Friday 17 October 2014

Amylopectin - Background for NSD Book Chapter

Here is what I wrote about my experiences with eating Amylopectin. I put this together whilst on a bus to Canberra. There are far fewer distractions for me on a bus, my worst enemies happen to be the TV and computer games. But on the bus I simply put my headphones on, listen to some music that I love, and the words come easily (after about an hour of settling in).  


-- Adaptation --
Sometime around late 2007 I found I could adapt to some problem foods. For example, I was not able to eat onions or garlic due to inulin content. Improper fermentation in my stomach was causing inflammation.  I also had issues with linseed [probably due to lignan or dietary fibre]. However after gradually adding the foods back into my diet, first starting with very small amounts, I found that I could gradually adapt to the foods. Soon they caused caused no trouble at all. 

-- Sticky Rice --
One day whilst eating at a Thai restaurant I just couldn't resist trying a little black sticky rice. It's one of those things I used to really really love eating. Even though it was just one or two teaspoons full, I should have reacted.. Well, I would have if this was normal rice. Months passed and eventually I again remembered my love for Thai black sticky rice. This time, remembering my last encounter, I was much more brave and ate quite a decent amount. Still no reaction! What on earth was happening?! 

In late 2011, around November and December, I noticed that sticky rice didn't react to iodine in the same way as normal rice. A did a bit of reading and found that the starch in sticky rice (glutinous rice) is quite different to that which is found in other starchy foods. 

[A little science - There are two main types of starch: amylose starch and amylopectin starch. Amylose reacts to iodine by turning an inky blue-black, and amylopectin instead turns a much lighter brownish colour.  Most starchy foods contain amylose, or a mix of both amylose and amylopectin. It is however quite unusual for a food to have only amylopectin. Glutinous rice is the most easily an cheaply acquired source of amylopectin. Oh and one more thing, the "glutin" in glutinous rice is so named due to its sticky consistency and is in no way related to the "gluten" found in wheat. ]

-- the good --
Throughout 2012 I began to eat glutinous rice quite regularly. I found it had some useful qualities - if I mixed glutinous rice flour with egg to make a pancake then it provided me with a great source of energy to last throughout the day. It was also a useful way for me to put on some weight - a good thing in my case. 

-- the bad --
It may sound counterintuitive but when eating sticky rice, not as a pancake but as a rice, this made me quite sleepy and also significantly worsened my Proctitis. Different quantities of starch are involved and also it digests quite differently when eaten as rice (as opposed to when making pancakes). Plain sticky rice has a very very high glycemic index and the huge rush of blood sugar spikes insulin levels, this then leads to a subsequent blood sugar crash - and this is where I become extremely sleepy and find it difficult to concentrate or do my work. 

-- the ugly --
[Warning: Betty also tried glutinous rice flour and at first all things went fine and well. One day she made a pizza out of glutinous rice flour and then the AS inflammation hit her with full force! So, given both of us having negative experiences I must urge others to be very careful with this and eat it sparingly, and certainly not daily]

Later in 2012, after long indulging in regular glutinous rice flour pancakes I succumbed to the Candida beast. This is one tough demon to battle with. The skin infection was terrible, and amylopectin was without question the cause. 

I tried eating lots of yoghurt and coconut oil to no avail. The creams from the pharmacist were particularly poor. Within a matter of days the fungus would adapt and render the cream ineffective. I would then try another, and yet another and each time the result was the same - they worked in the short term only and provided no lasting cure. 

I then tried methylene blue (orally mixed with Berocca to mask the bitterness) and that helped only with the skin infections. Curiously I found Candida was completely unable to adapt to methylene blue even over a period of many months. Unfortunately methylene blue doesn't really seem to kill Candida directly, instead it puts it in a dormant state where it causes no trouble. Still, it was very useful I'm bringing this beast under control. 

Starving Candida is one option, but that would half-starve me too and takes many months. This route would require an NSD regime that was very low on refined sucrose. 

In early 2014, still struggling with smouldering Candida fungal infections, out of frustration and exasperation I decided to bite the bullet and try Lufenuron. It worked well for the duration that I took it, although it still was not the permanent solution I was hoping for. It seems my body is unusually prone to fungal infections. Dang. 

-- notes --
* Proctitis - sticky rice worsens it, but glutinous rice flour pancakes do not worsen this. Due to digestion (gut flora) or glycemic index. Amylose is mildly protective. Both amylose and amylopectin are prebiotic. 
* Betty Rawker gave glutinous rice a try. At first things went fine and she didn't react but later had a major major reaction after making a pizza using glutinous rice flour. 
* Ted La Monty mentioned Amylopectin way back in March 2004!


-- refs --
Amylopectin - 2011-12 where I first realised amylopectin was safe
http://www.kickas.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=456249&page=2

Amylopectin - the Good, the Bad and the Candida. Nov 2012
http://www.kickas.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=481153

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