12 wks break?

[Cherry-Blossom]

Protein doesn't make glucose or glycogen. It's a totally different substance. Protein is broken down into amino acids that allow for DNA synthesis and cell division. Glucose/glycogen are sugars that are broken down to make energy. Although if seriously seriously starved the body can use protein but it has to be burned in a totally different way.

 

[Laurie]

Wow you're all very clued up aren't you.
Wish i could but i don't understand any of that. I just make sure I follow the rules that came with my pack. 3 sns and some chicken plus a multivitamin . Sometimes sum veg off the stated list. Then I'm sorted!

 

[Cherry-Blossom]

Wow you're all very clued up aren't you.
Wish i could but i don't understand any of that. I just make sure I follow the rules that came with my pack. 3 sns and some chicken plus a multivitamin . Sometimes sum veg off the stated list. Then I'm sorted!

I'm a student paramedic so have been having this stuff rammed into my brain.

 

[ClaireCat]

I thought your body turned protein into gulcose if you ate too much of it? So the extra protein your body doesnt need turns to glucose?

 

[weasey]

Protein can be turned in to glucose - either because you've eaten too much protein and so your body turns it into glucose or the protein in your muscles being used when your body is too low in glucose and has no ingested protein to use.

When talking about althetes hitting the wall http://www.livestrong.com/article/263192-what-happens-to-muscles-when-glucose-is-not-available/ says...

Skeletal muscle is broken down to make glucose if the availability from food energy is too shy.

From http://dl.clackamas.edu/ch106-08/proteins.htm...

The amino acids that are formed by the hydrolysis of protein can be used to make new protein or they can have their amino groups removed and then the remainder of the molecule can be oxidized to provide energy. ... the body can use functioning protein and break it down into amino acids in order to provide the amount of energy that is necessary for the body to continue to function.

also from http://www.getbig.com/articles/protein.htm...

The human body has the innate ability to break down muscle tissue for use as an energy source during heavy exercise. This muscle catabolism can cause muscle soreness, shrinkage of muscle tissue and may even lead to injury. ... the glucose - alanine cycle, in which BCAAs are stripped from the muscle tissue and parts of them are converted to the amino acid alanine, which is transported to the liver and converted into glucose.

If you consume supplemental BCAA's. the body does not have to break down muscle tissue to derive extra energy. A study conducted recently at the School of Human Biology, University of Guelph, Onterio, Canada, confirmed that the use of BCAA's (up to 4 grams) during and after exercise can result in a significant reduction of muscle breakdown during exercise.

So I'm afraid that the body can and does break down functioning muscles when it is too low in glucose. The way to protect against that when on a VLCD which is low in carbs is to ensure that the level of protein is high enough in the diet so that it can be used to synthasise any extra glucose which is needed, as well as for use in repairing your body.

Your muscle mass has a huge impact on your metabolic rate, so if you lose a lot of lean muscle mass your metabolic rate at the end of the diet will be low and you will need fewer calories - any excess will be stored as fat. If you keep your lean muscle mass as high as possible your metabolic rate will be higher and you will be able to eat more without putting on weight. That should be a strong argument for having your protein. If not then please remember that your heart is a muscle too.

From http://www.apinchofhealth.com/resources/lowcarb/VLCD-Research.html (which - to be fair - seems to have lots of horror stories about VLCDs)...

Cardiac effects of starvation and semistarvation diets: safety and mechanisms of action

A major concern with the use of starvation or semistarvation diets for weight reduction in severely obese people has been the reports of sudden death due to ventricular arrhythmias. Obesity per se is associated with cardiovascular changes, including left ventricular hypertrophy and prolongation of the QT interval. With weight loss, the mass of the heart and left ventricle decrease, but some signs of left ventricular dysfunction remain. The effect of weight loss on the electrocardiogram abnormalities of obesity appears to depend upon diet duration and upon whether protein and mineral nutritional status is maintained. Copper, potassium, and magnesium deficiencies may play important roles in promoting an electrically unstable heart. Stress, by eliciting autonomic imbalance, may act upon an electrically unstable heart to provoke acute arrhythmias in a subset of the obese population with QT interval prolongation.

 

[Cherry-Blossom]

But it doesn't make glucose!! It makes a different molecule that functions in a similar way in that it can provide energy. Your articles even say it doesn't produce glucose.

 

[weasey]

I don't think that's really the point here is it? The amino acids are converted to glucose in the liver.

The important thing is that people need to eat their protein to ensure that they don't get muscle wastage. It's really important. Surely with your training you should be endorsing that message instead of worrying about exactly what substance is produced?

 

[Cherry-Blossom]

I never said I don't endorse people eating enough protein. I just don't want people thinking protein can be converted into glucose! Energy source yes, glucose no.