PaleoPhil's Journal

[PaleoPhil]

I wonder how much caffeine your getting with your method. Ive searched and searched for a caffeine tester although have yet to find one.

I don't know. Why do you want to know what the caffeine content is?

I actually own a cold brew coffee company that delivers cold brew locally. We get our beans from Guatemala and they are organic. Thats why we use a big one.

Interesting. What is the cold brew process you use?

Do you heat up the water after you have been soaking them?

Not unless I want to melt some butter into it to make butter coffee. It's not RPD-approved, of course.

Also do you use the ordinary amount of two tablespoons per 8 oz cup?

I use whole green coffee beans. About a couple handfuls.

[PaleoPhil]

This is the most active pyroluria forum I've seen. Not much activity and not much on it of interest, unfortunately.

Pyroluria Cure / Malvaria Cure Support Forum
http://curezone.com/forums/f.asp?f=940

This one has even less activity:

http://pyroluriasupport.com/forum/

[paper_clips43]

I just want to know the caffeine content because I feel like its not the caffeine that I crave in coffee as Decaf always fulfills my craving. I feel like the caffeine is the negative part of coffee and would rather go with out it as much as possible.

I use the cold brew machine that I posted a picture of for my company. We just fill the top part with ice water, from the local sedona spring, and 8 hours later we have a quart and a half of cold brewed coffee. Which, if you've ever had it, is much more concentrated than normal coffee.

[PaleoPhil]

So cold brewed just means soaked in cold water? I used to make it with a French press.

[paper_clips43]

Yah essentially that is what it means.

How are you doing with your resistant starch experiments? Still consume it daily?

[PaleoPhil]

Nearly so, mainly with potato starch and dried very-green plantain slices. I think it makes sense to have some fractal variation.

[paper_clips43]

I am starting to agree. I always thought my path to health was by giving up starch and grains. It seemed like such an easy fix. I think it might not be so easy though and I am again having to reconsider my diet.

Is the potato starch you use considered raw? Whats your opinion on juicing raw tubers?

[PaleoPhil]

Bob's Red Mill claims theirs is raw, though what they consider raw might not be what you consider raw. I only notice benefits from it and it's the only one available to me, so it's a moot question for me.

I haven't tried potato juice.

I'm suspecting that raw green coffee might still be too pro-inflammatory for me, presumably due to the fruit seed toxins. If so it will be unfortunate, because it does give me clear energy and alertness without jitteriness at the time of drinking it.

I'm starting to think that tapioca flour, another raw resistant starch source I use, is anti-inflammatory for me. Time will tell. It makes quite a mess, though. I wish it weren't ground quite so fine.

[paper_clips43]

Ya as much as I love coffee I have decided my life is bette with out...

What benefit are your trying to achieve from the coffee? Just increased energy? Or bowel movements?

What benefit do you believe you get from the RS?

[Dr. D]

Ah Phil! I meant to get back to you earlier on this but I tried some jicama! I ate about half the root and even though I was/am zero-carb, I noticed no ill effects or decrease in ketosis. It had a light almost green bean flavor to it. Very fresh and enjoyable. It seemed to digest well even though it was the first starch I had eaten in months and I doubt there was any bacteria to help digest it. I may have to add some in over the winter as it seems "practical" that tubers would be a winter food.

I never did well with starches in the past, potatoes and plantains and bananas (yes the fake cultivated ones) didn't really ever digest well, giving me gas and tiredness. Maybe it was the small amount of jicama I had but it seemed okay. What sort of benefits have you noticed eating RS foods long term?

[PaleoPhil]

What benefit are your trying to achieve from the coffee? Just increased energy? Or bowel movements?

Both, and excellent mental clarity and focus.

What benefit do you believe you get from the RS?

My fasting and postprandial blood glucose measures have improved since taking it and I fall asleep a bit more easily (which generally wasn't a problem to begin with anyway). The tapioca flour and maybe the potato starch also seem to lessen muscle tension if it gets triggered by somewhat inflammatory foods like coffee. Iodine also seems to help with that. It seems like my dreams are a bit more pleasant when I consume RS, though it's difficult to tell because I also take P5P that helps with that. Lots of people report GI benefits from RS, so I am hoping that I'm getting some improvement in that as well. My bowels do seem improved a bit, though that's probably mostly or all due to taking Mg more often.

Ah Phil! I meant to get back to you earlier on this but I tried some jicama! I ate about half the root and even though I was/am zero-carb, I noticed no ill effects or decrease in ketosis. It had a light almost green bean flavor to it. Very fresh and enjoyable. It seemed to digest well even though it was the first starch I had eaten in months and I doubt there was any bacteria to help digest it. I may have to add some in over the winter as it seems "practical" that tubers would be a winter food.

I never did well with starches in the past, potatoes and plantains and bananas (yes the fake cultivated ones) didn't really ever digest well, giving me gas and tiredness. Maybe it was the small amount of jicama I had but it seemed okay. What sort of benefits have you noticed eating RS foods long term?

I think jicama contains mostly inulin fiber, rather than starch. Inulin, like RS, is supposed to be good for the large intestine. My diet includes both.

I envy your ability to digest jicama. I found that eating more than a tiny bit was somewhat hard on my stomach, whereas RS-rich foods don't seem to give me any problems in the stomach.

Jicama is interestingly similar to some wild African legume tubers that bush peoples eat.

[paper_clips43]

What time of the day do you prefer to have your RS?

[PaleoPhil]

I don't have any hard and fast rules, but presumably preferably not too late at night, as with all food. The Internet posts of Tatertot Tim aka Otzi are an excellent resource on all RS questions. He has already answered this and any other RS question you can think of.

RS dosing and timing:

tatertot // Oct 21, 2013 at 16:36 http://freetheanimal.com/2013/10/resistant-ingestion-blunting.html#comment-539784

I personally feel that if you are taking potato starch as a supplement, it may be best to take it all at once. RS gets fermented very fast once it hits the large intestine, so taking a small dose several times a day means it is all fermented in the first (proximal, ascending) part of the large intestine. Taking a bigger bolus dose of 20-40g (2-4TBS) all at once means it will overwhelm the proximal end and force fermentation in the transverse and descending parts (distal end) of the colon.

Also, there is a study link to jn.nutrition.org (rats anyway) that shows when taking an RS supplement alongside another fermenting fiber, psyllium in this case, it shifts the fermentation sites even further.

Taking small doses throughout the day probably isn’t a waste of time, but if you are looking for a reason to take it all at once, this is probably it. Studies show that almost no human can ferment over 50g at one time, but 10g is fermented very fast. So, somewhere between 20-40g is probably the right amount to take to flood your intestine with RS and make it do it’s job and get strong in return.

---

Q: Can any of you guys who’s been getting resistant starch for a long time say when they noticed a reduction in gas?

Tatertot Tim: I think for me it was about 3-4 weeks. I started out with 4TBS/day, I usually recommend people start out with 1TBS/day and up it after a week. The studies indicate it should take 3-4 weeks for all the major changes in gut microbe communities to happen. If you are missing key microbes, it may never happen. If you find discomfort at higher amounts, back off to 1TBS/day and take it with yogurt, kefir, or alongside sauerkraut or a probiotic supplement of some sort. http://freetheanimal.com/2013/10/resistant-ingestion-blunting.html#comment-539776

[PaleoPhil]

I was recently reminded that agave syrup tends to have a very high fructose/glucose ratio. Since I found that pure glucose (from brown rice syrup) gives me worse problems than RF honey, fruits or starchy foods, I suspected that fructose is less of a problem for me and realized that agave syrup is a way to test that (yes, I know it's not raw Paleo, I only used it for testing, not to make it part of my diet). Sure enough, I tried consuming the equivalent amount of carbs from agave syrup and didn't have any significant negative symptoms, unlike the rice syrup. Not surprisingly, my blood glucose didn't spike up with the agave syrup like it did with the rice syrup, which is a known difference.

My BG was actually down 10 mg/dl an hour after consuming the agave syrup. Oddly enough, I actually felt rather good and my appetite improved (which would be a problem for someone trying to lose weight, but a benefit for someone like me who would be happy with some increased appetite to bulk up a bit). Instead of my teeth getting scummy like they do after eating glucose, they actually felt a bit cleaner soon after eating the agave syrup. The good feeling and cleaner teeth were surprises for me, given all the demonization of fructose in the Paleosphere. Excess fructose tends to cause problems in the liver, so it may be that there were negative effects that I just can't see or feel.

So this seems to be the ranking of types of carbs for me, from best to worst:

- resistant starch (it's actually more like a fat than a carb, since gut bacteria convert it into SCFA's) -- produces mostly benefits; only problem is the minor nuisance of excess flatulence if I accidentally overdo it
- fructose -- no noticeable problems and possibly some mild benefits
- easily-digestible starch -- mild to moderate negative symptoms
- glucose -- moderate to severe negative symptoms, such as dramatic spikes in BG

This doesn't fit with popular assumptions in the Paleo sphere, which had me suspecting fructose more at first, until my personal testing showed otherwise. I suspect that "pyroluria" may have something to do with this. On the bright side, resistant starch seems to be reducing the severity of all the negative symptoms I get from glucose, not just improving my blood glucose readings. Time will tell.

[cherimoya_kid]

Interesting.

Is the P5P still working for you?

[paper_clips43]

Thank for the info PaleoPhil. Very very interesting and potentially groundbreaking stuff. I wonder if our appendix has anything to do with RS processing. Any info on this?

[PaleoPhil]

Yes, P5P is still working. It's interesting having dream recall again after years of very little.

My understanding of the appendix is that it is a storehouse of backup bacteria in case the bacteria in the GI tract get wiped out.

Beneficial bacteria are also quite interesting. When a species starts eating something novel and somewhat-difficult-to-digest as a common or staple food, it seems to invariably be the case that if it survives long-term, it's because it acquired bacteria that help it digest the new food and/or it eats it in mainly fermented form, letting environmental bacteria predigest it. Perhaps our primate ancestors acquired new strains of bacteria that enabled them to consume more raw roots and tubers when the climate got drier and hotter and they were forced to spend more time on the savannah instead of in or near forests.

Plus, over time, adaptation to the novel food tends to produce better capacity to generate the enzymes that digest it. Thus, humans developed more and more ability to produce amylase over time, greatly exceeding other primates in this.

[PaleoPhil]

I guessed that the reported benefits of the unusual, almost mystical, factor called earthing might be due to reducing oxidative stress, which along with its associated chronic inflammation is more and more looking like one of the most important health issues in the modern world. I Googled it and found this:

http://www.tomcorsonknowles.com/blog/how-earthing-can-reduce-oxidative-stress-and-inflammation

I even saw one video on pyroluria in which the vlogger called pyroluria an oxidative stress disorder, which probably could be the name for any chronic modern illness.

Another interesting link is this oxidative stress chain:
Resistant starch feeds bacteria in the cecum and colon ->
which then produce SCFAs ->
the SCFAs then calm the immune system (assuring that our immune system will not kill the bacteria and calming down the overactive immune systems common amongst moderners--thus there are benefits to both the bacteria and the human host), which reduces oxidative stress and inflammation that an overactive immune system can contribute to

You might ask, "Why not consume the SCFAs, such as via butter or coconut oil?" The bacteria produce the SCFAs over a longer period, giving you a steady supply. This is one reason why RS improves sleep--it continues to provide SCFAs, which ensure there is a steady supply of glucose to the brain throughout the night, whereas the SCFAs and glucose from meals tends to run out during the night. Thus, people who wake during the night tend to benefit from RS.

Acquired Mitochondropathy-- a New Paradigm in Western Medicine Explaining Chronic Diseases: The Safety Guide for Prevention and Therapy of Chronic Ailments
books.google.com/books?isbn=940072036X
Enno Freye - 2012
"Another very rapid and effective way the body repletes the low glucose is by conversion of short chain fatty acids to glucose. ... Short chain fatty acids are used to restore circulating glucose and prevent a fall below the person's usual fasting glucose level. ... although initially alcohol helps one to go to sleep, he then wakes up in the small hours with a rebound hypoglycemia."

[PaleoPhil]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehwy4Gq27uY#t=11
Like many of the greats, his work will not be fully appreciated until long after he is gone.

[Inger]

Beautiful video PP. Very touching. I think the fractal thing is magic... i started to think about love... it is fractal too.. it kind of spreads... need to get more generous with it, can only make a better word

Amazing Mandelbrot, he radiates life right before he pass away, totally clear in his brain.

[LePatron7]

B6 supplementation "should be balanced by vitamin B12 and biotin" http://perfecthealthdiet.com/category/supplements, which are often included in B complex supplements (though I've read that one should look for ones that contain folate instead of folic acid and Dr. Ron recently changed his Doc's Best multi-vit/mineral to include folate instead of folic acid).

I've seen that folic acid in the form "folic acid" is no good.

http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/folic_acid_dangers_and_prenatal_vitamins.aspx

It turns out the form of folic acids being used in multivitamins and b complex are the cheap form that serves no benefits, just like B12 methylcobalamin vs. cyanacobalamin.

I'm seeing that folate, in the form of methyl folate, plays a big role in pyloria. As well as many other functions, including glutathione production.

http://www.methyl-life.com/a-doctor-explains.html

Has some videos from a doctor describing the methyl folate and it's role in heavy metals, glutathione, autism, and various other things.

[PaleoPhil]

Interesting, thanks, DaBoss, I'll check it out. I hadn't seen methyl folate linked to pyroluria before, but I was curious about it, because of the "methyl" name in some recommended pyroluria supplements and some pyroluria patients talking about how they also have under- or over- methylation. I don't seem to quite fit either of the under- or over- methylation symptom lists, from what I've seen, but I have been curious about it.

Right on about the folic acid; I've seen some supplement sellers replace the folic acid in their supplements with folate after learning how bad the synthetic folic acid is.

I don't recall if I've mentioned it here yet or not, but I'm finding that some months after taking resistant starch, that I'm not needing as much P5P. I haven't heard of the P5P itself causing this improvement, so I think it's the resistant starch. Plus, even if I forget to take P5P, I do pretty well if I remember to eat plenty of RS.

[LePatron7]

Interesting, thanks, DaBoss, I'll check it out. I hadn't seen methyl folate linked to pyroluria before, but I was curious about it, because of the "methyl" name in some recommended pyroluria supplements and some pyroluria patients talking about how they also have under- or over- methylation. I don't seem to quite fit either of the under- or over- methylation symptom lists, from what I've seen, but I have been curious about it.

Right on about the folic acid; I've seen some supplement sellers replace the folic acid in their supplements with folate after learning how bad the synthetic folic acid is.

I actually don't think it's so much that specifically this form of folate is a major contributor to reversing pyroluria and poor methylation. But that such a large percent of the population have difficulty converting folate into the active form (methyl folate) which is the form the body needs. So they have to take methyl folate since they're unable to convert folate into its active form.

Just like P5P is the active form of B6 and many people have difficulty converting regular B6 into its active form (same applies to B12 w/ methylcobalamin and cyanacobalamin), the same applies to methyl folate.

I'm actually noticing some improvements with methyl folate - increased energy, less sleepy, better attention. However I take no folic acid (my b complex and MV use methyl folate), the active form of B12 (methylcobalamin), and P5P B6 which are all supposed to help methylation and pyroluria.

[PaleoPhil]

Yeah, I've been wondering if the methyl forms are the best forms in general of supplements. I've also been wondering if bacteria help us to break down nutrients into more usable forms.

[LePatron7]

0:57:35

Methylation and MTHFR Defects presented by Benjamin Lynch, ND

He (Dr. Benjamin Lynch) is a leading ND in the field of MTHFR. He references pyroluria. His discussion mentions various genetic mutations which limit the body's ability to detoxify, build neurotransmitters, and many other things which can cause various problems.

His recommendation is to avoid all forms of Folic Acid (what's found in supplements, fortified foods, etc) because they limit the body's ability to use the active forms of folate. He recommends folinic acid and methylfolate, B12 methylcobalamin, B6 P5P, and B2. Although he doesn't mention how much to take (because he wants people to get the tests needed to see if they benefit from it, and that's something people need to work with their doctors on), he recommends for prevention a b complex with the active forms of those b vitamins.