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Women runners: Let fat be the fuel that helps you cross the finish line

CELIA MILNE

From Friday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 5:49 AM EDT 02/04/08

Female runners who eat too little fat in their daily diet more susceptible to injuries ...Read the full article

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  1. Murray Braithwaite from Canada writes: Finally, some common sense regarding fats. When you exercise up to 75% of maximum heart rate, your muscles burn principally fatty acids (unless you have high blood sugar). Endurance exercise and fat consumption go hand in glove. Regarding inflammation, not all poly-unsaturated acids are anti-inflammatory. Omega-6 and arachidonic acids are pro-inflammatory. Omega-3 (particularly, DHA) is anti-inflammatory.
  2. Ed Long from white Rock, Canada writes: Geez ... you cannot be fit and loose weight, healthily, without consuming fats for energy, cellular rebuilding including the nervous system, hormones, and overall health of your skin.

    Olive oil, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, fish and fish oil, avocado, .... I try to get extra mono and polyunsaturateds, but knowingly consume saturateds with my dairy (1-2%) and red meat for minerals and protein variability (lamb, lean beef, ...).

    My lunch salad will include sunflower seeds and olive oil with cheese bits on top and a couple eggs on the side. I had a 1 1/2 hour low intensity cardio. work-out this morning.

    When I used to train clients, low food intake was the biggest problem with clients running out of gas.
  3. Ed Long from white Rock, Canada writes: The low fat insanity begat high carbo including high sugar diets begat no carbo diets begat unhealthy eating. The UN study of obesity found the commonality was high sugar soft drinks. Take a population living on local produce, legumes and a bit of animal protein, introduce soft drinks .... fat people.

    I forgot to mention .... every morning in my smoothie .... ground flax seed, powdered hemp, walnuts .... love my fats.
  4. Dave Shishkoff from Victoria, BC, Canada writes: Murry - up to 50% max heart rate (HR), you burn more fat. Over 50%, fat burning decreases, and reliance on carbs (glycogen) increases.

    At 80% HR, you're burning almost entirely glycogen, and virtually no fat. At that intensity, the long process to covert fat to an energy usable by muscle cannot keep up with the demands.

    At least, according to people like Chris Carmichael, famed international coach of people like Lance Armstrong.

    As far as fats in the diet goes..i still think 30% is a bit high.

    We definitely need some fat, but the focus should be on Omega 3's (like in flax, walnuts and hemp), and decreasing the Omega 6's (in order to maintain a better balance, and optimal conditions to forming DHA/EPA.) As well, the majority of saturated and trans fats should be greatly reduced, or eliminated. Even being fit and active doesn't eliminate the risk from these.

    And simply adding fat, like butter, just for the sake of 'adding fat' seems short-sighted. It's like being at a 100 calorie deficit at the end of the day, and downing a can of soda to 'fill it up'. I don't think that really benefits us, and is wrong-minded.

    I'd also argue that a whole-foods vegan diet provides the most balanced and complete array of nutrients, and one would have to worry little about getting enough fat, carbs, fiber or protein (which is also over-blown).
  5. lotusland maritimer from Sault Ste Marie, Canada writes: Shame on Dr Panu especially when she was in third year year med school when the concept of intermediary metabolism ought to have been clear in her mind. I dont fault her as a radiologist what does she know about bio or organic chemistry most MDs even internists and professors of internal medicine as well as of dietetics nutrionists and fat researchers know absolutely sfa about it evidently but the sports doc in the article seems to have. Nothing is more ignorant and asinine than the confusion of fat in the body as youve got fat hips and fat on a steak say. Let alone oils. All proteins amino acids except for the eight essentials, all fats cholesterols free fatty acids lipids, and all CHOs ie carbohydrates sugars starches are complex organic ie C carbon containing molecules. All three food and chemical groups are metabolised -burned in asinine baby talk- to two C carbon units Acyl or acetyl. Then they enter the Krebs tricarboxylic acid cycle and are indeed either burnt ie oxidised or RESYNTHETISED into fats proteins sugars. Got it? Each group is intercovertible from one to the other. In all animals and all plants by the way. Otherwise how could carnivores produce glycogen ie a cheetah couldnt sprint or a hummingbird make fat laden eggs from nectar? Or a coke and coffee addict maintaIN METABOLISM? The sugar becomes fat and protein. This works in mineral metabolism also how does a bull elephant moose gorilla make protein or muscle mass from eating twigs and build ivory tusks and antlers weighing hundreds of pounds? Drink from their cows? From grass. Calcium. So the cholesterol in your bile or blood does not come from the cholesterol in eggs not at all but from sugar, Get it? Eureka. Dont believe me check out intermediary metabolism. It's magic. The other amateur nutrirional nonsense is protein equals meat. Nonsense. Plants provide most amino acids think again of gorilla exclusive plant eater. So the food fetishism is moronic ignorance. Even MDs.
  6. Murray Braithwaite from Canada writes: Dave,

    The study I rely on was done by Steve Phinney's research group. His graphs showed almost total fat burning up to 75% of maximum heart rate. A recent study in Copenhagen shows that the the amount of glucose burning increases as the amount of muscle mass engaged begins to outstrip local circulatory capacity. These studies suggest the crossover point is highly individualistic, depending on the workload of the exercise on the muscle (a function of strength, efficiency of the muscle itself and the demands of the exercise) relative to the local aerobic delivery capacity at the muscle (aerobic fitness, capillary fitness, fatty acids in blood rather than glucose). Here is an excerpt on a Physorg.com report from the Copenhagen study:
    'The study, performed at the Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre at the University of Copenhagen, examined muscle fuel utilisation in response to graded exercise performed with only one leg. Nine healthy males performed one-leg exercise at 25, 45, and 85% of maximal workload. Their results showed that, when only a small mass of muscle is contracting, and blood flow and oxygen supply are not limited by central circulatory capacity, the shift in fuel source from fat to glucose as exercise intensity increases does not occur.' Regarding fats, I consume about 60-70% fat, and my blood tests show triglycerides below normal range, cholesterol about 3.4 (low side normal) and very favourable HDL/total cholesterol ratio.
  7. Joyce Smith from Vancouver, Canada writes: Chri$t, you all make it so complicated. No wonder people hate dieting. It's a job to sort it all out. Eat what you like in moderation and make sure it's real, not the low-fat chemical krap.
  8. lotusland maritimer from Sault Ste Marie, Canada writes: You are right. We evolved from two billion years ago whem mitochondria invaded eukaryotic cells and formed higher plants and animals. The next major step was four million years ago when australopithecines started hominisation and began to eat as and we evolved into omnivores.
    So its simple eat paleolithic and iron age diets meaning your staple grains vegetables fruits with some fish and meat. Forget all processed junk and all refined food except low sodium tomato sauce and sauerkraut and yoghurt. The rest should be raw or cooked on low heat. Above all no white flour nor sugar but lots of carbohydrates. Nothing canned baked or frozen. Simple.
  9. Dr. Sartor from Victoria, Canada writes: 'Female runners', not 'women runners'. 'Women' is a noun. The second sentence in the article gets it right.
  10. hossein hajiagha from Victoria, Canada writes: problems with canadian women and so much are TAX go to spending on this lonely women.....because they are living lonely, smoking so much have fear to became pregnant and became mom...and why immigration of canada asking from gangs or drugs dealers around world to welcome in Canada ...because we need money and more people......I land as refugee in Canada but I am nice guy 12 years never break the law....
  11. Andre Seguin from Montreal, Canada writes: These women had better make certain that the fat they are talking about is related to HDL cholesterol and not the silent killer LDL type. LDL cholesterol will clog up your carotid arteries until the day a massive explosion known as stroke blows up in your brain and utterly devastates your life if you are fortunate enough to survive the stroke. 85% of brain attacks are preventable if victims at risk know the risk factors and can manage them. American statitics reveal that over 90% of strokes are acute which therefore indicates that most individuals at risk do not know the risk factors. Stroke will generally send it's next victim an early warning sign of the imminence of the event. From the first onset of warning signs you have only 3 hours to go to the hospital. Clot busting medication can only be administered in this very narrow timeframe. What is most disturbing about stroke is that nearly 15% of them afflict individuals that demonstrate absolutely no stroke risk factors.Excellent health does not provide immunity from brain attacks.
  12. j mackenzie from haf, Canada writes: And this woman is a Dr.?!!! We mere barely educated mortals in their eyes no nothing. Well, I know we need fat in our diets...it breaks down, oh, what is it, Dr.?

    Look after yourself and eat a balanced diet, all in moderation.
  13. J MacDo from Halifax, Canada writes: Off topic, but... Dr. Sartor, who commented above, is correct in noting that the word "women" is a noun, not an adjective. This strange phenomenon is worthy of its own article. Why do writers and speakers refer to "women runners" but not to "men runners". The noun is irrelevant - I see this all the time... women firefighters, women pilots, etc. It drives me around the bend. No-one speaks of "men nurses". They say "male nurses".

    Dr. Sartor from Victoria, Canada writes: 'Female runners', not 'women runners'. 'Women' is a noun. The second sentence in the article gets it right.
  14. Ed Long from white Rock, Canada writes: Andre S .... many studies have indicated that regular exercise at moderate levels can lower LDL levels and raise HDL levels.

    Saturated fats generally come from animals and are solid at room temperature. They also include coconut and palm oil. They interfere with the removal of cholesterol from the blood.

    Polyunsaturated fats come from plant sources and are liquid at room temp. Examples are corn, safflower and sun flower oils. They lower LDL cholesterol, responsible for depositing cholesterol in artery walls, and also HDL, the so-called good cholesterol.

    Monounsaturated fats come from plant sources, such as peanut, canola and olive oil. They reduce total blood cholesterol by reducing LDL while keeping the HDL stable. "Mediterranean Diet - olive oil and fish"

    J. McDo ... would Y chromosome deficient runners be more accurate?
  15. emilio D from Vancouver, Canada writes: I agree with Dave Shishkoff. Low intensity and long duration type of exercise increases fat metabolism and not the other way around. Stress fracture and other injuries are not related to low fat diet but more on wrong technique or overuse of the same muscles. If Dr. Panu is getting injured due to low fat intake then why only getting injury in the groin and not in the knees, hips and back which are more subjected to impact? Show me the fish.
  16. Jacqueline MacNeil from United States writes: Now that everyone's had his/her say about Dr. Panu and her failings.....what about the study? And while the advice from men is great, isn't the point of this to say that perhaps - just perhaps - female runners have different needs than male runners?
  17. Ed Long from white Rock, Canada writes: J. MacNeil .... ahhh .... yes. Calcium requirements alone increase with a moderate to intensive exercise program. A possible side effect of intense exercise and weight loss dieting is athletic amenorrhea with decreased estrogen production and the predisposition to early onset osteoporosis and fractures. And then the big problem .... should the specific woman even be running because her "Q" angle is excessive thereby putting undue pressure on the medial knee connective tissue and uneven pressure on her pelvis.
  18. Murray Braithwaite from Canada writes: A preprint of an study to be published in the next issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine further indicates that the conversion of fat-burning to glucose-burning occurs sooner in people who are less fit. Also, type 2 (fast-twitch) muscles are more prone to rely on carbohydrates than type 1 muscles. Lean people have a higher proportion of type 1 muscles than obese people. Te study found that obese kids did not burn off more fat at higher intensity exercise, whereas fit and lean kids did.

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