The Research

Rats Prefer Sugar to Cocaine Study

One of the most fascinating recent studies, subjected rats to an experiment in which they had free access to either cocaine or sugar (either non-caloric saccharin or sucrose). The full study report can be accessed here. To summarize this incredible experiment, even drug-addicted rats, offered increasingly strong doses of intravenous cocaine, still preferred the intense sweetness of the saccharin or sucrose, over the cocaine. When given a choice, to the exclusion of the other option, the rats 94% of the time, chose the sugar!

Here is a quote from the study:

  As a whole, these findings extend previous research [31], [32] by showing that an intense sensation of sweetness surpasses maximal cocaine stimulation, even in drug-sensitized and -addicted users. The absolute preference for taste sweetness may lead to a re-ordering in the hierarchy of potentially addictive stimuli, with sweetened diets (i.e., containing natural sugars or artificial sweeteners) taking precedence over cocaine and possibly other drugs of abuse.

I recognize that we are talking about rats in this study. But, does this not explain some of the absolutely addictive and compulsive eating/drinking that we observe around us every day? Fascinating!

Why Do People Lose Weight On Almost Any Diet?

It is obvious that just about any diet will help people lose weight, for as long as they can stick to it. Most of the extreme diets/cleanses can only be maintained for a limited period of time and therein is the problem. If you could find a diet that is satisfying, varied, nutritious, and satiating, that would be the silver bullet of diets. For me, the High Fat, Low Carb (HFLC) Diet is exactly that. I have had over 60-days at this point and I'm still excited by the food choices that present themselves. My mood/energy levels have never been this stable, and my general outlook on life has been amazingly positive, despite the fact that stress is a day-to-day reality for all of us engaged in this journey. I'm working on some memorization of important Bible passages and I find my mind sharper and more focused than ever before. My instructional abilities have been laser sharp, and when teaching technical and complex subjects, I have rarely had those "blanks" where I'm trying to find the right word or struggling to explain a concept because I just can't get the info from the brain. Information has been flowing really smoothly from brain-to-mouth and I believe it is because my brain is healthier on this WOE than before. The brain is primarily fat and while it does use glucose for fuel, my diet is producing very stable blood sugar levels that seem to suit my brain.

Back to the subject at hand. I'm not a doctor, but the reason that just about any diet will work...for a short period of time, is because almost every diet has one thing in common. A great reduction in SUGAR. Although some fruit is very high in sugar, rarely do you find a diet that doesn't limit sugar intake. When sugar is reduced, we get healthier and the body begins to heal. If we could start to look at sugar, as poison to our bodies, like alcohol, or smoking, or cocaine, we might just get a handle on the obesity epidemic that is destroying so many lives. Just my thoughts on this, but if you want to listen experts speak about the impact of sugar on our lives, see this fantastic presentation by the CBC The Secrets of Sugar

The Magical Mystery of Liver (warning-rats were harmed in this study...but if that bothers you, you probably wouldn't be reading this blog anyways)

I confess, when my mother used to cook liver and onions during my childhood, I tried desperately to avoid the chunks of liver, and slurp up her delicious gravy and onions. Anytime a strong piece of liver hit my palate, I would fight a gag reflex and choke it down. Mom didn't make liver all that often, but when she did I was always surprised about how good it smelled when it was cooking, and how overpowering it was (in a bad way) when it came to eating the meat.

I buy about a side of beef every six months. In previous purchases, I'm ashamed to say that I have taken the liver and fed it to my dogs...raw, and they go crazy for it. In my recent nutritional studies I came across two pieces of information that actually has me excited about the packages of liver that I have in my freezer from a recent purchase of beef. The first is very well-known and famous study done back in 1951 by Dr. B.H. Ershoff. Here is a short summary, but I will add the actual study documentation as soon as I locate it. I have read the actual study and it has much more detail...all of it fascinating:

The Anti-Fatigue Value of Liver

The test conducted by Dr. B. H. Ershoff in 1951 on the value of liver in combating fatigue is now a classic study in the necessity of liver for the athlete. Dr. Ershoff was testing for an anti-fatigue diet in his laboratory. He used three groups of rats on three different diets which he fed for 12 weeks. The first group ate a laboratory diet to which he added nine synthetic and two natural vitamins. The second group of rats had this same diet plus all the B-Complex Vitamins. The third group ate the original diet with 10% desiccated liver added instead of the B-Vitamins. Each rat was placed in a drum of water from which he could not climb out. He had to keep swimming or drown so it was a genuine test of endurance as the motivation was of the highest order.

The first group swam for an average of 13.3 minutes before they gave up and indicated positively that they had no energy left. The second group swam for an average of 13.4 minutes before drowning. In the third group, the desiccated liver group, three were able to swim for 63, 83, and 87 minutes before retiring while the remainder of the group were still swimming vigorously at the end of two hours. The message is clear enough for the most "Doubting Thomas."

From page 133 of:

"The Strongest Shall Survive . . . Strength Training for Football"
by Bill Starr, B.S., M.S.  (Fifth Printing, Revised First edition, 1999)

The other discovery that has me very excited to get back home and cook some liver is the new recipe that guarantees to take away the overpowering, strong taste of liver. The secret, according to the "experts", is to soak the raw liver in milk for 12-24 hrs...and magically, the strong flavor will be reduced to a much more mild and pleasant flavor. The other secret is not to overcook the liver, but ideally, it should be pink in the middle...and thereby tender. So, once I return home to Lynchburg, I'll be cooking some liver and will report back here on the results of my investigation. Not coincidentally, the Rusty Blades are back playing hockey in the newly renovated LaHaye Ice Center at Liberty University.. I hope to be "liver-fueled" on the ice this year.