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Wellness and Effortless Fat Loss for Men Through Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement

BioFit is a medical practice dedicated to improving quality of life and preventing diseases of aging in men thorough a customized program of bio-identical hormone replacement, dietary guidance, and exercise. We are all becoming aware of the benefits of bio-identical hormone replacement: increased energy, improved libido, better erectile functioning, enhanced sense of well-being, and a general slowing of the aging process. But did you know that you can also have effortless fat loss and muscle growth by controlling hormone levels?

Richard (his name has been changed) is a 49-year-old real estate professional who came to the clinic complaining of increased belly fat, decreased energy, and poor sex drive. In the year prior to coming in, he had been able to reduce his weight from 320 pounds to 300 pounds by hiring a personal trainer and following the Nutrisystem diet, but still suffered from low energy and sex drive. His goals were to lose 60 more pounds and increase his energy and sex drive. He described his energy level and sex drive as 4/10 (where 10/10 is the best he ever had).

On exam he was 6' 2 ½" tall. He weighed 300.7 pounds, with a body fat percentage of 43.8 percent (as measured by the Bod Pod, the state-of–the-art method for determining body composition), and had 131.9 pounds of fat and 168.8 pounds of lean body mass. Laboratory testing showed that he had suboptimal levels of testosterone, thyroid, and growth hormone. He was started on bio-identical hormone replacement and a non-calorie-restricted diet designed to keep insulin levels low. He could eat as much food as he wanted, as long as he avoided foods that raised his blood insulin levels.

When he returned for his follow-up visit at one year, his body fat percentage had decreased to 11.2 percent, and he had lost 107.7 pounds of fat and gained 22.5 pounds of muscle. His total weight was 215.5 pounds and his waist size had decreased from 48 inches to 32 inches. He said he had never felt hungry and described his energy and sex drive as 9.5/10.

So how is it possible that someone can eat whenever he is hungry and still lose over 100 pounds of fat while gaining over 20 pounds of muscle? The answer is that body composition is determined by hormone levels, and it’s the type of food that you eat that is important. Fat storage is not a passive process, but one that is tightly controlled by hormones. There’s only one hormone that causes us to store fat, and that hormone is insulin. And there’s only one thing that causes our pancreas to secrete insulin, and that’s an increasing blood sugar level. The only foods that increase our blood sugar level are carbohydrates, not fat or protein. Carbohydrates that raise our blood sugar levels the fastest (those with what’s called the highest glycemic load) cause the biggest insulin surge and cause us to store the most fat. As it turns out, it’s not fat that makes us fat. It’s the sugary, processed, and starchy foods which are the most rapidly absorbed (raising our blood sugar levels the fastest), that are the most fattening.

A high insulin level not only causes us to store the most fat, but it also prevents our fat cells from releasing fat to be burned as fuel. If we exercise and have a high insulin level, our muscles burn sugar rather than fat, so our blood sugar level goes down. When this happens, we get tired and hungry, and end up eating the same number of calories that we just burned with exercise, so no fat is lost. You can do all the cardiovascular exercise you want, but if you have a high insulin level, you cannot lose fat. Growth hormone antagonizes the effect of insulin and causes fat cells to release fat.

Thyroid hormone also does this, but to a lesser extent. So in order to get the most dramatic fat loss you need low levels of insulin (achieved through eating only foods with a low glycemic load – see www.biofitmedical.com for a list of these foods) and high levels of growth hormone and thyroid (achieved through bio-identical hormone replacement). As men age, their levels of growth hormone and thyroid decrease, so they can actually eat the same diet (which determines insulin levels) their whole life and still gain fat as they get older. Dr. Dunham sees this everyday in his practice.

On the flip side of this is that you can’t gain muscle without testosterone. It doesn’t matter how much you exercise or how much protein you eat, if you have a low testosterone level you will not gain muscle. Strength training increases the number of testosterone receptors in muscle fibers, but if there is no testosterone in the blood to bind to those receptors, the muscle fibers will not grow. Growth hormone is synergistic with testosterone since it increases the number of “satellite” cells in muscle, which also stimulate the fiber to grow. So as men get older and their levels of testosterone and growth hormone decrease, they can work out even more and still lose muscle.

With a properly designed program of bio-identical hormone replacement, diet, and exercise, men can have more energy, a higher sex drive, and better sexual functioning within a few months, and over time develop a more youthful physique with less body fat and more muscle.

At 55, Dr. Dunham practices what he preaches and has been on the BioFit program for the last 12 years. He has an M.D. from Harvard Medical School, a Ph.D. in biology from M.I.T., and a master’s degree in public health from the University of California at Berkeley. He is certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine and is a member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. You can learn more about the BioFit program at www.biofitmedical.com.

BioFit Medical Group
1751 N. Sunrise Way
Palm Springs, CA 92262
1-760-327-2277
www.BioFitMedical.com