The Energy Balance Podcast

Ep. 69: Carb Deficiencies, Saturated Fat Intake, & The Best Diet For Fatty Liver (NAFLD Part 7)

In this episode we discuss:

• How carbohydrate deficiencies can drive fatty liver disease

• The particular type of fat you’ll want to avoid if you have fatty liver disease

• The optimal amount of protein, fat, and carbs for reversing fatty liver disease

• The order of dietary adjustments for fatty liver disease and why this matters

• Whether reducing fructose intake is necessary for treating or reversing fatty liver disease 

 

Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy

 

Click here to check out the show notes: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-69-carb-deficiencies-saturated-fat-intake-the-best-diet-for-fatty-liver-nafld-part-7/ 

 

Timestamps:

3:38 – the importance of dietary protein and choline for fatty liver

14:41 – the best types of fats and how much of these fats to eat for fatty liver

28:30 – the ideal carbohydrate sources for reversing fatty liver and major considerations to keep in mind

40:43 – the importance of experimentation when implementing dietary changes

47:05 – why carbohydrates are so effective at opposing stress, increasing metabolism, and reducing oxidative stress

49:22 – the importance of nutrient density and particular micronutrients for fatty liver disease

52:56 – why it’s important to minimize alcohol intake in fatty liver disease and how to protect against the effects of alcohol on the liver

56:12 – how diet, lifestyle, and supplements fit together to create a holistic approach to treating or reversing fatty liver

 

Ep. 68: Oxidative Stress, Choline Deficiency, and Exporting Liver Fat (NAFLD Part 6)

In this episode we discuss:

• How excess oxidative stress causes fat to accumulate in the liver

• How a choline or methionine deficiency can contribute to fatty liver

• Another mechanism by which PUFA cause fatty liver disease

• How folate and vitamin B12 deficiencies can contribute to fatty liver

• How PUFA decrease LDL and why this is NOT beneficial for general metabolic health or liver health

 

Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy

 

Click here to check out the show notes: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-68-oxidative-stress-choline-deficiency-and-exporting-liver-fat-nafld-part-6/

 

Timestamps:

3:48 – how fat gets exported from our livers and why it matters in NAFLD

8:40 – how a choline, methionine, folate, or B12 deficiency can inhibit the liver’s ability to export fat

19:05 – how oxidative stress caused by PUFA and other factors inhibits the liver’s ability to export fat

27:50 – research showing that PUFA causes oxidative stress that inhibits the liver’s ability to export fat

42:11 – why lowering LDL by eating PUFA is NOT beneficial, both for general metabolic health and liver health

59:57 – other factors that drive oxidative stress and inhibit the liver’s ability to export fat

 

Ep. 67: Endotoxin and PUFA As Primary Causes of Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD Part 5)

In this episode we discuss:

• How endotoxin drives inflammation and stress while downregulating our metabolism

• Why alcoholic fatty liver disease isn’t all that different from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

• The protective effects of saturated fats in NAFLD

• How endotoxin and polyunsaturated fats can cause NAFLD

• Nutrient deficiencies that contribute to energy failure and NAFLD

 

Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy

 

Click here to check out the show notes: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-67-endotoxin-and-pufa-as-primary-causes-of-fatty-liver-disease-nafld-part-5/ 

 

Timestamps:

3:57 – the role of endotoxin in NAFLD

23:43 – how endotoxin drives inflammation and stress while downregulating our metabolism

30:35 – research looking at endotoxin as the cause of NAFLD

38:30 – how endotoxin mediates alcoholic liver disease and the protective effects of saturated fats 

44:56 – endotoxin and other damaging factors in the larger context of NAFLD

52:52 – the role of PUFA in NAFLD

1:12:05 – the contrasting effects of saturated fats and PUFA in alcohol-induced liver damage

1:24:22 – how nutrient deficiencies can cause energy failure and drive NAFLD

1:34:57 – how alcohol causes fatty liver and why alcoholic liver disease doesn’t vary considerably from NAFLD

1:38:49 – other factors that contribute to energy failure and drive NAFLD, including psychological stress, fasting, low-carb diets, low-calorie diets, excessive exercise protective effects of saturated fats 

 

Ep. 66: The Role of Cortisol and The Harmful Effects of Fasting in Fatty Liver (NAFLD Part 4)

In this episode we discuss:

• Where the liver fat comes from in NAFLD (it’s probably not what you expect)

• How stress hormones drive NAFLD

• How fasting can contribute to NAFLD

• How fatty liver is a logical, adaptive response to stress

 

Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy

 

Click here to check out the show notes: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-66-the-role-of-cortisol-and-the-harmful-effects-of-fasting-in-fatty-liver-nafld-part-4/ 

 

Timestamps:

4:07 – the role of elevated stress hormones in NAFLD and other metabolic issues

9:50 – where liver fat comes from in NAFLD

15:47 – how fasting increases stress hormones and contributes to NAFLD

25:50 – the role of elevated stress hormones in NAFLD and other metabolic issues (cont.)

 

Ep. 65: How Fat-Burning And Low-Carb Diets Contribute to Fatty Liver (NAFLD Part 3)

In this episode we discuss:

• Why low-carb diets are NOT a good solution for fatty liver

• How fat-burning and lipolysis actually contribute to fatty liver 

• Why ketone production is a sign of stress and inhibited mitochondrial respiration

• The role of uncoupling in NAFLD and why aiming to increase uncoupling is misguided 

• Why low-fat diets don’t directly address the root cause of NAFLD

 

Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy

 

Click here to check out the show notes: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-65-how-fat-burning-and-low-carb-diets-contribute-to-fatty-liver-nafld-part-3/

 

Timestamps:

3:56 – how fat-burning and lipolysis contribute to NAFLD

16:59 – the role of uncoupling in NAFLD

26:56 – how an energy failure and oxidative stress drive stress-processes in NAFLD

34:53 – the role of increases in stress hormones and fat-burning/lipolysis in NAFLD

37:54 – why low-carb diets drive stress and aren’t a good solution for fatty liver or insulin resistance

52:37 – the role of increases in stress hormones and fat-burning/lipolysis in NAFLD (cont.)

 

Ep. 64: The True Cause of Fatty Liver (NAFLD Part 2)

In this episode we discuss:

• Why fructose doesn’t cause leptin resistance

• How our livers produce fat from fructose or dietary fat

• How a failure of energy production (mitochondrial respiration) causes NAFLD 

• Why increases in uncoupling, autophagy, mitophagy, and other stress pathways is often a sign of dysfunction and stress

 

Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy

 

Click here to check out the show notes: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-64-the-true-cause-of-fatty-liver-nafld-part-2/ 

 

Timestamps:

4:54 – why fructose doesn’t cause leptin resistance 

11:56 – the physiology of triglyceride (fat) synthesis in the liver

28:03 – the role of inhibited, inefficient mitochondrial respiration in triglyceride synthesis in the liver

46:06 – the role of inhibited, inefficient mitochondrial respiration and stress pathways in NAFLD

 

Ep. 63: Why Fructose Does NOT Cause Fatty Liver (NAFLD Part 1)

In this episode we discuss:

• Why fructose does not cause fatty liver

• The 3 major problems with the research suggesting that fructose causes fatty liver

• How fat production in the liver can be protective

• The role of PUFA and endotoxin in de novo lipogenesis and inflammation

• Why overeating is not the cause fatty liver

 

Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy

 

Click here to check out the show notes: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-63-why-fructose-does-not-cause-fatty-liver-nafld-part-1/ 

 

Timestamps:

3:54 – an introduction to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

15:34 – the basics of fat production in the liver

17:24 – what happens to carbohydrates when they reach the liver

20:16 – the basics of why fructose doesn’t cause fatty liver

26:24 – the details of why fructose doesn’t cause fatty liver

47:11 – what actually happens when humans consume fructose, even in large amounts

55:15 – whether low-calorie diets or avoiding fructose and saturated fats are practical dietary strategies

1:09:52 – what actually happens when humans consume fructose, even in large amounts (cont.)

 

Ep. 62: Diving in to the Bioenergetic View and Our Mistakes Along the Way (Our Health Journeys Part 2)

In this episode we discuss:

• The many mistakes we made after finding Ray Peat and the bioenergetic view

• Our re-feeding periods that involved eating over 5,000 calories and 700g of carbs per day

• Our experimentation with various supplements (thyroid, B vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins, pro-metabolic hormones, antibiotics, methylene blue, inosine) and what we learned along the way

• How long it took for us to see major improvements and stability in our health (it’s probably longer than you think)

• Why nutrition alone is not enough for optimal health (and what other factors we should consider)

• Our experiences in authoritarian environments (especially within the education system) and working to shed dogmatism

 

Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy

 

Click here to check out the show notes: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-62-diving-in-to-the-bioenergetic-view-and-our-mistakes-along-the-way-our-health-journeys-part-2/ 

 

Timestamps:

4:11 – going all-in on a bioenergetic, Ray Peat inspired diet and experimenting with milk and low-fat diets

17:28 – Mike’s journey with milk, a carnivore diet, and refining his bioenergetic diet

26:40 – Jay’s lingering issues and experiments that helped resolve them

33:53 – Mike’s continued experimentation and the factors outside of nutrition that had major impacts on his health

46:49 – Jay’s continued experimentation and how stress and a lack of sleep affected his health

53:03 – creating an optimal environment is always a work in progress

59:19 – Mike’s depressive period following college and Jay’s experience with depression

1:06:06 – our experiences in authoritarian environments (especially within the education system) and working to shed dogmatism

1:20:51 – the value of intuition and listening to how you feel as well as working to understand the physiology

 

Ep. 61: Undereating, Fad Diets, and Discovering the Bioenergetic View (Our Health Journeys Part 1)

In this episode we discuss:

• Mike’s severe gut issues that led to dangerous weight loss and eventually surgery

• Jay’s experience with undereating/anorexia and how this shaped his health journey

• How doing everything we were “supposed to do” led to us feeling our worst

• Our experiences following various diets (vegetarian, paleo, keto, intermittent fasting, low-fat, bodybuilding) and how we navigated through them

• Our experiences with symptoms like cold hands and feet, insomnia, low energy, low libido, anxiety, depression, hair loss, joint pain, bloating, weight gain, allergies, histamine intolerance, psoriasis, and viral and fungal issues

• What led us to Ray Peat and the bioenergetic view

 

Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy

 

Click here to check out the show notes: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-61-undereating-fad-diets-and-discovering-the-bioenergetic-view-our-health-journeys-part-1/

 

Timestamps:

3:40 – why we decided to share our stories

6:54 – the beginning of Mike’s health journey and his experience with severe gut issues, the conventional medical system, and surgery

41:24 – the earlier parts of Jay’s health journey and his experience with severe undereating, binging, and conventional nutrition information

1:06:23 – when we began to question mainstream ideas and low-carb

1:22:05 – our introduction to Ray Peat and the bioenergetic view through Danny Roddy

1:25:26 – our initial pro-metabolic/paleo combo diet

 

Ep. 60: Carbon Dioxide And Our Environment: Climate-Destroying Or Life-Supporting?

In this episode we discuss:

• Whether human-produced carbon dioxide is a major contributor to climate change

• Whether carbon-offsetting programs and initiatives are effective

• Industry tactics used to shift blame to the people and avoid taking responsibility for their actions

• Whether we should be blaming each other for the destruction of our environment

• Tactics used by the media to prevent open discussion on controversial topics

 

Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy

 

Click here to check out the show notes: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-60-carbon-dioxide-and-our-environment-climate-destroying-or-life-supporting/ 

 

Timestamps:

3:30 – keeping an open mind when it comes to discussing the environment and climate change

6:54 – carbon dioxide as an environmental and climatological scapegoat

10:25 – tactics used to prevent open, scientific discussion on topics, such as shifting the narrative, creating unfalsifiable arguments, creating false dichotomies, and citing consensus

30:06 – some reasons why carbon dioxide may not be the culprit causing climate change

36:47 – other factors to consider when evaluating humanity’s impact on the environment

39:05 – the overpopulation myth, shifting blame to the people, and creating profitable solutions to manufactured problems