Intermittent Fasting Diet Plan Example

We are what we eat! Acknowledged, but does this also go for your hormones and different in protein intakes? Lets have another look at the contemporarily available research to figure that out.

• Low protein = low SHBG (Longcope. 2000) - At least in the 1552 men in their "best age" (40-70 years) who participated in a study by scientsts from the University of Massachusetts Medical School the consumption of a diet that had less than the average 80g/day of protein in it lead to decreases in SHBG and corresponding increases in free (~bioavailable) testosterone. Age, dietary fiber, and smoking, on the other hand were positively correlated with SHBG.
• Chronically high protein intakes (40% of total energy) lower testosterone / cortisol ratio (Oi. 2001) - The highly significant increase in cortisol and corresponding decrease in the testosterone to cortisol ratio, Oi et al. report in a 2001 paper have luckily (a) been observed in rodents, only, and thats actually the main finding of the study (b) could be countered by the administration of garlic extract.
  
  

  Figure 1: In rodents, a high protein intake (40% of total energy from casein) will increase cortisol at stable T-levels and thus decrease the testosterone : cortisol ratio (Oi. 2001)

  I can only speculate whether and to which degree the endocrine effects of high protein diets differ between rats and men (the Anderson study discussed below suggests they dont) - and you know I love facts and hate speculations and unsupported hypothesis. So I stick to an assumption I could support, i.e. the supposition that the improvements in testosterone, the researchers observed, when they fed their rodents garlic was mediated  by its glutathione (GSH) boosting effects. These effects - and you as a regular SuppVersity reader know that are not "garlic exclusive". Whey protein, for example will also increase GSH (Bounous. 1989). Obviously whey doesnt increase your testosterone, but a "protein overload" from a glutathione boosting protein source may not have to be countered by GSH boosters in the first place.
• A high protein : carb ratio decreases total testosterone levels in man (Anderson. 1987) - Some people live by the principle that things that mustnt be. As a SuppVersity reader you obviously dont belong to this group of people and will thus be willing to accept that Anderson et al. were able to show that...

  "[...] the testosterone concentrations in seven normal men were consistently higher after ten days on a high carbohydrate diet (468 ± 34 ng/dl, mean ± S.E.) than during a high protein diet (371 ± 23 ng/d1, p<0.05) and were accompanied by parallel changes in sex hormone binding globulin (32.5 ± 2.8 nmol/1 vs. 23.4 ± 1.6 nmol/1 respectively, p<0.01)." (Anderson. 1987)

  As a SuppVersity reader you are yet also smart enough to know that this data is irrelevant, without adequately measured free testosterone levels: If we do the math and calculate the latter (obviously not 100% accurately), i.e. free testosterone on normal protein diet: 9.4 ng/dL  =  2.01 % vs. free testosterone on high protein + low carb diet: 9.02 ng/dL  =  2.43 %, the difference does no longer look so bad, anyway - does it?
  
  

  Figure 2: Total (TT in ng/dL) and free testosterone (FT in ng/dL), SHBG (µg/L) and testosterone : cotisol ratio after one months on high protein + low carb vs. control (Anderson. 1987)

  This would not change the fact that youd suffered a -42% decrease of the testosterone : cortisol ratio from 60.5 to 35 which occurred in the Anderson study, when the participants were put on a meat, fish, poultry, egg white, and protein supplement based 44% protein, 35% carbohydrates, 21% fat diet.
• A high protein very low calorie diet can increase testosterone levels, but it will do so only if it is used to produce significant weight loss in obese adolescents, whose abundant body fat stores are gnawing away their androgens. In a corresponding study by Brown et al., the eight 11-15-year-old boys and girls where put on liquid (starvation) diets with a protein / carb / fat ratio of 67% / 28% / 5% that containing a total of 492-709 kcal per day.

  Figure 3: Total testosterone levels (ng/dl; left axis) and insulin levels (in µU/ml) in 14 (subj. 3 & 7) and 18 year-old male adolescents before and after 5 weeks on low calorie high protein liquid diets (Brown. 1983)

  As you can see in Figure 3 the significant reduction in body weight (13.5 kg total, 70-75% fat) went hand in hand with improvements in insulin sensitivity and the previously mentioned increase in total testosterone levels in the 14 year-old subjects 3 & 7 and the 18 year-old male adolescents (subject 6) - the only subjects for whom a complete testosterone panel was available.
• High protein diets are driving forces of GH induced skeletal muscle IGF-1 expression (Sanchez-Gomez. 1999) - With IGF-1 being equally important to men and women, it does not matter that the "subjects" in the study at hand were female growing rats that received either a high- or a low-protein diet with crude protein contents of 222 and 83 g/kg respectively.
  
  After 14 days on which the rodents were concamittantly injected with saline control, or growth hormone (rhGH) or recombinant human IGF-I (rhIGF-I) at dosages of 350 and 500µg/day, respectively, Sanchez-Gomes et al. observed that
  

  • Learn more about IGF-1.

    ...the low-protein diet alone reduced IGF-I concentrations in serum and in tissue taken from the gastrocnemius muscle as well as IGF-I mRNA from the same muscle, significantly.
  • ...the high protein diet amplified the retention of injected rhIGF-I in the muscle tissues and was associated with significant improvements of the nitrogen balance
  Based on these results, Myriam Sanchez-Gomez conclude that "the level of dietary protein ingested regulates not only the effect of IGF-I on whole-body N economy but also the regulation of IGF-I gene expression in muscles" (Myriam Sanchez-Gomez. 1999). 
• Increased f 2-hydroxylation of endogenous estrogen with high protein diets could have cancer protective effects (Anderson. 1984) - Certainly far fetched but not impossible is the connection between the increased 2-hydroxylation of endogenous estrogen in response to high protein diets Anderson et al. observed in a 1984 study in male study participants and the significant association between lower ratios an the risk of breast cancer (Liehr. 1996).
  
  

  Table 1: Cox regression of energy-adjusted dietary predictors of breast cancer recurrence and death (Saxe. 1999)

  It goes without saying that this is nothing but a hypothesis - a hypothesis that would yet be supported by a 1999 paper on "dietary predictors of breast cancer recurrence and death" by Saxe et al. which is based on one of the few papers that did not control for "meat" intake (you know that Pizza Salami qualifies as "meat", right?) in which each 5% increase in protein intake was associated with risk reductions of 18% for breast cancer recurrence and 44% for death in premenopausal women (Saxe 1999).
  
  And whats more, the fact that the associations were less pronounced in the post-menopausal study participants (the "low estrogen counterpart", if you will; see Table 1) only support the notion that the protective effects of protein may (at least in part) be mediated by its effects on estrogen metabolism.

• Anderson, K. E., Kappas, A., Conney, A. H., Bradlow, H. L., & Fishman, J. (1984). The influence of dietary protein and carbohydrate on the principal oxidative biotransformations of estradiol in normal subjects. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 59(1), 103-107.
• Anderson, K. E., Rosner, W., Khan, M. S., New, M. I., Pang, S., Wissel, P. S., & Kappas, A. (1987). Diet-hormone interactions: protein/carbohydrate ratio alters reciprocally the plasma levels of testosterone and cortisol and their respective binding globulins in man. Life Sciences, 40(18), 1761-1768.
• Bounous, G., Gervais, F., Amer, V., Batist, G., & Gold, P. (1989). The influence of dietary whey protein on tissue glutathione and the diseases of aging. Clin Invest Med, 12(6), 343-9. 
• Brown, M. R., Klish, W. J., Hollander, J., Campbell, M. A., & Forbes, G. B. (1983). A high protein, low calorie liquid diet in the treatment of very obese adolescents: long-term effect on lean body mass. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 38(1), 20-31. 
• Forbes, S. C., McCargar, L., Jelen, P., & Bell, G. J. (2013). Dose Response of Whey Protein Isolate in Addition to a Typical Mixed Meal on Blood Amino Acids and Hormonal Concentrations. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism. 
• Liehr, J. G., & Ricci, M. J. (1996). 4-Hydroxylation of estrogens as marker of human mammary tumors. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 93(8), 3294-3296.
• Longcope, C., Feldman, H. A., McKinlay, J. B., & Araujo, A. B. (2000). Diet and sex hormone-binding globulin. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 85(1), 293-296. 
• Sanchez-Gomez, M., Malmlöf, K., Mejia, W., Bermudez, A., Ochoa, M. T., Carrasco-Rodriguez, S., & Skottner, A. (1999). Insulin-like growth factor-I, but not growth hormone, is dependent on a high protein intake to increase nitrogen balance in the rat. British Journal of Nutrition, 81(02), 145-152.
• Saxe, G. A., Rock, C. L., Wicha, M. S., & Schottenfeld, D. (1999). Diet and risk for breast cancer recurrence and survival. Breast cancer research and treatment, 53(3), 241-253.

Everything you need to know about high-protein diets and how to choose the best one for you

Protein is incredible. It boosts immunity, repairs muscle, helps you recover from workouts and, because it’s mildly thermogenic, helps you stay lean. Unsurprisingly, there’s a wide and varied range of high-protein diets, all promising results - but finding one that suits your requirements is important to ensure it works for you. With that in mind, here’s ourtake on the three main candidates for your kitchen.

The Paleo Diet

The Theory By sticking to a diet that mimics our caveman ancestors by avoiding refined carbs, grains and other modern inventions, you’ll be eating the things that you’ve evolved to digest efficiently, steering clear of inflammatory problems and losing weight in the process.

The rules Eat lots of animal protein including red meat, poultry, eggs, pork, wild caught fish and shellfish. Fatty cuts are fine, as is saturated fat from sources such as coconut oil. But be sure to cut out all vegetable and partially hydrogenated oils (olive oil is fine).

Eat lots of vegetables – fresh or frozen – in a variety of colours. Eat a moderate amount of fruit, aiming for the kind that’s high in antioxidants and low in sugar; think apricots or berries.

Cut out cereal grains including wheat, barley, oats, corn and rice. And sugar. As a general rule, if it comes in a box, don’t eat it.

Also avoid legumes (lentils, black beans, pinto beans) and dairy. You can introduce these after 30 days, but Paleo advocates say they’re a source of gut inflammation similar to grains.

The verdict Paleo’s great because it really simplifies eating decisions – you don’t have to count or weigh anything, and there’s little room for argument over what ‘counts’ as Paleo. The downside, however, is that it’s restrictive – the lack of carbs in particular is likely to hurtperformance in people who train very frequently. With that said, it’s well worth giving it a go.

The Zone

The theory Eating the right ratio of carbs, protein and fat keeps your insulin and glucagon levels balanced, leaving you in ‘the zone’ where your body will burn fat for fuel. It’ll also allow you to eat whatever you like, as long as you stick to the right ratios.

The rules Meals for this diet are made up of ‘blocks’. A block of protein is 7g, a block of carbs is 9g and a block of fat is 1.5g. For each meal, you eat an equal number of ‘blocks’ of each nutrient – so you might have four blocks of each for breakfast, four for lunch and two for a snack.

Small, inactive people eat fewer blocks than their large, athletic counterparts, but the ratios stay the same – they can be tweaked if you’re low on energy or trying to bulk up.

You’re encouraged to weigh or alternatively measure food for a week to get a sense of how many grams are in common meals – after that, it’s OK to wing it.

The verdict Many CrossFit athletes swear by The Zone for performance, but it does require more organisation than other diets – at times the arduous process of weighing and measuring all your food can be difficult to sustain. The emphasis on protein and ‘good’ fats is great, though.

The Slow-Carb Diet

The theory This diet was invented by Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Body, who claims that you can lose up to 10kg in 30 days including weekly ‘cheat’ days on which you spike your food intake to make sure your metabolism doesn’t slow down.

The rules In general, avoid bread, rice, potatoes and pasta – both the white and brown versions – except within 30 minutes of an intense resistance-training workout.

Eat protein (eggs, chicken, grass-fed beef, pork), legumes and vegetables during every meal. Eat as much as you like at every meal – four meals a day are recommended.

High-calorie drinks are off limits; black coffee, black tea, diet drinks and water are fine, but milk, fizzy drinks and fruit juice are banned. Wine is OK in moderate quantities.

You have one ‘cheat day’ a week. On this day, you are free to eat whatever you like.

The verdict This is basically a slightly less restrictive version of Paleo. However, despite its psychological benefits there have been concerns over whether cheat days can really help fat loss by upregulating metabolism, as Ferriss claims.

If you can stick to these two diets, both of which will require you to eat more protein than you probably are now, you can expect to pack on lots of muscle and burn blubber.

Primal

As the name suggests, the Primal movement takes its culinary cues from the diet enjoyed by our caveman ancestors, focusing on meat and vegetables and omitting grains, legumes and processed foods. But unlike strict Paleo-style eaters, Primal dieters are encouraged to consume small quantities of dairy – provided it’s high-fat, organic and preferably from grass-fed animals. This makes the diet more flexible and practical and allows a greater variety of meal and snack choices, which makes it inherently easier to stick to. By removing processed foods, it also dramatically reduces your intake of sugar, and completely cuts out man-made trans fats, which are the two things most likely to spike your blood sugar levels and cause the body to store fat.

Another key aspect of Primal is its stance on carbohydrates. Unlike Paleo – which doesn’t provide any guidelines for macronutrient intake – Primal strictly rations carbs, ensuring you consume just enough to train and recover properly, which helps to maintain steady blood sugar levels and prevent any increases in body fat. Your food intake comes mostly from protein sources such as meat, fish and eggs – which preserves muscle mass while you’re losing weight – served with low-starch green veg such as broccoli and kale.

Primal also attempts to address lifestyle issues that can lead to unwanted weight gain, including lack of sleep and raised stress, which increases fat storage by raising levels of the hormone cortisol. This has a  psychological effect too, because you’re far less likely to make poor food choices if you’re feeling energised and happy.

Like all diets Primal requires a fair amount of discipline, even with the dairy allowance. But if you’re confident in your ability to avoid temptation, embracing your inner caveman can produce serious muscle-building and fat-loss results.

If It Fits Your Macros

The attraction of IIFYM is that provided you hit daily targets for macronutrient intake – covering protein, carbs and fat – you can literally eat whatever you want. Keeping track of numbers can be laborious and boring, and it can be all too tempting to binge on junk food, but IIFYM does provide an excellent framework for bulking up and torching fat.

By Ben Ince

Source: http://www.mensfitness.co.uk/nutrition/diet-plans/3276/high-protein-diets-which-best-you/page/0/1