Nourish Balance Thrive

Catherine Crofts is a New Zealand community-based clinical pharmacist who firmly believes in using the lowest dose of the least number of medications to treat disease. After 17 years of practice, she feels more like a "disease management specialist" than a health professional. Together with Caryn Zinn, Mark Wheldon, and Grant Schofield, Catherine is the author of Hyperinsulinemia: A unifying theory of chronic disease? Catherine blogs at Lifestyle Before Medication. Catherine will soon be known as Dr. Crofts after successfully defending her Ph.D. thesis where she analysed the oral glucose and insulin tolerance data of Dr. Joseph Kraft. Catherine will talk more about that work and why fasting insulin is a useless biomarker in the upcoming Keto Summit, in this interview we focus on the role of insulin resistance in dementia. Here's the outline of this interview with Catherine Crofts: 0:00:42 Professor Grant Schofield and Dr. Caryn Zinn. 0:00:47 Dr. Joseph Kraft from Chicago. Book: Diabetes Epidemic & You. 0:02:37 Schizophrenia and bipolar disease. 0:03:41 Type 3 diabetes. 0:03:45 Alzheimer's dementia is very, very much a disease of diabetes and insulin and glucose. 0:04:00 Protein tangles within the brain. 0:04:03 Vascular dementia which is associated with the blood vessels. 0:04:25 Lewy body dementia which is another type of protein deposit. 0:04:32 Amyloid plaques. 0:04:42 Most people with dementia will have a mixed dementia. 0:04:53 CT scan of the brain. 0:06:04 Substantia nigra and movement problems. 0:06:13 Frontotemporal system system 0:07:11 Dr. Kirk Parsley talked about Professor Robert Sapolsky. 0:10:44 The Whitehall Study showed some people noticing cognitive changes starting at age 48. 0:12:15 Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene. 0:12:21 Neurotransmitter acetylcholine. 0:12:28 Tau protein. 0:13:22 Large and small clumps of beta-amyloid might be protective. 0:13:51 Synaptic plasticity and PSA-NCAM 0:14:46 Type 2 diabetes is one of the biggest risk factors for Alzheimer's. 0:16:05 Insulin prevents a process called fibrinolysis. 0:17:30 GLUT1. 0:24:13 Glutamate can be a little bit toxic to the brain. 0:24:46 GABA is a calming neurotransmitter. 0:27:22 A ketogenic diet for dementia. 0:41:50 Keto Summit.

I couldn't help laughing when former UFC fighter Kyle Kingsbury described the trouble he was having deadlifting 525 lb when 495 came so easily. 180 is a problem for me! The ketogenic diet has removed Kyle's "low gear", but the sacrifice is worth it because, in the ketogenic state, Kyle enjoys an enormous cognitive benefit and less systemic inflammation. Having suffered two orbital fractures that ultimately lead to his retirement, I wonder if Kyle is an example of how ketosis can help with traumatic brain injury. Do not supplement with raw potato starch! Kyle and his wife are yet further examples of people that didn't do well supplementing with raw potato starch. Kyle noticed changes in his immune system that lead to an increase in sickness, and his wife Natasha gained body fat. Both were able to resolve those issues following Grace Liu's plan that included psyllium, acacia, and inulin-FOS together with a bifidobacteria probiotic. Here's the outline of this interview with Kyle Kingsbury 0:01:06 Kyle is 6'3.5", 235lb 20" neck! 0:02:20 He won his first two fights in under 30 seconds. 0:04:35 American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose: heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez, current middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, and current light heavyweight champion Dana Cormier. 0:06:27 Muay Thai. 0:07:15 Brazilian jiu-jitsu. 0:08:24 Book: Easy Strength: How to Get a Lot Stronger Than Your Competition-And Dominate in Your Sport. 0:08:40 Book: Primal Endurance: Escape chronic cardio and carbohydrate dependency and become a fat burning beast! 0:09:45 Podcast: Elite Spartan racer Elijah Wood. 0:10:16 Kyle has a one year old boy called Bear. 0:10:30 Carb backloading. 0:10:53 When Kyle deadlifts 495, reaching 525 shouldn't be a problem, but it is on a ketogenic diet. 0:12:07 Ben Greenfield. 0:14:07 Keto has helped with sleep deprivation and shift work. 0:14:39 Podcast: Dominic D'Agostino on Tim Ferriss's show. 0:15:25 Podcast: Kirk Parsley on sleep. 0:15:32 Keto Summit. 0:19:04 Grace Liu. 0:19:30 uBiome app. 0:20:51 Potato starch debacle. 0:22:28 Bionic fibre. 0:22:38 Bifidomax probiotic. 0:26:04 Podcast: organic acids. 0:29:05 Podcast: Endurance Planet. 0:29:50 Book: The Better Baby Book: How to Have a Healthier, Smarter, Happier Baby. 0:31:08 Supplement: carnitine. 0:31:12 Podcast: N-Acetylcysteine (NAC). 0:34:12 The Origin (and future) of the Ketogenic Diet on Robb Wolf's site. 0:39:41 Book: Becoming a Supple Leopard 2nd Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance. 0:40:20 Podcast: Brad Dieter, Ph.D. 0:42:22 Ultra Adventures 50k run. 0:45:16 Podcast: Joe Rogan Experience #756 - Kyle Kingsbury. 0:46:52 Book: Feed Zone Portables: A Cookbook of On-the-Go Food for Athletes. 0:52:05 Paul Chek: "Sooner or later your health will be your number one concern." 0:53:01 @Kingsbu on Twitter and Instagram. 0:53:08 Podcast: Mom's Garage (not released yet).

Imagine your name is Bob. You're 47 years old, you have a beautiful wife, two wonderful kids, a lovely dog and a career you enjoy. Life is great is except for the nagging pain in your right pinky finger. It started as a minor irritation but now has gotten to the point where it's affecting your work and your sleep. As you lay tossing and turning one night, all you can think about is the pain. Then suddenly you decide it's time to get up and take action. You kiss your wife and sneak out the bedroom. The dog is confused and follows you downstairs and into the kitchen. You open up the lid of your laptop and open a new browser window. Google appears. What are you going to search for? Doctor [Your Name Here] Ultrawellness? Optimal Health Nutrition Coach? Of course not. You're going to search for "right pinky finger pain" or some variation of those words. So why is then that so many practitioners, good ones, create websites that are all about themselves? You know the site I mean. The one with the picture of the practitioner on the front page, possibly wearing a white lab coat and a stethoscope around their neck. There's a list of credentials and a longer list of health complaints the practitioner "specialises" in. The list includes virtually every condition known to man. Think about Bob reading that page. Is he going to be excited? Now imagine Bob's delight as he discovers your series of articles talking about the most common root causes of right pinky finger pain and what you can do about them. Bob is so delighted with what he's found that he wants to wake his wife to share the good news. "Finally! Someone that understands me" is what Bob is thinking. Being specific about who we're talking to is something we've done by accident at Nourish Balance Thrive. I'm a master's athlete whose health fell apart in pursuit of the upgrade to pro mountain biker racer. Not everyone we work with is a mountain biker, but everyone is an athlete (even if they won't admit it). Starting a new health coaching business is about more than being a great practitioner. Of course, you must be qualified to help people, but if you're not specific with your marketing, you'll end up helping nobody. You only have to walk down the street anywhere in the US to recognise how many people need help with their diet and lifestyle, but did you know that 50% of naturopaths never see a patient? 60% of acupuncturists go back to a previous career after less than three years of work? And yet at the same time, as of last year, there were three billion people online, and we know that there's another three billion people that are coming in the next five years or so depending on what study you read. There is no shortage of people that need your help. This is but one of the many lessons I've learned as a result of completing the Practitioner Liberation Project. Listen to this interview with gut health guru and marketing conversion expert Jordan Reasoner to discover some of the others. Click here to sign up for Jordan's webinar. Here's the outline of this interview with Jordan Reasoner 0:02:12 Jordan's story. 0:03:44 Book: Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet. 0:04:48 Jordan had a parasite called Strongyloides stercoralis and took a medicine called Ivermectin. 0:05:37 SCD Lifestyle will become healthygut.com 0:05:56 Their list now has 250,000 members. 0:08:14 We both did the Kalish Mentorship. 0:08:33 One email, Jordan and Steve were booked out for a month, 600 clients in the next year. 0:09:32 The gut wizard: Brie Wieselman, L.Ac. 0:13:44 50% of naturopaths never see a patient 0:13:49 60% of acupuncturists go back to a previous career within three years. 0:25:41 1.5M people in the US alone with Rheumatoid arthritis. 0:26:14 1.7B people on Facebook. 0:29:53 Start with the thing that you're passionate about. 0:32:38 Ask yourself who you want to work with. 0:38:10 500 practitioners in the PLP. 0:45:57 WeScribeIt. 0:46:47 The Essential Keto Cookbook. 0:49:33 Business supports systems.

The Information Age brought with it's ugly stepsister named Confusion. Never was this more true than for the information and misinformation surrounding vitamin D, sunscreen, and cancer. Not getting burned makes intuitive sense, but will slathering on the sunscreen cause vitamin D deficiency? Could vitamin D deficiency be causing the cancer that the sunscreen is supposed to be protecting against? How much of a concern is skin cancer anyway? Do we need to worry about toxic chemicals in sunscreen? What type of sunscreen is best? Join Dr. Tommy Wood and me in this podcast interview for everything you need to know about to protect your skin in the performance and longevity. Also check out our article: Optimizing Vitamin D for Athletic Performance. When Tommy and I recorded this podcast I was using the Badger brand suntan cream, since then I've switch to using Rocket Pure. Here's the outline of this interview with Dr. Tommy Wood 0:04:19 What is vitamin D (25-OH-D)? 0:05:37 Made using UVB radiation from the sun. 0:06:18 The standard reference ranges for blood levels of 25-OH-D are controversial. 0:07:49 Vitamin D affects calcium absorption, vitamin K2 controls where that calcium goes. 0:09:25 No sunscreen provides 100% block. 0:09:51 UVA is the type of radiation we'd like to avoid. 0:11:16 In studies, the use of sunscreen didn't reduce blood 25-OH-D levels. 0:11:59 Real-world application of sunscreen is less than in studies. 0:12:50 You need need a lot less light to make vitamin D than you do to burn. 0:13:20 Do not get burned! 0:13:34 Don't avoid sunlight either! 0:14:08 Childhood exposure to burning increases risk over a lifetime. 0:15:45 Three types of skin cancer. 0:16:50 Melanoma is the worst. 0:18:14 Risk is dependant on skin type and exposure. 0:20:15 We're now indoors all the time, then we go on holiday for 2 weeks. 0:21:06 Dark skin people living far from the equator are at risk of vitamin D deficiency. 0:22:08 Endogenous vitamin D synthesis is rate-limited, taking a supplement is not. 0:23:31 25-OH-D deficiency is associated with autoimmunity, but the supplement doesn't fix the disease. 0:24:14 There may be something special about sun exposure. 0:26:12 The SPF system is flawed. 0:28:19 Buy factor 20 and re-apply. 0:29:58 Chemicals in suntan cream. 0:31:39 Endocrine disrupters. 0:32:22 Beware rodent models with unrealistic dosing. 0:33:04 Zinc or titanium dioxide are probably best. 0:35:09 The UK love their fragrances. 0:36:37 The skin microbiome. 0:38:04 Can the zinc and titanium become systemic? 0:38:58 Titanium is not inert. 0:41:06 Very small amounts are absorbed and we probably don't need to worry about it. 0:41:44 Again, some flawed rodent models out there.

I asked David Aiello, President BioAdvantex Pharma Inc.: of all the molecules, why study and productise N-acetylcysteine? "That makes me think of another question, why did you marry that woman? You become fascinated with something, and your mind sees forward. I saw this as a huge business and scientific project with such a broad scope to help people. We didn't even understand the scope way back then." Paracetamol-induced acute liver failure. In the US and UK, paracetamol (acetaminophen) toxicity is the most common cause of acute liver failure. When taken in normal therapeutic doses, paracetamol is safe. The cytochrome P450 enzymes convert approximately 5% of paracetamol to a highly reactive intermediary metabolite, N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine (NAPQI). Under normal conditions, NAPQI is detoxified by conjugation with glutathione. In cases of overdose, the pathways become saturated, leading to more NAPQI. Liver supplies of glutathione become depleted, and NAPQI remains in its toxic form in the liver, reacting with cellular membrane molecules, resulting in widespread damage and death of liver cells. Beyond Paracetamol Overdose. Paracetamol is not the only thing that can cause oxidative stress and cell death. Inflammation and oxidative stress are almost synonymous, and we measure both in the testing we do. Urinary P-Hydroxyphenyllactate on an organic acids test is a marker of cell turnover, and 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is a marker of oxidative damage to the guanine of DNA. Enter N-acetylcysteine. The availability of the sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine is known to be the rate-limiting substrate for glutathione resynthesis. L-cysteine is not safe to take as a supplement in high doses, what you want is the N-acetylcysteine (NAC) form. NAC doesn't encapsulate well because the minimum effective dose is too big to fit into a capsule, and even if it did fit, the molecule would oxidise and fall apart. David's team at BioAdvantex have solved these problems by creating PharmaNAC, a large effervescent tablet sealed into a nitrogen filled blister pack. It's important to understand that exercise is itself an antioxidant and athletes should proceed with caution before supplementing with antioxidants without testing. Context matters. Here's the outline of this interview with David Aiello 0:00:35 David was trained in immunology at the Stanford Herzenberg Lab. 0:01:03 He wanted to create a product that was relevant, made the right way and given at the right dose. 0:01:34 BioAdvantex have done 12 or 13 clinical trials in breathing, immunity, oxidative stress and mental health. 0:02:46 NAC is the standard of care of acetaminophen toxicity. 0:03:19 80,000 people every year are affected. 0:03:54 NAPQI. 0:04:13 Making glutathione requires glycine, glutamate and cysteine. 0:04:28 Almost every protein is less than 2% cysteine by weight. 0:05:56 You don't want L-cysteine. 0:07:30 NAC is easily oxidised. 0:08:55 Hydrogen sulfide is one of the degradation products of NAC. 0:09:20 Humans can detect H2S at 6 ppb. 0:09:31 There are 7 other degradation pathways. 0:11:43 NAC placebo pills. 0:13:42 Tomato paste rich in lycopene protects against cutaneous photodamage in humans in vivo: a randomized controlled trial. 0:15:51 Taking NAC is NOT like pouring water on the fire. 0:18:56 There's about a three-hour gap between when you take cysteine, and when it shows up in your blood, then there's about another three-hour gap until an increase in glutathione. 0:20:07 The liver is main store of cysteine, and also there's cysteinylglycine in the blood. 0:28:30 Logging food and supplement intake. 0:29:05 Grace Liu. 0:29:10 GAD1 mutation. 0:29:47 The cystine-glutamate antiporter (xCT). 0:35:18 Depression, ruminations and PTSD.

I sit too much. When I'm not sitting at my desk, I'm sitting on my bike. As a mountain biker, I stand more than some cyclists, but still. The ways in which I move my body are predictable and very repetitive. I almost never move from side to side, and I expend vast amounts of energy spinning small circles with my feet. Have humans evolved to move like this? I doubt it. I know that if I'm not careful, I start to develop niggling lower back pain and piriformis syndrome. Obstacle racing then, or at least the training for it, appeals to me because of the variety. The movement that elite Spartan racer Elijah Markstrom describes in this interview is a lot like what I think I need to do as a mountain biker looking to add variety to my workouts. James Wilson talked about similar exercises to improve strength and mobility previously on my podcast. When two people you respect talk about getting results using the same tactics, you're on to something. Elijah Markstrom is a health nut and fitness enthusiast. Elijah spends an absurd amount of time combing over research papers, listening to field relevant podcast and generally being a geek, so you don't have to! With a discerning eye for separating crap from gold, he combs the interwebs looking for answers to common and obscure questions in health. This way he can provide you with results oriented precision. Read Elijah's blog and you'll get access to stories about practical application of science related to health. The topics covered on this site range from ketosis to race reports. Together with Philip Levi, Elijah hosts the Obstacle Order podcast. Here's the outline of this interview with Elijah Markstrom 0:00:43 As a runner, Elijah competed at state level. 0:02:29 He gains fat and loses muscle when he stops working out. 0:05:29 The Endeavour Team Challenge. 0:06:47 Spartan race. 0:07:48 Three classes: elite, competitor and open. 0:08:34 Three distances: sprint, super and beast. 0:09:08 BattleFrog. 0:16:57 Since recording this podcast, I've realised that there's a Pomodoro alarm built into my favourite app focus@will. 0:17:43 Endurance Planet podcast. 0:19:39 Cyclocross. 0:25:10 James Wilson. 0:26:37 Kettlebell windmill, swing and Turkish getup. 0:28:21 Plyometrics. 0:30:56 Rogue Fitness pull-up bar. 0:33:24 ReWild Yourself podcast by Daniel Vitalis. 0:34:03 MovNat. 0:36:58 John Mandrola. 0:41:19 The Obstacle Order on Facebook.

Could you afford to spend $250,000 on an education? No, neither could I. How lucky are we then that people like Drs. Mike T. Nelson Ph.D. and Dr. Brad Dieter Ph.D are willing to distill what they've learned into a $250 training course? Over the past two years, I've done all kinds of biology, biochemistry, physiology, functional medicine, nutrition and fitness massively open online training courses and I've loved them all. Educators pour their heart and soul into these resources and we should take full advantage. The Eat to Perform certification course covers the basic mechanisms of exercise physiology and the interactions between nutrition and human performance. The material is delivered via video and PDF and the exam is done online. A Facebook support group and lifetime updates are included in the price. Sign up now, it's a steal! Dr. Tommy Wood, my wife and food scientist Julia, and I have got together to create a hypoallergenic MCT oil powdered with a special bionic fibre. Find out more at phatfibre.com and let me know what you think. Here's the outline of this interview with Dr. Brad Dieter, Ph.D 0:05:16 Brad realised his skill set wasn't clinical, headed into research. 0:05:34 He has done human and animal research, molecular biology, biostatistical analysis. 0:06:55 Optimizing Vitamin D for Athletic Performance. 0:07:54 Over supplementing is not the answer. 0:08:43 There's no way you can know what the problem is unless you do a test. 0:08:49 ETP training course with lifetime updates! 0:13:29 Brad's approach for competitive CrossFit. 0:13:44 He starts by listening and figuring out the weak link. 0:14:41 Fat loss is the secondary goal. 0:18:48 Exercise to drive adaptation, not burn calories. 0:20:35 Calorie in calorie out is wrong? 0:21:48 Minimal effective dose. 0:23:49 The more novel the stimulus, the lower the minimal effective dose. 0:24:53 Supplements: creatine, beta-alanine and caffeine. 0:25:21 Whey protein, doesn't have to be whey, e.g. Catabolic Blocker. 0:25:58 I've written a bit about beta-alanine. 0:26:31 Smart Drug Smarts podcast with labdoor.com. 0:27:28 How much protein? 1g per pound of lean body mass is a reasonable default. 0:27:59 Alan Aragon 1g per lb of goal body weight. 0:28:16 Casually Explained: Lifting. 0:28:59 Brad see the ketogenic diet as a tool. 0:32:52 Sea Otter Classic 2016 Cross Country - Professional. 0:34:27 Bonking is a system fail. 0:34:51 Metabolic flexibility. 0:38:17 Energy systems are not mutually exclusive. 0:43:28 Do whatever you're weakest at first. 0:44:04 Joe Friel on my podcast. 0:45:09 How much difference does programming make? 0:45:59 James Wilson on my podcast. 0:48:03 sciencedrivennutrition.com. 0:49:04 Science Driven Nutrition Facebook page.

"I'll sleep when I'm dead," so the lyric goes. If you don't sleep you will be dead sooner is more true to life: Sleep improves everything. I mean, literally everything. I've not found a single thing that I can't tie to sleep being a major component of. And if you aren't sleeping well, you're just at risk for more of anything bad. Anything bad. --Dr. Kirk Parsley, MD, sleep expert and advisor to the Navy SEALs. Selling sleep should be like selling sex, so why is it so hard for people to do? Two reasons: Humans are the only animals with electricity, and we've used it to maximal effect for disrupting our normal circadian rhythms. It's not that people won't sleep, the problem is they can't sleep. Time is money and shift working is a sad fact of life. The main thing you must do to get better sleep is appreciate its importance. I want you to buy into the idea of sleep and strive for it as you would any other goal. The rest is relatively straightforward, and that's what Kirk and I cover in this podcast interview. Supraphysiological testosterone. Dr. Tommy Wood and I are constantly exploring supplements that boost testosterone, it's one of our most frequently asked questions. Hormone replacement is usually not an option because almost everything you can think of is on the WADA banned substance list. What about herbs like Tribulus? Well perhaps, but neither herbs or HRT have the power of adequate sleep, and so that's where we always start. During this interview, Dr. Kirk Parsley, a former Navy SEAL himself, tells the story of one officer that increased his free testosterone by 500% simply by getting off the sleep drugs like Ambien and getting proper sleep. Another 42-year old went supraphysiological (above normal levels) using sleep alone. What supplement should you take for more testosterone? Easy. Take a nap. Taking a nap is probably your best bet for enhanced recovery and learning too: I recommend to everyone to take naps even if you sleep perfectly. I take a nap every single day and I have for years and years and years. But definitely if you sleep sub-optimally, which means either you don't get great quality sleep or you don't get quite enough sleep, a nap is probably the best mitigation tool. But for what I do and for what you do and for what a lot of people do, we're in a super, super informationally dense age where we're completely overwhelmed by information. The beauty of a nap is that you can consolidate memories in a nap and you can form what's called durable track memories which means that it's going from your working memory to short term memory into your long term memory. And this is true for physical exercise, physical muscle memory like riding a bicycle or doing jiu-jitsu or boxing, playing the piano, whatever that requires some sort of physical movement to be memorized and to become sort of automated. Here's the outline of this interview with Dr. Kirk Parsley 0:00:36 Kirk on Robb's podcast. 0:01:18 Robb and Kirk have attended multiple events together. 0:04:04 Like firefighters and pilots, SEALs are worried about losing their job. 0:04:57 Kirk was the SEAL confidant. 0:05:22 The SEALs can't be dependant on medicines or supplements. 0:05:41 Doctors learn how to classify and treat disease, not how to create health. 0:06:17 Normal symptoms (for an 80 year old). 0:07:02 As a physician to the SEALs, Kirk was able to get help from pretty much anyone. 0:07:56 9/11 happened and the SEALs started doing more work. 0:08:10 Now we have night vision. 0:08:22 Kirk investigated the idea of "adrenal fatigue", had some success with treatment. 0:08:58 Ambien doesn't help you get better sleep, it knocks you unconscious. 0:10:45 The SEALs kept asking for a supplement to save them the bother of shopping for individual supplements. 0:11:00 500% more free testosterone with better sleep! 0:11:11 No supplements, just sleep! 0:11:20 DHEA. 0:11:27 Zinc. 0:12:29 One 42 year old commanding officer developed supraphysiological testosterone by sleeping well. 0:12:53 Sleep decreases chronic inflammation and increases insulin sensitivity. 0:13:26 Kirk got out the military, started consulting. 0:13:59 This isn't just a SEAL problem. 0:15:45 Sleep improves everything. 0:16:28 Finding the most important thing is hard! 0:16:56 People are catching on. 0:17:15 The four pillars of health: Sleep, nutrition, movement, stress mitigation. 0:17:54 Sleep is not sexy. 0:19:39 Health optimisation to coin a phrase. 0:20:02 You don't have to be broken to get better. 0:21:10 Book: Textbook of Bio-Identical Hormones: Guiding Health in Uncertain Times by Edward Lichten, MD. 0:21:44 A protocol based on 98 lab markers. 0:21:57 If I can't say you have a disease, nothing is going to get covered by your insurance. 0:22:47 Trace elements, inflammation, AM cortisol. 0:23:12 Hormones and their precursors. 0:23:32 DHEA not sulfate. 0:23:56 Free androgen index. 0:24:11 In the 50s oestrogen wasn't high enough. 0:24:42 Kirk divides the year into quarters. 0:24:49 Q1

Ketogenic junk food is coming, and it threatens to send the second low-carbohydrate revolution to the same place the first one ended up. That would be a terrible shame because high-fat, low-carb, moderate protein diets have so much to offer for weight loss, metabolic syndrome, athletic and cognitive performance, possibly even cancer. What can we do? Learn to cook. Prioritise food preparation. Just eat real food. Jeremy Hendon is an author, speaker, entrepreneur, digital nomad, friend, mentor and co-author of The Essential Keto Cookbook. I wrote the foreword to the book, and the day before Jeremy and I recorded this interview, my wife Julia made two of the recipes. Pork and Cashew Stir-Fry INGREDIENTS 1/2 lb (225 g) pork tenderloin, sliced thin 1 egg, whisked 1 bell pepper, diced 1 onion, diced 1 cup (140 g) cashews 1 Tablespoon (5 g) fresh ginger, grated 3 cloves of garlic, minced 1 teaspoon (5 ml) Chinese chili oil (see page 185 for recipe) (optional) 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) sesame oil (optional) 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) tamari soy sauce Salt to taste Avocado oil to cook with Kale and Chives Egg Muffins INGREDIENTS 6 eggs 1 cup kale, finely chopped 1/4 cup (17 g) chives, finely chopped 1/2 cup (120 ml) almond or coconut milk Salt and pepper to taste 8 slices of prosciutto or bacon (optional) Here's the outline of this interview with Jeremy Hendon 0:00:52 Jeremy has been travelling with his wife Louise in China, Portugal, Taiwan, Thailand, Scotland, France, US. 0:03:04 The Hendons are really good at distilling things down. 0:03:47 It's better to establish a base, cook for yourself. 0:04:35 In Thailand they cook in coconut and olive oil. 0:04:49 Tea eggs. 0:05:08 It's hard to get vegetables in northern Thailand. 0:05:33 You may run out of willpower. 0:06:09 Telling a server that you have an allergy is a good way to make sure you don't eat anything you'd rather not. 0:06:30 Vacuum sealer bags. 0:07:01 It makes more sense to take your time for other reasons. 0:07:40 Observing modern culture. 0:07:54 The Essential Keto Cookbook: 124+ Ketogenic Diet Recipes (Including Keto Meal Plan & Food List). 0:08:09 Working coffee shops and wifi in the apartment. 0:08:15 Going through phases of working hard. 0:08:32 Coworking space. 0:08:48 Internet in Thailand is 200M down 100 up. 0:09:12 Louise is a great photographer. 0:09:29 The photos were taken abroad. 0:11:13 It's hard to remember that you're always going to be ok. 0:11:48 The risk afford certain privileges. 0:12:06 The Anxiety Podcast — Less Anxiety. More Life. 0:12:56 Nobody seems to have a good answer for stress. 0:13:23 A lot more stress working as an attorney. 0:13:43 Jeremy loved working with Goldman Sachs. 0:14:43 Serotonin binding to 5-HT4 receptor causes anxiety, tachycardia and cortisol production. 0:15:52 Jeremy has been low carb since 2004. 0:16:20 Was running 60 miles a week. 0:16:52 If you're trying to lose weight, low carb is the default thing to try. 0:17:18 Lots of people have been asking for this book. 0:17:48 Debug Me. My talk at QCon SF. 0:19:41 More and more executives are discovering the keto diet. 0:20:15 Younger people seem more up for it. 0:20:34 Louise loves keto. 0:20:54 As do older women. 0:23:19 The ketogenic diet is a hormetic stress at first. 0:23:53 There are other stressors that might make it an inappropriate time to transition to a ketogenic diet. 0:24:42 Switching back and forth. 0:24:52 Breaking Through Plateaus and Sustainable Fat-Loss with Jason Seib. 0:26:07 AltShift Facebook group. 0:26:47 Lactate dehydrogenase is part of anaerobic glycolysis. 0:27:01 I said 20 minute I meant second. 0:27:44 Leptin and Hyperpalatable Foods with Stephan Guyenet. 0:28:25 Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health by Gary Taubes 0:30:24 Initially I lost a lot of weight on a ketogenic diet, but how much of that was muscle? 0:30:52 Jeremy turned up at our house looking shredded. 0:30:59 14 day cycle. 0:31:27 Not being hungry during calorie restriction 0:33:42 Overfeeding studies show subjects gain muscle as well as fat. 0:34:59 If bodybuilders are doing it, it warrants further investigation! 0:36:05 Creating huge calorie deficits on the bike. 0:37:03 DXA scan. 0:37:41 Keto junk food. 0:39:12 Ketogenic paleo? 0:39:54 All popular diet books are paleo, even they don't say so. 0:42:32 Pork and cashew stir fry. 0:43:37 Overlooking vitamins. 0:44:10 Cronometer. 0:45:00 The recommended daily allowance (RDA) mean almost nothing. 0:45:28 Getting sufficient magnesium can be hard. 0:45:30 Possibly calcium. 0:46:06 Spectracell test. 0:46:24 How to Measure Your Metabolism with Organic Acids. 0:46:36 NutrEval test. 0:46:56 Alkaline phosphatase. 0:48:08 Artificial Intelligence for blood chemistry interpretation. 0:48:36 The Secret of Good Health Coaching with Bryan Walsh. 0:50:22 Daniel Amen. 0:50:30 Watson. 0:53:37 Functional blood chemistry analysis. 0:55:18 MediChecks UK. 0:55:38 Theranos. 0:56:57 Kale and chive egg muf

In my early twenties, I tore a carotid artery out of my neck in a motorcycle accident. The emergency procedure that followed undoubtedly saved my life and from that point forward I had no time to listen to people complaining about the limitations of the nationalised health care that exists in the UK. In my thirties, the same system of evidence-based medicine let me down badly, and in the end, it was a chiropractor who describes himself as "the least evidence-driven person he knows" that turned my life around. Now I'm slightly confused. I am aware that the evidence-based system has a lot to offer, but I don't feel I can use it effectively without the assistance of someone like Dr. Tommy Wood. Why? The system is in crisis. The system is in crisis in part because of the sheer volume of evidence being generated, much of which is unreproducible or misappropriated by vested interests. Building a meta-analysis atop of this shoddy foundation does little to clarify the situation. Animal and cell models. Are used as supporting evidence but frequently what happens outside of the body or in another animal has little or nothing to do with what happens in humans in a real-life setting. The models are becoming cheap enough for scientists to make multiple attempts at finding the "correct" answer, and much of the data are never published. Lies, damned lies, and statistics. You cannot prove something to be true using statistical methods. Science advances one funeral at a time. Handing out a grant to the young and inexperienced is a risky thing to do, and so inevitably the money follows experience. But imagine if your entire life's work was based on ideas that were later shown to be wrong. Would you come clean? In this candid interview with Dr. Tommy Wood. Tommy talks about the limitations of the evidence-based system, but his intention is not to throw science under the bus. Rather, he wants us all to understand the limitations and proceed with caution. As a scientist that does peer review for a living, Tommy's goal is to leave science in better shape than he found it. Since recording this interview, we have adopted the Agile Scrum sprint system of health coaching. And it's going great! We're excited about the new system, and the first health sprints are underway. I'm still very keen to know what you think about the idea, so please complete the one question (three clicks total) survey I mention in the show. Survey: The scrum and sprint Agile methods are applicable to health coaching. Here's the outline of this interview with Dr. Tommy Wood 0:00:15 The main paper from Tommy's PhD thesis: Treatment temperature and insult severity influence the neuroprotective effects of therapeutic hypothermia. 0:01:28 Newborn babies with brain injury. 0:02:20 The cooling is only 2 or 3 degrees. 0:02:33 What's the best temperature? 0:03:28 Figure 1: Hemispheric area loss after moderate hypoxia-ischaemia. 0:04:01 Richard D. Feinman: "Nobody loses an average amount of weight." 0:04:49 Tommy may sound anti-science, but this is what he does for a living and he hopes to leave science in a better state than when he left it. 0:06:04 People are selective about the studies they choose to dismantle. 0:06:39 The Cochrane Collaboration. 0:07:04 Cochrane do systematic reviews and meta-analysis. 0:07:37 The meta-analysis is only as good as the studies on which it's based. 0:08:13 Publication bias is a problem. 0:08:58 Anyone can learn how to do a Cochrane review. 0:09:32 Questionable discussion: Effects of low-carbohydrate diets v. low-fat diets on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. 0:09:55 Tommy's letter: The cardiovascular risk reduction benefits of a low-carbohydrate diet outweigh the potential increase in LDL-cholesterol. 0:10:47 Self-appointed expert that cannot be wrong. 0:12:11 The are a number of different funding sources. 0:13:20 It's less risky to give money to the more experienced. 0:13:35 Max Planck: "Science advances one funeral at a time." 0:14:29 We don't know what people are doing but not publishing. 0:15:04 Cell and animal models enable you to make multiple attempts without publishing. 0:15:31 Statistics never prove anything to be true. 0:15:51 The emphasis is on new things that sound sexy. 0:16:30 One editor questioned Tommy's animal model when a human trial was underway. 0:17:30 Papers are retracted from big journals. 0:18:27 In finance this is called backfitting. 0:19:05 How can we expect the animal model to translate to humans? 0:19:34 Most animal models don't reflect what happens in humans at all. 0:20:03 1,026 experimental treatments in acute stroke. 0:20:58 Tommy's study was a model of something that we know works in humans and other animals. 0:22:17 Because he started with the basics, Tommy is confident this work will extrapolate to humans. 0:22:59 Should consumers of science be interested in cell and animal models? 0:23:06 Tommy finds it very difficult to get excited about a

Imagine you're in the pub and you've just bumped into your friend Mario Roxas. Mario happens to be a naturopathic doctor and the director of research and development at Thorne, the Rolls Royce of supplement companies. Wouldn't you want to know what supplements Mario takes? Me too, and so I couldn't resist making that my first question. But what is it that makes Thorne Research different? Why not buy your supplements from Costco? Two reasons: research and quality. Thorne employ a team of medical and naturopathic doctor scientists that spend their time studying the scientific literature on the lookout for evidence supporting the decision to manufacturer a specific supplement. Secondly, there's quality. Thorne cater to the sensitive customer likely to experience allergic reactions. The raw materials used to make a supplement originate from trusted sources, but Thorne validate the content of all their supplements no less than three times during the manufacturing process. Surprisingly, the FDA laws only require a supplement manufacturer to list the ingredients they added to the supplement, and there's no guarantee that one or more of the raw ingredients used are free of potential allergens like lactose even though they're not listed on the label. Are big supplement companies any different from big pharma? Allopathic medicine is often accused of being bought, but what makes alternative any different? Are the naturopathic doctors simply prescribing Meriva in place of Humira? I would argue no, absolutely not, and the proof is in the name supplement. As Mario points out, supplement is the perfect word. You can't supplement your way out of a bad diet or lifestyle, and so the supplement is but one tool in the extensive chest of a good functional medicine practitioner. Three years ago I had never taken a nutritional supplement. Now I have a cupboard full of them. The reason is simple: they work. I used to take regularly chlorpheniramine for allergies. Killing off overgrowths of opportunistic pathogens and parasites with herbs like oregano and noni got me most of the way there, now I stay symptom-free by regularly supplementing with methyl-folate. The supplement didn't just mask my symptoms; it corrected a deficiency and as a result, my red blood cells have become normal sized. Adverse events? Do you know of someone who had a serious adverse event as the result of taking a nutritional supplement free of contaminants? I don't think this happens very often, if at all. Please let me know in the comments section below. Here's the outline of this interview with Dr Mario Roxas, ND 0:00:42 Mario became interested in supplements whilst a resident at the National College of Natural Medicine. 0:02:12 Thorne Research are the Rolls Royce of supplements. 0:02:58 Mario takes the Basic Nutrients 2/day multivitamin. 0:03:15 Together with LipoCardia®, CoQ10, fish oil and NiaCel®. 0:03:58 Whey protein in a smoothie. 0:04:35 Interview with Bob Rountree on mitochondrial health. 0:05:15 Supplement design starts with research. 0:06:09 Thorne has a team of scientists and doctors, NDs, MDs and PhDs. 0:07:48 The product development cycle for nicotinamide riboside lasted two years. 0:08:43 Two years is a long time for a supplement. 0:09:30 When asked about supplements, what does Mario tell his friends? 0:09:37 Focus on the basics first, e.g. food. 0:10:12 Supplement is a perfect word. 0:10:41 Omega-3 fatty acids are important. 0:10:54 Also probiotics. 0:11:01 Things to help with digestion, e.g. enzymes. 0:11:25 Added fibre. 0:11:46 Chronic inflammation, curcum is helpful, e.g. Meriva-SR®. 0:13:08 What's the difference between a $60 per month Thorne multi vs. a $10 Costco multi? 0:13:45 Thorne use a capsule and there's multiple capsules. 0:14:03 The capsules easier to absorb. 0:14:23 Thorne uses no unnecessary additives, fillers or flow agents. 0:15:03 No tablets because binders. 0:15:54 There's nothing toxic about magnesium stearate, but it can interfere with absorption. 0:18:15 Flow agents and fillers may be a proxy for quality, but the type of ingredients used is probably more important. 0:18:43 The supplement manufacturer are only required to list on the label the things that they put in. 0:22:16 Thorne products are hypoallergenic. 0:23:23 The most expensive supplement is the one you don't absorb. 0:23:41 Methylcobalamin is an absorbable form of B12. 0:24:16 Originally I was iron deficient, I found out the hard way that cheap iron supplements don't work. 0:25:14 Are supplements hard on the liver? 0:25:54 By using the most bioavailable forms, the liver is unburdened of the job of conversion. 0:26:14 Some, like Meriva-SR®, are hepatoprotective (protective of the liver). 0:29:01 In the case of Meriva, the main ingredient is manufactured by a third party. 0:29:04 But even so, the raw material goes into quarantine. 0:29:27 Thorne evaluates through it's own lab to verify identity. 0:30:06 Every lot goes through at least 3 and sometimes 4 rounds of

Three years ago I went through round after round of blood testing until eventually I realised that the doctor was following a procedure laid out in a flow chart. Heck, he even showed me the flow chart. Two months and thousands of dollars of insurance deductibles later I was no closer to understanding the underlying cause of my fatigue, insomnia, brain fog and other symptoms. My doctor seemed somewhat willing to run any blood test I wanted but he held the results very close to his chest. Everything was normal, and the Google searches I made in an attempt to understand better my results yielded nothing useful. It's not that sodium and potassium on a blood chemistry don't mean anything, they do, it's that you won't ever be able to figure it out without some help. When I finally admitted defeat and looked outside the network of doctors willing to accept the insurance that was costing me a fortune and getting me nowhere fast, I found someone who wanted to run a urinary organic acids test. What is an organic acid? William Shaw, Ph.D., is board certified in the fields of clinical chemistry and toxicology by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry. Before he founded The Great Plains Laboratory, Inc., he worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr Shaw describes organic acids as "the stuff of metabolism". Organic acids are surrogate markers that give valuable clues about what's going on inside your body. Finally, I had a window on what was really going on. I don't think anyone expected me to look at the result as a patient, but that's what I did, and I was excited because now my searches started yielding useful information. Take for example vanillylmandelic, a breakdown product of epinephrine and norepinephrine, also known as adrenaline. Low levels of vanillylmandelic indicate little activity of a hormone that acts increases blood pressure, respiration rate, heart rate, increases glucose, and dilates the pupils, all for the purpose of enabling you to quickly and safely get out of a potentially life-threatening situation. Sounds a lot like adrenal fatigue, huh? But there probably wasn't anything wrong with adrenal glands. In addition to low vanillylmandelic, I had (and have) high levels of HPHPA (3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxypropionic acid), a metabolite created by certain Clostridia species of bacteria (C. sporogenes, C. caloritolerans, C. botulinum & others). HPHPA looks enough like dopamine to downregulate the activity of the enzyme dopamine-beta-hydroxylase, but not enough to have the other biological effects, leading to a derangement of neurotransmitter balance. Your gut can mess with your brain! The fix? A high end probiotic containing 50-100 billion CFU of Lactobacillus rhamnosus. I've honed in just one example of problems that can be revealed and fixed easily using organic acids. Besides offering the most complete and accurate evaluation of gut yeast and bacteria, the test also provides information on important nutritional markers, glutathione status, oxalate metabolism, and much more. Download my full result By all means, order an organic acids test for yourself, and I will help you understand the results but know that this test is a single tool in our chest that includes other tests and diet and lifestyle modification. Book a free consultation and Amelia will walk you through the testing process. Here's the outline of this interview with Dr William Shaw, Ph.D. 0:00:16 Dr William Shaw, Ph.D is the founder of Great Plains lab. 0:00:23 Formerly a clinical chemist and toxicologist at the CDC. 0:00:46 Using mass spectrometry on urine would allow Dr. Shaw to measure virtually anything in metabolism. 0:01:33 Dr Shaw has been highly motivated from the beginning. 0:02:00 It's rare for someone to do an organic acids test and not find something significant. 0:02:59 Organic acids are the stuff of metabolism. 0:03:50 The metabolites from bacteria and other microorganisms have a profound impact on human health. 0:04:49 The Great Plains OAT measures the complex balance of man and microbiome. 0:05:09 The wrong microorganisms can harm mental health. 0:05:34 Once you have the results, you can manipulate them. 0:05:47 The OAT takes out the guess work. 0:06:29 Why are GPs not running the OAT? 0:06:50 The OAT is complex. 0:07:24 A one day seminar is usually enough to cover the basics. 0:07:37 The insurance has become very tightfisted. 0:08:13 Even if you have to pay out of pocket, the test is not that expensive. 0:09:08 The OAT covers all systems of the body. 0:09:49 Mass spectrometry is the truth machine. 0:10:08 Mark Newman on my podcast. 0:11:04 The Khan Academy organic chemistry. 0:11:19 Metabolic Fitness Pro. 0:11:57 Dr Shaw has taught the grandson of Krebs. 0:12:26 My OAT result. 0:12:51 The GP has a lot more markers than the Genova equivalent. 0:13:10 Whenever you buy an OAT, you're buying some of Dr Shaw's experience. 0:13:56 The reference ranges come from healthy volunteers. 0:14:25 There's a s

Run a blood test, find low levels of a hormone. Prescribe synthetic version of said hormone. Two weeks later your patient is back with a slightly different set of symptoms. Run another blood test, prescribe another hormone. If there's too much, block it, if there isn't enough, just add more. Rinse and repeat for hypothalamic pituitary adrenal, thyroid and gonadal axes. Refer out to a gastroenterologist for chronic diarrhoea. Gastroenterologist diagnosis is "irritable bowel syndrome", says it's nothing to do with diet, suggests colonoscopy, anti-inflammatory drugs, possible surgery. This sounds like a parody. But this is what happened to me, and it's still happening to other athletes. Finding a better solution inspired me to quit my day job as a computer programmer at a hedge fund and start a new business with my wife (a food scientist) and a medical doctor. 2015 was our first full year in practice. At the time of recording, we've helped over 600 athletes with their diet and lifestyle. We've gotten great results and get tremendous satisfaction from each and every success story that we receive. Our success has been in large part due to the significant research and development efforts of our new Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tommy Wood, and by the tireless efforts of our single employee and registered nurse, Amelia Luker. Our gross revenue was nearly $500,000. Unfortunately, Julia and I only took home $90,000 of that as profit, and that's with both of us working full-time. If I hired two members of staff to replace us at the going market rate, we'd be making a significant loss. Health coaching is hard because not only do you have to be a great practitioner, you must also be a good business person and marketing expert. On the plus side. Quitting my job has enabled us to move from a condo on a busy main road in Oakland, to a small house amongst the trees in a town called Bonny Doon, not far from Santa Cruz, in California. I get a quarterly email from the recruiter at Google, but if I were to go down that route I'd be leaving to commute to an office before my daughter got up in the morning, and I'd be lucky to get home before she went to bed at night. I don't wish to be mean but… I could train a monkey to run a blood test and prescribe a hormone. Doctors are being made prisoner to a system that prevents them from making proper use of their education and spending an appropriate amount time with their patients. People don't even know how much their health insurance costs and half the time it doesn't cover what they need. I'm still slightly angry about the current standard of care, and I'm looking forward to being made redundant; I rather miss computer programming. Are you a financially successful health coach? Please let me know in the comments section below. Here's the outline of this interview with Julia Kelly: 0:01:09 Was it fun? 0:01:33 It was a shock to the system. 0:02:04 The sudden changes are stressful. 0:02:48 We were living in Oakland. 0:03:04 Quitting my job enabled us to move to Scotts Valley. 0:03:44 We've bought a house in Bonny Doon. 0:04:10 Ours is the only WiFi signal. 0:04:46 We can grow our own food. 0:04:57 Starting a business is a double edged sword. 0:05:27 Looking after a 2 year is hard! 0:05:46 Cheating at parenting. 0:06:29 Working at home I get to see my daughter all day long. 0:07:29 I'm still slightly angry. 0:07:50 I've stopped doing free consultations now, but you can still do one with Amelia. 0:08:25 Run a blood test, find low hormone, prescribe the hormone, rinse, repeat. 0:08:44 Nobody is doing the proper investigation. 0:09:38 The low hormones are symptoms. 0:10:55 We're waiting to be replaced. 0:11:14 Julie feels the same about saturated fat. 0:11:58 Tommy is planning on doing another residency. 0:12:21 Tommy is now our Chief Medical Officer. 0:12:55 We hope that the people we help go on to spread the word. 0:13:54 All diseases are complex with many underlying causes. 0:14:41 One over the treatment is not necessarily the cause. 0:15:42 Julie doesn't do diet plans, instead she teaches. 0:16:33 Everyone else wants to hold the cards close to their chest. 0:17:09 You can check your own blood glucose. 0:17:24 By now you should have done a Google search for 8-Oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine. 0:18:15 Is this working? 0:19:13 We have more follow-up calls then we have time to publish. 0:19:56 Of course it worked! 0:20:43 We don't have a magic formula yet. 0:20:59 We've tested 605 athletes as of yesterday. 0:21:42 At this point, our programs don't resemble anything we've been trained in. 0:22:21 Social isolation with Bryan Walsh. 0:22:35 Our gross revenue for 2015 was nearly $500,000. 0:23:11 Mark Newman of Precision Analytical. 0:23:44 There's almost no markup on our tests, we're passing those on at cost. 0:23:59 Most of our money comes from selling our time. 0:24:20 We do make some money from selling supplements. 0:24:54 Amelia ships all the supplements. 0:25:20 Making money selling supplements require

My sister called me looking for help with her son's science project. "William has some questions about the paleo diet and how it affects the health of cells." It soon emerged that he had a particular list of questions that he wanted answering, and initially I thought I should do some research and answer them to the best of my ability just as I would with any list sent to me. The longer I thought about the list of questions, the more I thought it looked like the outline to a great podcast, and who better than Dr. Tommy Wood to provide the answers? But why care about cellular health in the first place? We tend to think of health in terms of big things, but a living organism is just a collection of organ systems. An organ system is a set of organs, and those organs are made up of tissue. Drilling down beyond the tissue, we arrive at the smallest level of organisation able to sustain life: the cell. We're all just a big bag of cells, trillions and trillions of them! Happy cells make for happy bodies, so it makes sense to care about the cell. Can your diet affect cellular health? Yes! Absolutely. Certain oils are capable of damaging the DNA that codes for the proteins manufactured inside of the cell. Don't eat deep fried food. Other omega-3 fats are essential for healthy mitochondrial membranes. Do eat small fatty fish. Around 10,000 years ago, fossil records show that we became shorter, and our dental health deteriorated. At the same time, we transitioned away from hunting and gathering and became agriculturists. It seems at least possible that a switch to a grain-based diet had a deleterious effect on our health. What about ketosis? I've talked a lot about high-fat ketogenic diets on the podcast, and those shows garner a lot of interest. But do we all need to be eating ketogenic diets? Tommy thinks not, but there may be some benefits to cycling intake to mimic what would have been the natural seasonal variation of carbohydrate availability. Beyond diet. Through his careful research and chemical engineering inspired systems analysis, Tommy has shown that although important, diet is not the only determiner of health. Well tuned circadian rhythm and adequate sleep, appropriate stress management, time spent outdoors in nature and being part of a strong social group are also important. Did you find the fresh, unbiased perspective of an inquisitive 12-year old helpful? Please let me know in the comments section below. Here's the outline of this interview with William Chatterton and Dr. Tommy Wood: 0:00:22 William Chatterton's list of questions for a school project should make for an interesting interview. 0:00:27 Let me know (in the comments below) if you found this podcast interesting! 0:00:47 Levels of organisation in biology. 0:01:54 Can your diet affect the health of new cells? 0:02:09 We're constantly growing cells, throughout life. 0:02:32 There's a very rapid turnover of cells in the gut. 0:02:48 At the same time we're constantly getting rid of the junk. 0:02:59 The building blocks are important. 0:03:18 We measure DNA damage as 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine. 0:03:29 DNA is the code that controls the manufacturer of proteins. 0:03:46 It's important then that the DNA doesn't get damaged. 0:04:00 Certain oils can cause oxidative damage to the DNA. 0:04:28 DHA is very important for mitochondrial membranes. 0:05:08 The fats story is complex. 0:05:18 Saturated fats. 0:05:31 A fatty acid is a long chain of carbon atoms. 0:05:59 The double bonds are delicated and can be broken to create a free radical. 0:06:11 Fatty acids that have carbon–carbon double bonds are known as unsaturated. 0:06:29 Polyunsaturated fats are unstable. 0:07:00 When omega-6 fats are carried around in the body, they're unprotected. 0:07:39 Omega-3s are better protected. 0:07:59 Don't eat deep fried stuff! 0:08:26 How direct is the link between diet and cell health? 0:08:49 The link is incredibly direct. 0:08:56 Food is the most important determiner of cell health. 0:09:17 Circadian rhythm and stress is important. 0:09:30 Being part of a social group. 0:09:52 Don't focus just on food. 0:10:04 Food is the first thing people figure out. 0:10:35 Everybody wants one thing they can fix. 0:10:52 Being sociable can be easier than you think 0:11:05 Give your mum a hug. 0:11:50 What is the most nutrient dense meal you could eat for cell health? 0:12:02 Small fatty fish. 0:12:13 DHA, selenium, iodine. 0:12:25 Collagen. 0:12:34 Eggs with yolks and liver. 0:12:43 Dark green leafy vegetables. 0:12:54 Preferably wild grown plants. 0:13:30 The new surf and turf! 0:13:57 Not being squeamish about certain foods at certain times of day. 0:14:39 How does a ketogenic diet affect the health of a cell. 0:15:01 Adding fat doesn't necessarily make it ketogenic. 0:16:16 My diet has zero refined carbohydrates. 0:16:30 Still lots of vegetables. 0:16:40 At this point, you've gotten rid of most of the crap. 0:17:15 Ketogenic diets can cause an increase in oxidative stress insi

Something wonderful is happening in Iceland, and it has nothing to do with geysers, volcanoes or even Björk. A group of medical doctors led by Dr. Guðmundur Jóhannsson are actively engaging in a discussion of the utility of high-fat, low-carb, moderate-protein diets for treating some of the chronic health complaints they see in practice. Imagine for a moment you're a doctor working in emergency care. How frustrating must it be only to see the end stages of the diseases caused by insulin resistance? You'd be just like a mechanic working on the damage done to an engine caused by failure to change the oil. Not only is the situation potentially preventable, it's also expensive enough to bring down the entire national health service. My question is why Iceland? Is it the manageable size? Dr. Jóhannsson has been able to bring around 200 doctors to the discussion on a Facebook group. Doesn't sound like a lot, but that's a significant proportion of all the doctors on the island. Is it because they have nationalised health care? Nationalised means there's a finite budget, and that may be relevant here, but I don't see this happening in the UK, and they also have a national health service. For now, we may have to accept that the Icelandic people are smarter than the rest of us. I'm hoping we will follow their lead. I'm still excited about geysers and volcanoes because this May I will be visiting Iceland with my wife and food scientist Julia and chief medical officer Dr. Tommy Wood. Tommy will be speaking alongside Gary Taubes, Professor Tim Noakes and many other like-minded experts in the field at the Icelandic Health Symposium's Foodloose conference. Please let me know if you will be there! Here's the outline of this interview with Dr. Guðmundur Jóhannsson and Dr. Tommy wood: 0:01:00 Dr. Guðmundur Jóhannsson is a medical doctor from Iceland, trained in Sweden. 0:01:46 Guðmundur was overweight in medical school. 0:02:05 He quickly figured out it was the carbohydrates that were causing the problem. 0:02:45 I've visited Sweden on several occasions and the Swedes are not fatphobic. 0:03:13 The Icelandic people have started consuming more carbs in recent decades. 0:04:02 Guðmundur is an emergency doctor. 0:04:22 It's frustrating to only see people at the end stages of disease. 0:04:39 Some of this could be prevented. 0:05:10 With the right information, diabetes is preventable. 0:05:35 I work with registered nurse Amelia Luker, her motivation for a career change was similar. 0:06:08 It's so much more costly to treat once the disease has developed. 0:06:27 From insulin resistance to injecting insulin is a long process. 0:06:51 Tommy's mum is from Iceland. 0:07:25 Is the health care system in Iceland similar to those in the US or UK? 0:07:33 Tommy sees it as very similar to the NHS in the UK. 0:07:39 The Icelandic people have upgrade options. 0:08:02 Would an Icelandic doctor ever talk to a patient about food? 0:08:14 Doctors are not trained in nutrition biochemistry or exercise physiology. 0:08:38 More and more doctors are choosing to further their education. 0:08:55 In Iceland, there is a Facebook group for doctors. 0:09:18 200 doctors is a significant number. 0:10:14 Why is this situation unique to Iceland? 0:10:31 Iceland is so small, news travels fast. 0:10:49 Where did the idea for the Foodloose conference come from? 0:10:53 Book: Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. 0:11:15 The problems extend further than diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 0:12:15 Professor Tim Noakes has been on my podcast. 0:12:28 Why do people want to come to Iceland? 0:13:26 The Icelandic doctors are not necessarily on board with low-carb, but they are taking part in the discussion. 0:13:46 Tommy will be speaking alongside Gary Taubes and Tim Noakes. 0:13:52 Axel F. Sigurdsson. 0:14:00 Aseem Malhotra. 0:14:05 Denise Minger. 0:14:13 Maryanne Demasi will be moderating. 0:14:19 ABC Australia Catalyst Program. 0:14:28 The presenters will present and then give the audience a chance to ask questions. 0:14:57 Tommy has been on a panel with Aseem Malhotra before. 0:15:07 Tommy and Guðmundur will be publishing a paper with Axel Sigurdsson soon. 0:15:43 Gary Taubes will be talking the carbohydrate insulin hypothesis. 0:15:57 Aseem Malhotra will be talking about sugar and more. 0:16:08 Sigurdsson is going to talk about diet and heart disease. 0:16:20 Denise is going to bring in the opposing viewpoint. 0:17:53 Denise has dug up some interesting data. 0:18:10 Everybody else is going to talk about food, Tommy is going to talk about all the other things that we've found to be important. 0:18:58 Diet is the first thing people figure out. 0:19:10 Everything else is important! 0:19:38 May 26 is the main day, workshops will take place on the 27th. 0:19:52 There will be culinary workshop for people that would like to meet with the speakers. 0:20:13 High-fat, low-carb, moderate protein cooking classes. 0:21:11 What else should people see and do in Iceland?

Cancer is like a computer program gone wrong, the kernel panic of the human body. Unfortunately, we have no reboot button, and so cancer is the most serious of diseases. This year, almost six hundred thousand Americans will die from cancer. Despite the fact that cancer receives more NIH funding than any other illness, the death rates remain the same as in the 1950s. Tripping Over the Truth: The Return of the Metabolic Theory of Cancer tells the story of molecular biologist and science writer Travis Christofferson's journey to discover why cancer has remained so elusive. The central theme of the book is that we've fundamentally mischaracterized the origin of cancer. Most scientists hold to the belief that cancer is a genetic disease, Travis explores the idea that cancer is, in fact, a disease of damaged metabolism. The metabolic theory of cancer stems from Nobel laureate Otto Warburg's observation in 1924 that cancer cells lack the ability to produce energy using anything other than an ancient and inefficient process of fermentation. Warburg's idea failed to gain critical mass, and by the 1960s had largely faded into oblivion. In 2012, Thomas Siegfried, Ph.D., released his book Cancer as a Metabolic Disease where he expanded on Warburg's original hypothesis. In his book, Siegfried described how all cancer cells have damaged mitochondria, the organelle responsible for creating energy with oxygen. Inspired by The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee, Travis has done a excellent job of telling the rich story behind the metabolic theory of cancer. In this interview, Travis and I discuss some of the potential benefits and mechanisms of a ketogenic diet, hyperbaric oxygen, gluconeogenesis inhibitors and ketone supplements as possible cancer therapy. I would like to thank Dr. Tommy Wood for some of the questions asked in this interview, especially those about glioblastoma and women with the BRCA1 mutation and breast cancer. Here's the outline of this interview with Travis Christofferson: 0:00:15 Book: Tripping Over the Truth: The Return of the Metabolic Theory of Cancer Illuminates a New and Hopeful Path to a Cure 0:00:34 How Travis became in terested in biology. 0:00:54 Travis has a fundamental curiosity. 0:01:10 The best doctors are the ones that do experiments on themselves. 0:01:22 Book: Cancer as a Metabolic Disease: On the Origin, Management, and Prevention of Cancer by Tom Siegfried. 0:01:38 Book: The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. 0:02:16 Travis wanted to tell the rich story behind the science in Tom's book. 0:03:01 Podcast: Dominic D'Agostino on the Tim Ferriss show. 0:03:30 The Emperor is gene centric. 0:03:46 The difference between the genetic and metabolic theories of cancer. 0:04:08 Radiation, cell repair. 0:04:09 In the genetic theory, cancer arises through lesions on DNA. 0:04:43 The genetic theory is still the dominant theory. 0:04:55 In the metabolic theory, cancer is proliferated by damage to the mitochondria. 0:05:07 Cancer resorts to less efficient fermentation. 0:05:25 This less efficient metabolism sends a message to the DNA. 0:05:42 This new theory makes cancer look like a disease of order. 0:06:02 Everything that causes cancer damages mitochondria. 0:06:39 Paul Davies, cosmologist. 0:07:07 Worked with Stephen Hawking. 0:07:33 Video: Anna Barker at TEDMED 2010. 0:07:53 Cancer is incredibly complex compared to other diseases. 0:08:19 In 2008 atavistic model 0:08:48 Three million studies on cancer on PubMed. 0:09:20 In the beginning, there was single celled organisms. 0:09:26 With multicellular life, the rules changed. 0:09:43 The foetal genes are reexpressed in cancer. 0:10:03 This new understanding gives hope. 0:10:17 What can we do with this new knowledge. 0:10:28 Look after our mitochondria. 0:10:38 A ketogenic diet is a great way to achieve this. 0:10:48 Also intermittent fasting. 0:10:57 Metformin as an oncology drug. 0:11:20 Exploiting the express of early genes. 0:11:44 The Warburg Effect. 0:11:53 Hyperbaric oxygen. 0:12:01 Cancer cells decouple of the adaptive immune system. 0:12:07 Cancer patients with high fever then spontaneous remission. 0:12:25 Cancer cannot withstand infection. 0:12:56 How does the ketogenic diet work against cancer? 0:13:04 Lowering blood glucose. 0:13:11 Glucose is the preferred fuel of cancer. 0:13:25 Some cancers can utilise ketones. 0:13:45 But there's promise in all cancers. 0:14:05 There's some kind of signalling mechanism. 0:14:27 Less side-effects with chemo after fasting. 0:15:05 Dr. Tommy Wood pointed me at some studies showing that certain breast cancers can use ketones as fuel. One study of women with the BRCA1 mutation showed that those with upregulated ketone metabolism did worse, which suggests that a cancer can develop metabolic flexibility too, and would be able to avoid death on a ketogenic diet. 0:15:27 Everybody is different and your results therefore will vary. 0:15:51 The brain can obtain

Cortisol: the emergency responder hormone that when chronically elevated, makes you fat, stupid and unsexy. Nobody wants an excess of cortisol, but like all things in physiology there's a sweet spot; low cortisol doesn't feel right either. Which you have? Symptoms of high cortisol Symptoms of low cortisol Fatigue Extreme fatigue Muscle weakness Muscle or joint pains Depression, anxiety and irritability Depression, irritability Loss of emotional control Salt craving Cognitive difficulties Abdominal pain New or worsened high blood pressure Low blood pressure, even fainting Glucose intolerance that may lead to diabetes Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) Headache Nausea, diarrhea or vomiting Bone loss, leading to fractures over time Weight loss and decreased appetite Source: Mayo Clinic Both sets of symptoms are very similar, in fact, all of these symptoms could be attributable to half the diseases known to man. The only way to know for sure what's going on with your cortisol is to do the test. I tested over 500 endurance athletes And all but a handful had low free cortisol. Free cortisol is the active fraction of the hormone, but it only accounts for 1% of the total cortisol production and so forms just part of the puzzle. I can't give you any more information than this because free cortisol is all a saliva test measures. Luckily the testing has gotten more sophisticated Mark Newman is an analytical chemist and the founder of Precision Analytical, a lab using GC and LC-tandem mass spectrometry to measure not just free cortisol, but also the metabolites tetrahydrocortisol and tetrahydrocortisone. Their DUTCH test is a game changer. The extra information in this test enables me to be a better detective. Now I can differentiate between problems with cortisol production and cortisol clearance. The two have very different implications. Not just cortisol The DUTCH also measures no less than eight androgens, eight oestrogens and two metabolites of progesterone. The results can be overwhelming at first, but as you begin to appreciate the pathways that these hormones take, the picture becomes clear. Testosterone Testosterone can metabolise down one of two pathways: the more androgenic alpha pathway that leads to the hormone DHT, thinning scalp hair and prostate problems for older men or a potentially more desirable and less androgenic beta pathway. The good news is that once you understand your metabolism, there are nutritional supplements that you can take to inhibit the alpha pathway. Oestrogen Saliva isn't a very accurate way to measure oestrogen. Not only is urine more precise, but it also enables us to test the metabolites that tell us all about both phase 1 and phase 2 metabolism. Oestradiol is the most abundant oestrogen, and its friend oestrone breaks down in one of two different directions. This can produce two very different, and not always desirable outcomes. The only way to know what's happening to you is to do the test Establishing a baseline During this interview, Mark makes an important point. Let's say you feel good right now. Wouldn't it be nice to have the complete picture of your hormone metabolism for future reference? Or perhaps you suspect a problem. Either way, you can order a DUTCH though me and then together we figure out a plan to optimise your hormones. Don't be that guy guessing using the list of symptoms you found on the Mayo Clinic website. Here's the outline of this interview with Mark Newman: 0:00:50 Mark Newman is an analytical chemist with a master's degree in forensic science. 0:01:07 Mark started with urine testing then moved onto saliva testing. 0:01:41 DUTCH stands for Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones. 0:02:11 The DUTCH combines the best of saliva and urine. 0:02:51 Educational videos. 0:03:32 The DUTCH is the culmination of Mark's life work. 0:05:01 My first saliva test showed high cortisol at night, and low cortisol during the day. 0:05:51 We've run over 546 saliva tests now. 0:06:12 All the results look the same. 0:06:31 The question is WHY low cortisol? 0:07:01 Mark has managed data from one million saliva results. 0:07:23 Mark started with the idea that cortisol makes you fat, yet salivary cortisol isn't higher in fat people. 0:07:40 The free cortisol is just one piece of the puzzle. 0:08:07 With urine testing, you also get to look at the metabolites. 0:08:24 Free cortisol is only about 1% of the total. 0:08:53 40% of patient that have low free cortisol do have elevated production (metabolites). 0:09:45 What drives cortisol production also drives clearance. 0:10:00 In obesity there is high production AND clearance, overall free cortisol is often low. 0:10:33 In hypothyroidism cortisol clearance is sluggish. 0:11:06 The DUTCH is the only way to get all three dimensions. 0:11:51 I get the impression all the tests will look dated in 10 years time. 0:12:32 Mark is skeptical when I say "everybody's low". 0:13:01 Reference ranges can be very problematic. 0:13:38 You cannot e

Have you ever been trapped in a small meeting room with a guy in a grey shirt with sweat marks under the arms? The meeting has a clear agenda, but all you can think about is that smell. Yikes, just thinking about this is enough to make me want to take a shower, scrub my armpits and apply some deodorant. Is the problem an antiperspirant deodorant deficiency? Why have humans evolved to a strong revulsion complex to what is a normal human smell? Have artificial fragrances warped our sense of smell? It's not normal For our teenage boys to smell of basil, lavender, and rich vanilla. It's not normal for women to emanate Daisy Fresh, Peach Burst, Blossoming Orchid, Tropical Rush, and Berry Cool. These are all things that have been impressed upon us by the companies that make person care products, and I think it's important that we are aware of it. Are you telling me I should stink? Yes, a little bit, sometimes. But also I want you to think about where the smell is coming from, and I want you to think about how the smell differs when you change your diet. I noticed a significant reduction in my body odour after adopting a minimally processed, real food diet. Beyond diet You're probably familiar with the problems surrounding the overuse of antibiotics. Certain of the bacteria that live in our guts are considered keystone species, and without them, we're in trouble. Bees are also a keystone species crucial to the survival of plants in agriculture. The same problem is happening on our skin. Jasmina Aganovic is a chemical and biological engineer from MIT And she's here to talk about how the preservatives in our personal care products maybe killing a particular keystone species of ammonia oxidising bacteria that should live on our skin. These bacteria help us by eating something harmful (ammonia) and producing something beneficial (nitric oxide). Mother Dirt Is the name of the company that manufactures a skin probiotic product called AO+ Mist spray. I've been using the spray for the past couple of months and so far, so good. No stink! Here's the outline of this interview with Jasmina Aganovic: 0:04:25 Why would you care about the skin microbiome? 0:05:54 Why do we shower as often as we do? 0:07:34 Bad bacteria were the first to be found. 0:08:10 Now we have a new appreciation of the microbiomes. 0:08:56 We've been programmed since childhood on how we should smell. 0:09:55 What is it about teenagers? 0:10:45 Skin care products for acne. 0:11:29 How the skin microbiome affects acne. 0:12:03 Acne seems to be lasting until later in life. 0:12:54 The bacteria typically linked to acne is P. acne and is not problematic. 0:13:37 But when you introduce harsh soaps and skin care products into the environment, you remove the keystone peacekeepers. 0:15:07 Are skin care products antibiotics? 0:16:06 The preservatives in skin care products may be problematic. 0:16:29 12% of children now have eczema. 0:17:07 Now we can manipulate the skin microbiome. 0:17:29 AOBiome founder David Whitlock noticed animals rolling in dirt. 0:18:12 Soil based ammonia oxidising (AO) bacteria. 0:19:25 We've wiped out the AO bacteria in the last 50-70 years. 0:19:44 The bacteria is very sensitive to surfactants and preservatives. 0:20:44 The AO bacteria is a keystone species for the skin. 0:21:30 AOBiome have been investigating the possibility of reintroducing the AO bacteria. 0:22:45 AOBiome are in a phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of acne. 0:24:03 C. diff treatment with S. boulardii. 0:25:41 The AO bacteria do take up residence, but you'd need a very sensitive test to find it. 0:26:23 Bumblebees are keystone species like the AO bacteria. 0:27:04 It's important that you use products that are compatible with the bacteria. 0:27:39 Even if you do still use soap you will still see benefit. 0:28:39 Stinky armpits. 0:29:17 Natural deodorants can contain aluminium. 0:29:51 Food choices affect body odour. 0:30:27 60% of AO Mist users are able to give up deodorant. 0:31:07 Is clean really the smell of freesia? 0:31:32 Part of this is coming to terms with the way humans smell. 0:32:02 Triclosan persists in the skin. 0:32:41 AO Labs helps with product development. 0:34:18 Laundry detergents stink in the US. 0:35:55 Humans were not supposed to have body odour. 0:36:18 There is a plausible mechanism for reduction in body odour. 0:37:10 Bacteria consumes ammonia in sweat, that's what smells. 0:37:58 AO bacteria consume ammonia and produce nitric oxide. 0:38:24 The nitric oxide could become systemic. 0:39:04 Diaper rash. 0:39:33 People who use the most amount products also have the most problems. 0:40:36 Spending time outdoors is beneficial. 0:41:35 The name Mother Dirt is deliberate. 0:42:25 People who are forced to use sanitisation. 0:43:14 Certain situations require a sterile environment. 0:43:49 You can still benefit from AO Mist. 0:44:17 Hand sanitizer will wreck your hands. 0:45:15 The potential effect of the product on eczema. 0:45:44 Mother Dirt cannot

The monotone of an EKG machine detecting flatline. It doesn't get any worse than that. For realtor Douglas Hilbert, the list of low points doesn't end there. Doug filed bankruptcy at the age of 28, had his home foreclosed on, had two vehicles repossessed, lost multiple businesses, lost 130 "investment" properties and ended up in drug rehabilitation numerous times. Each day was a rollercoaster ride of caffeine and nicotine highs followed by alcohol induced lows. Back then, depression and anxiety were the norm. Now aged 37, Doug feels better than at any time in his life. So what did Doug do? Doug describes exactly what he did in his new book Letters to My Son: Choosing Yourself First, and I am honoured to get more than one mention. It starts with food. Doug had good results eating a low-carb paleo diet but has found a high-fat, low-carb, moderate protein ketogenic diet to be even better. If there's one lesson to be learned, it's just eat real food. Prioritising sleep. Our modern environments are seldom conducive to quality sleep, and Doug has been able to improve his sleep by hacking his environment. Avoiding light at night, especially from the screens of electronic devices, has helped tremendously. A dark and cool bedroom has also enabled Doug to get the sleep he so desperately needed. Expressing gratitude and guided meditation. It's so easy to get caught up in the trivial and the negative. Doug has found that by focusing on the positive things, people, events or anything that are actually present in his real life taps into the positive energy in himself and gets his brain to attach to something with a lasting effect. How do you tap into the positivity? You write down a list of all the things you're grateful for. Sometimes it's brutally difficult to come up with anything, and things such as air make the list. It's not about getting the perfect list, it is about the practice. Doug practices Vipassana, which is "insight" meditation. He has practiced with Buddhist monks, nuns and lay persons at temples and other centers, as well as on extended retreats. From day one Doug was taught to focus on the breath and just observe the thoughts, feelings, emotions and sensations that arise. Six years later he's doing the same thing. There's no goal; he just observes what goes on, and every once in awhile, he picks up something insightful into the nature of the mind and existence. Eliminating the guesswork and getting himself tested. Like me, when Doug started to feel so much better, he developed a burning desire to know what was going on inside his body. After all, biochemistry drives behaviour. Doug tested saliva, urine and stool and corrected the problems he found using nutritional supplements. He then went on to become a certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner and now runs a health coaching business of his own. Here's the outline of this interview with Douglas Hilbert: 0:00:00 Letters to My Son: Choosing Yourself First by Douglas Hilbert 0:01:12 Doug's low point was an EKG flatline. 0:01:58 Overeating, smoking, drugs, working 100 hours a week. 0:02:22 Terrible physical shape. 0:02:31 Failed business, lost a ton of money. 0:02:43 Doug quit racing triathlon to try and save the business. 0:03:02 When the business still failed, Doug was left with nothing. 0:03:26 Using drugs to lose weight. 0:05:00 Doug has been in rehab three times. 0:05:26 Cycling and triathlon as a way to channel energy. 0:06:05 Spiritual based rehab didn't work, finally a science based approach worked. 0:06:34 "Biochemistry drives behaviour" - Dr Robert Lustig. 0:07:16 Even in sobriety, Doug still had a lot of anxiety and depression. 0:07:48 Doug now feels the best he ever has at 37. 0:08:46 We've recently tested Doug's cortisol, and whilst it's not perfect, it's better. 0:09:13 Doug feels fantastic without taking any prescriptions. 0:10:15 Doug was 50lb overweight at the start of the book, but never had much trouble shedding the extra. 0:11:23 Doug is using Elite HRV to guide activity. 0:11:52 Leanest ever through eating rather than exercise. 0:12:41 Doug has been prescribed a statin but refused. 0:13:54 Peter Attia's YouTube videos. 0:14:16 Despite exercise, Doug's triglycerides were once 459. 0:14:47 Doug has been doing very well on a ketogenic diet. 0:15:18 Doug wasn't performing or thinking well on 150-200g of carbs per day. 0:15:41 Doug's organic acids result showed an elevation of ketones the first time we tested. 0:16:08 A ketogenic diet has enabled Doug to write a book. 0:17:21 All the men do really well on a ketogenic diet. 0:18:22 Doug's triglycerides are now 88. 0:18:52 Ketosis is for keeps. 0:19:04 Vegetarianism lead to the worst test results. 0:19:45 Diet is not the only part, but it's the foundation. 0:20:04 Try meditating on a high-carb breakfast. 0:21:25 Doug is going to keep testing, and if anything changes, he'll make another decision. 0:22:17 The only thing that has got me into trouble is being close-minded. 0:23:23 J

Apple Frudel. Banana Chocolate Chip Bread. Cinnamon French Toast Bread. Blueberry Snack'N Waffle. Cocoa Puffs Cereal Bar. Cheerios Cereal Bar. Cinnamon Pop Tart. Strawberry Splash Pancake. Super Donut. All these "food" items were taken from the breakfast menu for my nephew's school. Presumably an expert designed this menu because it bares the logo of ChooseMyPlate.gov. If you can't trust the experts, who can you trust? How do you protect yourself from misinformation that has the potential to hurt you and your children's health? There is only one way, and that's to learn how to evaluate scientific evidence and think critically. Danny Lennon is a nutrition educator and critical thinker, and his Sigma Nutrition podcast is a powerful platform. As you can probably tell from his accent, Danny is from Ireland. After completing a degree in biology and physics, Danny worked as a teacher for a while before returning to the University of Cork to complete a master's degree in Nutrition Science. After failing to achieve the results he deserved from training, Danny set out to discover the truth about what works in nutrition and health. His goal is to teach us how to be our own expert, to enable us to separate the brilliant from the misleading, even if the difference is more subtle than a Super Donut on your breakfast menu. If you're listening to this interview, my guess is that you're already an accomplished nutrition critical thinker. My question to you is how do we get this message out there more efficiently? Please let me know in the comments section below. Here's the outline of this interview with Danny Lennon: 0:00:00 Danny Lennon's Sigma Nutrition Radio podcast. 0:00:51 Sigma Nutrition Radio has helped me professionally. 0:01:10 Why is Danny interested in nutrition? 0:01:33 Danny has always been an athlete. 0:01:41 Danny studied biology and physics. 0:02:06 Boyd Eaton paper on evolutionary biology. 0:02:06 Necessity is a great teacher! 0:02:34 Danny taught science for a while. 0:02:50 Danny was born just outside London, grew up in Dublin, now in Limerick. 0:03:36 I have Kelly on both sides of my family! 0:03:53 Is there an obesity problem in Ireland? 0:04:35 Danny is a type-A! 0:04:57 Danny was eating a very low-fat diet with lots of whole grains, something with hindsight he wouldn't recommend. 0:05:52 Danny wasn't as lean as he should have been given how much training he was doing. 0:06:38 I used to eat a completely fat-free diet, thank you Teflon! 0:07:07 Danny has a classical education. 0:07:55 Danny started to wonder who else he could help. 0:08:15 Vitamin D research at the University of Cork under Prof. Kevin Cashman 0:08:44 Understanding individuality. 0:09:28 Biochemistry in a master's degree is fine. 0:09:59 But the public health education is questionable. 0:10:25 The falsely claimed dangers of red meat consumption as an example. 0:10:54 Danny did his own research and sent them to his professor. 0:11:22 The 80s and 90s were the nutritional stone age. 0:11:59 Robb Wolf interview with RD who struggled (Laura Schoenfeld). 0:12:30 My wife Julia decided not to become registered or licensed. 0:12:54 What motivates Danny to teach. 0:13:25 The podcast allows Danny to educate at a level he enjoys. 0:14:18 Danny likes to inspire people to think critically for themselves. 0:15:00 Danny's podcast on calorie restriction and longevity with Dr. Eric Ravussin. 0:15:29 An upcoming interview is a powerful motivator for learning. 0:16:04 My social isolation podcast with Bryan Walsh. 0:16:50 Sarcopenic obesity. 0:17:12 Danny aims to provides the best platform for getting the information out there. 0:17:36 The dangers of "canned answers". 0:18:18 Danny does not write down a list of questions. 0:18:36 My interview with Jason Fung. 0:18:58 A list of questions didn't work for me. 0:19:24 Danny picks guests to create a narrative that spans multiple episodes. 0:20:32 The narrative clusters two or three podcasts. 0:20:32 Adrenal fatigue with Bryan Walsh. 0:21:05 How do you reconcile when a guest says something you think is wrong and unhelpful? 0:21:51 A podcast interview is not a debate! 0:22:11 Practitioners talk about what they do. 0:22:29 Danny can still raise counterpoints. 0:23:06 I've had guests that have said things I've thought was questionable. 0:23:44 How does the information you glean from the podcast fit into your practice. 0:23:53 There's a common core consensus e.g. sleep, minimally processed foods. 0:25:18 It's OK to change your mind based on the new information. 0:25:29 Danny is always thinking about key messages, and he would like you to do the same. 0:26:05 Getting caught up in the details. 0:27:26 The basics come first. 0:27:52 Snowing people with everything you've learnt is a mistake. 0:28:45 My fictitious example: overtrained half marathon runner. 0:29:27 Initial starting point is to look at the big picture. 0:30:00 No need to jump into test until you've addressed the basics. 0:30:29 The test results are not goin

If you'd have asked me six months ago what insulin did, I would have answered, "it stuffs energy into cells". I think most people would say something similar. My answer isn't wrong, but facilitating the uptake of energy into cells is not the most first or most important thing that insulin does. Last week I completed the first few modules of an introductory physiology course from Duke University, and I found this in one of the lectures: The type two diabetic is a situation where we have receptor desensitization and the individual does not respond correctly to insulin. Insulin is present in the system, but the receptor is desensitized. And so, you don't get the movement of glucose from the blood into the skeletal muscle cells correctly. These statements don't directly answer my question "what does insulin do?", but they imply that insulin is required to move glucose (energy) into a cell. This is wrong, and they're not the first to make the mistake. This quote from "Insulin: understanding its action in health and disease", explains: The effects of this 'black age' are still with us because these incorrect hypotheses have, with the passage of time, been turned into dogma and become cast into 'tablets of stone' in undergraduate textbooks. They are also carried forward into postgraduate teaching. For example, even in well respected texts it is still common to find statements such as 'The basic action of insulin is to facilitate glucose entry into cells, primarily skeletal muscle and hepatocytes.' So what does insulin do? The basic action of insulin is anti-catabolic, that is, it halts breaking down. Insulin works in this order: Hits alpha cells in the pancreas to suppress glucagon. Then goes to the liver to suppress gluconeogenesis (and stimulate lipogenesis). Then goes to the peripheral body to do other stuff. So if you're using insulin to stimulate glucose uptake, you're already WAY above the concentrations needed to affect the pancreas and liver, which is going to make those cells insulin resistant first. You've also already shoved a lot of fat into those cells first, which is going to interfere with glucose metabolism. So what should you do? Don't worry about insulin facilitating the uptake of glucose into cells, and instead focus on creating the demand for glucose through movement. Lift weights. I want you to have the same teaching experience that I have enjoyed. One of my most frequently asked questions is "How did you learn so much in so little time? How did you build a successful functional medicine practice in less than two years?". The answer is I had two great teachers: necessity and Dr. Tommy Wood. If it weren't for Tommy, I'd still be dependant on protocols rather than understanding the principles by which our programmes work. Concierge Clinical Coaching is my way of sharing my expertise and education with you, the health and performance enthusiast. You already have necessity, let me give you the other part. As a member of our programme, you'll have the ability to ask both Tommy and me your diet, lifestyle, training and supplementation questions. You will have ongoing access to us for input on everything from your latest blood test results to advice on diet and training optimisation. As the science and questions evolve, we will be there to help guide you through your personalized route to long-term health and performance. In short, we will be your functional medicine practitioner, coach and nutritionist all rolled into one. Here's the outline of this interview with Dr. Tommy Wood: 0:00:13 What Tommy ate over Christmas. 0:01:02 Tommy is OK with vegetable oils and gluten, so long as it's Christmas! 0:02:20 We love buying our meat from a local farmer. 0:03:01 What is insulin? 0:03:13 Optimising Insulin Facebook group. 0:03:40 Tommy's presentation on insulin resistance. 0:04:01 Most people have been taught that the primary role of insulin is to put glucose into cells. 0:04:26 Insulin isn't very good at pushing insulin into cells. 0:04:40 Insulin is a peptide hormone secreted from the beta cells of the pancreas. 0:04:54 Expecting food can increase insulin. 0:05:26 Insulin decides where nutrients go. 0:05:43 So what is insulin's primary role? 0:06:01 Insulin is anabolic. 0:06:27 The main thing insulin does is anti-catabolic. 0:06:48 Insulin prevents the breakdown of fat. 0:07:27 Insulin first acts on the alpha cells of the pancreas. 0:07:29 The alpha cells secrete glucagon. 0:07:48 Glucose is gone, glucagon. 0:08:00 Insulin turns off glucagon. 0:08:32 Only tiny amounts of insulin are needed to turn off glucagon. 0:08:47 Next insulin goes to the liver. 0:08:57 Turns off gluconeogenesis. 0:09:17 Now at greater concentrations, insulin acts in the periphery to tell cells to stop breaking down fat. 0:09:32 There are some nice experiments showing this in forearm muscles. 0:09:53 10 uIU/mL cells start taking up fatty acids. 0:10:16 Insulin only causes glucose uptake at levels of 40-50 uIU/mL. 0:11:03 How did this

Your performance on a mountain bike has four pillars of support: cardio, mobility, skills and strength. Most riders only worry about one or maybe two. Could you be a good rider with just one pillar? Maybe, but why limit yourself? This week it's been raining pretty solidly here in northern California, and honestly, I couldn't care less. In years gone by, I'd have been donning rain gear and even spending time on the trainer in an attempt to maintain my aerobic engine, but now I understand that cardio is just one of the four pillars. I get plenty of time to improve my cardio on the trail, so in the rainy months, it makes sense to work on my strength and mobility. James Wilson is a strength and skills coach whose programmes and teaching have been tremendously helpful to me over the past few years. James helped me understand that I wasn't going to get any faster by doing more of the same and that road riding wasn't going to make me a better mountain biker. Light hands and heavy feet make for better mountain biking, and flat pedals have helped me learn this by providing instant feedback of my weight being somewhere other than on my feet. Flat pedals are also extremely comfortable and allow me to easily stick a foot out moto-style on tight switchbacks. But what about pulling up on the backstroke? As you'll hear in this podcast, and as has been shown in the studies cited below, there is no advantage in pulling up on the backstroke, and so this is not a good reason to be using clipless pedals. Not long after we recorded this interview, my new Catalyst pedals arrived and since then I've been enjoying wiggling my toes as I pedal comfortably in a midfoot position. The pedals are long enough to support my whole foot yet narrow enough to minimise rock strikes. But yet I still race clipless! Am I suspending disbelief? Please let me know in the comments below. Here's the outline of this interview with James Wilson: 0:00:00 I've had fantastic results following James's training programmes. 0:00:52 James has been developing a pedal for about a year. 0:01:28 Do not listen to this podcast if you're easily offended by flat pedals on an MTB. 0:02:23 The controversial article I wrote. 0:03:10 I've ridden mountain bikes since I was a kid, but then I fell away from the sport. 0:03:43 When I moved to the US I got into road bikes. 0:04:05 I used to think weight was the most important thing. 0:04:45 Why is strength training important for mountain bikers? 0:05:05 James hates the word cyclist. 0:05:32 Mountain biking is not road biking. 0:06:25 Road biking doesn't necessarily transfer to MTB. 0:07:16 High-tension cardio on the trail. 0:08:02 The best MTB riders in the world pedal the least. 0:08:18 Aaron Gwin winning a World Cup race without a chain. 0:08:39 James's article on Pinkbike about what makes a great downhill racer. 0:09:12 Gray Cook: "The grip is the window to the core". 0:09:41 Functional core strength is extremely important. 0:10:07 Pedalling is not the only skill. 0:10:26 Mobility and strength are equally important. 0:10:40 Mobility first. 0:10:57 Can you do a bodyweight squat? 0:11:14 Is your squat "stress proof"? 0:11:50 You can make your gas tank bigger, or you can improve your miles per gallon. 0:12:15 Your body will cycle through muscle fibres. 0:12:41 More muscles fibre recruitment means more performance. 0:12:56 Most people take a unidirectional approach, i.e. cardio. 0:14:01 Strength training is the fast track. 0:14:21 Riding will make you stronger. 0:15:09 Training fills in gaps. 0:15:40 Riding already provides us with plenty of cardio. 0:16:22 When you look at it this way, strength training is obvious. 0:16:59 Lee McCormack on my podcast. 0:17:40 Your aerobic engine will only take you so far. 0:18:06 Lack of mobility can stop you from getting into a basic attack position. 0:18:37 Skills and mobility are connected. 0:18:53 You should be able to pick up a high-level skill in about 10 minutes, otherwise you're not ready. 0:19:15 The same is true of the kettlebell swing. 0:19:38 Running into the wall at James's skill camps. 0:20:32 Most skills problems boil down to lack of mobility and strength. 0:21:03 It should look effortless. 0:21:10 James's article on arete (Greek for excellence with style and grace). 0:21:44 Don't worry about speed, worry about style and grace. 0:22:12 You should be able to just tell when you see a good rider. 0:22:31 Strava times can be deceptive. 0:23:16 Smoother is also more consistent and free of injury. 0:23:45 The difference between a good rider and a good local rider. 0:24:34 If you have authentic skills, you will be able to apply them under any circumstances. 0:25:11 New riders don't know who to look up to. 0:25:38 Sometimes fast and good are concordant. 0:26:06 Consistency is key. 0:26:55 James has been through the learning process. 0:27:14 James's way is not the only way. 0:27:32 Some guys will be fast without skills. 0:28:13 Joe Friel talked about the importance of strength training o

Standing on the shoulders of giants is what I do at Nourish Balance Thrive, and none more giant (figuratively!) than strength and conditioning coach, author and speaker Jason Seib. I've been listening to Jason and Sarah Fragoso's Everyday Paleo podcast (now renamed JASSAFIT) since my earliest days eating a paleo diet, and I still find their wisdom and practical advice helpful both personally and professionally. If you head over to his website and sign up for Jason's list, he'll send you the instructions I've been using in my practice called The Fat Loss Directive. Like all good solutions, the new AltShift diet scratches a personal itch. Jason's wife Sheryl was unable to shake off the baby fat despite eating a nutrient dense paleo diet and so Jason recommended, as always, more walking and strength training. These changes yielded some good results: greater muscle mass and strength, but unremarkable changes in Sheryl's appearance. Jason then suggested the next most logical thing: reducing carbohydrates. This change worked for a while, and then it didn't, and so they kept tweaking. They checked Sheryl was eating enough food and getting enough sleep (she was). Despite small victories, Sheryl was still stuck. The questions and answers that arose from the experimentation process would eventually lead to what I would describe as a cyclical ketogenic diet that enabled Sheryl to lose five inches in her waist in just six weeks (pictured on the right). Sheryl is not alone, and at the time of writing the AltShift Facebook group has a happy 3,929 members. Here's the outline of this interview with Jason Seib: [0:01] Christopher's introduction of Jason Seib, coach, podcaster, author. [1:30] How Jason's experience as a personal trainer makes his work more credible. [2:46] What is the AltShift diet Jason has developed and why did he create it? [8:15] Why the "per day" mindset of diet planning isn't the wisest. [11:43] The kinds of things Jason tracks with his test groups. [15:18] "New Bike Syndrome" and how it relates to weight loss diets. [20:21] Is the AltShift diet plan for everyone? [34:14] What do the terms "5 shift" and "3 shift" mean in Jason's plan? [42:10] The difficult points in Jason's plan for most people, and how they get past it. [47:40] Why most people need 2 to 3 passes through the AltShift cycle to begin getting it. [50:10] The tensions between scientific studies and daily practices. [56:27] Where Jason agrees with Vinnie Tortorich. [58:01] How the vast majority of people don't even know this diet approach exists. [1:00:40] Other things Jason is working on. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Jason's website and podcast The Fat Loss Directive (subscribe to receive your copy) The AltShift Diet BOOK: Brain Rules The AltShift Diet Facebook Community @JasonSeib on Periscope PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Vinnie Tortorich John Medina Jimmy Moore Tommy Wood Chris Kresser Dominic D'Agostino Jillian Michaels Sarah Fragoso

Gas, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, reflux. Modern allopathic medicine still does more harm than good for these common and chronic health complaints. I often think about what my life might be like now if I'd listened to my gastroenterologist and written off diet, lifestyle and infections as a potential cause of my gut issues. I wonder if by now I'd still be taking anti-inflammatory steroids or if I would have gotten to the point where I needed surgery. A better solution was to take a deep dive into gut testing to uncover the root causes underlying my bloating and diarrhoea. Stool testing allowed me to find amoebic and pinworm infections, urinary organic acids showed yeast overgrowth. Together with some diet and lifestyle changes these problems were treatable with botanical herbs and with just one prescription medicine. My guest today is physician, researcher, author, critical thinker, educator and health enthusiast Dr. Michael Ruscio. Michael is a functional medicine practitioner who emphasizes nutritional and lifestyle solutions to the types of problems described above. He runs a busy practice in Walnut Creek, California where he spends two days a week seeing patients and three days researching and writing. Together with a small team of researchers, Michael is in a unique position to help people through his experience both as a practitioner and researcher. Best of all, he's willing to divulge all his trade secrets on my podcast! This interview might not be the best place to start if you're new to the idea of functional medicine and testing. If that's you then I'd highly recommend listening to some of the early episodes of Michael's podcast. In this interview, Michael and I go in some technical details of SIBO and other infections like Blastocystis hominis, Yersinia, Toxoplasmosis and Epstein-Barr. We also talk about how some of these infections might interfere with vitamin D metabolism, either by interfering with the vitamin D receptor, or perhaps increasing conversion of 25-OH D to 1,25-OH D. As a result, we're seeing low levels of 25-OH D on a blood test, but that's because it's all been activated, which is potentially immunosuppressive. There's also some evidence that inflammation (certain inflammatory cytokines) upregulates the enzyme CYP27B1, which creates 1,25-OH D. Here's the outline of this interview with Dr. Ruscio: [0:05] Christopher's introduction of Michael and his podcast. [2:50] Michael's upcoming conference in the UK. [7:58] What is the SIBO protocol? [8:28] Great results from a case study Dr. Ruscio did with Christine, a patient who he guided into a new protocol,and why the principles of what he did are more important than the methods. [11:32] How Dr. Ruscio came to understand the principles behind his approach to intestinal health, and how he was forced to think through the varying positions he was being taught. [13:13] How emergency medicine and functional medicine are vastly different for good reason when it comes to protocols. [14:24] An example of why it's vital to think through the principles and not just follow protocols. [21:11] Why it's important to be careful with therapeutic trials. [24:16] Why researchers fall prey to omitting facts or studies contrary to their position, and why it's vital for everyone to raise the bar on the practice of sharing data. [28:25] The gut infections Michael has seen and what he does to treat them. [33:20] Why diet and lifestyle come first. [38:19] Why Dr. Ruscio works with patients in phases and how he goes about it. [39:35] What does Dr. Ruscio do with things he can't "fix?" [43:02] The things looked for when testing for Epstein-Barr virus. [44:30] Michael's increasing respect for natural treatments for virus conditions. [47:45] The relationship of Vitamin D to infections and health and some surprising opinions Dr. Ruscio has in light of the Vitamin D hype today. [54:44] How you can connect with Dr. Ruscio. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Michael's podcast The SIBO protocol episode Re-find Health Conference in London for practitioners with Michael is on Jan 17, 2016 Melissa Hartwig of The Whole30 will be speaking at the same conference the day before

So small, so abstract, it's very hard to get your head around the idea that mitochondria are important. For me, knowing that these tiny organelles make up 10% of our total body weight (25% of the heart) helps put things into perspective. Mitochondria allow us respire with oxygen and produce vast amounts of an energy molecule called ATP. In fact, each one of us produces our body weight in ATP every day! The greater the number of healthy mitochondria, the better you feel and the faster you go. Even more incredible, recent research suggests that mitochondria come from a bacterial lineage and at some point made friends with our cells to form modern eukaryotes. My guest today is functional medicine practitioner and medical doctor, Robert Rountree. Dr. Rountree was named recipient of the Linus Pauling Functional Medicine Award at IFM's 2015 Annual International Conference, held in Austin, Texas. Dr. Rountree received the award for his pioneering work in the development of Functional Medicine and his role as a highly inspirational and informational member of IFM's faculty. Dr. Rountree is the Chief Medical Officer at Thorne Research. I learned everything I know about the mitochondria through Bryan Walsh's Metabolic Fitness Pro and the Khan Academy. As promised, here's the picture of the mitochondrial membrane: One of the most interesting supplements Dr. Rountree talks about during our interview is NiaCell® (nicotinamide riboside). I've since done a lot of reading and Dr. Tommy Wood agrees the research is promising. NAD+ levels control almost everything from mitochondrial biogenesis to ability to deal with inflammation and DNA damage. NAD+ drops with inflammation damaged mitochondria. If you've done a urinary organic acids test and you have an accumulation of malate, isocitrate, and alpha-ketoglutarate (all need NAD+) as well as lactate (produced in order to regenerate NAD+ from NADH), and possibly quinolinate and kynurenate (both feed into NAD+ production), then you either have high NAD+ requirements or poor NAD+ turnover. In these cases nicotinamide riboside is especially worth worth considering. Here's the outline of this interview with Dr. Rountree: [0:05] Christopher's welcome of Robert. [0:27] Dr. Rountree's receipt of the 2015 Linus Pauling award and background as Chief Medical officer at Thorne. [2:00] Bob's interest in nutraceuticals and nutritional treatments and the relationship to functional medicine. [4:28] Christopher's interest in chatting with Bob about mitochondrial issues and true health. [6:25] Why athletes and people in general should care about their mitochondrial health. [7:32] The mitochondria as the core of healthy metabolic functioning. [9:09] How the mitochondria work: a very basic overview. [12:30] What does a mitochondria look like and what are they? [16:16] Things that make the interplay between cell and mitochondria work better. [17:54] How mitochondria and free radicals impact athletes. [19:18] The importance of using true "antioxidants." [21:52] Problems that happen with damaged mitochondria: Parkinson's and diabetes. [25:57] Are the gains needed possible from dietary changes alone? [29:06] How large amounts of carbohydrates damage the cellular pathways in the body. [31:07] What Dr. Rountree recommends for his patients in this area. [34:30] The testing that can be used to measure mitochondrial functioning. [40:00] The use of an unfamiliar nutrient supplement: nicotinamide riboside. [46:08] Why you want more mitochondria to achieve peak performance. [48:00] The supplements Dr. Rountree uses personally and why he believes everyone needs more than food to bolster resistance to chemicals in the environment. [51:44] Dr. Bob's research and current practice and what he's doing that is most exciting to him. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Electron Transport Chain at the Khan Academy NiaCell® (nicotinamide riboside) PolyResveratrol-SR® N-acetylcysteine (NAC) Milk Thistle Curcumin Phytosome is in the EXOS multivitamin CoQ10 Genova Diagnostics Organix organic acids test PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Dr. Tommy Wood Linus Pauling Pathway Genomics Dr. Stephen Sinatra

This week I've got Dr. David Minkoff, MD on the show to talk about protein supplementation. Before going any further, I should make it clear I'm all for real food. Spend your money at the farmer's market before you spend on any supplement. Having said that, I've also had great results taking supplements, and I've seen many other athletes enjoy the same. Close to the top of the list, especially for athletes with digestive complaints, are free-form essential amino acids. Dr. Minkoff is a board certified pediatrician and fellow in Infectious Diseases and has extensive postgraduate training in Complementary and Alternative Medicine. He's an expert in Functional Medicine, Chelation, Allergy Elimination, European Biological Medicine, Neural Therapy, Longevity/Aging Medicine, Enderlein Therapy, Insulin Potentiated Therapy, and more. And equally important, Dr. Minkoff is an athlete himself, having competed in over 40 IRONMAN competitions. During this interview, we talk about protein and their amino acids building blocks. Free-form amino acids have helped me in three different ways: #1: messed up gut. Back when I was suffering from a lot of gas, bloating and diarrhoea, free-form amino acids helped me with my recovery. I got to the point where I stopped lifting weights because of how sore it made me afterwards, and I even felt sore after an endurance paced ride, sometimes for days. Now I understand more about physiology I can explain what might have been going on. Stomach acid denatures protein and activates enzymes. Imagine you've just eaten a nice piece of grass fed steak. The process of protein digestion begins in the stomach with hydrochloric acid (HCl) and an enzyme called pepsin. HCl doesn't break apart protein into its constituent amino acids. Instead, it denatures the protein. Denaturing means to act on the hydrogen bonds that hold the protein together which allows the protein to unfold. HCl also activates pepsinogen into the active enzyme pepsin, and the pepsin then starts to break apart the peptide bonds. A peptide is just a short sequence of amino acids. If your stomach acid is low, this whole process will start to fail before absorption can start in the duodenum. Brush border enzymes break apart proteins in peptides and amino acids. Once in the duodenum, the partly digested food is called chyme. The pancreas produces digestive enzymes, some of which break down the proteins in the chyme. The key proteolytic enzyme trypsinogen activates into trypsin at the brush border of the enterocytes that line the GI tract. Think of the delicate brush border as a shag carpet, and the proteolytic enzymes contained within the shags are themselves proteins synthesised by the nucleus of the enterocyte cell. Zinc is an essential cofactor. All the enzymes described thus far are themselves proteins, and to make them your body needs zinc. Surprisingly, zinc found in food is usually bound to a protein, and to separate the zinc from the protein and absorb it, your body needs zinc! It's a vicious cycle. Alkaline phosphatase below 70IU/L may hint at a zinc deficiency. Elevated indican on an organic acids test indicates the bacterial breakdown of protein. Elevated indican means that the bacteria, not you, are digesting the protein that you eat. Diagnosis: messed up gut. Free-form aminos are easily absorbed. Hopefully me explaining all this will help you understand that protein digestion is complicated. If it goes wrong, we're in big trouble. Free-form amino acids like the ones in Nourish Balance Thrive Catabolic Blocker do not require the same complex digestion because the tablets are water soluble and the individual amino acids are easily absorbed on contact with the enterocytes. Even though my digestion is much better now, I still take essential amino acid tablets during my rides. I like my water plain, so I'll throw a handful of tablets into my jersey pocket every time I head out. I then take five tablets (5g) for each hour of ride time. Sounds strange, but once you get used to it, it's very easy to swallow five tablets at once and they don't seem to dissolve in my pocket. #2: making sugar from muscle. Exercise, especially hard exercise, is catabolic which is a fancy way of saying a state of breaking down. Even though I remain in ketosis most of the time, glucose is still the most readily usable form of energy and some cells lack the molecular machinery to burn anything other than glucose. For this reason, your liver will produce glucose during exercise in a process called gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis uses protein to make glucose during exercise. The main source is the amino acid alanine liberated from muscle. My hope is that by taking free-form amino acids during exercise I can prevent this catabolism. I certainly notice a difference in muscle soreness after a long and or hard ride and especially after a race. #3: reducing fatigue during exercise. Eating turkey makes you sleepy because it contains the amino acid tryptophan,

Today's podcast episode is a bit different than usual because I've solicited questions from the Optimising nutrition, managing insulin Facebook group for kidney expert Dr. Jason Fung. If this is the first time you've heard of Jason, you might be better off starting with his Sigma Nutrition Radio interview and also The Aetiology Of Obesity YouTube playlist. The questions are great - they cover the topics of blood glucose levels, type 1 and type 2 diabetes issues, fasting, muscle loss, what Jason recommends as an effective treatment for diabetes and much more. Before we get into the Q&A, let's start out by clarifying some things about diabetes that Jason was very insistent that we understand... The difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Many people think that type 1 and type 2 diabetes are closely related but Jason insists that's wrong. They are "completely different diseases" and "you can't even talk about them in the same sentence." Type 1 diabetes is a problem of not enough insulin. The proper course of treatment is to give insulin to the patient. That makes sense. But type 2 diabetes is a disease of too much insulin. Yet, what do we typically do for a type 2 diabetic? We give them insulin. Why? To control what we consider to be high blood sugar levels. But giving insulin to a type 2 diabetic doesn't address the underlying cause that is the insulin resistance. Giving insulin as medicine drops blood sugar levels but the disease remains. Jason likens this method of treatment to giving an alcoholic a drink of whiskey because he's experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Sure, the symptom will go away temporarily but the disease is still there… and it's actually getting worse. On this episode you're going to hear Dr. Jason Fung answer these specific questions: Q: Which is worse, insulin toxicity or glucose toxicity? Q: At what percentage of A1C could we expect the person to have diabetes? Q: Various questions about blood sugar levels and what is the right number to shoot for. Q: When is a low carb diet not enough to help with diabetes? Q: What are the benefits of fasting for type 2 diabetes? And what are the benefits of intermittent fasting? Q: Do you use fasting protocols or work with patients on a case by case basis? Q: Does fasting cause too much stress on the adrenals? Q: Is fasting different for men and women? I've heard it isn't good for women to fast. Q: What happens when someone lean begins to fast? Do they begin to burn muscle? Q: Gluconeogenesis in lean individuals: Where is the substrate for glucose coming from? Q: Is there any fear of protein intake causing gluconeogenesis? Here's the outline of this interview with Jason Fung: [0:19] Christopher's introduction of Dr. Fung and this Q&A episode. [1:09] Jason's background of kidney specialization and interest in type 2 diabetes. [8:03] Q&A with Dr. Fung. [45:03] Addendum with Dr. Tommy Wood. [52:29] In a week of fasting, you will likely lose a pound of lean muscle. RESOURCES AND PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Aetiology Of Obesity YouTube playlist Jason's website Sigma Nutrition Radio podcast Optimising nutrition, managing Insulin Facebook group Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron MR Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE) trial Glucose Control and Vascular Complications in Veterans with Type 2 Diabetes (VADT) trial Basal Insulin and Cardiovascular and Other Outcomes in Dysglycemia (ORIGIN) trial Minnesota Starvation Experiment George F. Cahill, Jr.

So many emails! They seem to be breeding here in my inbox. Wait, what's this, PayPal wants to validate my social security number? That's odd, let's click and see what it is. A form. Ah yes, I know how to do this, it'll only take a minute. Submit, done. One less email in your inbox, one less problem to deal with Or is it. The next day your boss appears at your cubicle with some guy you don't recognise. This looks ominous, what could they want? They want to know Why you clicked open that message from PayPal, why you were confusing personal and company email. "It was late and I was tired", you explain. You clicked on the link because you have brain fog And this isn't the only situation where your focus has been less than optimal. The guy with your boss is a security expert like today's guest Mike Zusman, and the email is called a simple phishing attack. Mike is a Cat 1 (fast) mountain biker and one of the three founders of New Jersey based security firm, Carve Systems. Mike and I have been working together for about a year to optimise his performance both on and off the bike, and I love his ideas about how security breaches could be prevented. How many phishing attacks could be prevented If our employers invested as much in their employee's health as they do in the security systems? Not that they shouldn't invest in security, they should, but it seems to me that there's more than one way to approach this problem. So what is brain fog, and what causes it? Brain fog is that feeling of nothingness that sometimes happens when you'd rather be concentrating on work. The lights are on but nobody's home. Who knows what causes it, I think it's one of the signs and symptoms of an underlying problem. There are however, some plausible mechanisms, like quinolinic acid on an organic acids result. Quinolinic acid, or quinolinate as it's labelled on a urinary organic acids result Is a potent neurotoxin–a fancy way of saying harmful to brain cells. This image was taken from Mike's first organic acids result: And this from the retest after treatment: We'll never know if quinolinate was the cause of Mike's brain fog But a plausible mechanism, together these results and improvement in symptoms is better than nothing, right? So what did Mike do? Mike made many difficult and important changes He switched to a healthy-fat, ketogenic diet with emphasis on whole foods, plants and moderate protein. Mike made the switch away from carbohydrate supplementation towards a more fat-burning approach. He also took supplements to fix the problems indicated on the test results that included small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Overall, Mike has been able to reduce the number abnormalities found on the organic acids result from 10 to 2. A better life: reduced stress, increased mental clarity, greater energy Mike is "feeling much better now", more productive, racing faster and more consistently. Here's the outline of this interview with Mike: [0:05] Christopher's welcome of MIke and introduction of their relationship together. [1:46] Mike's questions about his body's ability to make the best of the training and changes he was adding to his training regimen. [3:20] Mike's assessment of his stress levels before connecting with Christopher. [4:57] The biggest help to Mike in making changes that mattered. [6:34] The benefit of the headspace app. [7:01] The diet changes MIke has made and how he's feeling as a result. [8:08] Moving away from the old way of eating and how Mike did it. [9:50] The importance of nutrient density and letting go of the old foods that are not nutrient dense. [10:41] The impact of Mike's blood sugar level and health changes. [14:36] The ongoing impact of Mike's body moving into ketosis. [16:20] Mike's advice about the transition to a low carb, high fat diet. [19:10] Causes of "brain fog." [20:13] Mike's experience of headaches after racing, during stressful situations, etc. [21:13] Christopher's response regarding the possibilities for the headaches. [22:29] The impact of removing carbs from his diet on Mike's bike racing. [26:22] The biohack that blood testing can be. [26:51] The importance of being patient to see the changes happen. [28:45] How Mike's dietary changes are impacting his family relationships. [32:14] New projects that have come out of Mike's improved health. [35:29] The impact of health on high intensity professions. [41:18] Why Mike didn't do well on the vegetarian / vegan path and what he thinks about that approach overall. [44:49] How Christopher's work inspires Mike in his security company. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Ben Greenfield podcast that Mike first heard me on Headspace Genova Diagnostics 0091 Organix Comprehensive Profile Mike blog The Rich Roll Podcast episode with Andy, founder of Headspace PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Ben Greenfield Julia Kelly Rich Roll

Blood testing is an underutilized way in which you as an athlete can improve your performance. Think about a car that's not running smoothly. Sure, you could make some guesses as to why it's not running right, but you're probably going to need to do some tests to understand the underlying root causes. Your body is similar, but rather than spanners and wrenches, our toolkit consists of diet, sleep, movement, stress reduction and supplements. I have for you today a unique episode of the podcast. Dr. Tommy Wood is an athlete, a medical doctor, a research scientist, and the director of our clinical coaching programme O2 Boost. Tommy practises what he preaches, but his work life balance is far from ideal, and his test results are far from perfect. The O2 Boost process is simple. First, place an order. Shortly after, you'll receive a PDF requisition that you take directly to LabCorp, no need to visit your doctor. If you're lucky enough to be in the UK, the process is even simpler: the test can be done at home from a fingerstick. Choosing the organic acids option enables us to make a more detailed diagnostic--that test is easy to do, you collect a sample of urine first thing, freeze it and send it to the lab using the pre-paid FedEx mailer. Once all the results are in, Tommy and I will gather some appropriate information from you and then analyse your results. Then I'll get you on the phone to discuss what to do next. We thought it'd be fun to record and broadcast our discussion of Tommy's results, and what you'll hear in this episode is not unlike what you can expect from your follow-up appointment. Perhaps you already have some blood test results you'd like us to look at? No problem, choose the "Send you own" option. Everything is important, but nothing more so than stress. I would argue that cortisol is the king of hormones, and I suspect that stress, both good and bad, may be the underlying cause of most of the imperfections that we've found in Tommy's biochemistry. Click the image to download a PDF version of Tommy's results: Here's the outline of this conversation with Tommy Wood: [0:03] The idea that lead to recording this O2 Boost consultation. [0:56] Tommy's response to his blood results. [2:26] The situation Tommy is in that may have impacted his test results. [3:57] Christopher's assessment of Tommy's situation and the issues that may be reflected in Tommy's results. [5:06] The possibility of "adrenal fatigue" in Tommy's results and the possibility of dehydration. [8:17] Fasting blood glucose of 97 and Hemoglobin A1C of 5.7 - a bit elevated - and Tommy's response to those results. [12:25] What does Tommy's low liver enzyme results suggest? [14:26] Ferritin levels are high - and Tommy's thoughts on that. [16:20] Tommy's suspicion that he might be heading toward iron overload. [18:58] Tommy's cholesterol level: 228 - above the normal level and in increase from the last time he measured. [20:07] Fasting glucose levels below 5… a very good result. [20:44] TSH of 1.0 - free T3 of 2.7 - Thyroid function appears to be a bit low - and Christopher wonders if Tommy is eating enough food. [22:38] Tommy's homocysteine readings: a bit elevated and a possible additional clue that Tommy is headed toward iron overload. [26:05] Red blood cell size reading is inconclusive. [28:07] Vitamin D levels are 29.2 - quite a bit low (and he hasn't been supplementing). [31:25] Total white blood cell count was 3 - low as well - and reasons why the test could be reading that way. [35:42] Christopher's assessment of Tommy's lifestyle and how he's handling the stress load and busy-ness. [37:11] Should Tommy adjust his diet because of these results? [39:00] Tommy's attempts at managing the stress load. [40:01] How results have to be considered in light of a person's baseline. [43:31] What Tommy's done to deal with sleep issues he's having. [46:10] Creatinine levels are outside the normal range, which is likely a result of Tommy supplementing with creatine. [47:29] Tommy's views on supplementation with creatine and cautions about getting a better quality creatine.. [50:52] What Tommy's blood results show and how you can get your own O2 Boost test. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE O2 Boost Testing

For more than 35 years, Phil Maffetone has brought the latest advances in fitness and nutrition to health-care professionals around the world. Dr. Maffetone has a bachelor's degree in human biology and a doctorate in chiropractic, with certifications in physiotherapy, Chinese medicine, and kinesiology. Dr. Maffetone has worked with world-class athletes and celebrity personalities, as well as people from all walks of life. His extensive list of clients include professional football and baseball players, race-car drivers, Olympic medalists, and, of course, six-time Hawaii Ironman Champion Mark Allen. Phil Maffetone is an internationally-acclaimed author, having published more than 20 books including the first on heart-rate monitoring (early 1980s) and the first on the benefits of barefoot running (1990s). Dr. Maffetone's textbook, Complementary Sports Medicine (Human Kinetics 1999), is published in English, Italian, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Maffetone continues to write extensively and lecture worldwide on health and human performance. A clever way to convince people of their carbohydrate intolerance. In the early 1980s Dr. Maffetone had a lot of experience with low-carb, high-fat diets but came against the popular notion of the day that protein and fat was unhealthy. He found it increasingly difficult to convince people that his ideas were right, so he came up with the Two-week Test as an attempt to show people the difference. His thought was that since he couldn't convince people intellectually, he'd have to show them how good they could feel in just two weeks by adopting his recommendations. For two weeks he'd have the client eliminate all junk food, remove all moderate and high glycemic index foods, and then keep track of their symptoms and weight. If dealing with specific health issues the client would keep track of those as well (blood pressure, for example). In just two weeks many of those clients would feel so much better the wouldn't require any more convincing on the part of Dr. Maffetone. A different time with different issues. As the winds of change have continued to blow over the health and fitness culture we've seen things come to a point today where many top athletes, trainers, and coaches have come around to Dr. Phil's way of thinking about dietary issues. Still, there are problems that come even on that side of the spectrum. One of the more recent is athletes on a high-fat diet who are under eating. Dr. Phil says, "Not being hungry is a wonderful thing… if you're healthy." He insists that these athletes need to focus on nutrient density if they're eating so much less. This is a wide ranging conversation covering many aspects of Dr. Phil's experience and career as a health practitioner and coach, as well as his insights on the training practices athletes can use to increase aerobic strength as well as performance. You'll enjoy this one! Here's the outline of this interview with Phil Maffetone: [0:03] Introduction of Phil Maffetone, doctor, author, and pioneer of heart rate monitoring. [2:02] Phil's description of what's in his latest book, "The Endurance Handbook." [3:22] What Phil recommends to improve muscular strength without sacrificing health. [8:48] The app that Dr. Phil is working on and why he's creating it. [11:04] The work that goes into research studies and the thing that's missing in healthcare today (Dr. / Patient relationship). [12:58] The kind of work Phil does with his clients, including testing and coaching. [24:10] What Dr. Phil has changed in his testing over the years. [30:28] Dr. Phil's Two-week Test. [33:48] Is the Two-week Test as needed today? [37:00] What Dr. Phil believes causes insulin resistance? [42:28] How common is it for athletes on a high fat diet to undereat? [50:35] Christopher's experience with doing workouts according to what he "feels" he needs, including interval training, and Dr. Phil's response. [58:31] Does working the aerobic system mean that an athlete needs to do 25 hours of training a week? [1:01:00] Where would Dr. Phil start if he had no degrees but wanted to start again? [1:04:50] Dr. Phil's certification program that's being created. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Endurance Planet Podcast Phil's conversation with Robb Wolf The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing The Endurance Handbook "How To Achieve Athletic Potential, Stay Healthy, and Get the Most Out of Your Body Fast After Fifty Digital Fitness is a Digital Misfit (article) Podcast episode on Iron Overload Phil Maffetone's website www.MaffetoneMusic.com PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Robb Wolf Tawnee Prazak Joe Friel Amanda Stevens (athlete) Tim Noakes Mike Pigg (athlete) George Shehan

Iron levels and biochemistry have impacted my personal performance in a dramatic way. Recently I've been racing cyclocross, something for which I lack talent. For those of you who don't know cyclocross, it's a lot like short track mountain bike racing but most of the bikes look a road bike with drop handlebars. The start is really important, and the course has hundreds of corners and so the sport doesn't suit slow-twitch athletes like me. This year I've been enjoying some dramatic gains in my performance. These gains are nothing to do with training, in fact, I've been training less than ever before. The key to performance is health, and that's why I've got Dr. Tommy Wood on again today to talk about some of the biochemical tweaks I've been making and also the serious issue of iron overload (haemochromatosis). First let's talk about anaemia. Some people think of anaemia as synonymous with iron deficiency, but iron deficiency is just one of many things that can cause anaemia. Diagnosing anaemic tendencies requires the consideration of the production, destruction and loss of red blood cells. Other nutrients such as zinc, B6, B12 and folate are as important as iron for the production of red blood cells. Sometimes we see results that show both iron overload and anaemia. Why is iron overload a problem? Most micronutrients cause little harm when consumed in excess. Vitamin C is a good example--consume too much and you'll simply pee it out. Excess iron is different in that there's no easy way to excrete it. The main way we lose iron is through bleeding, and for men and postmenopausal women this doesn't happen very often. Excess iron becomes bound to proteins and acts as a pro-oxidant, literally causing your tissues to rust. If left untreated, the excess iron can cause diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver and a host of other chronic diseases. The day after we recorded this interview four of my six follow-up appointments were with masters athletes with iron overload. Please don't guess, do the test! How should your diet change if you are diagnosed with iron overload? Research shows diet can have an impact of the absorption of iron. Things that block iron absorption: Calcium rich foods like dairy, leafy vegetables and sardines (whole with bone). Phytates from leafy vegetables and nuts. Tannins in red wine and coffee. Anthocyanins in any colour berry (the darker the colour of the berry the better). Things that increase iron absorption: Vitamin C. Added fructose, table sugar. Blood testing for iron levels is not that difficult to do. In fact, my team can do it for you. Iron overload can be ruled out as part of our O2 Boost programme. Place your order and I'll send you a PDF requisition form that you can print and take directly to LabCorp--no need for a visit to your doctor's office. The results will be back in just a couple of days and then I'll send you a written report and a link to my schedule that you can use to make an appointment for the included 30-minute call. Here's the outline of this interview: [0:02] Introduction to today's show with Dr. Tommy Wood. [0:18] An upcoming live event where Dr. Wood will be speaking. [2:06] Why would you even care about iron overload? [4:55] You can run your blood chemistry through Nourish Balance Thrive. [5:36] What is iron and why is it needed in human biology? [7:09] Ways you can tell if you have an iron deficiency. [8:54] Is there any evidence to show that athletes could be in danger of Anaemia? [11:14] Why is iron overload a concern and mutations in the HFE gene. [15:37] What blood markers should be watched to determine iron levels? [17:06] What can happen when there is too much iron (one example)? [21:29] How a good handle on your iron levels can be a major win for your life and competition. [22:06] What should be done if iron overload is discovered? [23:30] Bloodletting as a solution? Really? [30:25] How should a person who's a victim of iron overload change their diet? [37:45] The importance of testing then trying various solutions, and testing again. [38:23] What is Lactoferrin and how does it relate to iron issues? [42:23] How can Lactoferrin be used as an anti-microbial? [43:03] How to get a blood test from the Nourish Balance Thrive team. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Haemochromatosis O2 Boost Primal Docs Re-find Health Get your blood chemistry done by the Nourish Balance Thrive team Webinar with Tawnee Prazak Richard Nikoley's article about iron 23andMe (salivary genetic test) MTHFR Support Medscape error: The second mutation involves a G→C substitution at nucleotide 197, leading to a histidine to aspartic acid substitution at amino acid position 63 (H63D). Iron Disorders Institute The Iron Chart Christopher Mentioned (PDF download) Blog Post: In Defense of Low Fat Diets Inositol Hexaphosphate Lactoferrin British Journal of Nutrition paper on Lactoferrin The Spritzlet App PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Chris Armstrong Richard Nikoley Dr. Jaime Busch Jimmy Moore De

How does a personal trainer write a best-selling book? Vinnie Tortorich has become a sensation in the personal training and fitness world because of his work with celebrities and by his moniker, "America's Angriest Trainer." His book, "Fitness Confidential" has been on the Amazon bestseller list for over 2 years and is currently #6 in the Amazon "health and fitness" category. It's a bestseller because it's both funny and helpful. How does a fitness trainer become such a successful writer? Hear Vinnie tell the story himself, in the way that only he can, on this episode. How did Vinnie Tortorich become a personal trainer? Vinnie started using a gym before the commercial ones existed. As a kid, he stepped into a cinder block shed with a metal roof in a neighbor's back yard. That's when he first started working out and got interested in health and fitness. There was no such thing as a personal trainer in those days. Vinnie began doing actual training when others saw the results he was getting from his own exercise routines and wanted to know how he was accomplishing it. That was the beginning of a long and multi-faceted career as a trainer and health enthusiast. Listen in to this fun conversation as Christopher asks Vinnie about a variety of topics having to do with health, training, and the culture surrounding them. "America's Angriest Trainer?" How did he get THAT name? Initially Vinnie Tortorich was being told that he needed to have a "name" that was easy to be remembered and passed along via the Internet. That was quite a thing to say to a guy who didn't even know how to use a computer. He first chose, "America's Trainer" which was OK, but clearly doesn't have the same effect. A friend suggested that he call himself "The Angriest Trainer" because of his proneness to rant about the stupid, unhealthy things that the American public has been taught as being "good for them" and "healthy." He decided to go with it, and the name's now commonly known in the health and fitness community. If you take the time to listen to this episode you'll get to hear one of Vinnie's characteristic rants about trainers and doctors, and why we accept that it's OK for them to be fat. Vinnie's fat loss formula: No Sugar, No Grains. Is it really that simple? We tend to be skeptical about something that sounds so simple. How could the removal of just two things from our diets have such dramatic impact? It's because those two things are THE main things that contribute to over fatness. But it's not as easy as it sounds. Sugar is in almost everything you buy off the shelf at the grocery story. Grains have become a staple of the Standard American Diet. When you start talking about removing those from your diet, it's anything BUT simple because our bodies literally become addicted to both. Hear Vinnie's explanation of how he discovered this truth and how he applies it to those he trains, in this episode. When is the right time to teach people about proper nutrition? Christopher Kelly has noticed that many of the people who come to him for fitness and health coaching have reached a midlife crisis point of some kind. They've hit a point where their health issues are starting to surface and they realize they have to do something about it. It's enough to make him feel that he only wants to take clients who are in that age range! But something Vinnie Tortorich wrote in his book, "Fitness Confidential" made Christopher rethink that. Vinnie tells the story of a young boy whose life was forever changed by the education Vinnie gave him at a critical point in his life. The lasting results he experienced are proof that the right knowledge, applied well early in life, could be the solution to the American health crisis. Hear the whole story on this episode. Here's the outline of this interview with Vinnie: [0:05] Introduction and welcome to the America's Angriest Trainer: Vinnie Tortorich [0:25] Vinnie's book: Fitness Confidential (co-authored with Dean Lorey) - you should get it. NOW! [1:13] How Vinnie came to write his book, an interesting and amazing story. [4:43] How the book came to be #6 in Amazon's health and fitness category with an almost 5-star rating. [6:01] How and why Vinnie got into being a personal trainer, before there were personal trainers. [7:59] Some of the early "famous people" who Vinnie has trained and the stories behind how he met them. [10:37] How Vinnie took the "If you don't look good, I don't look good" philosophy and made a business out of it. [12:14] What is the most important part of what Vinnie does, taking people off of sugar and grains? [13:30] Vinnie's current training schedule with a handful of clients every day, and why he will always be doing it. [14:44] Vinnie's attitude about the fad diets that come along year after year, and a few stories about it. [18:55] How the paleo diet fits into the "fad diet" category, and how it doesn't. Vinnie's got an interesting perspective. [20:10] Christopher's opinion about the pal

Joe Friel has trained endurance athletes since 1980. His clients are elite amateur and professional road cyclists, mountain bikers, triathletes, and duathletes. They come from all corners of the globe and include American and foreign national champions, world championship competitors, and an Olympian. He is the author of ten books on training for endurance athletes including the popular and best-selling Training Bible book series. He holds a masters degree in exercise science, is a USA Triathlon and USA Cycling certified Elite-level coach, and is a founder and past Chairman of the USA Triathlon National Coaching Commission. Joe conducts seminars around the world on training and racing for cyclists, multisport athletes, and coaches, and provides consulting services for corporations in the fitness industry. In this episode of the podcast, Christopher Kelly interviews Joe about a wide variety of topics. It's a rare glimpse inside the mind of a pioneering coach that you'll enjoy. Curiosity drives Joe Friel to seek answers for athletes. Joe Friel is a man driven by curiosity. His blog contains thousands of articles he's written over the years, chronicling his studies of diet, exercise, and everything related to training and performance. He wants to know why things happen the way they do and how to use that knowledge to make improvements in health and performance. That curiosity is what has made him into a world-class coach, and he's willing to share it with anyone who cares to listen. In this conversation, Christopher dives deep into that knowledge to find some gems. Fast After 50: An instruction manual for masters athletes. In 1998, Joe wrote the book Cycling Past 50. Turning 70 prompted him to revisit the science, and he started writing up his latest findings on the blog. The feedback from that series of posts was overwhelmingly positive, and so Joe was prompted to start work on Fast After 50. The book is well-referenced, accessible and prescriptive. Good coaches bridge the gap between science and experience. "If you don't look good, we don't look good" - Vidal Sassoon. Coaches make recommendations that work, even if they're not backed up by science. Often, the science is playing catch up. For example, coaches knew that the Fosbury Flop and aerobars worked long before there was science to show why. That's why it pays to know someone like Joe! Strength training is an incredibly important part of the mix for older athletes. That's because as we age, we naturally begin to decline in muscle mass and therefore, strength. The right kind of strength training, varied through the year will enable older athletes to maintain their ability to compete at a high level and preserve their health at the same time. Joe Friel recommends working the larger muscle groups during the off season on a regular basis, as much as 3 times per week. Then, during competitive seasons, cutting back on the degree of weight training, but not stopping altogether. When followed, this practice helps older athletes maintain their strength, which impacts endurance and performance. Get the details to Joe's thoughts about strength training on this episode. Here's the outline of this interview with Joel Friel: [0:05] Welcome and introduction of Joe Friel - coach and author. [1:40] How Joe met the co-author of his book, The Paleo Diet for Athletes, Loren Cordain, and how he started practicing a Paleo lifestyle in the first place. [3:22] How the book "Fast After 50" impacted Christopher differently each time he read it. [4:28] What was it about Joe's 70th birthday that inspired him to write this book? [6:33] How does Joe reconcile a situation when as a coach he knows something works, but there isn't scientific evidence to prove it? [8:06] The differences between athletes and "normal" people and why many studies don't apply across the board because of those differences. [12:02] Why decreased aerobic capacity declines as an athlete ages, and what they can do to prevent it being as severe. [15:46] How Joe came to the conclusion that most aging athletes are defaulting to training over long, slow distances. [17:22] How does Joe reconcile his beliefs on these issues with the research recently shown by Dr. Phil Maffetone. [20:13] Why do aging athletes begin keeping larger stores of fat? [22:05] Joe's insights on how the accumulation of stress plays into these issues as well as how genetics impacts it. [24:51] Has the Paleo diet been helpful for his clients in keeping body fat off? [26:16] A 10% carbohydrate intake along with 60% fat: Joe's personal diet ratios. [27:43] Why Joe doesn't think a low carb diet will cause problems with high intensity workouts for aging athletes. [31:30] Carbohydrate loading before events: Joe's opinion about the practice. [35:50] Why do older athletes lose muscle mass? What can be done to counteract it? [38:54] Strength training tips for older athletes. [40:43] Strength training suggestions for high performance athletes. [42:40] Joe

What does it take to become a world-class triathlete? If anyone knows, Mark Allen does. Mark is a six-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion. He was able to win his first Ironman in 1989, and his last 1995 at age 37. He has also excelled at the Olympic distance, winning the sport's inaugural World Championships in 1989 in Avignon, France, by more than a minute. He was also undefeated in 10 trips to the Nice International Championships, and from 1988-1990 he put together a winning streak of 20 races. In this candid conversation, Christopher Kelly asks Mark a wide variety of questions about heart-rate and training, nutrition, mindset, and much more. All of that and much more in this episode of the podcast. Mark's first Ironman race, a successful failure. When Mark Allen saw his first Ironman race on television he was immediately intrigued. He wondered if he had what it took to even finish the race. He'd done no biking and very little running over the years but felt that being on the swim team in college would make up for it in some ways. It turns out he was right. Looking back now Mark sees that the cardiovascular development swimming had created in him translated into the physical endurance needed to be a good triathlete. Even though he didn't win an Ironman race for some time, his first experiences showed him that with work and training, he could do it. Hear how Mark overcame the challenges to eventually become the "Fittest Man" in the world. It took 3 years of running before it "came easy" for Mark. Mark's swimming background didn't prepare him for the physical rigor that running demands. In swimming the body's weight is entirely supported, but running is the exact opposite. Every step taken is a "pounding" of the body into an inflexible surface, so the transition was difficult and even painful. Those 3 years were a process of building up the fluidity of his running style, and the amazing thing is that he did all of it without a coach. That can be an encouragement to you, especially if you're starting out. Everyone starts at the beginning and you can start where you are today and begin building the skills need to one day, possibly, become a world champion like Mark. Hear the rest of Mark's story on this episode. 3 Things Mark learned as he pioneered the triathlon realm. Mark Allen was among those who could be considered the "pioneers" of the triathlon world. He began doing triathlons before there were coaches and before there was much science to tell us what the body needs and how it functions best in an endurance-type sport. As he competed alongside others, he learned three important things: #1 - You're going to get plenty fit with less training than you think you'll need. You can never do as much as you write down as part of your "ideal" program and in the end, you won't need it. #2 - The bulk of your endurance training will happen when you're astride the bicycle. As a result, you won't have to do huge volumes of running to be ready for a triathalon. #3 - Because you're doing 3 sports in one, you don't have to do as much high intensity speed work as an individual sport athlete will. The vital importance of mindset for endurance athletes. "Once that gun goes off, you have to deal with yourself." That's what Mark Allen says when talking about the neglected issue of mindset. All the numbers and training in the world don't matter if your internal landscape is not developed. How will you handle it when something unexpected comes up? How will you handle seeing another athlete pull away from you. What will you do to keep your mind quiet and press ahead when things are not going as you expected. How do you deal with those mindset issues as a triathlete? Mark Allen has some great advice for you in this episode, so make sure you listen in to the conversation. Here's the outline of this interview with Mark Allen: [0:05] Introduction of Mark Allen: The World's Most Successful Triathlete [0:53] Mark's athletic experience as a child and how he entered the world of triathlons at 24 years of age. [1:57] How swimming earlier in life "created" Mark to be a triathlete. [3:05] Beginning his triathlete career without much running or cycling background. [4:32] Working up the skills to become a practiced runner over a 3 year period without a coach. [7:00] Three "lightbulbs" that went on for Mark during his early years as a triathlete. [8:16] How much training does today's triathlete do? [9:34] Why "heart rate" training is the very best way for athletes to train. [14:23] The ideas and philosophies behind Mark's coaching practice. [16:09] How to correct for climate issues such as heat, humidity, etc. when using the heart-rate method of training. [19:23] The impact of a big meal, sickness, dehydration, and sleep deprivation on exercise and heart-rate. [21:53] Mark's philosophy about using power meters as opposed to day to day observations about your situation and condition. [25:12] Where Mark would start with a new client to help

Will Catterson is a high school maths teacher and competitive swimmer, and in February 2002 he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Will is amazing in that he immediately worked out that the American Diabetes Association nutrition guidelines are wrong. From that moment onwards, Will has been striving to continue an active life without riding blood sugar rollercoaster. If you ever want to know about how much a particular food is likely to affect your blood sugar, just ask a type 1: "I would never wish type 1 diabetes on anybody, but it has given me a unique window into how the body operates... I only get into trouble when I eat something that requires a lot of insulin... if I eat a meal that requires a lot of insulin, it's just not going to go well. I know that the workout that I'm about to do or the competition that I'm about to attempt is just not going to go well." Since Will is a very competitive swimmer, I wondered if switching to a low-carb diet has affected his performance in the water: "I haven't noticed any detraction from my performance. The glycogen seems to last longer. And a typical swim meet will have about sometimes five races in a single half-day." Unfortunately, that's not where the story ends: "I still had some fatigue. And it wasn't making any sense. At first, I thought it was just I was over training. I remember even taking a couple of months where I was completely off, I was resting a lot. And I was still fatigued." "I remember climbing the stairs. I worked at a school that's two stories. And even with just 24 stairs, which should be nothing to an athlete, I remember a pretty significant burning sensation in my thighs just getting up two flights of stairs which seemed completely ridiculous. And it was really getting me frustrated. So that was one major symptom. Other symptoms were like sleep wasn't -- Sleep was okay. I just couldn't figure out why it wasn't great. I had the diet in place. I didn't have a super stressful job. I have a good relationship. Everything was, on the outside, was great. But my sleep was just not quite there. Those were the -- Oh, I remember the third symptom was bloating only after a workout. So I'd go to the pool and usually train on an empty stomach." Poor sleep, fatigue and bloating are the three most common complaints I hear. You're doing everything right--the Paleo diet, prioritising sleep, training appropriately, managing stress, and something is still not right. Now is the time to do some testing. Will's results showed high cortisol, low testosterone, yeast overgrowth and an h. Pylori infection. For those of you that don't know, h. Pylori is a very famous bacteria known to cause stomach ulcers. Antibiotics can be effective, but I know that botanical herbs also work well: "It's not completely gone but ever since I completed the protocols that you had me on with supplements and the H. pylori and the yeast, that was the first symptom to really significantly decrease, as well as the fatigue and the sleep is much better too." But if everyone agrees that H. pylori bacteria is trouble, then why is your doctor not screening for it? "I've got several doctors. And I asked them all. It's sad, the endocrinologist, the doctor that treats diabetes, he just kind of shrugged it off and almost gave me a no answer at all. I think he might have said something along the lines of, "We'll test your testosterone." But when the total testosterone came out normal, he just forgot about it and said, "Well, I guess, you're just tired. Or maybe, well, you exercise a lot so, therefore, of course, you're tired." "That was totally unhelpful. My general practitioner was a little bit more interested, but he had no answers. In fact, I brought up the H. pylori with the general practitioner, and I have a copy of this email. I should send it to you. When he found out that I had H. pylori, and I asked him how to treat it, he suggested the course of antibiotics. And I asked him, "Is there any way that I could get rid of those without doing antibiotics?" "When I asked him if this was possible to do without antibiotics he said flatly no. He emailed a GI doctor while I was in the office with him, and he replied almost immediately and he said, "There is no known alternative cure for H. pylori." March 2015: August 2015: In just a few short months, Will has been able to turn everything around: "It's just making things so much easier. It was really kind of depressing to walk up two flights of stairs and feel fatigued. It was just the sort of message on a daily basis that, Hey, something is wrong. And now that's gone. In fact, I was just thinking about it this morning as I was walking up to my classroom and thinking, Man, that's so cool. I feel a normal amount of fatigue by climbing 24 stairs. Also, I slept through the night last night, and it was -- I mean, that in of itself is pretty cool. I woke up, and my alarm went off pretty early unfortunately because the only time I can get in a swimming workout

I don't think many people heard this interview with Robb Wolf when it was originally broadcast back in June 2014. At that time, the Nourish Balance Thrive podcast didn't exist, and Julia and I awkwardly broadcasted it on our other show called the Paleo Baby podcast. Robb is an amazing guy. With his second child just weeks away, he must have had so much on his mind at the time of this interview, and yet he delivered an incredible hour of wisdom. Sadly I don't think much has changed in the past year or so. Rather than greater acceptance as something you ought to try first, the Paleo Diet has continued to be misunderstood by the mainstream media. No this is not necessarily a low carb or high protein diet! The strawmen arguments will not die. Listen to the interview and let me know what you think. Do you have questions for Robb? Perhaps I could get him back onto the show to answer them, let me know in the comments below. You can hear me on Robb's show here.

Gabriela Schneider is the Primal Blueprint Certified Expert, young science writer and cook behind beyondthebiteforlife.com. Gabriela has been using a combination of the autoimmune immune protocol, a ketogenic diet, and the PK protocol to treat her neurological chronic Lyme disease. About a year ago Gabriela was kind enough to gift us this guest post on the PK protocol for Lyme, and since then the article has been viewed over 6,000 times for an average of five minutes. Gabriela's blog has lots of fantastic ideas recipes for those eating according to the autoimmune protocol, and I'd also highly recommend her Instagram account. The book I mentioned the interview is called Healing Lyme by Stephen Buhner. During the interview, Gabriela mentions Dr. Kaslow, but meant to say Dr. Cahill (in reference to her parasite doctor).

I've got my wife Julia (Julie) Kelly on the podcast this week to answer some frequently asked questions that she receives during nutrition coaching sessions. We didn't get time to cover everything, so I think will do another follow-up show later. The questions are: Why do you do this? What makes you different? What's the difference between a food scientist and registered dietician or nutritionist? Marty Kendall of Optimising Insulin recently linked this article on the Diabetes Australia website. I think this is solid evidence to support Julie's decision not to become registered or licensed. How many calories should I eat? Do I need to track calories? How many grams of carbohydrate, fat and protein should I eat? When will I lose weight? I still haven't lost any weight, when's that going to happen? Do I need to be in ketosis? What should I eat for breakfast? What about when I'm travelling? Can I bend the AIP rules? Pictured below, our daughter Ivy. Ivy eats exactly the same food we do. Did we miss your question? If so, please leave it in the comments section below will be sure to answer it in the next episode.

Professor Tim Noakes is a towering but controversial figure in the health and fitness world, having written more than 50 scientific books and articles covering a variety of topics that challenge the industry standards of both medicine and sports nutrition. After discovering that the current international dietary guidelines have little basis in science, Tim Noakes began his own research on the effects of dietary protein, carbohydrate and fat. His research convinced him that a high-fat, low-carb diet is the best option for many people. In today's episode Christopher Kelly chats with Tim about the benefits of a low-carb, high-fat diet, but not before covering the issue of hydration for athletes and why more harm than good is being done by the promotion of an overhydration myth. This is an engaging, thought-provoking conversation you won't want to miss. Is it true that endurance athletes need to overhydrate in preparation for competition? In his book "Waterlogged," Professor Tim Noakes gives a definitive, "No" answer to that question. His studies have proved again and again that the body itself is the best regulator of proper and necessary hydration and will push every person on the planet toward drinking when it is truly needed through the sensation we call "thirst." He holds that this is equally true for endurance athletes. Professor Noakes and Christopher Kelly spend the first part of this conversation discussing the research and reasons for his contentions about hydration and discuss the terrible effects overhydration can and has produced. Professor Tim Noakes's surprising path to a low-carb, high-fat diet. Professor Tim Noakes has been a marathon and ultramarathon runner for most of his adult life so he's long known the general correlation of good nutrition for performance. But when he returned to school to receive a medical education he bought into the standard nutritional guidelines touted by the medical community. Correspondingly, his personal dietary habits changed, and in time a decline in his personal health followed. As he began to see the reality of his own health Tim was motivated to find an answer. A book recommendation from a friend turned his thinking back to the low-carb, high-fat way of eating (banting) and his health turned dramatically toward the better in a relatively short period of time. You can hear the entire story of Professor Noakes's discoveries and how it's resulted in the creation of his program "The Real Meal Revolution" in this episode. A real answer for type 2 diabetes. Professor Tim Noakes is one of many who is living proof that type 2 diabetes can be reversed. After experiencing his own health struggles caused by adherence to the dietary guidelines promoted by the medical community, he became diabetic himself. His path to healing came from rejecting the status quo dietary recommendations and adopting what his research was showing to be much better… a low-carb, high-fat diet. You can hear his story of how that change came about, the dramatic impact it has had on his life, and testimonies of the many people who have followed his dietary recommendations and seen their type 2 diabetes reversed. It's an illuminating conversation on this episode of the podcast. The Noakes Foundation: Supporting a global dietary revolution to reverse obesity and type 2 diabetes. After being left frustrated by a decline in his personal health, Professor Tim Noakes has made it his mission to reverse the global trends of diabetes and obesity. The Noakes Foundation is the organization he's formed to conduct research and disseminate its findings in order to be a catalyst for that change. The foundation's purpose is to reveal what genuine healthy nutrition looks like and, in doing so, make a difference in the lives of millions of people. Tim Noakes's work is poised to shake the health/nutrition world, and hopefully, the entire world beyond that. In this episode, Professor Noakes will speak about his findings, why obesity is an unnatural state for the human body, and how his research and experience has led him to a dietary solution for type 2 diabetes. Be sure to listen. Here's the outline of this interview: [0:05] Introduction of Professor Tim Noakes, writer and researcher. [1:43] Introduction to today's two topics: Hydration & Low Carb Diets. [2:26] How Tim's book, "Waterlogged" has impacted Christopher and how the issue of hydration is a life and death issue. [4:57] Professor Noakes's response to the claims that thirst indicates a loss of hydration and a loss of power for athletes. [8:57] Why the right approach to hydration is to monitor it by thirst, not amount. [10:38] How does specific gravity relate to issues of hydration? [12:01] How the feedback loops in human physiology impact things like thirst, weight loss, and others. [13:38] What causes an afternoon loss of energy? Eating too much sugar. [14:30] Intestinal hyperpermeability: Does dehydration cause it? [17:57] How Professor Noakes got into stu

Kevin Hall's study "Calorie for Calorie, Dietary Fat Restriction Results in More Body Fat Loss than Carbohydrate Restriction in People with Obesity" was picked up by almost all the popular news outlets. The BBC, The Guardian, Time Magazine, The Washington Post and LA Times all weighed in. Stephen Guyenet and Bill Lagakos both wrote very interesting articles worthy of your attention. The examine.com and NHS commentary were also good. Dr. Tommy Wood described the study as "groundbreaking" and "the most well designed and best controlled ever". From the title, the conclusion was clear, the low-fat diet resulted in more fat-loss than the low-carb diet. Unfortunately, and as always, it's a bit more complicated than that. Professor Richard Feinman described the study as "a very distressing paper", not for its conclusion, but for the missing data. "Nobody loses an average amount of weight," said Feinman, "habeas corpus datorum" (show me the body of the data). During the interview, Dr. Feinman mentions QED Statistics, and the two studies "Carbohydrate restriction improves the features of Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic Syndrome may be defined by the response to carbohydrate restriction" and "Dietary carbohydrate restriction as the first approach in diabetes management: Critical review and evidence base". Richard David Feinman is Professor of Biochemistry at the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Feinman's original area of research was in protein chemistry and enzyme mechanism, particularly in blood coagulation and related processes. Dr. Feinman has talked about flawed studies on my podcast once before. Dr. Tommy Wood is a qualified medical doctor, graduating from Oxford University in 2011. He has a previous Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences and Biochemistry from Cambridge University. After working as a junior doctor in the UK for two years, Dr. Wood is now working towards a Ph.D. in neonatal brain metabolism at the University of Oslo, Norway. Tommy is a regular contributor to my podcast, and for that I am ever grateful. Addendum, 7 September, 2015 During the interview, Dr. Feinman said, "They've chased out everybody who has integrity". This statement was the result speaking of-the-cuff, and what he meant was "They've chased out everybody who can't put up with the state of the field. The remaining ones may have great integrity but greater tolerance for the mess in nutrition".

I've just got back from three wonderful weeks of travelling in the UK, and while I was there, I ran into some old friends who've been listening to my podcast. "Lots of great information, but not much prescriptive," they said. "What the heck is it that you do for a living now?". Well, that's the question that this show attempts to answer. And who better than Amelia to help me describe what it is that we do at Nourish Balance Thrive. Amelia and I have been working together for about a year now, and I'm proud to announce that she's now my first full-time employee. In a nutshell: Nourish Balance Thrive is the wellness programme created by athletes, for athletes. We've had great results recommending a Paleo diet, especially The Whole30 and Autoimmune Paleo protocol, along side environment hacks to improve sleep and manage stress. We don't design training plans, but we do recommend walking and lifting heavy things. If you're already doing these things and aren't getting the brochure experience, then now might be a good time to start doing some testing. Each set of results are unique, but the set of tests I use don't vary much. The tests are: The BioHealth 205 Adrenal Stress Profile The Genova Diagnostics 0091 Organix Comprehensive Profile The BioHealth 401H GI Pathogen Screen A basic blood chemistry with CBC, CWP, iron panel, Vitamin D, A1c, insulin, homocysteine, B12, folate and more. Am I missing a test you've found to be helpful? Let me know in the comments below. I know from personal experience that when you've been feeling like crap for a long time, perception of normal becomes distorted. You can now quantify your normal and track its improvement using my Health Assessment Questionnaire, coded by my own fair hand using the Python programming language. In the show, I mentioned this LED lighting kit.

I've got Dr. Tommy Wood back on the podcast to talk about supplementing with carbohydrates for endurance performance. I had a terrible time with maltodextrin-based sports gels back a few years ago, and I've since noticed that some of the best athletes I know do well on long rides without eating anything. But still, the studies show a clear advantage in supplementing with carbohydrates during workouts lasting longer than one hour. Luckily Tommy is here to help me understand the studies, the potential pitfalls and the biochemistry of supplementing with carbs. For the past couple of years, I've been supplementing with UCAN Superstarch during long, hard workouts and races. I think of UCAN as the training wheels that enabled me to be a better fat burner. Now I'm left wondering, is there something out there that works better? Or is there something as good but cheaper, e.g. waxy maize? Or fructose? Tommy and I intend to find out which is best for me using an oral glucose tolerance test. In the show, I mention the UCAN study, and also these two studies on waxy maize and fructose. I also said that I wasn't sure whether or not I'm ketosis. I've since measured blood ketones at 2.1 mmol/L and six green flashes on a Ketonix Sport breath meter.

On the show this week, author and podcast host Jimmy Moore. I wanted to get Jimmy on to talk about his new Ketogenic Cookbook. I have a paper copy of the book, and I love it. The pictures are big and beautiful, and there's tons of variety. Who said a ketogenic diet is too restrictive? It's just not true. For those of you that don't already know, I've been working with Jimmy over the past few months in an attempt to him break through a fat-loss plateau. Jimmy has done blood, saliva, urine and stool testing, and I've been helping him understand the results. Jimmy published his results and then broadcast the interview in which I do the interpretation. In this episode, I'm joined by my wife and food scientist Julia to discuss the changes that Jimmy has made to his diet. Julia recommended going dairy-free for a month and introducing a wide variety of non-starchy vegetables. In the interview, I mention the uBiome test.

Amir works for a large technology company in Silicon Valley and came to me for help to resolve his chronic inflammation, bloating, allergy and food sensitivity issues: I couldn't eat a piece of food without feeling sluggish afterwards right away, to the point where it would really interfere heavily with my job and the work that I was doing. I have to perform at work. It's quite challenging not to be able to think clearly throughout the day. It was to the point where I was really dreading foods. The Paleo diet has been extremely helpful, and AIP even better: The last two months I've been very strict on my diet, I mean, very, very clean living, no booze, no nothing. I think that also makes a big difference. For the past two months, I would say I've been doing exceptionally well. Diet and lifestyle hacks are always helpful, but if you don't get the brochure experience, then it's time to do some testing to figure out why. In Amir's case, we found low cortisol (a.k.a adrenal fatigue) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). And now: On good days, I feel outstanding. I see it in my physical performance and when I look in the mirror too. A lot of the drawbacks that I had before are pretty much gone. I feel really energetic. I picked up lots of new hobbies, actually, which is an indicator of feeling like you have more energy to tend to the things that you want to do. I think that was the goal overall, just making sure that I can do the things again that I like. On the left, Amir's organic acids result from July 2014, on the right, the April 2015 retest. Each row describes an abnormality; fewer is better.

Functional Medicine expert Dr. Michael Ruscio lectures to doctors and students nationwide and runs a private practice in California. I first became aware of his research through a series of excellent Robb Wolf podcasts, here, here and here. Dr. Ruscio now hosts this podcast that I've been enjoying tremendously. Over the past few weeks, I've been developing a tool to help people better understand their µBiome test results and open up the possibility of automating analysis of the bacteria that reside in our guts. This type of microbiota testing goes beyond the core of what I do at Nourish Balance Thrive, and I was keen to get Dr. Ruscio on to discuss its potential clinical relevance. Dr. Ruscio is open to the idea of testing and manipulating the microbiota but feels that the association between test results and health outcomes are not yet understood. Furthermore, Dr. Ruscio remains skeptical that we can "custom manipulate the microbiota" to produce a health outcome. I also couldn't resist the opportunity to ask Dr. Ruscio about his thoughts on treatment for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Have you done the µBiome test? Did you find any bifidobacteria? Have you been able to manipulate the results using probiotics and prebiotics? Was there any association with your health or athletic performance? Let me know in the comments section below.

Dr. Tommy Wood is a qualified medical doctor, graduating from Oxford University in 2011. He has a previous Bachelors degree in Natural Sciences and Biochemistry from Cambridge University. After working as a junior doctor in the UK for two years, Dr. Wood is now working towards a Ph.D. in neonatal brain metabolism at the University of Oslo, Norway. I was inspired to record this interview by the questions I received after people heard my interview with Jimmy Moore in which we review his recent lab work. To keep in balance, we have both positive and negative ions in the blood. The positive ions (cations) measured on a basic blood chemistry are sodium and potassium. The negative ions (anions) are chloride and bicarbonate. Just to confuse you, bicarbonate is labelled CO2. The anion gap is the sodium plus the potassium minus the chloride and the bicarbonate. Put another way, the anion gap is the unmeasured anions in the blood. The anion gap is a calculated number and is relevant because the greater the number, the greater the likelihood of an acidosis. The only way to know for sure is to analyse blood gas. If you have an anion gap greater than 30, then it's very likely you have an acidosis. In the show, I mention the Khan Academy Chemistry module and Bryan Walsh's Metabolic Fitness Pro training course. Both of these have helped me understand blood chemistry. Have you run a basic blood chemistry recently? What was your anion gap?

Patrick Arnold is an organic chemist renowned in the field of performance enhancement and sports supplements. Patrick first hit the public eye in the late 1990's when he introduced androstenedione ("Andro") to the world of professional sport. Patrick has since turned his attention away from prohormones and towards exogenous ketone supplements (BHB). Will ketone supplements ever be banned from sport? Patrick thinks not: It's a good question. No. I can't see how it could possibly be a banned substance. I mean, BHB is present in many foods, be it in small levels. BHB is naturally occurring in your body. It's a actual energy substrate. It's an actual nutrient. I mean, it's right there along with protein, carbs and fats. I've been using KetoForce for almost two years now in mountain bike, gravel grinder and cyclocross races. Of course, I don't know if it improves my performance, but 30ml (three capfuls) reliably raises my blood ketone levels by about 1.5mmol/L. I make KetoForce more palatable using this recipe, courtesy of the late Chef Rachel Albert: 30ml of KetoForce 250ml (8oz) of water The juice of half a lime One teaspoon of apple cider vinegar Rachel used Stevia, I skip it More recently, Patrick has introduced KetoCaNa, a more palatable and portable powdered form of BHB. Are you using ketone supplements to help with your athletic performance? What sport? Have you been able to quantify the difference? Please, let me know in the comments below.

In this episode, I'm joined again by Toréa Rodriguez FDN, a former biochemist, Silicon Valley executive, and professional pilot. Now she is a Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner and health coach herself. We discuss her current progress with her Hashimoto's, gut healing protocols and her personal experience using an AIP low inflammatory diet. Toréa now works full-time helping other people recover from autoimmunity. Book a free consultation to find out how she can help you.

Reed is a Nutritional Therapist and Founder of the Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® (FDN) Certification Course. Reed is known as one of the most successful and experienced clinicians in the world today, having provided functional lab assessments to over 11,000 people for hormone levels as well as adrenal, digestion, detoxification, mucosal barrier, pathogenic, bone density and diet-related health problems. He served as the Health Director and Case Manager at The Better Health & Wellness Center in Poway, California for over eight years before launching the FDN Certification Course. FDN is one of the training courses that I completed before launching Nourish Balance Thrive, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to uncover the cause of their health complaints. You never know, it may just lead to a career change! Find out more and sign up for the FDN course.

My guest Dr. Tommy Wood is a qualified medical doctor, graduating from Oxford University in 2011. He has a previous Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences and Biochemistry from Cambridge University. After working as a junior doctor in the UK for two years, Dr. Wood is now working towards a Ph.D. in neonatal brain metabolism at the University of Oslo, Norway. Takeaway message: do not take antioxidant supplements during or immediately after working out. Increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to cellular oxidative stress is linked to numerous pathologies including cancer, diabetes, and neurological diseases [1–4]. Oxidative stress can be measured using the organic acids P-Hydroxyphenyllactate and 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). The former is a marker of cell turnover and the latter a breakdown product gaunine of DNA. Many tissues can produce ROS during exercise [5], and so it makes intuitive sense that over-exercising athletes are prone to the deleterious effects of oxidative stress and should increase their antioxidant intake accordingly. More recent evidence suggests that exercise is in fact an antioxidant [6] and taking antioxidant supplements during or immediately following exercise may shut down the beneficial adaptations [7-8]. During the interview, Tommy says "Superoxide is basically just a normal oxygen molecule with an extra electron attached to it" and would like to add: "To be correct, superoxide is oxygen that has lost an electron, leaving it was a "spare" (extra) unpaired electron. It is oxygen that has become oxidised. Though technically oxidation is the loss of an electron (reduction is the gain of an electron), some processes in the body involving the gain of electrons will add to oxidative stress if they are not completed fully. For instance, this is often seen in mitochondrial dysfunction." I mentioned Bryan Walsh's Metabolic Fitness Pro training course and the Khan Academy chemistry module. Is content this technical useful? Let me know in the comments section below! References [1] Valko, M.; Rhodes, C. J.; Moncol, J.; Izakovic, M.; Mazur, M. Free radicals, metals and antioxidants in oxidative stress-induced cancer. Chem. Biol. Interact. 160:1–40; 2006. [2] Xie, K.; Huang, S. Regulation of cancer metastasis by stress pathways. Clin. Exp. Metastasis 20:31–43; 2003. [3] Wei, W.; Liu, Q.; Tan, Y.; Liu, L.; Li, X.; Cai, L. Oxidative stress, diabetes, and diabetic complications. Hemoglobin 33:370–377; 2009. [4] Reddy, V. P.; Zhu, X.; Perry, G.; Smith, M. A. Oxidative stress in diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. J. Alzheimers Dis. 16:763–774; 2009. [5] Powers, S. K.; Jackson, M. J. Exercise-induced oxidative stress: cellular mechanisms and impact on muscle force production. Physiol. Rev. 88:1243–1276; 2008. [6] M.C. Gomez-Cabrera, E. Domenech, L.L. Ji, J. Viña, Exercise as an antioxidant: it up-regulates important enzymes for cell adaptations to exercise. doi:10.1016/j.scispo.2005.06.012 [7] Michael Ristowa, Kim Zarsea, Andreas Oberbachc, Nora Klo Michael Stumvollc, C. Ronald Kahne, Matthias Blu, Antioxidants prevent health-promoting effects of physical exercise in humans. doi:10.1073/pnas.0903485106 [8] Tina-Tinkara Peternelj and Jeff S. Coombes, Antioxidant Supplementation during Exercise Training, Beneficial or Detrimental? doi:10.2165/11594400-000000000-00000