FOXO3 Gene

[Sandy57]

Aloha All

Just curious if anybody follows a true Okinawan diet. However, I am more interested in finding out if any body has investigated this FOXO3 Gene. Very interesting variants of this Gene. If you have the G variant, rather than the more common TT, you have almost 3 times the chance of living a long life. That's great info, however not what I was interested in when studying it. The people following this diet in Hawaii, live a long time, again awesome; but what is more important to me is the quality of life they live. They are rarely sick, do not get cancer, and are the most protected people in the world from CVD. Finally, wait for it........never get CIRS or mast cell issues. Ok never is strong for a science person, so let me say, rarely get these issues. That is why I was interested.

Check it out and I will follow up as soon as I do my final analysis. Trying to talk to the Dr. that runs the study in Hawaii. The study is extensive and well detailed. For now eat some purple sweet potatoes. More importantly only whole fresh foods. (Russ strikes again, guy is on to something, LOL). These people do not eat anything processed, in fact that is the hardest part of the diet. The food is great, preparation is the key from what I have been researching. I know, carbs make us gain weight, less insulin resistant, raise insulin in general and raise glucose; but not within a calorie restricted diet or maintenance diet with long Intermittent Fasting. (USUALLY).

Carb intake on this diet is high, which can be adjusted for by calorie restriction. My concern is how low fat this diet is, compliance for me will be tough because my protein intake is also much higher than theirs. I understand the nuances with some diabetics, rare metabolism disorders, etc. Still debating if I can pull this off. Low fat diets, lower testosterone after long periods, or at least for BB's and fitness folks.

Probably can not follow verbatim, but willing to adapt more principles that I am now for Sandy and I. Ok more to follow. Interesting not high in lectins, but not much concern either, which is what I am finding in all the diets I have been studying. I have had several key debates with some top nutritional docs arguing against lectins; and they say the lectin argument was settled years ago. They are not jumping on the low lectin train....making me really unsettled in my thought process for lectins. Might have to jump back into the rabbit hole universe and really dig into this now. Ahhh


Frank

[Julie G]

His Frank! Is rs2802292 the right snp? I'm hetero. I'll take it . Do you have a link to help us understand the gene/diet interaction you're referencing?

[Stavia]

His Frank! Is rs2802292 the right snp? I'm hetero. I'll take it . Do you have a link to help us understand the gene/diet interaction you're referencing?

snap. I'm G/T as well....now what does it mean lol...

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[KatieS]

Joining the G/T gals along with my mom (happy to share any of her results). I think it means we have one FOXO3 for slightly longer longevity vs those with two have the doubling effect.

[circular]

The siblings separated somewhere along the way strike again! I have a long time interest in the Okinawan diet and posted a little about it recently. I did it for some time a good 15 years or so ago, and despite the fact that it had carbs and lectins, my belly was not so bloated as when I otherwise eat carbs and lectins. I was even drinking fair amounts of Trader Joe's unsweetened, nothing else added, soy milk, which I love My husband has always thought I did best on that diet except that it was hard to sustain.

My impression is that the Okinawans generally walk a lot and otherwise engage in continuous, gentle exercise, and they are not hitting a gym regularly for for an intense calorie expenditure. So if I understand it right, whereas many in this group go for some extremes in the name of hormesis, the Okinawan mode may be more even keel, but calorie restricted over the long haul. Your contact in Hawaii can help confirm or refute this picture I carry around. I also got the impression that they are cooking kind of as a community affair all the time, so eating small, calorie restricted amounts more frequently, something harder to pull of in 'our culture'. Really though, I don't know a lot about how they live.

I've recently been contemplating the same as you, how to eat 'Okinawan' but with higher protein, healthy fats and some ketosis. Because the diet focuses on foods with a lot of water, since they are filling at low caloric density (soup, veggies, even grains cooked in water ...), I realized maybe I was already doing what I contemplated doing, except I haven't been in regular ketosis since my life got derailed winter of 2016). My breakfast is usually two soft boiled eggs and a 12 oz smoothie (cold soup), later I have a huge salad, and dinner is often more protein and vegetables with EVOO and vinegar. Along the way I have a couple pieces dark chocolate, another 12 oz smoothie (my Blendtec makes 4 of these), some avocado, purple sweet potato etc.

I sometimes think I should just move to more food by drink. No matter what's in a smoothie or soup there's always a lot of water if they include a lot of veggies and some berries. I'm getting ready to make my own 'golden milk' in the blender.

I'll love to hear your ideas about the Okinawan approach as they evolve.

[circular]

Frank, toss this onto your lectin reading pile:

But if we all eat lectins, why don’t we all get insulin dependent diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, IgA nephropathy, and peptic ulcers? Partly because of biological variation in the glycoconjugates that coat our cells and partly because these are protected behind a fine screen of sialic acid molecules, attached to the glycoprotein tips.10 We should be safe. But the sialic acid molecules can be stripped off by the enzyme neuraminidase, present in several micro-organisms such as influenzaviruses and streptococci. This may explain why diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis [just for two examples] tend to occur as sequelae of infections. This facilitation of lectins by micro-organisms throws a new light on postinfectious diseases and makes the folklore cure of fasting during a fever seem sensible.

[Sandy57]

Hello All

Julie yes that is the right SNP. Any G is good and in a few days I will post links and more info.
Circ thanks I will read that sista. But just food for thought, honestly no pun intended LOL! How is it that Italians, Greeks, and the Japanese eat rice, beans, legumes and gluten without the issues we have?

Just a teaser, the Okinawians eat a lot of theses foods, rarely have inflammatory diseases or gut microbiome issues. In fact they eat a whole lot of soy. Very very perplexing, interesting, and frustrating all wrapped in one.

Ok more to follow,
Frank

[Brian4]

I followed a very low-fat calorie restriction diet for years. Best health I ever had, and best biomarkers. It wasn't always exactly like the Okinawan diet but it was very close for a while: 60-80% calories from sweet potatoes (yup, not a typo).

Via a number of different mechanisms (partly autophagy of immune cells), inflammation is dramatically reduced when on CR (whatever the macronutrient ratios), so if a particular individual happened to be sensitive to lectins or whatever it might be, the consequences would be minimal.

About exercise and the Okinawans – and most, if not all Blue Zoners – I think what you say Circ is right: these people are nearly constantly in motion, but gentle motion. A lot of people in the CR Society have given up intense aerobic exercise and instead have a treadmill by their desk and just walk as they work, for many hours/day. When I get settled I'll be doing that. The only non-gentle realm of exercise, for me, will be a few times a week resistance training.

About the FOXO3 gene: Take a look at SNPedia. There are several relevant SNPs (though they may all be in linkage disequilibrium). I have the bad SNPs for all of them.... But I'm pretty sure... that CR makes that irrelevant.

Brian

[circular]

Via a number of different mechanisms (partly autophagy of immune cells), inflammation is dramatically reduced when on CR (whatever the macronutrient ratios), so if a particular individual happened to be sensitive to lectins or whatever it might be, the consequences would be minimal.

That's an interesting angle, and to some degree these cultures may be processing their lectins using more traditional food prep.

I think it was Dr. Gundry who said that the Mediterranean countries (or specific ones?) had higher rates of arthritis, suggesting that's due to the lectins.

I also can't quite let go of Dr. Gundry's noting a significant association between high adiponectin and lectin sensitivity. His observation isn't peer reviewed, replicated etc., so it remains just that, his observation/conclusion. But if he's right, it may be one flag for individual lectin sensitivity. Another could be anyone having connective tissue weakness such as found in connective tissue disorders like Ehlers-Danlos. The intestine is lined with connective tissue and in these people it's not likely to have good integrity to start with. Throwing lectins at an already weak intestinal barrier may be a bad recipe indeed. In this case the inflammation might be controlled some via calorie restriction or other means, but it may be more challenging to offset this additional vulnerability.

I suspect the lectin story will have a lot to do with context.

[circular]

Meant to add that I think the soy in the Okinawan diet is, traditionally, mostly if not all fermented: soy sauce, miso, fermented tofu etc. This would help with the lectins some. Still, I've wondered about their genetic makeup and how that may be helping them too.