The Reprogrammed Systems Models – An Overview

The Reprogrammed Systems Models are designed as a decision-making frameworks to help individuals learn how their decisions directly impact the health of their bodies. By understanding how our actions can result in specific health outcomes, we gain significant control over the health-state of our own bodies.

To fully understand the human body, it is helpful to think about different perspectives from which we can view the workings of the various sub-systems supporting the overall functioning of the body. In this post, I will walk you through the two Reprogrammed Systems Models that I have developed using my engineer’s systems problems toolkit.

1. The Energy Signaling Model

Using this model we can accomplish a number of important tasks, which include:

1. Understand how poor health and modern disease arise due to the dysregulation of key regulatory signaling molecules.
2. Understand how to Reprogram these key regulatory signals to re-establish good health of the system
3. Understand how good health is maintained when the body’s sub-systems can function properly
4. Understand how our daily choices will be the deciding factor for the destiny of our own bodies.

We’ll begin with how poor health and modern disease arise, then examine how we can reverse this state to achieve and maintain good health.

How poor health and modern disease arises:

Poor health and modern disease can be attributed to innumerable factors – factors both in and out of your control. Yet, the key factors driving the overwhelming rate of poor health and modern disease can be summed up in the following model:

Modern disease arises due to the progression of energy dysregulation and metabolic dysfunction. A body incapable of regulating its internal energy is destined towards a progressive decline in the systems and components supporting the body. As these systems deteriorate, clinically relevant symptoms arise, interfering with the ability to live a normal life and ultimately ending in premature death.

These “clinically relevant symptoms” are what eventually get diagnosed as a disease (e.g. high blood sugar –> diabetes; heart attack –> CVD). However, the damage is being done long before these symptoms actually arise, which leaves much room for intervention before clinical practice typically comes into play.

Primary signaling pathways driving metabolic dysfunction

First, it is useful to view the progression of metabolic dysfunction through two primary internal pathways of energy dysregulation:

Examining these pathways further, we can see how they are driven by dysregulated signals. I have termed these signals “macro signals” as they are responsible for driving the bulk flow of energy throughout the body:

The excessive elevation of insulin, especially combined with the chronic elevation of cortisol, are key driving forces behind excessive and irregular fat storage. This type of signaling results in the dangerous diversion of fat away from a healthy balance and instead towards harmful forms of storage.

Yet, the bulk flow of energy as driven by these macro signals are not the only factors involved. A second key perspective is that of the ability of the components involved in these systems to operate properly. The ability of these components (e.g. organs, cells, organelles, etc.) to properly function is driven by what I have termed micro signals.

Micro signals include, but are not limited to, a pro-inflammatory response and oxidative stress. Inflammation and oxidative stress are two ways by which the body communicates the state of the components and systems involved in energy regulation. As components become damaged or stressed, they release signals to the body for help; unfortunately, these micro signals have the ability to go on to cause more damage and dysfunction in other areas.

For example, at the site of the adipose tissue (fat storage depots), overstuffed adipocytes (individual storage cells) signal that they are overfilled and overstressed by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines. This inflammatory signal can result in a number of situations involved in metabolic dysfunction, including insulin resistance.

A second example happens at the site of the mitochondria. To oxidize fats for fuel (use up fat as energy for the cell) these microscopic machines take in fat and convert it to a useable form of energy, a molecule called ATP. This is normally a balanced process in which oxidative species are produced and captured. However, when the mitochondria become stressed they cannot keep up with the load, resulting in a higher amount of oxidative species being released. These free radicals react with other molecules forming ROS, which then can go on to contribute to metabolic dysfunction.

Combined, inflammation and ROS are largely responsible for dysfunctional components operating in the metabolic system. Their dysfunction means that energy cannot be properly regulated nor used effectively as fuel. The result is fat build up, often in dangerous areas, which brings us back to our two primary pathways.

Remember, this system works as a cycle – the progression forward towards more dysfunction tends to result in positive feedback, driving progression of previous dysfunction even further (e.g. hyperinsulinemia causes excess fat storage, which in turn causes insulin resistance, resulting in increased hyperinsulinemia).

To simplify our conceptualization of this complex cycle, we can think about it as driven forward through two primary pathways: excess fat accumulation or irregular fat accumulation (see Figure 1 above). When fat builds up, either in excess or in irregular locations, fat is then likely to leak into the bloodstream along with pro-inflammatory cytokines. Combined, these go on to impair the ability of components throughout the body to operate properly. This impairment involves oxidative stress, a strong signal that results in dysfunction in that system or component.

2. The Energy Balance Model

The typical human body residing in the industrial world is suffering from numerous dysfunctional metabolic systems and components (e.g. the liver, muscle, and pancreas). Yet, the primary pathways driving the progression of modern disease all have one thing in common: the build-up of excess energy.

For example:

• Too much fat stored in adipose tissue (obesity)
• Fat stored in visceral fat deposits
• Fat stored inside organs and tissues (e.g. fatty liver)
• Fat levels rising in the bloodstream (hyperlipidemia)
• Glucose levels rising in the bloodstream (hyperglycemia)

Thus, to address the modern disease crisis, we must address the failure of the body to effectively regulate its energy levels, including how much energy is in circulation, how much energy is stored, and where that energy gets stored.

To visualize this energy build-up, we can look at the following energy balance model:

Using this model we can accomplish a number of important tasks, which include:

1. Understand how energy imbalance arises due to the dysregulation of key regulatory signaling molecules.
2. Understand how energy imbalance arises in multiple sub-systems and is not simply a problem at the level of the entire body.
3. Understand how our daily choices will be the deciding factor for the destiny of our own bodies.

Under healthy conditions, energy levels are tightly regulated. This means that the body can control the amount of energy entering adipose tissue, it can control the amount of energy in the bloodstream, and it can control energy being stored in places it shouldn’t (e.g. in or around the liver).

Poor health is a result of the dysregulation of these systems. When the body loses the ability to control energy levels, fat and glucose are free to rise, resulting in both direct and indirect damage.

How to Reprogram the body to regulate energy pathways and return to energy balance:

Modern disease is the result of the progression of metabolic dysfunction. This state can be attributed to the inability to properly regulate energy levels, resulting in energy imbalance.

To fix this situation, we can begin by focusing on one basic concept. Quite simply, we must reprogram the body to release – not store – that energy.

However, we must be cautious when we use the term energy. We don’t want to increase the burning of just any form of energy – we want to burn fat.

To Reprogram the body, we must get excess fat out of storage in adipose tissue, and we must remove any fat stored in visceral deposits.

In combination, we need to ensure that the body is equipped with the machinery necessary to effectively oxidize this released fat. This means that the mitochondria need to be programmed to be very capable of oxidizing this load of fat.

How to lose fat:

1. shuttle incoming energy towards safe storage and towards oxidation
2. shuttle dangerously stored fat towards oxidation

Again, this means that fat needs to be mobilized from storage and that we have taken steps to ensure that our mitochondria are operating as best they can.

To accomplish this, we need to look towards our macro signals to ensure that they are aligned with our goal. In this case, what we are looking for is a low insulin:glucagon ratio, as insulin is the body’s energy storage hormone while glucagon is the body’s energy release hormone.

By minimizing insulin while avoiding the suppression of glucagon, the body is free to release energy into the bloodstream and is free to oxidize fats in the mitochondria. This is absolutely necessary if the body is going to rid itself of large volumes of fat.

An important note – Remember, the process of driving fat towards oxidation does not necessarily involve overfilled adipose tissue. Even if an individual does not look or feel greatly overweight, there is still a good chance that he/she has excess fat stored up is visceral deposits, and/or that he/she has become so carbohydrate dependent that fat builds up in the bloodstream, driving any number of unseen pathophysiolgic processes.

Ensuring that our actions align with proper macro signaling is an essential step here; yet, let’s not forget that we also need to ensure that micro signaling is on board with this fat burning goal. This means that action towards a healthy balance of inflammation and oxidation may also be necessary. I’ll discuss this concept later on, but for now let us keep our attention on macro signaling, while ensuring that we do not entirely forget micro signaling (e.g. consuming vegetable oil is a great way to suppress insulin, but it is also a great way to put the body is a pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidative state – to name just a couple dangerous effects of consuming vegetable oil)

How to Reprogram Your Health – The Basics

Reprogramming the body to burn fat for fuel is a necessary first step if any individual is going to greatly improve their health. If you happen to be carrying around a lot of excess fat (which, statistically speaking, you are), this will mean driving a large volume of fat out of storage and towards the mitochondria. If you have been stuck in a carbohydrate paradigm, unable to effectively burn fat while it is forced into storage viscerally, then this will mean driving fat out of visceral fat storage and towards the mitochondria. Chances are you have both goals to accomplish at this time.

The great news is that this does not have to be a complicated process. It can be accomplished by focusing on the three following practices:

1. Build a diet based on real, whole foods
2. Move your body regularly and dynamically
3. Practice a balance of stress and rest

If you want to make strong, steady, maintained progress towards a healthy body, I strongly encourage you to begin here with these basic steps.

Once these have been mastered, we’ll then work on any improvements with additional steps.

To get started with these three steps, I recommend the following articles:

Industrial Foods – The core drivers of modern disease

Insulin Resistance and Diet

The Reprogrammed Approach to Exercise

For a further discussion on how the overall approach, check out The Reprogrammed Systems Approach.