WHY CARNIVORE/KETO DIETS ARE BENEFICIAL FOR YOUR MITOCHONDRIA
Reasons these diets work that your food guru never told you
5 Reasons Why Carnivore/Keto Diets are Beneficial...that you've never heard before.
Carnivore and Keto are “high fat, low-carb” diets. This is one of the cornerstones to the diet. Even “Animal Based” diets are far lower carb typically than any Standard American Diet (SAD). I am here to tell you why eating predominantly meat and higher fat/lower carb than SAD, is beneficial for your mitochondrial health and thus your overall health.
Overview
Fat produces:
1) 4x ATP vs glucose
2) More metabolic water
3) Lower deuterium metabolic water
PLUS
4) Induces Mitochondrial-hormesis
5) Meat is always in season
If you hate reading there is a similar synopses from our live session on Decentralized Radio. Here is the link to YouTube
ATP
Carnivore diets are high in healthy fats + low in carbs. Depending on the # of carbons in the fatty acid, ~90-134 ATP are produced per FA molecule in beta oxidation. 29-32 ATP are produced per oxidation of one glucose. That is a roughly 4x difference in ATP.
Pastured Beef contains mostly monounsaturated & saturated fatty acids, which generate roughly the same ATP per # of Carbon. Most of these FAs are 16 or 18 Carbon fatty acids, which will yield ~105-120 ATP per FA
Pastured beef has more long chain FAs than feedlot beef = more ATP. Glucose yields 29-32 ATP per molecule as mentioned, and EVEN when factoring in molecular weight...
One stearic acid (18C sat fat) yields 0.42mol of ATP/g. One glucose yields 0.18mol of ATP/g.
THUS: A >2X difference in energy density
High fat diets = more ATP production per molecular weight of food input
METABOLIC WATER
At Complex IV in the Mitochondria’s Electron Transport Chain (ETC), oxygen serves as the final electron acceptor & metabolic water is created. This water is imperative for biological functions such as cellular communication, energy creation/flow, cellular defense from toxins.
FAT produces ~110g of metabolic water per 100g of dietary fat intake
CARBS produce ~55g of metabolic water per 100g of carbohydrate intake
A 2X difference in water production, that is due to a higher ratio of C-H bonds.
Protein (41g H2O/100g) produces the lowest amt of H2O
Why does this matter? Well I stated some functions of metabolic/biological water above. Consider this perspective: you could argue that the water produced by the mitochondria is the most important aspect of our biology. We are 99% water by molecular count and 50-75% water by volume (dependent on age/health/haplotype). If you have dysfunctional mitochondria you will produce less metabolic water. You will then have impaired energy flow and cellular communication. Water is the ultimate biological semiconductor, and is very sensitive to nnEMFs and other environmental toxins such as Flouride. Those with more loosely coupled mitochondria need high fat diets to produce more metabolic water.
LOWER DEUTERIUM METABOLIC WATER
Another important characteristic of metabolic water is that is should be naturally deuterium depleted compared to regular water we drink (145-150ppm). When mitochondria oxidize fats, the water produced can be as low as 118ppm. You always hear the Mitochondriacs of the world chanting that metabolic water is deuterium depleted, however a high carb diet produces water closer to 150-155ppm. That is higher than a bottle of San Pellegrino (148ppm)!
Researchers Laszlo Boros and Gabor Somlyia theorize this is why Ketogenic / Low Carb Diets have been proven to be beneficial complementary treatments for cancer
So what the heck is Deuterium and why is it bad?
It is heavy hydrogen. Having a neutron doubles the molecular weight, which can cause a host of biological issues when in excess.
Ex: The proton pumps in the Electron Transport Chain + ATP Synthase (nanomotor)
They are designed to pump hydrogen, not 2x weight deuterium so an excess amount of deuterium can cause mitochondrial dysfunction.
Foods high in deuterium? Carbohydrates such as fruits, grains, starches and ANYTHING highly processed. Plants expel deuterium through glucose, and hence why high carbohydrate foods are higher in deuterium. It also depends on the water used to grow the crops. Deuterium is lower at higher latitudes and higher elevation as a general rule of thumb. This is why eating locally is IMPERATIVE. Living in Wyoming, even if it is summer eating fruit from Southern California, Central America, or Florida will result in a higher deuterium content than nature intended for. This can lead overtime to mitochondrial dysfunction.
I recently tweeted that this is the main reason I think SEED OILS are so detrimental for our health. Glyphosate + deuterium is a recipe for disaster because glyphosate further disrupts deuterium homeostasis and wrecks havoc on our collagen and microbiome. STAY TUNED for a deep dive on Glyphosate/Deuterium relationship and the ULTIMATE SEED OIL DEEP DIVE in the coming weeks.
These are topics that have been beaten like a dead horse by every health influencer under the sun, but guess what nobody is talking about the mechanisms mentioned here. Why? Because it is the next level deeper and the research is brand new/sparse at best. You need to understand mitochondrial dynamics, biophysics, and use logical reasoning.
INDUCES MITOCHONDRIAL HORMESIS
Fatty acid oxidation results in higher FADH2/NADH ratio. Some say this is "bad" b/c higher ROS are produced (in RET at Complex I). However this is a signal for mitochondrial hormesis and has been shown to increase lifespan (in flies & worms).
Hormesis is the phenomenon where a stressor induces adaptation for the better. Cold/sauna/exercise/fasting are all examples. Ketogenic diets / high fat diets are similar because they cause are mitochondria to re-organize the ETC to optimize efficiency. But context is everything.
I mentioned this topic in the Chris Masterjohn/Methylene Blue discussions, so I am reiterating it here once more. Here is a link to the study mentioned that discusses RET reactive oxygen species being beneficial in the bigger picture of health.
MEAT IS ALWAYS IN SEASON
Our biology is meant to be in line with the local environment. This means light + food intake + temperature. If light is low --> produce is minimal --> temperature is cold
Aka WINTER
Because meat is always "in season" the carnivore diet is aligned…with winter metabolism. This is good because 99% of people are ALWAYS in SUMMER METABOLISM. High light-->produce available-->temperature is warm. This is a circadian mismatch and causes mitochondrial dysfunction. Eating tropical fruits in winter at 45N latitude is not wise. Being in winter metabolism through a carnivore diet all year round is far better than being in summer metabolism all year round IF you live at >25N latitude in my opinion.
The carbs available today through produce are also FAR more plentiful than 150+ years ago or in the wild.
When Paul Saladino aka CarnivoreMD moved to Costa Rica he began to incorporate fruit/honey back into his diet and felt WAY better.
That is an example of winter metabolism not being optimal in a place that is summer all year round due to high UV light availability.
Shawn Baker (@SBakerMD) lives at ~47N latitude and eats only meat (winter metabolism) and thrives.
These are contextual examples based on location.
Haplotype (mitochondrial DNA) and skin color (melanin) also matters in this equation (Paul more southern European / Baker northern).
Obviously nutrition matters too and ruminant meat is the most nutrient dense food on the planet, but health goes WAY BEYOND macro/micronutrients. Understanding Mitochondrial dynamics and Circadian Biology is imperative to thrive. Get connected with your local environment.
CONCLUSION
Keto/Carnivore is beneficial for reasons beyond nutrients:
1) More ATP
2) More metabolic water
3) Lower deuterium metabolic water
4) Mitochondrial hormesis
5) Seasonally aligned diet
Optimizing mitochondrial function will improve your health. Diet is a tool to do this.
The more you know, the more you can optimize your life and live outside of the centralized systems that do not have your best interest in mind.
Context is everything, and your situation is completely unique to those you associate with online. Do not follow blindly.
Stay Sovereign,
Tristan