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Send us a textHow artificial light impacts female menstrual cycles and their relationship to lunar cycles of the moon.Summary: Dr. Förster talks about how biological clocks, including circadian, tidal, lunar, and annual cycles, regulate behaviors in various species, with a focus on lunar cycle effects on human menstrual cycles. They explore historical and modern data suggesting that menstrual cycles may synchronize with lunar phases, a phenomenon potentially disrupted by modern artificial lighting, particularly blue light from LEDs post-2010. The conversation also covers circadian rhythm mechanisms in fruit flies and humans, highlighting the role of light and neuropeptides in maintaining biological synchrony.About guest: Charlotte Förster, PhD is a senior professor at the University of Würzburg specializing in chronobiology, particularly circadian rhythms in fruit flies, and has recently explored lunar cycle influences on human menstrual cycles.Discussion Points:Biological Clocks: Various clocks (circadian, tidal, lunar, annual) regulate behaviors; circadian clocks manage 24-hour cycles, while lunar clocks influence reproduction in marine species like corals and Christmas Island crabs.Lunar Cycle & Menstruation: Historical data (pre-2010) showed many women's menstrual cycles synchronized with lunar phases (full or new moon), but this decreased post-2010, possibly due to blue light from LEDs disrupting biological rhythms.Blue Light Impact: Blue light from modern devices mimics daylight, potentially desynchronizing circadian and lunar clocks, with melanopsin in the eyes playing a key role in light sensitivity.Winter Synchronization: Menstrual cycle synchrony with lunar phases is stronger in winter, particularly January, possibly due to brighter moonlight or gravitational effects when Earth is closest to the Sun.Circadian Mechanisms: In fruit flies, 240 neurons manage circadian rhythms via clock genes with a 24-hour feedback loop, conserved in humans, where neuropeptides regulate slower, sustained rhythms.Health Implications: Disrupted circadian rhythms can desynchronize body clocks, impacting digestion, immunity, and increasing risks of cardiovascular issues, obesity, and cancer.Lifestyle Tips: To maintain synchrony, maximize daytime light exposure, minimize nighttime blue light, time meals appropriately, and exercise during the day, not late at night.Reference paper:Study: Synchronization of women's menstruation with the Moon hasSupport the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textThe genetic & developmental changes behind bipedalism & human anatomy.Wide release date: October 15, 2025.Episode Summary: Dr. Terence Capellini talks about the evolution of bipedalism in humans, exploring when and why it emerged, the anatomical changes required, and the genetic mechanisms behind these adaptations. They discuss how environmental shifts, like shrinking forests, drove the need for upright walking, the gradual skeletal changes in the pelvis and limbs, and how these changes may have facilitated larger brain sizes. Capellini highlights the complexity of evolutionary processes, emphasizing the role of multiple genetic changes in regulatory regions rather than single genes.About the guest: Terence Capellini, PhD is a professor and chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. His research focuses on developmental genetics and human evolution.Discussion Points:Bipedalism likely became common ~3.5 million years ago with Australopithecus afarensis, with earlier hominins like Ardipithecus showing mosaic traits.Environmental changes, such as shrinking forests and expanding grasslands, created selective pressures favoring bipedal locomotion.The human pelvis evolved to be shorter, wider, and curved, with muscles like the gluteus medius shifting to stabilize upright walking.Genetic changes in non-coding regulatory regions, not protein-coding genes, drive the developmental shifts in pelvic growth, with hundreds of small-effect changes involved.Bipedalism may have widened the birth canal, potentially enabling the evolution of larger brains in later hominins like Homo erectus.Humans have more slow-twitch muscle fibers than chimpanzees, supporting endurance activities like long-distance running, possibly linked to energetic trade-offs with brain growth.Shoulder and arm adaptations for throwing and tool use evolved more gradually, becoming prominent ~2 million years ago with Homo erectus.Reference paper:Study: The evolution of hominin bipedalism in two stepsRelated content:M&M 171: Comparative Brain Evolution: Mammals, Primates & Humans | Robert Barton*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Exploring Plant Medicine: Clinical Insights and Personal Transformation with Shawn Wells In this episode of the IRH Clinician's Corner, Margaret Floyd Barry welcomes back fan favorite Shawn Wells—an acclaimed nutritional biochemistry expert, supplement formulator, and author—for a fascinating conversation about the intersection of plant medicine and clinical practice. Margaret and Shawn dive into the rapidly evolving world of psychedelics, exploring both the science and profound personal transformations behind plant medicine. You will hear firsthand how these medicines can catalyze healing—emotionally, physically, and even relationally—providing fast-track breakthroughs for trauma, depression, and chronic stress. In this interview, we discuss: Shawn's personal journey with plant medicine and the changes that followed How to approach and discuss the use of plant medicines in clinical practice Types and levels of plant medicine and finding safe, competent facilitators Preparing the body and mind for a plant medicine journey, as well as post-journey integration and support How to support neuroplasticity and integration (through mindset and intention setting) Microdosing: definitions and safe practices Cautions and notes on practitioner responsibility The Clinician's Corner is brought to you by the Institute of Restorative Health. Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/instituteofrestorativehealth/ Connect with Shawn Wells: Website: https://shawnwells.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawnwells/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ingredientologist LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-wells-supplements/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/shawnwells Author of ‘The ENERGY Formula' https://shawnwells.com/theenergyformula/ Timestamps: 00:00 "Sean Wells: Supplement Innovator" 10:08 "Mind-Blowing Psychedelic Experience" 13:20 "Discovering Self-Worth and Love" 21:41 "Psychic Healing and Clinical Support" 25:35 Ketamine: Clinical Use for Healing 31:16 "Master Clinical Skills, Transform Health" 33:40 "Choosing the Right Facilitator" 43:11 "Post-Event Recovery Timing Discussed" 50:30 "Flaws in SSRI Effectiveness" 55:46 "Echo Dosing for Integration" 57:20 Echo Dose and Sensory Remembrance 01:10:42 Conclusion Speaker bio: Shawn Wells, MPH, LDN, RD, CISSN, FISSN is a globally recognized nutritional biochemistry expert with more than 20 years of experience in health, wellness, and product formulation. He has formulated over 1,100 products and holds 40+ patents, including enfinity® (Paraxanthine) and BHB salts. He has served as Chief Clinical Dietitian, Chief Science Officer, and advisor to multiple supplement companies, facilitating transactions exceeding half a billion dollars. Shawn authored the bestselling book The Energy Formula, featured by USA Today and Forbes, and he shares cutting-edge research on Mindvalley, in documentaries, and on his website shawnwells.com. He frequently speaks at events globally. Keywords: Functional health, clinical skills, chronic disease, supplement formulation, nutritional biochemistry, plant medicine, psychedelics, trauma, practitioner support, microdosing, ayahuasca, psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, neuroplasticity, nervous system regulation, intention setting, integration, generational trauma, default mode network, BHB salt, ketones, adaptogens, methylated B vitamins, hydration, Condor Approach, facilitator training, set and setting, dietary preparation, psychotherapy, neurogenesis Disclaimer: The views expressed in the IRH Clinician's Corner series are those of the individual speakers and interviewees, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Institute of Restorative Health, LLC. The Institute of Restorative Health, LLC does not specifically endorse or approve of any of the information or opinions expressed in the IRH Clinician's Corner series. The information and opinions expressed in the IRH Clinician's Corner series are for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. If you have any medical concerns, please consult with a qualified healthcare professional. The Institute of Restorative Health, LLC is not liable for any damages or injuries that may result from the use of the information or opinions expressed in the IRH Clinician's Corner series. By viewing or listening to this information, you agree to hold the Institute of Restorative Health, LLC harmless from any and all claims, demands, and causes of action arising out of or in connection with your participation. Thank you for your understanding.
Send us a textThe biological roots of sleep are tied to mitochondrial metabolism.Episode Summary: Dr. Gero Miesenböck discusses the evolutionary and metabolic basis of sleep, exploring how mitochondrial energy production in neurons, particularly in fruit flies, drives the need for sleep to manage harmful byproducts like reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxides. They discuss how sleep-inducing neurons sense these byproducts, the role of mitochondrial dynamics, and the broader implications for why all animals, from jellyfish to humans, require sleep. The conversation also touches on how body size and metabolism influence sleep needs across species.About the guest: Gero Miesenböck, MD is a professor of physiology at the University of Oxford, renowned for his pioneering work in optogenetics and his research on the neurobiology of sleep using fruit flies and mice.Discussion Points:Sleep is universal across animals, even in jellyfish without centralized brains, suggesting a fundamental metabolic purpose tied to mitochondrial energy production.Mitochondria produce energy efficiently using oxygen but generate reactive oxygen species that can damage cells through lipid peroxidation, necessitating sleep to repair this damage.Sleep-inducing neurons in fruit flies contain sensors that track lipid peroxidation products, acting like a digital memory to signal when sleep is needed.Smaller animals with faster metabolisms, like mice, require more sleep and have shorter lifespans due to higher oxygen consumption and oxidative stress.Mitochondrial diseases in humans often cause intense tiredness, likely due to increased electron leaks in the mitochondrial energy production process.The evolutionary origin of sleep likely stems from the oxygen revolution 2.5 billion years ago, enabling complex life but requiring mechanisms like sleep to manage metabolic side effects.Caloric restriction reduces sleep need by lowering the production of harmful metabolic byproducts, supporting the link between metabolism and sleep.Reference paper:Study: Mitochondrial origins of the pressure to sleepRelated content:M&M 12: Organisms, Cities, Companies & the Science of Scale | Geoffrey West*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Post-conference hymn sing from the 2025 Roseisle Gospel Hall conference (MB, Canada). All hymns are from the Believers Hymn Book (2019 edition) published by John Ritchie Ltd. Get the BHB app – for iOS and Android. (Recorded 5th Oct 2025) List of hymns: Love divine all loves excelling (No 316) I have a friend whose faithful love (No 201) It is a thing most wonderful (No 245) When peace like a river (No 671) Be Thou my vision (No 42) The post Singing from Roseisle (40 min) first appeared on Gospel Hall Audio.
Send us a textThe surprising link between oral bacteria and heart disease.Episode Summary: Dr. Pekka Karhunen explains the connection between oral bacteria, cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease, discussing how oxidized LDL cholesterol triggers inflammation in arteries, how bacteria from the mouth can infiltrate arterial plaques to form biofilms, and the implications for heart disease prevention through lifestyle changes like better oral hygiene.About the guest: Pekka Karhunen, MD, PhD is a medical doctor and forensic pathologist with decades of experience, specializing in cardiovascular diseases. He has created a unique biobank of coronary arteries from over 10,000 autopsies conducted in Finland. His research focuses on the role of bacteria in atherosclerosis, particularly through studying coronary artery plaques.Discussion Points:Cholesterol is essential for life, but oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is seen as a foreign substance by the immune system, leading to chronic inflammation in coronary arteries.Macrophages ingest oxidized LDL, turning into dysfunctional foam cells that contribute to plaque buildup, known as atheromas, in arteries.Plaque rupture, potentially caused by increased pressure from cholesterol accumulation or hemorrhage within the plaque, can trigger heart attacks.Bacteria, especially from the mouth, can enter arterial plaques via bacteremia (e.g., from dental procedures) and form biofilms, evading immune detection.Biofilms in plaques, made of extracellular matrix like polysaccharides, protect bacteria and may contribute to plaque instability or calcification over time.Poor oral hygiene is linked to higher cardiovascular disease risk, as bacteria from dental infections can enter plaques, suggesting dental care as a preventive measure.Karhunen's research found oral bacteria, like Viridans streptococci, in coronary plaques, with unpublished data also detecting gut and skin bacteria, indicating diverse bacterial involvement.Related content:M&M 247: Cholesterol: Immune Benefits, Heart Health, Statins & Research Malpractice | Uffe Ravnskov*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textHow nutrition and medications impact mitochondrial health.Wide release date: October 1, 2025.Episode Summary: Dr. Chris Masterjohn talks about the intricate relationships between nutrition, prescription drugs, and mitochondrial health, discussing how molecules like acetaminophen and SSRIs affect the body beyond their intended purposes, particularly impacting inflammation and energy metabolism. The discussion gets into the broader implications of serotonin outside the brain, the side effects of commonly used medications, and the importance of personalized nutritional strategies to optimize mitochondrial function.About the guest: Chris Masterjohn, PhD holds a doctorate in nutritional sciences and is a co-founder of Mitome, a company focused on mitochondrial testing to optimize cellular energy production.Discussion Points:Acetaminophen & Inflammation: Acetaminophen (Tylenol) may contribute to chronic low-grade inflammation by blocking both the initiation and resolution of inflammation, potentially linked to health issues like autism when used during pregnancy.Serotonin's Role Beyond the Brain: Approximately 95% of serotonin is found in the gut, regulating motility, with SSRIs causing side effects like nausea due to increased extracellular serotonin.SSRIs & Mitochondrial Function: SSRIs disrupt serotonin uptake into cells, reducing mitochondrial melatonin production, which impairs the body's ability to handle hypoxic stress and produce ATP efficiently.Statins & Mitochondrial Impact: Statins, used to lower cholesterol, inhibit the mevalonate pathway, affecting not just cholesterol but also CoQ10 and vitamin K2, crucial for mitochondrial function, potentially leading to side effects like myopathy.Mitochondrial Testing with Mitome: Masterjohn's company, Mitome, uses cheek swab tests to measure mitochondrial respiratory chain activity, providing personalized dietary and lifestyle recommendations to optimize cellular energy production.Nutrition & Mental Health: Masterjohn shares his personal experience of severe mental health issues on a vegan diet, which improved dramatically with a nutrient-dense diet rich in organ meats, highlighting individual nutritional needs.Energy Metabolism's Universal Role: Mitochondrial ATP production governs everything from daily energy levels to long-term health, with personalized testing helping identify and address specific bottlenecks.*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textGenetic & environmental factors that affect brain health, including why people age faster in outer space. (Note: technical difficulties affected the audio quality of this recording somewhat)Episode Summary: Dr. Jacob Raber explains how apolipoproteins, particularly ApoE, influence brain health and disease risk; their role in cholesterol metabolism, Alzheimer's disease, and responses to environmental stressors like radiation and viral infections; interplay between genetics, diet, and lifestyle factors, highlighting how these affect cognitive function and resilience to stress; research into space radiation, the gut-brain axis, and potential interventions for neurodegenerative diseases.About the guest: Jacob Raber, PhD, is a neuroscientist at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, where he leads a lab studying genetic and environmental influences on brain health, particularly using mouse models with human genes.Discussion Points:Apolipoproteins (ApoE2, E3, E4) are proteins involved in cholesterol and lipid metabolism in the brain, with ApoE4 increasing risks for Alzheimer's and cardiovascular disease.ApoE4 carriers may face higher risks for cognitive decline but could have advantages in specific contexts, like fertility or certain infections.Environmental stressors, such as space radiation and viral infections like West Nile, can exacerbate oxidative stress, impacting brain health.The gut microbiome influences brain function indirectly via the gut-liver-brain axis, with ongoing studies exploring its role in Alzheimer's and traumatic brain injury.Lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, and sleep are critical for brain health, potentially mitigating genetic risks like ApoE4.Statins, commonly used for cholesterol management, may impair learning in healthy animals, suggesting context-dependent effects.Research into space radiation reveals potential therapeutic applications, such as using heavy ion radiation for cancer treatment.Genetic variations, including ethnicity and sex, influence ApoE-related disease risks, with women and certain populations showing higher Alzheimer's susceptibility.Chronic low-level stressors, like air pollution, may pose greater risks to brain health than acute exposures due to insufficient activation of protective mechanisms.Related content:M&M 165: PUFAs in Brain Health & Disease, Dietary Fats, Brain Lipids, Nutrition | Richard Bazinet*Not medical adviceSupport the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textHow maternal obesity epigenetically reprograms liver metabolism in offspring, predisposing them to metabolic disease.Episode Summary: Dr. Elvira Mass talks about macrophages, specialized immune cells that vary by tissue and play crucial roles beyond fighting infections, such as supporting organ function; Kupffer cells (liver macrophages) and how maternal obesity during pregnancy reprograms these cells in offspring, leading to fatty liver disease, fibrosis, and even cancer later in life, based on mouse studies showing epigenetic and metabolic shifts like increased glycolysis, with insights into developmental windows, nutritional mismatches, and broader implications for human health.About the guest: Elvira Mass, PhD, is a Professor of Developmental Immunology at the University of Bonn in Germany, where her lab focuses on the development and function of macrophages in various tissues.Discussion Points:Macrophages are diverse, tissue-specific cells that develop from embryonic precursors, performing unique tasks like providing growth factors in organs.Kupffer cells in the liver monitor blood from the gut and are exposed to maternal nutrients during fetal development.Maternal obesity (induced in mice via high-fat diets) programs offspring Kupffer cells epigenetically, leading to fatty liver in newborns and progression to diseases like cancer, even on normal diets.A "nutritional mismatch" between in utero high-fat exposure and postnatal normal diets worsens liver issues, as cells are "prepared" for excess high-fat intake but face scarcity.Key mechanism: Reprogrammed Kupffer cells overproduce apolipoproteins, driving excess lipid uptake in liver cells (hepatocytes), linked to transcription factor HIF-1α and a shift to inefficient glycolysis.Offspring from obese mothers show sex differences (males affected earlier) and persistent changes.Human parallels: Rising childhood fatty liver (once rare and tied to alcoholism) correlates with maternal obesity; studies like Dutch Hunger Winter show early gestational disruptions cause lifelong issues.Broader factors: Microbiome changes, specific fatty acids, and environmental toxins like microplastics may also reprogram macrophages; diets in studies vary beyond fat content, affecting results.Advice: Maintain consistent healthy habits pre- and during pregnancy; avoid sudden diet shifts, as developmental windows are critical for long-lived cells like Kupffer cells.Reference Paper:Study: Kupffer cell programming bySupport the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textAging, tissue repair, and the longevity benefits of psilocin.Episode Summary: Dr. Louise Hecker discusses her research on tissue repair and regeneration, explaining how fibroblasts drive wound healing by forming scar tissue but fail to resolve properly with age, leading to fibrotic diseases like pulmonary fibrosis and liver cirrhosis; they discuss aging hallmarks such as oxidative stress and telomere shortening, and highlight Hecker's study showing psilocybin's active metabolite, psilocin, extends cellular lifespan in lab cultures by reducing oxidants and preserving telomeres, while monthly doses in aged mice improved appearance and survival rates.About the guest: Louise Hecker, PhD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, specializing in repair and regeneration processes, particularly in aging and fibrotic diseases.Discussion Points:Fibroblasts are dormant cells that activate during injury to pull wounds closed and form scars, then de-differentiate or die; aging impairs this, causing persistent scarring and disease.Aging reduces the body's regenerative capacity; different organs vary in repair efficiency, with skin healing better than heart tissue.Oxidative stress, like "rust" in the body, accumulates with age due to imbalanced reactive oxygen species production and antioxidant defenses, contributing to cellular damage.Telomeres act as protective DNA caps that shorten with cell divisions, serving as a hallmark of biological aging; sirtuins are master regulators influencing aging processes.Hecker's in vitro study showed psilocin dose-dependently extended fibroblast lifespan by 29-50%, lowering oxidative stress below young cell levels and preserving telomeres.In aged mice (equivalent to 60-65 human years), monthly high-dose psilocybin (15 mg/kg) led to healthier appearance, regrown fur, and 80% survival when controls reached 50% mortality after 10 months.Psilocybin's effects may stem from serotonin receptors expressed in many cell types beyond the brain, suggesting broader anti-aging potential; future work explores mechanisms, optimal dosing, and applications for age-related diseases.Fungi like magic mushrooms represent an under-explored "kingdom" for medicine, with psilocybin's durable effects hinting at systemic impacts on aging.Reference Paper:Study: Psilocybin treatment extends cellular lifespan and improves survival of aged miceRelated content:Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textThe effects of protein restriction on metabolism, liver hormones, brain, and behavior.Episode Summary: Dr. Christopher Morrison talks about how animals sense and prioritize nutrients like protein, discussing defense mechanisms for essentials such as oxygen, water, sodium, and energy; the brain's role in detecting protein deprivation via signals like FGF21; trade-offs between growth, reproduction, and longevity under protein restriction; and reconciling high-protein diets for satiety and muscle maintenance with low-protein benefits for metabolic health and lifespan extension.About the guest: Christopher Morrison, PhD is a professor and researcher at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he has worked for over 22 years focusing on nutrition, metabolism, and chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes.Discussion Points:The body prioritizes nutrients hierarchically: oxygen and water first, then sodium, energy, and protein, with weaker defenses for carbs or fats.Animals develop specific appetites for deprived nutrients, like salt or protein, often through post-ingestive learning rather than just taste.Protein restriction (e.g., 5% vs. 20% in diets) increases food intake and energy expenditure in mice to maintain protein levels, even at the cost of extra calories.FGF21, a liver hormone, signals protein deprivation to the brain (via NTS region), driving protein-seeking behavior and metabolic changes; it's essential for low-protein responses.Protein restriction extends lifespan in lab animals by suppressing growth signals like IGF-1 and mTOR, but may impair immunity or wound healing in real-world conditions.High protein aids satiety, weight loss, and muscle building, but overconsumption may shorten lifespan; optimal intake depends on age, activity, and goals (e.g., not for pregnant or elderly).No one-size-fits-all for protein: mild restriction may benefit middle-aged sedentary people for health, while athletes need more; balance avoids excesses.Related content:M&M 106: Diet, Macronutrients, Micronutrients, Taste, Whole vs. Processed Food, Obesity & Weight Loss, Comparative Biology of Feeding Behavior | Stephen Simpson & David Raubenheimer*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textSupport the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textCellular clean up by immune cells and how early-life fructose exposure leads to neurodevelopmental problems.Episode Summary: Dr. Justin Perry talks about the body's constant cellular turnover—about 3 million cells die per second in adults (double in children and women)—handled by phagocytes like macrophages that engulf and digest debris to prevent diseases like lupus. They explore phagocytosis steps, macrophage adaptations in tissues like the brain (microglia), and how high fructose intake impairs microglial function in developing mice, leading to uncleared brain cells and anxiety-like behaviors, with implications for human neurodevelopmental disorders amid rising fructose consumption.About the guest: Justin Perry, PhD is an immunologist and clinical psychologist who leads a lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center focusing on how the body clears dead cells and debris to maintain homeostasis.Discussion Points:The body turns over 1-2% of its 30 trillion cells daily, mostly blood cells, but neurons in kids and endometrium in women turnover at ~2x this ratePhagocytosis involves "find me," "eat me," and digestion signals; failures can cause autoimmunity.Microglia are brain macrophages that uptake fructose via GLUT5 transporter.Early high fructose exposure (comparable to one soda daily) impairs the pruning of synapses and dead neurons.In mice, prenatal or postnatal fructose causes phagocytosis deficits in the prefrontal cortex, leading to heightened fear responses and poor fear extinction, mimicking anxiety disorders.Fructose correlates with rising neurodevelopmental issues like autism and anxiety; it's passed via breast milk, and liquid forms (e.g., sodas) overwhelm metabolic shields more than solid fruits.Macrophages may hold keys to diseases from atherosclerosis to cancer; deleting GLUT5 in microglia reverses fructose's effects, hinting at evolutionary roles in aging or low-oxygen states.Related content:M&M 215: Cancer Metabolism: Sugar, Fructose, Lipids & Fasting | Gary PattiArticle | Dietary Fructose & Metabolic Health: An Evolutionary PerspectiveReference Paper:Study | Early life high fructose impairs microglial phagocytosis and neurodevelopment*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textThe potential link between acetaminophen (Tylenol) and autism, with a surprise phone call from RFK partway through.Episode Summary: Dr. William Parker talks about autism spectrum disorder (ASD), its rising prevalence since the 1980s, and the controversial hypothesis that acetaminophen exposure in susceptible infants and children triggers most cases via oxidative stress. They discuss ASD's clinical definition; historical misconceptions like the "refrigerator mother" theory; genetic susceptibilities; acetaminophen's metabolism, which produces toxic byproducts in underdeveloped livers, leading to brain effects.About the guest: William Parker, PhD spent nearly 30 years as a professor at Duke University researching underlying causes of chronic conditions, including discovering the immune function of the human appendix and pioneering studies on immune systems in wild animals.Discussion Points:Autism is a spectrum disorder with core symptoms like social deficits, repetitive behaviors, and aversion to new stimuli.Parker argues overwhelming evidence points to acetaminophen as the primary trigger in susceptible individuals, causing oxidative stress via toxic metabolite NAPQI.Acetaminophen, marketed as Tylenol or paracetamol, was not tested for neurodevelopmental effects in neonatal animals until 2014, despite widespread use since 1886; it's metabolized differently in babies, whose livers lack mature detox pathways.Susceptibility factors include low glutathione (an antioxidant), poor sulfation/glucuronidation metabolism, folate receptor autoantibodies, and events like immune reactions that prompt acetaminophen use during oxidative stress.Regressive autism, where children lose milestones after seeming normal, often follows acetaminophen given for fevers or illnesses, explaining parental vaccine suspicions (as shots coincide with drug use).Adult acetaminophen is generally safe but causes liver toxicity in overdoses or with alcohol; antidote is NAC to boost glutathione.Parker has suggested to policymakers that we should avoid acetaminophen during pregnancy, birth, and early childhood (under age 3-5); parents should plan ahead for fevers/pain without it, but seek medical help for unusual symptoms.*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textWide release date: August 25, 2025Episode Summary: Dr. Uffe Ravnskov talks about his decades-long career challenging the idea that high cholesterol causes heart disease, discussing LDL's protective role in the immune system by binding to bacteria, the harms and biases in statin research influenced by pharmaceutical companies, evidence that high cholesterol benefits the elderly and reduces infection/cancer risks, and how mental stress or infections elevate cholesterol as a response rather than a cause.About the guest: Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD is a physician and independent researcher who earned his MD from the University of Copenhagen in 1961 and a PhD in nephrology. He has worked in various clinics in Sweden since the 1960s, focusing his research on challenging the cholesterol hypothesis in heart disease. Now 91, he has published over 200 papers, authored books like "The Cholesterol Myths.”Discussion Points:LDL cholesterol helps the immune system by sticking to bacteria, clumping them for removal; low LDL increases infection risk.Animal studies show injecting LDL protects against lethal infections, while historical data links severe infections to worse atherosclerosis.Elderly people with high cholesterol live longer; low cholesterol raises mortality risk more than high levels.Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) doesn't cause early death via cholesterol alone—co-inherited coagulation factors are the issue, and FH patients often have lower infection rates.Statins lower LDL but increase infection risk, cause muscle weakness/brain issues (often blamed on aging), and show no clear benefit in unbiased meta-analyses.Research biases include cherry-picking studies, exaggerating benefits via relative (not absolute) risk, and pharma funding suppressing critical views.Mental stress can raise cholesterol by 10-50% in 30 minutes, often misread as a heart disease cause rather than an effect.Saturated fat and high cholesterol aren't proven harmful; Ancel Keys' claims ignored contradictory evidence.Stopping statins often reverses side effects quickly, improving quality of life.Related episode:M&M 244: Seed Oils & Heart Disease: Oxidized LDL, Cholesterol, Fat & Cardiology | Tucker GoodrichReference Paper:LDL-C does not cause cardiovascular disease: a comprehensive review of the current literature*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textThe appendix's hidden role and how "good" parasites like helminths shape immune health.Episode Summary: Dr. William Parker discusses gut anatomy, the appendix's role in harboring beneficial bacterial biofilms and immune tissue, and how modern hygiene depletes helminths (intestinal worms), causing immune overreactions like allergies, autoimmunity, and psychiatric conditions. He explores helminth self-therapy for treating relapsing MS, depression, and allergies; challenges in clinical trials due to patent issues; and why COVID-19 was milder in low-income, helminth-rich regions.About the guest: William Parker, PhD conducted research at Duke University for over 27 years on immunology, appendicitis, and the hygiene hypothesis. After retiring from Duke, he serves as a visiting scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, leading efforts on biome reconstitution via helminths.Discussion Points:Appendix is not vestigial; it concentrates immune tissue and biofilms to cultivate good gut bacteria, preventing pathogens via mucus and IgA antibodies.Hygiene hypothesis: Soap, toilets, and clean water reduce helminths/protozoa, leading to untrained, hyperactive immunity and rising allergies/autoimmunity since the 1800s.Helminths (worms) stimulate immune "exercise," training immunity; biohackers use hookworms (cheap, skin-entry), porcine whipworms, or rat tapeworms orally for relief from allergies, MS flares, depression/anxiety.Effects are temporary; need ongoing exposure (e.g., replenish every 6 months); immigrants from helminth-rich areas develop Western diseases within a few years.COVID-19: Hyper-immunity caused severe reactions in hygienic West, but helminth presence in low-income Africa/Asia prevented cytokine storms, leading to empty clinics.Therapy barriers: Non-patentable organisms require $100M+ trials; push for open-source, government-funded biome restoration over crude immunosuppressants.Related episode:M&M 144: Inflammation, Innate Immunity, Allergies & Allergens, Immune System Evolution, Fasting & Metabolism | Clare Bryant*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. For all the ways you can support my efforts
DSD 6.8 | That is where you should put your money For years researchers have sought out to better understand control mechanisms for a successful transition into lactation from the dry period. We've learned changing body condition score during the dry period is not acceptable, but what if it changes during late lactation? How does this impact energy partitioning for the next lactation? Well managed high producing cows with high fertility might find themselves bred back in less than the “textbook ideal” condition score heading into the dry period. Can we alter the late lactation ration to successfully increase condition with little impact? Dr. Laura Hernandez from the University of Wisconsin worked with a team of researchers at the Forage Center to better understand what is happening if high energy is fed late in lactation through extensive data collection to determine the possible potential carry over effects for subsequent lactations. Listen into this compelling discussion as we learn more about the “black box” we know as the transition dairy cow and what phase to invest in to maximize your return. Topics of discussion 1:01 Goal of this month's research 1:40 Introduction of Dr. Laura Hernandez 2:52 Why is this topic important 5:09 Test ration design for increasing BCS in late lactation 3.25 vs 3.75 8:45 Cow responses to the ration 11:05 Figure 1a: BCS change over 12 weeks 11:45 Dry matter intake 10:27 Possible hormonal responses causing the 13:49 Energy partitioning 16:12 Genetic analysis for response and non-response 18:40 Dry cow and early ration following treatment 19:19 High energy effect on dystocia 20:50 Early lactation energy measurements 22:45 Close up - Intake differences of high and low energy 23:23 Fig 3d: Early lactation intake difference 24:44 Visceral fat changes 26:54 Denovo fatty acids in milk, 70 days post treatment 30:54 Concentration of Megalac in treatment ration 31:57 Description of animals on treatment 32:47 What do you want “boots on the ground” dairymen to learn from this project? Featured Article: Effects of high-energy and low-energy diets during late lactation on the subsequent dry period and lactation of Holstein dairy cows #2xAg2030; #journalofdairyscience; #openaccess; #MODAIRY; #transition; #latelactation; #earlylactation; #dmi; #NEFA; #BHB; #drycow; #dairysciencedigest; #ReaganBluel
Send us a textWhat is the core evolved function of the endocannabinoid system?Episode Summary: Dr. Giovanni Marsicano is a neuroscientist based in Bordeaux, France, where he leads a research group at INSERM focusing on the endocannabinoid system.About the guest: Giovanni Marsicano, PhD discusses the endocannabinoid system, starting with its core components like CB1 receptors and lipid-based molecules derived from omega-6 fatty acids; its cellular signaling, evolutionary role in energy storage for uncertain futures (exostasis vs. homeostasis); effects across tissues; motivation, appetite, pain relief, and anxiety regulation; biphasic effects of cannabinoids.Discussion Points:The endocannabinoid system acts as an "exostatic" regulator, promoting energy accumulation for future needs by enhancing food palatability, nutrient absorption, and fat storage, unlike "endostatic" systems that address immediate hunger.CB1 receptors appear in vertebrates with adipose tissue, suggesting an evolutionary link to storing fat for survival in unstable environments.Endocannabinoids are lipids from omega-6 fats; high intake boosts their levels, potentially fueling obesity by creating a self-perpetuating cycle of overeating.Activation of CB1 can have biphasic effects due to receptors on different cell types like excitatory vs. inhibitory neurons.Pregnenolone, a steroid precursor, acts as a natural CB1 inhibitor to prevent excessive activation, blocking harmful effects like psychosis from high THC doses.The system influences motivation beyond food, including sex and even human activities like sports or storytelling, by rewarding actions for potential future benefits.In the brain, CB1 on mitochondria and astrocytes modulates energy use, olfaction, and social stress transmission, with implications for disorders like Alzheimer's.Reference Paper:CB1 Receptor as the Cornerstone of ExostasisRelated episode:M&M 123: EndocanSupport the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. AquaTru: Reverse osmosis water filters. Remove metals, microbes, endocrine disruptors and toxins from drinking water. $100 off AquaTru filters through link. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textOverview and alternative interpretation to the mainstream view on how dietary fat and cholesterol relate to cardiovascular disease.Episode Summary: Tucker Goodrich is an engineer by training who has become a prominent independent researcher and blogger on nutrition and metabolic health, focusing on the harms of seed oils and polyunsaturated fats.About the guest: Nick Jikomes and Tucker Goodrich explore atherosclerosis and heart disease, critiquing the standard model that blames high LDL cholesterol while highlighting how oxidized LDL—driven by dietary linoleic acid from seed oils—plays a key role in plaque formation and inflammation; they discuss historical shifts in heart disease rates, genetic factors like familial hypercholesterolemia, the limitations of animal studies, and why reducing seed oil intake could prevent issues more effectively than just lowering cholesterol.Discussion Points:Atherosclerosis involves plaque buildup in arteries, often leading to heart attacks, but plaques contain oxidized fats and cholesterol, not just native cholesterol.Dietary cholesterol has little impact on blood levels or heart disease in humans, unlike in rabbits used in many studies.High LDL may not be inherently bad; oxidized LDL from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) like linoleic acid causes macrophages to overeat and form harmful foam cells.Familial hypercholesterolemia patients only show higher heart disease rates in modern, industrial diets high in seed oils, not historically.Populations like the Kitavans and Tsimané have high apoB but no heart disease on traditional diets low in industrial foods.Fried foods are oxidized seed oils, explaining why they're unhealthy despite omega-6 fats being labeled "heart-healthy."Omega-3 fats can displace omega-6 in cells, reducing oxidation risk.Reference Papers:Witztum & Steinberg (1991)Boren et al. (2022)Related episode:Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they're hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. AquaTru: Reverse osmosis water filters. Remove metals, microbes, endocrine disruptors and toxins from drinking water. $100 off AquaTru filters through link. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textHuman metabolism, primate evolution, and modern health challenges with evolutionary anthropologist Herman Pontzer.Episode Summary: Anthropologist Dr. Herman Pontzer discusses human evolution and metabolism, comparing humans to primates like chimps and gorillas to explain our higher energy use, bigger brains, and longer lives despite trade-offs in reproduction and activity; they discuss dietary shifts from plant-based to hunting-gathering, metabolic adaptations, and modern issues like obesity, where exercise aids health but diet drives weight loss, emphasizing ultra-processed foods' role in overeating and the promise of new drugs like GLP-1 agonists.About the guest: Herman Pontzer, PhD is a professor of evolutionary anthropology and global health at Duke University. He is the author of books like "Burn" and "Adaptable," which explore how bodies adapt to diets, activity, and environments.Discussion Points:Humans burn 20% more daily energy than other primates (controlling for body size), enabling big brains, more babies, and longer lives, but requiring efficient food strategies like hunting and gathering.Unlike apes, humans evolved smaller guts, higher body fat (15-30% vs. apes'
Send us a textThe deep connection between sunlight and life, from the scale of the cosmos to the quantum.Episode Summary: Astrophysicist Dr. Robert Fosbury discusses the sun's characteristics as a star, its analogies to living systems via entropy and complexity, and Erwin Schrödinger's insights on life as order-maintaining entities; he explores how near-infrared (NIR) light from the sun penetrates bodies to enhance mitochondrial function and metabolism, critiques modern artificial lighting's health impacts like mitochondrial dysfunction leading to diseases, and advocates returning to natural light environments for better wellness, drawing connections from cosmology to everyday architecture and lifestyle.About the guest: Robert Fosbury, PhD is a is a retired astrophysicist. He spent his career at the European Space Agency, working on Hubble and JWST projects, and now pursues interdisciplinary research linking stellar phenomena to biological processes like light's impact on vision and metabolism.Discussion Points:Stars like the sun maintain low-entropy states by exporting entropy as light, mirroring how life ingests low-entropy food to sustain order and homeostasis.The universe's complexity peaks midway in entropy increase, with stars producing elements that enable biological complexity, evolving toward cognition.Near-infrared light, peaking in solar output at ~1.6 microns due to atmospheric physics, catalyzes mitochondrial ATP production by facilitating electron transport, not via photosynthesis but photo-metabolism.Modern LEDs and windows block near-infrared, contributing to mitochondrial dysfunction, obesity, diabetes, and aging; historical thermal lights like incandescents provided beneficial infrared.Outdoor environments, especially under trees, flood bodies with reflected near-infrared for health, while blue skies act as cold sinks boosting thermodynamic efficiency.Eyes are mitochondria-rich, vulnerable to poor light; therapies using near-infrared slow macular degeneration by improving energy production.Ultra-processed foods are "high-entropy" with no structural order, akin to waste, reducing nutritional value for maintaining bodily order.Practical fixes: Use low-voltage incandescents indoors, prioritize outdoor time, design buildings with infrared-transmitting glass, and light people, not spaces, for energy savings and Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
part 2 - Rod reads the final few pages of the document prepared by BHB.It all started with a question—one that kept coming back to me no matter how many times I tried to just accept the surface answers. As I've grown in my faith, the Lord has surrounded me with new people—brothers and sisters with different walks, different understandings, and a hunger to know the truth. Through conversations, study, and prayer, certain things started to reach my ears that I hadn't given much thought to before. One of the biggest? This question about Satan. The Devil. The Serpent. The Dragon. The Deceiver.Who is it?Or better yet… is it even an it?Support & Stay Connected •
Send us a textHow brain synapses work and fuel themselves with fat.Episode Summary: Dr. Timothy Ryan talks about the high energy costs of synapses, the role of mitochondria and glycolysis, and challenge the long-held view that the brain relies solely on glucose by discussing new evidence that neurons burn fats from lipid droplets for fuel, especially during activity. The talk touches on metabolic flexibility, links to epilepsy treatments like ketogenic diets, neurodegenerative diseases, and future research on brain energy sources.About the guest: Timothy Ryan, PhD is a professor of biochemistry at Cornell University. His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of synaptic transmission, particularly vesicle recycling and the bioenergetics that power neural communication. Discussion Points:Synapses are tiny structures with ~100 vesicles per site (on average), converting electrical signals to chemical ones.Brain tissue is energy-hungry due to trillions of synapses (in humans), relying on local mitochondria (present in only ~half of synapses) and glycolysis.Vesicles use proton pumps and transporters to concentrate neurotransmitters, requiring ATP to maintain gradients.Neurons are metabolically fragile; cutting fuel supply quickly impairs synapses.Dogma held brains don't burn fats, but new work shows neurons form lipid droplets (fat stores) that are invisible because constantly used for energy via beta-oxidation.Silencing neurons builds lipid droplets like resting muscle; activity speeds their breakdown, indicating demand-driven fat use.Inhibiting neuron-specific fat-processing enzymes accumulates droplets and induces torpor (hibernation-like state) in animals, signaling metabolic stress.Ketogenic diets aid epilepsy by shifting to ketones; fats may explain this, with potential ties to aging and neurodegeneration like Alzheimer's.Brain may be a "hybrid" fuel user (glucose + fats), with open questions on fat sources and roles in cognition or disease protection.Related episode:M&M 158: Ketosis & Ketogenic Diet: Brain & Mental Health, Metabolism, Diet & Exercise, Cancer, Diabetes | Dominic D'Agostino*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textEpisode Summary: Dr. Eugene Chang talks about the microbiome's role as a vital organ, the impacts of antibiotics and Western diets on microbial health, and strategies for restoring a damaged microbiome through diet and fecal microbial transplants. They delve into microbiome dysbiosis, its links to modern diseases, and Chang's research on personalized microbiome interventions.About the guest: Eugene Chang, MD is a physician-scientist and Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, specializing in gastroenterology. His research focuses on the gut microbiome as a vital organ influencing metabolic and immune health.Discussion Points:The gut microbiome is a vital organ, acquired early in life, that supports metabolic and immune functions, but can be disrupted by antibiotics, leading to diseases like C. difficile colitis.Western diets, high in saturated fats and low in fiber, contribute to microbiome dysbiosis, linked to modern conditions like inflammatory bowel diseases, obesity, and allergies.Microbiome health is better assessed by functional markers (e.g., short-chain fatty acid production) than taxonomic diversity, as diversity varies widely among healthy individuals.A patient with severe food intolerance due to antibiotic-induced microbiome damage was treated over 50 weeks with a tailored diet, restoring healthy microbiome function.Different dietary fibers (e.g., beans vs. seaweed) are metabolized at varying rates, affecting gut health; fermented foods like kefir can bypass digestion issues.Diet can rapidly reshape the microbiome within 24-48 hours, but severe dysbiosis may require microbial transplants if key microbes are extinct.Chang's research shows a high-fiber, low-fat diet outperforms fecal microbial transplants in restoring microbiome resilience in mice post-antibiotics.Future microbiome medicine may involve personalized “omni microbial transplants” targeting both small and large intestines for comprehensive restoration.Related episode:M&M 203: Metagenomics, Microbiome Transmission, Gut Microbiome in Health & Disease | Nicola Segata*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textThe genetics of sleep duration and sleep timing.Episode Summary: Dr. Ying-Hui Fu discusses her research on the genetics of sleep, focusing on natural short sleepers who thrive on 4-6 hours of sleep and the heritability of sleep traits like duration and timing. She explores how sleep efficiency, rather than just duration, may explain why some need less sleep without health deficits, and delves into the molecular and circadian mechanisms regulating sleep. About the guest: Ying-Hui Fu, PhD is a neuroscientist and professor at UCSF, where her lab studies the genetics of human sleep behaviors, particularly sleep duration and schedule.Discussion Points:Sleep Traits Are Genetic: Sleep duration (how long you sleep) and sleep schedule (when you sleep) are partially heritable, with most people needing 7-9 hours, while rare natural short sleepers thrive on 4-6 hours.Natural Short Sleepers: These individuals fall asleep quickly, have high sleep efficiency, and live healthy, active lives without deficits, possibly due to faster toxin clearance and repair during sleep.Sleep Efficiency Matters: Short sleepers may complete restorative sleep processes (e.g., clearing toxins, repairing damage) more efficiently, allowing them to need less sleep.Circadian & Entrainment Pathways: Sleep timing is regulated by a molecular clock and environmental cues like light, with mutations in entrainment pathways causing extreme schedules (e.g., early bedtime or night owl tendencies).Modern Lifestyle Harms Sleep: Stimuli like blue light and tense media disrupt sleep patterns, leading to widespread sleep deprivation and health risks.Shift Work Risks: Shift workers face higher risks of diseases like cancer and neurodegeneration due to disrupted sleep cycles, though genetic background influences susceptibility.Finding Your Sleep Rhythm: A two-week vacation without stimulants or artificial light can help determine your natural sleep schedule and duration.Sleep's Health Impact: Poor sleep is a major factor in aging and diseases like Alzheimer's, making it as critical as diet and exercise for health.Related episode:M&M 237: Circadian Biology: Genetics, Behavior, Metabolism, Light, OxygenSupport the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textA blend of biology, philosophy, and history exploring how hormones and endocrine disruptors affect social behavior and society.Episode Summary: Dr. Charles Cornish-Dale discusses the decline of masculinity in modern society, linking it to falling testosterone levels, environmental endocrine disruptors, and the limitations of liberal democracy. Drawing on Francis Fukuyama's “End of History & the Last Men” and historical perspectives, Cornish-Dale argues that biological and societal factors, including diet and hormonal interventions like birth control, are reshaping male and female behaviors, with profound implications for health and social structures.About the guest: Charles Cornish-Dale, PhD is a medieval historian and anthropologist with a PhD from Oxford. His new book is, “The Last Men: Liberalism and the Death of Masculinity.”Discussion Points:Thymos & Masculinity: Cornish-Dale uses the ancient Greek concept of thymos, meaning spiritedness, to explain male drives for recognition and distinction, which he ties to testosterone-driven behaviors.Testosterone Decline: Studies like the Massachusetts Male Aging Study show a ~20% drop in male testosterone levels over 17 years, correlating with reduced reproductive health and social withdrawal.Endocrine Disruptors: Chemicals in plastics, pesticides, and soy products mimic estrogen, disrupting hormonal balance and potentially causing developmental and behavioral issues.Diet & Behavior: Historical shifts to grain-based diets, as noted by Plato, and modern plant-based trends may suppress thymos and alter hormonal profiles, impacting societal dynamics.Hormonal Contraceptives: Birth control can thin the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in women, affecting emotional regulation, especially if taken during teenage years, with potential permanent effects.Fukuyama's End of History Framework: Cornish-Dale critiques liberal democracy's inability to satisfy megalothymia (the desire to be better), contributing to a crisis of purpose for men.Related episode:M&M 193: History of Diet & Food, Population Density & Social Stability, Psychological Pandemics, Physical & Mental Health in Civilizational CyclesSupport the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Dr. Thomas Weims, Professor at UC Santa Barbara, shares his revolutionary findings on treating polycystic kidney disease through ketogenic interventions. After 25 years of research, his lab accidentally discovered that ketosis dramatically halts and even reverses PKD progression—something previously thought impossible. The medical establishment had long maintained that PKD, a genetic disease affecting 600,000 Americans, was untreatable through dietary means. Yet Weims' research demonstrates that beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), the primary ketone produced during ketosis, shows more potent effects than any pharmacological intervention his team tested. In a groundbreaking clinical trial, patients on a ketogenic diet experienced improved kidney function and reduced kidney volume in just three months—the first time such reversal has ever been documented in PKD. Weims explains the science behind this therapeutic approach, how it challenges entrenched medical dogma, and why this metabolic therapy may benefit all forms of chronic kidney disease. This conversation exposes how decades of medical education about diet and kidney health have been based on hypothetical papers rather than clinical evidence, offering hope to millions suffering from progressive kidney conditions.BIG IDEA"What we found more recently is that the progression of polycystic kidney disease is not really driven by gene mutations as previously thought—a patient inherits a bad gene, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will have rapidly progressing PKD."Gary Taubes Contact InfoWebsite: https://uncertaintyprinciples.substack.com/Website: https://garytaubes.com/Send Dr. Ovadia a Text Message. (If you want a response, include your contact information.) Dr. Ovadia can not respond here. To contact his team please email team@ifixhearts.com If you like what you hear, I wanna make it easier for you to take action on your health.Head over to i fix hearts.com/book to grab a copy of my book, Stay Off My Operating Table, and if you're ready to go deeper or talk to someone from my team, just go to i fix hearts.com/talk. Stay Off My Operating Table on X: Dr. Ovadia: @iFixHearts Jack Heald: @JackHeald5 Learn more: Stay Off My Operating Table on Amazon Take Dr. Ovadia's metabolic health quiz: iFixHearts Dr. Ovadia's website: Ovadia Heart Health Jack Heald's website: CultYourBrand.com Theme Song : Rage AgainstWritten & Performed by Logan Gritton & Colin Gailey(c) 2016 Mercury Retro RecordingsAny use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from Dr. Philip Ovadia.
Send us a textHow our biological clocks shape biology from the molecular to behavioral level.Episode Summary: Dr. Joseph Takahashi discusses circadian rhythms, exploring their biological basis, from molecular mechanisms to their impact on metabolism and health; the discovery of circadian clock genes; role of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, and how light, feeding, and oxygen influence these rhythms. The conversation highlights practical implications, such as the effects of artificial light and meal timing on health, and touches on emerging research linking stronger circadian clocks to longevity.About the guest: Joseph Takahashi, PhD is a renowned neuroscientist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where he leads research on circadian clock genes.Discussion Points:The suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus acts as the brain's central clock, syncing with light via the retina.Key circadian genes like CLOCK and BMAL regulate thousands of genes, especially those involved in metabolism, impacting health outcomes.Internal desynchronization, when brain and organ clocks misalign (e.g., from eating at night), can lead to metabolic issues like pre-diabetes.In mice, eating at the right time (night for nocturnal animals) extends lifespan by up to 35% under caloric restriction, compared to 10% with spread-out feeding.Artificial light, especially blue light at night, disrupts melatonin and circadian rhythms, while natural sunlight supports healthy eye development.Melatonin, a darkness-signaling hormone, is best for resetting rhythms (e.g., jet lag) at low doses, not as a sedative, and U.S. supplements vary widely in quality.Oxygen-sensing proteins interact with circadian clock components, hinting at links between altitude, metabolism, and health.Learning and memory show diurnal variations, with better performance at certain times, influenced by circadian modulation of synaptic activity.A stronger circadian clock, created genetically in mice, led to 16% longer lifespan and resistance to weight gain (unpublished research).Related episode:M&M 202: Why Do Animals Sleep? | Vlad Vyazovskiy*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textCellular self-organization, cytoskeleton dynamics, and membrane wound healing.Episode Summary: Cell Biologist Dr. Bill Bement explains the dynamic world of the cell cortex, discussing how actin filaments and microtubules drive processes like cell division and wound healing through self-assembly and self-organization; energy dynamics of these processes; the role of rho GTPases in patterning; the implications for diseases such as cancer and muscular dystrophy, using vivid analogies and video demonstrations to make complex concepts accessible.About the guest: Bill Bement, PhD is a cell biology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he has studied cellular processes for over 30 years. He leads a lab focused on the cell cortex, investigating cell division and repair. His work emphasizes self-organization and cytoskeletal dynamics, contributing to insights into diseases like muscular dystrophy.Discussion Points:The cell cortex, the outer layer of a cell, includes the plasma membrane & underlying proteins like actin & myosin, which enable dynamic shape changes.Actin filaments self-assemble without energy input, growing & shrinking to facilitate cell movement and division, while microtubules, stiffer hollow tubes, aid in chromosome separation.Self-organization in cells, driven by energy-dependent feedback loops, creates complex patterns like mitotic spindles.Cellular wound healing involves concentric rings of rho GTPases and actin, closing wounds rapidly, a process critical for surviving natural damage from mechanical stress or toxins.Energy costs of cytoskeletal rearrangements are significant but likely less than protein synthesis, though precise measurements remain challenging.Cancer metastasis may rely on enhanced cell repair, allowing metastatic cells to survive mechanical damage while squeezing through tissues.Muscular dystrophy involves excessive damage or impaired repair, highlighting the importance of cell repair mechanisms.Bement's lab is developing tools for synthetic self-organization, aiming to manipulate cellular processes to address repair deficits in diseases.Related episode:M&M 220: Cell Death, Oxidative Stress, PUFAs & Antioxidants | Pamela Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textHow brains compute and learn, blending neuroscience with AI insights.Episode Summary: Dr. Marius Pachitariu discusses how the brain computes information across scales, from single neurons to complex networks, using mice to study visual learning. He explains the differences between supervised and unsupervised learning, the brain's high-dimensional processing, and how it compares to artificial neural networks like large language models. The conversation also covers experimental techniques, such as calcium imaging, and the role of reward prediction errors in learning.About the guest: Marius Pachitariu, PhD is a group leader at the Janelia Research Campus, leading a lab focused on neuroscience with a blend of experimental and computational approaches.Discussion Points:The brain operates at multiple scales, with single neurons acting as computational units and networks creating complex, high-dimensional computations.Pachitariu's lab uses advanced tools like calcium imaging to record from tens of thousands of neurons simultaneously in mice.Unsupervised learning allows mice to form visual memories of environments without rewards, speeding up task learning later.Brain activity during sleep or anesthesia is highly correlated, unlike the high-dimensional, less predictable patterns during wakefulness.The brain expands sensory input dimensionality (e.g., from retina to visual cortex) to simplify complex computations, a principle also seen in artificial neural networks.Reward prediction errors, driven by dopamine, signal when expectations are violated, aiding learning by updating internal models.Large language models rely on self-supervised learning, predicting next words, but lack the forward-modeling reasoning humans excel at.Related episode:M&M 44: Consciousness, Perception, Hallucinations, Selfhood, Neuroscience, Psychedelics & "Being You" | Anil Seth*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textHow dietary fats and cannabinoids shape brain function and mental well-being.Episode Summary: Dr. Steven Laviolette discusses the role of lipids, particularly endocannabinoids and fatty acids, in brain signaling and mental health, discussing how dietary omega-3 and omega-6 imbalances, prenatal THC exposure, and fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) impact mood, anxiety, and neuroinflammation, while highlighting potential dietary interventions to mitigate these effects.About the guest: Steven Laviolette, PhD is a professor at the University of Western Ontario, holding a PhD, and his lab focuses on the brain's cannabinoid system and its role in mental health. He investigates how cannabinoids and fatty acids influence brain development and disorders like anxiety and schizophrenia.Discussion Points:The brain uses fats like endocannabinoids (e.g., anandamide, 2-AG) not just for structure but as signaling molecules to regulate emotional and cognitive processing.Prenatal THC exposure in rodents skews the omega-3/omega-6 balance toward pro-inflammatory omega-6, leading to cognitive and mood issues in offspring, but omega-3 supplementation can mitigate these effects.Fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs), especially FABP5, shuttle endocannabinoids like anandamide to degradation sites, and inhibiting FABP5 increases anandamide levels, reducing anxiety and depression without addictive side effects.FABP5 inhibitors show promise as safer alternatives to benzodiazepines.Both THC and CBD can induce problems during early development, challenging the notion that CBD is universally safe, especially during pregnancy.Dietary interventions, like omega-3 supplementation or antioxidants (e.g., L-theanine, N-acetylcysteine), may counteract the negative psychiatric effects of cannabinoid exposure, particularly during adolescence.The North American diet, high in omega-6, contributes to neuroinflammation and mental health issues, underscoring the need for nutritional neuroscience to address these imbalances.Related episode:M&M 165: PUFAs in Brain Health & Disease, Dietary Fats, Brain Lipids, Nutrition | Richard Bazinet*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textAre seed oils really driving chronic disease (and sunburns), or is it hype?Episode Summary: Dr. Brian Kerley talks about the health impacts of seed oils, their high omega-6 fatty acid content, and their role in chronic diseases through mechanisms like lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress. They explore how these industrially processed oils may contribute to conditions like heart disease and obesity, discuss the challenges of studying their long-term effects, and highlight the cultural and political dimensions of dietary trends.About the guest: Brian Kerley, MD is a family medicine-trained hospitalist physician who gained online prominence as the "Seed Oil Disrespecter" through his meme account, raising awareness about the health risks of seed oils.Discussion Points:Seed Oils & Health Risks: Seed oils (e.g., soybean, corn, etc.) are high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), linked to oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation, producing toxic compounds like 4-HNE and acrolein that damage cells.Evolutionary Perspective: The high omega-6 levels in modern diets are evolutionarily novel, deviating from natural omega-6 to omega-3 ratios found in traditional diets, potentially exacerbating health issues across diverse populations.Challenges with RCTs: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) often fail to capture the long-term effects of seed oils due to the need for extended washout periods (up to 8 years) and the pervasive presence of omega-6 in modern food environments.Cultural & Political Coding: Dietary trends like seed oil avoidance have become politically charged, with Kerley noting the polarization between institutional health narratives and alternative health communities, complicating public health discussions.Personal Impact: Dr. Kerley's focus on seed oils stems from personal experiences, including managing his daughter's mitochondrial disorder, highlighting the personal stakes in dietary choices.Related episode:M&M 192: Seed Oils, Chronic Disease, Diet & Religious Cults, Mainstream Medicine vs. Independent Research | Tucker Goodrich*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textA critique of SSRIs and pharma's influence on medicine, including SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction, suicidality, and violence. Long Summary: Dr. David Healy critiques modern medicine, focusing on SSRIs and psychiatric medicine, including: how pharmaceutical companies manipulate clinical trial data, ghostwrite studies, and influence medical practice, often ignoring patient experiences; highlighting issues like post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD), the immediate sensory effects of SSRIs, and their potential to induce suicidal or violent behavior; challenging the reliance on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) over individual patient reports; and more.About the guest: David Healy, MD, PhD, a psychiatrist and pharmacologist, has decades of experience researching the serotonin system and SSRIs, working across Ireland, the UK, Canada, and the US. He is a professor at McMaster University and a vocal critic of pharmaceutical industry practices.Discussion Points:SSRIs cause near-immediate sensory effects, like genital numbing, in most people.Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) can persist for years or decades after stopping the drug, affecting many long-term users.Healy argues RCTs prioritize averages over individual experiences, often missing serious side effects like suicidality.Pharmaceutical companies ghostwrite studies and manipulate data, with journals like the New England Journal of Medicine publishing misleading articles.Serotonin theory of depression lacks evidence.Industry tactics include dismissing patient reports as anecdotes and using high doses in trials to mask weak efficacy.SSRIs can increase suicide risk, not just during initiation but also when adjusting doses or withdrawing, as seen in cases like the Aurora movie theater shooting.Regulatory bodies like the FDA often fail to investigate adverse effects due to bureaucratic processes and lack of follow-up.Healy emphasizes doctors' failure to prioritize patient observations, driven by industry-influenced standards of care.Related episode:M&M 88: Depression, Serotonin, SSRIs, Psychiatry & Social Media | Joanna Moncrieff*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textEpisode Summary: Dr. Andrew Chadeayne discusses the chemistry of psilocybin and other psychedelics, their potential therapeutic applications, and the challenges of commercializing them in a shifting biotech market. The conversation delves into the complexities of magic mushroom composition, debunking myths like "lemon tekking," and uncovers the booming, unregulated alternative products industry, including kratom and synthetic psilocybin analogs sold in vape shops.About the guest: Andrew Chadeayne, PhD is a chemist who also holds a law degree, specializing in patent law. He is the founder and CEO of CaaMTech, a startup specializing in the development of novel psychedelic compounds. Chadeayne collaborates with academic labs to advance psychedelic science while navigating the commercial landscape.Discussion Points:Psilocybin is a prodrug converted to psilocin, but magic mushrooms contain other psychoactive molecules like beta-carbolines, which may enhance effects by inhibiting degradation.Chadeayne's team develops psilocin prodrugs to shorten psychedelic trips, making clinical administration more manageable without altering effects.The "lemon tek" myth—that lemon juice converts psilocybin to psilocin—is false; it enhances absorption by extracting compounds, not altering chemistry.Magic mushroom bruising indicates psilocin degradation, as oxidized psilocin forms blue, inactive dimers.The multi-billion dollar alternative products industry sells kratom and synthetic psilocybin analogs, often mislabeled, in vape shops, raising safety and regulatory concerns.Kratom's minor alkaloid, 7-hydroxymitragynine, is ~40x more potent than morphine, with no reported overdoses but high habit-forming potential.Non-hallucinogenic serotonin 2A agonists, like those developed by CaaMTech's spinout, show promise for conditions like migraines without requiring a psychedelic trip.Related episode:M&M 71: Chemistry of Magic Mushrooms, DMT Analogues, Entourage Effects in Cannabis & Fungi, Novel Psychedelic Medicines, Psychedelic Startups | Andrew Chadeayne*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textEpisode Summary: Dr. Michael Wheeler talks about neuroimmune interactions, exploring how the immune system and brain communicate, particularly through the blood-brain barrier and meninges; how chronic stress and inflammation can alter brain circuits, contributing to mood disorders like depression; how drugs like psilocybin and MDMA may reduce inflammation by modulating immune cells in the meninges, offering potential therapeutic benefits.About the guest: Michael Wheeler, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. His lab studies how immune responses influence behavior, mood disorders, and addiction.Key Conversation Points:The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is not as impermeable as once thought, allowing immune signals like cytokines to influence brain function even in healthy states.Chronic stress can weaken the BBB, increasing inflammation and affecting mood-regulating circuits, potentially contributing to depression.Microglia, the brain's resident immune cells, help maintain neural circuits by pruning synapses and regulating metabolism.Psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA can reduce inflammation by prompting immune cells (monocytes) to leave the meninges, potentially via vascular effects.These psychedelics may act in a context-specific “window,” requiring a dysregulated tissue state to exert anti-inflammatory effects, not as broad-spectrum anti-inflammatories.Neuroinflammation may underlie some treatment-resistant depression cases, suggesting immunotherapy could complement traditional psychiatric treatments.The brain encodes peripheral immune signals, like gut inflammation, in specific circuits, which can “remember” and recreate inflammatory responses.Aging may naturally increase blood-brain barrier leakiness, heightening the brain's susceptibility to peripheral inflammation.Future research aims to explore how psychedelics influence plasticity and their potential in treating inflammation-related diseases beyond psychiatry.Related episode:M&M 2: Psilocybin, LSD, Ketamine, Inflammation & Novel Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textEpisode Summary: New research on how dietary fats, particularly omega-6 fatty acids like linoleic acid, influence triple-negative breast cancer progression by activating the mTOR pathway, a key regulator of cell growth; role of the FABP5 protein in enhancing cancer cells' sensitivity to omega-6 fats; differences between breast cancer subtypes; broader implications of dietary balance for health.About the guest: John Blenis, PhD is a Professor of Pharmacology at the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. Nikos Koundouros, PhD is a postdoctoral fellow in Blenis' lab.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Transcript and other information on Substack.Key Points:mTOR pathway acts as a cellular “brain,” sensing nutrients like amino acids, glucose, and fats to regulate growth. Its dysregulation can drive cancer.High dietary omega-6 fatty acids, like linoleic acid found in seed oils, can fuel triple-negative breast cancer growth by activating mTOR.FABP5, a lipid chaperone protein, is overexpressed in triple-negative breast cancer, making these tumors more sensitive to omega-6 fats, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target.Modern diets with high omega-6 to omega-3 ratios disrupt inflammation balance, unlike historical 1:1 ratios, potentially increasing cancer risk.Genetic variations and cancer subtypes highlight the need for tailored dietary recommendations, as blanket nutrition advice may not suit all patients.While omega-6 fats exacerbate existing triple-negative breast cancer, their role in initiating cancer remains unclear, requiring further study.High omega-6 intake may influence other cancers (e.g., prostate, colon) and chronic diseases like obesity, linked to FABP5 and inflammation.Related episode:M&M 200: Dietary Fats & Seed Oils in Inflammation, Colon Cancer & Chronic Disease | Tim Yeatman & GaneSupport the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textEpisode Summary: Dr. Gyorgy Buzsaki discusses the hippocampus's role beyond memory and spatial navigation, delving into its broader functions in cognition, action planning, and brain-body interactions; how hippocampal rhythms, like sharp wave ripples, influence memory consolidation, glucose regulation, and metabolic health, challenging conventional neuroscience assumptions; the interplay of brain rhythms, sleep, and preconfigured neural dynamics; the history and conceptual foundations of neuroscience; and more.About the guest: Gyorgy Buzsaki, MD, PhD is a professor at NYU. He leads a lab investigating how neural circuits underpin cognition, particularly through oscillations and brain-body interactions. His work has significantly advanced understanding of memory formation and spatial navigation.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Transcript and other information on Substack.Key Conversation Points:Hippocampus isn't just for memory or navigation; it may orchestrate action planning and abstract representations of the world, shaped by evolutionary constraints.Brain rhythms, like sharp wave ripples, synchronize neural activity, enabling efficient communication and impacting bodily functions like glucose homeostasis.Sharp wave ripples, prominent during non-REM sleep and consummatory states, are critical for memory consolidation and may link sleep disruptions to metabolic disorders.Buzsaki challenges the idea of memory as fixed synaptic patterns, proposing it's more like dynamic, cloud-like sequences, endlessly reconfigurable.The brain's intrinsic dynamics prioritize action generation and learning from consequences over external representations.Related episode:M&M 16: Sleep, Dreams, Memory & the Brain | Bob Stickgold*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textThe biophysics of life, exploring how light & energy shape biology, with biophysicist Dr. Nirosha Murugan.Episode Summary: Dr. Murugan discusses the role of biophysics in biology, focusing on how light, particularly biophotons emitted by cells, influences processes like wound healing, neural activity, and cancer detection; how microtubules may act as biological fiber optics, the impact of modern light environments on health; her work inducing limb regeneration in frogs using silk hydrogels and growth factors; cancer as an energetic dysfunction; potential of non-invasive photonic diagnostics; the need for new tools to study these phenomena.About the guest: Nirosha Murugan, PhD is a biophysicist and assistant professor at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. Her lab investigates the biophysics of life.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Transcript and other information on Substack.Key Conversation Points:Cells emit biophotons, ultra-weak light tied to metabolism, which may carry information for processes like immune response and neural communication.Microtubules might function as biological fiber optics, potentially guiding light within cells for signaling purposes.Red and near-infrared light can accelerate wound healing and reduce inflammation, likely by modulating mitochondrial activity.Cancer cells emit distinct photonic signatures, which could enable non-invasive diagnostics by detecting light differences from healthy tissues.Modern light environments, unlike natural sunlight, may subtly affect health by altering biological responses to electromagnetic signals.Biological systems act as metamaterials, patterning energy flow in ways that constrain and shape molecular and behavioral outcomes.Related episode:M&M 221: Regenerative Energy & the Light Inside You | Jack Kruse*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textShort Summary: Dr. Alex Kwan unpacks the latest neuroscience research on how psychedelics like ketamine & psilocybin reshape the brain.About the guest: Alex Kwan, PhD, is an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Cornell University. His lab employs advanced imaging to study how psychedelics and other drugs affect the mammalian brain.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Transcript and other information on Substack.Episode Summary: Dr. Alex Kwan discusses how psychedelics like ketamine and psilocybin induce rapid neuroplastic changes in the brain, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, contrasting their effects with traditional antidepressants like SSRIs, and exploring their potential for treating depression and chronic pain through structural and functional brain alterations.Key Takeaways:Ketamine & psilocybin rapidly increase dendritic spine density in the prefrontal cortex, enhancing neural connections within days, unlike SSRIs, which take weeks.These drugs show sustained neuroplastic changes in mice, lasting weeks to months after a single dose, suggesting long-term brain rewiring.Serotonin 2A receptor is critical for psilocybin's neuroplastic effects, as precise genetic knockouts in adult mice eliminate spine growth.Unlike ketamine, psilocybin activates the insula, a brain region linked to chronic pain processing, hinting at new therapeutic potential.Both drugs induce similar gene expression patterns in areas like the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, but differ in specific regions like the insula.Related episode:M&M #30: Psilocybin, Ketamine, Neuroplasticity & Imaging the Brain | Alex Kwan*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off Readwise: Organize and share what you read. 60 days FREE through link Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textShort Summary: The flaws of nutrition epidemiology with Dr. John SpeakmanAbout the guest: John Speakman, PhD is a professor at the University of Aberdeen and runs a lab in Shenzhen, China, focusing on energy balance, obesity, and aging. Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Transcript and other information on Substack.Episode Summary: Dr. John Speakman explores the pitfalls of nutrition epidemiology, a field that links diet to health outcomes like cancer and obesity but often produces contradictory results. They discuss flawed methods like 24-hour recalls and food frequency questionnaires, which rely on memory and are prone to bias, and introduce Speakman's new tool using doubly labeled water to screen implausible dietary data. The conversation highlights systematic biases, such as under-reporting by heavier individuals, and emerging technologies like photo diaries and AI for better dietary tracking.Key Takeaways:Nutrition epidemiology studies often contradict each other due to unreliable methods.Common techniques like 24-hour recalls & food frequency questionnaires suffer from memory issues, portion size issues, and systematic biases, often underestimating food intake.Heavier individuals (higher BMI) under-report food intake more, skewing associations between diet & obesity.Speakman's tool, based on 6,500 doubly labeled water measurements, predicts energy expenditure to flag implausible dietary survey data.Emerging technologies, like smartphone photo diaries and AI food identification, promise more accurate dietary tracking than traditional surveys.Randomized controlled trials, not surveys, provide the most reliable dietary insights; single-day intake surveys linked to outcomes years later are dubious.Speakman advises ignoring most nutrition epidemiology headlines due to their inconsistency and lack of prognostic value for behavior change.Related episode:Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, etc. at the M&M Substack Affiliates: Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Readwise: Organize and share what you read. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textShort Summary: Cancer's metabolic roots with Dr. Thomas Seyfried.About the guest: Thomas Seyfried, PhD is a professor of biology at Boston College. He has researched cancer metabolism, epilepsy, and lipid biochemistry for over 40 years.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Transcript and other information on Substack.Episode Summary: Dr. Thomas Seyfried discusses the mitochondrial metabolic theory of cancer, challenging the dominant somatic mutation theory. He explores how cancer cells rely on fermentation due to defective oxidative phosphorylation, drawing on Otto Warburg's work. Seyfried explains how ketogenic diets and nutritional ketosis can starve cancer cells by limiting glucose and glutamine, while sharing evidence from nuclear transfer experiments and clinical studies. The conversation also covers environmental factors driving cancer and the importance of metabolic flexibility for prevention.Key Takeaways:Cancer is characterized by dysregulated cell growth, but Seyfried argues it stems from mitochondrial dysfunction, not just genetic mutations.Cancer cells ferment glucose & glutamine, unable to use fatty acids or ketones, making ketogenic diets a potential therapeutic tool.Nuclear transfer experiments show cancer traits reside in the cytoplasm, not the nucleus, challenging the somatic mutation theory.Environmental factors like processed foods, stress, and poor sleep disrupt mitochondrial function, increasing cancer risk.Seyfried's glucose-ketone index helps monitor metabolic states to manage cancer & chronic diseases.Cancer rates are rising in younger people, possibly due to obesity, inflammation, and environmental toxins.Metabolic flexibility, cycling between ketosis and carb-based states, may mimic ancestral patterns and reduce chronic disease risk.Related episode:M&M #215: Cancer Metabolism: Sugar, Fructose, Lipids & Fasting | Gary PattiSupport the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, etc. at the M&M Substack Affiliates: Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Readwise: Organize and share what you read. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textShort Summary: Heart health and the ketogenic diet, with expert insights from a cardiologist and researcher.About the guest: Matthew Budoff, MD, is a preventive cardiologist and professor of medicine at UCLA School of Medicine.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Transcript and other information on Substack.Episode Summary: Dr. Matthew Budoff discusses cholesterol, heart disease, and his study on the ketogenic diet's impact on lean, metabolically healthy individuals with high LDL cholesterol. He explains LDL, HDL, and triglycerides, debunking myths about their direct link to heart disease, and emphasizes the importance of coronary calcium scans to assess plaque buildup. Budoff also covers statins, dietary cholesterol, and personalized heart health strategies.Key Takeaways:LDL cholesterol is not a definitive predictor of heart disease; plaque buildup, assessed via coronary calcium scans, is a better indicator.Lean metabolically healthy people on a ketogenic diet may have high LDL without increased plaque progression after one year.Coronary calcium scans, costing ~$100, are recommended for men around age 40 and women around 45-50 to evaluate heart disease risk.Statins effectively lower LDL and can reverse soft plaque, but may be overprescribed for those without plaque buildup.Dietary cholesterol has minimal impact on blood cholesterol, as the liver produces ~85% of it.Ketogenic diet can aid weight loss & diabetes control but may cause high LDL in some lean individuals, known as lean mass hyper-responders.Plaque progression depends more on existing plaque than LDL levels in metabolically healthy ketogenic diet followers.Heart health varies widely due to genetics and other unknown factors, underscoring the need for personalized assessments.Related episode:M&M #158: Ketosis & Ketogenic Diet: Brain & Mental Health, Metabolism, Diet & Exercise, Cancer, Diabetes | Dominic D'AgoSupport the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, etc. at the M&M Substack Affiliates: Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Readwise: Organize and share what you read. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textShort Summary: The science of obesity and appetite regulation, blending genetics and neurobiology with practical insightsAbout the guest: Giles Yeo, PhD is a professor of molecular neuroendocrinology at the University of Cambridge. He leads a lab studying obesity and appetite regulation.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.Episode Summary: Nick interviews Dr. Giles Yeo about the genetics and neurobiology of obesity, starting with the discovery of leptin in the obese mouse model, detailing its role in appetite regulation via the hypothalamus, and discussing GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for weight loss. It delves into how genetic factors, like the leptin-melanocortin pathway, influence hunger, the heritability of body weight, and societal factors driving the obesity epidemic, emphasizing the interplay of biology and environment.Key Takeaways:Leptin, discovered through the obese mouse, signals fat levels to the brain, but its absence causes severe obesity and infertility, as seen in rare human mutations.The hypothalamus, a key brain region, senses hormones like leptin and GLP-1, balancing hunger and satiety through POMC (anorexigenic) and AgRP (orexigenic) neurons.Body weight heritability is 40-70% at the population level, but this does not mean that 40-70% of someone's body fat composition is due to genetic factors outside human control. Dr. Yeo unpacks how to think about it.GLP-1 drugs (e.g., Ozempic) mimic gut hormones to reduce appetite, offering some people 15-25% weight loss, but require long-term safety monitoring.According to Dr. Yeo, obesity reflects energy imbalance, but nutritional density matters more than calorie counting for health, and societal changes are needed to prevent it.Related episode:M&M #132: Obesity Epidemic, Diet, Metabolism, Saturated Fat vs. PUFAs, Energy Expenditure, Weight Gain & FeediSupport the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, etc. at the M&M Substack Affiliates: Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Readwise: Organize and share what you read. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textShort Summary: A mind-bending dive into evolutionary biology and health through a biophysicist's lens, with Dr. Jack Kruse delivering provocative insights about biology, medicine, and health.About the guest: Jack Kruse, MD, is a neurosurgeon known for integrating biophysics into medicine. He challenges conventional biochemistry with his “leptin prescription” and decentralized health approach.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.Episode Summary: Dr. Jack Kruse joins host Nick Jikomes to explore the Great Oxygenation Event's role in shaping life, linking it to modern health via biophysics over biochemistry. They discuss oxygen's impact on metabolism, the significance of deuterium-depleted water, and sunlight's influence on the leptin-melanocortin pathway. Kruse shares his dramatic weight loss journey using sunlight and cold therapy, critiques modern tech-driven obesity, and unveils a controversial history of SV40 in vaccines, tying it to cancer spikes.Key Takeaways:The Great Oxygenation Event (2.1-2.4 billion years ago) drove life's shift to oxygen-based metabolism, with cyanobacteria as key players.Kruse argues biophysics, not biochemistry, explains evolution, spotlighting light as life's fundamental driver.Deuterium-depleted water is important for enabling our cells and mitochondria to use energy from the TCA cycle without “shocking” the body.Sunlight exposure boosts nitric oxide, reducing food needs via the leptin pathway, challenging diet norms.Kruse lost 133 pounds in 11 months using sunlight and cold therapy, inspiring his “leptin prescription.”He links obesity to indoor tech lifestyles, disrupting heme proteins and mitochondrial function.SV40, a virus in 1950s polio vaccines, may connect to cancer rises, a story Kruse says was buried by centralized science.Related episode:M&M #196: Vaccine Contamination & Fiat Science Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, etc. at the M&M Substack Affiliates: Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Readwise: Organize and share what you read. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textShort Summary: A deep dive into the science of oxidative stress, antioxidants, aging, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.About the guest: Pamela Maher, PhD is a professor at the Salk Institute in San Diego, California, with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases, oxidative stress, and antioxidants.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.Episode Summary: Dr. Pamela Maher discusses her research on cell death mechanisms, including apoptosis and ferroptosis, and their roles in health and disease. They discuss how oxidative stress from reactive oxygen species can damage cells, the body's antioxidant defenses like glutathione and studies on natural compounds—fisetin, curcumin, and cannabinol (CBN)—that may protect against brain cell loss. The conversation covers CBN's mitochondrial benefits in aging mouse models and broader risk factors for dementia, like obesity and hearing loss, emphasizing early intervention.Key Takeaways:Apoptosis is a controlled cell death process vital for development, while ferroptosis, linked to oxidative stress and iron, causes cells to burst and is tied to diseases like Alzheimer's.Oxidative stress arises when reactive oxygen species overwhelm antioxidants, damaging DNA, proteins, and cell membranes, especially polyunsaturated fats.Glutathione, a key antioxidant, relies on cysteine and declines with age, but supplements like N-acetylcysteine might help, though tolerability varies.Cannabinol (CBN), a THC byproduct, protects mitochondria and improves memory in aging mice, hinting at therapeutic potential beyond cannabinoid receptors.Middle-age risk factors like visceral obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hearing loss significantly increase dementia risk, but hearing aids can reduce it.Related episode:M&M #165: PUFAs in Brain Health & Disease, Dietary Fats, Brain Lipids, Nutrition | Richard Bazinet*Not medical aSupport the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, etc. at the M&M Substack Affiliates: Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Readwise: Organize and share what you read. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textShort Summary: A detailed examination of shamanism with anthropologist Manvir Singh, blending evolutionary theory and vivid storytelling.About the guest: Manvir Singh, PhD is an anthropologist at the University of California, Davis. His new book, "Shamanism: The Timeless Religion," comes out on May 25, 2025.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.Episode Summary: Dr. Manvir Singh discusses shamanism's role as a universal human practice, exploring its roots in cultural evolution, cognitive tendencies, and persistence across history and modern society. They discuss how shamans use altered states to address uncertainty—like healing or divination—while examining shamanism's interplay with centralized religion, its psychological benefits, and parallels in today's world, from tech gurus to medical placebos.Key Takeaways:Shamanism is a widespread cultural practice involving specialists who enter altered states to engage with unseen forces, often for healing or managing uncertainty.It's not an archaic precursor to modern religion but a recurring expression of spiritual beliefs & practices, competing with other forms.Techniques vary widely—dance, music, psychedelics—but only about half of shamans historically used psychoactive substances.Modern parallels include tech CEOs and money managers who project exceptionalism to influence others, echoing shamanic charisma without trance.Open-label placebos (where patients know it's fake) still work, suggesting rituals alone can trigger healing, much like shamanic practices.Singh sees shamanism as a cognitive technology, not inherently good or bad, shaping how we cope with chaos across cultures and time.Related episode:M&M #86: Shamanism, Psychedelics, Social Behavior, Religion & Evolution of Human Culture | Michael Winkelman*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, etc. at the M&M Substack Affiliates: Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Readwise: Organize and share what you read. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textShort Summary: How environmental chemical exposures affect neurodegenerative disease and health.About the guest: Gary Miller, PhD is a Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University. His research bridges pharmacology, toxicology, and neuroscience to explore neurodegeneration, particularly Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.Episode Summary: Dr. Gary Miller talks about neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, exploring their age-driven nature, early detection challenges, and environmental risk factors such as pesticide exposure and head trauma. They discuss the emerging field of exposomics—studying lifetime chemical exposures—and its potential to uncover links between pollutants, diet, and disease, while highlighting protective factors like caffeine and nicotine, and the role of technology in advancing prevention and treatment.Key Takeaways:Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's & Alzheimer's worsen with age, but early intervention could slow progression & improve quality of life.Parkinson's symptoms often appear after significant dopamine neuron loss, but subtle signs like handwriting changes or gait issues might be detectable earlier.Environmental factors, including pesticides & air pollution, increase neurodegeneration risk, while caffeine and nicotine surprisingly lower Parkinson's incidence.The exposome—total lifetime exposure to chemicals—offers a new lens to study health, revealing how pollutants & diet interact with our biology.Ultra-processed foods & common chemicals like PFAS (in packaging) raise exposure levels, but simple steps like air filters or less processed diets can help reduce risks.Related episode:M&M #145: Epigenetics, Hormones, Endocrine Disruptors, Microplastics, Xenoestrogens, Obesogens & Obesity, Inheritance of ASupport the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, etc. at the M&M Substack Affiliates: Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Readwise: Organize and share what you read. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. For all the ways you can support my efforts
Send us a textShort Summary: Do elephants and other animals have language-like abilities, such as the ability to use individual names to refer to themselves and others?About the guest: Michael Pardo, PhD studies animal behavior at Cornell University, where he focused on animal communication and cognition. His work includes extensive field research with African elephants in Kenya.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.Episode Summary: Michael Pardo, PhD talks about his research on animal communication, focusing on whether African savanna elephants use vocal "names" to address each other. They explore the broader context of vocal communication across species like dolphins, parrots, and marmosets, discussing how these systems compare to human language and what they reveal about its evolution. Dr. Pardo shares details of his fieldwork in Kenya, elephant social structures, and their behaviors like mourning the dead, while also touching on the challenges and joys of studying animals in their natural habitats.Key Takeaways:Elephants may use unique vocal rumbles to address specific individuals.Dolphins use signature whistles as "calling cards," sometimes imitating others' whistles to get their attention, hinting at a form of naming.Elephant society features female-led family groups and dispersing males.Elephants show intriguing behaviors like visiting carcasses and covering them with dirt, suggesting an awareness of death uncommon in most animals.Human language evolution may have evolved gradually from simpler communication systems, as seen in various species, rather than emerging suddenly.Studying less charismatic animals like chickens could uncover surprisingly complex communication, broadening our understanding of cognition in nature.Related episode:M&M #20: Language, Symbolic Cognition, Evolution, Origins of the Human Mind Support the showAll episodes, show notes, transcripts, etc. at the M&M Substack Affiliates: Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Readwise: Organize and share what you read. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. For all the ways you can support my efforts
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