We live in an era of dramatic and revolutionary technological advances. In the past 100 years, we have moved from the horse and buggy to an era of space travel and artificial intelligence. We carry smartphones that give us immediate access to virtually all the knowledge on the face of the earth, and computers have evolved from a room full of electronics to thin devices the size of a thin book. The same is true when it comes to healthcare technology. We have pacemakers for the heart, wearable devices to monitor glucose continuously, brain implants to assist movement, artificial organs, and many remarkable surgical procedures. This noteworthy progress comes to a screeching halt when it comes to preventing and reversing common chronic medical conditions like type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and many mental disorders. What the heck is happening, and who is driving the healthcare bus?
A New Disease Hits the Scene
I recently discussed this issue with my friend Ron Naj Najafi of Emery Pharmaceutical, and we both agreed that there’s a massive disconnect between our knowledge of cellular
biology and what’s happening with our everyday health. We now have accelerating epidemics of metabolic disorders, obesity, common mental disorders, and common chronic
diseases with no end in sight. I have an opinion on what’s going on here. I believe that the medical and scientific communities completely missed the most common disease in
developed societies—Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome. Don’t feel too bad if you haven’t heard of this condition. I’ve introduced the concept over the past few decades, but spreading the word about a complex medical disorder takes time. Allow me to explain.
I recently discussed this issue with my friend Ron Naj Naja=i of Emery Pharmaceutical, and we both agreed that there’s a massive disconnect between our knowledge of cellular
biology and what’s happening with our everyday health. We now have accelerating epidemics of metabolic disorders, obesity, common mental disorders, and common chronic
diseases with no end in sight. I have an opinion on what’s going on here. I believe that the medical and scientific communities completely missed the most common disease in
developed societies—Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome. Don’t feel too bad if you haven’t heard of this condition. I’ve introduced the concept over the past few decades, but spreading the word about a complex medical disorder takes time. Allow me to explain.
In the 1970’s, at the beginning of the obesity epidemic, I decided to study the problem in detail. Obesity is declined as excess body fat, yet the so-called experts told us dummies in 2 primary care to use body mass index (BMI) to diagnose obesity. What does BMI tell you about body fat? Zippo! BMI is a size measure, and to accurately diagnose obesity, you must measure body composition. I purchased equipment to do so, and over several decades, I took over 10,000 such measurements. I measured the body composition of every patient at every visit. I also had a strong interest in neuroscience, and over time, I noticed a strange correlation between specific brain dysfunction symptoms and changes in body composition. Changes in these symptoms always seemed to precede changes in body composition, suggesting that the brain calls the shots regarding fat storage.
Pee Away Your Neurotransmitters
At the time, I worked with a company that developed tests to measure urinary neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Nobody seemed to know how to interpret these tests. I played around with them, and I noticed a strange phenomenon. When I ran these tests on my patients, I noticed that urinary levels of all monoamine neurotransmitters shot up if a person consumed anything with glucose or sugar, especially during glucose tolerance tests. I suspect this is because massive glucose spikes seem to cause excessive dumping of neurotransmitters into the synaptic space, overwhelming the re-uptake system. The bloodstream then takes up these excess neurotransmitters, which are cleared by the kidneys and end up in the urine. This eventually results in low levels of brain neurotransmitters, leading to symptoms that overlap with many traditional brain disorders.
A glucose crash below normal follows each massive glucose spike, and the brain interprets these repeated glucose crashes as a possible impending famine. The brain then proactively places the body in a famine-protective metabolic mode, where energy is preferentially stored as fat. You end up with a condition with these characterizations:
- They develop up to 22 brain dysfunction symptoms that overlap with many traditional brain disorders.
- The brain pushes the body to store excessive body fat at almost any caloric intake.
A Remarkable Solution to a Vexing Problem
If you follow the news, you have likely heard that we are facing twin epidemics of obesity with associated metabolic disorders and common mental health conditions. I’m here to tell you that this can be explained by one disease—CARB syndrome. The primary trigger of this disease is ultra-processed food, which is responsible for the glucose spikes and crashes. If this pattern seems to =it you, what should you do? The treatment for CARB syndrome is relatively straight-forward:
- Eliminate all ultra-processed food, especially those with added sugars.
- Limit fructose intake to less than 20 grams daily.
- Consider time-restricted eating or intermittent fasting.
- Participate in regular exercise, including a mixture of aerobic exercise and strength
training. - Take a precursor supplement like CARB-22 to rebuild brain neurotransmitter levels
- For those with more advanced disease, consider using a GLP-1 receptor agonist like semaglutide. This drug is either given in weekly injections or in a pill form called
Rybelsus.
CARB syndrome is preventable and completely reversible, but to do so, you need to understand the nature of the beast. Your healthcare provider is likely unaware of this disease, so for now, you’re on your own. This post gives you the tools to self-diagnose CARB syndrome and arrange for your own treatment. I wish you well on your journey to improved metabolic health and brain function! The rest is up to you