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  #1   ^
Old Thu, Sep-24-20, 02:46
Demi's Avatar
Demi Demi is offline
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Default Olympic medallist running for five days without food to prove we don't need carbs

James Cracknell is running for five days without food to prove we don't need carbs - is he right?

As James Cracknell runs 100 miles on zero calories to promote low-carb diets, we consult the science


Quote:
“Society is eating too many carbs,” proclaims James Cracknell, the rowing champion and double Olympic gold medallist, who is currently running 100 miles in five days while drinking only water and consuming zero calories.

It may sound like a foolhardy fasting challenge, but the 48-year-old British athlete has undertaken it to prove a point.

On his social media account, he explained that he was embarking on the #zerofive100 challenge on Saturday in order to “add to evidence that a low carb diet is an effective therapeutic treatment for diabetes, and beneficial for pre-diabetics," and to show that fat alone can fuel the human body.

So, is this just celebrity endorsed food faddishness, or - given that this week we were told that over half a million British people have Type 2 diabetes without realising - does Cracknell’s experiment raise an important question for the 4.7 million people living with diabetes in the UK?

Joined by three doctors and three healthcare professionals on the route from Henley-on-Thames to Bristol, by Sunday evening he had completed 45 miles of the challenge and told his followers that metabolic testing has shown he was no longer burning carbs but his energy levels were “surprisingly good”.

So does a low carb diet, which puts the body into a "fat-burning" ketogenic state, help those who suffer from diabetes? And is Cracknell's five day approach too extreme - do we all need at least some carbs?

“Five days with a zero calorie intake is incredibly dangerous as it is putting yourself in danger of suffering with exhaustion, fainting and possible stroke," says Dr Aragona Giuseppe, GP and medical advisor at Prescription Doctor. "It can be done as long as the person is fit and healthy and consuming plenty of hydrating fluids each day, but when your calorie intake is too low, or in this case non-existent, your body is not getting the vital nutrients it needs to properly function or remain healthy.


“Your immune system is also being compromised due to the lack of sustenance, vitamins and minerals. Some would argue that it’s incredibly irresponsible to do this kind of long term fasting in the public eye, especially when there are so many risks involved. However, it is true that yes, some research shows that a low carb diet can help with the treatment of diabetes. I would suggest for those with diabetes to look into a low carb diet, but fasting for long periods of time should not be promoted or glamorised.”

Registered nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert agrees. “Fasting this extreme is most certainly not setting a good example nor encouraging healthy relationships with food.

"Of course managing your glucose levels is a crucial part of managing diabetes but by selecting a diet that works for you with the right amount of carbs (found in vegetables, wholegrains and pulses) you can eat well and live well too. Each case is going to be unique and require unique nutrition.

"As for exercising like this on so little fuel, yes it’s possible as fat is a source of energy, but not safe for many reasons. Carbs are the bodies preferred fuel source and also impact our brain function. As an Olympic athlete James is already at a good level of fitness and has a measured understanding of his body. I urge everyone not to try this at home without medical and nutritional supervision."

According to Bupa Health Clinics medical director Dr Arun Thiyagarajan, the human body can burn fat for energy as Cracknell says - but to perform at our best we need to consume a healthy, balanced diet. "While crash diets or short-term challenges may seem appealing, the results can often be short-lived and, in some cases, can even be harmful to our bodies. Instead, people should focus on making smaller, sustainable changes, which will help manage health and weight in the long-term," he says.

"The body is able to use both carb and fat as a fuel. This does not translate into it being ideal to therefore use one above the other. Carbs the preferred source of fuel for both brain and muscles. Other fuels can be used, but that doesn't mean it is physiologically advantageous or of health benefit to do so long term," adds registered dietitian Laura Clark.

As for diabetes, this is caused by too much fat accumulating inside the liver and pancreas. It's true that losing weight and being active is an effective prevention, according to the NHS. And, according to some, a cure.

The research of Professor Roy Taylor, a diabetologist and the author of Life Without Diabetes: The Definitive Guide to Understanding and Reversing Type 2 Diabetes covers the reversal of type 2 diabetes and seeks to show how diets and weight loss can put diabetes into remission, proving that it is not an “inevitably progressive disease”. Taylor recently co-led a study which showed more than a third of people with Type 2 diabetes who took part in a weight management programme delivered by the NHS through GP surgeries remain free of diabetes two years later.

A growing body of scientific research also suggests that adopting a low-carb diet in particular (in which your body produces ketones from broken down fats in the liver for energy, rather than relying on insulin to convert carbohydrates) may have specific benefits for people with Type 2 diabetes and improve insulin sensitivity.

When a Danish study carried out in 2019 by scientists from Aarhus University, the University of Copenhagen and Bispebjerg Hospital examined whether a low-carb diet would improve the insulin response in patients withTtype 2 diabetes, it found that it did.

A lower carb diet meant less insulin was required in the bloodstream after the low-carb meals - giving the body a chance to recover while the liver and pancreas shed the fat impairing normal functioning. Patients with type 2 diabetes improved their ability to regulate their blood sugar levels by eating food with a reduced carbohydrate content and an increased share of protein and fat.

A total of 28 type 2 diabetic patients were examined during the 12 week cross-over study, published in the journal Diabetologica. During six weeks of the study, patients were randomly assigned to a low-moderate carb diet or a low-fat diet, and then switched for the second half of the study.

"We hypothesised this combination would improve glucose control in Type 2 diabetics and reduce the fat content in the liver reducing the risk of non-alcoholic liver disease. This was shown to be correct,” reported Dr Thure Krarup, from the Department of Endocrinology at Bispebjerg Hospital. “The study shows that by reducing the share of carbohydrates in the diet and increasing the share of protein and fat, you can both treat high blood sugar and reduce liver fat content. Further intensive research is needed in order to optimise our dietary recommendations for patients with type 2 diabetes.”

But how low-carb should you go? According to this study, a low carb diet can be defined as 10-25 percent of calorie intake. Depending on a person's calorie requirements this could be as low as 50g of carbohydrates per day, or 3 slices of white bread, which is very different approach to fasting with no calories or carbohydrates at all for five days.

"In our study we used 30 per cent, so the diet was a moderately reduced carbohydrate diet. The reason for this being there's a need to have a certain amount of carbohydrates in a healthy diet and also that the diet should be convenient and tasty."

The evidence-based Diabetes UK nutrition guidelines also suggest that low carbohydrate diets are helpful for people with Type 2 diabetes. Although they recommend an “individualised approach to diet taking into consideration the person’s personal and cultural preferences”, they also state that people at risk of diabetes should “eat more of certain foods such as vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, fish, nuts and pulses” and “less red and processed meat, refined carbohydrates and sugar sweetened beverages.”

According to Diabetes UK, a low-carb diet means cutting down on the amount of carbohydrates you eat to less than 130g a day. “To put this into context, a medium-sized slice of bread is about 15 to 20g of carbs, which is about the same as a regular apple. On the other hand, a large jacket potato could have as much as 90g of carbs, as does one litre of orange juice,” it states. But it points out that low-carb eating shouldn’t be “no-carb eating”, and it’s important especially for people who take medication to manage their diabetes (and especially insulin), to seek advice from medical professionals first in order to safely adapt their diet - and it might not be right for everyone.

"A low-calorie diet is not safe or suitable for everyone with Type 2 diabetes, such as people who need to take insulin. So it is important to get medical advice before going on this type of diet," the NHS states. "There is evidence that eating a low-calorie diet (800 to 1,200 calories a day) on a short-term basis (around 12 weeks) can help with symptoms of Type 2 diabetes. And some people have found that their symptoms go into remission."

Some experts believe the science is not yet fully conclusive. As the Danish study notes, although a trend towards recommending a diet reduced in carbohydrate content is acknowledged, more research is needed into dietary recommendations for treating Type 2 diabetes.


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-...rove-dont-need/
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  #2   ^
Old Thu, Sep-24-20, 03:05
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JEY100 JEY100 is online now
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Yikes, seems by the dates, he should have finished. Did he?
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  #3   ^
Old Thu, Sep-24-20, 03:09
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Demi Demi is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JEY100
Yikes, seems by the dates, he should have finished. Did he?
he has finished but the only update I can find so far is from his twitter feed:
Quote:
Just finished 5-day 100mile run. No calories in just using fat reserves. Not recommended for high perf sport, last 5 days have shown that calories in v calories out is wrong approach.

https://twitter.com/jamescracknell
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  #4   ^
Old Thu, Sep-24-20, 03:35
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JEY100 JEY100 is online now
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Plan: P:E/DDF
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Just WOW.
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  #5   ^
Old Thu, Sep-24-20, 05:08
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WereBear WereBear is online now
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Yay!

I've fasted five days, but I certainly didn't run while I was doing it
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  #6   ^
Old Thu, Sep-24-20, 07:11
Zei Zei is offline
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Congrats to this guy on his accomplishment! Some quotes in this article show why it's not good to rely on opinions of government-type entities and registered dietitians who were taught the received wisdom of the day that doesn't always align with science. They don't seem aware, for instance, that the human body makes its own carbohydrate from other fuels as needed therefore requires no dietary carbohydrate. I like to get my health information from carefully researched sources rather than popularly held opinions.
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  #7   ^
Old Thu, Sep-24-20, 07:42
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Ms Arielle Ms Arielle is offline
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Dr Bikman studies the insulin in such super marathoners. He is one that brought these sports to my attention.

Some run 100 miles, other marathons run for 24 hrs.
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  #8   ^
Old Thu, Sep-24-20, 08:54
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GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zei
Congrats to this guy on his accomplishment! Some quotes in this article show why it's not good to rely on opinions of government-type entities and registered dietitians who were taught the received wisdom of the day that doesn't always align with science. They don't seem aware, for instance, that the human body makes its own carbohydrate from other fuels as needed therefore requires no dietary carbohydrate. I like to get my health information from carefully researched sources rather than popularly held opinions.

Amen . . .
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  #9   ^
Old Thu, Oct-01-20, 12:15
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JEY100 JEY100 is online now
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More from DietDoctor: https://www.dietdoctor.com/uk-team-...un-with-no-food

UK team completes a 100-mile, five-day run with no food

Quote:
Can our stores of body fat alone safely fuel a feat of athletic endurance — a 100-mile run — that lasts five days, with no food ingested the entire time?

The answer seems to be yes — even for those with type 1 diabetes.

That’s what a recent, medically supervised experiment in the UK found. Eight runners, including a famous Olympic medalist, completed what amounts to a marathon a day, over five days, consuming zero calories and running in a completely fasted state for the entire time.

The project, dubbed ZeroFive100, was organized by Dr. Ian Lake, a general practitioner with type 1 diabetes who advocates a low-carb or keto diet for better blood sugar management.

Dr. Lake has been featured in videos and as a health provider on the Diet Doctor site. He is also behind a new website, type1keto.com which helps people with type 1 diabetes do a low-carb or keto diet safely and effectively.

Dr. Lake said he planned the experiment to disprove myths about the need for the body to ingest carbs to be able to function properly. The goal was to help remove obstacles and medical objections to low-carb options being offered to those with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in health care settings.

“I designed a project that would take low carb to the extreme limit so that, if it confirmed what I thought, then it would easily translate into real-world situations,” Dr. Lake said, who cautioned that others should not try this without medical supervision.

“This project required careful planning over several months and no one in the group intends to repeat it,” he said.

Dr. Lake’s seven teammates were all low-carb advocates, including Trudi Deakin, PhD, RD who is also featured in videos and as a low-carb provider on the Diet Doctor site. Other participants included Dr. Ali Ibrahim, a consultant psychiatrist and specialist in pediatric eating disorders, Gayle Gerry a nurse specializing in diabetes, Jon Furniss, an engineer with type 1 diabetes, and Steve Bennett, an entrepreneur.
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  #10   ^
Old Thu, Oct-01-20, 13:07
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Demi Demi is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JEY100
More from DietDoctor: https://www.dietdoctor.com/uk-team-...un-with-no-food

UK team completes a 100-mile, five-day run with no food
Janet, many thanks for posting this. I'd been watching out for any updates on the outcome of the run, but must have missed the critical article in the Mail.

I do hope there will be a documentary
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  #11   ^
Old Thu, Oct-01-20, 20:35
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GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Demi
Janet, many thanks for posting this. I'd been watching out for any updates on the outcome of the run, but must have missed the critical article in the Mail.

I do hope there will be a documentary

Yes, the story needs to be told.
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  #12   ^
Old Thu, Oct-01-20, 21:04
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bluesinger bluesinger is offline
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From the dietdoctor article:
Quote:
A detailed series of metabolic tests, blood tests, and other health markers were collected from all of the participants each day, including body weight, ketones, body composition, cortisol levels, and more. All wore a continuous glucose monitor. These health markers will be closely analyzed and results published. A documentary film is also being produced.
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  #13   ^
Old Mon, Oct-12-20, 03:34
Demi's Avatar
Demi Demi is offline
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From the Hunter & Gather blog:

Quote:
You may have seen in our newsletter 2 weeks ago that we shared about the amazing event that the team at Zero Five 100 completed, where they ran 100 miles in Five days with Zero calories.

By preparing for this with a Ketogenic Diet, they were able to switch from glucose to fat burning, which means sustained energy - enough to run 100 miles! We are delighted to share this guest article from Jon, one of the volunteer runners and why this study could help those with diabetes to require less insulin.

https://hunterandgatherfoods.com/bl...ood-or-calories

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  #14   ^
Old Mon, Oct-12-20, 08:35
GRB5111's Avatar
GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
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Plan: Very LC, Higher Protein
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Thanks for the link, Demi. The story needs to be told continually, as so many with T1/T2D are unaware of how effectively one can manage insulin and diabetes with a low carb/ ketogenic approach that causes one to burn fat for energy. Even more, many have all the T2D underpinnings of metabolic symptoms and dysfunction, and it's just a matter of time before they'll also receive a T2D diagnosis. Imagine how much money can be saved over the world if people could better manage their T1D and resolve T2D greatly lowering, and in many cases eliminating, the high costs of medical care for these hormonal and metabolic diseases. The mention of a movie recording this ultra-endurance event has piqued my interest, and I'm hoping in the near future we can share the story on the screen to reach a wider audience.
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  #15   ^
Old Mon, Oct-12-20, 10:18
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Merpig Merpig is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WereBear
Yay!

I've fasted five days, but I certainly didn't run while I was doing it


And you did it presumably without suffering exhaustion, fainting, or a stroke! 😂
Quote:
Five days with a zero calorie intake is incredibly dangerous as it is putting yourself in danger of suffering with exhaustion, fainting and possible stroke,
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