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This may be related to ones number of copies of the amylase-coding genes. Put a saltine in your mouth and start chewing it, without swallowing. Note the amoun

This may be related to ones number of copies of the amylase-coding genes. Put a saltine in your mouth and start chewing it, without swallowing. Note the amount of time required until it starts to taste sweet. Anecdotally, I never taste sweetness from this test. And I do not feel satiated by high-carb foods. I could eat spaghetti until I'm basically the gluttony murder victim from "Seven". The satiety signal from carbs is almost completely absent. The feeling of fullness only comes from the physical stretching of the stomach, or from other macronutrients. That's why low-carb diets work better for me. I eat less when only eating foods that make me feel as though I have eaten at all.

rubicon33 7y ago
That's an interesting theory. I'm curious though - If you are low in the amylase enzyme then I would actually expect carbohydrates to NOT cause weight gain. Doesn't that enzyme break down complex carbs into consumable (usable) simple sugars?
- logfromblammo 7y ago
  Both the salivary glands and pancreas produce amylase, but in different isoforms. Salivary amylase is ptyalin, coded by the AMY1 gene. Pancreatic amylase is coded by AMY2. Humans have multiple copies of these genes, and more copies means more amylase is produced. Someone with 4 copies of AMY1 can still digest starch, but someone with 16 copies of AMY1 might have most of their eaten starches reduced to oligosaccharides long before their ptyalin is inactivated in the stomach. More copies of AMY1 is directly correlated to historic populations with higher starch consumption. Gut biota will also make their own amylases. An amylase blocker causes carbohydrate malabsorption, and that is about the same as a lactose-intolerant person consuming lactose. The starches end up getting fermented in the intestine. The gut biota will consume most of them, but I suppose it is possible they might drop some on the floor for the intestine to absorb. My hypothesis is that the slower rate of digestion of starch produces a lesser effect on perceived satiety.

rubicon33 7y ago

That's an interesting theory. I'm curious though - If you are low in the amylase enzyme then I would actually expect carbohydrates to NOT cause weight gain. Doesn't that enzyme break down complex carbs into consumable (usable) simple sugars?

logfromblammo 7y ago
Both the salivary glands and pancreas produce amylase, but in different isoforms. Salivary amylase is ptyalin, coded by the AMY1 gene. Pancreatic amylase is coded by AMY2. Humans have multiple copies of these genes, and more copies means more amylase is produced. Someone with 4 copies of AMY1 can still digest starch, but someone with 16 copies of AMY1 might have most of their eaten starches reduced to oligosaccharides long before their ptyalin is inactivated in the stomach. More copies of AMY1 is directly correlated to historic populations with higher starch consumption. Gut biota will also make their own amylases. An amylase blocker causes carbohydrate malabsorption, and that is about the same as a lactose-intolerant person consuming lactose. The starches end up getting fermented in the intestine. The gut biota will consume most of them, but I suppose it is possible they might drop some on the floor for the intestine to absorb. My hypothesis is that the slower rate of digestion of starch produces a lesser effect on perceived satiety.