I looked around for any studies that confirmed the presence of digestive leukocytosis. I did find one, but it was conducted by an enzyme supplement company – not the most reliable resource. Their findings suggested that the effect lasts only 90 minutes. Also, their study did not compare cooked food to raw food. It compared cooked food with enzyme supplements to cooked food without enzyme supplements.

[www.wholefoodsmagazine.com]

(My apologies if anyone has already posted that study)

Dr. Kouchakoff and Dr. Howell conducted their research on digestive leukocytosis early in the 1900s and were lacking much of the information we now have. It’s possible they were correct, but the science doesn’t appear to support their hypotheses, given what we now know about protein digestion (enzymes are proteins).

To me, the possibility of an effect from coenzymes derived from raw food vitamins is intriguing (not necessarily related to leukocytosis). For example:

Many (but not all) B vitamins are destroyed by cooking. As a consequence of cooking we will have less B coenzymes available to help us turn our food into energy. Vitamin B coenzymes play crucial roles in energy metabolism as well as other body functions.

B vitamins don't require metabolism in the mitochondria before they can be used as coenzymes. In fact, it’s somewhat vice versa: Vitamin B coenzymes are required by mitochondria for generating energy.

Energy is metabolized in mitochondria from glucose, lipids, and some amino acids. The process of converting B vitamins to their coenzyme form is entirely different.

For example, thiamin (B1) exists in its free form in plants. The free form is absorbed into the small intestine, with no digestion (breakdown) required. It passes through the basolateral membrane of the small intestine into the blood stream, where approx. 90% of thiamin enters blood cells. From there, it is transferred to the liver, where thiamin is converted to its most prolific coenzyme form (TDP) by transfer of two P from ATP. Thiamin does not have to enter mitochondria to access ATP.

TDP plays at least 2 vital roles related to how we process our foods:

-Energy metabolism requires TDP.
-Synthesis of NADPH for detoxification requires TDP.

In addition, thiamin is essential for membrane and nerve conduction in its noncoenzyme capacity.

Unlike coenzymes, all enzymes – including plant enzymes – are proteins. No appreciable digestion (breakdown) of protein occurs in the mouth or esophagus. Protein digestion begins in the stomach with the action of HCl in gastric juice (which has a pH of 1-2: very acid). HCl denatures protein and destroys its function by breaking apart hydrogen and electrostatic bonds. Low pH in the stomach is also protective, since it inhibits the growth of many infectious microorganisms.

Reference: Gropper S, Smith J, Groff J. Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. 5th Ed. 2009.

In conclusion, it could be that vitamin B coenzymes play at least some role in making the raw food/cooked food difference in how we feel after we eat.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2014 06:50PM by suncloud.

Suncloud, One of the things I'm not I'm not understanding from your post is this...

"For example, thiamin (B1) exists in its free form in plants. The free form is absorbed into the small intestine, with no digestion (breakdown) required. It passes through the basolateral membrane of the small intestine into the blood stream, where approx. 90% of thiamin enters blood cells. From there, it is transferred to the liver, where thiamin is converted to its most prolific coenzyme form (TDP) by transfer of two P from ATP. Thiamin does not have to enter mitochondria to access ATP."

Most of the raw vegan thiamin I get is from nuts and seeds. I am aware that a lot of the absorption is passive but this is the first I've read that there are free form amino acids in nuts and seeds. Are you sure the source author wasn't talking about processed or manufactured free form amino acids?

SueZ, Good question!

Thamin (or thiamine, same thing) is not an amino acid - despite the "amine" part of the name. It is Vitamin B1, so-called because it was the first B vitamin discovered.

Amino acids are protein components. All amino acids contain an amine group (NH2), a carboxylate group, and a side chain. Thiamine contains the amine group, but not the carboxylate group or the side group. There are other vitamins that lack the amine group as well.

Vitamins were first named "vitamines", and then the "e" was dropped when evidence could not confirm that all vitamins contained an amine group.

The word "vitamin" comes from the idea that these molecules were "vital" ("vita" ) amines. At the time, it was a major scientific breakthrough to discover that the vital nutrients in food consisted of more than just the macronutrients - protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Although the existence of something else besides macronutrients had been determined by some forward thinkers of the 18th century (Vitamin C in citrus for instance prevents scurvy), the acceptance of something totally new - the micronutrients - including vitamins - was a long time coming.

Just a side note: the ancient Egyptians were aware of Vitamin A deficiency, indicated by night blindness. It seems that information can be lost and found again.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2014 09:57PM by suncloud.

suncloud Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SueZ, Good question!
>
> Thamin (or thiamine, same thing) is not an amino
> acid - despite the "amine" part of the name. It
> is Vitamin B1, so-called because it was the first
> B vitamin discovered.
>
> Amino acids are protein components. All amino
> acids contain an amine group (NH2), a carboxylate
> group, and a side chain. Thiamine contains the
> amine group, but not the carboxylate group or the
> side group. There are other vitamins that lack
> the amine group as well.
>
> Vitamins were first named "vitamines", and then
> the "e" was dropped when evidence could not
> confirm that all vitamins contained an amine
> group.
>
> The word "vitamin" comes from the idea that these
> molecules were "vital" ("vita" ) amines. At the
> time, it was a major scientific breakthrough to
> discover that the vital nutrients in food
> consisted of more than just the macronutrients -
> protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Although the
> existence of something else besides macronutrients
> had been determined by some forward thinkers of
> the 18th century (Vitamin C in citrus for instance
> prevents scurvy), the acceptance of something
> totally new - the micronutrients - including
> vitamins - was a long time coming.
>
> Just a side note: the ancient Egyptians were
> aware of Vitamin A deficiency, indicated by night
> blindness. It seems that information can be lost
> and found again.

WOW, Suncloud, thanks for the really great info!! It's funny how sometimes words assigned to things can sometimes outlive their usefulness just long enough to trip the uninitiated, like me, up royally. Glad to be set straight.

So are the vitamins which are the most critical for the nervous system the ones which require the least digestion or are there other overriding things that dictate that?

Also, I'd love to know more about what the ancient Egyptians understood about vitamin A and night blindness if you have the time. Thanks!

SueZ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> So are the vitamins which are the most critical
> for the nervous system the ones which require the
> least digestion or are there other overriding
> things that dictate that?

Another great question! Sorry to say, I don't know the answer though.

Vitamins that don't require digestion are thiamin, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E (the tocopherol form), and Vitamin K. Vitamin B12, which is important for nerve cells, does require some digestion to break up the ingested cobalamins from the proteins/polypeptides that bind them in animal products.

> Also, I'd love to know more about what the
> ancient Egyptians understood about vitamin A and
> night blindness if you have the time. Thanks!

I don't think I know any more about Egyptians' knowledge of vitamins, but apparently they were aware of diabetes (probably type 1) and described it as "too great emptying of the urine". Indians knew about it also, and observed that the urine of diabetics was sweet and attracted ants. I read that in Wikipedia.

[en.wikipedia.org]

Wikipedia's resource was:

editor, Leonid Poretsky, (2009). Principles of diabetes mellitus (2nd ed.). New York: Springer. p. 3.

Thanks, Suncloud! That's interesting that it seems the only oil soluble vitamin that needs digestion is Vitamin A. I wonder what that means. I guess we'll have to wait for more research to be done.

sun cloud

really enjoying reading all the information you have contributed
thanks!

You're very welcome La_V.