Upregulation and downregulation

[Jared]

Hi Jordan,

You mentioned in the ‘7 Rules to Optimize Protein Intake’ article that megadosing protein may lead to upregulation of the enzymes that break down protein (if I understood you correctly).

With this in mind, if someone were to eat a very low fat diet for a long time, could their body downregulate the enzymes that break down fat? Might they become less efficient at breaking down fat?

From my perspective, I am on a deficit with pretty low fat (30-40g per day), and I enjoy keeping fats low for two reasons: i) it allows me to eat higher volumes of other food (since protein and carbs are less calorie-dense), and ii) the lower my fat goal, the less likely I am to overdo it on fat.

Could a low-fat diet have long-term implications like the above?

Thanks,

Jared

[Jordan_Feigenbaum]

@Jared

With this in mind, if someone were to eat a very low fat diet for a long time, could their body downregulate the enzymes that break down fat? Might they become less efficient at breaking down fat?

We don’t have any evidence that this happens, as even in those who are malnourished and starving, fatty acid oxidation and fat breakdown still occurs at relatively normal rates.