Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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All the nutrition reading I've been doing in class and on the internets makes me wake up thinking about this stuff now.

Most of the paleo community suggests a protein packed first meal these days (pastured eggs and bacon anyone?) I know I feel better when I start my day with a plate full of meat and eggs and although lots of people are talking about it, I still think about reasons why.

This morning I woke up wondering. How much better do breakfast and meals that break a fast (waittt a second, that's just like the last word, weird...) get broken down than other meals? After a full night's sleep or any type of intermittent fast, the supply and potency of stomach acid and pancreatic enzymes must be at it's fullest ready to destroy some food.

So, the question. Is it possible that we break down food more efficiently and therefore have access to more nutrients in meals that break a fast due to stronger and more plentiful enzymes and stomach acid?

I know there are other mechanisms at work but could this be one of them?

Sorry to start your Sunday with a 33 word question but the leaves are falling, the sun is out and the wheels are turning. Thanks yo's.

flag	asked Nov 13 2011 at 16:00 Nutritionator 5,306●1●8●39

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you are starting to get real smart......this is why circadian medicine matters. Plus one. – The Quilt Nov 13 2011 at 16:41

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In fact, the circadian rhythm of gastric acid secretion shows that is greater in the evening than in the morning. – Lucas Tafur Nov 13 2011 at 17:15

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Very true Lucas. There are several reasons why GERD is worse after meals and at night. First, stomach acid production is highly circadian rhythmic. Research studies on fasted subjects showed stomach acid secretion is 2-3 times greater between 10PM and 2AM than in the daylight. Secondly, eating and drinking immediately stimulates stomach acid production. Daytime GERD symptoms arise from meal timing acid secretion, while night time ones result from the circadian rhythm of stomach acid production that peaks at night. – The Quilt Nov 13 2011 at 17:57

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1.Moore JG, Halberg F. Circadian rhythm of gastric acid secretion in active duodenal ulcer: chronobiological statistical characteristics and comparison of acid secretory and plasma gastrin patterns with healthy subjects and post-vagotomy and pyloroplasty patients. Chronobiology International. 1987;4:101-110. 2.Moore JG, Merki H. Gastrointestinal tract. In: Physiology and Physiology of Biological Rhythms. Peter H. Redfern and Bjorn Lemmer, Editors. Berlin, Springer, 1997, pp.351-373. – The Quilt Nov 13 2011 at 17:59

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@Adam, yes, as Quilt mentioned, the data is from fasted subjects (see the comment below). It would be like the "basal" level. The circadian clocks can be entrained by different factors. @Quilt, if I remember well, patients with GERD and gastritis have abnormal gastric acid secretion patterns which can further complicate symptoms. – Lucas Tafur Nov 13 2011 at 18:03

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Lucas Tafur · Answer 1 · 2011-11-13 17:58:25Z UTC

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I interpret the evidence regarding circadian rhythms as a "proof" that we have adapted to eat in the evening and fast in the morning. Secretion vs. hours is seen below. Gastric acid secretion starts peaking in the evening and is reduced progressively until the morning. The fact that breakfast can help some people would indicate a dysruption of the circadian clock, which is very common in most diseases.

alt text

answered Nov 13 2011 at 17:58

Lucas Tafur
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I want to believe this since I hate eating in the morning, but my own experience is that I seem to be more vulnerable to digestive upsets if I don't eat anything at all until later. I've managed to compromise by having just a small amount of protein in the morning. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Nov 13 2011 at 18:08

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I also tend to be suspicious of data collected from Westerners eating a conventional diet. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Nov 13 2011 at 18:09

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Well, the data is from the 70's, and results over the years have been consistent. Additionally, subjects have been controlled for confounding Zeitgebers. Obviously, there are individual variations. If I remember well, you have had past health issues, which could have affected the normal rhythm. Other patterns of secretion of hormones involved in metabolism support my hypothesis. – Lucas Tafur Nov 13 2011 at 18:23

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OK, so I guess that means I have a really good excuse for not eating breakfast :) I'd still love to see some data from non-Western non-agrarian populations. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Nov 13 2011 at 18:45

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Warning, thinking outside the box. Is fasting gastric secretion even meaningful? Secretion is going to change as needed according to meals so how relevant is secretion when we're not eating? I think the more important side of the coin might be making sure we have the right types and amounts of enzymes in the secretion. Sorry, my brain is leaking today. – Nutritionator Nov 13 2011 at 18:49

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Bread-Eating Beelzebub · Answer 2 · 2011-11-13 17:10:38Z UTC

I'm pretty sure that gastric acid production in the morning is fairly low and eating things like beef stimulates it. So it's not that your stomach can better digest things in the morning, it's probably that protein stimulates the production of the gastric acids and enzymes needed that will help you digest the rest of your food for the day.

DFH · Answer 3 · 2012-03-12 18:42:09Z UTC

You can have my big azz breakfast when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.

This is one I don't want any charts, data or graphs on. I experimented too much and big breakfast, lite lunch, and little or no dinner is working better than anything.

I can even IF in the evening at will if I do a big breakfast, but I don't like to call it that. How do you "do" something that means "don't do something?" That's like accusing an atheist of DO-ing "non-believing."

Let's keep it simple. I skip dinner when I feel like it. :)

Bill1102inf · Answer 4 · 2011-11-13 16:34:23Z UTC

So, the question. Is it possible that we break down food more efficiently and therefore have access to more nutrients in meals that break a fast due to stronger and more plentiful enzymes and stomach acid?

Sure, its possible, BUT how much more efficiency is possible? 1%? less? Does it matter?

What many people fail to understand is that EVERYTHING we eat gets 'processed' and very little makes it out in the same form it was consumed. Specifically, every single sugar eaten definitively gets 'processed', no matter how much is eaten. And, w regard to fat gain, the instant glycogen stores are full, all sugar is stored as fat, as well as any excess fat floating around (hence why ice cream is bad for you).

Nathan H · Answer 5 · 2012-03-12 17:47:17Z UTC

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It does seem to me that some of the skinnier people often forget breakfast. Might be anecdotal, but who really believes anything we are taught anymore?

answered Mar 12 2012 at 17:47

Nathan H
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Can stomach acid help explain the “Big Protein Breakfast”

5 Answers