system, that is the innate immune system (of course), continuously monitors the contents of the gut by looking at endotoxin production. Lots of bacteria mean lots of endotoxin and an active, on-guard innate immune system. http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/2009/02/fats-absorbing-endotoxin.html

Forgot to mention, I also found a discussion about the type of cream used in the study.

300 calories) of
cream (gourmet heavy whipping cream;
Land O’Lakes, Arden Hills, MN),

…which is not pure cream, but contains additives.

https://www.amazon.com/Land-Lakes-Gourmet-Heavy-Whipping/dp/B01ITHOIBM .

According to Dietitians: foods containing saturated fat to be avoided
(Richard Morris) #8

Dr Tommy Wood gave a presentation at Breck about endotoxin load, specifically lipopolysaccharides being a cause of insulin resistance. It’s one of the many interesting targets of, so far, inadequate investigation. Personally I suspect a LOT of things will eventually be found to worsen insulin resistance but every researcher into each of them is convinced they are onto the one true cause.

I had a good talk with Tommy after his presentation and he believes the mechanism by which cream appears to increase LPS load is that it carries other lipids with it as it is absorbed across the gut, and takes on lipids from gut biome. But I don’t see how that would be just specific to a subset of lipids (all saturated fats), and given how research into demonizing saturated fat is so well funded by the seed oil industry … I suspect this might just be a scare from an industry desperate to paper over the cracks starting to show in 40 years of bad science demonizing Saturated Fat.

I know people who eat a lot of cream and remain insulin sensitive. I know people who eat none and remain insulin resistant.

The idea that orange juice protects against LPS is just his bias showing (and crazy) tho … fructose and glucose don’t have a mechanism to curry fats across the gut wall, doesn’t mean that eating some WITH cream would reduce LPS.