Week 4 Flashcards
What is the main problem with the paleo diet?
Basically none of the foods we used to eat are the same now - a lot of food now is overly processed
When we say food is “processed”, what is the main problem with that?
They have removed a lot of the fiber
What is insoluble fiber and what does it do?
The bulk of your stool - promotes motility of the gut
What does soluble fiber do?
Slows the passing of your food through the GI
How does soluble fiber affect blood sugar?
Because food is passing through the GI more slowly when soluble fiber is high, sugar is taken out of food and into the blood slower, so it lowers the overall glycemic load of your meal and your tissues are not overloaded with sugar
Insoluble fiber is found largely in…
Whole grains
Why are refined carbohydrates associated with chronic disease?
They have low fiber and high glycemic load
Why is sucrose a “dangerous” sugar for the body?
Glucose homeostasis is regulated by insulin, but fructose is not = can overload the body with sugars
What organ converts fructose to glucose?
The liver (giving it yet another job to do!)
If fruit is high in fructose, why isn’t it as bad for you?
It is paired with dietary fiber, so your body has time to process the sugars without overloading the tissues
Unsaturated fats are (healthy/unhealthy)
Healthy
Which kind of fat is most heavily associated with chronic disease?
Trans fats
Trans fats are transported by…
LDL and VLDL
Of two groups of Hadza in Tanzania, which were healthier: the kids who foraged or the kids who foraged sometimes and ate agricultural foods? Why?
The agricultural group was healthier because they had access to more consistent calories
How does exercise reduce chronic disease risk?
Reduces oxidative stress and maintains insulin homeostasis: when you exercise you take more sugar out of your blood (helps insulin homeostasis, fewer ROS produced)
When your muscles don’t contract much, what happens to your blood?
Buildup of fatty acids and glucose
How does history of physical activity impact adult health?
People who were more physically active in their youth were less prone to heart attacks even if they were sedentary in their adult life (their tissues are less damaged at the same age as someone their age and sedentary who has always been sedentary)
Physical activity reduces diabetes risk by (%age)
50%
Exercise causes this response in tissues even after exercise is over…
Tissues become more responsive to insulin
Sleep deprivation disrupts the body’s ability to…
Clear glucose from the blood
Smoking alters concentrations of (2) in the blood
Cholesterol and triglycerides
Why is visceral fat more dangerous than subcutaneous fat?
Visceral fat secretes cytokines (inflammatory proteins) and can also dump fat into the portal system blood vessels
The “perfect recipe” for chronic disease in adulthood is…
Early exposure to poverty and affluence in adulthood
Who is responsible for the theory of DOHaD?
David Barker
DOHaD briefly describes…
Insufficient energy availability (poverty) shifts your physiology which makes you more at risk for chronic disease in early life
If a baby is born small, what are 2 possible explanations for this?
Either the mother’s energy stores were depleted in pregnancy, or there was some issue in the placenta where the energy was not getting translated properly to the baby
If energy is limited, will the energy go to the baby or the placenta?
Often, the energy will go to the placenta, which has to make amino acids and other nutrients for the baby
What are 3 possible factors which affect the placenta’s ability to do its job?
SA of the placenta
Implantation
# of lobes (1 is typical, but can have 2)
If a placenta is big, this is an indication of this kind of growth
Compensatory growth: nutrients are not necessarily getting to the baby, so the placenta grows big to try to make up for this. Often results in low birth weight
During the dutch hunger winter in WW2, which groups of babies were most affected? Why?
Babies who experienced the hunger in mid to late pregnancy
Mothers are able to buffer famines, but kids in later pregnancy were not able to be buffered because the mom ran out of stores at the end of her pregnancy
