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tHe comBUstion oF Fat
Ketogenesis is the process by which ketone bodies are produced as a result of
fatty acid breakdown. Ketogenesis may or may not occur, dependent on how many
carbohydrates are available. Ketone body formation occurs as an alternative energy
source during times of prolonged stress e.g. starvation. The initiating event is a
change in the ratio of glucagon:insulin in the blood. Insulin deficiency triggers the
lipolytic process in adipose tissue with the result that free fatty acids pass into the
plasma for uptake by liver and other tissues. Glucagon appears to be the primary
hormone involved in the induction of fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis in the
liver. It insures that long-chain fatty acids can be transported through the inner
mitochondrial membrane to the enzymes of fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis.
Ketone bodies are produced mainly in the mitochondria of liver cells when
carbohydrates are so scarce that energy must be obtained from breaking down fatty
acids. Fatty acids are long chains of carbons with an acid group on one end. The
body gets energy from fatty acids by breaking the carbon chain down into pieces
that contain only two carbon atoms. These pieces are in the form of acetyl-CoA.
When the body has no carbohydrates available, fat instead must be broken down
into acetyl-CoA in order to get energy. CoA is not being recycled through the
citric acid cycle: it is being attached to more and more acetyl groups. You need
more CoA to keep breaking down fats, and the only place to get it is from all those
acetyl-CoA molecules, by attaching them to each other to get the CoA to fall off.
A large amount of energy is released during this process, which can be used for
muscle contraction and all of the other activities in the cell.
L-carnitine acts to increase energy by carrying fat across the cell membrane and
into the mitochondria. Energy is then stored as ATP. It reduces the metabolites
of fats (ketones) in the blood from incomplete fat metabolism and reduces
hyperammonemia.
GlYcosis anD KetoGenesis anD seiZUres
The Ketogenic or high-fat diet was found to reduce epileptic seizures by a 50
to 70%. Dr. John M. Freeman, in The Epilepsy Diet Treatment recommends a
stringent diet consisting of high fat, low protein, low carbohydrate foods. Generally
the ketogenic diet consists of 4 parts fat to 1 part protein/carbohydrate. Notice that
protein also is low, the theory being that the body can turn protein into sugars also.
(In reality a 50-gram dose of protein (in the form of very lean beef ) resulted in only
about 2 grams of glucose being produced and released into circulation.) Resorting
to the extreme measure of a ketogenic diet might be necessary for epileptics to
reduce seizure, but it is simply no way to be generally healthy. Complications
can include nutrient deficiency, kidney stones, abnormal liver function, high
cholesterol, weight gain, dehydration and bone thinning. Not to mention all the
extra free radicals generated from such a high fat diet.
Such extreme measures are perhaps not necessary for a kundalini awakening,
however there is much to learn from the ketogenic diet about how we might
modify our diet to best serve our awakening. Of paramount importance however is