QQF THEORY

The QQF Theory

The Quality, Quantity and Frequency of Food Consumption as it                           relates to Obesity and Excess Body Fat

For many years, popular and scientific belief held that weight gain was simply a matter of energy input exceeding energy output, better known as the Caloric Theory. While this theory has some validity with respect to the quantity of food many studies show that the quality and frequency of food are also crucial aspects of how the body burns energy and stores fat.

First we will discuss the Frequency aspect of the theory.  Research has shown that when a daily caloric intake is forced upon rats and consumed in a short period of time (like eating one big meal per day), lipogenesis and triglyceride storage (the creation and storage of body fat) occurs. Very little lean muscle is created. Also, during the rest of the day when there are no calories for energy, lean tissue from muscle is sacrificed to supply energy.

Demographic studies on humans also show that the leanest people eat 5-6 times per day, and the most obese people tend to skip breakfast and eat only once or twice per day.  In fact, research studies from the 1960’s showed that during short term starvation, such as with skipping meals, a greater percentage of lean tissue (muscle) is lost and used as energy as opposed to burning fat. This has several very detrimental effects on our bodies. The first is that metabolic rate will slow down. Our lean tissue or muscle is the primary determinant of our metabolism. When we lose muscle mass, our percent body fat increases, and our metabolism declines overall. Many people have experienced this effect first hand. While going without food does cause weight loss, the resulting increase in body fat means that once we start eating again, body weight goes back up rapidly, and often the body settles at a higher weight than before the starvation period began. This is due primarily to the increased percent body fat and decreased lean mass.

Now let’s discuss the quality of the calories we consume.  Over the years, many fad diets have come and gone, some showing modest success over the long term (2 years or more) for patients and others not. One of the more popular and recent diets is the Atkins diet. Although there are some troubling aspects of the Atkins diet, namely the high amount of saturated fats allowed,  the concept of increased protein has been shown in a recent American study in 2007 to have beneficial effects in terms of preserved muscle mass, improved blood sugar control, and decreased blood lipids. It is thought that this effect comes from the supply of amino acids and essential fatty acids that support muscle metabolism. When the lean tissue is supported, the body’s capacity to oxidize excess body fat is promoted.

Another factor that significantly affects fat storage is the consumption of foods that are rapidly converted to glucose.  When foods are rapidly converted to glucose causing a rapid rise in blood sugar, the food is said to have a high glycemic index.  When a high glycemic index, refined carbohydrate load is consumed (such as foods consisting primarily of refined white flour, white rice, white potatoes, refined sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and some high glycemic index fruits such as bananas, pineapple, mango and papaya), a large surge in blood sugar ensues. This is followed by a surge in insulin release to bring the glucose into cells for use as energy. When more glucose is present than can be used by tissues as energy, the glucose is converted to fatty acids, which are then linked together to form triglycerides. Insulin then takes these triglycerides and stores them as body fat. Therefore, a significant amount of a high sugar load eventually contributes to fat storage.  Now let’s consider what happens to fats when they are ingested. Ingested fat will be stored as body fat ONLY if insulin is present. If very little insulin is present (think lean meats, whole nuts, vegetable oils used to prepare vegetables and low sugar salad dressings), then the free fatty acids (fats) become bound to protein in the blood and are taken to muscle and other lean tissues to be used as energy. If sugar and fat are consumed together (think doughnuts, candy bars, potato chips), then enough insulin is present because of the sugar load, so the fats are more readily stored as body fat. In addition, when so much insulin is present, it opposes the breakdown and usage of stored body fat as energy leading to weight gained instead of lost.

Now let’s look at how we can start burning our stored body fat as energy. Lean tissues of the body (such as muscle, the heart, the kidneys) use fat in the form of free fatty acids as energy. First, we must start decreasing the amount of circulating insulin in the blood stream. This is accomplished by several means. The first is to decrease the amount of refined sugars in the diet. Avoid all foods that have “high-fructose corn syrup” within the first 5 ingredients on the nutritional label. Also avoid refined white flour (breads, muffins, bagels, white tortillas, pastries, crackers, cookies), white potatoes and white rice. Substitute these with 100% whole grain breads, pastas and choose brown rice and sweet potatoes. Choosing starches that have a high protein and fiber content will also dampen the insulin response and help prevent further fat storage. Such starches include whole beans, edamame or soybeans, as well as quinoa and amaranth (both are grains that cook similar to rice and can be seasoned many ways, but pack more than twice the protein of rice and wheat).

The next vital aspect of burning body fat is exercise. This is critical to weight loss! Exercise naturally lowers insulin levels and triglyceride levels. Both conditions help decrease any storage of fat, and work the muscles so they start using the stored body fat as energy. If you do not exercise while losing weight, you will have more insulin present and will continue to store fat.  Your body will use your own muscle as energy instead of body fat. This further decreases your metabolic rate, setting you up to store more fat and eventually gain back more weight than was initially lost (known as “yo-yo dieting”). Exercise has many other beneficial effects on the brain and body as well. Neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine are increased in those who exercise regularly, alleviating or preventing depression. Exercise also dampens the effects of inflammatory proteins, thereby halting the damage to our brains, heart, pancreas, joints and other tissues that cause chronic disease. As discussed in our last talk on obesity and inflammation, excess body fat leads to higher levels of inflammation in the body.