Eat Right for Your Metabolism, Not Your Blood Type -- Dr. Rowen
Dr. Kelley cured himself of pancreatic cancer, which to this day is
still incurable by conventional medicine, by eating an almost totally
vegetarian diet, along with spiritual elements and supplements. When his
wife became very ill, he tried the same diet on her and she became much
sicker and almost died until he tried a last-ditch effort of giving her
a lot of meat. She quickly recovered. Dr. Kelley spent many years
investigating various metabolic types of people and what types of foods
and supplements would keep each type in optimum health. You might have
heard that everyone needs to alkalinize their bodies to recover from
cancer by eating certain “alkaline” foods. Some types, such as
parasympathetic dominant people, are actually too alkaline and need to
be acidified!
Atkins, Pritikin, the “Zone Diet,” the “Blood-type Diet,” it’s all
enough to make you crazy, yes? It made me a bit crazy, too. For years, I
thrived on a diet of vegetables and complex carbohydrates with eggs and
occasional fish for protein. I’ve been the ideal weight for my height
(5-10/155) ever since high school and rather healthy at that. So I
thought if all my patients ate like me, they also would be healthy and
fit. Problem is, when I taught patients to eat my diet, many came back
saying, “Dr. Rowen, I’m doing everything you recommended to the letter,
but not only can I not lose weight, I don’t feel very good either.” Low
energy was the most common complaint.
I was perplexed. Then I read about Robert Atkins’ high-protein / low
carbohydrate diet. Yes, it did indeed work for some, but for others
(including myself), I knew it would be a disaster. Why didn’t one diet
work for everybody? After all, we’re all human.
In the 1980s, I became aware of the work of Dr. William Donald Kelley
— a man who helped patients with cancer in an extraordinary way. He
worked on the principle that meat and protein caused the body to acidify
and fruit and vegetables made the body more alkaline. By altering the
patient’s diet for the patient’s metabolism, he could bring their pH
into proper balance and very often the patients went into remission.
Several years ago, I heard a lecture from another researcher, Rudolph
Wiley, PhD, author of the book Biobalance. Wiley claimed meat and
protein were alkalinizing and fruit and vegetables in general were
acidifying. This flew in the face of everything I had been taught
regarding the effects of food on pH, and directly contradicted Kelley’s
work.
Then, two years ago, I was given a rare book that’s now out of print
called Nutrition and Your Mind by Dr. George Watson. He found (two
decades before Wiley) the same findings Wiley published (that meat is
alkalinizing). Watson showed how subtle shifts in pH through diet and
supplements would normalize pH in mentally ill individuals and, when
corrected, the patient’s mental disorder completely cleared or at least
improved.
All three men had done impeccable research, but all their theories couldn’t be right? Or could they?
Today, we have several competing and conflicting diets, which must
work for some or they never would have gotten off the ground. Yet none
of them works for everyone. How does one make sense from all this?
In his book, “The Metabolic Typing Diet”, William Wolcott, a protégé
of Kelley, explains his dominance theory of individual metabolism. There
are two competing determinants of metabolism in the body: the autonomic
(unconscious) nervous system (ANS) and the oxidative system. Foods and
nutrients have opposing effects on body pH in each. For example,
everyone knows that potassium and magnesium are alkalinizing — or are
they?
The ANS has two parts, sympathetic and parasympathetic. The latter
controls digestion, tends to unwind the system, and promotes
alkalinization of the body when it’s active. The sympathetic branch
winds us up, gets adrenaline pumping, and tends to acidify the body when
active.
Potassium and magnesium are required to activate the parasympathetic
side, promoting alkalinization of the body. But here’s where the science
gets tricky. In the biochemical cycles of energy production, the
oxidative system, these two minerals tend to speed up reactions, which
lead to acid production in the body. Therefore, the two systems tend to
balance each other out with regards to pH. Wolcott teaches that, “The
net effect of pH depends on which system is dominant in the given
individual!”
All of a sudden, it made sense to me how and why one diet that worked
so well for one person would fail miserably for another, and why my
vegetarian-style diet made me feel great and made others feel terrible.
We are all different, and the same food may have opposite effects in two
different people. A seminar by Hal Kristal, DDS, of California,
confirmed what I had discovered.
While living in Alaska for almost 20 years, I watched the Alaskan
natives, so robust and healthy just two generations ago, slowly become
heavy and riddled with diabetes and chronic diseases of “civilization.”
When I first moved there, they were predominately meat eaters, living
off the land. Now meat is supposed to be bad, isn’t it? But for them,
they thrived with scant degenerative disease. Now they are eating out of
local stores which have all the carbohydrate-laden foods for which
their systems were never designed. And their metabolic type can’t handle
it. But for others, including me, such a heavy meat-and-fat diet could
spell ruin.
With today’s epidemic of obesity, knowing your metabolic type is of
paramount importance. For example, if you are one with a parasympathetic
dominance and you are already alkaline, eating foods that further
stimulate the parasympathetic system (vegetarian based) will only push
you into further imbalance. If, on the other hand, you are oxidative
dominant and a “slow” oxidizer, your alkalinity will be balanced by a
vegetarian-based diet. It will provide the vitamins and minerals you
need to speed up oxidation and generate more acids to balance you out.
Herein lies the secret of why one diet works for some but not others.
And why a holistic doctor like I can recommend a heavy meat/fat diet
for some of my patients, instead of the vegetable/grain diet that’s
supposed to be “good for everyone.” What makes one more alkaline might
make another more acidic.
But why does this work? Two reasons: First, for some, their
metabolism is heavily weighted toward certain fuels for energy. Genetics
play a significant role. If the need fuels are present, combustion
within the cell furnaces proceeds optimally. If the wrong fuels are
present, substances pile up and throw the cells off balance. Consider an
auto assembly line where four wheels are needed but eight show up for
each car: eventually, the whole factory backs up. With many generations
of a given people living in one place, they develop metabolisms that
matched their food supply.
Second, the hormone insulin, which controls blood sugar, has to be
considered. Some genetic types were granted a “thrifty gene” that stores
fuel to pare the body in times of famine. This gene is great when food
is scarce, but when a food is plentiful, it causes the body to become
loaded down with stored fat. The gene works through the overproduction
of insulin, which quickly clears blood sugar (from carbohydrates),
converting the glucose to triglycerides and fats for storage. As long as
insulin is around, carbs are headed into the fat-storage depot. The
only significant stimulus for insulin is ingestion of carbohydrates,
with refined carbs and sugars being the worst of the insulin
stimulators. (The body has an abhorrence for high blood sugar since it
causes damage to blood vessels.) For these people, there are only two
alternatives to get rid of the fat-storing insulin: cutting down or
completely eliminating the carbohydrate stimulus, or burning the carbs
through exercise.
How do you know what type you are? There are four basic types:
Sympathetic Dominant; Parasympathetic Dominant; Oxidative Fast; and
Oxidative Slow. The good news is that there are only two basic diets,
the degree of adherence which is determined by the degree of dominance
of one of the above. Oxidative Fast and Parasympathetic Dominants need a
Group II diet, or one heavily weighted toward heavy protein and fat as a
preferred fuel source. Sympathetic Dominants (myself) and Oxidative
Slows need a Group I diet, which is more heavily weighted toward light,
non-fatty proteins, an abundance of vegetables and a greater tolerance
for carbohydrates, although neither group should be eating refined
carbs. Some people are blessed to be balanced and have much greater
dietary freedom.
A quick way to tell for many people is a simple look at a fasting
blood test at the value of triglycerides (fats). While the “reference
range” may go from 0-160, I believe that any value over 80 suggests
excess insulin activity converting excess carbs in that individual to
fats, with higher levels ever more strongly pointing to the same. These
people would most likely do well on a Group II or low-carbohydrate diet.
For those with triglycerides lower than 80, a metabolic-typing test
developed and taught by Dr. Kristal, which involves some simple pH and
blood-glucose testing in response to a glucose challenge can identify
your type. The metabolic-type testing is unnecessary if your
triglycerides or fasting glucose are high, since you already know that
your body will do much better carbohydrate free. (These are the people
with the “thrifty gene”.)
For those without these lab markers, the metabolic-typing test can
easily identify one’s metabolic type for about another 60 percent of the
population. This takes a lot of the guesswork out of dieting. Further,
the testing can, long in advance, identify those headed toward the
dreaded adult-onset diabetes (type 2). The paradox of the thrifty gene
is that in times of scarcity, those blessed will survive much easier
than will I, who must eat every day since my body does not store energy
very easily. Yet in times of plenty, they are cursed if they do not
recognize their gift and sharply reduce their intake of carbs because
they will store fat everywhere including in the blood vessels. Their
bodies prefer fat for optimal and efficient energy production.
If your lab does not disclose high triglycerides, you might be
interested in getting tested. Dr. Kristal has trained many in his
technique and a call to his office (800-772-0646) or visit to his
website (http://meta-typing.com/bph/main.html)
might help you locate a professional near you. There is also a home
testing kit: it’s not nearly as reliable as the in-office testing, but
very valuable nevertheless since it does provide very accurate blood
glucose results that you will have in response to a sugar drink. It’s
also a little pricey at $210, but well worth the cost. I strongly
suggest you look at Dr. Kristal’s Web site (http://meta-typing.com/index.htm; old site: www.bloodph.com).
Wolcott has developed his own method of determining metabolic type, and
this information is available in his book. You can also find out more
about Dr. Wolcott by checking out his website (www.healthexcel.com) or calling his office (650-325-1840).
To give you an example of how this works, Michelle, a 40-year-old
female with cancer, tested herself using a home kit. Her blood glucose
started low, peaked quickly and crashed, suggesting she was a fast
oxidizer. I put her on a Group II diet (little carbs and heavy in meat),
which is highly unusual for a cancer patient. Follow-up testing showed a
significant correction of the blood-sugar curve and she felt much
better.
Another one of my patients, Jim, a 62-year-old male, had battled his
bulging waistline for years. “I’ve tried everything,” he told me. Yet
when he came to see me, his triglycerides and cholesterol were high,
indicating excess insulin and a need for drastic carb reduction. He
fought me on my recommendation, but surrendered and within two weeks,
was proud to announce an 11-pound weight loss to 200 (he is only 5’ 7”).
His triglycerides and cholesterol likewise fell to the desirable range.
And then there’s me, the envy of many since I keep the perfect weight
for my height so easily. I have always been drawn to a diet rich in
veggies and felt sluggish after eating heavy protein. My triglycerides
run about 30 and cholesterol is a low 155. Testing in Dr. Kristal’s
office showed I’m markedly sympathetic dominant, hence my physical
preference for the Group I diet and my ability to easily burn off carb
calories. My body needs the minerals potassium and magnesium found in
veggies to stimulate the parasympathetic side of my ANS to bring
balance. Meat and fats will stress my parasympathetic side, which is
already weak. This is the opposite of the thrifty gene, and those like
me will do poorly in times of famine, but handle times of plenty much
better.
We are living in a time of plenty. Unfortunately, for those who have
thrifty bodies, the unbroken chain of storage leads to pathologic
obesity and eventually to diabetes. The high levels of insulin in these
individuals causes an undesirable medical condition now termed Syndrome
X, excess insulin. High insulin is one of the greatest risk factors for
the development of circulatory disease: it causes elevated blood
pressure, deposition of fat all over the body, fluid retention,
headaches, fatigue, abnormal cholesterol levels, and may directly age
our DNA (genetic material). It’s likely one of the greatest aging
factors. That explains why in countless lab test, the most reliable way
to extend life in laboratory animals is simple calorie restriction. Low
insulin slows the aging of DNA and maximizes lifespan. By burning fuel
rather than calling on insulin to store it, exercise accomplishes the
same as calorie and carb restriction, provided you do not compensate by
ingesting more carbs.
One of the biggest problems I find is that people are eating out more
than ever before and the portion sizes are huge (besides the fact that
processed food is bad for you). The low-fat products you buy at a
restaurant (or in the grocery store) may be low in fat, but they are not
low-calorie. For instance, I recently saw that a regular 50-calorie fig
cookie may have more fat, but its fat-free counterpart has 70 calories –
which is what puts the weight on.
In order to lose the weight, you’ve got to eat a type that’s right
for your metabolic type (not your blood type) and avoid the
carbohydrates and calories (which means sugar and other foods high on
the glycemic index).
Determining the best and worst foods for your particular metabolic
type doesn’t have to be a guessing game. You’ll be amazed at the
results.
The above is courtesy of: Robert Jay Rowen, M.D., Golden Gate Health
Association (GGHA), 2200 County Center Dr. Ste H, Santa Rosa,
California 95472, 707-571-7560, Fax: 707-571-8929, http://www.doctorrowen.com/contact.html , or Email: drrowen@att.net
"Seeing patients keeps my skills as sharp as possible. I prefer to
see the most difficult cases and those that conventional medicine has
pronounced incurable. There’s nothing more rewarding than giving hope to
someone who was told there’s no hope." -- Dr. Rowen
(Besides traveling out to see Dr. Rowen, he will also do telephone
consultations with you or your doctor, and you can fax him your medical
records). He is one of the best cancer doctors I know, and it's well
worth getting his opinion. By the way, if you'd like to subscribe to his
Second Opinions newsletter (from which this article came), go to: http://www.secondopinionnewsletter.com/
"Eating for one's individual metabolism is a time-tested truth.
Common sense alone should tell us that the concept "one diet fits all"
could not fly, anymore than one medical treatment could fit all.
Celebrate your uniqueness, even if it is with foods shunned by
conventional paradigms." - Robert J. Rowen, Second Opinion Newsletter
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