Hompes Method - Amazon S3 Method Lesson 26 ... client/patient’s diet, is sure to improve amino acid ... comes from the Ray Peat corner. Peat suggests

Hompes MethodLesson 26 –

Testing Amino Acids and Fatty Acids

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Amino & Fatty Acid Testing - Introduction

• It’s possible to get an idea of amino acid and fatty acid status using the Hompes Method Testing Toolkit. I don’t view these tests as primary choices but they can be very useful in certain cases.


• If a client or patient has a given amount of money to spend on their programme, in my opinion it’s much better to do a stool test, organic acids and check mineral and hormone status than it is to test for amino acids and fatty acids.


• Why? Because in most cases, once you’ve assessed your client/patient’s food diary you’ll find you need to get them eating more protein and giving them an oil change (away from PUFA and towards high quality butter, coconut oil, etc.)


• At the same time you’ll be fixing gut function which, along with improved protein and fat intake in the client/patient’s diet, is sure to improve amino acid and fatty acid status. In many cases, these steps will make a massive difference to the way they feel.


• Likewise, if you get people off all the vegetable oils they’re consuming, and switch them to an organic diet where possible, they’ll naturally begin eating a better balance of fatty acids. In my view it’s better to test them after they’ve made the switch for 90-days or so.


• You may ask why mineral status is so different (i.e. why would you test mineral status early on). It’s because general diet and nutrition changes won’t necessarily provide enough of a given mineral to make a difference to a deficiency.


• I am not saying the amino acid and fatty acid testing isn’t useful, I’m just debating when might be the best and most appropriate time to use it so as to maximise your client/patient benefit.


• Now, if you run an Organic Acids test you’ll actually get a picture of protein status anyway because several sections and markers in the organic acids test can tell you about amino acid status and requirement (energy production/citric acid cycle pathways, neurotransmitter metabolism, detoxification and dysbiosis).


• Likewise, if you run a stool test and find H. pylori, undigested food, high SCFAs (if using GI Effects), you’ll quickly see that a client or patient isn’t likely to be absorbing protein properly.

Amino Acid Testing

• Amino acids are needed for a gazillion functions:

– Structure

– Enzymes

– Energy production

– Antibody production

– Hormone structure and production

– Cell membrane proteins

– Detoxification

– ...so insufficiencies can be pretty crippling to metabolism:

Amino Acid Status

“The human body can synthesize all of the amino acids necessary to build proteins except for ten called the

"essential amino acids". These ten must be included in the diet or supplemented to be in adequate supplies. Failure to obtain enough of even 1 of the 10 essential amino acids has serious health implications and can

result in degradation of the body's proteins. Muscle and other protein structures may be dismantled to obtain

the one amino acid that is needed.”

Amino Acid Testing

• Cardiovascular disease• Depression• Anxiety• Insomnia• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome• Multiple sclerosis• Rheumatoid arthritis• Epilepsy• Congestive heart failure• Impotence/Erectile pain

syndromes

• Multiple chemical sensitivities

• Detoxification disorders• Autism Spectrum Disorders• Alzheimer's Disease• Hypothyroidism• Arrhythmias• Hypertension• ADD/ADHD• Infertility

Amino Acid Testing

• Of course, these symptoms can be caused by other factors, so it’s not prudent to just assume people with these symptoms or health challenges are deficient in amino acids (but many people will be deficient, or functionally deficient).

Poor Food Choices + Poor Digestion + Stress

= Insufficiency = Symptoms

Amino Acid Testing

• There are three ways to run direct amino acid tests:

– 1. Full blood draw

– 2. Finger prick blood sample

– 3. Urine sample

Amino Acid Testing

• In my practice I’ve only ever used the finger-prick test, which assesses either 11 or 20 amino acid markers. The test is very simple, convenient and relatively inexpensive. I’ve typically used Metametrixas my go-to lab for this test.

Amino Acid Testing

“The Bloodspot Amino Acid Profile can illuminate problems in amino acid absorption by determining

essential amino acid imbalances from a simple finger stick. This profile is a great option for clinicians unable

to draw blood and easy enough for the patient to collect in the comfort of their own home. A formula for

a customized amino acid blend is also provided with

every test result for individually formulated treatment.”

Amino Acids – Sample Report 1

Amino Acids – Sample Report 1 (cont.)




Amino Acid Interpretation

Amino Acid Replenishment

• When it comes to addressing amino acid insufficiencies detected in testing, it’s pertinent to:

– Optimize dietary protein intake

• We tend to use a lot of gelatin foods and powders because they are non-inflammatory and easily assimilated.

– Optimize digestion – absolutely critical.

– Optimize blood sugar and insulin status (otherwise amino acids won’t get into cells!)


• From a nutritional perspective, protein intake should be based loosely on the following values:

– 100-125 lbs. = 75-85g protein

– 125-150 lbs. = 85-100g

– >150 lbs. = 100-120g


• In some cases, you will need to give more protein, and this is a nutritional fine-tuning issue dealt with in Hompes Method Level I. When digestion is severely compromised, use more gelatin and collagen, tapering the amounts upwards and monitoring clients’ progress.


• If you’ve already gone through this process with your client/patient, or if the amino acid levels are trending to being low/very low, you can use a general base amino acid formula or a customised amino acid formula.



• If amino acids are high, it’s prudent to check the following:

– Protein intake (food + supplements)

– Stress / adrenals (high cortisol/adrenaline will lead to accumulation of amino acids in blood)

– Supplementation

– Insulin sensitivity and blood glucose levels (insulin is needed to transport amino acids as well as glucose into cells)

Fatty Acids

• “Essential fatty acids” are derived from the fats and oils we eat and have two important roles:

– The first is cell membrane fluidity – allowing things to get in and out of cells.

– The second is to act as precursor of eicosanoids that are substances involved in the inflammatory process.

Fatty Acids

• There are about forty physiologically significant fatty acids, not including derivatives such as hydroxyl- and branched fatty acids. Slight structural differences of fatty acids can cause profound effects on cellular function. For example, trans-fatty acids alter the expression of different genes associated with insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue.

Fatty Acid Testing

• Fatty acid testing is really about exploring the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 subsets. You can glean more information than simply the O-3:O-6 ratio, but most practitioners are really using the tests to check O-3 and O-6 balance.

Fatty Acid Testing

• The reason, of course, is that people have become aware of the apparent need to maintain a healthy O-6:O-3 ratio. If this balance is too high in favour of 0-6, it’s deemed pro-inflammatory and the O-3 fatty acids have been widely studied for their anti-inflammatory effect.

Fatty Acid Testing

• According to Mary Enig, PhD and many other leading nutrition/fat experts, most people are eating an omega-6:3 ratio of 15-20:1, when the ideal ratio that our ancestors would have eaten would have been around 4:1 or even 1:1 in some places. But some people may over-supplement with O-3, and cause imbalances in the other direction.

Fatty Acid Testing

• So the goal of the fatty acid testing it primarily to check for imbalances in the O-6:O-3 ratio and possibly spot very low or very high levels of specific fatty acids…

Fatty Acid Testing

“Evidence of the adverse effects of fatty acid deficiencies has led to sharply increased consumption of

essential fatty acid supplements. When incorporated into the cell membranes of the body, these omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids function as precursors for

eicosanoids that control a host of cellular functions and responses. The balance between the pro-inflammatory

and anti-inflammatory eicosanoids is influenced in large part by the balance of fatty acids we consume.”

Fatty Acid Testing

“Since inflammation has now been shown to be integral to so many disease processes, nutrients which

counteract inflammation can have profound health benefits. But your patients need an answer to a critical question about their fatty acid supplementation - are they taking too little to be effective to such an excess

that they are causing other health problems?”

Fatty Acid Testing

• Fatty acid testing is important to/for:

– Inflammatory balance: Improper fatty acid intake affects the balance of anti- and pro-inflammatory eicosanoids.

– Statins: Statins have been shown to unfavorably alter this inflammatory balance.

– Oxidative Stress: Consumption of PUFAs without increasing antioxidant intake will cause increased production of free radicals.

– Immune suppression: Excessive consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can suppress immune function.

Fatty Acid Testing

Fatty Acid Testing

• One of the big controversies about this whole issue comes from the Ray Peat corner. Peat suggests there’s a misnomer in the term “essential fatty acid”. He says the body can make these substances, meaning we have to call into question the term “essential fatty acid”.

Fatty Acid Testing

• Furthermore, all omega 3s and 6s are PUFAs. Peat is adamant that over consumption of PUFAs is one of the most problematic issues in modern nutrition, especially when combined with over-consumption of grains, inadequate protein and low antioxidant consumption. This over-consumption, he believes, extends to the fish oil flax oil craze.

Fatty Acid Testing

• Peat also states that he believes symptoms of so-called EFA deficiency can be attributed to other factors such as B-vitamin and mineral insufficiencies. He’s very skeptical of the omega-3/6 industry.

Fatty Acid Testing

• Peat and Mary Enig state that high quantities of PUFAs create oxidative stress. Peat also shows how these fatty acids cause insulin resistance and block

glycolysis early in the process (covered in the organic acids lessons on carbohydrate metabolism). He is against flax oil, fish oil and other omega oil supplementation.

Fatty Acid Testing

• Peat suggests that the consumption of high quality meats, liver, eggs, butter, etc. provides ample fatty acids in appropriate ratios without the need for supplementation. He believes people will get all the so called “EFA” they need by simply eating an appropriate diet.

• This is a topic/concept discussed in Hompes Method Level I, and see the articles cited in the resources section.

Fatty Acid Testing

• However if a person has become very deficient in either omega-3 or omega-6, perhaps it’s relevant to look at functional lab tests to determine whether benefit may be gained from specific and carefully planned supplementation.

Fatty Acid Testing

• Dr. Kalish told us a story about a really high level rock climber (world class) who was having a lot of trouble completing a specific section of a challenging climb. A very low omega-3 level showed up in the test, with no other abnormalities. Dr. Kalish gave recommended some fish oils and the guy was soon able to complete the climb. No other recommendations were made.

Fatty Acid Testing

• Small bumps on back of upper arms

• Thick or cracked calluses

• Dandruff

• Dry, dull, brittle hair

• Brittle fingernails

• Dry eyes

• Dry mouth/throat

• Inadequate vaginal lubrication

• Depression

• Menstrual cramps

• Premenstrual breast pain / tenderness

• Excessive ear wax

• Excessive thirst

• Allergies

• Crave fats/fatty foods

• Stiff or painful joints

• Dry skin/ discoloration

Fatty Acid Sample Report 1

Fatty Acid Sample Report 2

Fatty Acid Interpretation

Note: I’d never supplement without adding antioxidants

Fatty Acid Test Results

• Patterns are more clinically relevant than individual analytes and include:

– General fatty acid deficiency

– Omega-3 excess or deficiency

– Omega-6 excess or deficiency

– Hydrogenated oil / trans fat toxicity

– Micronutrient deficiencies

– Fatty acid ratios

Fatty Acid Replenishment

• Because of the controversy, I wouldn’t tend to recommend any essential fatty acid supplements unless I saw a really obvious deficit in a test. I’d use knowledge of the eicosanoid pathways and food sources (slide 38) to optimise balance, then retest in 90-days.



• Of course, it goes without saying that whether you’re looking to replenish/rebalance fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins or minerals, optimal gut function is of paramount importance.

Amino & Fatty Acid Testing - Summary

• My initial testing battery would never include fatty acids unless I was using one of the big combo package tests that the labs have on offer (e.g. ION Panel, Nutreval, etc.) I’d always fix nutrition first and then see where I was at later.


• I’m not saying these tests aren’t helpful, but I feel other tests are more important – GI, organics, minerals, etc., especially as you’re going to be working on your client/patient’s nutrition.


• It’s so common to see food diaries in which folk are only eating protein once per day, or are consuming poor quality fats and oils that simply improving their food intake will have a dramatic impact on protein and fatty acid status.


• If you’re going to test, I recommend you do so after you’ve spent time fixing nutrition and gut function. This way you’ll reduce the amount of unnecessary supplements your clients/patients need.


• I recommend you read the literature as it relates to omega-3 anti-inflammatory pathways, especially with regard to cardiovascular disease. Balance the information with Ray Peat’s discussions and make your own mind up. Why do I say this? Because I haven’t made my own mind up yet – it’s one of those really tricky ones!

Thank You!

• Thanks a million for tuning in. I appreciate your time and I appreciate you choosing me as one of your teachers. In the next lesson we’ll look at tests that are available for gaining an understanding of your client/patient’s mineral levels.

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Hompes Method - Amazon S3 Method Lesson 26 ... client/patient’s diet, is sure to improve amino acid ... comes from the Ray Peat corner. Peat suggests