Author: Dr. Donald K. Layman

To fully understand carbohydrate metabolism, you first need to appreciate, the primary carbohydrate called glucose is both good and bad. Glucose is essential as a fuel for the brain and nervous system but in excess is extremely damaging to fine blood vessels in the eyes, heart, kidneys, and legs. This glucose excess or toxicity is the disease of diabetes. Because glucose is both essential and...

We often talk about the dietary requirement for protein, but we really don’t require protein, we require the 20 amino acids contained in protein. Protein is kind of like a vitamin pill, we don’t need the pill, we need the 12 specific vitamins that are in the pill. Likewise, protein is the food source of amino acids. We consume protein in food; the protein is...

The Benefits of a Protein-Centric Diet on Metabolism Many people have heard but few truly understand why protein is important and fail to grasp the deeper concept that it does drive your metabolism. Higher protein diets have multiple positive effects on body composition and especially your muscle metabolism. That is why higher protein diets are particularly beneficial during weight loss, they accelerate fat loss while protecting...

Muscles are the Key to Your Metabolic Type Skeletal muscle is the largest metabolic organ in our bodies. It makes up about 40% of total body weight and accounts for nearly 50% of body protein. Believe it or not, your muscles determine a lot about your metabolism, and they ultimately determine the precise mixture of protein, carbohydrates, and fats that are best for optimizing your metabolism. ...