Does Deuterium Cause Chronic Disease?
There's an idea going around that increased deuterium in the diet is what's wrong with seed oils, and is what is causing chronic disease. Does it hold any water?
Introduction
I am honored to be joined by John Speakman, a leading authority on energy balance in animals, and in the use of the doubly-labeled water method of determining energy balance. This has led him into the study of obesity, among other topics, where he has become a recognized expert.
We have an enlightening discussion on the potential role of deuterium in obesity and chronic disease.
Biography:
“John Roger Speakman (born 1958) FRS FRSE FRSB FRSA FMedSci FRSS is a British biologist working at the University of Aberdeen, Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, for which he was Director from 2007 to 2011. He leads the University’s Energetics Research Group, which is one of the world’s leading groups using doubly labeled water (DLW) to investigate energy expenditure and balance in animals. Between 2011-2020, he was a ‘1000 talents’ Professor at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Beijing, China, where he ran the molecular energetics group. In 2020 he moved to the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shenzhen, China where he works at the Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction and Head of the Shenzhen Key laboratory of Metabolic Health.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Speakman
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Tucker Goodrich
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Show Notes
Boros, Laszlo, Que Collins, and Gábor Somlyai. 2018. “Deuterium and Metabolic Water Matter – What This Means Biochemically and Clinically.” September 24. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aat7314#elettersSection.




This discussion brought to mind Veterinary epidemiologist Stephanie Venn-Watson who wrote a whole book based on the claim that insulin resistance is driven primarily by a cascade starting with deficiency of the odd‑chain saturated fatty acid C15:0, leading to membrane fragility, ferroptosis‑like lipid peroxidation, and iron overload in the liver and pancreas. Here is some of the evidence she cites:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7235264/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9135213/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10649853/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39069269/
I wish Dr. Speakman would do a human weight loss trial with LA intake limited to 2% energy or less and with no cap on oleic acid or saturated fatty acid intake in both arms of the trial. For comparison purposes, the other arm would limit both linoleic acid and preformed arachidonic acid intake to ascertain the impact on endocannabinoid tone. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10767670/