“I swear I eat a ton” The motto of many a hard gainer. But what if whatever passed through your mouth went through the GI tract partially unabsorbed? I like to think of nutrient malabsorption akin to filling a bucket with a hole punched through the bottom. It might me the dream of Kristy Alley to scoff down consequence free boxes of Krispy Kreme, but this problem can also make you fatter by destroying your body composition and health.
Corrosion of the intestines: The very short story-
The number one culprit of chronic malabsorption is celiac sprue, or gluten-sensitive enteropathy. It is intolerance to the gliadin family of grains, which can be very rich in the protein gluten.
“A strong association exists between celiac sprue and two human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes (DQ2 and DQ8). Damage to the intestinal mucosa is seen with the presentation of gluten-derived peptide gliadin, consisting of 33 amino acids, by the HLA molecules to helper T cells. Helper T cells mediate the inflammatory response. Endogenous tissue transglutaminase deamidates gliadin into a negatively charged protein, increasing its immunogenicity. Absence of intestinal villi and lengthening of intestinal crypts characterize mucosal lesions in untreated celiac sprue. More lymphocytes infiltrate the epithelium (intraepithelial lymphocytes). Destruction of the absorptive surface of the intestine leads to a maldigestive and malabsorption syndrome.”[1]
This shows up most in people of Western European and North American descent and can go undetected for years.
How does this relate to your health and physique goals and what can be done to prevent or reverse these problems?
It wouldn’t even take common sense to understand that the inability to absorb nutrients would be detrimental to optimal health and body composition.
Symptoms of malabsorption include chronic diarrhea with fatty deposits, abdominal bloating or cramps, weight loss (fat and lbm) chronic fatigue, loss of libido, stunted growth, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and hormonal imbalances.
The common medical treatment for such would just be to evaluate symptoms as one removes gluten from the diet and sort of play it by ear. I can attest to this from personal experience. However, more research has been published that copious supplementation of pharmaceutical grade L-Glutamine and Omega-3 fatty acids like the ones found in Biotest Flameout can reverse corrosion of the GI tract. The gastrointestinal tract has a large number of immune cells along its length - fibroblasts, lymphocytes, and macrophages. Glutamine can nourish these immune cells may account for its positive impact on the gastrointestinal tract and immunity. Healing of wounds or any other kind of trauma, and burns is accomplished in part by the actions of these immune cells. Their proper functioning is dependent on glutamine as a metabolic fuel for growth and proliferation. A small clinical study conducted recently in Poland demonstrated glutamine-supplemented TPN rapidly improved a number of immune parameters in malnourished surgical patients with sepsis.[2] Additional clinical trials also suggest that glutamine supplementation, as well as arginine and omega-3 fatty acids, may promote restoration of normal tissue function and intestinal permeability in post-operative patients.[3] [4]
If you feel subjected to any of the following take into consideration the following dietary and supplement strategies. Remove all gliadin based grains and bread products form your diet for at least six weeks. Take 5-10 grams of l-glutamine on an empty stomach 3 times a day on an empty stomach. Some dosages can go as high as 20 grams per day for those of you who have had these possible problems undetected for a long time.
Take your omega 3’s 6-12 capsules of flameout per day will do wonders.
I also discovered the following through personal experimentation. Meat, nuts, and courser or sulfuric vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, or onions can also be introduced in greater amounts once the digestive strength is restored. Until then stick with very soft and easy to digest foods like whole eggs, and avocado’s, bananas, spinach, etc. If you have trouble meeting caloric needs or keeping on weight just include a few servings of olive oil, or raw omega-3 eggs in your protein shakes. Liquid meals work very well during GI tract rehabilitation.
[1] Jan-Michael A Klapproth, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine
Vincent W Yang, MD, PhD, R Bruce Logue Professor, Director, Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine, Professor of Hematology and Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine
[2] Slotwinski R, Pertkiewicz M, Lech G, Szczygiel B. Cellular immunity changes after total parenteral nutrition enriched with glutamine in patients with sepsis and malnutrition. Pol Merkuriusz Lek 2000;8:405-408. [Article in Polish]
[3] O'Flaherty L, Bouchier-Hayes DJ. Immunonutrition and surgical practice. Proc Nutr Soc 1999;58:831-837.
[4] Jian ZM, Cao JD, Zhu XG, et al. The impact of alanyl-glutamine on clinical safety, nitrogen balance, intestinal permeability, and clinical outcome in postoperative patients; a randomized, double-blind, controlled study of 120 patients. J Parenter Enteral Nutr 1999;23:S62-S66.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Saturday, October 25, 2008
The Kitchen gets hot...issues to think about before voting..on a deeper level of course.
The Importance of Understanding Cultural Fabric-The solutions to the future lie in the past
-part I.
Is Iraq the new Vietnam?
What influence does the occupation have on the population?
How can social lessons from the Vietnam era be applied today in Iraq?
The French connection, more on this in part II- Is America following in the footsteps of of the French; how having thier asses handed to them in Indochina, and even North Africa resulted in economic demise and what we can learn from it.
-----------
The most important thing that we must consider is the cultural fabric of any warring nation. Looking at Robert Shaplen's obersvation of Saigon for twenty five years we can draw many conclusions.
Oftentimes a topic neglected by soldiers and armies-especially by the United States armed forces, Shaplen gives the reader a profound understanding of Saigon’s sociological and cultural transformations. More importantly he compares each foreign influence on Saigon and how its lasting influence had altered the city either positively or negatively. Shaplen succeeds to reflect on the past and contemplate the future. His argument is that the Americans must understand the consequences that the war will have on the Siagonese culturally, sociologically, and economically. In order to build a productive future for Vietnam one must understand the cultural situation at hand. At certain points he even implies that the French, though not totally innocent themselves, better understood these cultural issues. Even though it did not help them win their war, they did retain some kind of social order.
Shaplen’s point of view is quite interesting. His essay opens up with him eating a meal at a restaurant in Cholon, a Chinese section of Saigon that reveals itself as a point of interest to Shaplen because of its social construction. Shaplen provides historical details on the early social stratification of Saigon starting from when the French first took over the south in 1862. Aside form obliterating resistance in the then tiny settlements of Saigon and Cholon, the French were also excellent urban planners. Much of their early success can be attributed to this. They opened several schools to train citizens in French and bridge the language and cultural gap. The French also worked with local Chinese and created a merchant class that retained economic potency. For this reason Cholon remains “The one part of Saigon that has retained its identity…for not even the long, abysmal war has had much of an effect there”. 1
Each phase of occupation has left an impression on Saigon according to Shaplen’s observations. The Americans did not attempt to colonize Vietnam as the French sought out to and subsequently their occupation was rather sloppy compared to the French. Shaplen interestingly compares the different elite’s created by the French and Americans, and what their roles had been in the society.
Of all the Occidental influences on Saigon the one that had remained from the French was their snobbery. The French imprinted their system of nepotism resulting in a defined social stratosphere that spawned an elite class whom lived in absolute grandeur, supported by a lower middle, and a poverty stricken class. Shaplen also talks about the generation gap between the young Vietnamese intellectuals and older politicians “The bureaucracy is still French oriented, immobilized, so although some younger people have been elected to the House of Representatives or to provincial and village councils, the appointive jobs are mostly held by older men.”
The American occupation brought several new money making opportunities--whether illicit or legitimate, but also created cultural mayhem. The difference is that the French, despite imposing their social system in Vietnam, did not seek to change the country culturally. They let the Vietnamese retain their traditions. The essay points out what American occupation has done to the city of Saigon culturally, economically and socially, and how it evolved from French takeover.
Culturally, Shaplen discusses how a hippie subculture was born into the city. Their characters ranged from the type of long haired hippie found in the US (the type of rich college boy that bought his way out of battle) to the unemployed street thugs referred to as cao-bois. Not only was the language influenced but also the behavior of youth changed. Young Saigonese favored hangouts usually frequented by American GI’s that played rock music and served American beer. For some reason or other, the Franco-educated Vietnamese did not feel imposed by French culture despite the fact that his life could have been altered as such; going to café’s or allowing his native cuisine to incorporate French influence. Perhaps the French were just better at exporting their culture to the world than Americans? The Americans also brought the need for vices that any psychologically damaged GI would need. The American forces were largely made up of nineteen year old conscripts unlike the French Foreign legion troops who were combat veterans. This contributed to the chaos even further as the need for hookers and drugs increased, or at least became more visible.
These cultural changes were definitely a direct byproduct of the economic changes that American occupation brought about. American construction companies provided work opportunities creating a class of new money that differed from the elites the French created, such as people who held positions that allowed them to become rich by conducting other illicit under a smokescreen of civil service. People from villages that were destroyed by the war flooded the streets of Saigon for a better life and greater stimulation; turning to begging, prostitution, and other typical vices one would find in a slum existed on the other end of the gamut. The vast and reckless urbanization of Saigon (American’s were not masterful urban planners like the French) directly contributed to a higher population density and subsequently more urban problems. As housing complexes were being constructed the number of hospitals did not increase, nor did public sanitation improve.
A drawback to French occupation was the influx of African legionaries brought in who were resented by the native public. Oriental foreigners on the other hand, were better received. The flooding of foreigners into Saigon contributed to the social decay of the city that Shaplen observes despite the innate Vietnamese xenophobia.
An important part of Vietnamese culture that was retained despite all of the Occidental influence was their belief in the mystic. Earning the trust of takes great care and effort. Tolerance of Vietnamese culture is an important aspect that many of the Americans could not learn and thus prevented them from getting to actually know the Vietnamese. Shaplen makes a point to discuss how even the most educated of the population still believed in some type of “soothsayer”.
Shaplen artistically weaves this belief in superstition the end of his essay for symbolic purposes. He speaks of elders displeased with how the youth has become Americanized. When contemplating the future of Saigon, Shaplen sums up entirely what the Americans should do. “Important as the rebuilding process is, social reconstruction and moral regeneration are more important”. To him, this is something the Americans owe to the people of Saigon, and to their own conscience.
1-We Have Always Survived. Reporting Vietnam Part One: American Journalism 1959-1969. Literary Classics of the United States, Inc. New York, NY. 1998 pg 281-334
-part I.
Is Iraq the new Vietnam?
What influence does the occupation have on the population?
How can social lessons from the Vietnam era be applied today in Iraq?
The French connection, more on this in part II- Is America following in the footsteps of of the French; how having thier asses handed to them in Indochina, and even North Africa resulted in economic demise and what we can learn from it.
-----------
The most important thing that we must consider is the cultural fabric of any warring nation. Looking at Robert Shaplen's obersvation of Saigon for twenty five years we can draw many conclusions.
Oftentimes a topic neglected by soldiers and armies-especially by the United States armed forces, Shaplen gives the reader a profound understanding of Saigon’s sociological and cultural transformations. More importantly he compares each foreign influence on Saigon and how its lasting influence had altered the city either positively or negatively. Shaplen succeeds to reflect on the past and contemplate the future. His argument is that the Americans must understand the consequences that the war will have on the Siagonese culturally, sociologically, and economically. In order to build a productive future for Vietnam one must understand the cultural situation at hand. At certain points he even implies that the French, though not totally innocent themselves, better understood these cultural issues. Even though it did not help them win their war, they did retain some kind of social order.
Shaplen’s point of view is quite interesting. His essay opens up with him eating a meal at a restaurant in Cholon, a Chinese section of Saigon that reveals itself as a point of interest to Shaplen because of its social construction. Shaplen provides historical details on the early social stratification of Saigon starting from when the French first took over the south in 1862. Aside form obliterating resistance in the then tiny settlements of Saigon and Cholon, the French were also excellent urban planners. Much of their early success can be attributed to this. They opened several schools to train citizens in French and bridge the language and cultural gap. The French also worked with local Chinese and created a merchant class that retained economic potency. For this reason Cholon remains “The one part of Saigon that has retained its identity…for not even the long, abysmal war has had much of an effect there”. 1
Each phase of occupation has left an impression on Saigon according to Shaplen’s observations. The Americans did not attempt to colonize Vietnam as the French sought out to and subsequently their occupation was rather sloppy compared to the French. Shaplen interestingly compares the different elite’s created by the French and Americans, and what their roles had been in the society.
Of all the Occidental influences on Saigon the one that had remained from the French was their snobbery. The French imprinted their system of nepotism resulting in a defined social stratosphere that spawned an elite class whom lived in absolute grandeur, supported by a lower middle, and a poverty stricken class. Shaplen also talks about the generation gap between the young Vietnamese intellectuals and older politicians “The bureaucracy is still French oriented, immobilized, so although some younger people have been elected to the House of Representatives or to provincial and village councils, the appointive jobs are mostly held by older men.”
The American occupation brought several new money making opportunities--whether illicit or legitimate, but also created cultural mayhem. The difference is that the French, despite imposing their social system in Vietnam, did not seek to change the country culturally. They let the Vietnamese retain their traditions. The essay points out what American occupation has done to the city of Saigon culturally, economically and socially, and how it evolved from French takeover.
Culturally, Shaplen discusses how a hippie subculture was born into the city. Their characters ranged from the type of long haired hippie found in the US (the type of rich college boy that bought his way out of battle) to the unemployed street thugs referred to as cao-bois. Not only was the language influenced but also the behavior of youth changed. Young Saigonese favored hangouts usually frequented by American GI’s that played rock music and served American beer. For some reason or other, the Franco-educated Vietnamese did not feel imposed by French culture despite the fact that his life could have been altered as such; going to café’s or allowing his native cuisine to incorporate French influence. Perhaps the French were just better at exporting their culture to the world than Americans? The Americans also brought the need for vices that any psychologically damaged GI would need. The American forces were largely made up of nineteen year old conscripts unlike the French Foreign legion troops who were combat veterans. This contributed to the chaos even further as the need for hookers and drugs increased, or at least became more visible.
These cultural changes were definitely a direct byproduct of the economic changes that American occupation brought about. American construction companies provided work opportunities creating a class of new money that differed from the elites the French created, such as people who held positions that allowed them to become rich by conducting other illicit under a smokescreen of civil service. People from villages that were destroyed by the war flooded the streets of Saigon for a better life and greater stimulation; turning to begging, prostitution, and other typical vices one would find in a slum existed on the other end of the gamut. The vast and reckless urbanization of Saigon (American’s were not masterful urban planners like the French) directly contributed to a higher population density and subsequently more urban problems. As housing complexes were being constructed the number of hospitals did not increase, nor did public sanitation improve.
A drawback to French occupation was the influx of African legionaries brought in who were resented by the native public. Oriental foreigners on the other hand, were better received. The flooding of foreigners into Saigon contributed to the social decay of the city that Shaplen observes despite the innate Vietnamese xenophobia.
An important part of Vietnamese culture that was retained despite all of the Occidental influence was their belief in the mystic. Earning the trust of takes great care and effort. Tolerance of Vietnamese culture is an important aspect that many of the Americans could not learn and thus prevented them from getting to actually know the Vietnamese. Shaplen makes a point to discuss how even the most educated of the population still believed in some type of “soothsayer”.
Shaplen artistically weaves this belief in superstition the end of his essay for symbolic purposes. He speaks of elders displeased with how the youth has become Americanized. When contemplating the future of Saigon, Shaplen sums up entirely what the Americans should do. “Important as the rebuilding process is, social reconstruction and moral regeneration are more important”. To him, this is something the Americans owe to the people of Saigon, and to their own conscience.
1-We Have Always Survived. Reporting Vietnam Part One: American Journalism 1959-1969. Literary Classics of the United States, Inc. New York, NY. 1998 pg 281-334
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Site review: Musclehack.com
My good friend Mark has a ton of great info on his site Musclehack.com about how to build muscle, loose fat, have tons of energy, and look great nekkid.
If you're a young male or female interested in building a great body without letting that pesky thing called life get in the way, or you are a hardgainer and you have been spinning your wheels in the gym without results, check out a few of these articles...
Now a good rule of thumb is to only take fitness advice from people who walk the walk, so just to let you know, Mark is pretty ripped:
Keep an eye out for my upcomming article on dietary fats.
Take Care,
-John
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The Kitchen is open
Kitchen by the media players will bring the latest and best in entertainment, fitness, fashion, travel, and lifestyle.
The Media Players roster:
Fabri-graphic designer extrodionare
Simo-Photographer of the century
Matt-Singer/songwriter
Gae- novelist
More to come...keep visiting.
The Media Players roster:
Fabri-graphic designer extrodionare
Simo-Photographer of the century
Matt-Singer/songwriter
Gae- novelist
More to come...keep visiting.
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