1st June 2011 Sleep and The Exercise Theory of Relativity by Mike McInnes

mike mcinnes

Although it is counter-intuitive, sleep and exercise present the brain with similar energy challenges, that of optimal provision of cerebral energy, via the liver. Failure to optimally provision cerebral energy in each of the above events results in chronic metabolic stress, and increased risk of metabolic diseases.
During the nocturnal fast this failure to pre-provision the liver (and therefore the brain), results in chronic activation of the HPA (stress) system and increased risk of metabolic syndrome (diabetes/obesity/heart disease and alzheimer’s disease).
The same ‘liver blind’ approach in sport results in osteoporosis, infertility, increased risk of infections and in American professional footballers increased risk of diabetes from age 35.  Italian footballers express 5 times the national average for motor neurone disease.

This talk focuses on the way to optimally provision cerebral energy during exercise and during the nocturnal fast. The Exercise Theory of Relativity takes Einstein’s beautiful formula E = MC2  and reverses it to E = CM2


The Formula (with apologies to Einstein) is of course a spoof formula, but it focuses on the most neglected area of sport physiology, the absolute overriding requirement of provisioning cerebral energy during exercise, over and above all other organs and tissues, including muscle.  Failure to make such provision results in training deficits, poor performance and long term negative health.
My particular interest is in endogenous metabolic stress, the internally generated metabolic condition that is essentially causing the massive epidemic of metabolic syndrome across the western world, in both adults and children.  This is driven by profound failure to optimally provision cerebral energy over the 24 hour cycle, and in particular during the above two events.
Mike McInnes is a pharmacist with a history of interest in the condition of ‘liver blindness’ a universal condition found in medical and sport science faculties, and responsible for increased risk of all the metabolic diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions.