On Wed, 15 Sep 1999, Amadeus Schmidt wrote:

> You mention 35g protein after which  the conversion rate goes up.
> I guess that's per meal and not per day.
> For how many meals would that work? 2 or 5?

As I understand it, this is per meal, with an allowance of about
4 hours to complete the hormonal response to it.  That is, the
insulin surge begins soon after the food is ingested and (should)
return to baseline within 2-2.5 hours.  The glucagon surge begins
and ends later.  Both should be at baseline after 4 hours.  If
the quantities of food are larger, it takes longer, however.
But if you stick to the 35g maximum per meal, it should be
possible to consume 5 such meals in a 16-hour day.

> Somehow the amino acid storages of the human will fill up
> before the burning mode begins, and they can fill up only if empty.
> The size of this amino acid storage in an average human (70kg)
> is 55g of amino acids.

This is a function of blood volume, correct?  It is my
understanding that amino acids are not actually "stored" but
circulate in the blood.  Because the concentration of aminos in
the blood is strictly limited by the liver, this is the reason
why there is the protein limit in the first place.  The blood can
only hold so many aminos; the rest must be burned for fuel or
stored.

> You seem to see the insulin response as something negative.

It is negative when it is present in excess (or when it is
deficient).  Any diet that promotes continuously high blood
insulin levels is likely to cause health problems.

> That leaves to understand for me:
> Why do protein carbs too cause weight gain (with , Todd)
> Why can people avoiding conventional carb-foods gain weight?

I believe there are several variables here, one of which is
calories.  Even with all the necessary enzymes present, there is
a limit to how much fuel the cells can use, and what is not used
is stored as fat.  Having those enzymes present ought to enable
us to make better utilization of food, but there is still an
upper limit.  We excrete only small amounts of macronutrients,
even when we consume large amounts.

> Can thiamin supplementation lessen fat gain (as you suspected)?

I don't know.  It should theoretically enhance carb utilization.

Todd Moody
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