New Metabolic Typing
Metabolic Typing is a method to determine which of four types you fall into based upon whether you are a fast or slow oxidizer, or whether your autonomic nervous system is more of the sympathetic or the parasympathetic type.
How you handle food is determined by at least two processes. One is how the liver and digestive system governs the conversion of food to energy. This is based upon the Krebs Cycle. It has been determined that you can be either a fast or a slow oxidizer. The second process is based upon the neuroendocrine control of energy. The autonomic nervous system is divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. Sympathetic is commonly associated with high nervous energy. Here we may find the type " A" personality. The parasympathetic dominant person tends to be more relaxed. Neither is right or wrong.
Several different kinds of testing have been used to determine the dominant metabolic type of a person including detailed in-house testing. Taking the saliva and urine pH can be misleading; indeed sometimes showing opposite from what might be expected.
It may be surprising to you that different foods result in different pH changes in the blood that are dependent upon these two governing systems, and not based upon the acidity or alkalinity of the original food.
The ideal pH of the blood is 7.46. This does not change much and is always in the alkaline range. However, for our purposes here, we define blood that is above 7.46 to be " too alkaline" and blood that is below 7.46 to be " too acid" even though it really is not in the acid range.
The Fast Oxidizer's blood is relatively too acid (but still in the alkaline range). The Slow oxidizer's blood is too alkaline. The Sympathetic dominant 's blood is relatively too acid (but still in the alkaline range). The Parasympathetic dominant' s blood is too alkaline.
Yet the ideal diet for the Fast Oxidizer and the Parasympathetic person is the same. The same goes for the Slow Oxidizer and the Sympathetic person.
Tomatoes acidify the two Oxidative types. This is good for Slow Oxidizer but not for the Fast Oxidizer. Tomatoes alkalinize the Autonomic types. This is good for the Sympathetic person but not for the Parasympathetic person.
Spinach is alkaline forming for the Oxidative types. This is good for the Fast Oxidizer (whose blood is not alkaline enough) but not for the Slow Oxidizer (whose blood is too alkaline). Spinach is acid forming for the Autonomic types. This is good for the Parasympathetic person but not for the Sympathetic person.
Wheat is acid forming for the Oxidative types. This is good for Slow Oxidizer but not for the Fast Oxidizer. Wheat is alkaline forming for the Autonomic types. This is bad for the Parasympathetic types but good the Sympathetic types.
The results of the testing classify a person into one of two food groups, or more commonly it shows a tendency for one of the two groups. The Slow Oxidizer person, and the Sympathetic dominant person goes into food Group 1. The Fast Oxidizer person, and the Parasympathetic dominant person goes into food Group 2.
Group 1 reflects more Complex Carbohydrates and less Protein and Fats. Group 2 reflects more Protein and Fats and less Complex Carbohydrates. Now we can see why some do well with the Atkin's type diet (higher protein and fats) and some don't.
This also means there are different nutritional supplements for the basic two food groups. For example, in Group 1, magnesium, potassium, B1, B2, niacin, and B6 are more needed. For Group 2, calcium, sodium, vitamin E, niacinamide, and B5 are needed more.
During testing, we may look at certain Secondary Imbalances. These may include Acidosis versus Alkalosis, Electrolyte Stress and Insufficiency, and Anabolic and Catabolic Imbalances (also called Anaerobic and Dysaerobic Imbalances respectively). It might be of interest to note that if an Anabolic Imbalance (excess buildup of sterol chains that clog cell membranes, thus impairing cellular respiration) dominates, that person must restrict antioxidants.
George Watson, Ph.D., was an early developer (1950s) of fast and slow oxidative types. William D.Kelley, DDS, was a dentist who himself had pancreatic cancer and was not expected to live long (he recently died at near 90) so in developing his protocols (used high enzymes etc. and he was harassed by the regular medical profession) he expanded upon the classic work of Francis Pottinger, MD, to define how the autonomic nervous system controls metabolism. Bill Wolcott (nutritionist), John Lee,MD, (role of hormones) and others have added to this science. Anabolic and Catabolic imbalances were worked out by Emanuel Revici, MD, (miraculously escaped Germany during WWII). Harold Kristal, DDS, put much of this together.
Related to health and disease is the work of Dr. Hans-Heinich Reckeweg (see also the section of BioMeridian) that shows a forward and backward sequence of six major body mechanisms of disease progression and regression. More recently Dr. Stephen Stiteler has merged these ideas with specific urine and other metabolic testing, and has added a seventh category (with autoimmune associations). This adds to the metabolic typing criteria to yield more practical results for the patient. Along with this we can do an optional urine test for bone function and recommend this for those over the age of 40. This test has many advantages of the Dexa test.
Knowing where you fit on the Metabolic Typing pattern can help you with dietary plans, save costs, and make you healthier.
Below is an overview of the Metabolic Typing classification.
From Kristal, H. J., Personalized Metabolic Nutrition. 2003.
Some Case Histories
1. Male bike racer, age 51. Last 10 yr his health and energy excellent during March and April. Towards end of April, his energy would diminish and not good for rest of year. He sought medical help all over U.S. He was given gamma globulin injections, hormone therapy, and hyperbarics. He struggled with this for ten years.
Kristal's test results showed that in March and April of each year his dominant system was Autonomic Sympathetic. However, through strenuous exercise, he was exhausting his Sympathetic dominance and changing over to the oxidative system, becoming a Fast Oxidizer. For two months his diet requirement was low purine proteins, low fat, and high complex carbs. During the reminding part of the year, he needed the complete opposite (needed higher proteins, fats). Results were great.
2. 69 year old women, breast cancer. Treated with radiation, chemo following lumpectomy. One and a half years later, the cancer reappeared. This time she refused that treatment. Her blood was extremely alkaline. She needed an acid-forming diet, along with pancreatic enzymes etc. She was doing well in 3 months.
3. 63 year old women, high cholesterol and fatigue. Blood was alkaline. It was thought she was a Slow Oxidizer so was put on an acid type diet. Upon checking her blood, she was even more alkaline. So she must have been an autonomic type. She had to have been Parasympathetic. The diet was changed and in two weeks her blood pH was ideal. She also reported feeling much better. Five weeks later her cholesterol dropped 40 points.
4. 67 year old man, slightly overweight, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. His physician put him on blood pressure meds and suggested largely a vegetarian diet with very little fat. There was no improvement. He was a Fast Oxidizer (rel. acid blood) and needed more protein and fats. Three months later his cholesterol dropped to 198 and triglycerides to 69. He lost weight and felt better.
5. 70 year old man, 100 lbs overweight. Test reveals a Slow Oxidizer (needs diet low in purine proteins and fats). Although he was already a vegetarian he was selecting vegetables that were higher in purines (spinach, artichokes, lentils) and was eating a higher percentage of fats that was right for his type. Adjusting his diet, he lost 7 lbs within the next 20 days.
6. A 17 year old high school student was brought in by his parents. He was not very tall, weighed 220 lbs with 50% body fat. Testing confirmed him to be a Fast Oxidizer. He was put on a diet of high purine proteins, relatively high in fats, along with specific vegetables etc. One month later his weight went from 220 to 201; body fat dropped to 42%, and he was feeling well and began to participate in high school athletics.
7. A 15 year old girl was brought in by her parents. She was covered with acne all over and had asthma. For five years her parents sought help from doctors and nutritionists but to no avail. She was determined to be an extremely Fast Oxidizer (with Zn def). Three weeks later she improved over 50%; in six months she improved 90-95% and no longer has asthma (needs no inhaler)
Brain Metabolic Type
Cordell E. Logan, ND
This is the first known attempt to integrate Metabolic Typing principles with brain neurotransmitters. Since over 80% of patients seeking medical help have some degree of neurotransmitter impairment, it seems imperative to address this as many do indeed relate to nutrition. With the many side effects of drugs, especially long-term, dealing with this by using nutrition and other natural means makes sense. This is especially true when it is known that the lack of good nutrition has been related to conditions ranging from mild ADD to violent crime and suicide.
The Metabolic Type questionnaire remains separate from the Brain Questionnaire. When the two are examined, it will be determined what is the best Diet Group (Group 1 or Group 2). This will be weighted on what are the most pressing health issues, and this can change as the health and brain behavior status changes.
As an example, if the standard metabolic type ends up as needing more protein and fats (Group 2), yet the brain test shows OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) tendencies, we can modify this to use less general proteins and more foods high in tryptophan (tryptophan is a small amino acid, and foods that are high in protein may contain too many amino acids to complete with tryptophan). As improvement is made there, the diet can be changed.
The Brain Questionnaire is based on Dr. Amen’s book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life. See www.amenclinics.com. Click on My Brain Health (top of screen). This is now a Free Online test, testing for a more general case (101 questions) and one for a more refined ADD test (76 questions). At least do the first questionnaire.
The first survey set appears in Dr. Amen's book, with some minor modifications. Since it is free online, and you get the results immediately, this makes it convenient to include the result sheet with the other questionnaires. The Braverman questionnaire need not be done for this purpose. However, this does give added information as an option. For more serious cases, we recommend the Neurogistics urine test as well.