Sigma Nutrition Radio

Episode 100: To mark the 100 episode milestone, I chat with my good friend Ciaran O' Regan. Ciaran is a sports scientist, strength & conditioning coach and a heavyweight amateur boxer.

Episode 99: Dr. Spencer Nadolsky returns to the show to talk about what medications can cause weight gain and how to potentially find alternative options.

Episode 98: Lee Hamiton, PhD, of the University of Stirling is on the show to discuss the impact of omega 3 fatty acids on muscle function & metabolic health via inflammation & insulin sensitivity.

Episode 97: Dr. Michael Ruscio returns to the show to discuss gut mircobiota, applications for weight loss, insulin sensitivity, and the potential pitfalls in translating gut research into clinical practice.

Episode 96:Andrew Chappell, PhD, is on the show to discuss the influence of diet and modern living on the gut microbiota and the role of our gut bacteria in many health-related issues.

Episode 95: Dr. James Levine from the Mayo Clinic is on the show to discuss the effect of chronic sitting on the risk of blood sugar dysregulation, fat gain, obesity, neurological issues, productivity and general well-being. Click here for show notes

Episode 94: One of the UK's most successful coaches Phil Learney is on the show to discuss nutritional periodization, rigid vs. flexible dieting, who needs advanced nutritional strategies, what science can and can't tell us & why modification beats change.

Episode 93: John Berardi, PhD. of Precision Nutrition is on the show to discuss the trade-offs that occur with any dietary approach, the limits of using science, future areas of nutrition research and coaching and the concept of the "best" diet.

Episode 92: Dr. Eric Ravussin of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center is on the show to discuss their recent human trials on the effects of caloric restriction on longevity markers, fasting, hormesis and obesity.

Episode 91: In a solo episode, I discuss some research looking at how sleep restriction can affect appetite hormones, diet and glucose metabolism.

Episode 90: Christopher Kelly discusses how to take a personal interest in your own health through a typical blood chemistry panel as well as organic acids testing.

Episode 89: Dr. Mike Schwartz is on the show to discuss the fascinating research being done at his lab at the University of Washington on the role of the brain in the pathogenesis of obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Episode 88: Dr. Kevin Hall of the NIH is on to discuss the recent carb restriction vs. fat restriction study, issues surrounding weigh regain, homeostatic regulation of weight and the physiology of fat loss.

Episode 87: Dr. Brendan Egan, PhD. from University College Dublin is on the show to discuss the concepts of net muscle protein balance, sarcopenia, anabolic resistance, interventions to overcome this and supplements like phosphatidic acid, HMB, creatine, leucine-enrichment.

Episode 86: Mike T. Nelson, PhD. discusses metabolic flexibility, shifting between fuel sources, lactate, ketones, fasting and "train low, compete high".

Episode 83: Shawn Wells discusses the good and bad of the supplement industry, red flags when it comes to selecting supplements, markers of good products and the importance of gut health.

Episode 81: Nutritionist and doctoral researcher Joseph Agu is on the show to discuss pre-bed casein, protein quality, absorption rates of different whey supplements and the usefulness of branched-chain amino acids.

Episode 80: Susan Kleiner, PhD., is on the show to discuss how female trainees should optimally fuel themselves, problems with low-carbohydrate diets and how many athletes undereat.

Episode 79: 3DMJ coach Eric Helms returns to the show to discuss important nutrition considerations for powerlifting.

Episode 78: Powerlifter Greg Nuckols of Strengtheory is on the show to discussing eating to gain weight and strength, recovery strategies, the importance of sleep and how stress affects your gains.

Episode 77: James Krieger discusses issues around weight regulation, non-exercise activity thermogenesis, self-reporting of food intake, calorie counting, gluten and the glycaemic index.

Neuroscientist Nicole Avena, PhD is on the show to dicuss hedonic eating vs. caloric need, food addiction and sugar adiction. Find show notes here.

Episode 75: Armi Legge of Evidence Mag is on the show to discuss why fat loss comes more difficult to some people, how to stay in shape whilst travelling, how to build habits and the place of fitness in your overall life.

Episode 74: Evelyn Kocur talks carbohydrates, insulin and adiposity.

Borge Fagerli discusses how meal and nutrient timing can be an important factor in health when considering the effect on circadian rhythms.

Registered dietitian Mike Sweeney is on the show to discuss myths around fat loss, contest prep for physique athletes and digestive health.

Douglas Kalman, PhD is the performance nutritionist for the Blackzillians team based in Florida. He is also an academic and co-founder of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

Brian Wansink, PhD discusses food behaviour, behaviour change, mindless eating and how powerful cues in our environment influence our food intake more than we realise.

Stephan Guyenet, PhD discusses fat mass regulation via energy homeostasis systems, why we overeat and the difference between homeostatic and non-homeostatic eating. Show notes

It's Friday night and you've just settling into relaxation mode for the weekend after a tough week at work. You rock into the kitchen to rustle up something to eat. You've narrowed it down to two meals you enjoy. Now it's decision time... Sweet potato and coconut oil or ice cream? What's the best choice? (The fact you're reading this blog I'm going to assume you care about health and body composition) Does this seem like a ridiculous question? Do you think there's one obvious choice? Or do you feel it doesn't matter? I don't think we can answer the question without some further context.

Dr. Yoni Freedhoff talks about why most diets fail, what is important for successful weight management, a healthy approach to eating, advice for parents on feeding their children and the role of the food industry.

Lyle McDonald is on the show to discuss the metabolic adaptations that take place when dieting, the connection between cortisol and water retention and the role of leptin in dieting and weight regain. Show notes

A short episode looking at the evidence-base behind the idea low-carb diets are more effective for fat loss.

Medical Doctor and former Navy SEAL, Kirk Parsley talks about how sleep can influence every performance metric in your life and what to do about it. Go to episode page

Martin MacDonald is on the show to discuss the difference between "fat burning" and fat loss, fasted vs. fed-state cardio, metabolic efficiency, and the exciting area of training and recovering in a low-glycogen state. Go to episode page

Nia Shanks of Lift Like a Girl talks how to approach nutrition without stress, working out because you love your body not hate it and how you can become the most awesome version of yourself. Go to episode page

World-renowned researcher Dr. Barbara Rolls discusses the concept of volumetics and how satiety and calorie density are important for weight loss and weight maintenance. Go to episode page

Alex Viada of Complete Human Perforamnce discusses energy systems, benefits of concurrent training, how to program it correctly, and nutritional/hydration considerations for endurance athletes. Go to episode page

We look at soluble vs. insoluble fiber, fermentable vs. non-fermentable fiber, resistant starch, oligosaccharides, effect on gut health, and the role of prebiotics. Go to episode page

Menno Henselmans of Bayesian Bodybuilding talks refeeds, cyclic low-carb diets, ketogenic diets, carb cycling, circadian rhythms and body recomposition. Show notes

Danny discusses how the caloric density of meals is an important consideration when going through a hypocaloric phase.

Bill Willis, PhD talks about inflammation, the adaptive response to training and how antioxidants can potentially negatively impact exercise performance, recovery and physical improvements.

Danny breaks simply how much protein you should eat each day, at what times and how much post-workout.

Dr. Bryan Walsh, ND talks about adrenal physiology, low and high cortisol, the HPA axis, why adrenal fatigue is a myth and how all this influences how you should eat and live. Episode page here

Danny talks about the importance of keeping perspective and how important perception is when it comes to dieting. You can grab all the links mentioned in this episode at sigmanutrition.com/episode45 Fundamentals vs. small details What success is predicated on Limiting factors An interesting study demonstarting psychology when it comes dieting and perception Some practical take-aways to remember

Mike Samuels of Healthy Living, Heavy Lifting is on the shoe to discuss restrictive vs. flexible dieting, our common transition from neurotic eating to sustainable nutrition, how to eat whilst travelling or working on the road, how to elimate binges and how to enjoy life!

Episode 43: Dr. Mike Israetel is Assistant Professor of Exercise Science at UCM, a competitive powerlifter, grappler & bodybuilder and is the coach to many elite level athletes. On the show we dive into nutrient timing; protein timing, protein distribution, leucine threshold, placement of carbohydrates and the hierarchy of importance for body composition change. Show notes

Dr. Bryan Chung, MD and PhD researcher, talks about evidence-based fitness, problems with the fitness and nutrition industry, the issue of calories, metabolic advantages of certain diets, psychology of dieting and game-changing research on the relevance of muscle protein synthesis as a proxy measure for hypertrophy.

Dublin-based trainer & competitive CrossFit athlete Dominic Munnelly is on the show to talk about where CrossFit fits in to the health & fitness industry, some of the criticisms it faces, considerations for female trainees & differences in nutrition for performance vs. nutrition for body composition.

Co-founder and director of Examine.com, Kamal Patel, is on the show to discuss research methodology, how to think about research, the hierarchy of evidence and how we can use all this to decide what potential diet and supplement decisions we can take. Show notes