Sleep, nutrition, and metabolism expert Greg Potter, PhD, is back on the podcast today with a new twist on help for those interested in sleep. Greg is an international public speaker, science writer, consultant and coach, focusing on working with individuals and organisations to adopt easy and long-lasting lifestyle modifications that add years and quality to life. His work has appeared in dozens of worldwide media sources, including Reuters, TIME, and The Washington Post, and he frequently contributes to prominent websites, blogs, and podcasts.

On today’s podcast, Greg joins Chris to discuss the use of psychedelic drugs for improved sleep and mental health. Greg talks about the types of psychedelics currently being researched, including psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA, their mechanisms of action, and their potential roles in improving sleep and health. He shares some of the most interesting results from the clinical literature, including therapeutic effects for treatment-resistant depression and the impact of these substances when combined with meditation or psychotherapy. 

Here’s the outline of this episode with Greg Potter:

[00:05:28] What are psychedelics?

[00:06:33] Main types of psychedelics.

[00:09:37] Uses of psychedelics.

[00:12:01] Minidosing and microdosing.

[00:13:09] Psilocybin use as a spiritually significant event; Study:  Griffiths, Roland R., et al. "Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects." Psychopharmacology 218 (2011): 649-665.

[00:14:14] Mystical experiences.

[00:16:00] Mechanisms of action.

[00:20:01] Greg's experience with psychedelics.

[00:30:27] Integration work.

[00:32:47] Entourage effects.

[00:37:18] Chris's experiences with psychedelics.

[00:41:22] Relaxing priors; Carhart-Harris and K. Friston; Study: Carhart-Harris, Robin L., and Karl J. Friston. "REBUS and the anarchic brain: toward a unified model of the brain action of psychedelics." Pharmacological reviews 71.3 (2019): 316-344.

[00:41:45] Karl Friston's Free Energy Principle; Paper: Friston, Karl. "The free-energy principle: a unified brain theory?." Nature reviews neuroscience 11.2 (2010): 127-138.

[00:43:47] Psychedelics and sleep architecture.

[00:49:51] Psilocybin and sleep; Study: Dudysová, Daniela, et al. "The effects of daytime psilocybin administration on sleep: implications for antidepressant action." Frontiers in pharmacology 11 (2020): 602590.

[00:51:58] Ayahuasca and sleep; Study: Barbanoj, Manel J., et al. "Daytime Ayahuasca administration modulates REM and slow-wave sleep in healthy volunteers." Psychopharmacology 196 (2008): 315-326.

[00:54:34] REM sleep and dreaming.

[00:58:42] Hobson's Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis.

[00:59:38] Lucid dreaming.

[01:00:02] Book: When Brains Dream: Understanding the Science and Mystery of Our Dreaming Minds, by Antonio Zadra and Robert Stickgold.

[01:00:04] Videos: TedX talk - Sleep, Memory and Dreams: Fitting the Pieces Together and other videos.

[01:03:41] Fear Extinction.

[01:05:32] Podcast: From Magic to Mindfulness: The Evolution of an Entrepreneur, with Jason Connell.

[01:07:33] Combining LSD and MDMA; Study: Schmid, Yasmin, et al. "Acute subjective effects in LSD-and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy." Journal of Psychopharmacology 35.4 (2021): 362-374.

[01:08:31] Psychedelics as adjunct to other interventions.

[01:09:16] Review: Payne, Jake E., Richard Chambers, and Paul Liknaitzky. "Combining psychedelic and mindfulness interventions: Synergies to inform clinical practice." ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science 4.2 (2021): 416-423.

[01:09:57] Psilocybin combined with other spiritual practices; Study: Griffiths, Roland R., et al. "Psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience in combination with meditation and other spiritual practices produces enduring positive changes in psychological functioning and in trait measures of prosocial attitudes and behaviors." Journal of Psychopharmacology 32.1 (2018): 49-69.

[01:12:01] Psilocybin with expert meditators; Study: Smigielski, Lukasz, et al. "Characterization and prediction of acute and sustained response to psychedelic psilocybin in a mindfulness group retreat." Scientific reports 9.1 (2019): 1-13.

[01:13:25] Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

[01:14:59] Podcast: Microdosing Psychedelics and the Placebo Effect, with Balázs Szigeti.

[01:20:08] Psilocybin without psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression; Study: Goodwin, Guy M., et al. "Single-dose psilocybin for a treatment-resistant episode of major depression." New England Journal of Medicine 387.18 (2022): 1637-1648.

[01:21:58] Drug harms; Review: Nutt, David J., Leslie A. King, and Lawrence D. Phillips. "Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis." The Lancet 376.9752 (2010): 1558-1565.

[01:23:41] Potential contamination; Fentanyl.

[01:25:29] Find Greg online: gregpotterphd.com; Instagram.

We’re continuing the conversation this week with Greg Potter, PhD., but with a plot twist. We’ve had Greg on the podcast many times discussing all facets of sleep and circadian biology, but today the topic is low back pain.  Greg has had personal experience with this problem since the age of 12 and has devoted extensive time and effort to researching and trying various treatment methods to find relief for himself and his coaching clients. He’s quick to admit he’s not an expert in low back pain, but it’s clear he’s well-versed on the topic.

Greg thoroughly examines low back pain in this podcast, including causes, treatments, and scientifically-validated approaches for relieving chronic discomfort. He discusses time-tested treatments and cutting-edge options, including therapies, exercises, and supplements. He also recalls the book that started his healing journey and the best ways to give your back a break during daily movement and activities.

With us this week is Extreme Human Performance Specialist Mike T Nelson, PhD. Mike has spent 13+ years working with clients, focusing on how to properly condition the body to burn fat and become stronger, more flexible, and healthier. He’s been called in to share his techniques with top government agencies, universities and colleges, fitness organizations and fanatics. The strategies he’s developed and the results Mike generates for his clients have been featured in international magazines, in scientific publications, and on websites across the globe.

Today Mike joins Megan Hall to talk about the power and practicality of using metabolic flexibility to achieve exceptional body composition, health, and performance. Mike talks about the surprising psychological factors that go into designing a personalized diet and the system he’s developed that works with the freedom-craving, flexible nature of your typical human. His system is called the Flex Diet, and it combines the science of metabolic flexibility with the autonomy of choose-your-own-adventure interventions to keep clients motivated, consistent, and inspired to take on their next challenge.

If you’re a trainer or health practitioner who values flexibility, Mike is running a rare special offer this week on his Flex Diet Certification Course.

Good nutrition is essential for optimal health, performance and quality of life. Unfortunately, the standard American diet is deficient in many essential nutrients, and at the same time is loaded with toxic ingredients known to cause serious health problems. Making matters worse, doctors rarely test for nutrient deficiencies, which are often at the root of their patients’ complaints. The end result is a population marked by difficulties attaining or maintaining a state of good health and optimal performance.

Today we’re rounding out our Health Fundamentals Series with a fourth instalment, this time on the topic of nutrition. NBT coaches Megan Hall and Zach Moore discuss why what you eat deserves your time and attention, and the best practical strategies to ensure you’re getting the nutrition you need from your diet. They talk about the best foods to consume, how many meals to eat and the best time of the day to eat them, and how to avoid the most common nutritional deficiencies. They also discuss the best way to get started so you don’t get overwhelmed and quit before seeing the benefits of a good diet.

Back on the podcast, today is sleep, nutrition, and metabolism expert, Greg Potter, PhD. Through his academic research, public speaking, consulting and writing, Greg empowers people to make simple and sustainable lifestyle changes that add years to their lives and life to their years. His work has been featured in dozens of international media outlets, including Reuters, TIME, and The Washington Post, and he regularly contributes to popular websites, blogs, and podcasts.

In this podcast, Greg is talking about light, including the importance of getting out in the sun and also modern problems with artificial light. He discusses the impact of light on the circadian system along with up-to-date recommendations related to light hygiene. We discuss practical tips for reducing light at night (not all of which involve putting away your device), and why not getting the right kind of light might be keeping you from achieving your body composition goals.

Back on the podcast today is Steven Wright, the man behind Healthy Gut, a cutting-edge supplement line devoted to helping those suffering with persistent GI problems. After being diagnosed with IBS by several doctors, Steven found relief from his own gut health problems by following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, and then spent years coaching others to do the same. His goal continues to be providing solutions for effective digestion, nutrient absorption, and microbiome balance.

Today Steven is talking about targeting the gut for the purpose of optimising immune health. He discusses what to look for in a probiotic supplement, and explains how paraprobiotics are now being used to improve gut function. He describes some of the specific probiotic strains that have been found to modulate immune response, soothe rashes and improve exercise performance - and where you can find them. Steven also offers some of his best tips for supporting immune health and managing stress with nutrition.

The beneficial role of physical movement and exercise in daily life is one of the few things we can all agree on. Extensive research points to movement as essential for living a long and healthy life. It helps keep our bodies strong, flexible, and mobile and helps maintain cognitive health as we age. So what kind of exercise should you be doing and how much should you train? If you have limited time and energy, what type of movement should be prioritized?

Today for the third instalment of our Health Fundamentals series, Coach Megan Hall is talking with NBT Head of Strength and Conditioning Zach Moore about movement and exercise. They discuss why it's important for you to be moving regularly, and describe ways to increase movement throughout your day. Zach stresses the importance of strength training: why it should be the foundation of your workout and the 3 simple movements you can use to get started. They also discuss recovery, balance, flexibility, and mobility.

To get all the details and studies supporting the information in this podcast, be sure to follow along with Megan's outline for this episode.

Like most critical aspects of health, stress can be a double-edged sword. It’s necessary for physical and emotional growth, and we all know that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. However, too much stress can do far more damage than even a poor diet or a sedentary lifestyle. The trick seems to be embracing the right kinds of stress in the right doses, and under those conditions, it can be a catalyst for improved strength and resilience.

​Today for the second instalment of our Health Fundamental series, NBT coaches Megan Hall and Clay Higgins are examining stress and hormesis. They talk about simple biomarkers to help you measure your current allostatic load and then they discuss simple, practical things anyone can do to better manage emotional stress. They also discuss how to use hormesis - intentional and measured amounts of stressors like temperature, exercise, diet, and breathing, to boost your body's functioning while becoming better adapted and stronger.

To get all the details and studies supporting the information in this podcast, be sure to follow along with Megan's outline for this episode.

We’ve decided to do a series of episodes on the fundamentals of good health - each containing the best practical information we’ve come across for improving the quality of your life and achieving your goals. We’re focusing on the most commonly asked-about areas, such as stress and hormesis, movement and exercise, and diet and nutrition. Today we’re kicking it off with a discussion about one of the most important, often the most frustrating, and easily the most overlooked pillar of health: sleep.

On this podcast, Megan Hall and Clay Higgins draw from their years of combined health coaching experience to bring you their best advice for getting great sleep. They explain why you should care about the quality of your nighttime routine, and they discuss the impact of light, food and exercise on your ability to sleep well. They also share their opinions on supplements and technology designed to enhance sleep and talk about some of the more common behaviours that can lead to insomnia.

Be sure to follow along with Megan’s outline to get the most out of this episode.

Jason Moore is the founder of Elite HRV and Spren, companies offering deep insight into health, stress, and recovery using the technology of heart rate variability (HRV) and other biometrics. For the last decade, his products have focused on helping consumers measure physiological adaptation by essentially providing a snapshot of the autonomic nervous system, accessible within a simple phone app. There’s no doubt his work has contributed to the enormous popularity of HRV as one of the most comprehensive noninvasive biomarkers available.

On this podcast, Jason discusses the latest advances in HRV technology and the many ways it is being used to assess and improve outcomes. He talks about the current applications of this metric, including endurance and strength training, and - more recently - cognitive performance. He also offers us a glimpse into the latest developments and devices now making it easier than ever to measure the status of your nervous system.

Suffering from IBS for 6 years was a wake-up call for Angela Privin. Her gut issues were an internal cry for help, forcing her to identify what wasn't working on both a physical and subconscious level. After solving her own digestive issues naturally, Angela became a digestive health coach and a trained hypnotherapist. She now works with clients around the globe, combining hypnotherapy with nutrition, supplementation and testing to dramatically improve client results.

​On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall interviews Angela about the impact hypnotherapy can have when added to the functional medicine mix. Angela explains how being told, “It’s all in your head” by a doctor may be more accurate than we realize, and how thoughts, emotions, and traumas from the past can shape our current reality - including our health. She also describes the hypnotherapy process, and how you can break out of the stress loop that’s keeping you from reaching your goals.

Steven Wright is an engineer and the Founder and CEO of Healthy Gut, a company that offers hope for those suffering with digestive pain, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, gas, and other GI ailments. Fueled by his own lifelong health problems, Steven coached, researched, and biohacked his way to a better understand of what’s needed for sustained gut health. After years of coaching others and reverse-engineering his own symptoms, he now offers results-oriented solutions for better GI health.

On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director and Coach Megan Hall interviews Steven about some of the critical factors needed to nurture a healthy gut, including a healthy microbiome, proper digestion, and efficient nutrient absorption. Steve discusses all of the above, as well as the key processes involved with strengthening the gut lining, soothing histamine reactions, and reducing painful and embarrassing symptoms. 

Here’s the outline of this episode with Steven Wright:

[00:00:21] Steven's background and interest in gut health.

[00:03:28] Jordan Reasoner.

[00:05:42] Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

[00:07:20] Book: Management Of Celiac Disease, by Dr. Sidney V. Haas.

[00:08:05] Book: Breaking the Vicious Cycle, by Elaine Gottschall.

[00:13:01] GI environmental factors.

[00:15:58] Butyrate: what it is and why it's important.

[00:18:39] Causes of low butyrate.

[00:21:04] Polyphenols that encourage the growth of important microbes.

[00:22:11] Symptoms that indicate low butyrate; benefits of supplementation.

[00:24:15] Butyrate supplements: sodium butyrate, tributyrin; Tributyrin-X.

[00:28:08] Butyrate increases non-REM sleep; Study: Szentirmai, Éva, et al. "Butyrate, a metabolite of intestinal bacteria, enhances sleep." Scientific reports 9.1 (2019): 1-9.

[00:30:43] Book: The Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles.

[00:31:44] Resistant starch: sources and conflicting reactions.

[00:33:59] Digestive enzymes: what they are, why they're important.

[00:37:07] Effects of stress; conditions needed for enzymes to be effective.

[00:38:07] Signs you might need a digestive enzyme.

[00:41:53] HoloZyme.

[00:45:06] Systemic enzyme therapy.

[00:46:41] Stomach acid; why it's important.

[00:49:18] Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and stomach acid.

[00:52:54] HCL Guard: Betaine HCl, pepsin, intrinsic factor, deglycyrrhizinated liquorice (DGL) and ginger.

[00:57:55] Timing HCL in relation to meals.

[00:59:45] HCL challenge test - how to check for low stomach acid.

[01:02:11] Triaging your gut issues and prioritizing interventions.

[01:04:30] The transition from coaching to creating supplements.

[01:08:31] Discount code and link: https://healthygut.com/nourish15 for $15 off and free shipping through the end of the month.

Today, we’re talking about diarrhoea. An unconventional podcast topic, for sure - but also an extremely important one. Diarrhoea affects almost everyone at some point. It’s one of the most common symptoms that something in our gut is not right. In most cases it’s transitory and we move on - but what do you do if it doesn’t just go away? We’ve touched on this topic before while talking about The Athlete’s Gut, but today we’re taking a closer look at this all-too-common issue.

On today’s podcast, NBT Scientific Director and Coach Megan Hall is with me to talk about diarrhoea: the different types, the many causes, and how to fix it when it occurs. She talks about how diarrhoea is both a cause and consequence of gut (and sometimes systemic) pathologies and describes ten different things that may be perpetuating the problem. Most importantly, Megan offers specifics on what you can do to identify and treat your ongoing gut problem.

Be sure to follow along with Megan’s excellent and detailed outline for this episode.

Marty Kendall is an engineer who seeks to optimise nutrition using a data-driven approach. His interest in nutrition began eighteen years ago in an effort to help his wife Monica gain better control of her Type 1 Diabetes.  But since then he has worked to develop a systematised approach to nutrition tailored for a wide range of goals. Marty has been sharing his learnings at OptimisingNutrition.com and has developed the Nutrient Optimiser and Data-Driven Fasting to guide people on their journey of nutritional optimisation.

On this podcast, we’re talking about optimising nutrition and data-driven fasting, two areas of focus that Marty has found to lead to impressive clinical outcomes like fat loss, reduced hunger, and improved metabolic health. Marty has actually managed to engineer and game-ify the building of a healthier lifestyle! Experience it for yourself with one of his upcoming 30-day challenges, including the Data-Driven Macros Challenge, and the Data-Driven Fasting Challenge, both beginning in January 2022. You can also learn more today with the many free tools on Marty’s website.

Probably the most rewarding part of running NBT is getting on the phone with someone who has been working with us for six or 12 months. I recently had a check-in call like this with our client, speech pathologist Lisa Walker. Lisa reached out to us back in March for help with getting her health on track. Six months in, she was excited to report that many of her decades-long symptoms have resolved, she’s lost weight, and she now has the energy to do the things she wants to do.

On this podcast, Lisa and I discuss her recovery from chronic illness, which included years of struggle with digestive problems, headaches, back pain and fatigue. While working with NBT Coach Clay Higgins, Lisa adopted a diet that works for her without counting calories or macros, and she’s implemented lifestyle changes that have vastly improved her sleep and quality of life. Lisa isn’t an elite athlete - she’s just someone who was willing to roll up her sleeves and make some changes in return for a life she can be excited about.

For men, testosterone is important for mood, bone health, erectile function, libido, strength and muscle mass and is also associated with lower levels of inflammatory markers, better insulin sensitivity, and metabolic health. It also may even have some vasodilatory effects, and higher testosterone levels are also associated with better health outcomes in general and lower cardiovascular, cancer, and all-cause mortality. Unfortunately, It looks like testosterone levels in the population are dropping, although more isn’t necessarily better.

On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall and I are talking about testosterone: why we should care about it, how to test for it, and how to support healthy levels of this hormone. Megan discusses signs and symptoms of low testosterone and seven different lifestyle changes you can make to support optimal levels - before you even consider taking a supplement. We also talk about hormone replacement therapy, who might benefit, and some of the downsides to this strategy.

For all the references and a detailed roadmap of everything we discuss, be sure to follow along with Megan’s outline for this podcast. 

If you’ve followed the NBT podcast for a while you probably heard Dr. Malcolm Kendrick talking about the tenuous connection between cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease. Malcolm has published with The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics on this topic, including a recent review paper entitled LDL-C does not cause cardiovascular disease. In the paper, they include both total cholesterol and LDL-C in their discussions, and if you look at epidemiological data, I think they make a good point. For instance, total cholesterol had almost no effect on mortality in the HUNT-2 study in Norway, and higher levels were associated with lower mortality risk in women. Or the ESCARVAL-RISK study, where higher LDL-C is associated with lower all-cause mortality until it’s well above 200 mg/dl. Or the In-Chianti study, where people over 64 had the lowest mortality rates if they had an LDL-C greater than 130mg/dl.

The question then becomes, if not cholesterol, then what? To answer that we must resist monomania and acknowledge the very notion of causation in a complex system is suspicious. Ask not what but how. Malcolm argues in his new book The Clot Thickens that if you maintain metabolic health, manage stress, and mind your endothelial function, cholesterol levels become largely irrelevant. Simple enough, but as you’ll discover in this interview, the devil is in the details.

Each month for the past year we’ve offered our bloodsmart.ai group program. It’s an opportunity to use machine learning to predict—from a pretty simple blood test—what is likely happening inside your body (and what might be going wrong) along with expert feedback on the results from NBT Scientific Director and Coach, Megan Hall and me. The program has been very popular, not to mention a lot of fun, and people are going through more than once to measure their ongoing progress.

On this podcast, Megan provides detailed feedback on the bloodsmart.ai report belonging to NBT Coach Clay Higgins. What you’ll hear is very similar to what goes on during our group coaching sessions. It’s a review of exactly what’s going well and where there’s opportunity for improvement - along with specific steps to take right now to improve overall health, based on the data, symptoms, and personal history.

If you’d like to participate in a group program please email NBT support for details and be sure to let us know where in the world you live so we can tailor our response to your needs.

The vaginal microbiome is often mentioned in passing - sort of as an afterthought - usually when we’re really talking about the gut microbiome. We’ve decided to give the vaginal microbiome centre stage today, and with good reason - it’s a huge factor when it comes to the quality of a woman’s life and health, and has implications for fertility, pregnancy and childbirth, and risks associated with sexually transmitted infections. 

On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director and Coach Megan Hall and I are discussing the vaginal microbiome: what it is, how to assess for problems, and how to maintain a state of good health. Megan talks about the effects of vaginal dysbiosis on pregnancy and fertility, and how to create the best possible outcome for childbirth. She explains what causes disruption to the vaginal microbiome in the first place, and how ancestral health principles can keep you on track. She also outlines how to rebalance the vaginal microbiome when there’s dysbiosis, along with practical steps to take before resorting to antibiotics and antifungals.

One of the best things about doing this podcast for the past seven years has been how our guests have shaped nearly every aspect of my life and the lives of my family. Over the years my wife Julie and I have built an ancestral lifestyle we believe to be most conducive to health, connection, and longevity, largely influenced by the brilliant guests we’ve interviewed right here. The process has been nothing short of an adventure, and it continues to unfold.

On this podcast, I’m joined by my wife, food scientist Julie Kelly to talk about how we’ve taken everything we’ve learned about health, wellness, and ancestral living to create a home life that truly supports and sustains our family. We talk about how we eat, prepare meals, and educate our kids and changes we’ve made over the years. Julie shares the immense value she’s derived from a very specific type of psychotherapy, and we discuss how our practice of managing stress has evolved. We also give an update on our adventures in cohousing, and the number one factor that we’ve learned will make or break cohousing relationships.

Dr Gabriel Niles, MD has travelled many roads in his search for the ideal model of healing and flourishing. Prior to his training as a Medical Doctor at USC School of Medicine, he studied Traditional Chinese Medicine in Shanghai, China. He has organized and led multiple Circle of Healers retreats with the American Medical Student Association as a medical student, seeking to integrate the wisdom of healing traditions with modern medical science. In recent years, Dr Niles has been integrating the insights and benefits of Functional Medicine into his medical practice while remaining committed to keeping medical care affordable for his patients. 

For this podcast, I caught up with Gabe after the Ancestral Health Symposium in Los Angeles to discuss his integration of Functional Medicine into a mainstream bill-to-insurance medical practice. We talk about areas where his approach differs from that of other family physicians, including his favouring of lifestyle changes over-reliance on pharmaceuticals. He also explains why he has continued working within the conventional medical system, despite rejecting the big-pharma controlled dis-ease model of medical “care”.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Gabriel Niles:

[00:00:27] Gabriel's background and interest in medicine and health.

[00:02:33] Evan Hirsch, MD; Podcast: How to Fix Your Fatigue.

[00:03:01] Institute for Functional Medicine's AFMCP Training.

[00:03:15] Studying Chinese medicine.

[00:09:58] Service in the US Navy.

[00:13:30] Dr. Kirk Parsley; Podcasts: 1. How to Get Perfect Sleep with Dr. Kirk Parsley, MD; 2. Sleep To Win: How Navy SEALs and Other High Performers Stay on Top.

[00:14:27] Saying no to Big Pharma; The problem with statins.

[00:17:14] Ancestral Health Symposium.

[00:20:20] James Nestor; Book: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art; Podcast: How to Fix Your Breathing to Improve Your Health.

[00:21:06] Todd Becker; Podcast: Getting Stronger; AHS Talk: Desirable Difficulties: Using Hormesis to Learn More Effectively - Todd Becker (AHS21).

[00:23:20] Mickey Trescott; Podcast: Autoimmune recovery with Mickey Trescott.

[00:26:22] Book: The End of Alzheimer's, by Dale Bredesen.

[00:28:41] Medical problems faced by knowledge workers.

[00:31:13] International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness (ISEAI).

[00:34:37] Books: It Starts with Food and The Whole30, by Melissa Hartwig Urban and Dallas Hartwig.

[00:36:39] Paul Saladino: The Carnivore Code; Podcast: Fundamental Health Podcast.

[00:40:23] Book: Natural Causes by Barbara Ehrenreich.

[00:42:56] Why Gabriel continues to bill insurance.

[00:44:34] Podcast: The Community Cure: Transforming Health Outcomes Together, with James Maskell. Book: The Community Cure.

[00:45:31] Evan Hirsch's Virtual MD course.

[00:47:48] Work with Gabriel Niles in Los Angeles, CA.

Evan Hirsch, MD, is a world-renowned fatigue expert and the Founder & CEO of the International Center for Fatigue. Through his best-selling book, podcast, and online programs, he has helped thousands of people around the world boost their energy naturally, and is on a mission to help a million more. He has been featured widely on television, podcasts, and summits.

On this podcast, Evan discusses the many different causes of fatigue and his 4-step process for treating it. He shares details about his Fix Your Fatigue program, which has identified 10 different causes of fatigue - and Evan notes that everyone has multiple causes. To complicate things further, everyone has different multiple causes, so no one treatment works for everyone. Evan shares resources for identifying the causes of your fatigue and simple steps you can take to improve your energy levels today.

Jim Stray-Gundersen, MD is a world-renowned expert in Sports Medicine, Exercise Physiology and Training for Sport Performance. Drawing from his lifetime of experience with elite level athletes and clinical populations, Jim developed and co-founded the B Strong Training System using Blood Flow Restriction (BFR). The system works by applying cuffs to the arms and legs to temporarily restrict venous return without occluding arterial inflow. Put simply, blood flow restriction prompts an outsize response from the brain to speed up the normal process of repairing and rebuilding damaged tissue with lighter weight and a reduced risk of injury compared to traditional weight lifting. Jim predicts the B Strong Training System will change how the world gains the benefits of exercise, improving longevity and quality of life.

On this podcast, Jim discusses the important difference between the B Strong system and other BFR devices on the market, and answers questions about application and safety when training with blood flow restriction. He talks about how athletes and like-minded people are using BFR and shares some common user errors and ways to avoid them. Jim also describes his new professional training course available to anyone interested in learning more about the theory and application of BFR. Or - even better - for the next 14 days you can get the B Strong BFR Training System for 20% off using the code Kelly20. 

Here’s the outline of this interview with Jim Stray-Gundersen:

[00:00:10] Jim's previous appearance on the NBT podcast: Blood Flow Restriction Training for Improved Strength, Performance, and Healthspan.

[00:00:28] B Strong Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training system.

[00:00:41] Dr. Steven Patterson; Podcast: Blood Flow Restriction Training: Science and Application.

[00:01:08] Blood flow restriction: elastic vs. rigid devices.

[00:05:04] Study: Patterson, Stephen D., et al. "Blood flow restriction exercise: considerations of methodology, application, and safety." Frontiers in physiology 10 (2019): 533.

[00:05:09] Johnny Owens, founder of Owens Recovery Science.

[00:09:19] Question regarding the potential for endothelial damage; Study: Credeur, Daniel P., Brandon C. Hollis, and Michael A. Welsch. "Effects of handgrip training with venous restriction on brachial artery vasodilation." Medicine and science in sports and exercise 42.7 (2010): 1296.

[00:13:10] Olympic athletes using BFR training: Sifan Hassan (Netherlands), Galen Rupp (USA), Kate Grace (USA), Mikaela Shiffrin (USA).

[00:14:52] How athletes are using the BFR system.

[00:17:24] B Strong BFR training course for both BFR users and professionals.

[00:21:37] Common errors and things to avoid with BFR.

[00:25:17] Delayed onset muscle soreness.

[00:27:38] Frequency of workouts and habit building.

[00:31:40] Get the B Strong system using the 20% off discount code Kelly20, good for 2 weeks after podcast airs.

Ben Greenfield is a human performance consultant, speaker, and New York Times bestselling author of 13 books, including the popular titles “Beyond Training”, “Boundless” and “Fit Soul”. Former collegiate tennis, water polo, and volleyball player, bodybuilder, 13-time Ironman triathlete, and professional obstacle course racer, Ben has been voted by the NSCA as America’s top Personal Trainer and by Greatist as one of the top 100 Most Influential People In Health And Fitness. In 2014, my NBT co-founder and medical doctor Jamie Kendall-Weed and I appeared on the Ben Greenfield podcast, and to this day people tell me that’s how they learned about Nourish Balance Thrive. 

​For this podcast, Ben and I met up on the UCLA campus during the Ancestral Health Symposium in August to walk and talk about the harmful effects of loneliness and the importance of social connection. Ben shares some of the innovative ways he’s increased connection with others, despite being a self-proclaimed introvert. We talk about some of the downsides of social isolation and the best reasons for opening yourself up to the “messiness” of others. 

Throughout 2021 we’ve had hundreds of people try out our bloodsmart.ai software within the format of our monthly group program. We’ve met clients from all walks of life – some athletes, some not – but most want the same things: to feel better now and to preserve healthspan later. Over the years – and especially more recently after racing was cancelled – my own goals have also shifted from athletic performance, instead landing on what needs to be done to maximise healthspan – that is the period of life spent in good health, free from the chronic diseases and disabilities of ageing. Talking each week to others with the same goals has become a highlight of my work week...

On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director and coach Megan Hall and I are discussing my latest blood chemistry results and bloodsmart.ai report. I was pleased with my results a couple of years ago when my Overall Wellness Score reached a perfect 100. This time around, however, there’s room for improvement, and Megan offers her usual excellent advice.

If you’d like to get a blood test + a bloodsmart.ai report along with a series of group coaching sessions with Megan and me, we can arrange that for you. The coaching sessions take on a format much like this podcast, with individual reports reviewed and advice for a path forward described in detail. Be sure to follow along with this episode with Megan’s detailed outline.

At the 2021 Ancestral Health Symposium (AHS) in Los Angeles last month I was able to catch up with microbiome researcher and writer Lucy Mailing, PhD. This year Lucy presented on the topic of Rewilding the Gut, noting the detrimental effects of our modern environment, diet, and lifestyle on the gut microbiome. Lucy has been on the podcast twice before, talking about optimising the gut microbiome and debunking microbiome myths and misconceptions. Lucy’s research and writings are truly cutting-edge and have consistently shaped our recommendations and approach to gut health with our clients. 

​On this podcast, Lucy shares some of the concepts she outlined during her AHS Talk, including the specific aspects of modern living that interfere with microbiome diversity and establishing a basis for chronic disease.  She talks about the hygiene hypothesis, including the need for early childhood exposure to microbes, and some of the best ways to support a healthy gut ecosystem.

Joshua Fields Millburn is one half of the popular simple living duo known as The Minimalists. He and his best friend and fellow Minimalist Ryan Nicodemus have helped over 20 million people live more meaningful lives with less through their website, books, podcast, and Netflix films. The Minimalists have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Forbes, TIME, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, BBC, and NPR. Joshua has previously been an NBT client, and I’m fortunate enough to call him a friend.

On this podcast, Joshua and I talk about minimalism, consumerism, values, and healing.  Joshua explains how minimalism is not simply about getting rid of material possessions (though that can play a role), but rather it’s a process of getting to the root of life’s lingering discontent - digging out from under the stuff, the debt, the stress and the loneliness and regaining control of your life. He describes some of the main points of his new book, Love People Use Things, and shares some of the most important lessons he’s learned along his Minimalist journey.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Joshua Fields Millburn:

[00:00:13] Paul Saladino.

[00:01:29] Mimetic Desires; Podcast: Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life.

[00:02:09] Book: Love People, Use Things: Because the Opposite Never Works, by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus.

[00:02:51] Enneagram.

[00:03:03] Ian Cron; Book: The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery, Podcast: Typology.

[00:05:51] Consumerism.

[00:08:03] Book: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed, by Lori Gottlieb.

[00:08:28] Lori Gottlieb on The Minimalists Podcast.

[00:14:21] Books by Chris Ryan: Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships and Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress.

[00:17:50] Four types of values.

[00:19:13] Book: Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life, by Luke Burgis; thick vs. thin desires.

[00:19:45] Luke Burgis on The Minimalist Podcast.

[00:20:46] Erwin McManus, lead pastor at Mosaic; Hear him on The Minimalists Podcast.

[00:22:40] Minimalism and what that term means.

[00:24:36] Podcast: Healing Trauma with MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy, with Dan Engle.

[00:26:00] The spontaneous combustion rule.

[00:26:33] Chris Kelly on The Minimalists Podcast #138: Healthproblems.

[00:30:39] The Minimalists: Less is Now Movie (trailer).

[00:33:01] Podcast: Protein vs. Energy for Improved Body Composition and Healthspan.

[00:33:46] The Minimalists Love People, Use Things Tour.

[00:34:52] Spartanism (compulsive decluttering); Minimalists podcasts on hoarding and compulsive decluttering.

[00:37:05] Minimalist diets and Joshua's story of regaining his health.

[00:38:54] Minimalists Podcast episode #184: Minimalist Diets.

[00:43:25] Documentary: The Sensitives.

[00:46:22] Pain management solution: grounding. 

[00:47:09] 4-Quadrant Model.

[00:47:57] Book: Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever! (Second Edition), by Clinton Ober, Stephen T. Sinatra, et al.

[00:48:37] Documentaries by Clint Ober. The Ground Therapy Universal Mat.

[00:51:41] Elixinol CBD.

[00:56:51] Book: The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion, by Simon Marshall, PhD.

[01:00:18] Lyme disease coinfections; Sunjya Schweig, MD; Podcast: How to Prevent and Heal Lyme and Its Co-Infections.

[01:03:03] Testosterone replacement therapy.

[01:08:32] Book: The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous, by Joseph Henrich.

[01:10:43] Personality traits; Introversion/Extraversion.

[01:20:50] Podcast: Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma and Consensual Nonmonogamy, with Jessica Fern.

[01:25:30] Homelessness, mental health, and intellect.

[01:27:55] Overrated virtues.

[01:31:24] Podcast: Healing and Transformation with Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), with Jason Connell.

[01:29:27] Problems with empathy.

[01:33:39] Jealousy.

[01:40:01] Object A; Peter Rollins.

[01:45:52] theminimalists.com.

Family physician Deborah Gordon, MD is the founder and Medical Director of the Northwest Memory Center in Ashland, Oregon. Her decades-long practice has revolved around healthy and adoptable lifestyle choices that impact the development of health problems, with a more recent focus on choices that affect cognitive health and neurodegenerative disease. Deborah has been on the podcast before to talk about autoimmunity, and she’s with me today to discuss her new study, currently in the peer review process, in which potential contributors to cognitive decline are identified and targeted therapeutically.

​On this podcast, Deborah discusses the potential for using a precision medicine approach to Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment. Inspired by the work of physician and author Dr Dale Bredesen, Deborah has been working with patients to identify and treat root causes, including environmental exposures and infections, while promoting many of the lifestyle changes we talk about all the time on this podcast.  The results are astounding, and call into question the current standard of care for Alzheimer’s. 

Benjamin Bikman, PhD is an internationally renowned scientist and pathophysiology professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Currently, his professional focus is to better understand the origins and consequences of metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes, with a particular emphasis on the role of insulin. He frequently publishes his research in peer-reviewed journals and presents at international science and public meetings.

​On this podcast, Ben talks with NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall about insulin resistance: what causes it, how it develops in the body, and the downstream effects of this all-too-common condition. Ben discusses the role of insulin as a regulator of human metabolism and its relevance in the development of most chronic diseases. He also offers a simple and effective prescription for optimal metabolic health and healthy ageing. 

Here’s the outline of this interview with Benjamin Bikman:

[00:00:00] Ben’s previous (2017) appearance on the NBT Podcast: Ketones, Insulin and the Physiology of Fat Cells.

[00:00:42] Ben's background and his study of metabolism.

[00:02:27] Ben's lab at BYU.

[00:03:05] Insulin resistance, defined.

[00:05:19] Causes of insulin resistance.

[00:06:15] Problems with measuring insulin resistance.

[00:10:24] Effects of diet, inflammation and stress on creating insulin resistance.

[00:14:18] How insulin resistance develops in the body.

[00:20:31] Fat hypertrophy vs hyperplasia.

[00:22:24] The Athlete's Paradox.

[00:24:22] Insulin resistance at the level of the brain; Alzheimer's as Type 3 Diabetes.

[00:28:25] Brain fog; Stephen Cunnane, PhD., Research Center on Aging, Universite de Sherbrooke.

[00:28:53] Young women with PCOS exhibit brain hypometabolism and insulin resistance; Study: Castellano, Christian-Alexandre, et al. "Regional brain glucose hypometabolism in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome: possible link to mild insulin resistance." PLoS One 10.12 (2015): e0144116.

[00:29:41] Pathological vs physiological insulin resistance.

[00:33:14] Just 50g of carbohydrate the night before improves outcomes on oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT); Study: Klein, Klara R., et al. "Carbohydrate intake prior to oral glucose tolerance testing." Journal of the Endocrine Society 5.5 (2021): bvab049.

[00:38:20] Problems with the focus on calories in nutrition research.

[00:43:09] Video: Dr. Benjamin Bikman - 'Insulin vs. Glucagon: The relevance of dietary protein'.

[00:46:55] Book: Why We Get Sick: The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Most Chronic Disease and How to Fight It.

[00:51:22] Study: Walton, Chase M., et al. "Ketones Elicit Distinct Alterations in Adipose Mitochondrial Bioenergetics." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 21.17 (2020): 6255.

[00:51:52] Untreated diabetes and metabolic rate; A Study of Metabolism in Severe Diabetes, by Francis G. Benedict and Elliott P. Joslin.

[00:52:26] Insulin significantly reduces energy expenditure; Study: Nair, K. S., D. Halliday, and J. S. Garrow. "Increased energy expenditure in poorly controlled type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients." Diabetologia 27.1 (1984): 13-16.

[00:54:42] Ketogenic diet and lifespan; Megan’s study: Roberts, Megan N., et al. "A ketogenic diet extends longevity and healthspan in adult mice." Cell metabolism 26.3 (2017): 539-546.

[00:55:56] Effects of β-Hydroxybutyrate on skeletal muscle mitochondria; Study: Parker, Brian A., et al. "β-Hydroxybutyrate elicits favorable mitochondrial changes in skeletal muscle." International journal of molecular sciences 19.8 (2018): 2247.

[00:56:42] Effects of ketones on β-cell function; Study: Gropp, Jarom, et al. "β-Hydroxybutyrate improves β-cell mitochondrial function and survival." Journal of Insulin Resistance 2.1 (2017): 1-8.

[00:58:44] Paper out of UC Davis: Zhou, Zeyu, et al. "A ketogenic diet impacts markers of mitochondrial mass in a tissue specific manner in aged mice." Aging (Albany NY) 13.6 (2021): 7914.

[01:00:04] Ketone concentrations during a 36-hour fast; Study: Deru, Landon S., et al. "The Effects of Exercise on Beta-Hydroxybutyrate Concentrations over a 36-h Fast: A Randomized Crossover Study." Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (2021).

[01:02:27] Prescription for optimal metabolic health and healthy ageing.

[01:03:15] 4 pillars: control carbs, prioritize protein, don't fear fat, fast.

[01:05:19] Where to find Ben: Instagram, HLTH Code meal replacement shake.

Ben Azadi, FDN-P, is on a mission to help 1 billion people live a healthier lifestyle. Ben is the author of three best-selling books and has become a trusted resource on intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet. He is an advocate for investigating dysfunction and then educating, rather than medicating, to return the body to a state of health. Ben is also the host of the Keto Kamp Podcast and the creator of several online courses to help you build and achieve keto and intermittent fasting results that stick.

On this podcast, Ben and I discuss the current state of keto and steps to take for those who want to improve their metabolic health. We talk about the best oils and artificial sweeteners (and the ones to avoid), electrolytes, and liver support. We also discuss sleep as the foundation of health, and how inadequate sleep can sabotage your diet. Ben also describes some of the key points in his latest book, Keto Flex, which brings together the benefits of a low carb lifestyle, intermittent fasting, nutrient timing and carb cycling for optimal energy, fat burning and hormone balance.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Ben Azadi:

[00:00:17] Ben's Podcast: Keto Kamp.

[00:00:30] Ben's background and interest in keto.

[00:01:05] Inspirations: Paul Chek, Dave Asprey, Dr. Daniel Pompa.

[00:03:24] Lessons learned from Keto + Crossfit.

[00:07:05] Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes being reversed with keto + intermittent fasting.

[00:09:16] Problems with industrial seed oils.

[00:09:57] Ben's podcasts with Brian Peskin and Dr. Cate Shanahan.

[00:11:18] Books by Dr. Cate Shanahan: Food Rules: A Doctor's Guide to Healthy Eating (2010), Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food (2017), and The Fatburn Fix: Boost Energy, End Hunger, and Lose Weight by Using Body Fat for Fuel (2020).

[00:12:29] Oils: which to avoid, which to use.

[00:16:11] Book: The P:E Diet: Leverage Your Biology to Achieve Optimal Health, by Ted Naiman, MD; Ted on the NBT Podcast.

[00:18:06] Video: AHS18 Todd Becker - How Hormesis Works.

[00:18:46] Podcast: Dominic D'Agostino: Researcher and Athlete on the Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet.

[00:19:18] Podcast: Rethinking Diabetes: Inspiring UK-based Healthcare Professionals Achieving Remarkable Outcomes, with Ruth Tapsell.

[00:19:42] Dr. Eric Westman.

[00:22:35] Artificial Sweeteners and sugar alcohols.

[00:22:45] Gary Taubes on the Keto Kamp podcast.

[00:23:08] Artificial sweeteners increase insulin in the body; Study: Pepino, M. Yanina, et al. "Sucralose affects glycemic and hormonal responses to an oral glucose load." Diabetes care 36.9 (2013): 2530-2535.

[00:23:26] Pharmacokinetics of Splenda in the human body; Study: Roberts, A., et al. "Sucralose metabolism and pharmacokinetics in man." Food and chemical toxicology 38 (2000): 31-41.

[00:27:26] Video: UK doctor switches to 80% ULTRA-processed food diet for 30 days.

[00:28:17] Electrolytes; Stephen Phinney, MD, PhD.

[00:28:32] Bile and bitters to support the liver.

[00:30:23] Pomegranate husk powder.

[00:30:24] Jason Hawrelak, PhD; Podcast: How to Use Probiotics to Improve Your Health.

[00:32:01] Sleep: the foundation of health.

[00:32:35] Hormonal effects of inadequate sleep; Review: Leproult, Rachel, and Eve Van Cauter. "Role of sleep and sleep loss in hormonal release and metabolism." Pediatric Neuroendocrinology 17 (2010): 11-21.

[00:35:31] Tracking sleep: Oura Ring, Whoop Band.

[00:36:16] Mike T. Nelson, PhD; appearances on NBT podcast: 1, 2, 3, 4. 5.

[00:37:36] Early Time Restricted Eating (eTRE); Podcasts with Satchin Panda, PhD. and Bill Lagakos, PhD.

[00:39:57] Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM); Kara Collier from NutriSense on the Keto Kamp Podcast and on the NBT Podcast.

[00:41:20] Problems with long-term keto.

[00:42:18] Book: Keto Flex: The 4 Secrets to Reduce Inflammation, Burn Fat & Reboot Your Metabolism, by Ben Azadi.

[00:42:55] Book: Perfect Health Diet: Regain Health and Lose Weight by Eating the Way You Were Meant to Eat, by Paul Jaminet and Shou-Ching Jaminet, PhD.

[00:44:19] Book: The Case for Keto: Rethinking Weight Control and the Science and Practice of Low-Carb/High-Fat Eating, by Gary Taubes.

[00:44:49] Benjamin Bikman, PhD.

[00:45:50] Podcasts featuring Eric Helms, PhD: The Nutrition and Science of Natural Bodybuilding, and Diet and Lifting Q&A with Natural Bodybuilder, Eric Helms.

[00:47:30] Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).

[00:48:40] Speaking at upcoming conferences.

[00:51:04] Keto Kamp podcast featuring NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall.

Dan Engle, MD, is a psychiatrist with a clinical practice that combines aspects of regenerative medicine, psychedelic research, integrative spirituality, and peak performance.

His medical degree is from the University of Texas at San Antonio. His psychiatry residency degree is from the University of Colorado Denver, and his child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship degree is from Oregon Health & Science University

On this podcast, Dan talks about the potential to help people heal trauma - and instigate change in their lives - with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. He discusses how this drug, commonly known as Ecstacy, has been shown in studies to be remarkably effective for curing even difficult cases of post-traumatic stress disorder. We talk about his new book, A Dose of Hope, which offers a client’s first-person account of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for healing transgenerational trauma.

An important disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical recommendations, diagnoses, or treatment. The use of information in this podcast is at one’s own discretion and is not an endorsement of use given the complexity inherent in these medicines, and the current variable widespread illegality of their usage.

Dr. Ruth Tapsell is an NHS GP and an ambassador for the UK’s Public Health Collaborative, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to improving the quality of public health education. She and her colleagues have been having outstanding success helping patients to reverse their type 2 diabetes with a low carbohydrate diet. During a time when improving metabolic health is more important than ever, Ruth is showing that it is indeed possible to turn the metabolic supertanker around quickly and effectively.

​On this podcast, Ruth shares her perspective as a GP treating type 2 diabetes and prediabetes with a low carb approach. We discuss the effects this approach could have on a societal scale, including improved public health outcomes and huge financial savings, should the NHS adopt lifestyle interventions as the first-line treatment for metabolic disorders. Ruth also offers resources for making the change to low carb, for both health care consumers and practitioners.

As a reminder, the information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice.

Back on the podcast with me today is licensed therapist and certified meditation teacher, Jason Connell. His work focuses on the intersection of evidence-based psychology, philosophy, and enduring insights from the wisdom traditions. His goal is to help his clients develop self-love and self-compassion while solving persistent and challenging problems related to happiness, stress, anxiety, work, relationships, and finding meaning.

On this podcast, Jason talks about Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), the approach he uses to foster connection and facilitate positive transformational experiences with his clients. We discuss the goals of this therapeutic method, including the healing of attachment injury, which affects about 50% of the population. You can also listen in as Jason guides me through a short AEDP session right here on the podcast.

Ted Naiman MD is a board-certified Family Medicine physician in the Department of Primary Care at a leading major medical centre in Seattle. His research and medical practice are focused on the practical implementation of diet and exercise for health optimization. He is also the author of The P:E Diet, which breaks down the success of every dietary strategy into one simple metric: Protein vs. Energy.

On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall interviews Ted about the basic levers that govern physiology and how to achieve mastery over your own body composition. Ted talks about the Protein:Energy (P:E) Ratio and why how much you eat depends on what you eat. He discusses why adequate protein is necessary for longevity and healthspan, and the differences between plant and animal sources of this critical macronutrient.

Luke Burgis is an entrepreneur and author, who has co-created and led four companies in wellness, consumer products, and technology. He is Managing Partner of Fourth Wall Ventures, an incubator that he founded to build, train, and invest in people and companies that contribute to a healthy human ecology. He is also a recognized expert in French thinker René Girard's mimetic theory.

On this podcast, Luke discusses mimetic desire - how people unconsciously want what others want, and therefore value jobs, spouses, brands, moral viewpoints, and even themselves according to the desires of others. He describes this phenomenon, which has been exploited by internet trolls, politicians, and ad agencies, in his new book Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life. Luke also talks about how the future depends on what we learn to want today, and how best to cultivate desires that are authentic for each of us.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Luke Burgis: 

[00:00:35] Book: Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life, by Luke Burgis.

[00:00:36] Ryan Nicodemus of the Minimalists.

[00:01:00] Book: Violence and the Sacred by René Girard.

[00:02:05] Luke's background and interest in René Girard and mimetic theory.

[00:05:03] Tony Hsieh of Zappos.

[00:08:42] Mimetic desire.

[00:10:58] Ubuntu.

[00:13:43] Christopher Ryan; Books: Sex at Dawn and Civilized to Death; Podcast: Civilized to Death: Are We Really Making Progress?

[00:14:07] Distinguishing between biological needs and desires.

[00:17:37] Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and the first outside investor in Facebook.

[00:25:04] Movie: The Prestige.

[00:25:35] Good violence vs. bad violence

[00:30:35] Mimetic models: people we look to to shape our desires; Celebristan vs. Freshmanistan.

[00:33:04] Thin vs. thick desire.

[00:36:00] Mimetic rivalry.

[00:37:06] Cultivating thick desires.

[00:40:28] Simon Marshall, PhD; Study: Haubenstricker, John E., et al. "The Effect Of Acculturation And Socioeconomic Status On Dietary Patterns In Mexican-American Women: 1716: Board# 66 May 27 3: 30 PM-5: 00 PM." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 41.5 (2009): 106.

[00:41:07] Exposure to TV associated with eating disorders; Study: Becker, Anne E. "Television, disordered eating, and young women in Fiji: Negotiating body image and identity during rapid social change." Culture, medicine and psychiatry 28.4 (2004): 533-559.

[00:42:25] Luke's Anti-Mimetic Newsletter.

[00:45:10] Celibacy.

[00:47:05] Jamie Wheal; Podcast: Recapture the Rapture: Rethinking God, Sex, and Death in a World That's Lost Its Mind.

[00:48:03] Lukeburgis.com.

Patrick Samy is the co-founder and CEO of Span Health, a start-up that offers health coaching informed by biometric data from lab work and wearable devices. Like me, Patrick started out as a software engineer confronted with his own health challenges. Pairing his curiosity for biology with his background in computer science, and adding in a new generation of more accurate consumer health and fitness devices, Patrick is leading Span Health to enable everyday athletes to take their health and performance to a new level.

In this podcast, Patrick talks about the value of personal biometric data for finding your individual path to optimal performance and longevity. He shares lessons learned from his own experiments with wearable data trackers, and trends he’s observed while working with clients. We also discuss his go-to devices and biomarkers to track, and the lifestyle interventions that make the biggest difference.

Kelly Casperson, MD is a board-certified urologist and self-taught women’s sexual health expert. Years of helping care for women has shown her that we, as a society, are not doing enough to teach women about their mind, body and relationships. Kelly aims to break down societal barriers and combat limiting beliefs that are keeping women from awakening into their best intimate experience. She is basically the friendly expert you never had, to teach you - You Are Not Broken.

On this podcast, Kelly talks about women’s sexual health and wellness, including the biological and psychological issues that stand in the way of having a great sex life. She talks about spontaneous vs. responsive desire, and why unrealistic expectations may be a huge barrier to intimacy. Kelly also offers great tips for improving sexual health and function, from mind-body strategies like mindfulness and meditation to purely physiological options like topical estrogen and lube.

Peter Dobromylskyj is a UK-based veterinary anaesthetist and nutrition blogger whose blog Hyperlipid is amongst the longest-running and most highly respected in the low-carb and ancestral health communities. Peter has been writing about the biochemistry of nutrition since 2006, and has authored over 800 posts aimed at reviewing, analysing, and interpreting nutrition literature. Given his outside-the-box thinking and unconventional approach to metabolism and health, Peter’s work has amassed a large and devoted following.

Today, NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall interviews Peter to talk about insulin resistance, including the factors that cause it and why the condition is actually physiologically adaptive. Peter compares dietary saturated fats to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and explains why the scientific literature can be misleading when determining which truly promotes health. He gives specific science-based recommendations for how much PUFA to include in your diet, and also offers advice on what to feed your pets.

For additional resources on insulin resistance and the influence of dietary fat sources, be sure to see the outline Megan wrote to prepare for this podcast.

Elevated blood glucose is one of the earliest and most common indicators of worsening metabolic health, insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. For our clients, fasting blood glucose and triglycerides are amongst the first things we test to get a snapshot view of metabolic health. We’ve now added HbA1C - a marker that offers a broader look at glycemic history - to our baseline blood panel, to better evaluate our clients.

On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall talks about the HbA1C blood test: what it is, who needs it, and why you should care. Megan talks about the optimal reference range for this test, and when to become concerned about your result (hint: it’s sooner than your doctor would have you believe). She also talks about exactly what to do if your A1C is out of range, and how a continuous glucose monitor can help you evaluate your body’s response to different foods and other environmental factors.

Michael S. Sorensen is a business executive by day and a bestselling author, speaker, and relationship coach by night. He has helped hundreds of thousands of people across the world heal broken relationships, revitalize their confidence, and become masters of connection in business, love, and life. Unique among others in his field, Michael is not a therapist, social worker, or medical professional. Instead, he gained his knowledge by going to therapy himself—1-2 times per week, for over five years—and voraciously consuming every relationship and self-help book he could get his hands on.

On this podcast, Michael talks about one of the most valuable (yet little-known) communication skills - validation. The subject of his book, I Hear You, validation is the key to calming fears and uncertainties, increasing feelings of love and appreciation in relationships, and giving advice and feedback that sticks. Michael shares his 4-step method for validating others (and oneself), talks about how to identify emotions, and shares why validation is such a simple yet powerful interpersonal tool.

Back on the podcast with me today is Physical Therapist and Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach Zac Cupples. When it comes to physiology, movement and biomechanics, Zac is among the best and has become an invaluable resource to me and many of our clients. He offers online movement consultation, mentoring, and fitness training, with expertise in the areas of rehab, training, nutrition, sleep, stress management, breathing, pain, and sports science.

​On this podcast, Zac and I are talking about the impact of mouth and face structure on breathing, sleeping, and overall health. Zac discusses some of the causes of abnormal facial development, and the problems that result, including sleep disorders, crowded and crooked teeth, and worsened athletic performance. He also describes the best way to assess for breathing problems at night and offers some tips for prevention and intervention.

For the last 18 months or so NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall has been holding weekly Office Hours sessions on Zoom. It’s a chance for our clients and Patreon supporters to ask questions about just about anything related to improving health and performance and get answers based on the scientific literature. This has become such a valuable resource for the NBT community that I wanted to share just a taste of it on the podcast today.

Today you can listen in on one of Megan’s recent Office Hours sessions. First, she discusses ways to increase the body’s nitric oxide (NO) production, including the best foods and the supplements arginine and citrulline. NO’s most important function is vasodilation, meaning it relaxes the inner muscles of the blood vessels, causing them to widen and increase circulation. Later she talks about natural ways to keep mosquitos away, including her favourite non-toxic insect repellant and other lesser-known strategies for staying bug-bite free.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Megan Hall:

[00:00:01] Podcast: Why Cholesterol Levels Have No Effect on Cardiovascular Disease (And Things to Think about Instead), with Malcolm Kendrick.

[00:00:13] Podcast: The Pleiotropic Effects of Sunlight, with Megan Hall.

[00:01:53] Nitric oxide precursor: L-citrulline.

[00:03:02] Study: Tsuboi, Tomoe, Morihiko Maeda, and Toshio Hayashi. "Administration of L-arginine plus L-citrulline or L-citrulline alone successfully retarded endothelial senescence." PloS one 13.2 (2018): e0192252.

[00:04:15] Figure 1 from Study: Figueroa, Arturo, et al. "Influence of L-citrulline and watermelon supplementation on vascular function and exercise performance." Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care 20.1 (2017): 92-98.

[00:06:24] L-citrulline may reduce blood pressure in hypertensive individuals; Studies: 1. Kapil, Vikas, et al. "Inorganic nitrate supplementation lowers blood pressure in humans: role for nitrite-derived NO." Hypertension 56.2 (2010): 274-281; 2. Bonilla Ocampo, Diego A., et al. "Dietary nitrate from beetroot juice for hypertension: A systematic review." Biomolecules 8.4 (2018): 134.

[00:06:29] L-citrulline may help with erectile dysfunction; Study: Cormio, Luigi, et al. "Oral L-citrulline supplementation improves erection hardness in men with mild erectile dysfunction." Urology 77.1 (2011): 119-122.

[00:07:52] Dosing L-citrulline.

[00:08:34] Concentrated nitrate supplements and foods.

[00:10:12] Supplementing L-citrulline; Allergy Research Group L-Citrulline powder.

[00:10:58] Eat more watermelon, dark chocolate, and beetroot; Studies: Bonilla Ocampo, Diego A., et al. "Dietary nitrate from beetroot juice for hypertension: A systematic review." Biomolecules 8.4 (2018): 134; 2. Sudarma, Verawati, Sri Sukmaniah, and Parlindungan Siregar. "Effect of dark chocolate on nitric oxide serum levels and blood pressure in prehypertension subjects." Acta Med Indones 43.4 (2011): 224-8; 3. Faridi, Zubaida, et al. "Acute dark chocolate and cocoa ingestion and endothelial function: a randomized controlled crossover trial." The American journal of clinical nutrition 88.1 (2008): 58-63; 4. Ried, K., P. Fakler, and N. P. Stocks. "Cochrane Hypertension Group National Institute of Integrative Medicine. Effect of cocoa on blood pressure." Cochrane Database Syst Rev (2017).

[00:11:30] Natural ways to keep mosquitos away.

[00:11:51] Blog post: 12 Mosquito Repellant Plants.

[00:12:09] Yellow light bulbs.

[00:12:40] Nature Spray (nontoxic natural mosquito repellent).

[00:13:20] Citronella Candles.

I’m so excited to introduce you today to a good friend of mine. Jason Connell is a licensed psychotherapist practising in the state of Colorado, with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from Fordham University. He works with a focus on Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), a therapeutic methodology that works toward healing trauma and expanding positive transformational experiences. He is also a certified meditation teacher and has advanced training in motivational enhancement. 

On this podcast, Jason and I talk about his personal and professional evolution, from entertaining the masses as a magician at the age of 6 to embracing his current role as a teacher and psychotherapist. He describes his young adult life of travelling and volunteering (and inspiring others to do the same), and becoming a public speaker as a “22-year old jackass.” Perhaps most valuable are Jason’s insights on entrepreneurism and the importance of authentic communication.

Anaemia is an incredibly common blood condition in which you lack enough red blood cells - or haemoglobin within them - to adequately deliver and supply oxygen to the body’s tissues. Worldwide, children and pregnant women are disproportionately affected, though we’ve had a number of clients benefit from lifestyle changes aimed at increasing haemoglobin. And I can tell you from personal experience, anaemia can have a measurable impact on athletic performance.

On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall and I are talking about low oxygen deliverability resulting from anaemia and the many factors that can lead to this condition. We discuss in detail the blood tests that suggest anaemia is affecting your health, along with science-based optimal reference ranges for the most important markers.

Megan also details steps you can take to improve your oxygen deliverability status if your haemoglobin is low (and taking an iron pill is not always the answer!).

There’s a ton of great information in this one, so be sure to follow along with the outline Megan wrote to prepare for the podcast. 

Back on the podcast today is Eric Helms, PhD. Eric is a research fellow at the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand at Auckland University of Technology, pursuing research in training, nutrition and psychology for strength and physique sport. He has a PhD in Strength and Conditioning with a research focus on autoregulating powerlifting, a masters with a research focus on protein and macronutrient manipulation for dieting bodybuilders, a second masters in exercise science and health promotion. Also an athlete, Eric earned pro status as a natural bodybuilder with the Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association in 2011 and is a powerlifter in the International Powerlifting Federation.

Today’s podcast is a Q&A, with Eric fielding questions on some of the best diet and weight lifting strategies. Eric offers an insider’s view on the psychological effects of dieting for competition and also describes some of the most popular non-linear eating strategies and who might benefit from them. He discusses the power of refeeds and diet breaks when it comes to maintaining weight loss, and explains why a flexible approach is more likely to result in long-term success. Eric also addresses the "repetitions in reserve" -based rating of perceived exertion and describes the benefit of using muscle and strength pyramids. 

Computational neuroscientist and biomedical software engineer Balázs Szigeti, PhD. is on the podcast this week to talk about the science behind the increasingly popular practice of microdosing. Microdosing is broadly defined as the regular use of low-dose psychedelic substances such as LSD or psilocybin mushrooms. Distinct from psychedelic therapy or common recreational use, microdosing involves using only around 10% of a typical dose of the drug. Balázs has collaborated with the Global Drug Survey to quantitatively study drug use patterns, and most recently he designed and led the Imperial College self-blinding microdose study published in the open-access journal eLife Sciences.

On this podcast, Balázs discusses the results of his study that examined whether psychedelic microdosing can improve cognitive function and psychological well-being. He reviews the existing clinical research on the topic and describes the innovative study design that enabled him to run the largest placebo-controlled study on psychedelics to date. Balázs also reveals the surprising results of the study, which suggest that expectation may play a significant role in feeling better.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Balázs Szigeti:

[00:00:17] Imperial College London Centre for Psychedelic Research.

[00:02:47] The current science on microdosing.

[00:04:12] Paper: Szigeti, Balázs, et al. "Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing." ELife 10 (2021): e62878. 

[00:04:18] Citizen Science and self-blinding.

[00:16:26] Results of the study.

[00:21:39] Sourcing LSD and LSD analogues.

[00:22:24] Book: American Kingpin, by Nick Bilton.

[00:24:35] Existing clinical studies on microdosing: 1. Yanakieva, Steliana, et al. "The effects of microdose LSD on time perception: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial." Psychopharmacology 236.4 (2019): 1159-1170; 2. Hutten, Nadia RPW, et al. "Mood and cognition after administration of low LSD doses in healthy volunteers: A placebo controlled dose-effect finding study." European Neuropsychopharmacology 41 (2020): 81-91; 3. Bershad, Anya K., et al. "Acute subjective and behavioral effects of microdoses of lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy human volunteers." Biological psychiatry 86.10 (2019): 792-800.

[00:27:53] The key to a strong placebo response.

[00:29:36] Acute and post-acute outcomes.

[00:41:44] Book: Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body by Jo Marchant.

[00:44:01] Hamilton Depression Scale. 

[00:52:13] Future directions and testing additional substances.

[00:54:44] examine.com.

[00:55:03] labdoor.com.

[00:55:52] mydelica.com for Balazs’ self-blinding microdose study 2.0.

[00:57:27] Limitations of the study.

[01:07:27] Selfblinding-microdose.org.

Jamie Wheal is an expert in peak performance and leadership, specializing in neuroanthropology - the intersection of culture, biology and psychology. He is the co-author of the global bestseller and Pulitzer Prize nominated book, Stealing Fire, and the founder of the Flow Genome Project, an international organization dedicated to the research and training of ultimate human performance. Since founding the organization in 2011, it has gone on to become a leading voice of evidence-based peak performance, counting award-winning academics, legendary professional athletes, special operations commanders, and Fortune 500 business leaders among the hundreds of thousands of people in its global community.

​On this podcast, Jamie discusses the “meaning crisis” that we’re suffering as a society, with fundamentalism and nihilism filling the vacuum. He offers a blunt and eye-opening perspective on where we are today as a culture, why it’s so hard to make sense of the world, and how our efforts to cope are likely making things worse. Jamie explains how best to bring about healing, inspiration, and connection, so we can wake up, grow up, and show up for a world that needs us all.

Jamie’s upcoming book, Recapture the Rapture, is set to release on April 27, 2021.

My guest today is Julian Abel, MD, the Director of Compassionate Communities UK. Julian was on the show a couple of years ago to discuss his innovative model for combating social isolation in the town of Frome in Somerset, UK.  The goal of his project was to improve health outcomes and quality of life, and a measurable difference was made, in both healthcare cost savings and reduced ER admissions. The work of Compassionate Communities has since spurred further initiatives and is now transforming perspectives on matters of healthcare and social wellbeing around the world. 

On this podcast Julian and I talk about the power of compassion, and how reason, emotion, and inspiration can help build connection and reduce loneliness. Julian shares how Compassionate Communities is growing as a social movement and talks about what each of us can do to make the world a kinder place. He also reveals plans for Compassionate Communities USA, set to launch in the next few months with a free and inclusive conference.

Jessica Fern is a psychotherapist, author, public speaker and trauma and relationship expert. She has worked with individuals, couples and people in multiple-partner relationships to overcome reactive communication patterns rooted in insecure attachment and trauma. She is the author of Polysecure, a book that focuses on creating emotionally intimate and securely attached relationships with multiple partners.

On this podcast, Jessica talks about attachment theory, what it means to be securely attached, and how insecure attachment could be limiting your relationships. We discuss how to raise securely attached children and how to spot the different forms of insecure attachment. We also discuss polyamory and why the success of consensual non-monogamy hinges on the attachment status of the participants.

More than 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates suggested all disease begins in the gut. He was mostly right, and we’ve talked about the gut many times on this podcast – in relation to athletic performance, optimising the gut microbiome, and even how to use probiotics. But a couple of weeks ago I realized that we’ve never talked specifically and in depth about exactly what to do when you have a gut problem. GI issues are where I started my health journey, and probably bring more clients through our doors than any other condition, and they can affect absolutely anyone - athlete or not.

On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall and I are talking about the steps to take when your gut isn’t working right. We talk about how things tend to go awry in the first place, signs and symptoms that you have a gut problem, and the first things to try to get quick relief. Megan also discusses the most scientifically-validated lifestyle modifications, supplements, and lab tests to try, as well as the pros and cons of using antimicrobials.

Be sure to follow along with Megan’s outline for this podcast. 

My guest today is dating and confidence coach, Nick Notas. For more than twelve years he has helped men conquer their fears, build self-esteem, and develop meaningful relationships. In the age of Tinder, dating can be a challenge, and Nick offers tons of practical advice to help in that arena. One thing I really appreciate about him is his deeper focus on building confidence and communication skills, which can certainly help with dating, but surely transforms all significant relationships and social networks.

On this podcast, Nick and I talk about considerations for modern-day dating. We discuss how lockdowns over the past year have affected the dating scene, and what’s likely to happen when restrictions are lifted. Nick shares some practical advice for using dating apps: how to make a good first impression, making that first message count, and giving compliments that don’t suck. 

Stephen Patterson, PhD is an Associate Professor in Applied Exercise Physiology & Performance and the director of the Centre for Applied Performance Sciences at St. Mary’s University in London. Stephen has published more than 60 scientific research papers investigating strategies to improve performance in clinical groups and elite athletes, with a focus on the adaptation and response to exercise. He is currently investigating the use of blood flow restriction and ischemic preconditioning before and during exercise.

On this podcast, Stephen discusses blood flow restriction (BFR) training, including what it is, how it works, and who can benefit from it.  He shares the importance of using cuffs and properly measuring the pressure they apply, as well as things to look for when purchasing a set. He also shares some conclusions drawn from recent BFR research, including the optimal number of reps, effects of BFR on bone and tendons, and the most important factor when aiming for muscle hypertrophy.

Herman Pontzer, PhD is an author and Associate Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University. Through lab and field research, he investigates the physiology of humans and apes to understand how ecology, lifestyle, diet, and evolutionary history affect metabolism and health. In his new book, Burn, he reveals how human metabolism really works, based on his studies of energy expenditure in modern-day hunter-gatherers.

On this podcast, Herman and I discuss his groundbreaking research showing the effects of exercise on human metabolism, and their implications for obesity and disease prevention. He describes the astonishing results that emerged when directly measuring the metabolism of Tanzania’s highly active and healthy Hadza people while engaged in their daily activities. The conclusions he draws shed light on what people really need to do to lose weight and keep it off (and it’s not low-carb).

It would be hard to find any health practitioner - traditional, functional, or otherwise - who doesn’t acknowledge the importance of consuming omega-3 fatty acids. Supplements in the form of fish oil or krill oil are widely recommended and consumed, and come with claims of cardiovascular disease prevention, cognitive benefits, and anti-inflammatory properties. But is it really a good idea to get your omega-3s in a gel cap rather than from food? And do they really do everything the media would have you believe?

On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall and I discuss omega-3 fatty acids: what they are, what they’re good for, and the best ways to get them. Megan outlines the different types of omega-3 and explains why some are better than others. She also explains why some health claims are overblown, and why buying fish oil supplements may not be the best health strategy.

Be sure to follow along with Megan’s outline for this podcast. 

It’s been about five years since Advanced Biomechanics Coach Nigel McHollan last joined me on the podcast to talk about bike fit. Certified as a Primal Health Coach, a SOMA Breath Work Meditation Instructor, and Level 4 Strength and Conditioning Coach, Nigel has since developed and deepened his health and wellness practice. Also with us today is Certified Health Coach and SOMA Breathwork Instructor, Kara Lynn Kelly.

On this podcast, Nigel and Kara discuss breathwork and it’s many benefits including stress relief and improved overall health, as well as altered states of consciousness. We compare some of the different types of breathwork to choose from, and also look at some of the beneficial aspects of nasal breathing - yes, even during exercise and sport. Kara also guides us through a short breathwork session right here on the podcast so you can get a sense of it’s calming and centring effects. See how you feel after just a 10-minute session!

I’m excited to announce that Nourish Balance Thrive has partnered with Nigel and Kara to offer a live eight-week Energised Meditation breathwork group program beginning March 4, 2021. Click here to sign up.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Nigel McHollan and Kara Kelly:

[00:00:11] Nigel’s previous appearance on the podcast: Bike fit done right with Nigel McHollan.

[00:00:47] Book: Back mechanic by Stuart McGill.

[00:01:08] Stuart McGill on STEM Talk and interviewed by Greg Potter.

[00:05:00] Soma breathwork.

[00:06:15] Kelly's introduction to breathwork.

[00:09:27] Influence of CO2 on the Default mode network (DMN). Study: Xu, Feng, et al. "The influence of carbon dioxide on brain activity and metabolism in conscious humans." Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism 31.1 (2011): 58-67.

[00:10:15] Anatomy of a breathwork session.

[00:12:30] Biochemistry behind breathwork experiences.

[00:15:12] Comparing different breathwork techniques.

[00:17:42] Setting of intentions.

[00:17:53] Stanislav Grav: Holotropic breathwork.

[00:18:09] Podcast: How to Fix Your Breathing to Improve Your Health, with James Nestor. Book: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, by James Nestor.

[00:18:15] Book: The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name, by Brian C. Muraresku.

[00:18:53] Pranayama vs. Soma; Article: What Is Breathwork? Explanation Of Different Breathing Techniques Vs. Pranayama.

[00:19:19] Niraj Naik, founder of Soma.

[00:20:10] Progressive Muscle Relaxation

[00:20:54] Books by Yogani: Deep Meditation - Pathway to Personal Freedom and Spinal Breathing Pranayama - Journey to Inner Space.

[00:24:44] Joe Dispenza.

[00:25:13] Field Coherence.

[00:26:40] Muscular Bonding.

[00:29:54] Book: The story of the human body by Daniel Lieberman.

[00:30:59] Podcast: Wired to Run: Why Your Brain Needs Exercise, with David Raichlen, PhD.

[00:34:15] Mouth taping.

[00:34:47] Dr. Phil Maffetone.

[00:35:07] Patrick McKeown on nasal breathing. Book: The Oxygen Advantage: The simple, scientifically proven breathing technique that will revolutionise your health and fitness, by Patrick McKeown.

[00:36:04] Bohr effect.

[00:37:37] Sweet Beat App.

[00:39:15] Elite HRV; CorSense.

[00:40:00] Sample breathwork session.

[00:53:22] Do a breath retention time test first thing in the AM.

[00:55:04] Sign up for the 8-week Energised Meditation group program.

[00:55:17] Find Kara on Facebook; Find Nigel on Facebook/Messenger; Nigel’s website.

There’s no doubt this is a time of uncertainty. COVID-19 has changed the way most of us live, and it’s not clear when or if we’ll be able to resume the activities we took for granted just a year ago. Rather than waiting for the government to figure it all out, our best defence against infectious disease is optimising metabolic health and immune function. For that, sleep is arguably the keystone behaviour.

Today I’m joined again by our resident sleep expert, Greg Potter, PhD to talk about the effects of sleep on the immune system. Greg explains how poor sleep and sleep disorders profoundly impact the body’s ability to combat infections, including the common cold, pneumonia, and COVID-19. He also discusses the importance of getting enough sleep in the days leading up to vaccination and offers pandemic-specific tips for better sleep.

Paul Laursen, PhD is an athlete, author, endurance coach, high-performance consultant and entrepreneur. He’s published over 125 peer-reviewed papers in exercise and sports science journals, and his work has been cited more than 8,000 times. We’ve had Paul on the podcast before to talk about High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), as described in his book and brought to life in his online course. 

On this podcast, Paul describes how he’s taken HIIT training to a new level by creating the Athletica software, to help athletes train smarter, not harder. Using the principles in his book, this software can adapt a plan based on your current fitness levels, goals, training sessions and life. As an athlete and software developer, I couldn’t resist asking Paul some tough questions about how it all works.

Over time we’ve seen an increasing number of clients come to us with symptoms of histamine intolerance, including seasonal allergies, headaches, skin issues and digestive problems. And although doctors would likely treat these as separate conditions, we believe common root causes are certainly at play. We’ve learned that histamine problems often originate in the gut, but environmental and lifestyle factors can definitely make them worse.

On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director and coach Megan Hall and I discuss histamine intolerance, including causes, symptoms, and potential treatments. We talk about why this condition is difficult to diagnose, and some of the signs that suggest your “histamine bucket” is overflowing. Megan describes the best options for fixing the problem at the source, including diet, supplements, and environmental changes.

Eric Helms, PhD is a New Zealand-based coach, athlete, author, and educator. A trainer since the early 2000s, he coaches drug-free strength and physique competitors at all levels. Eric has competed since the mid-2000s and earned pro status as a natural bodybuilder in 2011 and competes at international level events as an unequipped powerlifter. Eric has also published multiple peer-reviewed articles in exercise science and nutrition journals and writes for commercial fitness publications.

On this podcast, Eric gives us a glimpse into the world of natural bodybuilding, including the cyclical weight loss and regain pattern required for competition in the sport, and the rigorous controls in place to prevent banned substance use amongst competitors. Eric explains why most people should probably not eat like a bodybuilder, and offers tips for athletes interested in optimizing body composition. He also describes the mindset needed to attain sustainable results in fitness and sport.

These days it’s easy to find yourself feeling tense or anxious. If social distancing and the threat of a global pandemic aren’t enough, just add a dose of political mayhem or a strained relationship and you’ve got a recipe for stress. What I’ve learned from performance psychologist Simon Marshall is that your brain and nervous system manage everything about you, including your ability to cope and overcome the difficulties of life.

In this podcast, Simon and I are discussing some cutting edge ways to master your nervous system and manage stressful moments. Simon shares some evidence-based techniques that involve breathing, vocalization, and eye movement, to manage stress and help you avoid limbic system overwhelm. And as powerful as these practices are, I know they are just a few of the tools Simon has in his performance coaching arsenal.

If you enjoy this podcast, I hope you’ll consider joining us in the upcoming Coping Resilience and Mental Toughness Workshop, with Simon and world champion triathlete Lesley Paterson. The workshop content is approximately five hours of prerecorded video and is largely self-paced, along with four 30-minute live group coaching sessions with Simon and Les to answer questions and help you navigate real-world situations.

Mikki Williden, PhD is a Registered Nutritionist and a Senior Lecturer at Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. She runs an online nutrition coaching programme and has privately consulted with clients since 2006. Mikki co-hosts the Fitter Radio weekly endurance sports podcast and recently launched her own podcast, Mikkipedia, where she has conversations with experts in health and nutrition. She is also a runner and is passionate about health, longevity, nutrition, and activity. 

On the podcast today, Mikki talks with Megan Hall about nutritional and training considerations for women athletes. They discuss the timing of meals and supplements around training and preparing for race nutrition, with consideration given to cyclical hormonal fluctuations. Mikki discusses current research on fueling before exercise, and the importance of adequate protein (and what that actually means!). They also discuss the common problem of under-eating and chronic low energy availability.

David Raichlen, PhD. is a Professor of Human And Evolutionary Biology at the University of Southern California. His work explores how physical activity drove key aspects of human evolution, helping to explain how and why inactivity underlies many chronic diseases today. Combining aspects of biomechanics, physiology and neuroscience with analysis of movement patterns of ancient humans, his work helps to explain how we can use an evolutionary context to improve modern-day health.

On the podcast today, David talks about the links between human evolution, physical activity, and health across the lifespan. He discusses the impact of exercise on brain health and neurogenesis and explains why an active lifestyle may be critical for those genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease. He also describes the biological mechanism behind the “runner’s high” that suggests humans are “wired to run”.

Cliff Harvey, PhD, is a New Zealand-based author, nutritionist, researcher, and speaker. He is also a Qualified Naturopath, a strength and nutrition coach of 20 years, and an IAWA Weightlifting World Champion (2004 & 2007). Over the years he has consulted for all types of athletes, from champion fighters and cyclists to yacht teams and rugby unions. He currently works with clients and conducts research at Auckland University of Technology, while also growing his online collection of educational videos on nutrition, health, and performance.

On this podcast, Cliff talks about the diagnosis that propelled him into studying nutrition and the critical lessons he learned while recovering. He talks about his research on the ketogenic diet, including what actually causes “keto flu” and how best to overcome it quickly. We also discuss carbohydrate-appropriate diets, and how to figure out the carb intake that’s right for you.

Abel Romero, DPT, TPI, RYT 200 is a licensed physical therapist and movement coach with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from UC San Francisco/San Francisco State University. He has worked with a wide range of clients, from high-performing athletes to women postpartum and seniors. He is fascinated not only with helping others achieve a high level of health and well-being, but also with the science and art of improving skill, preventing pain, and having fun through movement.

On this podcast, Abel and I discuss how humans evolved to move, and the role of pain in avoiding injury. Abel talks about some of the common issues that lead to pain in our culture and why moving harder and faster is critical for long-term fitness and healthspan. I’m excited to announce Abel has partnered with us to lead a group program in January 2021. He’ll be working with us on how to avoid chronic pain, improve mobility and feel total confidence in lifting through mindful movement practice, functional training, and plyometric and power training. By the end of the program, you’ll have greater control, ability to generate power, and awareness of how your body interacts with its environment.

Mikki Williden, PhD is a Registered Nutritionist in Auckland, New Zealand specializing in sports and performance nutrition. I met Mikki at the Ancestral Health Symposium in Boulder, Colorado in 2016, and she has recently launched a new podcast called Mikkipedia as an exploration of all things health, well being, fitness, food and nutrition. She kindly invited me on as a guest, which of course is a role reversal for me.

On this podcast, Mikki and I discuss my personal health journey and what motivated me to start NBT. We get into some detail, including what my life looked like before I knew anything about health and the specific steps that got me headed in the right direction. We talk about bike racing and business and how both have evolved for me, as well as the habits that I’ve built to maintain my current state of health and performance.

Here’s the outline of this podcast with Mikki Williden:

[00:00:19] Christopher Kelly on Robb Wolf’s Paleo Solution podcast.

[00:01:50] Robb Wolf’s podcast, The Healthy Rebellion.

[00:02:24] Chris's health journey.

[00:03:18] Mikki’s interview with Greg Potter, on The Mikkipedia Podcast.

[00:04:21] Book: The Paleo Diet for Athletes: The Ancient Nutritional Formula for Peak Athletic Performance, by Loren Cordain and Joe Friel.

[00:05:38] Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet.

[00:06:45] Chris Kelly on Ben Greenfield's podcast.

[00:11:36] Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDS); Podcast: How to Identify and Treat Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S); with Nicky Keay.

[00:14:51] Mickey Trescott’s books on AIP.

[00:17:22] Framing interventions in terms of performance.

[00:20:43] Diet changes over time.

[00:20:59] Keto Summit; Jeremy and Louise Hendon.

[00:21:59] Dom D’Agostino, PhD.

[00:22:53] Problems with the Keto diet.

[00:24:15] Podcasts featuring Katie compton and Jeremy Powers.

[00:26:01] Racing and fueling.

[00:28:25] Changing goals: from performance to healthspan.

[00:30:51] Book: Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything, by BJ Fogg, PhD.

[00:31:04] B Strong blood flow restriction training; Podcast: Blood Flow Restriction Training for Improved Strength, Performance, and Healthspan, with Jim Stray-Gundersen, MD.

[00:35:33] NBT over time - changes in approach.

[00:37:44] Supervised machine learning; bloodsmart.ai.

[00:40:09] Stephen Genuis, PhD; Multiple studies on toxicants excreted in sweat.

[00:44:11] Identifying your values; Motivational interviewing, Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

[00:45:49] Services offered by NBT; book a free 15-minute starter session.

[00:46:54] Podcast: How to Manage Stress, with Simon Marshall, PhD.

[00:48:39] Intermountain Risk Score. Study: Horne BD, May HT, Muhlestein JB, Ronnow BS, Lappé DL, Renlund DG, et al. Exceptional mortality prediction by risk scores from common laboratory tests. Am J Med. 2009;122: 550–558.

[00:48:57] PhenoAge; Podcast: How to Measure Your Biological Age, with Megan Hall.

[00:52:32] Supplements: Thorne Multi-Vitamin Elite, Thorne Creatine.

[00:54:56] A day in the life of Chris Kelly.

[00:56:30] Podcast: Air Pollution Is a Cause of Endothelial Injury, Systemic Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease, with Arden Pope, PhD.

[00:59:49] California wildfires.

[01:02:28] Cliff Harvey.

[01:03:04] Influential podcast guests.

[01:03:41] Podcasts with Malcolm Kendrick: Why Cholesterol Levels Have No Effect on Cardiovascular Disease (And Things to Think about Instead) and A Statin Nation: Damaging Millions in a Brave New Post-health World.

[01:04:38] Podcasts with Stephanie Welch: Disruptive Anthropology: An Ancestral Health Perspective on Barefooting and Male Circumcision and The Need for Tribal Living in a Modern World.

[01:04:48] Josh Turknett, MD, president of Physicians for Ancestral Health; Podcasts include The Migraine Miracle, How to Protect Your Brain from Decline, and How to Support Childhood Cognitive Development.

[01:05:51] Book: The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous, by Joe Henrich.

[01:06:44] My Migraine Miracle; Book: Migraine Miracle: A Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free Ancestral Diet to Reduce Inflammation and Relieve Your Headaches for Good; Video: Migraine as the Hypothalamic Distress Signal — Joshua Turknett, M.D. (AHS14).

[01:08:44] How To Win At Angry Birds: The Ancestral Therapeutic Paradigm - AHS19. Podcast: How to Win at Angry Birds: The Ancestral Paradigm for a Therapeutic Revolution; 4-quadrant model.  

[01:14:05] NBT’s retainer program.

It’s been about three years since NBT began using supervised machine learning to predict the results of more expensive or unattainable biomedical tests. With our bloodsmart.ai software, we can forecast infections and inflammation, xenobiotic and heavy metal toxicity, and metabolic health indicators like fatty liver and elevated insulin - all without directly testing these markers. As a result, we’ve dramatically shifted our clinical work away from direct testing, instead focusing on basic blood chemistry and supervised machine learning to guide decision making. It's one of the things I'm proudest of building.

Sometimes I get asked how bloodsmart.ai compares to other blood chemistry programs. I used the other programs for years before coding my own, and rather than ML, they use what I call “hand-rolled algorithms.” For example, if alkaline phosphatase is low, then it must be a zinc deficiency. Unfortunately, biology is way more complicated than that, and supplementing with zinc with just one indicator never helps.

On this podcast, my Scientific Director Megan Hall and I are discussing how to interpret the forecast on a bloodsmart.ai report and how we use the results in our work with clients. We talk a little about how the algorithms work under the hood and how we know the forecasts have predictive value. We also explain what might be going on when the forecasts don’t match direct testing. 

To get the most out of this podcast, be sure to follow along with Megan’s outline.

Here’s the outline of this podcast with Megan Hall:

[00:04:39] bloodsmart.ai software.

[00:04:47] Supervised machine learning.

[00:06:36] Pain as the amazing protectometer; Video: Pain, the brain and your amazing protectometer - Lorimer Moseley.

[00:08:25] Karl Friston.

[00:09:38] eLife podcast and eLife Journal.

[00:10:06] Machine learning in embryology: Bormann, Charles L., et al. "Performance of a deep learning based neural network in the selection of human blastocysts for implantation." Elife 9 (2020): e55301.

[00:12:16] Machine learning for identifying prostate cancer: Hood, Simon P., et al. "Identifying prostate cancer and its clinical risk in asymptomatic men using machine learning of high dimensional peripheral blood flow cytometric natural killer cell subset phenotyping data." Elife 9 (2020): e50936.

[00:13:18] Podcast: How to Interpret Your White Blood Cell Count with Megan Hall.

[00:14:38] Paper: Wood, Thomas R., et al. "An interpretable machine learning model of biological age." F1000Research 8.17 (2019): 17.

[00:14:53] Podcast: How to Measure Your Biological Age, with Megan Hall. 

[00:15:24] How do we know the models have skill? Article: A Gentle Introduction to k-fold Cross-Validation.

[00:17:40] What the forecasts are and what they’re not.

[00:19:18] A "cloudy crystal ball".

[00:23:21] Using bloodsmart.ai forecasts in clinical practice.

[00:24:25] Book: How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices, by Annie Duke.

[00:26:17] The “Archer's Mindset”: The value of taking aim.

[00:28:09] Podcast: Environmental Pollutants and the Gut Microbiome, with Jodi Flaws, PhD. 

[00:28:45] Article: How to do better at darts and life. 

[00:32:33] Health history and symptoms; Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) (example).

[00:35:30] 7 minute analysis.

[00:36:53] bloodsmart.ai bar chart (example).

[00:37:56] Food journaling.

[00:42:27] Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep and Healthy Living App; Think Dirty Shop Clean App.

[00:43:03] Podcast: Air Pollution Is a Cause of Endothelial Injury, Systemic Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease, with Arden Pope, PhD.

[00:44:23] Titanium bottle kickstarter: Keego.

[00:46:04] Discrepancies between forecast and directly measured marker.

[00:48:42] Forecasts that tend to be seen together.

[00:53:34] Forecast detail view (example).

[00:55:30] Josh Turknett's 4-Quadrant Model. 

[00:58:22] Podcast: How to Win at Angry Birds: The Ancestral Paradigm for a Therapeutic Revolution, with Josh Turknett, MD.

[01:01:38] Book a free 15-minute starter session.

My guests today are certified Primal Health Coaches Laura Rupsis and Erin Power. Both maintain successful private practices while training others through Mark Sisson’s Primal Health Coach Institute (PHCI) and collaborating as hosts of the Health Coach Radio podcast. As the admissions director for PHCI, Laura is also behind the friendly voice you’ll reach when you’re seeking information about training as a health coach.

On this podcast Laura, Erin and I are talking about becoming a health coach: the training, the clients, and strategies for growing a successful practice. We look at some of the recent developments in the field, including national board certification and the new PHCI Level 2 Certification Course, recently introduced to meet the board requirements. We also discuss finding your niche, getting clients, and a realistic timeline for building a coaching business.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Laura Rupsis and Erin Power:

[00:02:26] Mark Sisson.

[00:01:20] Erin's health journey.

[00:03:02] Laura's health journey.

[00:10:43] Simon Marshall, PhD and triathlete Lesley Paterson; Values Guided Actions Worksheet.

[00:12:47] Podcast: The Community Cure: Transforming Health Outcomes Together, with James Maskell.

[00:16:07] Do you need a credential to be a health coach?

[00:19:21] Information does not cause change.

[00:20:29] National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC).

[00:23:48] Primal Health Coach Level 2 Certification Course.

[00:31:07] Getting clients as a health coach, finding your niche.

[00:40:25] Dr. Jade Teta, women's hormone specialist.

[00:45:51] Building your coaching practice.

[00:48:55] Getting traffic; problems with Facebook.

[00:51:06] Superhuman email interface.

[00:52:44] Is health coaching scalable?

[00:54:36] Toastmasters for public speaking.

[00:57:43] Primal Health Coach Institute; Book a call with Laura; Facebook, Instagram.

[00:58:19] Health Coaching Success Virtual Masterclass; Enroll here.

[00:58:40] Health Coach Radio podcast.

Author, speaker and entrepreneur James Maskell is passionate about healthcare transformation. He is the co-founder of the Functional Forum, the world’s largest integrative medicine conference. He lectures internationally, and has been featured on TEDMED, Huffpost Live, TEDx and more, and is a contributor to Huffington Post, KevinMD, thedoctorblog and MindBodyGreen. He also serves on the faculty of George Washington University’s Metabolic Medicine Institute.

On this podcast, James discusses the importance of disrupting the current state of medicine and accelerating its future. He describes his goal to empower clinicians to transition to a functional medicine model and to become leaders and change agents toward healthcare that is preventative and sustainable. We also talk about the importance of community and it’s critical role in avoiding chronic illness.

Here’s the outline of this interview with James Maskell:

[00:01:34] Living in a commune in Colorado.

[00:03:16] Book: The Community Cure: Transforming Health Outcomes Together, by James Maskell.

[00:05:00] Podcast: Free to Learn: Unleashing the Instinct to Play, with Peter Gray, PhD.

[00:08:10] Making functional medicine the standard of care.

[00:10:05] Functional Forum.

[00:10:43] Problems with scaling up functional medicine.

[00:13:22] Micropractice.

[00:15:19] Solving the problem of loneliness.

[00:15:50] Video: George Slavich, PhD: How Much Does Social Stress and Isolation Affect Health?

[00:19:23] Book: Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, by John T. Cacioppo & William Patrick.

[00:20:30] Nuclear families as the current norm.

[00:20:45] Book: The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease, by Daniel Lieberman; “dysevolution”.

[00:25:44] Book: The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous, by Joseph Henrich.

[00:30:32] Organizing health coaches and the value of groups.

[00:35:35] Simon Marshall, PhD and world champion triathlete Lesley Paterson.

[00:37:19] Podcasts featuring Julian Abel, MD: Building Compassionate Communities to Improve Public Health and Maintaining Social Connection in the Era of COVID-19.

[00:37:31] How a practitioner can start utilizing groups.

[00:41:28] Autoimmune Protocol (AIP); Mickey Trescott at Autoimmune Wellness; Podcast: The Nutrient-Dense Kitchen: Applying the Autoimmune Protocol.

[00:42:14] Health sharing systems.

[00:46:00] Knew Health health sharing; Liberty Health Share.

[00:48:46] Evolution of Medicine; The Community Cure; Instagram.

There’s a common misconception that you need to run expensive advanced biomedical tests to fix your health. Over the years we’ve found just the opposite, that you can learn much of what you need to know from basic blood chemistry. Perhaps the best example is the information gained from a Complete Blood Count (CBC) with Differential. As the most common blood test, it is widely used to assess general health status, screen for disorders, and to evaluate nutritional status.

On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall and I are talking about leukocytes, also known as white blood cells (WBCs), as critical elements of the CBC blood test. Megan discusses the various types of leukocytes and what it means when your count is outside the reference range. We talk about what leukocytes tell you about your nutritional status, why some people “never get sick” as well as signs you’ve got chronic inflammation or physiological stress. Megan also discusses how to use this information to determine the next steps in your health journey.

Jessa Zimmerman, MA is a licensed couples counsellor and nationally certified sex therapist based in Seattle, Washington. She specializes in helping couples who find that sex has become stressful, negative, disappointing, or pressured. In her practice, she counsels and supports couples through an experiential process that allows them real-world practice in changing their relationship and their sex life. She is also the author of the book, Sex without stress; a couple’s guide to overcoming disappointment, avoidance, and pressure, and hosts The Better Sex Podcast.

On this podcast, Jessa and I discuss the all-too-common struggles encountered by couples in long-term relationships who are experiencing a disconnect in sexual desire. She debunks some of the myths about sexual desire that often leave people feeling broken and confused once the initial flame of a relationship dies down. Jessa also shares one of her most powerful exercises for couples to start reconnecting if they’ve been avoiding sex.

[00:00:44] Kelly Casperson; Class: You Are Not Broken.

[00:01:13] Jessa's background.

[00:02:46] Sex positivity.

[00:04:40] The Better Sex Podcast.

[00:05:17] Book: Sex Without Stress: A couple's guide to overcoming disappointment, avoidance and pressure, by Jessa Zimmerman.

[00:06:29] The WEIRD perspective - Westernized, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic; Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes, PhD.

[00:07:54] Monogamy; Anthropologist Helen Fisher; The neurological effects of being in love: Fisher, Helen E., Arthur Aron, and Lucy L. Brown. "Romantic love: a mammalian brain system for mate choice." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 361.1476 (2006): 2173-2186.

[00:09:48] Podcast: How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex and Pornography, with Megan Maas, PhD.

[00:10:01] The role of pornography.

[00:12:21] Defining sex.

[00:13:38] Brad Stulberg; Book: The Passion Paradox; Podcast: How to Harness Productive Passion and Avoid Burnout

[00:17:20] The giver/receiver exercise.

[00:21:39] Spontaneous vs reactive sexual desire.

[00:22:00] Rosemary Basson on the sexual response cycle; Basson, Rosemary. "The female sexual response: A different model." Journal of Sex &Marital Therapy 26.1 (2000): 51-65.

[00:22:11] Emily Nagoski.

[00:26:22] Only 6% of women lack both spontaneous and responsive desire; Study: Hendrickx, Lies, Luk Gijs, and Paul Enzlin. "Prevalence rates of sexual difficulties and associated distress in heterosexual men and women: Results from an Internet survey in Flanders." Journal of sex research 51.1 (2014): 1-12.

[00:27:11] Growth mindset; Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck; Podcast: Why Most People Never Learn From Their Mistakes - But Some Do, with Simon Marshall, PhD.

[00:30:11] Beverly Whipple, PhD; Book: The G Spot: And Other Recent Discoveries About Human Sexuality.

[00:33:10] Measuring sexual excitability and inhibition. Emily Nagoski’s assessment tools.

[00:35:43] You are responsible for your pleasure.

[00:37:34] Vulnerability vs openness.

[00:38:57] Podcast: The Neurophysiology of Safety and How to Feel Safe, with Stephen Porges, PhD.

[00:40:36] Books: Will I Ever Be Good Enough?: Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers, by Karyl McBride, PhD. and Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha, by Tara Brach, PhD.

[00:40:51] Chimp purge exercise; Article: Lieberman, Matthew D., et al. "Putting feelings into words." Psychological science 18.5 (2007): 421-428.

[00:43:05] Book: The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness, by Steve Peters.

[00:43:23]  The Elephant and the Rider, an analogy introduced by Psychologist Jonathan Haidt.

[00:45:54] Jessa’s online course: Intimacy with Ease.

[00:46:35] Webinar - How to Help Your Partner Want More Sex.

[00:48:55] Facebook, Instagram.

Returning to the podcast today is speaker, NY Times bestselling author, coach, and lifelong athlete Brad Kearns. Decades removed from his status as a #3 world-ranked pro triathlete, Brad has now turned his attention to broader fitness goals aligned with healthspan. Always finding new ways to challenge himself, In 2018 Brad broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest single hole of golf ever played, and this year he ranked #1 in the USA and #3 in the world for Masters Track & Field high jump, age 55-59.

On this podcast, Brad and I discuss what it takes to preserve competitive intensity throughout life. Brad talks about his current focus on male optimization - the MOFO movement - created for men who don’t want to get old and soft on the sidelines of life. We also recall some of the most informative guests Brad has interviewed on his podcast.

[00:04:03] Cold exposure.

[00:04:03] Brad’s previous NBT podcast: How to Win More by Training Less; Video: Brad’s speed golf world record.

[00:05:02] Dr. Steve Jeffs.

[00:09:22] Jeff Kendal Weed; YouTube, NBT podcast: How to Create a Career Doing a Sport You Love.

[00:13:23] Mark Sisson.

[00:15:20] Article: HIIT Versus HIRT by Dr. Craig Marker.

[00:18:43] Podcast: Science and Application of High Intensity Interval Training, with Paul Laursen, PhD.

[00:20:05] The Get Over Yourself podcast.

[00:22:13] Books by Brad Kearns.

[00:23:46] Lessons learned from Brad’s podcast guests.

[00:24:28] Books by Mark Manson: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life, and Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope. On the Get Over Yourself podcast: Mark Manson: The Subtle Art Of Connecting With Your Emotional Brain, Seeing Yourself With Honesty and Vulnerability, And Connecting The Emotional Brain With The Rational Brain.

[00:25:48] Peter Attia, on NBT podcast: The Critical Factors of Healthspan and Lifespan; On the Get Over Yourself podcast: Peter Attia: Longevity, Diet, And Finding The Drive.

[00:26:15] Rip Esselstyn on the Get Over Yourself podcast: Rip Esselstyn: The Plant Strong Movement, Challenging Your Beliefs, And The Magical Peak Performance State Called “The Feel”.

[00:28:58] The inverse power of praise; Article: How Not to Talk to Your Kids, by Po Bronson.

[00:29:10] Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck.

[00:29:13] Books by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman: NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children, and Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing.

[00:32:24] Podcast: Why Most People Never Learn From Their Mistakes - But Some Do, with Simon Marshall, PhD.

[00:33:15] Book: The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children, by Alison Gopnik.

[00:35:14] Cate Shanahan, MD; Book: The Fatburn Fix: Boost Energy, End Hunger, and Lose Weight by Using Body Fat for Fuel, Get Over Yourself podcast: Dr. Cate Shanahan – The Fatburn Fix.

[00:37:49] Book: Two Meals a Day - coming in 2021.

[00:38:12] Books by Ben Greenfield: Boundless: Upgrade Your Brain, Optimize Your Body & Defy Aging, and The Christian Gratitude Journal.

[00:40:31] NBT Podcast: Ready to Run with Kelly Starrett; Get Over Yourself Podcast: Dr. Kelly Starrett: Mobility King.

[00:42:20] Book: Keto for Life: Reset Your Biological Clock in 21 Days and Optimize Your Diet for Longevity, by Mark Sisson and Brad Kearns.

[00:44:02] Podcast: Free to Learn: Unleashing the Instinct to Play, with Peter Gray, PhD; Book: Free to Learn.

[00:44:23] Katy Bowman.

[00:47:23] bradkearns.com; MOFO mission.

[00:48:20] Free ebook: Becoming a Modern Day Mofo.

[00:48:50] Brad’s nutbutter.

Back when we first started working with clients we ordered all the fancy tests for everyone who walked in the door. We tested the gut (not one test, but two), hormones, cortisol, and organic acids, to name a few. It got to be pretty expensive but it seemed to be the best way to figure out exactly what to do next. Our process has evolved over the years, and now we start with just simple, inexpensive blood chemistry. This saves our clients a ton of money and time, and they still get great results.

On the podcast today, NBT Scientific Director and coach Megan Hall and I discuss the advanced (and not-so-advanced) biomedical tests we’ve run for clients over the years. We talk about the ones we still use and the ones we quit - and why. Megan explains why you should be sceptical of genetic testing, and the wealth of information you can derive from basic blood chemistry. We also talk about bloodsmart.ai, the software we use at NBT to give personalised predictions of problems in your body that can help you decide on further testing and/or actions you want to take. We also talk about some software improvements I’ve made recently.

[00:02:23] Megan's outline for this podcast.

[00:02:39] Testing in the early days on NBT.

[00:05:43] Chris and Jamie on Ben Greenfield’s podcast in 2014: 7 Signs Your Cortisol And Adrenals Are Broken.

[00:06:32] Ben Greenfield podcasts with Christopher Kelly: The Little-Known Test That Tells You Everything You Need To Know About Your Metabolism and Why Is My Cortisol High Even Though I’m Doing Everything Right? Hidden Causes Of High Cortisol, The DUTCH Test & More!

[00:07:00] Gut tests.

[00:07:42] NBT podcasts featuring Lucy Mailing, PhD: 1. How to Optimise Your Gut Microbiome and 2. Microbiome Myths and Misconceptions.

[00:09:00] Hormone testing.

[00:09:25] Books by Robert Sapolsky: Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, Third Edition, and Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst.

[00:10:07] Hans Selye.

[00:13:37] Entraining circadian rhythm; Podcasts: How to Use Time-Restricted Eating to Reverse Disease and Optimize Health, with Satchin Panda, PhD; Why You Should Eat Breakfast (and Other Secrets of Circadian Biology), with Bill Lagakos, PhD, How to Entrain Your Circadian Rhythm for Perfect Sleep and Metabolic Health, and Morning Larks and Night Owls: the Biology of Chronotypes, with Greg Potter, PhD.

[00:16:09] Genetic testing.

[00:17:31] Podcast: How to Win at Angry Birds: The Ancestral Paradigm for a Therapeutic Revolution, with Josh Turknett, MD.

[00:18:38] Direct to consumer genetic testing: 40% of variants in raw data were false positives; Study: Tandy-Connor, Stephany, et al. "False-positive results released by direct-to-consumer genetic tests highlight the importance of clinical confirmation testing for appropriate patient care." Genetics in Medicine 20.12 (2018): 1515.

[00:18:59] Promethease.

[00:19:46] 95% of the genome is "non-coding".

[00:21:59] Growth mindset; Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck; Podcast: Why Most People Never Learn From Their Mistakes - But Some Do, with Simon Marshall, PhD.

[00:24:19] Jeff Kendall-Weed; Podcast: How to Create a Career Doing a Sport You Love.

[00:25:06] Andrew D Huberman on Joe Rogan, Rich Rolls, Instagram.

[00:27:06] Glycomark.

[00:28:34] NutriSense; Podcast: Continuous Glucose Monitoring to Prevent Disease and Increase Healthspan, with Kara Collier, RDN.

[00:29:59] Salivary 1,5-anhydroglucitol inversely related to dental caries in children; Study: Syed, Sadatullah, et al. "Salivary 1, 5-Anhydroglucitol and Vitamin Levels in Relation to Caries Risk in Children." BioMed research international 2019 (2019).

[00:30:34] Tests that have stood the test of time.

[00:33:32] Josh Turknett’s 4-quadrant model.

[00:34:48] bloodsmart.ai.

[00:36:02] The value of a basic blood chemistry.

[00:38:23] NBT podcasts featuring Ivor Cummins: How Not to Die of Cardiovascular Disease and Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC): A Direct Measure of Cardiovascular Disease Risk.

[00:38:33] NBT podcasts featuring Malcolm Kendrick: Why Cholesterol Levels Have No Effect on Cardiovascular Disease (And Things to Think about Instead) and A Statin Nation: Damaging Millions in a Brave New Post-health World.

[00:39:26] CAC scan: Find a scan centre near you; Widowmaker movie; Irish Heart Disease Awareness website.

[00:43:02] Items that can be forecast by bloodsmart.ai, with their sensitivity and specificity.

[00:43:45] PhenoAge (example); Podcast; How to Measure Your Biological Age.

[00:44:17] Optimal vs Standard reference ranges.

[00:48:41] Testing: the future.

[00:50:02] Recent bloodsmart.ai software updates.

[00:50:32] Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 9/24/20 press release: Recommendations About the Use of Dental Amalgam in Certain High-Risk Populations: FDA Safety Communication.

[00:51:43] Take the 7-minute analysis.

[00:54:48] Email us with your ideas for bloodsmart.ai.

[00:55:24] Book a free 15-minute starter session.

Researcher and educator C. Arden Pope, III, PhD is the Mary Lou Fulton Professor of Economics at Brigham Young University. Contributing to over three decades of published research, he is one of the world's most cited and recognised experts on the health effects of air pollution. He has taught and published on various natural resource and environmental issues and collaborated on a series of seminal studies on the human health effects of air pollution.

On this podcast, Dr Pope and I discuss the harmful effects of air pollution on health and longevity. He describes the impact of fine particulate matter generated from industrial processes and explains what makes some forms of pollution much worse than others. He also describes the disastrous effects of air pollution on endothelial function and the cardiovascular system and offers advice for limiting exposure and taking action.

[00:01:26] Dr. Malcolm Kendrick podcasts: Why Cholesterol Levels Have No Effect on Cardiovascular Disease (And Things to Think about Instead) and A Statin Nation: Damaging Millions in a Brave New Post-health World. 

[00:02:21] Studies describing effects of air pollution on the cardiovascular system: 1. Pope III, C. Arden, et al. "Exposure to fine particulate air pollution is associated with endothelial injury and systemic inflammation." Circulation research 119.11 (2016): 1204-1214; 2. Pope III, C. Arden, Aaron J. Cohen, and Richard T. Burnett. "Cardiovascular disease and fine particulate matter: lessons and limitations of an integrated exposure–response approach." Circulation research 122.12 (2018): 1645-1647.

[00:05:13] Hospital admissions in Utah Valley related to steel mill; Pope 3rd, C. A. "Respiratory disease associated with community air pollution and a steel mill, Utah Valley." American journal of public health 79.5 (1989): 623-628. 

[00:11:17] Air pollution as the 5th leading contributor to global burden of disease.

[00:11:48] Book: Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman.

[00:17:26] Book: The Big Smoke, by Nathan Srith.

[00:19:05] The Great Smog of London, 1952.

[00:19:56] Respiratory physiologist, David Bates.

[00:23:53] Harvard six cities study: Dockery, Douglas W., et al. "An association between air pollution and mortality in six US cities." New England journal of medicine 329.24 (1993): 1753-1759, and the American Cancer Society Cohort Studies.

[00:24:22] PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter) and adverse health outcomes.

[00:31:20] Large vs small particles in the air.

[00:39:37] Inflammatory effects of fine particulate matter; slide from this talk.

[00:43:26] Air pollution associated with increases in inflammatory markers.

[00:47:29] Peter Backx, PhD; Podcast: Arrhythmias in Endurance Athletes.

[00:49:21] Wildfires; Air pollution from wood smoke vs "urban dirt".

[00:58:47] Air pollution and life expectancy; Pope, C. Arden, and Douglas W. Dockery. "Air pollution and life expectancy in China and beyond." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110.32 (2013): 12861-12862.

[01:00:14] How to reduce exposure.

[01:06:24] Elementary school absences related to air pollution in Park City, UT; Study: Hales, Nicholas M., et al. "A quasi-experimental analysis of elementary school absences and fine particulate air pollution." Medicine 95.9 (2016).

[01:10:12] Global burden of disease attributable to air pollution; Study: Cohen, Aaron J., et al. "Estimates and 25-year trends of the global burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2015." The Lancet 389.10082 (2017): 1907-1918.

[01:13:16] Supporting the Clean Air Act.

[01:15:15] Dr Pope’s CV and publications.

[01:20:45] Video: Keynote: Air Pollution and Human Health—Science, Public Policy, and Controversy. See here for additional videos featuring Dr Pope.

We’ve got exercise physiologist Mike T. Nelson, PhD, MSME, CSCS, CISSN back on the podcast today. Mike’s areas of expertise include metabolic flexibility, heart rate variability, and human performance. He’s an adjunct professor for the Carrick Institute of Functional Neurology and the American College of Sports Medicine and has published research in both physiology and engineering journals. He also works 1 on 1 with clients seeking to optimise their performance.

On today’s podcast, Mike and I talk about his new Flex Diet Certification, a metabolic flexibility course for trainers, coaches, gym owners and fitness enthusiasts. Mike discusses some of the different components of his 8-week course, as well as why he created it and who should (and should not) take it. We also talk about recent developments and research in the areas of cannabidiol, heart rate variability, and blood flow restriction training.

[00:05:10] Mike's previous appearances on NBT podcast: 1, 2, 3, 4.

[00:05:23] Cannabidiol (CBD).

[00:05:43] DEA prohibits synthetically-produced Delta-8, as of August 2020.

[00:06:41] Sleep and CBD.

[00:07:31] Review of cannabinoids in the treatment of PTSD: Cohen, Jacob, et al. "Cannabinoids as an Emerging Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Use Disorders." Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology 37.1 (2020): 28-34.

[00:08:28] Heart Rate Variability (HRV).

[00:08:41] HRV fails to predict readiness to train; Studies: 1. De Oliveira, Ramon Martins, et al. "Effect of individualized resistance training prescription with heart rate variability on individual muscle hypertrophy and strength responses." European journal of sport science 19.8 (2019): 1092-1100; 2. Thamm, Antonia, et al. "Can heart rate variability determine recovery following distinct strength loadings? A randomized cross-over trial." International journal of environmental research and public health 16.22 (2019): 4353.

[00:14:17] Oura Ring.

[00:16:49] Oura Ring’s ability to differentiate sleep stages; Study: de Zambotti, Massimiliano, et al. "The sleep of the ring: comparison of the ŌURA sleep tracker against polysomnography." Behavioral sleep medicine 17.2 (2019): 124-136.

[00:20:57] Flex diet certification.

[00:31:55] Book: The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It, by John Tierney.

[00:34:01] Physiology flexibility.

[00:37:46] Wim Hof breathing exercises.

[00:43:05] Exercise training can alter how the body handles a large meal; Review: Goodpaster, Bret H., and Lauren M. Sparks. "Metabolic flexibility in health and disease." Cell metabolism 25.5 (2017): 1027-1036.

[00:44:06] Pop tart test.

[00:45:19] Article: The Porcelain Doll Diet.

[00:48:55] Breathing as a homeostatic regulator.

[00:52:18] Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training; Podcast: Blood Flow Restriction Training for Improved Strength, Performance, and Healthspan, with Jim Stray-Gundersen, MD.

[00:55:12] Hypertrophy from walking using BFR training; Study: Abe, Takashi, Charles F. Kearns, and Yoshiaki Sato. "Muscle size and strength are increased following walk training with restricted venous blood flow from the leg muscle, Kaatsu-walk training." Journal of applied physiology 100.5 (2006): 1460-1466.

[00:55:31] Moxy muscle oxygen monitor.

[00:57:10] Fat Gripz.

[00:57:15] Supplements.

[00:58:07] Beta-alanine; Meta-analysis: Dolan, Eimear, et al. "A systematic risk assessment and meta-analysis on the use of oral β-alanine supplementation." Advances in Nutrition 10.3 (2019): 452-463.

[00:59:45] Sodium bicarbonate.

[01:01:14] Lactate; Cytosport’s Cytomax.

[01:01:46] Recent study evaluating IV lactate: Ellekjaer, Karen L., et al. "Lactate versus acetate buffered intravenous crystalloid solutions: a scoping review." British Journal of Anaesthesia (2020).

[01:03:21] Flex Diet Podcast, hosted by Dr Mike T Nelson.

[01:04:31] Dom D’agostino on the Flexdiet Podcast: Dr Dom D'Agostino on Red Light, Ketones, Fasting, Zapping Monkeys and More. Dominic on the NBT podcast: Dominic D'Agostino: Researcher and Athlete on the Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet.

[01:05:52] flexdiet.com; miketnelson.com.

Stephen W. Porges, PhD. is Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. In 1994 he proposed the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that links the evolution of the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behaviour and emphasises the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioural problems and psychiatric disorders. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers across numerous behavioural and neurobiological disciplines.

On this podcast, Dr Porges explains the Polyvagal Theory, including the biological effects of perceived safety or danger and the resulting impact on our social behaviour. He describes his music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol, that is used by more than 1,400 therapists to reduce hearing sensitivities and increase emotional control and behavioural organisation. He also discusses how the threat of COVID-19 can impact neurophysiology, and he shares practical strategies for creating feelings of safety.

[00:00:14] Sue carter podcast: Oxytocin: More Than Just a “Love Hormone”.

[00:02:25] Book: The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology), by Stephen Porges.

[00:02:38] Book: The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology), by Stephen Porges.

[00:04:06] Polyvagal theory, described.

[00:12:28] Social behaviour as a noninvasive vagal nerve stimulator.

[00:14:36] Book: Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships, by Marshall B. Rosenberg.

[00:14:44] Book: I Hear You: The Surprisingly Simple Skill Behind Extraordinary Relationships, by Michael S. Sorensen.

[00:15:05] Biological rudeness.

[00:15:57] Argument as a shift in physiological state.

[00:16:38] We are terrible listeners.

[00:21:43] Humor - the violation of expectancy within the containment of safety.

[00:25:46] It's not what you say, it's how you say it.

[00:27:13] Extracting human voices.

[00:29:41] Sociality is a product of our body feeling safe.

[00:30:57] Auditory hypersensitivity in autism.

[00:34:22] The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP).

[00:38:57] Study validating SSP: Porges, Stephen W., et al. "Reducing auditory hypersensitivities in autistic spectrum disorder: preliminary findings evaluating the listening project protocol." Frontiers in Pediatrics 2 (2014): 80.

[00:39:29] Polyvagal Study Group on Facebook.

[00:41:15] COVID-19, the effect on neurophysiology; Article: Porges, S. W. "The COVID-19 Pandemic is a paradoxical challenge to our nervous system: a Polyvagal Perspective." Clin Neuropsychiatry 17 (2020): 135-8.

[00:46:53] Creating feelings of safety.

[00:50:50] Posture, dance; Yoga: Sullivan, Marlysa B., et al. "Yoga therapy and polyvagal theory: The convergence of traditional wisdom and contemporary neuroscience for self-regulation and resilience." Frontiers in human neuroscience 12 (2018): 67.

[00:51:37] Article: Porges, Stephen W. "Vagal pathways: Portals to compassion." The Oxford handbook of compassion science (2017): 189-204.

[00:54:41] Youtube videos featuring Stephen Porges.

[00:55:24] Deb Dana, LCSW.

[00:56:23] Stanford University’s The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE); Videos: 1. CCARE Science of Compassion 2014: The Psychophysiology of Compassion, 2. The Science of Compassion: Origins, Measures, and Interventions - Stephen Porges, PhD.

[00:56:56] Video on spirituality: Dr Stephen Porges speaks about spirituality concepts from a Polyvagal perspective.

[00:57:00] Article in Spectrum Newsletter: Brain-body connection may ease autistic people’s social problems, by Stephen Porges.

[00:58:00] Dr Porges’s website.

Many of our listeners and clients are concerned about how best to fuel for longer events or training. While many athletes are downing sports gels and high carb drinks we have always advocated for alternatives that keep you competitive while helping you maintain consistent energy levels. Overall diet composition plays a big role in preparing for competition, as does meal timing, but for long events or a busy lifestyle, it also helps to be able to pack the right fuel to keep going.

Joining me this week is Greg Potter, PhD. Greg has been on the podcast numerous times to talk about sleep, chronotypes, and chrononutrition. Today he is with us as the Chief Science Officer of Resilient Nutrition, a company that has created Long Range Fuel, a new line of nut-butter based nutrition products for fueling sustainable performance. Greg talks about how an early version of Long Range Fuel helped power a world record-breaking trans-Atlantic rowing event in 2019. He also shares the science behind the specific ingredients they’ve included to boost your workout, keep you calm, and support your recovery and strength.

[00:00:17] Joshua Fields Milburn of The Minimalists: "Love people, use things."

[00:05:10] Rowers Max Thorpe and Chris Williams; TEDx Talk: Fire & Water:The Value of Control Amid Chaos.

[00:06:36] Long Range Fuel.

[00:05:51] Preparing Dave Spelman and Max Thorpe for their world record-breaking rowing event in 2019.

[00:07:50] Fueling the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. 

[00:20:35] Creatine supplementation.

[00:22:15] World Champion triathlete Lesley Paterson. Podcast: Off Road Triathlon World Champion Lesley Paterson on FMT and Solving Mental Conundrums.

[00:24:54] Effects of creatine on sleep; Study: Dworak, Markus, et al. "Creatine supplementation reduces sleep need and homeostatic sleep pressure in rats." Journal of sleep research 26.3 (2017): 377-385.

[00:25:54] Effects of caffeine and creatine on athletic performance; Study: Cook, Christian J., et al. "Skill execution and sleep deprivation: effects of acute caffeine or creatine supplementation-a randomized placebo-controlled trial." Journal of the international society of sports nutrition 8.1 (2011): 1-8.

[00:26:50] When/how to dose creatine.

[00:27:54] Creatine vs. creatinine.

[00:28:49] Creapure creatine monohydrate found in many creatine supplements.

[00:30:59] Ultra-endurance athlete, Claire Smith.

[00:33:48] 4 Different types of long-range fuel: Energise, Energise & Rebuild, Calm, Calm & Rebuild.

[00:40:36] L-leucine enhances the anabolic effects of whey; Study: Churchward-Venne, Tyler A., et al. "Leucine supplementation of a low-protein mixed macronutrient beverage enhances myofibrillar protein synthesis in young men: a double-blind, randomized trial." The American journal of clinical nutrition 99.2 (2014): 276-286.

[00:41:21] Caffeine and L-theanine.

[00:41:49] Meta-analyses of caffeine and exercise performance; Umbrella review: Grgic, Jozo, et al. "Wake up and smell the coffee: caffeine supplementation and exercise performance—an umbrella review of 21 published meta-analyses." British Journal of Sports Medicine 54.11 (2020): 681-688.

[00:43:09] Caffeine enhances cognition - vigilance, attention, reaction time, mood. Review: McLellan, Tom M., John A. Caldwell, and Harris R. Lieberman. "A review of caffeine’s effects on cognitive, physical and occupational performance." Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 71 (2016): 294-312.

[00:44:20] L-theanine reduces anxiety and stress; Review: Sakamoto, Filipe Lopes, et al. "Psychotropic effects of L-theanine and its clinical properties: From the management of anxiety and stress to a potential use in schizophrenia." Pharmacological Research 147 (2019): 104395.

[00:44:40] Complementary effects of caffeine and L-theanine; Review: Bryan, Janet. "Psychological effects of dietary components of tea: caffeine and L-theanine." Nutrition reviews 66.2 (2008): 82-90.

[00:49:06] Dosing Long Range Fuel.

[00:55:04] Resilient Nutrition.

[00:57:24] Behavior change; Professor Susan Michie, PhD.; Simon Marshall, PhD.

[00:57:52] 93 different behavior change techniques; Study: Michie, Susan, et al. "The behavior change technique taxonomy (v1) of 93 hierarchically clustered techniques: building an international consensus for the reporting of behavior change interventions." Annals of behavioral medicine 46.1 (2013): 81-95.

[00:58:21] Find Resilient Nutrition on Instagram and Facebook.

There’s more than one way to measure how fast you’re ageing. There’s chronological age - the number of years you’ve been alive - and then there’s biological age, which you can think of as the total damage your body has accumulated over the years. Your chronological age may differ from your biological age, in which case it’s interesting to understand why. The good news is you can reduce your biological age by improving your lifestyle, which in turn can lengthen lifespan and healthspan. The question is, then, how to quantify biological age?

On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall talks about PhenoAge: a measure of biological age that can be determined by analyzing a shortlist of common blood markers. We talk about why PhenoAge is important and valid as a reliable measure of biological status, and how you can get your PhenoAge score. Megan also offers tips for improving your PhenoAge once you’ve got your baseline. This episode has a ton of information, so be sure to follow along with Megan’s outline.

[00:00:25] Arden Pope, PhD; Studies on the effects of air pollution on human health.

[00:01:15] Puppy update.

[00:05:54] Is ageing a disease? Article: Bulterijs, Sven, et al. "It is time to classify biological aging as a disease." Frontiers in genetics 6 (2015): 205.  

[00:06:35] Primary vs secondary ageing.

[00:08:02] Book: Lifespan: Why We Age - and Why We Don't Have To, by David A. Sinclair PhD.

[00:08:16] Ken Ford; STEM-Talk Podcast. Ken Ford on the NBT Podcast: Optimal Diet and Movement for Healthspan, Amplified Intelligence and More.

[00:09:19] Measuring ageing.

[00:13:09] Theories of ageing - more than 300 theories; Articles: Tosato, Matteo, et al. "The aging process and potential interventions to extend life expectancy." Clinical interventions in aging 2.3 (2007): 401. 2. da Costa, Joao Pinto, et al. "A synopsis on aging—Theories, mechanisms and future prospects." Ageing research reviews 29 (2016): 90-112. 3. Jin, Kunlin. "Modern biological theories of aging." Aging and disease 1.2 (2010): 72. 

[00:13:34] Grandmother hypothesis; Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes, PhD.

[00:14:48] Program Theories and Damage Theories.

[00:17:45] Epigenetic clock theory of aging; Steven Horvath; Study: Horvath, Steve, and Kenneth Raj. "DNA methylation-based biomarkers and the epigenetic clock theory of ageing." Nature Reviews Genetics 19.6 (2018): 371. 

[00:19:02] Steven Horvath's TEDx talk: Epigenetic Clocks Help to Find Anti-Aging Treatments.

[00:20:47] Book: Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture, by David Kushner.

[00:21:43] DNA methylation; Article: Horvath, Steve. "DNA methylation age of human tissues and cell types." Genome biology 14.10 (2013): 3156.

[00:23:13] Offspring of semi-supercentenarians have lower epigenetic age; Study: Horvath, Steve, et al. "Decreased epigenetic age of PBMCs from Italian semi-supercentenarians and their offspring." Aging (Albany NY) 7.12 (2015): 1159. 

[00:23:36] Methylation based biological age associated with: 1.  breast cancer risk: Kresovich, Jacob K., et al. "Methylation-based biological age and breast cancer risk." JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute 111.10 (2019): 1051-1058. 2. Frailty: Breitling, Lutz Philipp, et al. "Frailty is associated with the epigenetic clock but not with telomere length in a German cohort." Clinical epigenetics 8.1 (2016): 21; 3. All-cause mortality: Marioni, Riccardo E., et al. "DNA methylation age of blood predicts all-cause mortality in later life." Genome biology 16.1 (2015): 1-12 and Christiansen, Lene, et al. "DNA methylation age is associated with mortality in a longitudinal Danish twin study." Aging cell 15.1 (2016): 149-154.

[00:24:46] PhenoAge as a biomarker of ageing for lifespan and healthspan; Study: Levine, Morgan E., et al. "An epigenetic biomarker of aging for lifespan and healthspan." Aging (Albany NY) 10.4 (2018): 573.

[00:29:06] Nine blood markers that make up PhenoAge.

[00:29:57] PhenoAge related to COVID-19; Study: Kuo, Chia-Ling, et al. "COVID-19 severity is predicted by earlier evidence of accelerated aging." medRxiv (2020). 

[00:30:34] Combining PhenoAge with DNA methylation data as a predictor of mortality.

[00:33:28] Episode 59 of HumanOS podcast: Are You Biologically Older or Younger Than Your Chronological Age?

[00:33:58] Dr. Josh Turkett’s 4-quadrant model.

[00:34:00] Lifestyle factors that accelerate ageing: Sleep: Li, Xiaoyu, et al. "Association between sleep disordered breathing and epigenetic age acceleration: Evidence from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis." EBioMedicine 50 (2019): 387-394; Socioeconimic status, childhood and adult adversity: Liu, Zuyun, et al. "Associations of genetics, behaviors, and life course circumstances with a novel aging and healthspan measure: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study." PLoS medicine 16.6 (2019): e1002827; Education: Zhao, Wei, et al. "Education and lifestyle factors are associated with DNA methylation clocks in older African Americans." International journal of environmental research and public health 16.17 (2019): 3141.

[00:35:59] Protein; Podcast: Why You’re Probably Not Eating Enough Protein (How to Know for Sure), with Megan Hall.

[00:36:50] Book: The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-term Health, by Justin Sonnenburg and Erica Sonnenburg.

[00:37:23] Bloodsmart.ai.

[00:38:35] Patreon: nbt.link

[00:39:33] Age reversal possible in humans? Study: Fahy, Gregory M., et al. "Reversal of epigenetic aging and immunosenescent trends in humans." Aging cell 18.6 (2019): e13028. 

[00:40:15] Simon Marshall, PhD.

[00:41:00] Interpreting your blood markers to understand PhenoAge.

[00:46:11] PhenoAge vs Predicted Age.

Dr. Sue Carter is a Distinguished University Scientist and Rudy Professor Emerita of Biology at Indiana University. A career biologist, Dr Carter has studied the endocrinology of love and social bonds for more than three decades. Her research on pair bonding helped lay the foundation for further work on the behavioural and developmental effects of oxytocin and vasopressin in humans. Recently, she has been examining the role of these neuropeptides in psychiatric and neurological disorders such as autism and depression.

In this podcast, Dr Carter discusses the many ways oxytocin is integral to our development, physiological health, and social behaviour. She explains how too much or too little can be detrimental and describes her long-standing concern regarding the consequences of using synthetic oxytocin to induce labour during pregnancy. She talks about some of the recently discovered developmental functions of oxytocin and vasopressin, including muscle and bone synthesis and regeneration, and shares what you can do to increase the oxytocin your body produces naturally.

[00:00:15] Book: Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst, by Robert M. Sapolsky.

[00:01:01] Studying prairie voles.

[00:07:51] Thomas Insel, Larry Young, and Zuoxin Wang at Emory University.

[00:14:13] Book: Sperm Wars: Infidelity, Sexual Conflict, and Other Bedroom Battles, by Robin Baker.

[00:14:36] Sarah Hrdy; Book: Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding.

[00:17:29] Effects of early life stress on oxytocin and vasopressin.

[00:26:15] "Cry it out" sleep training.

[00:28:04] Oxytocin and autism.

[00:30:13] Oxytocin being studied in treatment of autism; Reviews: 1. Benner, Seico, and Hidenori Yamasue. "Clinical potential of oxytocin in autism spectrum disorder: current issues and future perspectives." Behavioural Pharmacology 29.1 (2018): 1-12; 2. Okamoto, Yuko, et al. "The potential of nasal oxytocin administration for remediation of autism spectrum disorders." CNS & Neurological Disorders-Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets-CNS & Neurological Disorders) 15.5 (2016): 564-577.

[00:31:57] Pitocin (synthetic oxytocin).

[00:34:06] Just the right amount of oxytocin is required; too much and the system is disrupted. (Study mentioned by Sue is not available).

[00:36:19] Postpartum depression.

[00:39:52] Oxytocin as anti-inflammatory.

[00:40:40] Higher oxytocin associated with faster wound healing; Study: Gouin, Jean-Philippe, et al. "Marital behavior, oxytocin, vasopressin, and wound healing." Psychoneuroendocrinology 35.7 (2010): 1082-1090.

[00:42:08] Optimizing your body's production of oxytocin.

[00:42:43] Oxytocin necessary for muscle regeneration; Study: Elabd, Christian, et al. "Oxytocin is an age-specific circulating hormone that is necessary for muscle maintenance and regeneration." Nature communications 5.1 (2014): 1-11.

[00:43:35] Effect of exercise on oxytocin production.

[00:44:53] Oxytocin during exercise could prevent breast cancer; Study: Alizadeh, Ali Mohammad, et al. "Oxytocin mediates the beneficial effects of the exercise training on breast cancer." Experimental physiology 103.2 (2018): 222-235.

[00:46:30] Dr. Josh Turknett on minimizing environmental mismatch; Podcast: How to Win at Angry Birds: The Ancestral Paradigm for a Therapeutic Revolution.

[00:46:38] Book: The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease, by Daniel Lieberman.

[00:46:41] Article: Evolved to Exercise, by Herman Pontzer.

[00:50:22] Potential use in treating COVID-19; Commentary: Oxytocin, a possible treatment for COVID-19? Everything to Gain, Nothing to Lose.

[00:55:03] Effects of adversity on oxytocin and vasopressin.

[00:56:02] Dr. Stephen Porges; Book: The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology).

[00:57:58] Possible downsides of oxytocin; Creating intergroup bias: De Dreu, Carsten KW, et al. "Oxytocin promotes human ethnocentrism." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108.4 (2011): 1262-1266.

[00:58:26] Vasopressin implicated in out-group phenomenon; Review: Kavaliers, Martin, and Elena Choleris. "Out-group threat responses, in-group bias, and nonapeptide involvement are conserved across vertebrates:(A Comment on Bruintjes et al.,“Out-Group Threat Promotes Within-Group Affiliation in a Cooperative Fish”)." The American Naturalist 189.4 (2017): 453-458. (On SciHub).

[00:59:18] Podcast: Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity, with Brian Hare, PhD.

[01:02:42] Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes, PhD.

[01:04:13] The value of breastfeeding.

[01:09:54] Review paper: Is Oxytocin “Nature’s Medicine”? Not yet published. Please contact Sue if you would like a copy.

[01:11:15] Where to find Sue: Indiana University; Kinsey Institute; Pubmed.

Megan Maas, PhD, is an assistant professor in Human Development and Family Studies. Her work sits at the intersection of sexual violence prevention and sexual health promotion. Her award-winning research, recognized by the American Psychological Association, focuses on adolescent sexual socialization, with an emphasis on the bi-directional role that social media, sexting, and online pornography play in the development of attitudes and behaviour related to sexuality and gender. For the last 10 years, she has been invited to talk on this subject for audiences of students, parents, and teachers at universities and organizations across the US. 

On this podcast, Dr Maas discusses the allure of pornography and its impact on relationships and young people. She talks about gender differences with regard to how pornography is perceived and research that suggests it has become a popular medium for both men and women. She discusses the societal influences that cause many people to associate danger with romance, morality and ethics in the porn industry, and how best to talk to your children about sex and sexual imagery on the Internet.

[00:01:32] Megan's background.

[00:04:04] The allure of pornography.

[00:05:57] Book: Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships, by Christopher Ryan; Podcast: Civilized to Death: Are We Really Making Progress?

[00:07:51] Anthropologist Helen Fisher.

[00:09:46] The history of porn.

[00:14:19] The role of erotic literature; Book: 50 Shades of Grey, by E.L. James.

[00:15:00] Audio porn: women aroused by sound.

[00:16:13] Women’s arousal not limited by gender; Study: Chivers, Meredith L., Michael C. Seto, and Ray Blanchard. "Gender and sexual orientation differences in sexual response to sexual activities versus gender of actors in sexual films." Journal of personality and social psychology 93.6 (2007): 1108.

[00:17:17] Women enjoy gay male pornography; Paper: Neville, Lucy. "Male gays in the female gaze: Women who watch m/m pornography." Porn Studies 2.2-3 (2015): 192-207.

[00:17:40] Coolidge effect; Studied in humans: Hughes, Susan M., et al. "Experimental Evidence for Sex Differences in Sexual Variety Preferences: Support for the Coolidge Effect in Humans." Archives of Sexual Behavior (2020).

[00:19:32] Women are as likely to cheat as men, especially when ovulating; Studies: 1. Mark, Kristen P., Erick Janssen, and Robin R. Milhausen. "Infidelity in heterosexual couples: Demographic, interpersonal, and personality-related predictors of extradyadic sex." Archives of sexual behavior 40.5 (2011): 971-982; 2.  Haselton, Martie G., and Steven W. Gangestad. "Conditional expression of women's desires and men's mate guarding across the ovulatory cycle." Hormones and behavior 49.4 (2006): 509-518.

[00:20:41] Egg may have a preference for a particular sperm; Study: Fitzpatrick, John L., et al. "Chemical signals from eggs facilitate cryptic female choice in humans." Proceedings of the Royal Society B 287.1928 (2020): 20200805.

[00:21:19] Oral birth control can affect who you’re attracted to; Study: Roberts, S. Craig, et al. "Relationship satisfaction and outcome in women who meet their partner while using oral contraception." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 279.1732 (2012): 1430-1436.

[00:22:14] Romance has become associated with drama and danger; Megan’s Huffington Post article, 'Boys Will Be Boys': The Lie That Keeps It All Going; Blog post: Love hurts: What we learn from Beauty & the Beast, Twilight, and Fifty Shades of Grey;

[00:24:49] Sex education.

[00:29:55] How porn affects relationships - is it improving things or hurting?

[00:32:17] Simon Marshall, PhD; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Books by Russ Harris.

[00:32:35] Morality and ethics in the porn industry.

[00:37:39] Megan’s TED Talk: How the Evolution of Porn Changed Adolescence | Megan Maas | TEDxMSU; Interview with Megan on YouTube. 

[00:39:58] Book: The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children, by Alison Gopnik.

[00:40:54] Advice for parents.

[00:43:25] Podcast: How to Live Well in a High Tech World, with Cal Newport.

[00:43:47] Podcasts with Ashley Mason: 1. Paleo Psychology with Ashley Mason PhD, Mindfulness and Cognitive; 2.  Behavioral Strategies for Diabetes and Sleep Problems; 3. How to Use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia.

[00:45:59] Talking to kids about sex.

[00:46:27] Books Megan recommends.

[00:47:23] Book: Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today's Young Kids, by Kristen Jenson.

[00:49:02] E-book: Talking with Kids about...Porn: A Guide. 

[00:54:07] People who are more religious use more porn; Study: Whitehead, Andrew L., and Samuel L. Perry. "Unbuckling the Bible belt: A state-level analysis of religious factors and Google searches for porn." The Journal of Sex Research 55.3 (2018): 273-283.

[00:54:54] Book: The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind, by Alison Gopnik.

[01:00:20] Sam Harris Podcast: #213 - The Worst Epidemic.

[01:07:56] Megan’s website: meganmaas.com.

A few weeks ago NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall and I met up to discuss the causes of postprandial fatigue, commonly known as “food coma”. We talked about two common causes, both associated with glucose dysregulation. Megan described some of the mechanisms causing hypoglycemia, including accelerated gastric emptying, periods of increased insulin sensitivity, and low hormonal states, while hyperglycemia is often associated with insulin resistance. This was such a big topic we only covered about half of it the first time around, so we’re continuing the conversation today.

On this podcast, Megan and I discuss three additional causes of postprandial fatigue: endotoxin, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Megan describes each of these scenarios in detail, discussing some of the upstream causes that can be targeted early on to avoid problems. She also provides practical steps you can take if you’re one of the millions dozing off after lunch every day. Be sure to follow along with Megan’s outline for this podcast. 

Here’s the outline of this interview with Megan Hall:

[00:01:42] Previous podcast: Postprandial Fatigue: Is It Normal To Need A Nap After Lunch? 

[00:03:20] Hans Vink; Hyperglycemia reduces glycocalyx volume while NAC infusion prevents the reduction. Nieuwdorp, Max, et al. "Loss of endothelial glycocalyx during acute hyperglycemia coincides with endothelial dysfunction and coagulation activation in vivo." Diabetes 55.2 (2006): 480-486.

[00:03:51] Malcolm Kendrick on the glycocalyx; Podcasts: Why Cholesterol Levels Have No Effect on Cardiovascular Disease (And Things to Think about Instead) and A Statin Nation: Damaging Millions in a Brave New Post-health World.

[00:04:51] NBT Strength and Conditioning Coach Zach Moore; Podcast: How to Strength Train Without a Gym.

[00:06:21] Postprandial endotoxemia (PPE): definition, causes, downstream effects; Study: Kelly, Caleb J., Sean P. Colgan, and Daniel N. Frank. "Of microbes and meals: the health consequences of dietary endotoxemia." Nutrition in Clinical Practice 27.2 (2012): 215-225. 

[00:11:04] What to do about PPE.

[00:11:56] Probiotics; Podcasts: How to Optimise Your Gut Microbiome and Microbiome Myths and Misconceptions, with Lucy Mailing, PhD; How to Use Probiotics to Improve Your Health, with Jason Hawrelak, PhD.

[00:12:10] Megasporebiotic; Study: McFarlin, Brian K., et al. "Oral spore-based probiotic supplementation was associated with reduced incidence of post-prandial dietary endotoxin, triglycerides, and disease risk biomarkers." World Journal of Gastrointestinal Pathophysiology 8.3 (2017): 117.

[00:12:36] Chris' sister's story.

[00:13:51] S. boulardii - may help with gut barrier function; Study: Terciolo, Chloe, Michel Dapoigny, and Frederic Andre. "Beneficial effects of Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 on clinical disorders associated with intestinal barrier disruption." Clinical and experimental gastroenterology 12 (2019): 67.

[00:14:23] Additional supplements that may help with gut: Enteromend, Permaclear, GI Revive, SBI Protect.

[00:17:09] Dietary interventions for PPE.

[00:17:14] Plant polyphenols; Studies: 1. Wong, Ximena, et al. "Polyphenol extracts interfere with bacterial lipopolysaccharide in vitro and decrease postprandial endotoxemia in human volunteers." Journal of Functional Foods 26 (2016): 406-417; 2. González‐Sarrías, Antonio, et al. "The endotoxemia marker lipopolysaccharide‐binding protein is reduced in overweight‐obese subjects consuming pomegranate extract by modulating the gut microbiota: A randomized clinical trial." Molecular nutrition & food research 62.11 (2018): 1800160; 3. Kolehmainen, Marjukka, et al. "Bilberries reduce low‐grade inflammation in individuals with features of metabolic syndrome." Molecular nutrition & food research 56.10 (2012): 1501-1510. 

[00:17:36] Sulforaphane; Studies: 1. Yanaka, Akinori, Junya Sato, and Shun Ohmori. "Sulforaphane protects small intestinal mucosa from aspirin/NSAID-induced injury by enhancing host defense systems against oxidative stress and by inhibiting mucosal invasion of anaerobic enterobacteria." Current pharmaceutical design 19.1 (2013): 157-162. 2. Yanaka, Akinori. "Role of sulforaphane in protection of gastrointestinal tract against H. pylori and NSAID-induced oxidative stress." Current pharmaceutical design 23.27 (2017): 4066-4075.

[00:17:53] Hormetea.

[00:20:20] Dietary oil composition plays a role in endotoxin transport; Study: Mani, Venkatesh, James H. Hollis, and Nicholas K. Gabler. "Dietary oil composition differentially modulates intestinal endotoxin transport and postprandial endotoxemia." Nutrition & metabolism 10.1 (2013): 6.

[00:21:55] Supporting detoxification; Studies: 1. Fox, Eben S., Peter Thomas, and Selwyn A. Broitman. "Hepatic mechanisms for clearance and detoxification of bacterial endotoxins." The journal of nutritional biochemistry 1.12 (1990): 620-628 (SciHub); 2. Munford, Robert S. "Invited review: detoxifying endotoxin: time, place and person." Journal of endotoxin research 11.2 (2005): 69-84.

[00:22:20] Enterosgel.

[00:24:04] Inflammation; Study: Mo, Zhenzhen, et al. "Endotoxin May Not Be the Major Cause of Postprandial Inflammation in Adults Who Consume a Single High-Fat or Moderately High-Fat Meal." The Journal of Nutrition 150.5 (2020): 1303-1312.

[00:25:51] Lucy Mailing on gut barrier integrity: Article: Is a high-fat or ketogenic diet bad for your gut? Discussed on NBT Forum post.

[00:26:26] Food sensitivities; Studies: 1. Ohtsuka, Yoshikazu. "Food intolerance and mucosal inflammation." Pediatrics International 57.1 (2015): 22-29; 2. Wilders-Truschnig, M., et al. "IgG antibodies against food antigens are correlated with inflammation and intima media thickness in obese juveniles." Experimental and clinical endocrinology & diabetes 116.4 (2008): 241.

[00:27:58] IL-1 and postprandial fatigue; Study: Lehrskov, Louise L., et al. "The role of IL-1 in postprandial fatigue." Molecular metabolism 12 (2018): 107-112.

[00:29:05] Mitochondrial dysfunction and glucose dysregulation; Study: Sergi, Domenico, et al. "Mitochondrial (dys) function and insulin resistance: From pathophysiological molecular mechanisms to the impact of diet." Frontiers in physiology 10 (2019): 532.

[00:29:54] Normal vs pathological biochemistry.

[00:32:53] TCA cycle and electron transport chain.

[00:33:21] Insulin resistance is a cellular antioxidant defense mechanism; Study: Hoehn, Kyle L., et al. "Insulin resistance is a cellular antioxidant defense mechanism." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106.42 (2009): 17787-17792.

[00:35:02] Blood sugar dysregulation and mito dysfunction; Studies: 1. Stefano, George B., Sean Challenger, and Richard M. Kream. "Hyperglycemia-associated alterations in cellular signaling and dysregulated mitochondrial bioenergetics in human metabolic disorders." European journal of nutrition 55.8 (2016): 2339-2345; 2. Rolo, Anabela P., and Carlos M. Palmeira. "Diabetes and mitochondrial function: role of hyperglycemia and oxidative stress." Toxicology and applied pharmacology 212.2 (2006): 167-178; 3. Kaikini, Aakruti Arun, et al. "Targeting mitochondrial dysfunction for the treatment of diabetic complications: pharmacological interventions through natural products." Pharmacognosy Reviews 11.22 (2017): 128.

[00:36:26] How to support mitochondria.

[00:36:46] Low-carb diet; Study: Miller, Vincent J., Frederick A. Villamena, and Jeff S. Volek. "Nutritional ketosis and mitohormesis: potential implications for mitochondrial function and human health." Journal of nutrition and metabolism 2018 (2018).

[00:37:04] Exercise; Studies: 1. Oliveira, Ashley N., and David A. Hood. "Exercise is mitochondrial medicine for muscle." Sports Medicine and Health Science 1.1 (2019): 11-18; 2. Memme, Jonathan M., et al. "Exercise and mitochondrial health." The Journal of Physiology (2019); 3. Huertas, Jesus R., et al. "Stay fit, stay young: mitochondria in movement: the role of exercise in the new mitochondrial paradigm." Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity 2019 (2019).

[00:37:31] TRE or fasting, CR; Study: Lettieri-Barbato, Daniele, et al. "Time-controlled fasting prevents aging-like mitochondrial changes induced by persistent dietary fat overload in skeletal muscle." PloS one 13.5 (2018): e0195912.

[00:38:03] Dietary polyphenols; Studies: 1. Sun, Chongde, et al. "Dietary polyphenols as antidiabetic agents: Advances and opportunities." Food Frontiers 1.1 (2020): 18-44; 2. Teixeira, José, et al. "Dietary polyphenols and mitochondrial function: role in health and disease." Current medicinal chemistry 26.19 (2019): 3376-3406.

[00:38:47] Eat berries before a carb rich meal; 1. Törrönen, Riitta, et al. "Berries reduce postprandial insulin responses to wheat and rye breads in healthy women." The Journal of nutrition 143.4 (2013): 430-436; 2. Xiao, Di, et al. "Attenuation of postmeal metabolic indices with red raspberries in individuals at risk for diabetes: A randomized controlled trial." Obesity 27.4 (2019): 542-550.

[00:39:34] Eat fatty fish; Studies: Lanza, Ian R., et al. "Influence of fish oil on skeletal muscle mitochondrial energetics and lipid metabolites during high-fat diet." American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism 304.12 (2013): E1391-E1403; 2. de Oliveira, Marcos Roberto, et al. "Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and mitochondria, back to the future." Trends in food science & technology 67 (2017): 76-92.

[00:39:53] Sleep; Studies: 1. Rodrigues, Nathane Rosa, et al. "Short-term sleep deprivation with exposure to nocturnal light alters mitochondrial bioenergetics in Drosophila." Free Radical Biology and Medicine 120 (2018): 395-406; 2. Schmitt, Karen, et al. "Circadian control of DRP1 activity regulates mitochondrial dynamics and bioenergetics." Cell metabolism 27.3 (2018): 657-666.

[00:40:16] Supplements to support mitochondria; Study: Wesselink, E., et al. "Feeding mitochondria: potential role of nutritional components to improve critical illness convalescence." Clinical nutrition 38.3 (2019): 982-995.

[00:42:22] Outline for this podcast. 

[00:42:25] Dr. Josh Turkett’s 4-quadrant model.

[00:44:47] 35% of pharmaceuticals cause mito dysfunction; Studies: 1. Meyer, Joel N., and Sherine SL Chan. "Sources, mechanisms, and consequences of chemical-induced mitochondrial toxicity." (2017): 2-4; and 2. Dykens, James A., and Yvonne Will. "The significance of mitochondrial toxicity testing in drug development." Drug discovery today 12.17-18 (2007): 777-785.

[00:45:08] Environmental pollutants; Podcast: Environmental Pollutants and the Gut Microbiome, with Jodi Flaws, PhD.

[00:45:22] Psychological stress; Podcast: Germline Exposures with Jill Escher.

[00:46:35] Support NBT on Patreon.

[00:46:51] Book a free 15-minute starter session with one of our coaches.

James Nestor is a San Francisco-based author and journalist who has written for Scientific American, Outside Magazine, The New York Times, The Atlantic, National Public Radio, and more. His latest book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art was released in May 2020 and became an instant New York Times and Wall Street Journal Top 10 bestseller. In it, he explores the history of how we have lost the ability to breathe properly and why we’re suffering from a long list of maladies as a result. These include snoring, sleep apnea, asthma, autoimmune disease, and allergies.

On this podcast James explains how changing the way you breathe can have a profound effect on your emotional and physical health. He relates how his research led him to understanding and practising ancient breathing methods, even enlisting in a 21-day Stanford University experiment to have his nasal cavities and his mouth taped shut. He also describes a simple and inexpensive breathing technique that can quickly produce significant returns in health and performance. 

Interviewing James this week is my NBT colleague Clay Higgins. Clay is a mountain biker, fourth-generation funeral homeowner, and was a client back in 2014. After transforming his health using ancestral health, Clay is now helping other people do the same. If you come to the front page of our website at nourishbalancethrive.com you’ll find a button to book a free starter session with Clay. During the session, he'll take a look at your history and share how we'd work with you. If you’re not in the US, don’t worry! Since we always work remotely, we can help you almost anywhere in the world.

Here’s the outline of this interview with James Nestor:

[00:00:20] Book: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, by James Nestor.

[00:01:57] Freediving; Book: Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves, by James Nestor.

[00:03:43] Jayakar V. Nayak, MD, PhD at Stanford.

[00:05:13] Mouth breathing for 10 days.

[00:08:21] Dr. Josh Turkett’s 4-quadrant model.

[00:11:47] Why don't we prioritize how we breathe?

[00:15:05] Video: Josh Turknett - How To Win At Angry Birds: The Ancestral Therapeutic Paradigm - AHS19; Podcast: How to Win at Angry Birds: The Ancestral Paradigm for a Therapeutic Revolution, with Josh Turknett, MD.

[00:16:00] Book: Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen, by Dan Heath.

[00:19:08] Effects of breathing on skull shape; Studies: 1. Muñoz, Isabel Chung Leng, and Paola Beltri Orta. "Comparison of cephalometric patterns in mouth breathing and nose breathing children." International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology 78.7 (2014): 1167-1172; 2. Chambi‐Rocha, Annel, Ma Eugenia Cabrera‐Domínguez, and Antonia Domínguez‐Reyes. "Breathing mode influence on craniofacial development and head posture." Jornal de Pediatria (Versão em Português) 94.2 (2018): 123-130 3. Jefferson, Yosh. "Mouth breathing: adverse effects on facial growth, health, academics, and behavior." Gen Dent 58.1 (2010): 18-25.

[00:21:54] Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome.

[00:23:52] Benefits of nasal breathing.

[00:25:02] Study: Nasal breathing coordinates brain network interactions; Study: Zelano, Christina, et al. "Nasal respiration entrains human limbic oscillations and modulates cognitive function." Journal of Neuroscience 36.49 (2016): 12448-12467.

[00:25:22] High percentage of kids with ADHD are mouth breathers. Study: Bonuck, Karen, et al. "Sleep-disordered breathing in a population-based cohort: behavioral outcomes at 4 and 7 years." Pediatrics 129.4 (2012): e857-e865.

[00:25:02] Mouth breathing associated with emotional problems and ADHD. Study: Susan Shur‐Fen, G. A. U. "Prevalence of sleep problems and their association with inattention/hyperactivity among children aged 6–15 in Taiwan." Journal of Sleep Research 15.4 (2006): 403-414.

[00:26:37] Dr. John Douillard, Dr. Phil Maffetone; MAF method.

[00:31:13] Dr. Steven Park.

[00:31:58] Mouth taping; James recommends 3M Micropore Hypoallergenic Tape.

[00:37:11] Stanford’s Dr. Ann Kearney.

[00:37:43] Video: James Nestor interviewing Dr. Mark Burhenne on mouth taping.

[00:39:03] Studies on James’ website. 

[00:41:46] Mrjamesnestor.com; Breath resources; Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.

Dr Jim Stray-Gundersen MD is Board Certified in General Surgery and a world-renowned expert in sports medicine, exercise physiology and training for sports performance. He has worked for 35+ years with Olympic and professional athletes, including the US, Norwegian, German, and Canadian national teams, as well as with NASA, Special Forces, and all levels of the US Military. Jim currently serves as the sports science advisor for the US Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and is the founder of the SG Performance Medicine Center in Park City, Utah.

On this podcast, Dr Stray-Gundersen defines the mechanisms and application of Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training and its effect on overall health, performance, power, and strength. He explains how BFR can deliver muscle gains identical to traditional strength training but with less weight, reduced risk of injury and faster recovery, making it a viable training option for people of all ages and fitness levels. He discusses the safety of BFR and the potential of this technique to revolutionise training and rehabilitation, particularly at this time when many of us no longer have access to a gym.

Train harder and safer than you were before the gym shut down! Head over to bstrong.training before Aug 31, 2020, and use the discount code Performbetter to save 20% on the BFR system we talk about in this interview.

[00:00:19] Olympic skier Todd Lodwick's 2014 injury and recovery.

[00:11:09] How blood flow restriction (BFR) works.

[00:18:58] STEM-talk podcast: Episode 34: Jim Stray-Gundersen explains how blood flow restriction training builds muscle and improves performance.

[00:19:04] IHMC lecture: Jim Stray-Gundersen - Blood Flow Restriction Training: Anti-aging medicine for the busy baby boomer.

[00:19:08] Increased fast-twitch muscle fibers with BFR training; Study: Yasuda, T., et al. "Muscle fiber cross-sectional area is increased after two weeks of twice daily KAATSU-resistance training." International Journal of KAATSU Training Research 1.2 (2005): 65-70.

[00:22:50] Improvement in strength and muscle mass with walking and other low-load training; Meta-Analysis: Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training on Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy in Older Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

[00:23:35] Increases in VO2max with BFR; Meta-Analysis: Formiga, Magno F., et al. "Effect of Aerobic exercise training with and without blood flow restriction on aerobic capacity in healthy young adults: A systematic review with meta-analysis.” International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy 15.2 (2020): 175.

[00:30:34] Safety of BFR; Study: Nakajima, T., et al. "Use and safety of KAATSU training: results of a national survey." International Journal of KAATSU Training Research 2.1 (2006): 5-13.

[00:39:24] B Strong vs. Kaatsu.

[00:40:50] Contraindications for BFR.

[00:43:35] BFR for varicose veins.

[00:46:49] How to train.

[00:48:48] 9-minute workout.

[00:51:23] Measuring progress.

[00:56:24] BFR for elite athletes.

[00:57:51] Increased growth hormone and benefits for bone health; Studies: 1. Takarada, Yudai, et al. "Rapid increase in plasma growth hormone after low-intensity resistance exercise with vascular occlusion." Journal of applied physiology 88.1 (2000): 61-65. 2. Sato, Y., and T. Abe. "KAATSU-walk training increases serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase in young men." International Journal of KAATSU Training Research 1.2 (2005): 77-81.

[00:59:10] Why haven't we heard of this?

[01:02:00] B Strong; Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.

Kara Collier, RDN, CNSC is a Registered Dietitian, Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Support Clinician who specializes in glucose control and metabolism. She’s also the Director of Nutrition for Nutrisense, a company that uses continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to help their clients become aware of the factors impacting their blood sugar. Kara oversees a team of dietitians leveraging CGM data to build tailored nutrition and lifestyle plans.

On this podcast, Kara talks about the value of using CGM to optimize metabolic health, prevent disease, and improve healthspan. She discusses how CGM captures critical information missed by traditional glucose screening tests and how the data can then guide lifestyle changes. We discuss optimal fasting and peak glucose ranges, the accuracy of CGM, and the 5 lifestyle pillars that tend to have a significant impact on blood glucose.

[00:02:54] Nutrisense; Continuous glucose monitors (CGM).

[00:05:38] Article: The Rise of Nutritionism, by Kara Collier; Michael Pollan.

[00:06:54] Book: Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman.

[00:08:12] Chris Masterjohn.

[00:10:07] Why measure blood glucose.

[00:12:07] Freestyle Libre.

[00:13:51] Podcast: Postprandial Fatigue: Is It Normal To Need A Nap After Lunch? with Megan Hall.

[00:14:05] Glycocalyx: Podcasts with Malcolm Kendrick: Why Cholesterol Levels Have No Effect on Cardiovascular Disease (And Things to Think about Instead) and A Statin Nation: Damaging Millions in a Brave New Post-health World; Podcast with Ivor Cummins: Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC): A Direct Measure of Cardiovascular Disease Risk.

[00:14:18] Micrograph images of glycocalyx after a high-carb meal.

[00:15:39] Importance of peak glucose values (

Before it became so easy for us to stay up at night, cross time zones in a single afternoon, and eat at any time of the day, humans were inclined to live in accordance with natural light/dark cycles. It’s probably no accident that along with these lifestyle changes we’ve entered an era marked by chronic illness - the so-called mismatch diseases. Metabolic disorders are often attributed to eating too much or consuming the wrong kinds of food. But fascinating research from just the last several years suggests we’re also eating at the wrong time of the day.

With me today on the podcast is writer, speaker, and researcher Greg Potter, PhD. to talk about chrononutrition - how the foods we eat and the times we eat them impact our inner clocks and metabolic health. Greg discusses how changing when you eat can have profound effects, including reduced blood glucose, insulin, and appetite, and even better outcomes with COVID-19. He breaks down specific macronutrients to eat, when to eat them, and in what order, to optimise the body’s inner timekeeper. 

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to read Greg’s articles on chrononutrition over at HumanOS: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

[00:00:12] Metagenics Institute Podcast with Nathan Rose. 

[00:03:24] Early time-restricted eating (eTRE).

[00:04:18] A review of the circadian system.

[00:06:41] Consuming food earlier in the day leads to lower postprandial glucose and insulin; Meta analysis: Leung, Gloria KW, et al. "Time of day difference in postprandial glucose and insulin responses: Systematic review and meta-analysis of acute postprandial studies." Chronobiology International 37.3 (2020): 311-326.

[00:06:58] Time of day changes in immune function; Study: Abele, Sydney H., et al. "Focus: Clocks and Cycles: Time is on the Immune System’s Side, Yes it is." The Yale journal of biology and medicine 92.2 (2019): 225.

[00:10:51] How changing food timing can affect your health.

[00:12:34] TRE associated with better health outcomes; Study: Gill, Shubhroz, et al. "Time-restricted feeding attenuates age-related cardiac decline in Drosophila." Science 347.6227 (2015): 1265-1269.

[00:13:15] Satchin Panda; Podcast: How to Use Time-Restricted Eating to Reverse Disease and Optimize Health.

[00:13:23] High-fat diet leads to changes in circadian rhythm in mice; Study: Eckel-Mahan, Kristin L., et al. "Reprogramming of the circadian clock by nutritional challenge." Cell 155.7 (2013): 1464-1478.

[00:16:03] Definitions - TRE vs IF (intermittent fasting).

[00:17:00] Different types of fasting: Alternate Day Fasting, Modified ADF, 5:2 Diet, Modified 5:2, nutrient restriction.

[00:18:30] Fasting Mimicking Diet.

[00:21:27] Intermountain Risk Score and calculator; Changes in blood chemistry with fasting.

[00:22:19] Time of day and macronutrient intake.

[00:22:34] Eating earlier in the day beneficial for metabolic health; Study: Jakubowicz, Daniela, et al. "High caloric intake at breakfast vs. dinner differentially influences weight loss of overweight and obese women." Obesity 21.12 (2013): 2504-2512.

[00:23:40] Three meals and a big breakfast better than 6 small meals; Study: Jakubowicz, Daniela, et al. "Reduction in glycated hemoglobin and daily insulin dose alongside circadian clock upregulation in patients with type 2 diabetes consuming a three-meal diet: a randomized clinical trial." Diabetes Care 42.12 (2019): 2171-2180.

[00:25:34] Eat your carbs last; Study: Shukla, Alpana P., et al. "Food order has a significant impact on postprandial glucose and insulin levels." Diabetes care 38.7 (2015): e98-e99.

[00:32:11] Possible genetic impact on circadian system; Study: Lopez-Minguez, Jesus, et al. "Circadian system heritability as assessed by wrist temperature: a twin study." Chronobiology international 32.1 (2015): 71-80.

[00:38:59] Early TRE better but perceived as more difficult; Study: Parr, Evelyn B., et al. "A delayed morning and earlier evening time-restricted feeding protocol for improving glycemic control and dietary adherence in men with overweight/obesity: a randomized controlled trial." Nutrients 12.2 (2020): 505.

[00:41:53] Early TRE improves metabolic markers and reduces appetite; Study: Sutton, Elizabeth F., et al. "Early time-restricted feeding improves insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and oxidative stress even without weight loss in men with prediabetes." Cell metabolism 27.6 (2018): 1212-1221.

[00:48:23] Diet timing and COVID-19 mortality; Study: Verd, Sergio, et al. "Early dinner or “dinner like a pauper”: Evidence, the habitual time of the largest meal of the day–dinner–is predisposing to severe COVID-19 outcome–death." Chronobiology International (2020): 1-5.

[00:53:51] Chris Kelly’s approach to circadian timing.

[00:57:14] How much protein to eat? 0.4g protein/Kg body mass of high-quality protein per dietary event.

[00:57:46] Digestible indispensable amino acid score.

[00:59:12] Podcast: Why You’re Probably Not Eating Enough Protein (How to Know for Sure), with Megan Hall.

[00:59:53] Resilient Nutrition (website coming soon).

[01:03:37] Resilient Nutrition on Instagram and Facebook.

Dr Brian Hare is a scientist and the New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Dogs. He received his PhD from Harvard University and is now a Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University. Brian founded the Hominoid Psychology Research Group while at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, and subsequently founded the Duke Canine Cognition Center. His publications on dog cognition are among the most heavily cited papers on dog behaviour and intelligence.

In this podcast, Brian talks about his new book, Survival of the Friendliest, which masterfully applies research on the psychology of dogs, chimps and bonobos to our understanding of human benevolence and cruelty. He explains why identifying with a group can result in hostility to others, and why species that find a way to cooperate tend to dominate. He also offers innovative solutions for reducing divisiveness and increasing cooperative behaviour in our contemporary society. 

[00:00:16] Book: The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think, by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods.

[00:00:48] Book: Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity, by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods.

[00:01:16] Shared intentionality.

[00:05:18] Dognition assessment; online course.

[00:07:29] Duke Canine Cognition Center publications.

[00:13:45] Chimps and bonobos.

[00:18:33] Analysis comparing chimps and bonobos on lethal aggression: Wilson, Michael L., et al. "Lethal aggression in Pan is better explained by adaptive strategies than human impacts." Nature 513.7518 (2014): 414-417.

[00:19:58] Friendliness pays huge dividends.

[00:24:32] Sue Carter, PhD on oxytocin.

[00:25:27] Sexual behavior of bonobo females helps form alliances; Article: Parish, Amy Randall. "Female relationships in bonobos (Pan paniscus)." Hu Nat 7.1 (1996): 61-96.

[00:27:24] Book: The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution, by Richard Wrangham.

[00:31:08] Jane Goodall; Documentary: Jane.

[00:31:18] Claudine Andre; Documentary: Bonobos: Back to the Wild.

[00:32:23] Louis Leakey funded Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birutė Galdikas (The Trimates) to study hominids.

[00:38:41] Books: The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man, by Charles Darwin.

[00:39:45] Michael Tomasello, PhD.

[00:47:14] Group identity.

[00:53:47] Paul Bloom, PhD.

[00:59:06] Increasing friendliness; Contact hypothesis.

[00:59:41] Policy recommendations and innovations to increase friendliness.

[01:06:40] Book: The Decline and Rise of Democracy: A Global History from Antiquity to Today, by David Stasavage.

[01:09:17] Brian on Twitter.

[01:09:52] Getting a dog: refer to the Humane Society website.

[01:10:51] Hypoallergenic dogs have the same amount of dander; Study: Nicholas, Charlotte E., et al. "Dog allergen levels in homes with hypoallergenic compared with nonhypoallergenic dogs." American journal of rhinology & allergy 25.4 (2011): 252-256.

[01:11:50] American Kennel Club.

We get a lot of questions from our clients about postprandial fatigue. Never heard of it? Well you’ve certainly familiar with the term “food coma” - and perhaps with the experience of being in one. What causes this phenomenon and why does it affect some people more than others? Is it normal to need a nap after lunch? 

On this podcast I’m joined by NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall to talk about postprandial fatigue - the sleepiness, difficulty focusing, and even dizziness or nausea that strikes after consuming a meal. Megan talks about some of the biological processes behind the need for a post-meal snooze, and when to suspect a deeper pathology. She also offers practical tips to help you resolve your own postprandial fatigue.

Thank you everyone who so generously supports this podcast on Patreon - without your support, we wouldn’t be able to keep this podcast independent and free of ads. So thank you. And just a reminder - as a Patreon supporter - not only do you have our eternal gratitude, but also...

You get some awesome gifts - including 20-35% discounts on all supplements we recommend when working with clients, which saves many of our supporters $50-$100 a month over what they were previously paying on Amazon. So by supporting the podcast, they’re actually spending LESS money each month.

In addition to that, you can also get access to our Office Hours, where Megan answers questions twice a week. You can submit all your own questions, as well as listen to all the replays, covering everything from krill oil to mitochondrial support.

We’ve worked really hard to make sure that the bonuses you get are actually way more valuable than what you pay whatever level you choose to support us at. So if you’d like to support the podcast and get access to the discounts and Office Hours, just head over to NBT.link and sign up there.

[00:04:25] Common symptoms of postprandial fatigue.

[00:05:46] Reactive hypoglycemia; Study: Johnson, Debra D., Kay E. Dorr, and Wendell M. Swenson. "Reactive hypoglycemia." JAMA 243.11 (1980): 1151-1155. 

[00:06:35] Diagnosing reactive hypoglycemia; Study: CHALEW, STUART, et al. "Diagnosis of reactive hypoglycemia: pitfalls in the use of the oral glucose tolerance test." Southern Medical Journal 79.3 (1986): 285-287.

[00:09:00] Symptoms and causes of hypoglycemia.

[00:09:37] Increased insulin sensitivity; Studies: 1. Brun, J. F., et al. "Increased insulin sensitivity and basal insulin effectiveness in postprandial reactive hypoglycaemia." Acta Diabetologica 33.1 (1996): 1-6; 2. Vexiau, P., B. Legoff, and G. Cathelineau. "Insulin and cortisol secretion during OGTT in patients with reactive hypoglycaemia with or without clinical symptoms." Hormone and metabolic research 15.09 (1983): 419-421.

[00:09:47] Hypocortisolism; Studies: 1. Meyer, Gesine, et al. "Nocturnal hypoglycemia identified by a continuous glucose monitoring system in patients with primary adrenal insufficiency (Addison's disease)." Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics 14.5 (2012): 386-388; 2. Christiansen, Jens Juel, et al. "Effects of cortisol on carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism: studies of acute cortisol withdrawal in adrenocortical failure." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 92.9 (2007): 3553-3559.

[00:10:05] Hypothyroidism; Studies: 1. Kalra, Sanjay, Ambika Gopalakrishnan Unnikrishnan, and Rakesh Sahay. "The hypoglycemic side of hypothyroidism." Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism 18.1 (2014): 1; 2. Yadav, Tek Chand, et al. "Recurrent hypoglycemia: An unusual finding of hypothyroidism." Thyroid Research and Practice 14.3 (2017): 127.

[00:10:53] What to do about hypoglycemia.

[00:13:09] Accelerated gastric emptying.

[00:16:20] Reactive hypoglycemia after exercise.

[00:18:51] Postprandial hyperglycemia; Study: Gerich, John E. "Clinical significance, pathogenesis, and management of postprandial hyperglycemia." Archives of internal medicine 163.11 (2003): 1306-1316.

[00:20:38] Problems associated with hyperglycemia; Studies: 1. Ceriello, Antonio, et al. "Meal-induced oxidative stress and low-density lipoprotein oxidation in diabetes: the possible role of hyperglycemia." Metabolism 48.12 (1999): 1503-1508; 2. Ceriello, Antonio, et al. "Meal-generated oxidative stress in type 2 diabetic patients." Diabetes care 21.9 (1998): 1529-1533; 3. Cavalot, F. "Do data in the literature indicate that glycaemic variability is a clinical problem? Glycaemic variability and vascular complications of diabetes." Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 15.s2 (2013): 3-8; 4. Ceriello, Antonio, et al. "Evidence for an independent and cumulative effect of postprandial hypertriglyceridemia and hyperglycemia on endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress generation: effects of short-and long-term simvastatin treatment." Circulation 106.10 (2002): 1211-1218; 5. Tibaldi, Joseph. "Importance of postprandial glucose levels as a target for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes." Southern medical journal 102.1 (2009): 60-66.

[00:21:24] Insulin resistance.

[00:21:39] Video: PAH 2016 - A systems analysis approach to insulin resistance, with Dr. Tommy Wood.

[00:23:02] What to do: Look at diet; 1. Krebs, Jeremy D., et al. "Improvements in glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity with a low-carbohydrate diet in obese patients with type 2 diabetes." Journal of the American College of Nutrition 32.1 (2013): 11-17; 2. Lin, Po-Ju, and Katarina T. Borer. "Third exposure to a reduced carbohydrate meal lowers evening postprandial insulin and GIP responses and HOMA-IR estimate of insulin resistance." PloS one 11.10 (2016): e0165378; 3. MacDonald, Ian A. "A review of recent evidence relating to sugars, insulin resistance and diabetes." European journal of nutrition 55.2 (2016): 17-23; 4. Bradley, Una, et al. "Low-fat versus low-carbohydrate weight reduction diets: effects on weight loss, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular risk: a randomized control trial." Diabetes 58.12 (2009): 2741-2748.

[00:28:46] Mediterranean diet; Study: Guasch-Ferré, Marta, et al. "Dietary polyphenols, Mediterranean diet, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes: a narrative review of the evidence." Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity 2017 (2017).

[00:29:56] Endotoxemia and insulin resistance 1. Moreira, AP Boroni, and R. de Cássia Gonçalves Alfenas. "The influence of endotoxemia on the molecular mechanisms of insulin resistance." Nutrición hospitalaria 27.2 (2012): 382-390; 2. Cani, Patrice D., et al. "Metabolic endotoxemia initiates obesity and insulin resistance." Diabetes 56.7 (2007): 1761-1772.

[00:30:24] Megan's outline for this podcast. 

[00:31:19] When fatigue after a meal might be normal.

[00:33:08] Article: Why a pandemic flu shot caused narcolepsy.

[00:33:49] Both high fat and high carb meals can cause sleepiness; Study: Wells, Anita S., et al. "Effects of meals on objective and subjective measures of daytime sleepiness." Journal of applied physiology 84.2 (1998): 507-515.

[00:33:56] Intestinal stimulation can cause sleepiness; Kukorelli, Tibor, and Gábor Juhász. "Electroencephalographic synchronization induced by stimulation of small intestine and splanchnic nerve in cats." Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology 41.5 (1976): 491-500.

[00:34:20] Sleepiness after eating vs. just chewing; Study: MJ Harnish, SR Greenleaf, WC Orr, “A comparison of feeding to cephalic stimulation on postprandial sleepiness.” Physiology & behavior 64.1 (1998):93-96.

[00:34:38] Cholecystokinin (CCK) may affect the alert centers in the brain; Study: Wells, Anita S., et al. "Influences of fat and carbohydrate on postprandial sleepiness, mood, and hormones." Physiology & behavior 61.5 (1997): 679-686.

[00:37:13] Thermogenesis; Study: Zammit, Gary K., et al. "Postprandial sleep and thermogenesis in normal men." Physiology & behavior 52.2 (1992): 251-259.

[00:37:40] Summary: How to fix the problem.

[00:38:43] Nutrisense for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

[00:46:29] Timing your walk with glucose peak; Study: Reynolds, Andrew N., and Bernard J. Venn. "The timing of activity after eating affects the glycaemic response of healthy adults: a randomised controlled trial." nutrients 10.11 (2018): 1743.

[00:51:01] Support NBT on Patreon to access the forum.  

Trey Suntrup, PhD is a product engineer who earned his doctorate in physics and electrical engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2015. He is currently the Head of Product at Readout Health, the St. Louis startup that recently launched the Biosense breath ketone meter. Following a successful clinical trial in the autumn of 2019, Biosense has entered the consumer, clinical, and research market as a tool to help those wanting to lose weight or manage blood glucose with a ketogenic diet.

On this podcast, Trey discusses breath acetone testing and how it can be used to improve health outcomes. He shares the results of the clinical trial supporting the Biosense meter, including the finding that measurements must be collected multiple times daily to truly evaluate the benefit of a ketogenic or intermittent fasting plan. He also describes some of the advantages of breath testing over blood ketone measurement. 

[00:00:15] James McCarter; Podcasts: How to Reverse Insulin Resistant Type Two Diabetes in 100 Million People in Less Than 10 Years and Nutritional Ketosis and Guided Behavior Change to Reverse Type 2 Diabetes. 

[00:00:20] Virta Health.

[00:00:23] Douglas Hilbert; Podcast: How Busy Realtors Can Avoid Anxiety and Depression Without Prescriptions or the Help of a Doctor.

[00:01:02] Trey's background.

[00:04:16] NBT Podcasts on ketosis and ketones with Dominic D'Agostino, Ken Ford, Brianna Stubbs 1, 2, 3, 4; Catherine Crofts, Megan Hall.

[00:04:29] Megan Hall’s Study: Roberts, Megan N., et al. "A ketogenic diet extends longevity and healthspan in adult mice." Cell metabolism 26.3 (2017): 539-546.

[00:04:52] Types of ketones and methods for measuring them.

[00:10:03] Study of endurance runners in ketosis: Edwards, Kate H., Bradley T. Elliott, and Cecilia M. Kitic. "Carbohydrate intake and ketosis in self-sufficient multi-stage ultramarathon runners." Journal of Sports Sciences 38.4 (2020): 366-374.

[00:11:37] Problems with measuring BHB blood ketones.

[00:15:49] Deriving meaning from acetone meter results; The ACEs Unit.

[00:21:49] Clinical trial: Suntrup, Donald J., et al. "Characterization of a high-resolution breath acetone meter for ketosis monitoring." medRxiv (2020). Interpretation of trial results.

[00:26:15] Ken Ford on the signalling properties of ketones: STEM-Talk Podcast Episode 50: Ken Ford Talks about Ketosis, Optimizing Exercise, and the Future Direction of Science, Technology, and Culture.

[00:26:26] Ketogains: Chase results, not ketones.

[00:29:29] Early Time-Restricted Eating, Intermittent Fasting. Review: Mattson, Mark P., Valter D. Longo, and Michelle Harvie. "Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes." Ageing research reviews 39 (2017): 46-58.

[00:32:43] Biosense blog post: The Effects and Impact of Ketones and Fasting.

[00:33:13] Marty Kendall’s blog post: Is the acetone:glucose ratio the Holy Grail of tracking optimal ketosis levels?

[00:33:56] Continuous glucose monitors (CGM).

[00:35:16] Integration with Cronometer.

[00:35:48] Heads up Health; NBT podcast w/ founder David Korsunsky: How to Use Data to Take Control of Your Health.

[00:38:25] Senza app.

[00:40:52] Getting the biosense meter: Biosense website.

[00:42:10] Upcoming clinical trials.

[00:46:45] Find Trey on LinkedIn. 

T. K. Coleman is the Director of Entrepreneurial Education at the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) and the host of The Revolution of One podcast. As a member of the FEE faculty, he is a prolific writer and speaker and leads workshops on themes related to entrepreneurship, economics, and education. I met T.K. through our friends at The Minimalists podcast, where T.K. is a regular guest.

On this podcast, T.K. and I are talking about race relations in America. This topic has made headlines recently, but the stress of being black in the US is nothing new for people who cope every day with a society that refuses to fully accept them. T.K. is one of the best speakers I’ve ever heard describe the struggles facing young people of colour in a system that is biased to favour some over others. He discusses the fundamental fears that keep us divided, the reasons COVID-19 disproportionately affects African Americans and some of the key factors that can help us overcome our differences.

[00:00:32] The Minimalists podcast.

[00:01:08] The fall of CrossFit founder and CEO Greg Glassman.

[00:03:38] Peter Gray; Podcast: Free to Learn: Unleashing the Instinct to Play; Book: Free to Learn.

[00:04:19] Foundation for Economic Education (FEE).

[00:05:27] Cofounded the Praxis apprenticeship program with Isaac Morehouse. Praxis introductory video.

[00:09:11] Nicholas Taleb.

[00:12:12] Race relations.

[00:17:25] Video: Sapolsky on Depression in U.S.

[00:18:22] Struggles: white students vs black students.

[00:23:18] Book: Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships, by Marshall Rosenberg.

[00:23:53] Book: Language and the Pursuit of Happiness, by Chalmers Brothers.

[00:24:43] Book: How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.

[00:27:57] How to know yourself.

[00:28:58] Article: Taking a Walk as a Revolutionary Act by T.K. Coleman and Isaac Morehouse.

[00:29:28] Book: Journey of Awakening by Ram Dass.

[00:31:06] Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); Russell Harris article on ACT: Embracing Your Demons: An Overview of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

[00:31:16] Book: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, by Jonathan Haidt.

[00:32:58] Article: The coronavirus is infecting and killing black Americans at an alarmingly high rate.

[00:34:19] Economic, educational, and cultural factors.

[00:39:51] The West Memphis Three.

[00:42:26] Video: Heartland Future Talks 2019: Robert Sapolsky & Lone Frank.

[00:42:35] Book: Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, Third Edition, by Robert Sapolsky.

[00:44:16] The war on drugs.

[00:46:17] A16Z podcast: What We Can’t Reveal We Can’t Heal.

[00:57:33] Book: Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst; Video: Robert Sapolsky.

[01:08:26] Exposing kids to diversity.

[01:13:05] Increasing opportunity rather than giving preferential treatment based on demographic.

[01:18:28] Book: The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge by Matt Ridley.

[01:18:33] Video: Nassim Nicholas Taleb: "Localism and its Application to Lebanon".

[01:18:51] The rich always fear the poor.

[01:20:02] Follow T.K.’s work.

Jodi Flaws is a Professor of Comparative Biosciences and the Principal Investigator at the Reproductive Toxicology Laboratory in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois. Her lab studies the effects of environmental pollutants on the development and function of the human body, specifically relating to endocrine and reproductive health. Joining her is Karen Chiu, a PhD student whose work focuses on the impact and mechanism of various chemicals on the gut microbiome.

On the podcast today Dr. Flaws and Karen Chiu discuss some of the health-damaging chemicals that have become ubiquitous in our food supply, personal care items, and even our carpeting and mattresses. They describe some of the physiological effects of these pollutants, including potentially deleterious changes to the gut microbiota and early reproductive aging. They also share tips for reducing and mitigating exposure to these compounds.

After recording this podcast Karen talked with me a bit about organic foods - are they worth the additional cost to avoid some of these toxic chemicals? It turns out that while they are exposed to fewer pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics than conventional foods, it’s not true that organic foods are totally free of these contaminants. If you see the "USDA Organic" label, you can assume the food is at least 95% organic, while a product that claims to be “made with” organic ingredients is at least 70% organic. In her opinion, organic foods and products are the way to go when possible, given their lighter chemical load. It’s always a good idea to wash your produce to get as much of the pesticide residues off whether it be organic or conventional.

[00:00:30] Paper: Chiu, Karen, et al. "The Impact of Environmental Chemicals on the Gut Microbiome." Toxicological Sciences (2020).

[00:01:25] Background and interest in environmental chemicals.

[00:03:35] Endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

[00:04:37] Phthalates and how they affect the body.

[00:06:08] Effects of Phthalates on the microbiome.

[00:07:15] Butyrate; Podcast: Microbiome Myths and Misconceptions, with Lucy Mailing, PhD.

[00:08:58] Potential effects of pesticides: increased lipid accumulation, decreased glucose tolerance, increased expression of adipogenic genes; Review: Xiao, Xiao, John M. Clark, and Yeonhwa Park. "Potential contribution of insecticide exposure and development of obesity and type 2 diabetes." Food and Chemical Toxicology 105 (2017): 456-474.

[00:10:44] Reducing exposure to phthalates.

[00:12:26] Environmental Working Group (EWG) database.

[00:14:09] Bisphenols.

[00:16:51] "BPA-free" - not necessarily safer.

[00:18:13] Effects of bisphenols on the gut microbiome.

[00:18:43] Bisphenol exposure in mice, effects on microbiome; Study: Javurek, Angela B., et al. "Effects of exposure to bisphenol A and ethinyl estradiol on the gut microbiota of parents and their offspring in a rodent model." Gut Microbes 7.6 (2016): 471-485.

[00:19:00] Akkermansia beneficial for intestinal immunity; Study: Ottman, Noora, et al. "Pili-like proteins of Akkermansia muciniphila modulate host immune responses and gut barrier function." PloS one 12.3 (2017).

[00:20:24] Podcast: How to Use Probiotics to Improve Your Health, with Jason Hawrelak, PhD.

[00:21:12] Persistent organic pollutants: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), Perfluorochemicals (PFCs), flame retardants and their adverse health effects.

[00:24:42] Exercise can attenuate change in the gut microbiome caused by PCBs; Study: Choi, Jeong June, et al. "Exercise attenuates PCB-induced changes in the mouse gut microbiome." Environmental health perspectives 121.6 (2013): 725-730.

[00:25:54] Hepcidin; Podcast: The Athlete’s Gut: Why Things Go Wrong and What to Do About It, with Megan Hall.

[00:27:20] Strategies for limiting exposure.

[00:29:20] Heavy Metals - lead, cadmium, arsenic and their effects on the microbiome.

[00:32:49] Higher arsenic levels can lead to higher Citrobacter population; Study: Wu, Fen, et al. "The role of gut microbiome and its interaction with arsenic exposure in carotid intima-media thickness in a Bangladesh population." Environment international 123 (2019): 104-113.

[00:33:29] Arsenic exposure increases TMAO; Study: Kuroda, Kaoru Yoshida Yoshinori Inoue Koichi, Hua Chen Hideki Wanibuchi Shoji Fukushima, and Ginji Endo. "Urinary excretion of arsenic metabolites after long-term oral administration of various arsenic compounds to rats." Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A 54.3 (1998): 179-192.

[00:34:18] Chris Masterjohn and Chris Kressor on TMAO.

[00:34:40] Glyphosate alters gut microbiota; Studies: Blot, Nicolas, et al. "Glyphosate, but not its metabolite AMPA, alters the honeybee gut microbiota." PloS one 14.4 (2019) and Aitbali, Yassine, et al. "Glyphosate based-herbicide exposure affects gut microbiota, anxiety and depression-like behaviors in mice." Neurotoxicology and teratology 67 (2018): 44-49.

[00:40:33] Pig GI tract similar to humans; Dr. Sharon Donovan.

[00:42:34] Siloxanes (silicone products).

[00:43:52] Siloxanes; Associated with hypothyroid in cats: Poutasse, Carolyn M., et al. "Silicone pet tags associate tris (1, 3-dichloro-2-isopropyl) phosphate exposures with feline hyperthyroidism." Environmental science & technology 53.15 (2019): 9203-9213; associated with age of menopause: Chow, Erika T., and Shruthi Mahalingaiah. "Cosmetics use and age at menopause: is there a connection?." Fertility and sterility 106.4 (2016): 978-990.

[00:45:03] Nicolas Taleb; Incerto series.

[00:45:31] Hot flashes and potential causes.

[00:45:51] Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes, PhD.

[00:47:23] Link between phthalate exposure and hot flashes (research coming soon).

[00:50:29] Genetic mutation in sperm linked to autism risk. Study: Breuss, Martin W., et al. "Autism risk in offspring can be assessed through quantification of male sperm mosaicism." Nature Medicine 26.1 (2020): 143-150.

[00:50:45] Effects of phthalates on men include early reproductive aging; Study: Barakat, Radwa, et al. "Prenatal exposure to DEHP induces premature reproductive senescence in male mice." Toxicological Sciences 156.1 (2017): 96-108.

[00:51:14] Things to do to reduce exposure; CertiPUR-US.

[00:55:17] Contact Dr. Flaws. Instagram.

[00:57:13] heeds.org for information on endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

Peter Gray, Ph.D., a research professor at Boston College, has conducted and published research in comparative, evolutionary, developmental, and educational psychology. His current research and writing focus primarily on children's natural ways of learning and the life-long value of play, concepts discussed in his book, Free to Learn. Dr. Gray is also president of the nonprofit Alliance for Self-Directed Education and a founding board member of the nonprofit Let Grow. 

On this podcast, Dr. Gray draws evidence from anthropology, psychology, and history to argue that we must entrust children to steer their own learning and development. He shares the story of his own son’s behavioural difficulties, which led the family to explore alternatives to traditional education. He also describes his own research on the long-term outcomes of children who are unschooled and addresses some of the main concerns parents have about informal education.

[00:00:10] Book: Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life, by Peter Gray.

[00:00:44] The story of Peter’s son, Scott.

[00:04:40] Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, MA. 

[00:12:42] Podcast: How to Support Childhood Cognitive Development, with Josh Turknett, MD.

[00:13:13] Education in hunter gatherer populations.

[00:19:42] Biological theory of education.

[00:21:45] Book: The Art of Tracking, the Origin of Science, by Louis Liebenberg.

[00:25:11] Agriculture as catalyst for change.

[00:31:06] Book: Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States, by James C Scott.

[00:32:48] The importance of play.

[00:33:52] Curiosity and playfulness.

[00:37:07] Books: The Play of Animals and The Play of Man, by Karl Groos.

[00:41:51] Book: The Moral Judgement of the Child, by Jean Piaget.

[00:43:37] Unschooling.

[00:44:14] Agile Learning Centers.

[00:45:03] The Alliance for Self-Directed Education.

[00:46:38] Unschooling rising in popularity among homeschoolers.

[00:49:19] Study of 232 unschooling families: Gray, Peter, and Gina Riley. "The challenges and benefits of unschooling, according to 232 families who have chosen that route." Journal of Unschooling & Alternative Learning 7.14 (2013).

[00:49:42] Study of 75 adults who were unschooled: Gray, Peter, and Gina Riley. "The challenges and benefits of unschooling, according to 232 families who have chosen that route." Journal of Unschooling & Alternative Learning 7.14 (2013).

[00:51:21] Getting into college.

[00:55:24] Age mixing and scaffolding.

[01:01:00] "Please Trespass" sign.

[01:01:30] Book: Playborhood: Turn Your Neighborhood Into a Place for Play, by Mike Lanza.

[01:06:36] Peters Blog: Freedom to Learn.

[01:07:13] Find Peter on Facebook. 

[01:08:40] The hole in the wall project.

With summer right around the corner, huge kiosks of sunscreen are on display at stores everywhere, reminding us to fear the sun. We’ve been told for years that sunlight is something to guard against - and, of course, most of us know someone who’s had a suspicious mole removed. But we also know the sun is needed for vitamin D production - plus, it just feels great on our skin! And obviously our ancestors weren’t slathering on Coppertone when they left the cave.

It seems to be a no-win situation until you learn the facts about sunlight. NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall is with me today to talk about the critical role of sunlight for health and wellness. She outlines the many benefits of sun exposure that go far beyond vitamin D production and sets the record straight on UVA vs UVB rays, skin cancer, and how sunscreen is actually working against you. Here’s the outline of this interview with Megan Hall:

[00:00:11] Megan's new puppy.

[00:03:35] Podcast w/ Kira Furie: Breaking Through the Diet Culture: Medical Care for Every Size.

[00:05:42] Vitamin D and conditions associated with low levels.

[00:07:40] Book: Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family, by Robert Kolker.

[00:08:22] Optimal Levels and dosing of Vitamin D.

[00:12:55] Vitamin D Calculator.

[00:13:47] COVID-19 and Vitamin D; Studies: 1. Glicio, El James. "Vitamin D Level of Mild and Severe Elderly Cases of COVID-19: A Preliminary Report." Available at SSRN 3593258 (2020); 2. De Smet, Dieter, et al. "Vitamin D deficiency as risk factor for severe COVID-19: a convergence of two pandemics." medRxiv (2020); 3. D’Avolio, Antonio, et al. "25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are lower in patients with positive PCR for SARS-CoV-2." Nutrients 12.5 (2020): 1359; 4. Meltzer, David O., et al. "Association of Vitamin D Deficiency and Treatment with COVID-19 Incidence." medRxiv (2020).

[00:15:20] Vitamin D and ACE2.

[00:17:46] Benefits of sunshine beyond vitamin D.

[00:18:01] Circadian rhythm.

[00:18:29] Satchin Panda; Podcast: How to Use Time-Restricted Eating to Reverse Disease and Optimize Health.

[00:18:30] Bill Lagakos; Podcast: Why You Should Eat Breakfast (and Other Secrets of Circadian Biology).

[00:18:35] Nitric oxide.

[00:19:01] Malcolm Kendrick; Podcasts: Why Cholesterol Levels Have No Effect on Cardiovascular Disease (And Things to Think about Instead) and A Statin Nation: Damaging Millions in a Brave New Post-health World.

[00:19:25] Homocysteine; glycocalyx.

[00:21:20] Ivor Cummins; Podcasts with Ivor: How Not to Die of Cardiovascular Disease and Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC): A Direct Measure of Cardiovascular Disease Risk.

[00:22:24] UV exposure suppresses symptoms of metabolic syndrome; Study: Geldenhuys, Sian, et al. "Ultraviolet radiation suppresses obesity and symptoms of metabolic syndrome independently of vitamin D in mice fed a high-fat diet." Diabetes 63.11 (2014): 3759-3769.

[00:22:54] Melatonin.

[00:25:39] Serotonin; Study: Lambert, Gavin W., et al. "Effect of sunlight and season on serotonin turnover in the brain." The Lancet 360.9348 (2002): 1840-1842.

[00:26:26] Immunomodulation.

[00:26:45] Vitamin D and Multiple Sclerosis; Reduced risk of MS: van der Mei, Ingrid AF, et al. "Past exposure to sun, skin phenotype, and risk of multiple sclerosis: case-control study." Bmj 327.7410 (2003): 316; Reduced risk of depression and fatigue: Knippenberg, S., et al. "Higher levels of reported sun exposure, and not vitamin D status, are associated with less depressive symptoms and fatigue in multiple sclerosis." Acta Neurologica Scandinavica 129.2 (2014): 123-131; MRI neurodegeneration scores inversely associated with sun exposure: Zivadinov, Robert, et al. "Interdependence and contributions of sun exposure and vitamin D to MRI measures in multiple sclerosis." J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 84.10 (2013): 1075-1081.

[00:27:20] UV treatment increased glucagon-stimulated insulin secretion; Study: Colas, C., et al. "Insulin secretion and plasma 1, 25-(OH) 2D after UV-B irradiation in healthy adults." Hormone and metabolic research 21.3 (1989): 154-155.

[00:27:27] Prevention and treatment of skin conditions; Study: Søyland, E., et al. "Sun exposure induces rapid immunological changes in skin and peripheral blood in patients with psoriasis." British Journal of Dermatology 164.2 (2011): 344-355.

[00:27:49] Sun exposure related to life expectancy; Study: Lindqvist, Pelle G., et al. "Avoidance of sun exposure as a risk factor for major causes of death: a competing risk analysis of the Melanoma in Southern Sweden cohort." Journal of internal medicine 280.4 (2016): 375-387. 

[00:30:14] Outline of this interview.

[00:31:04] UVA and UVB rays; UVB needed for Vitamin D Production: Wacker, Matthias, and Michael F. Holick. "Sunlight and Vitamin D: A global perspective for health." Dermato-endocrinology 5.1 (2013): 51-108.

[00:31:31] Inverse correlation between dose of UVB and melanoma: Study: Godar, Dianne E., Madhan Subramanian, and Stephen J. Merrill. "Cutaneous malignant melanoma incidences analyzed worldwide by sex, age, and skin type over personal Ultraviolet-B dose shows no role for sunburn but implies one for Vitamin D3." Dermato-endocrinology 9.1 (2017): e1267077.

[00:33:43] Sunscreens; coral bleaching: Downs, Craig A., et al. "Toxicopathological effects of the sunscreen UV filter, oxybenzone (benzophenone-3), on coral planulae and cultured primary cells and its environmental contamination in Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands." Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology 70.2 (2016): 265-288. 

[00:43:20] Join the discussion on the NBT forum when you support us on Patreon.

Kira Furie earned her BS in Biological Sciences and her BA in Dance, graduating from UC Santa Barbara in 2018. She spent time dancing professionally in New York City and is currently working on a research project with an Addiction Medicine MD based in Los Angeles, California. Her interdisciplinary background, personal experience with injuries, yoga teaching, and research have given her a specific interest in Integrative Medicine, which she hopes to implement in her future medical practice.

On this podcast, Megan Hall interviews Kira about the series of injuries that led to her interest in physical therapy and later to medicine. Influenced heavily by the prevalence of eating disorders and the Health at Every Size movement, Kira discusses her current plans to bring prevention and wellness aspects to medical practice, while promoting a body-positive environment. She also describes “thin privilege” - an aspect of the current medical system that many of us take for granted.

[00:01:23] Kira's background and interest in medicine.

[00:05:27] An untreated hip injury leading to more problems.

[00:10:40] Video: Brené Brown on Empathy.

[00:11:10] Psychology and yoga.

[00:12:39] The Minimalists Podcast.

[00:13:47] Sports and Performance Psychologist Simon Marshall, PhD. 

[00:14:20] Prevention.

[00:14:43] Jeffery N. Wilkins, MD, Addiction Medicine Specialist in LA.

[00:15:17] Primary vs. Secondary Prevention.

[00:17:34] Lack of connection as the greatest factor leading to addiction.

[00:19:00] The importance of connection; Podcasts on social connection: Building Compassionate Communities to Improve Public Health, and Maintaining Social Connection in the Era of COVID-19, both with Julian Abel.

[00:19:37] Health at Every Size (HAES).

[00:19:51] Book: Intuitive Eating, 4th Edition: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach, by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.

[00:19:57] Book: Body Respect: What Conventional Health Books Get Wrong, Leave Out, and Just Plain Fail to Understand About Weight, by Linda Bacon, PhD. and Lucy Aphramor, PhD. Read the intro to the book.

[00:21:11] Lindo Bacon (formerly Linda); Review: Bacon, Linda, and Lucy Aphramor. "Weight science: evaluating the evidence for a paradigm shift." Nutrition journal 10.1 (2011): 9.

[00:23:22] Thin privilege.

[00:25:19] Body Mass Index (BMI) as a health marker.

[00:26:40] People in "overweight" category live longer; Study approved by CDC: Flegal, Katherine M., et al. "Excess deaths associated with underweight, overweight, and obesity." Jama 293.15 (2005): 1861-1867.

[00:28:14] Looking ahead as a future physician.

[00:32:41] Physicians for Ancestral Health.

This week, something slightly different, an episode first published on the new XTERRA Podcast hosted by our friends Dr Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson. If you haven’t done so already, you might want to take a moment to add the XTERRA podcast in your app. In particular, I’d like to draw your attention to the second episode where they talk to experts about how to cope with COVID-19 and share their own stories of dealing with uncertainty, the good and bad of social media, and how the concept of ‘structure, routine, and reward’ can help.

Back to the episode, you’re about to hear. If you’re an endurance athlete and complain of fatigue, insomnia, hormone problems, anxiety, depression, bloating, or other gut issues – you are not alone. In this episode of the XTERRA Podcast five-time off-road triathlon World Champ Lesley Paterson and her husband, sports psychologist Dr. Simon Marshall, talk about their own struggle-journey through the aforementioned health issues and share what they learned along the way.

There are so many great reasons to do resistance training - even for endurance athletes and self-described non-athletes who simply want to increase healthspan. We know that strength training improves quality of life, bone health, insulin sensitivity, body composition, and neurological health. However, in this uncertain era of COVID-19, commercial gyms are almost universally closed and many people are challenged to find new ways to maintain their training regimen.

On this podcast, NBT Head of Strength and Conditioning, Zach Moore, CSCS is with me to discuss the best strategies for adapting your strength training routine - or starting one - when you don’t have a gym. He describes creative ways to use bodyweight and household items to challenge yourself and load muscles and shares his favourite online resources to refer to for proper form. If you're just considering adding strength training to your routine, Zach also offers a simple way to get started.

[00:03:44] Outline for this podcast.  

[00:04:07] 4-quadrant model.

[00:04:32] Study: Westcott, Wayne L. "Resistance training is medicine: effects of strength training on health." Current sports medicine reports 11.4 (2012): 209-216.

[00:04:44] The importance of type II muscle fibers as we age; Study: Nilwik, Rachel, et al. "The decline in skeletal muscle mass with aging is mainly attributed to a reduction in type II muscle fiber size." Experimental gerontology 48.5 (2013): 492-498. 

[00:06:53] Joe Friel; Podcast: Joe Friel: World-Class Coach of Elite Athletes; Book: Fast After 50: How to Race Strong for the Rest of Your Life.

[00:07:57] Subjective quality of life; Study: Hart, Peter D., and Diona J. Buck. "The effect of resistance training on health-related quality of life in older adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis." Health promotion perspectives 9.1 (2019): 1.

[00:09:26] Bone health; Studies: 1. Chen, Hung‐Ting, et al. "Effects of different types of exercise on body composition, muscle strength, and IGF‐1 in the elderly with sarcopenic obesity." Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 65.4 (2017): 827-832. 2. Hong, A. Ram, and Sang Wan Kim. "Effects of resistance exercise on bone health." Endocrinology and Metabolism 33.4 (2018): 435-444.

[00:11:35] Muscle as a glucose sink and improvement of insulin sensitivity; Studies: 1. Han, Seung Jin, et al. "Association of thigh muscle mass with insulin resistance and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus in Japanese Americans." Diabetes & metabolism journal 42.6 (2018): 488-495. 2. Croymans, Daniel M., et al. "Resistance training improves indices of muscle insulin sensitivity and β-cell function in overweight/obese, sedentary young men." Journal of applied physiology 115.9 (2013): 1245-1253.

[00:13:11] Body Composition.

[00:14:47] Fewer injuries in athletes; Study: Fleck, Steven J., and Jeff E. Falkel. "Value of resistance training for the reduction of sports injuries." Sports Medicine 3.1 (1986): 61-68. 

[00:15:47] Resistance exercise results in fewer injuries than other sports, especially if someone is there to teach proper form. Studies: Aasa, Ulrika, et al. "Injuries among weightlifters and powerlifters: a systematic review." Br J Sports Med 51.4 (2017): 211-219; Faigenbaum, Avery D., and Gregory D. Myer. "Resistance training among young athletes: safety, efficacy and injury prevention effects." British journal of sports medicine 44.1 (2010): 56-63.

[00:16:40] Improved endurance performance; Study: Blagrove, Richard C., Glyn Howatson, and Philip R. Hayes. "Effects of strength training on the physiological determinants of middle-and long-distance running performance: a systematic review." Sports medicine 48.5 (2018): 1117-1149. 

[00:16:50] Podcast: The Importance of Strength Training for Endurance Athletes, with Mike T. Nelson. Podcast: The Importance of Strength and Mobility for Mountain Bikers, with James Wilson.

[00:17:02] Neurocognitive health; Study: Herold, Fabian, et al. "Functional and/or structural brain changes in response to resistance exercises and resistance training lead to cognitive improvements–a systematic review." European Review of Aging and Physical Activity 16.1 (2019): 10.

[00:18:19] Strength training when the gym is closed.

[00:21:58] Incorporating movement into your day.

[00:22:19] Habit stacking; Podcast: How to Get Motivated, with Simon Marshall, PhD.

[00:28:35] Strength training for endurance athletes.

[00:30:58] Elite Performance Members Club Forum.

[00:32:43] Simple workout structure: 2x/week, lower body + upper body push + upper body pull.

[00:37:57] Why some people struggle with strength training.

[00:40:01] Zach’s recommended strength training YouTube channels: Jerry Teixeira for bodyweight exercises; Alan Thrall for barbell exercises when you’re back at the gym.

[00:41:11] Podcast: Movement Analysis and Breathing Strategies for Pain Relief and Improved Performance, with Zac Cupples.

[00:42:08] Exercise videos: pistol squat, Nordic hamstring curl, rows using a table, one-arm pushups.

[00:46:29] Podcast: How to Protect Your Brain from Decline, with Josh Turknett, MD.

[00:48:11] Podcast: Nudge Tactics for Performance and Health, with Simon Marshall, PhD.

[00:49:40] Blood flow restriction training.

[00:53:03] The XTERRA Podcast, with Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson.

[00:53:56] Recovery.

[00:54:49] Podcasts on sleep: with Greg Potter: How to Entrain Your Circadian Rhythm for Perfect Sleep and Metabolic Health; Morning Larks and Night Owls: the Biology of Chronotypes; What to Do When You Can’t Sleep; Better Sleep for Athletes; and Matthew Walker's "Why We Sleep" Is Riddled with Scientific and Factual Errors; with Ashley Mason:  Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Strategies for Diabetes and Sleep Problems; and How to Use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia.

[00:55:07] Sleep important for muscular adaptation with strength training; Study: Jåbekk, Pål, et al. "A randomized controlled pilot trial of sleep health education on body composition changes following 10 weeks resistance exercise." The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness (2020). Also, see this graph.

[00:55:23] Diet: protein, anti-inflammatory whole foods.

[00:56:49] Getting the people you live with involved.

[01:01:27] Support NBT on Patreon.

This week we’re doing something a little different, and sharing with you the latest Endurance Planet podcast, hosted by holistic health and endurance sports coach, Tawnee Prazak Gibson, MS, SCSC, CISSN. The episode features Julian Abel, MD, the Director of Compassionate Communities UK, who has been on the podcast before describing the social, financial, and health benefits that come with integrating social support into healthcare. I also participated in this podcast with Tawnee and Julian, and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation.

On this podcast, the three of us discuss the importance of social connection during this era of physical distancing and uncertainty. Many of us have had our daily routine sufficiently shaken. With this can come feelings of isolation and loneliness, yet it can also yield insight into what truly makes us happy. Julian, Tawnee and I talk about maintaining relationships during this challenging time, as well as reintegrating with others as lockdown mandates are lifted. We also discuss cohousing and alloparenting, and what my family is doing to build a stronger community.

[00:00:20] Endurance Planet Podcast.

[00:00:31] Previous podcast with Julian Abel: Building Compassionate Communities to Improve Public Health.

[00:01:41] Dr. Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson at Braveheart Coaching.

[00:03:00] Book: The Brave Athlete: Calm the F--k Down and Rise to the Occasion.

[00:03:02] Endurance Planet Podcast: Simon Marshall, PhD, and Lesley Paterson: How To Be A Brave Athlete By Managing Your Brain.

[00:03:16] Uncertainty and loneliness related to COVID-19.

[00:07:24] Calming anxiety.

[00:11:59] Deficit model of happiness.

[00:13:03] Working from home.

[00:13:21] Cal Newport; Podcast: How to Live Well in a High Tech World; Book: Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World.

[00:13:44] Stimulus control; Podcast with Ashley Mason: How to Use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia.

[00:15:07] XTERRA podcast with Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson.

[00:15:22] Creating certainty in an uncertain world.

[00:15:31] Book: Willpower by Roy Baumeister; Atomic Habits by James Clear.

[00:16:02] External sources of happiness vs. focusing on what's important.

[00:17:22] Book: Propaganda, by Edward Bernays.

[00:21:22] Maintaining relationships during physical distancing.

[00:24:39] Brad Kearns podcasts on parenting: Surprising Parenting Tips, Part 1 (Inverse Power of Praise) and Surprising Parenting Tips, Part 2 (The Importance of Perseverance Through Struggle).

[00:25:26] Books: The Drama of the Gifted Child, by Alice Miller; Will I Ever Be Good Enough? By Dr. Karyl McBride.

[00:30:35] Cordon sanitaire: restriction of movement.

[00:34:54] Book: Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, by John T. Cacioppo.

[00:36:06] Podcasts with Stephanie Welch: Disruptive Anthropology: An Ancestral Health Perspective on Barefooting and Male Circumcision and The Need for Tribal Living in a Modern World.

[00:36:36] Article: The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake, by David Brooks.

[00:38:12] Podcast: The Human Milk-Oriented Microbiota: Babies and Beyond, with Megan Sanctuary.

[00:38:41] Podcast: Contemplating Cohousing: A Paradigm for Modern Day Tribal Living, with Julie Kelly.

[00:41:28] Solitude Deficiency.

[00:43:31] Book: Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding, by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy

 by Sarah Hrdy.

[00:50:43] Public Health Palliative Care International (PHPCI) COVID19 resources.

[00:52:44] Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes.

[00:59:47] Book: Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking, by Matthew Syed.

[01:01:06] Reintegrating with others after lockdown.

[01:03:53] Article: The Coronation, by Charles Eisenstein.

[01:04:00] Book: The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It, by John Tierney and Roy Baumeister.

[01:05:09] Article: Abel, Julian, et al. "Circles of care: should community development redefine the practice of palliative care?." BMJ supportive & palliative care 3.4 (2013): 383-388.

[01:06:52] Harvard Study of Adult Development.

[01:08:50] Christopher Ryan; Book: Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress and podcast: Civilized to Death: Are We Really Making Progress?

[01:09:33] Book: Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero, by Christopher McDougall.

Back on the podcast today is our favourite neurologist, writer, podcaster, speaker and banjo player, Josh Turknett, MD. Josh’s many current projects include his Brainjo neuroscience-based educational courses, the Intelligence Unshackled podcast, and his virtual neurology practice.  He has recently authored two new books, Keto for Migraine and The Laws of Brainjo, with more on the way later this year. 

On this podcast, Josh talks about his working theory of cognitive decline and how to best avoid it. He calls it the Demand Driven Decline Theory and explains why we need to build up our brain’s ability to repair and recover while also mitigating cognitive damage. Josh shares the best strategies to do this, and it’s simpler (and more fun) than you think. 

[00:00:33] Previous podcast with Josh on unschooling: How to Support Childhood Cognitive Development.

[00:00:44] Masters of Scale Podcast; episode with Nancy Lublin from the Crisis Text Line.

[00:02:20] Supporting cognitive function as we age.

[00:02:31] Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes.

[00:08:52] Modern hunter-gatherers and cognitive decline.

[00:11:26] Podcast: How to Win at Angry Birds: The Ancestral Paradigm for a Therapeutic Revolution, with Josh Turknett, 4-quadrant model.

[00:13:20] Cognitive activity protective against neurodegenerative disease; The nun study: Iacono, D., et al. "The Nun study: clinically silent AD, neuronal hypertrophy, and linguistic skills in early life." Neurology 73.9 (2009): 665-673.

[00:15:19] Cognitive reserve.

[00:16:03] Rats in enriched environments have structurally superior brains; Study: Torasdotter, Marita, et al. "Environmental enrichment results in higher levels of nerve growth factor mRNA in the rat visual cortex and hippocampus." Behavioural brain research 93.1-2 (1998): 83-90.

[00:16:40] Auditory training program with rats reversed over 20 auditory processing deficits in the adult brain; Study: de Villers-Sidani, Etienne, et al. "Recovery of functional and structural age-related changes in the rat primary auditory cortex with operant training." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107.31 (2010): 13900-13905.

[00:17:21] Intelligence Unshackled Podcast: Pioneer of Plasticity Dr. Michael Merzenich.

[00:22:54] Maintaining cognitive activity as a predictor of physical activity; Study: Cheval, Boris, et al. "Relationship between decline in cognitive resources and physical activity." Health Psychology (2020).

[00:25:29] Demand-driven decline theory.

[00:26:20] Retiring earlier associated with higher mortality; Study: Wu, Chenkai, et al. "Association of retirement age with mortality: a population-based longitudinal study among older adults in the USA." J Epidemiol Community Health 70.9 (2016): 917-923.

[00:27:00] “Widowhood effect” - 66% increased chance of death in the first three months after your spouse dies. Study: Moon, J. Robin, et al. "Short-and long-term associations between widowhood and mortality in the United States: longitudinal analyses." Journal of public health 36.3 (2014): 382-389.

[00:29:56] The "better off dead" rule. 

[00:32:32] Why the young are protected from cognitive decline: early demands on the nervous system.

[00:37:57] How schools may undermine cognitive development.

[00:40:03] What to do: recreate the demands on the nervous system of youth.

[00:45:06] Book: The Laws of Brainjo: The Art & Science of Molding a Musical Mind, by Josh Turknett.

[00:48:19] Teaching children - what should learning look like?

[00:54:15] Book: The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children, by Alison Gopnik.

[00:56:34] jturk.net.

[00:56:45] Derek Sivers.

Years ago, my own gut problems motivated me to seek answers outside the existing medical establishment, and with the help of my wife Julie I was able to get my diet and health back on track. Having now worked with thousands of athletes on their own health challenges and performance goals, it’s clear there are specific pitfalls that can accompany a high-level training regimen.

On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director and coach Megan Hall is with me to discuss the latest science and clinical practice on the athlete’s gut. She talks about the importance of having a healthy GI system, why athletes struggle in this area, and specifically what to do when problems arise. We also discuss what I did to regain my own gut health.

Be sure to see the end of the show notes for the outline Megan wrote to prepare for this podcast. It’s an excellent resource for anyone seeking solutions for their own gut problems.

[00:00:54] Podcast: Microbiome Myths and Misconceptions, with Lucy Mailing.

[00:01:40] The importance of gut health.

[00:03:13] Podcasts focusing on gut health, with Michael Ruscio, Jason Hawrelak, and Lauren Petersen.

[00:03:51] Study: Lupien-Meilleur, Joseph, et al. "The interplay between the gut microbiota and gastrointestinal peptides: potential outcomes on the regulation of glucose control." Canadian Journal of Diabetes (2019).

[00:04:12] Gut-muscle axis; Studies: Ticinesi, Andrea, et al. "Aging gut microbiota at the cross-road between nutrition, physical frailty, and sarcopenia: is there a gut–muscle axis?." Nutrients 9.12 (2017): 1303; and Lustgarten, Michael Sandy. "The role of the gut microbiome on skeletal muscle mass and physical function: 2019 update." Frontiers in Physiology 10 (2019): 1435. 

[00:05:43] Why athletes struggle with gut health; Studies: Costa, R. J. S., et al. "Systematic review: exercise‐induced gastrointestinal syndrome—implications for health and intestinal disease." Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics 46.3 (2017): 246-265; and Clark, Allison, and Núria Mach. "Exercise-induced stress behavior, gut-microbiota-brain axis and diet: a systematic review for athletes." Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 13.1 (2016): 43.

[00:06:59] Article: de Oliveira, Erick P. "Runner's diarrhea: what is it, what causes it, and how can it be prevented?." Current opinion in gastroenterology 33.1 (2017): 41-46.

[00:07:27] The 3 main causes of exercise-induced diarrhea: GI ischemia and reperfusion, mechanical and nutritional.

[00:13:25] UCAN SuperStarch.

[00:15:03] FODMAP fibers can increase gut symptoms; Study: Lis, Dana M., et al. "Low FODMAP: a preliminary strategy to reduce gastrointestinal distress in athletes." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 50.1 (2018): 116-123.

[00:17:30] Exercise-induced endotoxemia and ischemic injuries; Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)

[00:18:08] Podcast: A Statin Nation: Damaging Millions in a Brave New Post-health World, with Malcolm Kendrick.

[00:19:05] Nutrition and immune system in athletes; Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4.

[00:20:03] Common gut symptoms we see.

[00:21:37] Nutrient deficiencies and overloads: zinc, magnesium, iron.

[00:22:27] Iron overload impedes cardiovascular benefits of exercise; Study: Rossi, Emilly Martinelli, et al. "Chronic Iron Overload Restrains the Benefits of Aerobic Exercise to the Vasculature." Biological Trace Element Research (2020): 1-14.

[00:25:08] Hepcidin; exercise increases hepcidin, which can lead to iron deficiency; Study: Goto, Kazushige, et al. "Resistance exercise causes greater serum hepcidin elevation than endurance (cycling) exercise." Plos one 15.2 (2020): e0228766.

[00:27:55] What to do about GI symptoms.

[00:28:07] Dr. Josh Turknett’s 4-Quadrant Model, described in this podcast: How to Win at Angry Birds: The Ancestral Paradigm for a Therapeutic Revolution.

[00:28:19] Dietary manipulations; Autoimmune Protocol (AIP).

[00:29:30] How Chris fixed his gut.

[00:30:07] Book: The Paleo Diet for Athletes by Loren Cordain, PhD.

[00:32:41] Lundburg rice tests for arsenic.

[00:32:59] Training fuel: Carb + protein + fat vs. simple carbs alone.

[00:37:18] Ultramarathon runners still in ketosis with up to 600g carbohydrate per day; Study: Edwards, Kate H., Bradley T. Elliott, and Cecilia M. Kitic. "Carbohydrate intake and ketosis in self-sufficient multi-stage ultramarathon runners." Journal of Sports Sciences 38.4 (2020): 366-374.

[00:38:00] Team Sky’s James P Morton on promoting endurance training adaptation in skeletal muscle by nutritional manipulation; Study: Hawley, John A., and James P. Morton. "Ramping up the signal: promoting endurance training adaptation in skeletal muscle by nutritional manipulation." Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology 41.8 (2014): 608-613. Also see article: The IRONMAN Guide to Ketosis, by Megan Hall and Tommy Wood.

[00:38:24] “Sleep-low” strategy; Study: Marquet, Laurie-Anne, et al. "Enhanced endurance performance by periodization of carbohydrate intake:“sleep low” strategy." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 48.4 (2016): 663-672.

[00:40:23] Probiotics; Study: Wosinska, Laura, et al. "The Potential Impact of Probiotics on the Gut Microbiome of Athletes." Nutrients 11.10 (2019): 2270; Serum-derived Bovine Immunoglobulin in SBI Protect.

[00:40:57] Testing if all else fails: blood, stool, Organic Acids Test (OAT).

[00:43:05] Basic blood chemistry tests for gut health.

[00:47:32] Gut microbiome testing; Onegevity Gutbio test.

[00:48:44] Treatment for gut pathology.

[00:49:08] Jason Hawrelak’s Probiotic Advisor.

[00:49:48] Podcast: How to Manage Stress, with Simon Marshall, PhD.

[00:50:52] Dietary fat causing intestinal permeability.

[00:52:04] Blog post: Is a high-fat or ketogenic diet bad for your gut? by Lucy Mailing.

[00:54:44] Getting enough calories.

[00:55:00] Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S); Podcast: How to Identify and Treat Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), with Nicky Keay.

[00:55:10] Studies on the detrimental effects of energy deficiency in athletes: 1. Torstveit, Monica Klungland, et al. "Within-day energy deficiency and metabolic perturbation in male endurance athletes." International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism 28.4 (2018): 419-427 and 2. Fahrenholtz, Ida Lysdahl, et al. "Within‐day energy deficiency and reproductive function in female endurance athletes." Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports 28.3 (2018): 1139-1146.

[00:56:35] Study: Hough, John, et al. "Daily running exercise may induce incomplete energy intake compensation: a 7-day crossover trial." Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 45.4 (2020): 446-449.

[01:00:18] Fiber - timing and type.

[01:02:27] Orthorexia.

[01:05:02] Only 12% of Americans are metabolically healthy; Study: Araújo, Joana, Jianwen Cai, and June Stevens. "Prevalence of Optimal Metabolic Health in American Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009–2016." Metabolic syndrome and related disorders 17.1 (2019): 46-52.

[01:06:40]  Become an NBT Patron and gain access to the Elite Performance Members Club Forum.

[01:07:05] Megan's outline for this podcast.

Microbiome researcher and scholar of integrative gut health Lucy Mailing, PhD. is back on the podcast with me today. Lucy just completed her doctoral degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she studied the effects of diet and exercise on the gut microbiome in states of health and disease. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and recently won the Young Scientist Award at the International Scientific Conference on Probiotics, Prebiotics, Gut Microbiota, and Health in 2019.

On this podcast, Lucy discusses her recent talk at the 2020 IHH-UCSF Symposium on Nutrition and Functional Medicine. The topic is myths and misconceptions about the microbiome - and some of these are quite surprising! We discuss gut testing methods and why some are better than others. Lucy explains why you consider skipping probiotics after a course of antibiotics and shares what to do instead to support repopulation of a healthy microbiota. She also discusses some of the best and worst gut-health supplements.

[00:00:30] Why care about the gut microbiome?

[00:01:37] Previous podcast with Lucy: How to Optimise Your Gut Microbiome.

[00:03:52] Unschooling and self-directed learning.

[00:04:40] Book: The Carpenter and the Gardener by Alison Gopnik.

[00:05:45] Podcast on unschooling: How to Support Childhood Cognitive Development, with Josh Turknett, MD.

[00:06:16] Lucy speaking at UCSF: Microbiome Myths & Misconceptions (on Facebook). Slides from her talk.

[00:07:46] Lucy's talk at the Ancestral Health Symposium 2019: Modulating the gut microbiome for health: Evidence-based testing & therapeutic strategies.

[00:09:06] Myth: Culture-based stool testing is accurate.

[00:11:00] Companies currently using 16S: Thryve and BiomeFx.

[00:11:28] Podcast: How to Use Probiotics to Improve Your Health, with Jason Hawrelak.

[00:12:16] Diagnostic Solutions GI-MAP.

[00:14:34] Metagenomics; Onegevity.

[00:14:56] Doctors Data and Genova have now added PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to their tests.

[00:15:33] Parasites Blastocystis and Dientamoeba fragilis.

[00:17:35] Jason Hawrelak’s course: Blastocystis & Dientamoeba: Gastrointestinal Pathogens or Commensal Symbionts?

[00:17:39] Blastocystis.net. Book: Thoughts on Blastocystis, by Christen Rune Stensvold.

[00:18:45] Gut dysbiosis is driven by oxygen leaking into the gut; Study: Rivera-Chávez, Fabian, Christopher A. Lopez, and Andreas J. Bäumler. "Oxygen as a driver of gut dysbiosis." Free Radical Biology and Medicine 105 (2017): 93-101.

[00:19:04] Blastocystis might buffer oxygen influx, preventing the overgrowth of other pathogens. Study: Tsaousis, Anastasios D., et al. "The human gut colonizer Blastocystis respires using Complex II and alternative oxidase to buffer transient oxygen fluctuations in the gut." Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology 8 (2018): 371.

[00:19:40] Blastocystis colonization correlates with a higher bacterial diversity; Study: Audebert, Christophe, et al. "Colonization with the enteric protozoa Blastocystis is associated with increased diversity of human gut bacterial microbiota." Scientific reports 6 (2016): 25255; And the opposite result: Nourrisson, Céline, et al. "Blastocystis is associated with decrease of fecal microbiota protective bacteria: comparative analysis between patients with irritable bowel syndrome and control subjects." PloS one 9.11 (2014).

[00:20:02] Myth: We know what a “healthy” gut microbiome looks like.

[00:20:06] Lucy's blog on the elusive “healthy microbiome”: A new framework for microbiome research.

[00:22:43] Microbial signatures of dysbiosis.

[00:26:06] Myth: Everyone needs comprehensive gut testing.

[00:27:37] Ivor Cummins and Malcom Kendrick podcasts: Should You get a CAC Heart Scan or Not? Part 1 and Part 2.

[00:28:14] Myth: Breath testing is a reliable way to test for SIBO.

[00:28:27] Lucy's blog posts on testing for SIBO: What the latest research reveals about SIBO and All about SIBO: Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth.

[00:29:40] Culture-based testing methods underestimate the number of bacteria in the small intestine by about a hundredfold; Study: Sundin, O. H., et al. "Does a glucose‐based hydrogen and methane breath test detect bacterial overgrowth in the jejunum?." Neurogastroenterology & Motility 30.11 (2018): e13350.

[00:30:53] Orocecal transit time ranges from ten to 220 minutes; Study