As the brain is starting to notice that the episodes of “brain fog” is beginning to get more often and he had difficulty remembering things, it got worried. More so when he noticed the other organs slowly deteriorating. It started to search for solutions by reading. And read the brain did. Books, internet, journals, websites. The brain relayed to the digestive system and the musculoskeletal system what he learned.
With both working together, the brain told the digestive system when and what to eat. The mealtimes changed, and Juan started fasting for 16 hours. Initially, there were episodes when the brain feels a bit lightheaded, and it knows that he is just withdrawing from the usual hyperglycemia that he has and the solution is to drink more liquids: water, black coffee, and black tea.
The fasting period allowed for the insulin levels to go down that allowed for visceral fat to dissolve (lipolysis). The reduction in the visceral fat decreased the number of adipokines being secreted and reduced the systemic inflammation and lowered the high blood pressure and reduced the triglycerides.
Next, the brain convinced the musculoskeletal system to exercise and not just regular exercise but to do high-intensity exercises. Initially, the muscles started with the excuses, “It is too hard.”, ‘I don’t have time,’ “I will get sore,” “I don’t have a gym membership.”
But the brain convinced the muscles that it would get bigger and stronger, faster and all that aches and pains will go away.
Soon the muscles started to exercise. The brain told muscles the right technique so that the muscles don’t get injured. “Hey, this is not bad!” The musculoskeletal tissues said. IT enjoyed the body weight exercising it aimed for faster times, more repetitions, longer duration, shorter rest periods, and variety and modifications of the basic exercises.
The other organs started noticing. The heart became thicker, and is pumping is more efficiently. More blood is ejected out per unit pump. That is because of the nitric oxide produced by making the arteries more distensible whenever the heart contracts and made the work of the heart easier. The exercise increased the “good cholesterol,” HDL, increased. Due to this, the process of cholesterol efflux increased. Cholesterol efflux is when the cholesterol deposits are picked up by the HDL and brings it back to the liver for breaking down. Because of fewer cholesterol deposits, an increase in the diameter of the inside of the heart increased the blood flow and lessened the blood pressure. All this got John’s blood pressure to go down from 179/110 before to 124/85.
When John does high-intensity exercises (HIIT), the fuel stores called glycogen in the Type 2 fibers gets used. John only uses Type I muscle fibers when he jogs. That is because there was no “fight or flight” activation. The HIIT stimulated the Type 2 fibers that involved 10 to 20 times more fibers than the Type I fibers. Because of the nature of the function of the Type 2 fibers, its fuel needs to be “right there” whenever it needs the fuel. That is why any decrease or depletion of its energy stores (glycogen) needs to be replaced right away.
John and the digestive system was smart enough to know that the replacement glucose needed to make more glycogen can be converted from the fatty acids that will be mobilized from the visceral fat. So instead of going to the local fast food and eating two cheeseburgers and a supersized pop and of course some dessert because “I worked hard at my exercise that is why I deserve this!”, John just drank water (not a sports drink) and continued the fast.
This made the shrinkage of the visceral fat faster. John’s efforts at exercising were not wasted. The increased functionality of the Glut4 glucose transporters made possible by exercise also made the entrance of the blood sugar into the muscle fibers easier. This resulted in improved insulin effectivity (sensitivity). John’s repeat fasting blood sugar is now 90 mg/dl. Blood sugar levels of less than 100 mg/dl are proper. And since insulin is much active now, then less is needed. This removed the state of high insulin (hyperinsulinemia) that resulted in much more lower blood pressure and blood sugars.
Lower sugar and carbohydrate intake also means decreased glucose metabolism by-products like reactive oxygen species that in large amounts overwhelms the bodies protection against it. The less ROS exposure resulted in less irritation and inflammation to the blood vessel wall that contributed to its healing.
The improvement in the blood vessel system is body-wide. All organs are getting perfused as they should be. Proper oxygen and nutrients delivered means better function. So the kidney started to feel better, and the early dysfunction or renal insufficiency started to get better. The inflammation of the very, very small arteries in the eyes got better.
The exercises also increased the lung volumes, which allowed more air to come in and promoted better air exchange and higher oxygen levels in the blood. The extra fat that John used to carry inside the stomach was also preventing his diaphragm from going down whenever he inhales (restrictive lung disease). Now, it is much easier to breathe. The other bonus of decreased fat in the abdomen was that it lessened the upward pressure on the stomach, which caused gastric reflux before. No more heartburn means no more need for that proton pump inhibitor that John has been taking for years.
John’s wife is sleeping much better. She is less worried now that about John’s health now that his blood sugar and blood pressure is better. Even John’s snoring is not that loud anymore. Sometimes there is none. Repeat sleep study shows an improvement. All the fat in the neck that contributed to the sleep apnea decreased significantly, which gave John a thinner neck and reduced the snoring.
Married life is much better. All that improvement in the blood vessels also affected John’s unit. The blood vessels required for penile erection are now at attention and ready for action. No need for that purple pill. Testosterone level is higher. Goodbye, erectile dysfunction. With the bigger chest and shoulders from doing push-ups and a smaller waist, John definitely looks H.O.T. to his wife. Bedtime is earlier.
John also knows that adequate sleep promotes growth hormone secretion, which helps with the overall maintenance of the muscles, bones, and almost everything. John also knows that drinking will interfere with the gains he gets from working out, and alcohol is metabolized like the sugar fructose, which turns to fat. That means the night out with the guys became “sometimes” instead of daily. That means more family time with the kids.
The digestive tract got something back for doing the fasting. Diarrhea and vague pains diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome are gone. Even the tiny bacteria, viruses, and fungi that made up the gut microbiome are celebrating. Now they can do a much better job making neurotransmitters, vitamins and amino acids and other useful stuff for the body. Even the liver looks excellent. No more fatty liver that could have led to cirrhosis.
John’s mind is much clearer now. The “brain fog” is gone. Now that John is much better, the question is: Will it last? What is the organ that can make John live the longest?
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