|
The phrase Edible Computer
Chip® was coined by research scientist, Dr.
Ann de Wees Allen, as she sought to clarify and explain
how the human brain responds to stimulus, such as food
and beverages.
While
conducting a medical lecture in Japan at the Tokyo
Convention Center, Dr. Allen explained that the human
brain acts like an “organic computer.”
Dr.
Allen pointed out that a prime example of the brain-computer
relationship was shown in Rainman, a very popular
movie about Kim Peek, a Savant, whose brain works exactly
like a computer.
Rainman,
played by Dustin Hoffman, closely represented the personality
and abilities of the real Rainman, Kim Peek,
who, like Einstein, has been a Savant since childhood.
RAINMAN
Kim
Peek exhibited Savant-genius from a very early age. According
to Peek's father, Fran, Kim was able to memorize things
from the age of 16-20 months. He read books, memorized
them, and then placed them upside down on the shelf to
show that he had finished reading them, a practice he
still maintains.
Kim
reads a page of text in about 10 seconds (about a book
per hour) and remembers everything he has read,
memorizing vast amounts of information in subjects ranging
from history and literature, geography, and numbers, to
sports, music, and dates. He can recall 12,000 books from
memory, and can also perform formidable mathematical calculations
in his head.
Kim
is also able to listen to music and distinguish which
instruments play which parts, and is adept at guessing
the composers of new music by comparing the music to the
many thousands of music samples in his memory.
Kim’s
personality is quite personable and childlike, and as
such, he has limitations that require him to live with
a caretaker, as he is not capable of driving or performing
routine tasks.
Kim’s
caretaker is his father, Fran, who accompanies Kim to
lectures at Universities and seminars around the world.
Kim continues to be in high demand and is quite pleased
to any question or partake in any brain-tests that showcase
his unique talent. Fran and Kim reside in Salt Lake City.
ORGANIC
COMPUTERS
Both
the normal and the Savant-brain function like
an organic computer, though the Savant-brain
exhibits very rare memory and calculation abilities, similar
to a mathematical calculator.
The
average human brain is not capable of processing complex
calculations without benefit of a calculator or pen &
paper. The Savant-brain is quite capable of conducting
complex calculations in a nano-second and without forethought.
The process is still not fully understood by scientists.
The
average human brain and a computer are similar in the
following ways:
| • |
Both use electrical signals to send messages |
| • |
Both
transmit information |
| • |
Both
have a memory that can grow |
| • |
Both
can adapt and learn |
| • |
Both
have evolved over time |
| • |
Both
require energy |
| • |
Both
can be damaged |
| • |
Both
can change and be modified |
| • |
Both can do math and other logical tasks |
While
a computer uses electricity, or non-organic power
to transmit information, the human brain utilizes organic
chemicals to transmit information. Contrary to popular
belief, the brain uses dietary carbohydrates
as its fuel source, and not protein.
In
some ways, the human brain is superior to a computer.
The brain is superior at interpreting the outside world
and is capable of imagination and new ideas.
Memories
in the brain grow by stronger synaptic connections. Computer
memory grows by adding computer chips.
EDIBLE
COMPUTER CHIPS®
Just
as a computer responds to computer chips, the
human brain responds to computer chips, but the
brain-computer chips are in an edible form. Every
food, drink, Nutraceutical, Pharmaceutical, vitamin, and
mineral ingested by humans is a computer chip. If it enters
the mouth, it is an Edible Computer Chip®.
A
banana is an Edible Computer Chip®, and so is a hamburger,
or a soda, or any other food or beverage. When a food
or beverage enters the mouth, it triggers sensors on the
tongue that send messages to the brain.
It
does not matter if you swallow the food or beverage or
spit it out, the process has already begun.
The
two primary mechanisms by which food/beverages trigger
negative insulin-elevation and adipose tissue fat-storage
are:
| • |
Digestion and Metabolism: occurs following swallowing
and ingestion of a food or beverage |
| • |
Cephalic
Response (Brain Glycemic Indexing): occurs when
a food or beverage hits the tongue (swallowing not
required) |
In
the Digestion and Metabolism process,
the pancreatic beta cells secrete insulin in response
to circulating carbohydrate in the blood stream, resulting
from the ingestion of carbohydrate-rich foods or excess
protein.
In
the Cephalic Response process, insulin
secretion begins even before any carbohydrate
is absorbed into the bloodstream. During the early phase
of insulin release, insulin levels start to rise in the
first minute after the start of a carbohydrate-rich meal/beverage.
The glucose level does not begin to rise until the third
minute.
The
so-called “Cephalic” or early response
is seen whether there is actually carbohydrate, or
even any calories at all, in an ingested meal, beverage,
or Nutraceutical.
The
brain’s neural signals, arising from visual, auditory,
and olfactory stimulation, are processed before food is
actually ingested. The insular cortex, orbitofrontal cortex
and the piriform cortex integrate signals related to sight,
taste and olfaction in humans and primates with other
cortical modalities such as memory of past experiences
(place, safe vs. toxic food, etc) to influence food intake.
Many
of these external sensory cues contribute to the Cephalic
phase response to food, which consists of increased salivation
and gastrointestinal hormone secretion, among other responses.
The
mere anticipation of a pleasurable meal is enough, in
some situations, to stimulate an insulin response. The
Cephalic phase response actually prepares the body for
optimal absorption and utilization of nutrients.
The
sensation of sweet taste is one of the most potent triggers
of the Cephalic response. The Cephalic response of artificial
sweeteners is known to stimulate insulin release and cationic
fluxes in pancreatic islets.
Sucrose
(table sugar), Saccharin, Cyclamate, Stevia (sevioside),
Acesulfame-K (Ace-k), Aspartame, and many other sweeteners,
cause an increase in insulin release from pancreatic islets
incubated in vitro in the presence of 7.0 mM D-glucose.
The
insulinotropic action of artificial sweeteners may be
mediated through G-protein coupled receptors similar to
those involved in the activation of taste buds by bitter
compounds.
The pancreatic hormones insulin and glucagons function
primarily to regulate glucose homeostasis. A secondary
role is that of signaling energy intake to the central
nervous system, as the beta cells in the pancreas release
these hormones in response to feeding.
Because basal insulin levels rise in relation to adiposity,
circulating insulin levels also serve as a measure of
energy stores.
While elevated insulin levels in the brain may
cause a decrease in food intake, the action of insulin
peripherally is to lower circulating blood glucose levels
and serve as a stimulus for food consumption.
Once
carbohydrates are consumed, insulin functions to
store
excess energy in the form of fat. |
Thus,
the Cephalic response of insulin secretion serves to exacerbate
weight gain, obesity, Insulin Resistance, and diabetes
by elevating insulin levels, increasing appetite and by
enhancing fat-storage.
According to the Journal of Behavioral Neuroscience,
February 2008:
| • |
When the taste of an artificial sweetener such as
aspartame stimulates the tongue, the brain programs
the liver to prepare for the arrival of new energy
(sugar) from outside. |
| • |
The
liver, in turn, stops the manufacture of starch
and protein from reserves in the body, and instead
begins to store the glucose (energy) that is circulating
in the blood stream. |
| • |
Foods
having a sweet taste without the accompanying calories
(sugar-free usually = low calories) stimulate the
taste buds, creating an urge to eat and thus overeat. |
| • |
It
is the liver that produces the signals and the urge
to eat. The cephalic phase response triggers the
release of insulin, which stores sugar in the blood
stream. |
| • |
This creates low blood sugar, which leads to the
development of increased cravings and appetite. |
| • |
Studies
have shown that this urge to eat more food after
using artificial sweeteners such as aspartame can
last up to 90 minutes after the meal or snack. |
| • |
It
has been shown that the brain retains the urge to
eat for a long time, when the taste buds for sugar
are stimulated, without any sugar having entered
the system. |
| • |
The
sweet taste of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame
will cause the brain to program the liver to store
supplies rather than release supplies from its storage. |
| • |
This
may be the reason why individuals who use diet soda
for weight loss may suffer the need for repeated
stimulation of the taste buds with sugar stimulation. |
| • |
This
also applies to functional and beverages, as well
as diet sodas and colas that contain -0- calories,
carbohydrates, or proteins. |
|