For a long time, most people believed that when we exercise, our muscles make lactic acid, this acidifies the muscles, and the acidity contributes to contractile failure, fatigue, and delayed-onset muscle soreness. Some people still believe this. You may have heard the argument against it from well-known figures like Andy Galpin, or, if you’re deep into the science, you may have read the work of George Brooks. In this lesson, we are going to cover the biochemistry of lactate production. We will see that we never make lactic acid, ever. We make lactate. Making lactate is fundamentally alkalinizing. We will take a look at the presentation of glycolysis in the Berg and Lehninger biochemistry textbooks to see that, on the one hand, they give us everything we need to know to understand that the human body never makes lactic acid, but, on the other hand, they really do not equip us well to understand where acidity does comes from during exercise. This is because they do not consider acid-base balance important enough to completely present the proton balances of the chemical reactions. Finally, we will cover what does cause muscular fatigue, take a look at the research on lactate supplements, and come to some conclusions about the best way to manage acidity during exercise to maximize performance. This is part of a larger course on the biochemistry of how we derive energy from food and use it to fuel our wellness, performance, and longevity. Take the full course here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/masterclass-with-masterjohn-energy To see the slides, watch this lesson on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrpbLllsSHQ  To obtain the written version with timestamped slides for better studying, see here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/how-lactate-alkalinizes-your-muscles This lesson is free for one week. After that it will be reserved for Masterpass members. You can learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about  You can subscribe to the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe  2:52 How textbooks present glycolysis 3:36 What is acidity? 4:32 The acidfying and alkalinizing phases of glycolysis 7:09 Glycolysis: A brief review 10:08 The Principles 29:33 The Reactions -- and Where the Textbooks Go Wrong 38:59 Human beings do not make lactic acid 42:13 Lactate transport is even more alkalinizing to muscle 47:44 Robert Robergs Fights an Uphill Battle in Clarifying the Sources of Acidity and the Alkalinizing Effect of Lactate 1:01:08 What causes fatigue? 1:05:15 Does CO2 contribute to acidity? 1:13:45 Where is Glycolysis Getting Backed Up? 1:23:10 Conclusiuons: What's realy going on with exercise-induced acidosis. 1:26:34 Lactate supplements 1:30:53 How to use this information in training for optimal performance.  

D-lactate is commonly stated to be exclusively a microbial metabolite.  This is found in assumptions within the medical literature for decades even when it was long-known to be false.  While D-lactate is indeed made by bacteria, D-lactate is also inarguably and irrefutably produced by human enzymes. In this podcast, moreover, I will argue the following: Microbial contribution to D-lactate in humans under normal circumstances is negligible.  I coin the term “the D-lactate shuttle” to describe a role for D-lactate that should eventually make its way into biochemistry textbooks alongside the malate-aspartate shuttle and the glycerol phosphate shuttle. The D-lactate shuttle operates alongside these other shuttles to balance the priorities of conserving cytosolic NAD+, reducing cytosolic acidity, bypassing complex I, or generating ATP. It is uniquely useful as a shuttle when there is an absolute deficit of niacin or NAD(H). D-lactate is an important contributor to gluconeogenesis that could account for up to 11% of it and rival an individual amino acid. While D-lactate concentrations in human plasma are infinitesimal, when the downstream metabolism of D-lactate and L-lactate are blocked by genetic disorders, the concentrations of the two forms are similar in plasma. This contrasts wildly with the common claim that flux through D-lactate is “minuscule.” Most likely D-lactate is produced in considerable quantities in liver and kidney but is rarely secreted into plasma because doing so would risk neurotoxicity. D-lactate should be taken seriously for its potential role in Parkinson’s and in neurological problems generally, for its role in diabetes, and for its extremely underappreciated roles in glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and the respiratory chain. Oxalate powerfully impairs D-lactate clearance, so D-lactate should be investigated as a potential link between oxalate and autism, and oxalate-lowering strategies should be seen as a way to improve D-lactate clearance and reduce its potential role in diabetes and neurological disorders. See the sections on riboflavin, zinc manganese, and glutathione in Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, as well as Does CoQ10 Deserve a Spot on Your Longevity Plan? and the How to Detox Manganese guide for managing the relevant nutrients. Read the written version for live links and references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/d-lactate-groundbreaking-research

In this podcast we cover elevated creatinine, insomnia, cramps constipation, water retention, hair loss, irritation and anger, lightheadedness during lifting, bloating, aggravation of restless leg syndrome, irritation of asthma, bloody noses, anxiety, headaches, heart palpitations, twitching, and fast or slow heartbeat. The full podcast and article can be found here:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/handling-creatine-side-effects 

Creatine is like your second mitochondria. Or, the mitochondria’s chief of staff. Or its co-pilot. Your mitochondria make ATP so you can see clearly, hear accurately, digest your food, power your brain, show off your your shiny skin, lift heavy things, and perform your best at the challenges you face. They do that all with the help of creatine. Creatine is responsible for spreading the impact of mitochondrial ATP production into the general area of the cell known as the cytosol, and into every organelle outside the mitochondria. While it is more important in cells with high ATP requirements, variable ATP requirements, and long distances between mitochondria and the source of ATP utilization, it is still incredibly important in every cell. There is no point in optimizing your mitochondria if you don’t also optimize your creatine. Many people may believe that the high muscle creatine stores that athletes achieve with creatine supplements are “unnatural” and something not achievable until creatine supplements were available. Here, I argue that nothing could be further from the truth. Every muscle fiber wants to be exactly as rich in creatine as achieved with creatine supplementation. All of your cells want to be rich in creatine. Your brain is dying to be this rich in creatine. Your muscles are starving to be this rich in creatine. It is completely natural to be this rich in creatine, yet most of us in the modern era who don’t supplement just aren’t that optimized. The creatine we require to be optimized is likely etched deep into our beings by our ancestral consumption of one to two pounds of meat per day. When red and rare, one pound can give the dose that saturates tissue stores. When white and well done, two pounds may be required. But can we synthesize enough creatine ourselves when all the precursors in place? Here we examine that question. But first, a brief review of creatine’s lesser known benefits. This is educational in nature and not medical or dietetic advice. The article version has live links, graphs, and references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/your-cells-are-starving-for-creatine Handling Creatine Side Effects will be released as a podcast tomorrow but is available as a written article right now: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/handling-creatine-side-effects 

Question: Is whole food vitamin C superior to natural because it is part of a tyrosinase complex? Short Answer: Vitamin C is nearly ubiquitously distributed in plant tissues, and is never bound to any enzyme as a structural complex. Vitamin C promotes absorption of iron from plant foods, inhibits copper absorption, and de-loads copper from ceruloplasmin, which may play a role in distributing copper to tissues. Vitamin C is not capable of destroying ceruloplasmin. These functions follow directly from vitamin C as an electron donor and there is no evidence whatsoever that whole food vitamin C behaves differently in these respects than synthetic vitamin C. However, daily needs in most contexts are 2-400 milligrams of vitamin C per day, which is below the dose shown to potentially cause problems with copper. Getting this from whole foods or whole food supplements is better than using synthetic vitamin C because it avoids GMO corn and Chinese synthetics and provides a host of other beneficial constituents alongside the vitamin C. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-hair-trace-mineral-analysis In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question: Is Hair Mineral Testing Useful?  What's the Deal With Seed Oils? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the June 16, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Butyrate for Hashimoto’s? What else? What in the comprehensive nutritional screening is helping to interpret lactate/pyruvate and ketone ratios? Is the solution to a respiratory chain disorder to take Niagen? If I have high manganese on an HTMA, do I need to detox? Should CFS patients target reducing their serum BH4? What to do about low alkaline phosphatase? If my glucose spikes above 140, should I eat fiber and take ACV before the meal, eat cinnamon with the meal, chew slowly, and move for ten minutes after my meals? Difficulty getting Quest to do the lactate/pyruvate ratio correctly. Is 38 milligrams of niacinamide enough to rule out niacin deficiency as a cause of low NAD+? How does optimizing body composition help optimize energy metabolism? Can impaired energy metabolism make someone fatter? Is monounsaturated fat the best fat? Manganese followup. Do you need to stop taking biotin before a biotin test? What in "a bunch of supplements" flip the lactate/pyruvate ratio from high to low? NAD infusions, yay or nay? Why do I feel better after a warm shower, even better than after sunshine? Should I cut back on vitamin A if I have toxicity symptoms but cutting back makes me get sick? Do home blood drop tests have to be pricked at the finger? Is it true that my boyfriend was just born a night owl? How much eating out is too much? When measuring ketones, lactate, and glucose at home to optimize energy metabolism, what time of day should we take the measurements? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june-a55  

Question: What Is the Real Issue With Seed Oils? Short Answer: The main issue with seed oils is that they present an oxidative liability. They do not acutely cause oxidative stress, but their polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are more vulnerable than any other macronutrient to oxidative damage. Oxidative stress can increase because of nutrient deficiencies, toxins, infections, other sources of inflammation, alcohol, or smoking, and it will inevitably increase as a function of aging. As oxidative stress increases, more PUFAs in the tissues mean more damage. At least 0.6 milligrams of vitamin E should be gotten per gram of PUFA in the diet, but vitamin E cannot fully protect against PUFA, so their intake should be moderated to the very low levels needed, as obtained by eating fatty fish once or twice a week, eating eggs daily, and eating 4-8 ounces of liver per week. Additional secondary problems with them include residual solvents and heat damage prior to intake, but the main issue is that we do not want to increase our tissue PUFA content more than needed. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-hair-trace-mineral-analysis In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question: Is Hair Mineral Testing Useful? Is Whole Food Vitamin C Really Different? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the June 16, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Butyrate for Hashimoto’s? What else? What in the comprehensive nutritional screening is helping to interpret lactate/pyruvate and ketone ratios? Is the solution to a respiratory chain disorder to take Niagen? If I have high manganese on an HTMA, do I need to detox? Should CFS patients target reducing their serum BH4? What to do about low alkaline phosphatase? If my glucose spikes above 140, should I eat fiber and take ACV before the meal, eat cinnamon with the meal, chew slowly, and move for ten minutes after my meals? Difficulty getting Quest to do the lactate/pyruvate ratio correctly. Is 38 milligrams of niacinamide enough to rule out niacin deficiency as a cause of low NAD+? How does optimizing body composition help optimize energy metabolism? Can impaired energy metabolism make someone fatter? Is monounsaturated fat the best fat? Manganese followup. Do you need to stop taking biotin before a biotin test? What in "a bunch of supplements" flip the lactate/pyruvate ratio from high to low? NAD infusions, yay or nay? Why do I feel better after a warm shower, even better than after sunshine? Should I cut back on vitamin A if I have toxicity symptoms but cutting back makes me get sick? Do home blood drop tests have to be pricked at the finger? Is it true that my boyfriend was just born a night owl? How much eating out is too much? When measuring ketones, lactate, and glucose at home to optimize energy metabolism, what time of day should we take the measurements? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june-a55  

Question: How useful is hair trace mineral analysis (HTMA) for nutritional testing? Short Answer: Hair trace mineral analysis is included as an optional add-on in the comprehensive nutritional screening from Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, because it can capture data for some ultra-trace minerals for which there are no better-validated tests, and it might capture a pattern that might not be picked up as quickly with blood work, such as a mineral transport issue. However, its utility is limited by the fact that hair mineral content is not well validated as a test for any specific mineral, is generally anti-validated when there is enough science on a mineral (such as zinc, where hair zinc does not go down in deficiency), and should not be used as a central piece of data without corroboration from other more well-validated tests, which exist for most of the nutrients. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-hair-trace-mineral-analysis In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question: What's the Deal With Seed Oils? Is Whole Food Vitamin C Really Different? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the June 16, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Butyrate for Hashimoto’s? What else? What in the comprehensive nutritional screening is helping to interpret lactate/pyruvate and ketone ratios? Is the solution to a respiratory chain disorder to take Niagen? If I have high manganese on an HTMA, do I need to detox? Should CFS patients target reducing their serum BH4? What to do about low alkaline phosphatase? If my glucose spikes above 140, should I eat fiber and take ACV before the meal, eat cinnamon with the meal, chew slowly, and move for ten minutes after my meals? Difficulty getting Quest to do the lactate/pyruvate ratio correctly. Is 38 milligrams of niacinamide enough to rule out niacin deficiency as a cause of low NAD+? How does optimizing body composition help optimize energy metabolism? Can impaired energy metabolism make someone fatter? Is monounsaturated fat the best fat? Manganese followup. Do you need to stop taking biotin before a biotin test? What in "a bunch of supplements" flip the lactate/pyruvate ratio from high to low? NAD infusions, yay or nay? Why do I feel better after a warm shower, even better than after sunshine? Should I cut back on vitamin A if I have toxicity symptoms but cutting back makes me get sick? Do home blood drop tests have to be pricked at the finger? Is it true that my boyfriend was just born a night owl? How much eating out is too much? When measuring ketones, lactate, and glucose at home to optimize energy metabolism, what time of day should we take the measurements? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june-a55

Nutrition is far more powerful than drugs to improve cognitive performance. We start by looking at cocaine, Adderall, and Ritalin, and show why these drugs cannot possibly hold a candle to nutrition. Optimal nutrition can definitely optimize the function of dopamine, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, histamine, creatine, and the methylation system, and in doing so can simultaneously optimize focus, motivation, sustained attention, and mental flexibility, and methylation, all while eliminating anxiety, depression, and distraction. Yet, popular nutritional cognitive stacks in the nootropic space do not have convincing evidence behind them, and this is probably a result of them trying to do too many things in one capsule. This presentation covers the low-hanging fruit of nutrition for brain power, supplements that help, the importance of individual nutritional optimization, and the central power of finding one's genetic "health super-unlock." For my simple protocol to optimize methylation, see here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol For more detail on finding your own personal genetic health super-unlock, see here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/unlocking-performance-and-longevity

Debunking the myth that vitamin C in plants is found in a special "tyrosinase complex." For the written article with references, see here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/vitamin-c-whole-food-vs-synthetic For issues of vitamin C dosing and balancing with other nutrients, see these two links:  https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-powerful-duo-how-glutathione  https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/balancing-vitamin-c-and-glutathione-d6f  

Watch or listen to the full critique here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMPvCiOkEtQ

Is high-dose vitamin C good for you?   High-dose intravenous vitamin C can selectively kill cancer cells in live patients and can save sepsis patients from dying, but it acts as a pro-oxidant in cancer and an antioxidant in sepsis.   So what does it do in the rest of us?   Oral doses of 2000 milligrams raise oxalate levels in most people, and as little as 400 milligrams raises oxalate in some people.   This seems to be the most sensitive indicator of a delicate imbalance with glutathione and other factors needed to recycle vitamin C. Such a balance actually needs to be avoided when killing cancer yet is critical to maintaining health in every other context.   Given that vitamin C is important to immunity and general health, how do we take advantage of these benefits without upsetting the delicate balance with glutathione and the propensity to generate oxalate?   That is the topic of this podcast.   This podcast is a preview of a video only available to Masterpass members.   Get evergreen access to the video and podcast, as well as the written article with references, here:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/balancing-vitamin-c-and-glutathione-d6f

Question: How to Find the Root Cause of Autoimmunity? Short Answer: Autoimmune conditions are likely driven by deficiencies of vitamins A and D, which contribute to post-infectious autoimmunity by compromising the rhythmic rise and fall of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and to autoimmunity regardless of infections through impaired suppression of Th17 helper T cells. More broadly, infections and tissue damage are the most likely drivers of autoimmunity onset. However, energy metabolism governs everything through the second law of thermodynamics, which holds that energy must be used to prevent everything from randomly mixing, and this includes randomly mixing the immune defense against pathogens with immune attacks on the host. In this example, we discuss how a respiratory chain disorder would compromise absorption and distribution of zinc and compromise the oxidation of NADH to NAD+, and how both of these would interact with a genetic impairment in acetaldehyde dehydrogenase to prevent the activation of vitamin A to retinoic acid. Autoimmunity thus results as one of many symptoms of vitamin A deficiency driven not by lack of vitamin A, but rather by impaired activation of vitamin A, secondary to impaired energy metabolism.  This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-nac-biofilms-vitamin In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question: Can NAC hurt your gut health? Why Would Vitamin C Cause Joint Pain, Muscle Pain, and Brain Fog? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the May 13, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: GLA to lower hydroxyhaemopyrrolin-2-one? When would I use the StrateGene and Genova Methylation Panel for nutritional testing? Energy metabolism as a root cause of gut issues? Nutrition for skin healing? Nutrition for hypnic jerks? Suggestions for snoring or sleep apnea? Nutrition to protect against restaurant meals? What is the cause of crusty eyes in the morning? What causes brain fog? How much oxalate should one eat each day? Should I be concerned about low alkaline phosphatase? What nutrients give tall children to short parents? Energy metabolism impairment mimicking Wilson's disease. Can taking digestive enzymes reduce our own production? Rapid-fire response to non-winners from the question contest. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-may  Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.  

Is high-dose vitamin C good for you? High-dose intravenous vitamin C can selectively kill cancer cells in live patients and can save sepsis patients from dying, but it acts as a pro-oxidant in cancer and an antioxidant in sepsis. So what does it do in the rest of us? Oral doses of 2000 milligrams raise oxalate levels in most people, and as little as 400 milligrams raises oxalate in some people. This seems to be the most sensitive indicator of a delicate imbalance with glutathione and other factors needed to recycle vitamin C. Such a balance actually needs to be avoided when killing cancer yet is critical to maintaining health in every other context. Given that vitamin C is important to immunity and general health, how do we take advantage of these benefits without upsetting the delicate balance with glutathione and the propensity to generate oxalate? That is the topic of this video. This video is free for only 48 hours. Get evergreen access to the video and podcast, as well as the written article with references, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/balancing-vitamin-c-and-glutathione-d6f

High-dose intravenous (IV) vitamin C has the potential to kill cancer cells and prolong the survival of terminal cancer patients. This podcast is a preview, the full video is available only to Masterpass members.  See the written article with links to references here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-powerful-duo-how-glutathione Subscribe to the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. Please do not make cancer prevention or treatment decisions based on this information and if you make any such decisions discuss them with your physician first.

The ability to become startled is an adaptive behavior that protects us from being injured by a sudden threat, and prepares us for the fight-or-flight response when necessary. Nevertheless, getting startled too easily can be a sign that something is wrong. Here's what to do about it. For the written version with links to references and links to testing, see here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/startled-try-glycine 

Hormones matter, but they are never in charge. Their abnormalities are never the root cause of anything. All hormones do is communicate the biochemistry of one tissue to the biochemistry of another tissue. In this episode: Three Reasons For Hormones to Be Messed Up Exceptions to the Rule Leptin, Insulin, and Thyroid Hormone As an Example How to Approach Hormones For the written version, the links to references, and the links to testing, see here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/hormones-are-never-in-charge

Most people who take biotin take it for their hair and nails. Yet biotin does much more than this. Learn what to use it for, how much to take, and how to avoid adverse effects in less than ten minutes. Read the written and fully referenced version here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/biotins-health-benefits-way-beyond Get my short and sweet tips on each nutrient in the Cliff Notes here: https://chris-masterjohn-phd.myshopify.com/products/the-vitamins-and-minerals-101-cliff-notes It's free to Masterpass members here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/paid-subscribers-now-have-free-access

This is how to use a simple home measurement to expose the harmful effects of a supplement before they even happen. Read the article here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-dark-side-of-biotin Subscribe to my newsletter to get my series on improving respiratory chain function as soon as new articles come out: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe  See the "super unlock" article here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/unlocking-performance-and-longevity 

Question: Why Would Vitamin C cause muscle pain, joint pain, and brain fog? Short Answer: Acutely, vitamin C would likely cause these effects by generating oxalate, which could cause crystals that lead to muscle and joint pain, and could cut energy metabolism in half, leading to brain fog. This vulnerability could result from deficiencies of any of the B vitamins, any of the electrolytes, or of iron, copper, or sulfur; from diabetes, low adrenals, or hypothyroidism; or from any of the hundreds of genetic defects in energy metabolism, only one of which is glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency; or any one of a huge number of toxins that impair energy metabolism. Chronically, vitamin C may increase the harms of iron overload or contribute to copper deficiency. The main ways to manage these latter issues are to take vitamin C away from meals, to maintain good copper status through proper dietary intake, and to treat iron overload with phlebotomy. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-nac-biofilms-vitamin In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question: Can NAC hurt your gut health? How to Find the Root Cause of Autoimmunity? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the May 13, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: GLA to lower hydroxyhaemopyrrolin-2-one? When would I use the StrateGene and Genova Methylation Panel for nutritional testing? Energy metabolism as a root cause of gut issues? Nutrition for skin healing? Nutrition for hypnic jerks? Suggestions for snoring or sleep apnea? Nutrition to protect against restaurant meals? What is the cause of crusty eyes in the morning? What causes brain fog? How much oxalate should one eat each day? Should I be concerned about low alkaline phosphatase? What nutrients give tall children to short parents? Energy metabolism impairment mimicking Wilson's disease. Can taking digestive enzymes reduce our own production? Rapid-fire response to non-winners from the question contest. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-may  

If you are eating a high-protein diet, you probably aren’t getting enough biotin. This is especially true if you are a protein-fueled athlete and find your skin too oily, too itchy, or too red; if your blood sugar is getting out of control; or if you simply feel down in the dumps. And it’s especially true if you find your hands or feet tingling or get subtle sensations of something crawling on your skin. Alternatively, if you’re pregnant or looking to conceive, this is something you really need to understand. This is a free preview of an episode reserved for Masterpass members. Get the full episode as well as the written and fully referenced article here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/high-protein-you-need-more-biotin

The use of high-dose biotin supplements has increased almost 30-fold over the last twenty years for such problems as diabetes, smell and taste disorders, disorders of the hair, skin, and nails, and multiple sclerosis. Studies show it can improve diabetes, and case reports show it can miraculously recover lost smell and taste even when smell and taste were lost as a result of surgery or the side effects of medications or other supplements. Yet, some studies show multiple sclerosis gets worse on high-dose biotin. I personally developed clumsiness, short-term memory loss, and a short temper on high-dose biotin. Some studies show it makes blood sugar get better, yet it made my blood sugar get worse. High-dose biotin can also cause wide-ranging errors in lab tests with the potential to mask recent heart attacks, pregnancies, or allergies; to misdiagnose thyroid conditions; to give false signals about the presence or progression of tumors; to falsely raise vitamin D, B12, and folate levels; to falsely alter many hormone levels; to generate false positives for HIV and hepatitis; and to lead to unnecessary surgery and possibly even death as a result of diagnostic errors. Most people need more biotin than they get. Some one in 30 people need high-dose biotin for genetic reasons, and most other people should be getting lower doses. So, how do we know how much we need, and whether we are getting the right amount? When is the right time to break open the bottle of the ten-milligram capsules? This article covers the safety and efficacy of high-dose biotin for all the conditions documented in the literature, its potential anti-fertility effects, and how and when to balance it with other vitamins. This podcast is a preview of a podcast reserved for Masterpass members. Get permanent access to the video and podcast, and get the written and fully referenced article, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/when-high-dose-biotin-is-truly-needed

The use of high-dose biotin supplements has increased almost 30-fold over the last twenty years for such problems as diabetes, smell and taste disorders, disorders of the hair, skin, and nails, and multiple sclerosis. Studies show it can improve diabetes, and case reports show it can miraculously recover lost smell and taste even when smell and taste were lost as a result of surgery or the side effects of medications or other supplements. Yet, some studies show multiple sclerosis gets worse on high-dose biotin. I personally developed clumsiness, short-term memory loss, and a short temper on high-dose biotin. Some studies show it makes blood sugar get better, yet it made my blood sugar get worse. High-dose biotin can also cause wide-ranging errors in lab tests with the potential to mask recent heart attacks, pregnancies, or allergies; to misdiagnose thyroid conditions; to give false signals about the presence or progression of tumors; to falsely raise vitamin D, B12, and folate levels; to falsely alter many hormone levels; to generate false positives for HIV and hepatitis; and to lead to unnecessary surgery and possibly even death as a result of diagnostic errors. Most people need more biotin than they get. Some one in 30 people need high-dose biotin for genetic reasons, and most other people should be getting lower doses. So, how do we know how much we need, and whether we are getting the right amount? When is the right time to break open the bottle of the ten-milligram capsules? This article covers the safety and efficacy of high-dose biotin for all the conditions documented in the literature, its potential anti-fertility effects, and how and when to balance it with other vitamins. This video is only available for 48 HOURS. After that it will be reserved for Masterpass members. Get permanent access to the video and podcast, and get the written and fully referenced article, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/when-high-dose-biotin-is-truly-needed

If you are eating a high-protein diet, you probably aren’t getting enough biotin. This is especially true if you are a protein-fueled athlete and find your skin too oily, too itchy, or too red; if your blood sugar is getting out of control; or if you simply feel down in the dumps. And it’s especially true if you find your hands or feet tingling or get subtle sensations of something crawling on your skin. Alternatively, if you’re pregnant or looking to conceive, this is something you really need to understand. This podcast is available for free for 48 hours, and then will only be available to Masterpass members. The written and fully referenced article, the podcast, and the permanently available video can be found here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/high-protein-you-need-more-biotin

The most useful tests are the ones no one ever orders. This podcast is available for free for 48 hours, and then will only be available to Masterpass members. The written and fully referenced article, the podcast, and the permanently available video can be found here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/how-to-interpret-ketone-ratios-and

Question: Can NAC hurt your gut health? Short Answer: N-acetylcysteine or NAC can be used at a dose of 600 to 2,400 milligrams per day for 5-10 days to disrupt biofilms and make it easier for antimicrobials to kill bacteria. Animal studies suggest that acute doses up to 6 grams do not deplete mucus or cause ulceration, but that an acute dose of 17.5 grams can deplete mucus and cause ulcers within two hours. Human studies suggest that 10 grams per day can be used for 24 weeks with fewer than 1 in 6 people complaining of gastrointestinal side effects. Yet, chronic use of NAC will thin the mucus, disrupt the biofilms used by normal healthy microbiota, and possibly deliver excessive sulfur to certain components of the microbiome. Therefore, I would not use it except for specific, targeted reasons, and I would not use it at a dose higher than needed or for a duration longer than needed. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-nac-biofilms-vitamin In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question: Why Would Vitamin C cause muscle pain, joint pain, and brain fog? How to Find the Root Cause of Autoimmunity? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the May 13, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: GLA to lower hydroxyhaemopyrrolin-2-one? When would I use the StrateGene and Genova Methylation Panel for nutritional testing? Energy metabolism as a root cause of gut issues? Nutrition for skin healing? Nutrition for hypnic jerks? Suggestions for snoring or sleep apnea? Nutrition to protect against restaurant meals? What is the cause of crusty eyes in the morning? What causes brain fog? How much oxalate should one eat each day? Should I be concerned about low alkaline phosphatase? What nutrients give tall children to short parents? Energy metabolism impairment mimicking Wilson's disease. Can taking digestive enzymes reduce our own production? Rapid-fire response to non-winners from the question contest. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-may Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.  

Each person has one to six highly unique unlocks that will only work for them, and this is how to find them. This podcast is only available here for the next 48 hours. Get the written and fully referenced article, and get the video and podcast after the 48-hour mark, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/unlocking-performance-and-longevity

Question: How can I protect against oxalates? Short Answer: Getting 300-400 mg calcium between food and supplements at each meal will minimize oxalate absorption. Maintaining postprandial urine pH in the 6.4-6.8 range by getting 3-5 grams of potassium per day from food or from organic acid salts such as potassium citrate will prevent its crystallization in the kidney. Reducing dietary oxalate will prevent any possible damage in the gut. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-blood-glucose-and-oxalate In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question:  Why Should Postprandial Glucose Be Kept Under 140 mg/dL? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the April 12, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: What Causes Hypercholesterolemia and Does It Matter? How to Reverse Coronary Calcification? How to do a comprehensive nutritional screening How long after eating improperly cooked egg whites should I wait to take biotin? Is the extrusion process as harmful as some claim? How long can one fast before micronutrient deficiencies become an issue? Do B vitamins compete with each other for absorption? Why is thirst a symptom of diabetes? Do I agree with Peter Attia that ApoB should be driven as low as pharmacologically possible? During a fast, does the body break down muscle? How do you rest and refeed your brain? Why would someone have high RBC magnesium but low serum magnesium? GLA deficiency? Should we eat for our ethnicity? How convincing are polyphenol studies? Can coronary calcium be driven by oxalate? Citrulline for vasodilation How to reduce catabolism Rapid-fire run-through of orphaned questions from the submission contest, including a detailed look at Nadia’s thyroid numbers Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-april Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.    

Question: Why should postprandial blood glucose be kept under 140 milligrams per deciliter? Short Answer: When blood glucose rises above 140 mg/dL, this is the approximate point at which it spills into the polyol pathway at a greater-than-normal rate, which represents a suboptimal state of metabolism that is likely to hurt antioxidant status and compromise detoxification pathways as well as the recycling of vitamin K and folate. It must be kept in mind that a healthy person will adapt to glycemic loads they consume regularly. Thus, a one-time spike above 140 mg/dL should never be used to conclude anything whatsoever. Only repeated spikes above this level with repeated consumption of the same glycemic load over several days to several weeks should be used as a cause for concern. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-blood-glucose-and-oxalate In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question: How can I protect against oxalates? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the April 12, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: What Causes Hypercholesterolemia and Does It Matter? How to Reverse Coronary Calcification? How to do a comprehensive nutritional screening How long after eating improperly cooked egg whites should I wait to take biotin? Is the extrusion process as harmful as some claim? How long can one fast before micronutrient deficiencies become an issue? Do B vitamins compete with each other for absorption? Why is thirst a symptom of diabetes? Do I agree with Peter Attia that ApoB should be driven as low as pharmacologically possible? During a fast, does the body break down muscle? How do you rest and refeed your brain? Why would someone have high RBC magnesium but low serum magnesium? GLA deficiency? Should we eat for our ethnicity? How convincing are polyphenol studies? Can coronary calcium be driven by oxalate? Citrulline for vasodilation How to reduce catabolism Rapid-fire run-through of orphaned questions from the submission contest, including a detailed look at Nadia’s thyroid numbers Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-april Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.  

Watch the full-length video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhgGGbdw4zE&t=8621s  Get my free 51--page report, Methylene Blue: Biohacker's Delight or Playing With Fire?, here:  https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-guide-to-methylene-blue

Get the written and referenced version here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-guide-to-methylene-blue This is a 51-page guide in which you will learn the following: The Origin of Methylene Blue The Entry of Methylene Blue Into Medicine From Malaria to Many Uses in Medicine How Methylene Blue Works A Redox-Reactive Dye The Blue Bottle Experiment Methylene Blue Radicals, Photoexcited States, and Demethylated Metabolites Methylene Blue Can Oxidize and Reduce Many Targets Methylene Blue Can Rewire the Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Rewiring the Respiratory Chain Does Not Make It Better Methylene Blue Increases Hydrogen Peroxide Hydrogen Peroxide Kills Microbes, Has Hormetic Benefits, But Is Still Ultimately Toxic Methylene Blue Causes Redox Cycling of Hemoglobin Methylene Blue Is a Strong Monoamine Oxidase A Inhibitor Methylene Blue Inhibits Nitric Oxide Synthase Mechanistic Conclusions Is Methylene Blue Fundamentally Hormetic? Methylene Blue Fails in Alzheimer’s, and Causes a Worrisome Side Effect Whether Methylene Blue Helps Or Hurts Depends on Whether You Need It Natural Alternatives for Hormesis and Rewiring the Respiratory Chain Who Should Use Methylene Blue? Once more you can get it here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-guide-to-methylene-blue

Question: What is the relationship between copper and estrogen? Short Answer: Estrogen moves copper from the mother’s bloodstream to the fetus during pregnancy. Its action at the intestines is poorly understood but I believe estrogen and progesterone interact to promote intestinal copper absorption. Maintaining pregnancy-level hormones while not pregnant poses a risk of promoting too much absorption of copper from food without transferring it to a growing baby. Copper status should be monitored when using supplemental hormones to avoid copper toxicity. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-hair-graying-copper  In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question: How to slow or reverse graying of hair? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the March 14, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: How to slow or reverse graying of hair? What about that new erythritol study? Can nicotinamide riboside cause hemolytic anemia in someone with G6PDH deficiency? Why is citric acid alkalinizing? If I switch my vitamin E to tocotrienols, am I missing anything? Vitamin A deficiency and toxicity symptoms at the same time? Vitamin A in pregnancy How long should I wait to measure whole blood riboflavin after making a change to my supplement? How to stack supplements for blood pressure? Rejuvant calcium alpha-ketoglutarate for anti-aging? Are dietary AGEs a problem? Is it safe to keep taking high-dose zinc? What’s the best way to get phosphorus? Weight loss question. How to eat to 80% full Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-march  Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

The written and referenced version is available to everyone now. The video and podcast will be released soon. On September 1, the written and referenced version will become permanently subscribers-only while the methylene blue content will be made public.

This audio version will remain free to everyone in perpetuity.  This written and referenced version is available to everyone now. On September 1, the written and referenced version will become permanently subscribers-only while the methylene blue content will be made public.

Question: How to slow graying of hairs and potentially reverse it? Short Answer: What works for any given individual will likely be to find the weakest link and fix it, from among the following systems: the signaling of energy abundance (body fat, insulin sensitivity, thyroid hormone, adequate protein, individualized meeting of carbohydrate needs, good management of psychosocial stress, supporting neuroendocrine signaling with copper, vitamin C, zinc, and glycine, and supporting thyroid function with iodine and selenium); the biochemical infrastructure of energy production (all the B vitamins, iron, copper, sulfur, magnesium, potassium, and managing genetic idiosyncrasies impacting energy metabolism), and antioxidant protection (protein, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, copper, selenium, iron, and manganese). This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-hair-graying-copper  In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question: What is the relationship between copper and estrogen? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the March 14, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: What is the relationship between copper and estrogen? What about that new erythritol study? Can nicotinamide riboside cause hemolytic anemia in someone with G6PDH deficiency? Why is citric acid alkalinizing? If I switch my vitamin E to tocotrienols, am I missing anything? Vitamin A deficiency and toxicity symptoms at the same time? Vitamin A in pregnancy How long should I wait to measure whole blood riboflavin after making a change to my supplement? How to stack supplements for blood pressure? Rejuvant calcium alpha-ketoglutarate for anti-aging? Are dietary AGEs a problem? Is it safe to keep taking high-dose zinc? What’s the best way to get phosphorus? Weight loss question. How to eat to 80% full Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-march  Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How much iron can we absorb at once? Short Answer: High-dose iron will produce more total absorbed iron, but will also leave more in the gut, which could cause constipation or disturb the gut microbiome. If desperate for quick relief, 200 milligrams per day of iron taken in the morning will work faster than lower doses or the same dose taken in the afternoon. For most people, however, I believe it is best to start with 18 milligrams of iron, and only increase it to 27 or 36 milligrams, or higher, if needed. If it is difficult to raise iron with a supplement, try eating a temporary carnivore diet that includes egg yolks but not whites, or at least try taking your iron with a breakfast that matches this description. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-sulfate-synthesis  In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Is It Important to Get Vitamin D Sulfate Specifically From the Sun? What cofactors are needed to synthesize and recycle BH4? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the February 15, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Is It Important to Get Vitamin D Sulfate Specifically From the Sun? What cofactors are needed to synthesize and recycle BH4? What nutrients are important for long-term PPI use? For how long does transferrin saturation respond to recent iron-rich food? Muscle spasms: creatine, creatinine, sodium, and potassium. Hematologists ignore iron saturation. How to detox arsenic? Could folic acid supplements impair BH4 recycling? How to increase butyrate? More on hematologists and transferrin saturation. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-february   

Question: What cofactors are needed to synthesize and recycle BH4? Short Answer: Zinc, magnesium, potassium, and niacin are the cofactors needed for the synthesis and recycling of BH4. Folate and methylation are not involved, though high-dose folate or folic acid could hypothetically hurt BH4 recycling since both are recycled by dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-sulfate-synthesis In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Is It Important to Get Vitamin D Sulfate Specifically From the Sun? How Much Iron Can We Absorb At Once? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the February 15, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Is It Important to Get Vitamin D Sulfate Specifically From the Sun? How Much Iron Can We Absorb At Once? What nutrients are important for long-term PPI use? For how long does transferrin saturation respond to recent iron-rich food? Muscle spasms: creatine, creatinine, sodium, and potassium. Hematologists ignore iron saturation. How to detox arsenic? Could folic acid supplements impair BH4 recycling? How to increase butyrate? More on hematologists and transferrin saturation. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-february 

Question: Is it important to get vitamin D sulfate specifically from the sun? Short Answer: It is important to get morning outdoor sunlight as close to every day as possible for your circadian rhythm, and to get some exposure to unprotected sunlight during the day when UV is available, but at doses less than needed to cause reddening, and it is equally important to always avoid burning. There are many reasons for this, and the cholesterol sulfate hypothesis — to which the vitamin D sulfate hypothesis is peripheral — is an interesting and worthy hypothesis but should not be the final arbiter of your sun exposure habits. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-sulfate-synthesis In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: What cofactors are needed to synthesize and recycle BH4? How Much Iron Can We Absorb At Once? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the February 15, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: What cofactors are needed to synthesize and recycle BH4? How Much Iron Can We Absorb At Once? What nutrients are important for long-term PPI use? For how long does transferrin saturation respond to recent iron-rich food? Muscle spasms: creatine, creatinine, sodium, and potassium. Hematologists ignore iron saturation. How to detox arsenic? Could folic acid supplements impair BH4 recycling? How to increase butyrate? More on hematologists and transferrin saturation. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-february

These are considered rare, yet this reinforces the pattern of never looking for them, leading them to likely be massively under-diagnosed. Many are highly relevant to nutrition. Written Version: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/when-to-consider-inborn-errors-of Mitochondrial Energy Summit: https://drtalks.com/mitochondrial-summit/?uid=406&oid=47&ref=3053 My MTHFR Protocol: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol

Iris from Denmark has generously donated an hour of her consulting time with me to you, the community, so that her case can be used to raise awareness of the importance of arachidonic acid and the pitfalls of getting too much EPA. In this podcast, we cover: 00:27 Iris's history of too much omega-3 and not enough omega-6. 01:52 The symptoms that have improved upon reversing this. 04:54 Is it correct that the body needs both arachidonic acid and DHA to resolve inflammation? 09:03 How to navigate this during pregnancy, where DHA and AA are both important for the baby but EPA is still a concern? 14:06 Does the body have a storage supply of omega-3? 18:00 What is more important, AA/EPA balance or total PUFA intake? What is more harmful, signaling compound imbalance, oxidative damage, or membrane fluidity distortion? 31:05 Is the proper strategy supplementing AA while reducing EPA, or is it getting more vitamin E? 33:30 What about the ratio of PUFA to saturated fat or total fat? 35:55 Vitamin E cannot protect against all the risks of PUFA. Here are the other things that matter. 41:50 Supporting the marine ecology.

This may explain why high-dose biotin causes "oxalate dumping" symptoms in some people but not others. Written and referenced version: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/can-b12-and-folate-help-detoxify Mitochondrial Energy Summit: https://drtalks.com/mitochondrial-summit/?uid=406&oid=47&ref=3053 My MTHFR Protocol: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol

Iris from Denmark has generously donated an hour of her consulting time with me to you, the community, so that her case can be used to raise awareness of the importance of arachidonic acid and the pitfalls of getting too much EPA. In this podcast, we cover: 00:27 Iris's history of too much omega-3 and not enough omega-6. 01:52 The symptoms that have improved upon reversing this. 04:54 Is it correct that the body needs both arachidonic acid and DHA to resolve inflammation? 09:03 How to navigate this during pregnancy, where DHA and AA are both important for the baby but EPA is still a concern? 14:06 Does the body have a storage supply of omega-3? 18:00 What is more important, AA/EPA balance or total PUFA intake? What is more harmful, signaling compound imbalance, oxidative damage, or membrane fluidity distortion? 31:05 Is the proper strategy supplementing AA while reducing EPA, or is it getting more vitamin E? 33:30 What about the ratio of PUFA to saturated fat or total fat? 35:55 Vitamin E cannot protect against all the risks of PUFA. Here are the other things that matter. 41:50 Supporting the marine ecology.

Question: If a person has a hereditary weakness for Branched Chain Amino Acid Catabolism would this impact the type of diet they might choose to loose weight? Should they limit protein if it will increase their need for nutrients like Biotin?What are all the possible cofactors we should consider supplementing to support Leucine catabolism? Short Answer: Metabolizing branched-chain amino acids requires all B vitamins except folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and chloride. If you have a genetic impairment in this pathway, then reducing branched-chain amino acid intake and doubling down on cofactors is important during weight loss because the pathway will be stressed more in the catabolic state. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-plant-compounds-and  In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque? How do I consume omega-3 without hurting my omega-6 status? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the January 21, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque? How do I consume omega-3 without hurting my omega-6 status? Could carnitine help a fatty acid oxidation disorder? Should anti-inflammatories be taken away from workouts? How does vitamin C affect autoimmune disease? Folate form and purines Can methylene blue help the respiratory chain? Best references for omega-3 and inflammation resolution? Smoothies and blood sugar Is transdermal magnesium oil effective for osteoarthritis? Why do K2 and Mg help my nerve pain? Should I separate my potassium benzoate and vitamin C supplements? The best and most simple comprehensive micronutrient panel. How much K2 is needed in pregnancy? How do I accentuate the fasting-feeding cycle? Could K2 help with environmental pollution? Why do shoulders crack when we get older? Why do I react poorly to anti-inflammatory foods? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-january 

Question: If I don’t want to hurt my omega 6 status through my omega 3 intake, how do I do that? Is it simply a question of taking them at separate times? Or is it a question of dose? And if it is a question of dose, how do I know when to start eating fish and taking my omega 3 supplement again? Short Answer: How they are combined in meals is not important, but it is important not to have too much EPA in cell membranes relative to arachidonic acid, and this is driven by cumulative intake over years. For someone who has consumed too much EPA for many years, the best approach is to eat liver and egg yolks for arachidonic acid while getting omega-3s from a DHA supplement and not from fish, fish oil, or fish liver oil. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-plant-compounds-and In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque? If I have a hereditary weakness in breaking down branched-chain amino acids, what cofactors do I need to consider, and do I need to restrict my protein when losing weight? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the January 21, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque? If I have a hereditary weakness in breaking down branched-chain amino acids, what cofactors do I need to consider, and do I need to restrict my protein when losing weight? Could carnitine help a fatty acid oxidation disorder? Should anti-inflammatories be taken away from workouts? How does vitamin C affect autoimmune disease? Folate form and purines Can methylene blue help the respiratory chain? Best references for omega-3 and inflammation resolution? Smoothies and blood sugar Is transdermal magnesium oil effective for osteoarthritis? Why do K2 and Mg help my nerve pain? Should I separate my potassium benzoate and vitamin C supplements? The best and most simple comprehensive micronutrient panel. How much K2 is needed in pregnancy? How do I accentuate the fasting-feeding cycle? Could K2 help with environmental pollution? Why do shoulders crack when we get older? Why do I react poorly to anti-inflammatory foods? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-january 

That was not an exaggeration. Everything. In this podcast I cover why riboflavin abolished my allergies, why a respiratory chain disorder could cause an autoimmune condition, and why a hypothetical athlete who went keto to take home the silver might be able to use thiamin to take home the gold. Most importantly, I cover why these are idiosyncratic needs, not general rules. The generalizable principle is that nothing is more central to life and health than energy. Read the written version with links here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/energy-metabolism-governs-everything Get the methylation protocol here:  https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol Check out my course on energy metabolism here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/masterclass-with-masterjohn-energy

Question: Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque? Short Answer: Yes, but if you don’t have specific intolerances to plant compounds the best thing to do is simply aim to meet your vitamin and mineral targets from a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices, rather than trying to use specific plant compounds from specific studies in any specific amount. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-plant-compounds-and In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: How do I consume omega-3 without hurting my omega-6 status? If I have a hereditary weakness in breaking down branched-chain amino acids, what cofactors do I need to consider, and do I need to restrict my protein when losing weight? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the January 21, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque? How do I consume omega-3 without hurting my omega-6 status? If I have a hereditary weakness in breaking down branched-chain amino acids, what cofactors do I need to consider, and do I need to restrict my protein when losing weight? Could carnitine help a fatty acid oxidation disorder? Should anti-inflammatories be taken away from workouts? How does vitamin C affect autoimmune disease? Folate form and purines Can methylene blue help the respiratory chain? Best references for omega-3 and inflammation resolution? Smoothies and blood sugar Is transdermal magnesium oil effective for osteoarthritis? Why do K2 and Mg help my nerve pain? Should I separate my potassium benzoate and vitamin C supplements? The best and most simple comprehensive micronutrient panel. How much K2 is needed in pregnancy? How do I accentuate the fasting-feeding cycle? Could K2 help with environmental pollution? Why do shoulders crack when we get older? Why do I react poorly to anti-inflammatory foods? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-january  

Question: What can be done about twitching? Short Answer: Most twitching will be driven by glutamate/GABA balance or acetylcholine regulation, and the most likely nutritional issues are any of the electrolytes or any factor that influences energy metabolism. The best way to address it is to consider the conditions that influence it and then trial and error your way through each potential nutritional issue in order of which ones make the most sense for your individual case first. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-phosphatidylcholine In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Phosphatidylcholine and TMAO Vitamin K2 and Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the December 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Inositol, What Is It Good For? If I am at risk of heart disease, and phosphatidylcholine raises my TMAO, should I stop the supplement? If undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOCN) has health benefits and vitamin K2 decreases it, what does that mean for vitamin K2 supplementation? Maragen Calcium Could slow methylation cause high selenium levels? My current thoughts on cholesterol and heart disease If I already have oxidative stress, what ducks should I have in a row before supplementing with iron? Is it safe to take eight milligrams of zinc daily without copper? What to do about developing sensitivities to an increasingly broad range of foods? What else to do about hemochromatosis besides phlebotomy? If gestational diabetes is just a biotin deficiency, why are women who are insulin resistant prior to pregnancy at higher risk for it, including women with PCOS? What to do about chronically elevated amylase and lipase? What to do about a non-drinker having very high GGT and occasionally high ALT? What are the most common vitamin and mineral deficiencies? What are the best supplements, vitamins, and minerals for OCD and depression? What is the connection between low pyruvate and high ketones? Is high LDL a concern if the carotid IMT and coronary calcium scan are clear?  Do I trust food allergy tests? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-december Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

This is a hypothesis that may reconcile some anecdotes and has many hints suggested in the enzymological literature. First, make sure you get my MTHFR Protocol, my free 7-page quick guide to optimizing and personalizing your methylation status, here:  https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2019/03/01/start-here-for-mthfr-and-methylation For the written version with references, as well as the 58 comments, including from Susan Owens, head over to Substack: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/can-biotin-help-detoxify-oxalate   

Question: If undercarboxylated osteocalcin has health benefits, and vitamin K2 decreases it, what does that mean for K2 supplementation? Short Answer: Vitamin K2 helps secure osteocalcin in bone matrix, where it is decarboxylated and released as an endocrine hormone in response to certain stimuli. When released, it acts to optimize insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity, fuel use during exercise, and male testosterone. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-phosphatidylcholine In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Phosphatidylcholine and TMAO What to Do About Twitching If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the December 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Inositol, What Is It Good For? If I am at risk of heart disease, and phosphatidylcholine raises my TMAO, should I stop the supplement? Maragen Calcium Could slow methylation cause high selenium levels? My current thoughts on cholesterol and heart disease If I already have oxidative stress, what ducks should I have in a row before supplementing with iron? Is it safe to take eight milligrams of zinc daily without copper? What to do about developing sensitivities to an increasingly broad range of foods? What else to do about hemochromatosis besides phlebotomy? If gestational diabetes is just a biotin deficiency, why are women who are insulin resistant prior to pregnancy at higher risk for it, including women with PCOS? What to do about chronically elevated amylase and lipase? What to do about a non-drinker having very high GGT and occasionally high ALT? What are the most common vitamin and mineral deficiencies? What are the best supplements, vitamins, and minerals for OCD and depression? What is the connection between low pyruvate and high ketones? Is high LDL a concern if the carotid IMT and coronary calcium scan are clear?  An algorithm to fix twitching Do I trust food allergy tests? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-december Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Finally, the long-awaited results of my self-experiments conducted from September through January are released! First, make sure you get my MTHFR Protocol, my free 7-page quick guide to optimizing and personalizing your methylation status, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2019/03/01/start-here-for-mthfr-and-methylation The primary abnormalities in my metabolism during this pre-biotin period were 1) 15 minutes of paradoxical rise in ketones after eating rice, 2) paradoxical rise in lactate during fasting that is suppressed by my meals, and 3) a massively outsized lactate response to alcohol. The first two were provoked by an 18-hour fast and the last by undereating prior to the alcohol. These support a deficiency in the biotin-dependent, manganese-dependent, oxalate-poisoned enzyme pyruvate carboxylase. This is long, and if your time is limited, you may want to skip to “The Bottom Line” in this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/self-experiments-in-the-biochemically However, there are some major reasons to commit some time to reading the whole report: It serves as a crash course on the most relevant biochemistry of glucose, ketones, lactate, and ethanol across contexts that include general health, diabetes, infancy, and pregnancy. It includes a literature review of all of the relevant “normal” data. For example, what usually happens to lactate during fasting? What is the normal response of ketones to a glucose tolerance test at the 15-minute mark? How high should you expect your lactate to go up when you drink vodka, bourbon, or beer? I have laid out a model of self-experimentation that you can borrow from for your own experiments.  There are many thought-provoking nuggets in here. For example: Is it possible that two pounds of extra body fat prevents peripheral neuropathy in me and perhaps others? I make the case that it may. Has your fasting glucose gone up on low-carb? See why mine went down after doing repeated glucose tolerance tests on myself (which I don’t recommend at home!)  And, learn why I can fast my way to a glucose of 70 or eat my way to a glucose of 70 and I would choose eating my way there every time. The full written version with linked references is found here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/self-experiments-in-the-biochemically And don't forget to get my MTHFR Protocol, my free 7-page quick guide to optimizing and personalizing your methylation status, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2019/03/01/start-here-for-mthfr-and-methylation

I have a free gift for you. That is my MTHFR Protocol, a 7-page quick guide to optimizing and personalizing your methylation status using foods and supplements. My MTHFR Protocol is free to anyone who subscribes to my Substack, whether free or paid. Use this link to get your copy: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol I hope you enjoy your free gift and find it useful.

For nearly 20 years, I have strongly suspected that I have a genetic disorder in synthesizing or recycling something that is absent or poorly available from plant foods, is very rich in organ meats, and is not present in any of the supplements I was taking when I was a vegan. After six months of research, testing, and self-experimenting, I now believe what I have been looking for is a mix of moderate genetic defects in biotin recycling, possibly combined with poor cellular uptake of biotin, and definitely combined with a defect in burning long-chain fatty acids for energy. The treatments for this, which I will be testing one at a time, will be high-dose biotin, high-dose riboflavin, possibly high-dose L-carnitine and glycine, and, if needed, an otherwise low-fat diet supplemented with C8-specific MCT oil. This episode covers the content of the first of two articles I have written up on Substack. First, I have a free gift for you: my MTHFR Protocol. This 7-page quick guide to optimizing your MTHFR status using foods and supplements is freely available to all subscribers to my Substack. Subscribe now and you will immediately get it emailed to you in the welcome email. You can subscribe here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol The content of this episode can be found in the written version, with live links, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/getting-to-the-bottom-of-my-health  The second article that will be covered in the next episode is about my self-experiments between September 2022 and June 2023 in the "biochemically unoptimized state" and can be found here:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/self-experiments-in-the-biochemically 

Question: If I'm at risk of heart disease and phosphatidylcholine increases my TMAO, should I stop the supplement? Short Answer: On a scale of one to ten, my concern about TMAO and cardiovascular disease is a three. There are thousands of things that should be given equal weight as potential contributors to heart disease, but TMAO gets the most attention because the Cleveland Clinic has an incredible PR machine to spread their research, which serves to bolster their financial interest in marketing the test. That said, it is not a universal necessity to supplement with phosphatidylcholine. If you are concerned about your TMAO, you can try substituting trimethylglycine (TMG), and ultimately judge the value of each supplement by whether it is helping you in a demonstrable way. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-phosphatidylcholine In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Vitamin K2 and Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin What to Do About Twitching If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the December 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Inositol, What Is It Good For? If undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOCN) has health benefits and vitamin K2 decreases it, what does that mean for vitamin K2 supplementation? Maragen Calcium Could slow methylation cause high selenium levels? My current thoughts on cholesterol and heart disease If I already have oxidative stress, what ducks should I have in a row before supplementing with iron? Is it safe to take eight milligrams of zinc daily without copper? What to do about developing sensitivities to an increasingly broad range of foods? What else to do about hemochromatosis besides phlebotomy? If gestational diabetes is just a biotin deficiency, why are women who are insulin resistant prior to pregnancy at higher risk for it, including women with PCOS? What to do about chronically elevated amylase and lipase? What to do about a non-drinker having very high GGT and occasionally high ALT? What are the most common vitamin and mineral deficiencies? What are the best supplements, vitamins, and minerals for OCD and depression? What is the connection between low pyruvate and high ketones? Is high LDL a concern if the carotid IMT and coronary calcium scan are clear?  An algorithm to fix twitching Do I trust food allergy tests? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-december Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

This analysis of the recent study by the Hazen group at Cleveland Clinic published in Nature Medicine claiming erythritol contributes to cardiovascular disease shows the following: Why elevated plasma erythritol is likely to reflect thiamin deficiency and NADPH depletion from insulin resistance, inflammation, and oxidative stress Why the in vitro and mouse study blood clotting likely reflects osmotic stress with no relevance to the use of erythritol as a sweetener. Why I strongly suspect the Hazen group is hiding data, specifically the data that they obviously had a chance to collect and would have clinched their case but appears nowhere in their paper. Why even though I do not use erythritol as a sweetener, were I ever to think about doing so, the new Nature Medicine paper would play no role in my decision. Read the analysis in written form, fully referenced, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/erythritol-and-blood-clotting

Question: How do I fix low blood sugar on vegan keto? Short Answer: Consider how important it is for your ketones to be elevated. Most likely you need to eat more protein, which will lower your ketones. I would aim for a minimum of 0.8 grams per kilogram of ideal bodyweight and consider using 1.2 grams per kilogram of ideal bodyweight. If this does not work, consider all of the nutrients involved in energy metabolism — all of the B vitamins, iron, copper, sulfur, magnesium, potassium — but especially biotin and B6 for their disproportionate role in gluconeogenesis. If the protein you need to normalize your blood sugar does reduce your ketones to a level that are not giving you the benefits you are looking for, you could consider raising them with exogenous ketones. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-questions-on-supplements In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Brain Fog on Calcium, Vitamin D, or K2 Raising Ceruloplasmin When Copper Won't Do It If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the November 19, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Brain Fog on Calcium, Vitamin D, or K2 How Do I Increase My ATP? Nutrition for Recovery from Alcoholism How to decrease MCV after chemo? What happened to vitamin B4? Should I eat foods specifically for their antioxidant status? How do I get my ceruloplasmin up if copper doesn't raise it? Why would bovine serum immunoglobulins help gut health? Nicotinamide Riboside and Cancer If I need lecithin for gut health, should I worry about its omega-6? What do I think of patented Sucrosomial magnesium and zinc? Is my problem magnesium transport or magnesium excretion? What to do about severe osteoarthritis and muscle stiffness? Should I worry if 5 mg P5P raises my plasma B6 above normal? Is nascent iodine safe when weaning off of thyroid hormone? How to avoid false zeros in Cronometer? What does it mean if I have more energy when taking CoQ10? If NADPH oxidase is unregulated to fight pathogens, is taking antioxidants good or bad? What if my needs for vitamin A and zinc are higher than the tolerable upper intake levels? How accurate are vitamin E tests? Quick redux on muscle stiffness How do I handle my first emergence from lockdown if I am worried about being relatively immunosuppressed? If I supplement with iodine, do I need to supplement with selenium? Should I worry about the beta-carotene in my multivitamin? Why do I wake up tense and with a headache to my alarm clock? Why does starch make me wake up in the middle of the night with increased respiration? What causes crusty eyes? Which nutrients need to be spread out across the day? What are nutritional causes of hypnic jerks? To replicate Weston Price's reversal of tooth decay, do I need dairy? Why would I have a bad reaction to milk thistle? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-november Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why would vitamin D, vitamin K2, and calcium give me brain fog? Short Answer: Most likely by decreasing serum phosphorus. The solution is to balance these nutrients with vitamin A and phosphorus. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-questions-on-supplements In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Low Blood Sugar on Vegan Keto Raising Ceruloplasmin When Copper Won't Do It If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the November 19, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Low Blood Sugar on Vegan Keto How Do I Increase My ATP? Nutrition for Recovery from Alcoholism How to decrease MCV after chemo? What happened to vitamin B4? Should I eat foods specifically for their antioxidant status? How do I get my ceruloplasmin up if copper doesn't raise it? Why would bovine serum immunoglobulins help gut health? Nicotinamide Riboside and Cancer If I need lecithin for gut health, should I worry about its omega-6? What do I think of patented Sucrosomial magnesium and zinc? Is my problem magnesium transport or magnesium excretion? What to do about severe osteoarthritis and muscle stiffness? Should I worry if 5 mg P5P raises my plasma B6 above normal? Is nascent iodine safe when weaning off of thyroid hormone? How to avoid false zeros in Cronometer? What does it mean if I have more energy when taking CoQ10? If NADPH oxidase is unregulated to fight pathogens, is taking antioxidants good or bad? What if my needs for vitamin A and zinc are higher than the tolerable upper intake levels? How accurate are vitamin E tests? Quick redux on muscle stiffness How do I handle my first emergence from lockdown if I am worried about being relatively immunosuppressed? If I supplement with iodine, do I need to supplement with selenium? Should I worry about the beta-carotene in my multivitamin? Why do I wake up tense and with a headache to my alarm clock? Why does starch make me wake up in the middle of the night with increased respiration? What causes crusty eyes? Which nutrients need to be spread out across the day? What are nutritional causes of hypnic jerks? To replicate Weston Price's reversal of tooth decay, do I need dairy? Why would I have a bad reaction to milk thistle? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-november Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: Plasma zinc is the single most important marker of zinc status. Urine zinc may decline faster in deficiency. Hair zinc increases with supplementation but does not decrease in deficiency. Plasma zinc is decreased by inflammation, oxidative stress, the ovulatory and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle, probably pregnancy and oral contraceptive use, and any kind of stress that leads to an adrenal output. If plasma zinc declines despite supplementation, corroborate that this reflects zinc status by showing normal hair zinc and low urine zinc. Use symptoms as the ultimate arbiter of whether zinc supplementation is helping. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-statins-versus-sulfur In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Statins Vs. Sulfur for Heart Disease Glutathione Intolerance: Getting to the Bottom of It If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the October 12, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: NADH vs NMN vs NR An unexplained rise in urine ketones Spreading out calcium across meals What should we have in our cold season cabinet? What besides diet could cause my high morning glucose on a CGM? Will some older people benefit from supplementing carnitine? What do I think about the CGM fad? Could my low triglycerides be cholestasis? Why limit the dose of cod liver oil? Why do I always feel better when my sulfur problems are worse? Should I use one lab’s reference range with another lab’s results? Is it safe to eat roasted potatoes? How much weight should I give genetic SNPs in my nutrition? High RBC magnesium but low serum: what could it mean? Burning in the stomach: what could it be? Should I treat low plasma amino acids by supplementing them? Why would MK-4 cause heart palpitations? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-october  Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: It could be byproducts of any of the three amino acids that make up the glutathione molecule, which include the individual amino acids, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, sulfite, and propionyl CoA, or it could be microbial metabolites of glutathione produced in the gut. The full answer contains seven hypothesis-driven tests that can be done at home to determine the cause. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-statins-versus-sulfur In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Statins Vs. Sulfur for Heart Disease Why Plasma Zinc is the Best Marker of Zinc Status If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the October 12, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: NADH vs NMN vs NR An unexplained rise in urine ketones Spreading out calcium across meals What should we have in our cold season cabinet? What besides diet could cause my high morning glucose on a CGM? Will some older people benefit from supplementing carnitine? What do I think about the CGM fad? Could my low triglycerides be cholestasis? Why limit the dose of cod liver oil? Why do I always feel better when my sulfur problems are worse? Should I use one lab’s reference range with another lab’s results? Is it safe to eat roasted potatoes? How much weight should I give genetic SNPs in my nutrition? High RBC magnesium but low serum: what could it mean? Burning in the stomach: what could it be? Should I treat low plasma amino acids by supplementing them? Why would MK-4 cause heart palpitations? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-october Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: From the trials, statins seem to reduce heart disease risk and total mortality, but it is impossible to separate this from conflicts of interest and industry funding. There are plausible mechanisms by which they may hurt mitochondrial function and promote soft tissue calcification. Dietary sulfur appears to lower cholesterol. While Lester Morrison showed 1500 milligrams per day of chondroitin sulfate could reduce cardiac events 7-fold, this has a theoretical potential to hurt the microbiome. My preferred way of getting sulfur is 1.2-1.8 grams per kilogram bodyweight of total non-collagen protein, with an emphasis on animal protein. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-statins-versus-sulfur In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Glutathione Intolerance: Getting to the Bottom of It Why Plasma Zinc is the Best Marker of Zinc Status If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the October 12, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: NADH vs NMN vs NR An unexplained rise in urine ketones Spreading out calcium across meals What should we have in our cold season cabinet? What besides diet could cause my high morning glucose on a CGM? Will some older people benefit from supplementing carnitine? What do I think about the CGM fad? Could my low triglycerides be cholestasis? Why limit the dose of cod liver oil? Why do I always feel better when my sulfur problems are worse? Should I use one lab’s reference range with another lab’s results? Is it safe to eat roasted potatoes? How much weight should I give genetic SNPs in my nutrition? High RBC magnesium but low serum: what could it mean? Burning in the stomach: what could it be? Should I treat low plasma amino acids by supplementing them? Why would MK-4 cause heart palpitations? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-october Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: I believe most methyl donor intolerances are a result of deficiencies in the glycine buffer system, which requires glycine, vitamin A, fasting (glucagon), androgens, riboflavin, unmethylated folate (THF), and iron. No one should expect to tolerate 30 milligrams of folate, however, and there is almost never a reason to use doses that high. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-cognitive-health-mct In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Does whey protein hurt the kidneys or otherwise hurt our health Why would someone not tolerate methyl donors even if they need them? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the September 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Why isn't my ferritin as high as diabetics when my transferrin saturation is higher? Why are vitamins A and E needed alongside D and K? Sunflower lecithin versus phosphatidylcholine supplements How do I reduce congestion while consuming dairy? Could eggs be raising triglycerides by curing fatty liver? Why would homocysteine ever be high when you can just use it to make glutathione? Why did my eye start twitching after sweating more than usual this weekend? Why do I now think A and D should be in roughly 1:1 ratios? Would MK-7 be enough to take with D or do I need MK-4? Why does water make me hungry? What's the proper ratio of calcium to magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K2? Is it safe to take zinc carnosine long term? Why did I recommend only using high-dose zinc for COVID protection for one year? Why did I recommend limiting quercetin phytosome to three months? Why take MK-4 when it has such a short half-life? How to make bowel movements more regular? Could freeze dried animal beef supplements cause gut infections? Do I recommend food sensitivity testing? What are the nutritional causes of restless leg syndrome? What do I think of drinking deuterium-depleted water for COVID severity? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-september Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: The main problem with too much protein, particularly animal protein, is that acidity may hurt the bones and increase the risk of calcium oxalate kidney stones, but this can be obviated by balancing it with organic acids, which have bicarbonate-sparing effects that are alkalinizing. The best index of the organic acid content of foods is the potassium content. This balance can be achieved with 750 to 1500 milligrams of potassium for every 100 grams of protein. This is not specific to whey protein. Other than allergies, none of the claimed harms of whey protein are convincing. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-cognitive-health-mct In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Does glucose handling in the brain decline with age? And if so, does this serve as a rationale to supplement with MCT oil to prevent cognitive decline? Why would someone not tolerate methyl donors even if they need them? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the September 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Why isn't my ferritin as high as diabetics when my transferrin saturation is higher? Why are vitamins A and E needed alongside D and K? Sunflower lecithin versus phosphatidylcholine supplements How do I reduce congestion while consuming dairy? Could eggs be raising triglycerides by curing fatty liver? Why would homocysteine ever be high when you can just use it to make glutathione? Why did my eye start twitching after sweating more than usual this weekend? Why do I now think A and D should be in roughly 1:1 ratios? Would MK-7 be enough to take with D or do I need MK-4? Why does water make me hungry? What's the proper ratio of calcium to magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K2? Is it safe to take zinc carnosine long term? Why did I recommend only using high-dose zinc for COVID protection for one year? Why did I recommend limiting quercetin phytosome to three months? Why take MK-4 when it has such a short half-life? How to make bowel movements more regular? Could freeze dried animal beef supplements cause gut infections? Do I recommend food sensitivity testing? What are the nutritional causes of restless leg syndrome? What do I think of drinking deuterium-depleted water for COVID severity? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-september Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

High-dose biotin supplements can cause a multitude of false lab tests, masking recent heart attacks, pregnancies, or allergies, giving false signals about tumors, and far more. In this episode, I lay out for you the nature, scope, and magnitude of the problem, and develop actionable strategies you can use to protect your lab tests from generating false information as a result of this phenomenon. You can find the written and fully referenced version of this episode here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/biotin-causes-false-lab-tests The written version also contains some figures that help you visualize the mechanistic information. If you find this episode valuable, please head over to the written version on Substack using the above link to like it, share it, and comment on it. This will encourage the Substack algorithm to get it in front of more people. In High Protein? You Need More Biotin, I made the case that 30 micrograms per day is not enough for adults, and that many people need 150-300 micrograms per day, depending on how much protein they eat. My simple food-based recommendations for getting enough biotin are found in my Cliff Notes (free for Masterpass members here). To learn more about the Masterpass, click here. Stay Immune Through the Winter My new 7-page quick guide on how to not get sick this winter, Staying Immune Through the Winter, is free for everyone. All you need is a free or paid subscription to my Substack. Head here to check your subscription status and to make sure you get the guide: Staying Immune Through the Winter Join the Next Live Q&A Have a question for me? Ask it at the next Q&A! Learn more here. Join the Masterpass Masterpass members get access to premium content (preview the premium posts here), all my ebook guides for free (see the collection of ebook guides here), monthly live Q&A sessions (see when the next session is here), all my courses for free (see the collection here), and exclusive access to massive discounts (see the specific discounts available by clicking here). Upgrade your subscription to include Masterpass membership with this button: Join the Masterpass Learn more about the Masterpass here.

Short Answer: Energy metabolism in general declines across the body with aging, but energy metabolism seems to stay healthy enough in the brain in people who do not experience cognitive decline. Cognitive decline does appear to be driven by decreases in brain energy metabolism, but these are not best described as a specific impairment in glucose handling. MCT oil can be modestly beneficial and a ketogenic diet can probably be somewhat more beneficial in people who have cognitive decline from any type. There is no evidence to support using it as a preventative. For prevention, I believe we should focus on aerobic fitness, nutrients required for healthy energy metabolism and antioxidant defense, and maintaining metabolic health with a healthy body composition and a healthy physical activity routine that includes the proper spread of a portfolio of different types of exercise. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-cognitive-health-mct In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Does whey protein hurt the kidneys or otherwise hurt our health Why would someone not tolerate methyl donors even if they need them? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the September 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Why isn't my ferritin as high as diabetics when my transferrin saturation is higher? Why are vitamins A and E needed alongside D and K? Sunflower lecithin versus phosphatidylcholine supplements How do I reduce congestion while consuming dairy? Could eggs be raising triglycerides by curing fatty liver? Why would homocysteine ever be high when you can just use it to make glutathione? Why did my eye start twitching after sweating more than usual this weekend? Why do I now think A and D should be in roughly 1:1 ratios? Would MK-7 be enough to take with D or do I need MK-4? Why does water make me hungry? What's the proper ratio of calcium to magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K2? Is it safe to take zinc carnosine long term? Why did I recommend only using high-dose zinc for COVID protection for one year? Why did I recommend limiting quercetin phytosome to three months? Why take MK-4 when it has such a short half-life? How to make bowel movements more regular? Could freeze dried animal beef supplements cause gut infections? Do I recommend food sensitivity testing? What are the nutritional causes of restless leg syndrome? What do I think of drinking deuterium-depleted water for COVID severity? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-september Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.  

Short Answer: If it can’t be explained by the dose of salt, it may be that the salt is not being absorbed orally. Glucose, starch, or simply a meal consumed alongside the salted water may help with this. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-protein-and-longevity-1a2 In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Protein and Longevity How to Increase or Decrease SHBG? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the August 15, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Does which food you eat matter when everything is digested anyway? How to know if your nitric oxide is dilating your blood vessels properly? How big of a problem are transient glucose spikes above 140 mg/dL? Can I take too much collagen? What is the maximum dose of cod liver oil safe to use long-term? How much A is safe to take when I need so much to resolve my symptoms? Generalizing from cell studies of green tea catechins to cups of green tea per day. What to do about lumbar discs bulging? Why would vitamin K2 cause a nosebleed? How to balance A with D when I react poorly to D and need so much A? Why would COVID decrease HRV long-term? How to raise secretory IgA? Rapid-fire answers to pre-submitted questions that didn’t win the contest: alternatives to bone meal powder, herbal tea and nutrient absorption, retinol-binding protein, improving fat digestion, metal provocation tests, fatty liver, high-dose B vitamins, eyebrow thinning, itchy bumps after exercise, brain fog and rifaximin, low cholesterol, tolerating chlorine pools, cycling nutrients, copper toxicity, stopping supplements before blood tests, COVID vaccines causing post-nasal drip, natural vs synthetic vitamins, absorbing iron through baths, elevated EPA and DHA in RBCs, COVID affecting the vagus nerve, supplements for athletic performance, when water doesn’t hydrate, tics and Tourette’s, recalcitrant homocysteine, fraud and corruption in scienctific research. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-august Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Get my new 7-page quick guide on how to not get sick for free when you sign up to my Substack: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/staying-immune-through-the-winter

Short Answer: SHBG is increased by adiponectin (vitamin K2, insulin sensitivity), thyroid hormone, fasting physiology (AMPK, fat oxidation), and estrogen (especially estrone), while it is decreased by insulin resistance, obesity, the fed state and carbohydrate-dominant physiology, androgens, and polyunsaturated fat. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-protein-and-longevity-1a2 In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: Protein and Longevity  Why is an IV more hydrating than salted water? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the August 15, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Does which food you eat matter when everything is digested anyway? How to know if your nitric oxide is dilating your blood vessels properly? How big of a problem are transient glucose spikes above 140 mg/dL? Can I take too much collagen? What is the maximum dose of cod liver oil safe to use long-term? How much A is safe to take when I need so much to resolve my symptoms? Generalizing from cell studies of green tea catechins to cups of green tea per day. What to do about lumbar discs bulging? Why would vitamin K2 cause a nosebleed? How to balance A with D when I react poorly to D and need so much A? Why would COVID decrease HRV long-term? How to raise secretory IgA? Rapid-fire answers to pre-submitted questions that didn’t win the contest: alternatives to bone meal powder, herbal tea and nutrient absorption, retinol-binding protein, improving fat digestion, metal provocation tests, fatty liver, high-dose B vitamins, eyebrow thinning, itchy bumps after exercise, brain fog and rifaximin, low cholesterol, tolerating chlorine pools, cycling nutrients, copper toxicity, stopping supplements before blood tests, COVID vaccines causing post-nasal drip, natural vs synthetic vitamins, absorbing iron through baths, elevated EPA and DHA in RBCs, COVID affecting the vagus nerve, supplements for athletic performance, when water doesn’t hydrate, tics and Tourette’s, recalcitrant homocysteine, fraud and corruption in scienctific research. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-august Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

I am done with my work on COVID vaccines, at least until I finish my Vitamins and Minerals 101 Book, so I am now making my scientific review on the likely causes of COVID vaccine side effects public. This is an excerpt of pages 19-52 of my Healing From COVID Vaccine Side Effects guide (free to Masterpass members here). You can read the written version on Substack using this link, which contains 139 of the 221 references. It does not contain the protocol, but rather the scientific review used to judge the mechanisms most likely underlying the side effects. Since I am no longer working on this, I hope it proves useful to anyone doing further work on the topic. This was originally published on August 10, 2022. The science described is not intended to be comprehensive. Rather, emphasis is placed on what is likely to provide insights into the mechanisms of side effects. Please visit the Substack version to like it, comment on it, and share it: COVID Vaccine Side Effects: What Causes Them? Join the Next Live Q&A Have a question for me? Ask it at the next Q&A! Learn more here. Join the Masterpass Masterpass members get access to premium content (preview the premium posts here), all my ebook guides for free (see the collection of ebook guides here), monthly live Q&A sessions (see when the next session is here), all my courses for free (see the collection here), and exclusive access to massive discounts (see the specific discounts available by clicking here). Learn more about the Masterpass here. Take a Look at the Store At no extra cost to you, please consider buying products from one of my popular affiliates using these links: Paleovalley, Magic Spoon breakfast cereal, LMNT, Seeking Health, Ancestral Supplements, MASA chips. Find more affiliates here. For $2.99, you can purchase The Vitamins and Minerals 101 Cliff Notes, a bullet point summary of all the most important things I’ve learned in over 15 years of studying nutrition science. For $10, you can purchase The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus, my protocol for prevention and for what to do if you get sick. For $10, you can purchase Healing From COVID Vaccine Side Effects for yourself or a loved one if dealing with this issue. It also contains an extensive well-referenced scientific review, so you can also use this just to learn more about my research into the COVID vaccines. For $15, you can pre-order a single format of my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, my complete guide to nutrition, which I am currently working full-time on finishing. For $25, you can pre-order a digital bundle of my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book. For $29.99, you can purchase a copy of my ebook, Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, my complete system for managing your nutritional status using dietary analysis, a survey of just under 200 signs and symptoms, and a comprehensive guide to proper interpretation of labwork. For $35, you can pre-order a complete bundle of my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book. For $250-$1499.99, you can work one-on-one with me.

Short Answer: While protein restriction may have value in people with established cancer or kidney disease, cycling robustly between fasting and feeding states is likely to provide all the value that restriction of protein or calories might otherwise provide, and a high protein intake supports bone mass, muscle mass, and the detoxification of carcinogens, all of which are important to longevity. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-protein-and-longevity-1a2 In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: How to Increase or Decrease SHBG?  Why is an IV more hydrating than salted water? If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the August 15, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: Does which food you eat matter when everything is digested anyway? How to know if your nitric oxide is dilating your blood vessels properly? How big of a problem are transient glucose spikes above 140 mg/dL? Can I take too much collagen? What is the maximum dose of cod liver oil safe to use long-term? How much A is safe to take when I need so much to resolve my symptoms? Generalizing from cell studies of green tea catechins to cups of green tea per day. What to do about lumbar discs bulging? Why would vitamin K2 cause a nosebleed? How to balance A with D when I react poorly to D and need so much A? Why would COVID decrease HRV long-term? How to raise secretory IgA? Rapid-fire answers to pre-submitted questions that didn’t win the contest: alternatives to bone meal powder, herbal tea and nutrient absorption, retinol-binding protein, improving fat digestion, metal provocation tests, fatty liver, high-dose B vitamins, eyebrow thinning, itchy bumps after exercise, brain fog and rifaximin, low cholesterol, tolerating chlorine pools, cycling nutrients, copper toxicity, stopping supplements before blood tests, COVID vaccines causing post-nasal drip, natural vs synthetic vitamins, absorbing iron through baths, elevated EPA and DHA in RBCs, COVID affecting the vagus nerve, supplements for athletic performance, when water doesn’t hydrate, tics and Tourette’s, recalcitrant homocysteine, fraud and corruption in scienctific research. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-august Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short answer: Low or low-normal alkaline phosphatase may raise the plasma B6 level over the cellular level. Tryptophan metabolites in urine reflect the B6 requirement for the kynurenine pathway, and this requirement increases with more estrogen, more inflammation, or a higher protein intake. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access five other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-fatty-liver In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: What's the difference between 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D when it comes to the VDR? Reversing Fatty Liver: How Long Does It Take? What if my A1C says I'm diabetic but my CGM says I'm fine? Will reishi, turmeric, or curcumin tank my testosterone? The 3 Phases of Fasting: And How to Get Kicked Out of Each One If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the July 13, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: How do I know if my digestive enzymes are helping or hurting? Why does high-dose glycine give me these terrible symptoms? How to know if my magnesium is messing with my calcium? Why do I have vitamin A symptoms when my lab tests are normal What is my favorite web site for finding enzymatic cofactors Potassium citrate vs potassium chloride Major problems with B vitamin supplements Is food sensitivity testing useful? What nutrients might help with dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency? Does lipoic acid hurt methylation? Sulfur SIBO that just won’t go away. Using lactate, pyruvate, and ketone ratios to indicate the NADH/NAD+ ratio. Helping bile flow without pharmaceuticals. Managing pernicious anemia. Do we really need to meet the RDA for calcium? Could stretch marks be a sign of copper toxicity? When iron saturation is driven by low binding capacity. How do I know if I need methyl-free Bs? What causes heat intolerance? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june-de3 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.  

Short answer: 4-6 hours after a meal the small intestine is emptied and the insulin-to-glucagon ratio declines; 25 hours after, hepatic glycogen is emptied; 5 days later the brain is adapted to ketones and gluconeogenesis reaches its minimal level. Moving from one to the other cannot occur with a small piece of signaling like the bite of an apple. It requires the preponderance of signaling. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access five other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-fatty-liver In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: What's the difference between 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D when it comes to the VDR? Reversing Fatty Liver: How Long Does It Take? What if my A1C says I'm diabetic but my CGM says I'm fine? Will reishi, turmeric, or curcumin tank my testosterone? The 3 Phases of Fasting: And How to Get Kicked Out of Each One If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the July 13, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: How do I know if my digestive enzymes are helping or hurting? Why does high-dose glycine give me these terrible symptoms? How to know if my magnesium is messing with my calcium? Why do I have vitamin A symptoms when my lab tests are normal? What is my favorite web site for finding enzymatic cofactors? Potassium citrate vs potassium chloride Major problems with B vitamin supplements Is food sensitivity testing useful? What nutrients might help with dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency? Does lipoic acid hurt methylation? Sulfur SIBO that just won’t go away. Using lactate, pyruvate, and ketone ratios to indicate the NADH/NAD+ ratio. Helping bile flow without pharmaceuticals. Managing pernicious anemia. Do we really need to meet the RDA for calcium? Could stretch marks be a sign of copper toxicity? When iron saturation is driven by low binding capacity. How do I know if I need methyl-free Bs? What causes heat intolerance? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june-de3 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short answer: Probably not. Animal studies showing a difference use huge doses in an unrealistic context. Human studies show they don’t at doses used. Human effect on PSA is vulnerable to regression to the mean and thoroughly unconvincing.   This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access five other free samples using this link:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-fatty-liver In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: What's the difference between 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D when it comes to the VDR? Reversing Fatty Liver: How Long Does It Take? What if my A1C says I'm diabetic but my CGM says I'm fine? The 3 Phases of Fasting: And How to Get Kicked Out of Each One If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the June 16, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: What to do about persistent SIBO? Are there toxicity concerns for intravenous B vitamins? Should zinc be taken apart from oral rehydration salts? Why would magnesium cause erratic heartbeat, bad dreams, and tinnitus? How do you know if you have low stomach acid? What is a good sweetener to replace granulated sugar? Do I need to eat foods with calcium every day? What bread do I eat? Should you take vitamin D for COVID prevention if you have a history of hypercalcemia? What to do about extreme CFS, depression, anxiety, and brain fog when nothing seems to work. Why balance K2 with vitamin E rather than K1? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short answer: Trust the CGM. HbA1c is confounded by red blood cell turnover and fructosamine 3-kinase activity. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access five other free samples using this link:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-fatty-liver In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: What's the difference between 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D when it comes to the VDR? Reversing Fatty Liver: How Long Does It Take? What if my A1C says I'm diabetic but my CGM says I'm fine? Will reishi, turmeric, or curcumin tank my testosterone? The 3 Phases of Fasting: And How to Get Kicked Out of Each One If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the June 16, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: What to do about persistent SIBO? Are there toxicity concerns for intravenous B vitamins? Should zinc be taken apart from oral rehydration salts? Why would magnesium cause erratic heartbeat, bad dreams, and tinnitus? How do you know if you have low stomach acid? What is a good sweetener to replace granulated sugar? Do I need to eat foods with calcium every day? What bread do I eat? Should you take vitamin D for COVID prevention if you have a history of hypercalcemia? What to do about extreme CFS, depression, anxiety, and brain fog when nothing seems to work. Why balance K2 with vitamin E rather than K1? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

My friend Steve, who is the one who originally introduced me to the Essex Farm CSA that now supplies me with almost all my food, has invented a new tortilla chip that launches today! MASA chips are made from organic corn from small New England farms. The corn is nixtimalized, which frees the niacin, makes it more digestible, and eliminates 97-100% of the mycotoxins (based on studies with aflatoxin). Then they are fried in grass-fed beef tallow! They are full-bodied and feel nourishing, and they are the perfect saltiness. That is, I do not feel like a company has tagged me as eating a low-salt diet just because I want a healthy chip. The bulk of your diet should be unprocessed and minimally processed foods, but there is an important place for health snacks! Get your MASA chips today at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masa and use the code MASTERJOHN for 10% off. I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. You will rarely ever find me promoting a chip, but this is one I endorse!

Nick Hiebert and I debate the value of ancestral health as a framework for approaching health in the modern era. For my summary of and reflections on the debate, as well as time stamps, relevant links, and a transcript, head to: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-ancestral-health-debate If you found this valuable, please like, share, and comment on the Substack version to get it before more eyeballs.

In this interview, Mathew Crawford walks me through his slide presentation of data showing that, at some point between 2020 and 2021, the 2016-2019 data from the US Military’s health database was altered in a way that hides the explosion of poorly-defined illness among troops that happened in 2021 as the COVID vaccines were rolled out. For the video with the slides, a more complete summary, and a transcript, head over to Substack with this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mathew-crawford-fraud-in-the-militarys If you find this valuable, please like, share, and comment on the Substack video to help me promote this before more eyeballs by leveraging the Substack algorithm. Please need to see this!

Part 2 of how NUTRITION has a HUGE impact on your BRAIN! Everything in your brain is something you ate, something you made from something you ate, or, in a few cases, something your mother ate. Nutrition impacts your mental and emotional health, the function of your five senses, and your conscious and unconscious control over your body movements. Join me as I lead you in a safari through the textbook, “Neuroscience,” pointing out along the way all the interesting connections to nutrition. Listen in for part 2 on the NEUROTRANSMITTERS! 0:00:37     Cliff Notes 0:04:15     Overview of neurotransmitters 0:06:55     Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter. 0:14:08      De novo glutamate in the central nervous system is overwhelmingly made from glucose. 0:16:55     Ketogenic diet for epilepsy 0:20:12    Glutamate metabolism 0:23:42    There are two classes of glutamate receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic. 0:24:45     There are three classes of metabotropic glutamate receptors, their actions are complex and variable, and they can be excitatory or inhibitory. 0:25:05     The ionotropic glutamate receptors include AMPA receptors, NMDA receptors, and kainite receptors, all of which have a depolarizing effect by allowing sodium and potassium to flow freely through them. 0:27:47     Four unique things about the NMDA receptor: magnesium is required to block its ion channel, it’s important for coincidence detection, it allows calcium to come into the cell, and it has a glycine-binding site. 0:33:16     Long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) are important for forming memories, and glutamate receptors play an important role. 0:40:48     GABA and glycine are the two primary inhibitory neurotransmitters of the central nervous system. 0:44:04     GABA and presumably glycine can be stimulatory if there is more chloride on the inside of the neuron than the outside. 0:48:53     Evidence that GABA might cross the blood-brain barrier 0:51:44     GABA in foods 0:54:14     GABA metabolism in the nervous system 0:56:08     Glycine 1:02:02     Acetylcholine 1:07:50     The biogenic amines include histamine, serotonin, and the catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine). 1:08:30     Synthesis of the catecholamines 1:10:46     Dopamine 1:14:08     Norepinephrine 1:16:32     Histamine 1:20:15     Serotonin 1:23:10     ATP and adenosine 1:26:38     Peptide neurotransmitters 1:27:00     Hypothalamic releasing hormones include thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). 1:29:15     Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) 1:29:32     Oxytocin 1:30:18     Vasopressin 1:30:57     Synthesis of the neuropeptides Substance P, MSH, oxytocin, and vasopressin requires glycine, zinc, copper, and vitamin C. 1:34:24     Endocannabinoids and the importance of arachidonic acid, EPA, and DHA Nutrition in Neuroscience Related Content Chris Masterjohn Lite: Could Oxaloacetate Supplements Help With Glutamate Sensitivity? Chris Masterjohn Lite: 5 Ways to Help With Glutamate Sensitivity and Glutamate Dominance Chris Masterjohn Lite: Does Glycine or GABA Wake You Up? Chris Masterjohn Lite: Carbs or Keto for Sleep? Chris Masterjohn Lite: How to Manage Your Magnesium Status Mastering Nutrition: Why You Need Glycine -- A Panel Discussion Balancing Methionine and Glycine in Foods: The Database  Chris Masterjohn Lite: Get Better Sleep With Glycine Start Here for Methylation has glycine and choline resources, and covers the methylation process used in the synthesis and degradation of biogenic amines. Mastering Nutrition: Methylate Your Way to Mental Health With Dopamine The Pursuit of Happiness: How Nutrient-Dense Animal Fats Promote Mental and Emotional Health, covers the endocannibinoids. Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet is a comprehensive guide for testing nutritional status for all the nutrients discussed in this episode, and more. Use the code MASTERINGNUTRITION for $5 OFF. Nutrition in Neuroscience Research The textbook, Neuroscience. Relaxation and immunity enhancement effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration in humans. on the use of GABA for fear of heights and to alter anxiety- and focus-related brain waves. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration improves action selection processes: a randomised controlled trial on use of GABA to improve decision-making under pressure. Desarrollo de un pan de masa madre rico en GABA y péptidos IECA contains a table on the GABA content of foods on page 84 of the PDF. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor from plants on the different plants containing natural acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. A Mass Spectrometry-Based Method to Screen for α-Amidated Peptides on the neuropeptides that require glycine, vitamin C, copper, and zinc for their biological activity. Effects of copper occupancy on the conformational landscape of peptidylglycine α-hydroxylating monooxygenase also on the neuropeptides that require glycine, vitamin C, copper, and zinc for their biological activity.   Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/054-nutrition-in-neuroscience-part

This new model I developed explains how the depletion of arginine and tryptophan and the sequestration of cysteine leads to T cell suppression in severe COVID and may reflect the rapid onset of a somewhat cancer-reminiscent state where vitamins A and D and other myeloid differentiation factors run out. The written version with references and links to research is available here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/a-new-paradigm-for-severe-covid If you find this valuable, please like, share, and comment on the Substack article to help boost it within the Substack algorithm and get more people to read it. Vitamins A and D should be properly balanced with each other, and with vitamins E and K. My COVID-specific recommendations for this balance are in the COVID Guide, and recommendations for balancing them in various different contexts are included in the Vitamins and Minerals 101 Cliff Notes, both of which are freely available to paid Substack subscribers. These also contain general (Cliff Notes) or COVID-specific (COVID Guide) information for managing all the other nutrients mentioned. I will be updating the COVID guide next time to include tryptophan and N-acetylcysteine whenever arginine is used, but other than that this new paradigm does not alter the protocol. It does, however, move much more emphasis to A and D, and bring A onto much more equal footing with D. Disclaimer I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. My goal is to empower you with information. Please make all health decisions yourself, consulting sources you trust, including a caring health care professional. Paid Subscriptions, Coming Guides, the Book My current plan is to wrap up a vaccine side effect protocol and my general work on the vaccines into a COVID Vaccine Guide that will be free to those who have pre-ordered my book, Masterpass members, and paid Substack subscribers. I will then do one final update to the COVID guide, also free to everyone I just mentioned. Paid Substack subscribers and Masterpass members will also have access to all paid-only Substack posts, which are the posts that feed into the creation of the vaccine side effect protocol. Most of these will be available for 48 hours to everyone. You can become a paid Substack subscriber here, which earns you 50% off the fee on Masterpass membership if you choose to join. The book can be pre-ordered here. As soon as these two guides are finished I will return full-time to finishing the book and will send everyone who pre-ordered an ETA as soon as I am ready. Take a Look at the Store At no extra cost to you, please consider buying products from one of my popular affiliates using these links: Paleovalley, Magic Spoon breakfast cereal, LMNT, Seeking Health, Ancestral Supplements. Find more affiliates here. For $2.99, you can purchase The Vitamins and Minerals 101 Cliff Notes, a bullet point summary of all the most important things I’ve learned in over 15 years of studying nutrition science. For $10, you can purchase The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus, my protocol for prevention and for what to do if you get sick (free if you become a paid subscriber to my Substack). For $15, you can pre-order a single format of my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, my complete guide to nutrition, to be finished as soon as my work on COVID vaccines is done. For $25, you can pre-order a digital bundle of my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book. For $29.99, you can purchase a copy of my ebook, Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, my complete system for managing your nutritional status using dietary analysis, a survey of just under 200 signs and symptoms, and a comprehensive guide to proper interpretation of labwork. For $35, you can pre-order a complete bundle of my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book. For a recurring $15/month or $120/year, you can join the CMJ Masterpass, with monthly access to live Zoom Q&A sessions with me, and huge discounts on my consulting, my informational products, and the health and wellness products from other companies that I value most. Paid Substack subscribers get 50% off the membership fee. For $250-$1499.99, you can work one-on-one with me. In any amount at all, you can make a donation to support my work on COVID vaccines during this time when our freedom of speech, bodily autonomy, and right to earn a living are all under attack.

Short answer: You should be able to see changes on imaging within a few weeks if your approach is working well, but ultimately this is entirely dependent on how negative your “delta fatty liver = (fat in) - ((fat out) + (fat burned))” equation is. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access five other free samples using this link:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-fatty-liver In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: What's the difference between 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D when it comes to the VDR? What if my A1C says I'm diabetic but my CGM says I'm fine? Will reishi, turmeric, or curcumin tank my testosterone? The 3 Phases of Fasting: And How to Get Kicked Out of Each One If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the April 13, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: How to balance vitamins E and K What prenatal vitamin do I recommend? Why does my smoothie make my hands cold? What type of choline to use? Is there an interaction between glycine and aspirin? What supplements can be used in the fasting state? How to manage protein intake within a small eating window on an intermittent fasting regimen? Looking at a study on calcium alpha-ketoglutarate supplementation. Should I take vitamin D for COVID if I easily get hypercalcemia from it? What to do about nausea in pregnancy? Brief questions on restless legs, exercise during fasting, puffy eyes, and health effects of spicy foods. Here’s a link to the full AMA:  https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/ask-me-anything-april-13-2022 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short answer: 25(OH)D is 1000 times weaker at activating the VDR than 1,25(OH)D, but 1000 times more abundant. This is why I advocate measuring both, and ultimately believe we need to create a calculated index of “biological vitamin D activity” from them. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access five other free samples using this link:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-fatty-liver In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions: What's the difference between 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D when it comes to the VDR? Reversing Fatty Liver: How Long Does It Take? What if my A1C says I'm diabetic but my CGM says I'm fine? Will reishi, turmeric, or curcumin tank my testosterone? The 3 Phases of Fasting: And How to Get Kicked Out of Each One If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the April 13, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included: How to balance vitamins E and K What prenatal vitamin do I recommend? Why does my smoothie make my hands cold? What type of choline to use? Is there an interaction between glycine and aspirin? What supplements can be used in the fasting state? How to manage protein intake within a small eating window on an intermittent fasting regimen? Looking at a study on calcium alpha-ketoglutarate supplementation. Should I take vitamin D for COVID if I easily get hypercalcemia from it? What to do about nausea in pregnancy? Brief questions on restless legs, exercise during fasting, puffy eyes, and health effects of spicy foods. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/ask-me-anything-april-13-2022 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Rising Food Prices Part 4: Can Regenerative Agriculture Solve the Food Crisis? This is the 4th in a series of interviews I am conducting to try to better understand why food prices have been rising, where they are going as we move toward a potential food crisis, how this will impact the evolving landscape of food availability, and what we should do about it. Allen Williams joins me to talk about conventional, organic, and regenerative agriculture, and how fuel and fertilizer inputs differ between them, and why regenerative agriculture offers the best resilience in the face of what looks like an emerging food crisis. Allen Williams is a 6th generation family farmer and founding partner of Grass Fed Insights, LLC, Understanding Ag, LLC and the Soil Health Academy. He has consulted with more than 4000 farmers and ranchers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South America, and other countries, on operations ranging from a few acres to over 1 million acres. Allen pioneered many of the early regenerative grazing protocols and forage finishing techniques and now teaches those practices and principles to farmers globally. He is a “recovering academic”, having served 15 years on the faculty at Louisiana Tech University and Mississippi State University. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Animal Science from Clemson University and a Ph.D. in Livestock Genetics from LSU. He has authored more than 400 scientific and popular press articles, and is an invited speaker at regional, national, and international conferences and symposia. Allen and his colleagues specialize in whole farm & ranch planning based on the concept of regenerative agriculture. Their approach creates significant “value add” and prepares the landowner for multiple enterprise/revenue stream opportunities that stack enterprises and acres. This approach allows for enhanced profitability and/or investment value. They routinely conduct workshops and seminars across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Find regenerative agriculture at https://regenified.com/ This is a work in progress. Until it is completed, use https://localharvest.org, https://eatwild.com, and https://soilhealthacademy.org/shop-regen-foods/ Follow Allen's work at https://understandingag.com/ Learn about soil at https://soilhealthacademy.org/ Find more research on the topic at https://www.ecdysis.bio/ If you are interested in investment opportunities in regenerative agriculture, inquire with Allen using the Understanding Ag contact form: https://understandingag.com/connect-with-us/ This series started from a Substack post I wrote, The Emerging Food Crisis: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-emerging-food-crisis Over the next month, as part of this series, I will conduct interviews and panel discussions on my podcast in an effort to better understand the issue and what to do about it. Relying primarily on interviews will allow me to better understand the issue while staying focused on finishing my vaccine research so I can ultimately return to finishing my book. I will eventually be concluding my work on the vaccines with a COVID Vaccine Guide, which I will distribute for free to paid Substack subscribers, those who have pre-ordered my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, and members of the CMJ Masterpass. Articles in this series that lay out actionable foundations of my future protocol for vaccine side effects will be for paid Substack subscribers and Masterpass members. However, most of them will available for free for the first 48 hours, and all of them will be readable with a free trial. Paid Substack subscribers get immediate access to my COVID Guide, and are entitled to 50% off a membership to the Masterpass as well. You can subscribe or upgrade your subscription here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe You can pre-order the book here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book And you can join the Masterpass here: https://themasterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/sales-page Masterpass members get to watch these interviews live, and also have monthly access to a live Q&A with me. The next Q&A session is Wednesday, May 18, 12:00 PM Eastern.

Tony Greer joins me to talk about how lockdowns, politics, and the commodity trade contribute to rising food prices. Tony Greer is partly responsible for my awareness of the emerging food crisis as I had initially learned of Doomberg from him last year. He has been a macro trader for over thirty years, is a regular on the Real Vision Daily Briefing, and is editor of the Morning Navigator. Tony brings us unique insights as a trader who saw the rise in commodity prices early. Will the rotation out of tech stocks into commodities continue? What role does this trade have in amplifying food prices itself? Can we use technical signals from the market to gauge the likelihood this problem will get much worse, and to be able to spot light at the end of the tunnel when it finally emerges? Tony surprised me by suggesting the most important signal to look for as "light at the end of the tunnel" ushering in a reprieve from rising food prices is not so much a technical indicator from the charts or from economic data but rather a sustainable 180-degree reversal in the political hostility to the energy markets. He suggests food prices would take another 7 or more years to calm down once this reversal is sustained. None of this is financial advice and you must make your own decisions at your own risk. However, we conclude with some thoughts Tony has on how to keep savings safe in an environment like this. You can join his newsletter at https://tgmacro.com/ and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TgMacro This series started from a Substack post I wrote, The Emerging Food Crisis: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-emerging-food-crisis Over the next month, as part of this series, I will conduct interviews and panel discussions on my podcast in an effort to better understand the issue and what to do about it. Relying primarily on interviews will allow me to better understand the issue while staying focused on finishing my vaccine research so I can ultimately return to finishing my book. I will eventually be concluding my work on the vaccines with a COVID Vaccine Guide, which I will distribute for free to paid Substack subscribers, those who have pre-ordered my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, and members of the CMJ Masterpass. Articles in this series that lay out actionable foundations of my future protocol for vaccine side effects will be for paid Substack subscribers and Masterpass members. However, most of them will available for free for the first 48 hours, and all of them will be readable with a free trial. Paid Substack subscribers get immediate access to my COVID Guide, and are entitled to 50% off a membership to the Masterpass as well. You can subscribe or upgrade your subscription here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe You can pre-order the book here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book And you can join the Masterpass here: https://themasterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/sales-page Masterpass members get to watch these interviews live, and also have monthly access to a live Q&A with me. The next Q&A session is Wednesday, April 13, 6:00 PM Eastern.

With Dr. Michael Howell, PhD. This is the second in a series of interviews I am conducting to try to better understand why food prices have been rising, where they are going as we move toward a potential food crisis, how this will impact the evolving landscape of food availability, and what we should do about it. Michael Howell, PhD joins me to discuss whether "money printing" and the liquidity cycle might be playing a role in rising food prices. Howell has a PhD in Economics and specializes in analyzing global central bank activities, liquidity trends, and capital flow data across 80 economies. He is CEO of CrossBorder Capital, which he founded in 1996. He developed the quantitative liquidity research methodology while he was Research Director at Salomon Bros. from 1986. He was subsequently appointed Head of Research at Baring Securities in 1992, and was top-ranked “Emerging Market Strategist” by institutional investors for the three years prior to setting up CrossBorder Capital. Michael has worked in financial markets since 1981 and is a regular international conference speaker. He is a qualified US Supervisory Analyst. You can buy his book, Capital Wars: The Rise of Global Liquidity, here. You can follow his company, Cross Border Capital, on Twitter here. This series started from a Substack post I wrote, The Emerging Food Crisis: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-emerging-food-crisis Over the next month, as part of this series, I will conduct interviews and panel discussions on my podcast in an effort to better understand the issue and what to do about it. Relying primarily on interviews will allow me to better understand the issue while staying focused on finishing my vaccine research so I can ultimately return to finishing my book. I will eventually be concluding my work on the vaccines with a COVID Vaccine Guide, which I will distribute for free to paid Substack subscribers, those who have pre-ordered my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, and members of the CMJ Masterpass. Articles in this series that lay out actionable foundations of my future protocol for vaccine side effects will be for paid Substack subscribers and Masterpass members. However, most of them will available for free for the first 48 hours, and all of them will be readable with a free trial. Paid Substack subscribers get immediate access to my COVID Guide, and are entitled to 50% off a membership to the Masterpass as well. You can subscribe or upgrade your subscription here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe You can pre-order the book here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book And you can join the Masterpass here: https://themasterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/sales-page Masterpass members get to watch these interviews live, and also have monthly access to a live Q&A with me. The next Q&A session is Wednesday, April 13, 6:00 PM Eastern.

This is the first in a series of interviews I am conducting to try to better understand why food prices have been rising, where they are going as we move toward a potential food crisis, how this will impact the evolving landscape of food availability, and what we should do about it. Josh Young and Tracy Schuchart are here to talk about why oil and fertilizer are in short supply and why their prices have been steadily rising. Josh Young is Chief Investment Officer and Founder of Bison Interests, which invests in the publicly traded oil and gas markets. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Josh_Young_1 Tracy Shuchart is Partner and Global Macro Energy and Materials Strategist at Intelligence Quarterly. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/chigrl This series started from a Substack post I wrote, The Emerging Food Crisis: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-emerging-food-crisis Over the next month, as part of this series, I will conduct interviews and panel discussions on my podcast in an effort to better understand the issue and what to do about it. Relying primarily on interviews will allow me to better understand the issue while staying focused on finishing my vaccine research so I can ultimately return to finishing my book. I will eventually be concluding my work on the vaccines with a COVID Vaccine Guide, which I will distribute for free to paid Substack subscribers, those who have pre-ordered my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, and members of the CMJ Masterpass. Articles in this series that lay out actionable foundations of my future protocol for vaccine side effects will be for paid Substack subscribers and Masterpass members. However, most of them will available for free for the first 48 hours, and all of them will be readable with a free trial. Paid Substack subscribers get immediate access to my COVID Guide, and are entitled to 50% off a membership to the Masterpass as well. You can subscribe or upgrade your subscription here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe

The spike protein pokes holes in cell membranes at concentrations much lower than those achieved with vaccination, contributing to COVID-like illness and mitochondrial damage. But is the J&J immune? This is not medical advice. This podcast was originally published in written form as a Substack article, fully referenced, found here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-spike-protein-as-a-pore-forming This is the first in a series of posts in which I will outline the potential mechanisms of spike protein toxicity and vaccine side effects and brainstorm actionable steps vaccinees can take to protect against these effects or heal from them. I will eventually be concluding my work on the vaccines with a COVID Vaccine Guide, which I will distribute for free to paid Substack subscribers, those who have pre-ordered my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, and members of the CMJ Masterpass. Articles in this series that lay out actionable foundations of my future protocol for vaccine side effects will be for paid Substack subscribers and Masterpass members. However, most of them will available for free for the first 48 hours, and all of them will be readable with a free trial. Paid Substack subscribers get immediate access to my COVID Guide, and are entitled to 50% off a membership to the Masterpass as well. You can subscribe or upgrade your subscription here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe

My tentative view on what is causing it and what to do about it. This is NOT caused primarily by the conflict in Ukraine and a sudden peaceful solution to the conflict will not avert it. The written version with links to sources can be found here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-emerging-food-crisis Please Show The Substack Post Some Love Please hit up the Substack post and let me know what you think in the comments! And please like the post if you found it valuable, and share the post with others if you believe they too would find it valuable. Subscribe or Upgrade I will eventually be concluding my work on the vaccines with a COVID Vaccine Guide, which I will distribute for free to paid Substack subscribers, those who have pre-ordered my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, and members of the CMJ Masterpass. Articles in this series that lay out actionable foundations of my future protocol for vaccine side effects will be for paid Substack subscribers and Masterpass members. However, most of them will available for free for the first 48 hours, and all of them will be readable with a free trial. Paid Substack subscribers get immediate access to my COVID Guide, and are entitled to 50% off a membership to the Masterpass as well. You can subscribe or upgrade your subscription here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe

https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paradox  Please subscribe to my Substack at https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com Subscription is completely free but if you take the option to pay $5 a month or $30 per year, you will get access to exclusive content, as well as my COVID guide for free and 50% off my Masterpass membership program. Please like, comment on, and share the Substack version of this post. This will help spread it far and wide, as subscriber engagement drives the Substack algorithm. Engagements from paid subscribers count the most, but engagements from free subscribers come in the highest numbers and are the foundation for spreading the content. This episode covers how a negative PCR test can serve as a marker for systemic inflammation and spike protein toxicity, creating a widely exploited statistical anomaly to make misleading claims about hospitalization. I consider this the absolute most important topic of our decade: the core anomaly in COVID data that is exploited worldwide to claim the vaccines are protecting against hospitalization among those who get COVID, yet which is at complete odds with the CDC data showing the majority of people hospitalized for COVID-like illness are vaccinated and that the vast majority of them test negative. "COVID-like illness" refers to the signs and symptoms of COVID, regardless of the results of a PCR test. While the clinical fate of PCR-negative COVID-like illness is completely unclear, we cannot just ignore it. In fact, recent evidence suggests that as much as 69% of PCR-negative COVID-like illness might be genuine COVID. Zooming out to capture the total COVID-like illlness, the "Hospitalization Paradox" refers to the fact that the vaccines do not protect against it at all. When the vaccines have high efficacy against a negative test, all they do is make ill people test negative. In contexts where they have sub-par efficacy against a negative test — the Johnson and Johnson trial, after 3 months of being vaccinated with no booster, and in the face of increasingly vaccine-resistant variants like delta and omicron — suddenly they appear to have efficacy against hospitalization, but only among vaccinated people who test positive. The vaccinated people who test negative, by contrast, wind up in the hospital with PCR-negative COVID-like illness. In this very extensively documented article, I argue that this can be explained by the negative test, during the waning phase, becoming a marker of vaccine-induced systemic inflammation and the persistence of spike protein in the body, contributing to acute and cumulative spike protein toxicity and possibly spike-induced autoimmunity. Read the article here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paradox  Please subscribe to my Substack at https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com

I'm recording from "Youtube Jail," where I'll be until Monday morning. Two more strikes and I'm out. Please help our community stay connected by joining my email list at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/uncensored 

The pandemic that no one dare speak of: 79% of people hospitalized for COVID-like illness test negative for COVID. The vaccines protect against testing positive among those hospitalized, but not against winding up in the hospital with the symptoms. And deaths? We have no idea. What the heck is going on? Read the written and referenced analysis here: The Pandemic of PCR-Negative COVID-Like Illness Help Me Fight Censorship and Stay Connected With Me Please join my email list ASAP at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/uncensored Here’s why: YouTube took down my interview of Jessica Rose after it started going viral and hit 35,305 views. They gave me a warning. Then they took down my livestream of the Washington, DC Defeat the Mandates Rally.  That earned me a strike. I'm currently in "YouTube Jail" until Monday morning. Two more strikes and I'm out. Instagram has threatened me with account deletion, accused me of causing people physical harm by discussing research on arginine, banned you from tagging me, and is “like suppressing me” by preventing a percentage of people from liking my posts. Please stand for free expression by joining my email list, ensuring we stay connected. I will immediately send you an email of the most important alternative platforms to follow me on and how to join me in the fight against censorship. Join now at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/uncensored

In this episode, Chris Masterjohn interviews Angela McArdle on strategies to defeat the mandates. McArdle is the current chair of the Los Angeles Libertarian Party and is spearheading an effort to amend the New York City charter to prohibit the mayor from making mandates. We discuss the ethics of mandates, steelmanning the case in favor of them, and then justifying our opposition to them. We discuss strategies to defeat them, as well as strategies for employees to keep their jobs when faced with them. Angela has worked as a paralegal and legal aid for over eleven years.  Angela currently works in litigation and also has a private practice where she provides self help legal services to low income clients. The bulk of Angela’s practices focuses on real estate and constitutional law. She was a key organizer for the Los Angeles 2013 protest against a ban on feeding in public rights of way, which was a major obstacle to feeding the homeless.  Angela received her Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Biola University in 2009 and a Paralegal Certificate from UCLA Extension in 2013.  Angela is also trained as a craniosacral therapist through the Upledger Institute.  She believes strongly in the sanctity of personal choice and allowing people to govern their own lives. Important Links Visit her web site at https://angelamcardle.com and follow her on twitter @angela4LNCChair Time Stamps 00:45 George Washington's smallpox mandate 02:45 McArdle's background in law and natural health 09:05 Test negative case control studies are a scam, same with RCTs without inert placebos 13:38 The ethics of mandates 25:22 Amending the city's charter 30:33 Changing the hearts and minds of the people 38:10 Voting with your feet: to move, or to stay and fight? 46:07 Connecting with people on an emotional level; city council meetings; changing the hearts and minds of reporters 49:46 The role of protests and rallies 56:52 Restaurant sit-ins 1:05:10 Call banking businesses 1:07:54 Perceptions of the sit-ins 1:11:16 Different ways individuals can get involved 1:12:26 Persuading the police 1:17:02 What to do if your job is threatened 1:23:12 If we don't stop this now, what's the end game? Help Me Fight Censorship and Stay Connected With Me Please join my email list ASAP at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/uncensored Here’s why: YouTube took down my interview of Jessica Rose after it started going viral and hit 35,305 views. Instagram has threatened me with account deletion, accused me of causing people physical harm by discussing research on arginine, banned you from tagging me, and is "like suppressing me" by preventing a percentage of people from liking my posts. Please stand for free expression by joining my email list, ensuring we stay connected. I will immediately send you an email of the most important alternative platforms to follow me on and how to join me in the fight against censorship. Join now at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/uncensored

In this episode, I have Dr. Dmitry Kats, MPH, PhD. He has a PhD in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Many people have asked me what I think of his Niatonin protocol for COVID. And as you'll see in this interview that has since evolved into the Niacur protocol, which now has the dosing regimen of just niacin and curcumin, having abandoned the melatonin from the original protocol. You will find in this 3.5-hour conversation all about the justification for that protocol, how it evolved over time, where it came from, and you will get a really interesting look into the fascinating mind of Dr. Kats. Important Links Follow Dr. Kats on Telegram here: https://t.me/NiaCur During this critical time where our freedom of health and freedom of speech is in imminent danger, and where tens of thousands of people are facing imminent job losses as the result of medical mandates, I am devoting my analytical skills full time toward the battle for health freedom. This includes working directly with lawyers in lawsuits over mandates, lockdowns, and the current standard of care, scientifically analyzing the safety, efficacy, and risks of mandated medical treatments and their alternatives as well as ways to mitigate their harms, publishing my findings in scientific journals and sharing them with you. It is my firm conviction that this is the most important gift I can offer the world right now, and I view this as a needed public service. I would be extremely grateful if you could support me during this time. At https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support, you can purchase one of my information products in amounts ranging from $3 to $30, or take advantage of my consulting services for more. You can also make a purchase using one of my affiliate links to buy something you would have bought anyway at no extra cost to you. Finally, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate, you can make a donation in any amount. In a world increasingly dominated by censorship, we may have censored certain words in this video in order to protect the show and keep our community connected. To make sure we stay together as a community, please join my newsletter at chrismasterjohnphd.com/newsletter, where I can guarantee that I'll never deplatform myself. This interview was recorded during a Live Zoom recording, where members of the CMJ Masterpass sat in and submitted comments and questions in the live chat. If you would like to sit in on future interviews I conduct with the chance to contribute questions, sign up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass and use the code INTERVIEW for 10% off the membership fee for as long as you remain a member. Masterpass members also have access to a transcript and to the uncensored video and audio. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe as well. Thank you for your support!

In this episode, I have a fascinating 3-hour conversation with Dr. Jessica Rose about all things related to C-word juices, ranging from interpreting the adverse event reporting system to the future of mandatory prophylactic gene therapy.  If you follow Dr. Rose on her web site or YouTube channel, she is first and foremost an analyst of the adverse event reporting system.  If you follow her substack, her bio is simple: "I am a dissident." Her academic bio emphasizes her expertise in biology and immunology: Dr. Jessica Rose is a Canadian researcher with a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics and a Master’s degree in Immunology from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She also holds a PhD in Computational Biology from Bar Ilan University and 2 post-doctoral degrees: one in Molecular Biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and one in Biochemistry from the Technion Institute of Technology. She was also accepted for a 2-month program as a senior researcher at the Weizmann Institute prior to completion of her latest post doctoral degree at the Technion.   Important Links Her CV is rich in published work on infectious diseases: https://i-do-not-consent.netlify.app/media/Curriculum%20Vitae%20June%202021.pdf She plays advisory roles in the Canadian organization Take Back Our Freedoms: https://takingbackourfreedoms.ca/about-us/ She is also involved with Geert Vanden Bossche's Voice for Science and Solidarity: https://www.voiceforscienceandsolidarity.org/authors/jessica-rose The three most important ways to keep up with her work are her web site, substack, and YouTube channel: https://i-do-not-consent.netlify.app/ https://jessicar.substack.com/ https://www.youtube.com/user/74jessicarose This is her currently withdrawn paper on myocarditis: https://61b87bfde22db9000824d656--i-do-not-consent.netlify.app/media/A%20Report%20on%20Myocarditis%20Adverse%20Events%20in%20the%20U.S.%20Vaccine%20AdverseEvents%20Reporting%20System%20%28VAERS%29%20in%20Association%20with%20COVID19%20Injectable%20Biological%20Products.pdf This is her critical appraisal of the adverse event reporting system as a pharmacovigilence tool: https://i-do-not-consent.netlify.app/media/Pharmacovigilance%20VAERS%20paper%20FINAL_OCT_1_2021.pdf Time Stamps 07:25 The interview starts 08:27 Her academic background 25:09 How she started analyzing adverse effect reporting system data 31:14 Were the mandates a surprise or expected? 31:34 Raw milk persecution, Rawsome raids, National Animal Identification System, swine flu microchips and forced quarantining laws 38:45 Interpreting the adverse event reporting system: how do we think about underreporting, overreporting, stimulated reporting, and causality? 52:08 Total adverse events are continuing to accumulate at the same rate even though the rollout is tapering, breakthrough infections, female reproduction issues 56:38 John Su misrepresents the data on 5-11-year-olds at CDC meeting 01:03:02 Hiding the children injected illegally 1:08:52 Severe adverse events in 5-11-year-olds 1:15:37 Back when 50 deaths would take a product off the market 1:18:04 We should be more cautious, not less cautious, when the data is poor quality 1:21:00 Hiding the all-cause mortality data 1:26:51 Can you get the C-word twice? And what does it mean, exactly, to get the C-word? 1:48:37 Widespread low-level inflammation throughout the population 1:53:14 Can the spike protein be written to the human genome? 1:57:31 Why is the risk/reward ratio so much worse for kids? 2:03:57 The effect of the juices on viral evolution in the era of omicron 2:12:18 Do we have an epidemic of hospitalizations for PCR-negative C-word-like illness in fully juiced people? 2:16:13 The saga of the retracted paper 2:20:14 Most myocarditis is severe by standard definition 2:27:13 Two approaches to language in peer-reviewed papers: raw honesty vs deference to the narrative. 2:32:58 What is a juice, and are these injections technically juices? 2:42:48 The importance of precision 2:45:20 The potential future of widespread or even mandatory prophylactic gene therapy 2:50:00 Why risk-reward is the wrong way to thing about the juice 2:56:36 Blood transfusions and shedding 3:01:57 Her advice as a concerned citizen of the human species to us as we enter into a world wherein we are rapidly losing our freedoms. During this critical time where our freedom of health and freedom of speech is in imminent danger, and where tens of thousands of people are facing imminent job losses as the result of medical mandates, I am devoting my analytical skills full time toward the battle for health freedom. This includes working directly with lawyers in lawsuits over mandates, lockdowns, and the current standard of care, scientifically analyzing the safety, efficacy, and risks of mandated medical treatments and their alternatives as well as ways to mitigate their harms, publishing my findings in scientific journals and sharing them with you. It is my firm conviction that this is the most important gift I can offer the world right now, and I view this as a needed public service. I would be extremely grateful if you could support me during this time. At https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support, you can purchase one of my information products in amounts ranging from $3 to $30, or take advantage of my consulting services for more. You can also make a purchase using one of my affiliate links to buy something you would have bought anyway at no extra cost to you. Finally, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate, you can make a donation in any amount. In a world increasingly dominated by censorship, we may have censored certain words in this video in order to protect the show and keep our community connected. To make sure we stay together as a community, please join my newsletter at chrismasterjohnphd.com/newsletter, where I can guarantee that I'll never deplatform myself. This interview was recorded during a Live Zoom recording, where members of the CMJ Masterpass sat in and submitted comments and questions in the live chat. If you would like to sit in on future interviews I conduct with the chance to contribute questions, sign up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass and use the code INTERVIEW for 10% off the membership fee for as long as you remain a member. Masterpass members also have access to a transcript and to the uncensored video and audio. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe as well. Thank you for your support!

In this episode, I interview Law Professor Jorge Contreras about the past, present, and future of biotech companies patenting the human genome. Jorge L. Contreras received his law degree from Harvard and teaches intellectual property, science policy, antitrust law and genetics law at the University of Utah. His scholarship has appeared in Science, Nature, NYU Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, and other leading journals. He has been featured on NPR, PRI and BBC radio, and his opinions have been cited by news outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Economist, and Washington Post. He is the author of The Genome Defense: Inside the Epic Legal Battle to Control Who Owns Your DNA. You can buy the book, find out more about it, see primary documents relating to the legal battle, get further reading suggestions, or participate in discussions at https://genomedefense.org. 04:48 How many naturally occurring human gene patents are currently on the books? 09:04 What does it mean, in a practical sense, for a human gene to be patented? 16:36 When did the patenting of human genes start? 28:29 The global race to find the "breast cancer gene," first private company to patent a natural human gene 39:13 The legal battle to overturn the patenting of human genes 48:32 The solicitor general's bizarre cDNA vs gDNA compromise wins the day; Big Diagnostics hurt; Big Pharma survives 1:06:51 Do patents help or hurt innovation? 1:10:53 The C-word virus's genome would have been patented, but wasn't because of the 2013 Supreme Court decision; why the juices but not the virus can be patented 1:16:30 His role in the Open C-Word Pledge 1:23:16 Thinking about the future of widespread or even mandatory prophylactic gene therapy 1:33:31 What if a small number of companies race to engineer us into Microsoft-style or Apple-style operating systems and related ecosystems using prophylactic gene therapy? 1:38:41 Efforts to overturn the 2013 Supreme Court decision: all eyes on Congress for the next couple of years During this critical time where our freedom of health and freedom of speech is in imminent danger, and where tens of thousands of people are facing imminent job losses as the result of medical mandates, I am devoting my analytical skills full time toward the battle for health freedom. This includes working directly with lawyers in lawsuits over mandates, lockdowns, and the current standard of care, scientifically analyzing the safety, efficacy, and risks of mandated medical treatments and their alternatives as well as ways to mitigate their harms, publishing my findings in scientific journals and sharing them with you. It is my firm conviction that this is the most important gift I can offer the world right now, and I view this as a needed public service. I would be extremely grateful if you could support me during this time. At https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support, you can purchase one of my information products in amounts ranging from $3 to $30, or take advantage of my consulting services for more. You can also make a purchase using one of my affiliate links to buy something you would have bought anyway at no extra cost to you. Finally, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate, you can make a donation in any amount. In a world increasingly dominated by censorship, we may have censored certain words in this video in order to protect the show and keep our community connected. To make sure we stay together as a community, please join my newsletter at chrismasterjohnphd.com/newsletter, where I can guarantee that I'll never deplatform myself. This interview was recorded during a Live Zoom recording, where members of the CMJ Masterpass sat in and submitted comments and questions in the live chat. If you would like to sit in on future interviews I conduct with the chance to contribute questions, sign up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass and use the code INTERVIEW for 10% off the membership fee for as long as you remain a member. Masterpass members also have access to a transcript and to the uncensored video and audio. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe as well. Thank you for your support!

In this episode, I interview Tess Lawrie about Iver Mixin', public health corruption, and C-word juices. Tess is a medical doctor with expertise in research analysis and has served as an external consultant for groups at Cochrane and the World Health Organization. She holds an MBBCh and PhD. She is the Director of the Evidence-based Medicine Consultancy Ltd, and CEO of EbMCsquared CiC, an independent, a not for profit, health-focused think tank, based in Bath, in the United Kingdom. She is also the founder of the British Ivermectin Recommendation Development initiative (now called BiRD International) and a co-founder of the new World Council for Health. If you haven’t yet heard of it, The World Council for Health is a coalition of more than 80 international health advocacy organisations in more than 30 countries. Important Links The World Council for Health at https://worldcouncilforhealth.org/ Her research on pubmed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=lawrie-ta In the interview, we talk about updates to her meta-analysis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34469921/ And Andrew Hill's: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34410284/ Timestamps 01:15 Tess's Bio 04:33 The interview begins 05:27 How she went from Ob/Gyn to research analysis, serving as a consultant for Cochrane and the WHO 08:54 How she got involved in the "horse drug" 14:43 Political and financial obstruction of ivermectin research 23:37 Why her meta-analysis and Andrew Hill's came to radically different conclusions 31:11 Why focusing exclusively on randomized controlled trials is nonsense 35:32 Public health manipulating preferences instead of acknowledging and serving them 37:05 Mortality in "horse drug" studies versus juice studies 40:34 How regulatory agencies are failing to represent us 45:32 The course of the viral illness 47:03 What she did when she had the C-word 52:06 What she does for prevention 55:42 "Horse drug" as a prophylactic? 1:01:25 Her take on the C-word juices 01:07:21 Interpreting the adverse efffect data: Underreported or overreported? Causal? 01:17:05 Rapid fire questions: HCQ, juice mandates, liability shields, masks, lockdowns 01:20:51 Introducing the World Council for Health During this critical time where our freedom of health and freedom of speech is in imminent danger, and where tens of thousands of people are facing imminent job losses as the result of medical mandates, I am devoting my analytical skills full time toward the battle for health freedom. This includes working directly with lawyers in lawsuits over mandates, lockdowns, and the current standard of care, scientifically analyzing the safety, efficacy, and risks of mandated medical treatments and their alternatives as well as ways to mitigate their harms, publishing my findings in scientific journals and sharing them with you. It is my firm conviction that this is the most important gift I can offer the world right now, and I view this as a needed public service. I would be extremely grateful if you could support me during this time. At https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support, you can purchase one of my information products in amounts ranging from $3 to $30, or take advantage of my consulting services for more. You can also make a purchase using one of my affiliate links to buy something you would have bought anyway at no extra cost to you. Finally, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate, you can make a donation in any amount. In a world increasingly dominated by censorship, we may have censored certain words in this video in order to protect the show and keep our community connected. For the uncensored version, please see the link in the description. For uncensored material in general, head to chrismasterjohnphd.com/uncensored. To make sure we stay together as a community, please join my newsletter at chrismasterjohnphd.com/newsletter, where I can guarantee that I'll never deplatform myself. This interview was recorded during a Live Zoom recording, where members of the CMJ Masterpass sat in and submitted comments and questions in the live chat. If you would like to sit in on future interviews I conduct with the chance to contribute questions, sign up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass and use the code INTERVIEW for 10% off the membership fee for as long as you remain a member. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe as well. Thank you for your support!

In this episode, I interview Stephanie Seneff, PhD, on her hypothesis about glyphosate, deuterium, and the C-word. Stephanie Seneff is a senior research scientist at MIT, where she has had continuous affiliation for more than five decades. After receiving four degrees from MIT (B.S.. in Biophysics, M.S., E.E., and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science), she has conducted research in packet-switched networks, computational modeling of the human auditory system, natural language processing, spoken dialogue systems, and second language learning. Currently a Senior Research Scientist (MIT’s highest research rank) at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, she has supervised 21 Master’s and 14 Ph.D. students. For over a decade, since 2008, she has directed her attention towards the role of nutrition and environmental toxicants on human disease, with a special emphasis on the herbicide glyphosate and the mineral sulfur. Here are the slides for the presentation she gave on this topic: https://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/2021/WAPF_2021_Part1.pdf https://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/2021/WAPF_2021_Part2.pdf Here is her book: https://stephanieseneff.net/book/ Here is her web site: https://stephanieseneff.net/ Here is how to access the uncensored version, the transcript, and where to find this on YouTube or on social: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid-19/2021/12/10/stephanie-seneff During this critical time where our freedom of health and freedom of speech is in imminent danger, and where tens of thousands of people are facing imminent job losses as the result of medical mandates, I am devoting my analytical skills full time toward the battle for health freedom. This includes working directly with lawyers in lawsuits over mandates, lockdowns, and the current standard of care, scientifically analyzing the safety, efficacy, and risks of mandated medical treatments and their alternatives as well as ways to mitigate their harms, publishing my findings in scientific journals and sharing them with you. It is my firm conviction that this is the most important gift I can offer the world right now, and I view this as a needed public service. I would be extremely grateful if you could support me during this time. At https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support, you can purchase one of my information products in amounts ranging from $3 to $30, or take advantage of my consulting services for more. You can also make a purchase using one of my affiliate links to buy something you would have bought anyway at no extra cost to you. Finally, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate, you can make a donation in any amount. In a world increasingly dominated by censorship, we may have censored certain words in this video in order to protect the show and keep our community connected. For the uncensored version, please see the link in the description. For uncensored material in general, head to chrismasterjohnphd.com/uncensored. To make sure we stay together as a community, please join my newsletter at chrismasterjohnphd.com/newsletter, where I can guarantee that I'll never deplatform myself. This interview was recorded during a Live Zoom recording, where members of the CMJ Masterpass sat in and submitted comments and questions in the live chat. If you would like to sit in on future interviews I conduct with the chance to contribute questions, sign up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass and use the code INTERVIEW for 10% off the membership fee for as long as you remain a member. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe as well. Thank you for your support! 00:00:31 Stephanie's bio 00:03:51 Her hypothesis in brief 00:08:25 Her path from virology to computer science and back to virology 00:14:20 Our common interest in educational video games 00:20:29 Evidence linking glyphosate to the C-word 00:21:37 Glyphosate and biofuels 00:26:47 Evidence that glyphosate substitutes for glycine in protein synthesis and industry's argument against this 00:40:37 The specific role of glyphosate in the C-word, interfering with lung surfactants 00:47:58 Selenomethionine as an example of non-toxic irregular amino acids that substitute for regular amino acids in protein synthesis 00:53:41 Vaping 00:57:14 NAD derivatives and the cells' deuterium depletion machines 00:58:02 G6PDH as the primary deuterium depletion machine 00:59:41 Glutathione, mucus fluidity, nitrosoglutathione, bronchodilation 01:03:26 Surfactants, hyaluronic acid gels, lipoxygenase, and the virus as deuterium depletion agents; deuterium and viral stabilization 01:14:54 Prion proteins 01:19:44 The spike protein as a prion protein 01:21:47 Spike protein toxicity depends on location and context, and may depend on glyphosate 01:27:42 Clotting, and platelets as deuterium-depletion and mitochondria-providing agents 01:32:40 C-word harms may depend on glyphosate status 01:34:15 Practical strategy around deuterium depletion and glyphosate avoidance for protection 01:37:09 Her position on the juice 01:37:46 Commiecron 01:43:41 The juice suppresses type 1 interferon and stimulates interferon-gamma 01:49:55 The virus vs the juice 01:51:06 Where did the virus come from? 01:58:09 Surveillance state and digital passports

In this interview with Dr. David Brownstein, best known for his use of iodine and nebulized hydrogen peroxide, we discuss his treatment of patients during the pandemic. Here is Brownstein's protocol and publication of his early results: https://cf5e727d-d02d-4d71-89ff-9fe2d3ad957f.filesusr.com/ugd/adf864_cc5004cfa84a46d3b1a0338d4308c42c.pdf Dr. David Brownstein is a Board-Certified family physician and is one of the foremost practitioners of holistic medicine. He is the Medical Director of the Center for Holistic Medicine in West Bloomfield, MI. Dr. Brownstein has lectured internationally to physicians and others about his success in using natural hormones and nutritional therapies in his practice. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University School of Medicine. Dr. Brownstein is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College for the Advancement in Medicine. He is the father of two beautiful girls, Hailey and Jessica, and has been happily married to his wife, Allison, for over 25 years. During this critical time where our freedom of health and freedom of speech is in imminent danger, and where tens of thousands of people are facing imminent job losses as the result of medical mandates, I am devoting my analytical skills full time toward the battle for health freedom. This includes working directly with lawyers in lawsuits over mandates, lockdowns, and the current standard of care, scientifically analyzing the safety, efficacy, and risks of mandated medical treatments and their alternatives as well as ways to mitigate their harms, publishing my findings in scientific journals and sharing them with you. It is my firm conviction that this is the most important gift I can offer the world right now, and I view this as a needed public service. I would be extremely grateful if you could support me during this time. At https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support, you can purchase one of my information products in amounts ranging from $3 to $30, or take advantage of my consulting services for more. You can also make a purchase using one of my affiliate links to buy something you would have bought anyway at no extra cost to you. Finally, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate, you can make a donation in any amount. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe as well. Thank you for your support!

If you live near or in NYC, sign up for notifications about my local anti-mandate activities at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/mandate Visit New York Freedom Rally's new web site at https://newyorkfreedomrally.org In case I get deplatformed, please sign up to my Occasional Newsletter, my Telegram, and the Masterpass Free Forum here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/newsletter https://t.me/chrismasterjohnphd https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/freeforum For the present time, I am taking time off from finishing the book to devote my analytical skills to critical questions around C risks, V safety and efficacy, and the full spectrum of V alternatives, due to the imminent massive job loss occurring as a result of V mandates. If you would like to support me doing this work you can also make a donation in any amount at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate or support my work in many other ways listed at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support.

Here's the written article with pictures and data: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2021/11/18/masterjohn-goes-fit2fat2fit-but-by-accident In case I get deplatformed, please follow me on Telegram, join my Occasional Newsletter, and join the Masterpass Free Forum: You can find me on Telegram here: https://t.me/chrismasterjohnphd Occasional Newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/newsletter Free Forum: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/freeforum Please Support This Service You can support this service by sharing my work with others to spread the word, and by purchasing one of my information products. The most popular are: The Vitamins and Minerals 101 Cliff Notes https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cliffnotes The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covidguide Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Vitamins and Minerals 101: (pre-order the book and get the COVID guide for free). https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book There are many other ways to support this work, some at no extra cost to you, listed here https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support Over the next several weeks, I'm going to be devoting my analytical skills to critical questions around COVID risks, vaccine safety and efficacy, and the full spectrum of vaccine alternatives, due to the imminent massive job loss occurring as a result of vaccine mandates. If you would like to support me doing this work you can also make a donation in any amount using this button: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate

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Source: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/wait-what-fda-wants-55-years-process-foia-request-over-vaccine-data-2021-11-18/ In case I get deplatformed, please follow me on Telegram, join my Occasional Newsletter, and join the Masterpass Free Forum: You can find me on Telegram here: https://t.me/chrismasterjohnphd Occasional Newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/newsletter Free Forum: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/freeforum Please Support This Service You can support this service by sharing my work with others to spread the word, and by purchasing one of my information products. The most popular are: The Vitamins and Minerals 101 Cliff Notes https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cliffnotes The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covidguide Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Vitamins and Minerals 101: (pre-order the book and get the COVID guide for free). https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book There are many other ways to support this work, some at no extra cost to you, listed here https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support Over the next several weeks, I'm going to be devoting my analytical skills to critical questions around COVID risks, vaccine safety and efficacy, and the full spectrum of vaccine alternatives, due to the imminent massive job loss occurring as a result of vaccine mandates. If you would like to support me doing this work you can also make a donation in any amount using this button: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate

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Please consider supporting my work at chrismasterjohnphd.com/support or chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate. This is the written article being discussed: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/naturalimmunity

Short Answer: Measure this against whether it increases your likelihood of burning. If it does, it’s probably a bad thing, but if it doesn’t, or if it lowers your risk of burning, that’s a good thing. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: Vaccination shouldn’t change the vitamin D requirement. Quarterly testing makes sense for someone who has never tested before or who wants to make sure they stay in range during COVID, but generally testing yearly around the mid-point of seasonality for you, once you know your variation, is plenty. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: BH4 is expensive and requires very high doses, so if the problem is modest it can much more easily be solved by taking tyrosine. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: While the body will tend to use TMG for methylation in the fasting state, it is normally found in food, so you should be able to absorb it with meals and hold on to it for later use, much as we do with folate. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: When I had a serious case of indoor mold-induced illness, I tested my urine and my apartment dust for mycotoxins. Both were high, but the classes of toxins were totally different between the two, making me think the mycotoxins in my urine came from food rather than my apartment. Symptoms going away when outside of the apartment was a far more useful clue, so I think you should consider the cost of a vacation, the cost of mycotoxins, and assume you get more information out of taking the vacation, and then decide which to do. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: Even if genetics and other bloodwork don’t look like hemochromatosis, sky-high ferritin justifies trying to lower it with blood donation or phlebotomy if inflammation markers are low. If this doesn’t work, oxidative stress should be investigated. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: If optimizing for efficacy, the booster shot will likely be worth it for Pfizer, whereas other vaccines don’t have clear evidence of declining efficacy yet. If optimizing for safety, one should be skeptical of the booster since a 3-dose regiment hasn’t been tested in clinical trials. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: To get adequate raw material for melatonin synthesis in the brain, carbs can come any time of day and are best if high-glycemic. To suppress brain histamine levels, carbs in the evening, with low protein and relatively low fat, is best. From among protein, collagen is best at night for the glycine. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: It requires more frequent dosing and has some risk of hypercalcemia, and it would be best to make sure you have adequate D and magnesium and aren’t overdoing anything that could deplete D, such as other fat-soluble vitamins, first. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Newly updated September 25, 2021, and now in Version 7: https://chris-masterjohn-phd.myshopify.com/products/the-food-and-supplement-guide-for-the-coronavirus This guide provides my recommendations for nutritional and herbal defense against COVID. This version covers 41 randomized controlled trials, which are the gold standard of evidence, as well as many other studies providing context for interpreting the trials. Since much of this research is recent, not all of it is peer-reviewed. However, I have used my own expertise in nutritional sciences and extensive experience evaluating research to fully review the quality of this evidence myself. This protocol represents the best of science-backed strategies for nutritional and herbal anti-COVID defense. The gold standard of evidence in medicine is the randomized, controlled trial, or RCT. In RCTs, people are randomly given a treatment, or not. That this is determined at random means people’s health, behavioral traits, and choices play no role in the outcomes. This helps us be more confident the treatment really works, or doesn’t work. We now have 41 RCTs on the ability of nutrients, herbs, or other natural compounds to fight COVID. While these trials are usually small, some haven’t been peer-reviewed yet, some are funded by supplement manufacturers, and most haven’t yet been replicated by different researchers from different institutions and different parts of the world, they are the best evidence we currently have and serve as the highest priority evidence used in this guide. In evaluating these trials, the most important things I looked for were whether the trials were done well, whether the data were reported clearly, and whether the interpretations were sound. However, I also considered the funding source, whether different groups had come to similar results, how much of the data was peer reviewed, and whether the substance is an essential nutrient. Based on these considerations, I categorized anything that made the cut into three tiers: “Essentials,” “Best Add-Ons,” or “These Might Help.” Having better quality, more trustworthy, more consistent data, and having essential nutrient status pushed the strategies up toward the Essentials tier, while lacking these qualities pushed them down toward the “These Might Help” tier. Those with intermediate support are included as Best Add-Ons. The guide includes suggestions on how to tailor the protocol to your individual needs, your personal risk, your environmental risk, and your own risk tolerance. It also includes full instructions on how to implement the strategies. When you buy it, you will get free updates the research continues to emerge. The guide is currently in version 7 and was last updated on September 25, 2021. By the way, you can also get the report for free if you pre-order a copy of my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book. But if you don't want to pre-order the book, you can order it here: https://chris-masterjohn-phd.myshopify.com/products/the-food-and-supplement-guide-for-the-coronavirus The format of the report is a downloadable PDF. As soon as you complete your order, you will also receive an email with your download.  The guide is 59 pages and contains 157 references. Once again it's at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covidguide

Short Answer: B6 cannot be ruled out, though inflammation and estrogen could also be involved. While it is possibly a regulated means of increasing excitatory effects of quinolinate, it makes sense to assume it may respond to B6. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: While it is unclear, it could relate to vitamin K depletion, hypercalcemia, or compensation in acid-base balance. First and foremost, use the full testing algorithm in Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet (available at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet) rather than just testing 25(OH)D to determine deficiency. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: A half a gram to a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, no more than 20-40 grams of that from protein powder, and whole foods supplying the targets for vitamins and minerals, erring on the side of overshooting them. Lentils and other legumes as primary carb foods and supply a portion of protein, and adjusting quality of meat to what you can afford, can help with budgeting. This video was mentioned: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2018/07/24/track-vitamin-mineral-intake Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short Answer: If the cause is nutritional, FIGlu cannot rule out folate deficiency as a cause because it reflects tetrahydrofolate rather than methylene-THF. So, increasing the dose of folate or switching from methylfolate to folinic acid could be tried. Otherwise the most likely  nutritional solution would be copper. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short answer: If inflammatory markers are low and Lp(a) is proportionally more elevated than LDL-P, then blood lipids probably account for part of the calcification, while factors impacting LDL oxidation come next and those impacting calcification directly come after that. For the latter two, the oxidative stress and calcium sections of the Cheat Sheet should be consulted. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short answer: The science behind dietary AGEs being bad for us is very poor-quality. While food that is treated to excessively high heat, such as fried food, should not be the major portion of our diet, dietary tables of AGEs in foods are not accurate and dietary AGEs are probably not a major source of AGEs within our bodies. Blackstrap molasses should be seen as a sweetener that is better than refined sugar and can be an important source of minerals. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short answer: The second law of thermodynamics means that concentrations of specific chemicals or positive or negative charges will always "want" to disperse and randomly mix in their environment, making concentrations of ions such as sodium or potassium a form of potential energy. While the pump normally uses energy from ATP to invest into creating those concentrations, if ATP levels are low and sodium and potassium are already highly concentrated on opposite sides of the cell membrane, their potential energy can be released by mixing across the membrane, and can be used to synthesize ATP. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short answer: Alpha-GPC, ginkgo biloba, lion's mane, and a comprehensive analysis of your nutrient status as outlined in Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet to see if anything is missing. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short answer: Apart from well known acute risks such as fainting, hypoglycemia, or dehydration from a blood donation, there isn't anything to worry about except making sure you don't become deficient in iron. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short answer: 15 grams of psyllium husk should lower LDL-C over 6 weeks, and you may be able to get away with cutting the dose down to 5-10 grams if using a fine powder. Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Short answer: When trying to stop the early progression of insulin resistance, it is best to use a combination of strength, power and muscle building, fat loss, and high-intensity exercise in 20-second to one-minute bouts; to institute a rhythmic fasting-feeding cycle; and not to use berberine or metformin unless absolutely needed. One good way to integrate these is to use an "earn your carbs" approach to tie your carb rewards to specific physical activity goals.Watch the video or listen to the podcast with the links below. You can obtain a full transcript of the episode by signing up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Here is my comprehensive review of the literature to date, covering 98 observational studies, 6 randomized controlled trials, with 173 references:   chrismasterjohnphd.com/vitamind   This is a topic we can't afford to ignore!

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: How should you program the temperature on an Ooler or Eight Sleep?The way that I do it is, if I wake up feeling cold, I want to program it to increase the temperature at that time point so that I do not wake up cold. So, I would say, generally speaking, you want it as cold as it can be starting, that does not interfere with your sleep, and you want it as cold as can be in the middle of the night, that does not wake you up. So, I think that's going to be very different for each person, and I think whatever temperature prevents you from waking up cold, is the one you want. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Is it useful to measure HVA, VMA, and 5-HIAA?I find them useful in a very limited context. The limitation of their usefulness is basically that you can't really tell if something is high or low because of production or degradation. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: What nutrients require insulin to get into cells?Magnesium phosphorus and potassium are the big ones that are going to have poor uptake in response to insulin. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: What are the top whole food supplements to take?I mean, that's kind of too general a question, especially for end of the AMA rapid-fire. I don't make blanket supplements suggestions, but in the likes of Oystermax, an organ mix or liver supplement from Ancestral or from Paleovalley, although their organ mix is a sold out, and nutritional yeast, I think are great components of a natural, DIY, whole food multivitamin. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Could iron deficiency create a complex 1 disorder?If you're iron deficient and you have blood work that looks like a complex 1 block, and you feel like you have an energy metabolism disorder, then, while it is possible you have a genetic complex 1 deficiency, it's also possible you have an iron deficiency that is not playing out in your CBC or your thyroid panel that is impacting your energy metabolism. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: How to get more sulfate if you have sulfite issues? If you're not converting sulfite to sulfate, that should be a molybdenum deficiency. If it's not a molybdenum deficiency it's probably a gut microbiota problem. Could be a sulfite oxidase enzyme deficiency, of course, but I think it would be much more common that you have sulfate metabolizing bacteria in the intestines, then that you have a sulfite oxidase genetic deficiency. Although, you can never rule out a modest impairment in that enzyme, that would not be diagnosed with anything. So, it can't be ruled out. But I do you think it's going to be much more common that someone has a sulfur intolerance that's driven by gut microbiota. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: If you're eating oysters, do you need to eat liver too? And I think oysters are more reliably a source of zinc relative to copper and relative to liver. And liver is much more consistently a source of copper relative to zinc and relative to oysters. And so I stand by what I said in terms of taking into account the variation in different species of oyster, in different oceans and different batches of oyster products, but Oystermax does batch testing. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Lipoic acid: does it need to be the R form? Lipoic acid can help with blood sugar and it is an antioxidant. I would always use R-Lipoic acid. I would never use the racemic mixture of alpha-lipoic acid because the R form is the biologically active one. And I think it might be the case that you can just take a higher dose, but why mess around with the possibility that some isomer that doesn't belong in your body and isn't found in food, isn't going to interfere with the function of the R form. So I would just take R- Lipoic acid for any purpose at all. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: How much fruit is it safe to eat at once? I don't really agree with that premise and that premise might be sensible at really high fructose intake, but I don't think many people are going to hit that by eating fruit, unless they're on a fruitarian diet. I think if you're eating 1, 2, 3 servings of fruit at a time, you're probably not going to seriously hit that mark, but that depends on your energy metabolism and the rest of your diet. So I think the metric to look at that would be your uric acid levels. If your uric acid levels are high, you are eating a lot of fruit at one sitting. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Should I supplement NAC if cysteine, taurine, and sulfate are low? You can supplement NAC, but you probably just need more animal protein. Although a vegan could supplement NAC instead of animal protein. If your homocysteine is on the high side, then you definitely want to increase methionine in order to increase SAMe to increase the breakdown of homocysteine. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Iron deficiency without anemia? I would just say that I would be wary of iron deficiency, even if it's not causing anemia, because iron plays roles in energy metabolism, detoxification, and thyroid metabolism separate from anemia. But the things that are easiest to test are thyroid panel and CBC. So if your thyroid panel and your CBC look great, you probably aren't truly iron deficient, but I would also measure it against symptoms. So for example, if you have unexplained fatigue and you feel much better when you get more iron in your diet, I would interpret that as iron deficiency, that probably is just most sensitively affecting the electron transport chain if it's not showing up in a CBC or a thyroid panel. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: How to Calculate the Amount of a Nutrient in a Complex So this is how to know what percent of something in a complex form gives you what percent of the nutrient of interest, if you ever want to calculate it yourself. So what you want to do, let's say you want to know what percent of Alpha-GPC is choline. What you want to do is say Alpha-GPC, molar mass and Google gives it to you right here, 257.221. And then you want to say choline molar mass 104.1708 and so you want to take this number, the nutrient of interest, and you want to divide it by this number, the dose of the complex form. And then you would get 0.404985. So to carry it out to two digits that rounds down to 0.4. Alpha-GPC is 40% choline. And if you want to find amount of choline in Alpha-GPC, you take the dose of Alpha-GPC and you multiply it by 0.4. Or if you want to be highly specific, you multiply it by this number and you can do the exact same thing for magnesium glycinate, iron bisglycinate, et cetera. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Eggs, Choline Bisulfate, and TMAO If you really want to know what eggs are doing to your TMAO, then I'm pretty sure Cleveland Clinic has a TMAO blood test, and that would be the best way to do it. Yeah, the Cleveland heart lab has a TMAO blood test, so you could test your response to this. If you didn't want to test, then if you assumed the worst case scenario, I would say you could probably just eat two eggs at a time and you would not raise your TMAO that much, but if you do test TMAO, you can probably show that you might be able to get away with eating six eggs at a time and not raise your TMAO that much. But the thing is, I don't think you're going to get the same response from six eggs at a time as in that study, as you would get from eating two eggs separated and spread out from the day. And the reason is I think the TMAO is mostly generated from the choline that does not get absorbed in the small intestine, going to the colon, being available to the microbiome. So if you lower the dose of eggs and spread them out, then you should be able to kind of totally head off significant TMAO generation.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Floxed: How to Recover From Cipro And a lot of these things probably have nothing to do with hydration, but are a direct result, or rather not direct, but a secondary indirect result of the failure of mitochondrial energy metabolism. So, I have been doing some limited research on Cipro and brainstorming some educated guesswork around recovering mitochondrial energy metabolism health. And there are multiple hypotheses around Cipro toxicity mechanisms, but the bulk of the thought is in damaging mitochondrial DNA and basically just leading to defective mitochondria. And so it seems to me like the best strategies around regaining health after Cipro toxicity, and this is all educated guesswork, none of this is tested in randomized controlled trials, and I'm not a medical doctor, and this is not medical advice, but it seems like the most promising hypotheses would be around promoting mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis. And so probably whatever you can do to maximize the depth of your cycling in the fast and fed states is probably the most promising thing you can do for mitochondrial turnover. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: If you correct a deficiency too fast, can you make it worse? I think the answer is no. And I definitely don't think that happens, and I've never seen anything to suggest that happens. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: If my methionine is high, do I need to worry about betaine? If your methionine is on the higher side then it's probably the case that you don't really have an issue with recycling homocysteine to methionine. TMG's role in methylation is to support the recycling of homocysteine methionine. So if your methionine levels are on the high side of normal then you probably don't need TMG, but I'm also not sure what you mean by methylation issues. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: How do I eat to protect my joints? From a nutritional perspective I think it's more a matter of hitting nutritional adequacy across the board. One thing that you can do that is, that's been tested is 15 grams of collagen or gelatin with a little bit of vitamin C taken a half-hour before your workouts will improve collagen synthesis in your joints. Protein and carbohydrates is one, but also sulfur is very important as a constituent of those, and manganese is very important as a cofactor for the enzymatic production of those things. It's probably not a bad idea to consume things that are in joints, and that's sort of whole foods way to do that would be to either, well, the crude way to do it is chew the joints of chickens and stuff like that. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Why do glycine and salt help with sleep? The glycine is probably working primarily by acting as an inhibitory neurotransmitter and lowering core body temperature to promote faster falling asleep and deeper sleep achieved. And then on the salt. The salt is going to stimulate antidiuretic hormone or vasopressin, which is really a mechanism to regulate the concentration of solutes in the blood, and make sure your electrolyte and fluid balance is proper. And so glycine's getting you a deeper sleep. Salt is preventing you from having to pee, and the two of those make you less likely to wake up for that purpose. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Will lowering my PTH with calcium reverse my atherosclerosis? And so you will definitely be removing a major source of calcification risk if you suppress your PTH down into the bottom half of the reference range. And generally, I don't know exactly where the point of maximal suppression is, and I suspect that it's different between different people. So what I would do is, however you're approaching that with vitamin D, calcium, et cetera. Try something, re-measure it, try tweaking the dose upwards and see if it keeps going down and find the point of maximal suppression. And if you do that it's hard to say where the difference is between not getting worse and reversing. But I think that will certainly... To the degree that you can reverse it I think that would be, definitely be an important thing to do in order to get reversal, and so I would hope so. And I think there's good reason to hope for that. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: How long does it take environment to change gene expression, epigenetics, and genetics? Well, generally speaking, environment mediates, I mean, it depends what you mean by environment mediating, right? So environment mediates changes in gene expression through epigenetics, but gene expression is not SNPs. SNPs are produced through mutations in the heritable genome, and then by environment changing, do you mean the production of the mutation that is the SNP for the first time? Or do you mean the change in the proportion of the population? If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: What does it mean if you're helped by SAMe? It could indicate that, or it could indicate that they have an impairment in the conversion of methionine to SAMe, which could be mediated by low magnesium status, low ATP status, or a poorly functioning MAT, methionine adenosyltransferase gene. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Why would glutathione cause a headache? Probably sulfur intolerance. I'm guessing that's conversion to sulfite in the gut or something like that. Or production of hydrogen sulfide gas in normal metabolism leading to vasodilation. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Can antioxidants increase homocysteine?An underappreciated reason that homocysteine could be backed up is because you have good antioxidant status. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Why is methylfolate the off-switch for the glycine buffer system? The reason is that generally in the fed state, you have lots of incoming methionine. And so you have an excess of SAMe in the fed state. In the fasting state, you have no incoming methyl groups from diet, and therefore the fasted state is the low-methylation state. So fed state, high methylation state, fasted state, low methylation state. You basically shut off MTHFR in the fed state, because in the fed state, which is a high methylation state, the incoming methionine makes you not need any MTHFR activity. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Potassium supplements for salt-sensitive high blood pressure? So it's best to get potassium from food, if you can. And you want to go through all the medical and health contraindications for potassium supplementation. If you take potassium supplements in doses higher than 100 milligrams, especially if you're going to take high-dose potassium, that is not well-mixed into a meal. Those include diabetes and NSAIDs, especially including potassium-sparing diuretics, but there's a big list of contraindicated medications. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Can a high-protein diet hurt nitric oxide and raise blood pressure? The people with OTC gene do have higher blood pressure because of lower nitric oxide. And they have a problem eating too much protein, but the protein is a problem, because they can exceed the capacity of the urea cycle and generate more ammonia. Whereas the OTC gene being low is what's driving the low nitric oxide to lower arginine production. So you are seeing the combination of this person should not eat too much protein. This person has low nitric oxide, high blood pressure, but I don't think it's the protein that's causing that. I think it's just low arginine synthesis due to low citrulline synthesis. And so they should supplement citrulline to improve their blood pressure. And they probably shouldn't eat too much protein, but I don't think that too much protein is going to be the thing that drives the high blood pressure. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: General supplement recommendations for a physically active male in his 30s I don't make general supplement recommendations. My recommendation for anyone would be do a dietary analysis. See what you're not getting from your diet. Either make up for that with foods or with supplements. If the foods are impractical, do nutritional status testing where it makes sense. Comprehensively, if you have enough financial resources or just where it makes sense based on signs and symptoms, fill in more gaps with supplements on an as needed basis. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: For how long does methionine from a meal support methylation? What I can say much more easily is that methionine is going to effectively run out as the fasting state emerges. Methionine has many fates, right? And so if it all goes into the methylation pool, it's going to be quickly either used for methylation or broken down in the CBS pathway. You are not going to save methionine for the fasting state. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Could collagen hurt absorption of iron from iron bisglycinate? Yes, because the iron bisglycinate is probably going to be absorbed through glycine transporters rather than iron transporters. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Combining carbs and fat, LDL-C, calcification, and atherosclerosis Generally speaking, if someone is overweight and hyperglycemic, then they're probably going to get a lot of benefit from trying to separate their carbs and fat, whereas if someone has amazing body composition and a totally healthy blood glucose level while they're eating a mixed diet, then I think it's kind of pointless. I would say that for blood lipids, generally, if macronutrients are going to affect your blood lipids, that's probably involving your fasting blood lipids, which is what's usually measured. If changing your macronutrients around is going to affect those, I think it's probably going to be in the context of some level of insulin resistance or overweightness, really insulin resistance or it would just be one of several ways to get there with carbohydrates generally pumping the sort of VLDL production and triglyceride content. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Could low-normal phosphorus be from my calcium intake?Given that your calcium is coming from milk and yogurt and Traditional Foods Market brand whole bone meal to get your calcium, you're definitely consuming plenty of phosphorus, and so I don't think your dietary phosphorus is off. I wouldn't really worry about the phosphorus being low in that range. It's not low, it's on the low end of the range. I think the PTH being suppressed to 18 is great. I think the calcium doing that is great. I think that the calcium did that, even when all your calcium sources were balanced by phosphorus, sounds really good because phosphorus would do the opposite.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Exercising in the fasted state The answer is necessarily subjective because the cut-off between a fasted state and a fed state is arbitrary. It's not like there's an on switch or an off switch for the fasting-feeding cycle. There's just tens of thousands of things happening that cluster together in different ratios and proportions that proportionally shift in one or another direction, depending on how much food you've eaten and how recently. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here. Question: What does an upregulated GGT gene do to glutathione status? Well, if you assume that whatever the genetic test told you is actually happening as increased GGT activity, then what it should do is break down blood glutathione and help the breakdown products get into the cell to increase intracellular glutathione. I think as to what it does to glutathione status measured in the blood, I don't know. Because on the one hand, it's probably going to break down glutathione in the blood. But in general, if you're improving glutathione status inside the cell in the liver, you're going to increase the export of glutathione. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: A question on urinary lactate, pyruvate, and Krebs Cycle metabolites When the NAD+ sensitive steps of the citric acid cycle are being inhibited,  that could be hypoxia, it could be high-intensity exercise, it could be taking metformin or berberine, it could be having a complex 1 disorder, and of course, I would sort of measure this against symptoms. So if you feel great, I wouldn't overinterpret this. But if you have something that feels like messed up energy metabolism, then I think it's best correlated with a deficiency in the respiratory chain, whether that's driven by oxygen, by increased demand, through high-intensity exercise, through taking complex 1 inhibitors like metformin or berberine, or through having a genetic complex 1 disorder. Thiamine is possible but if it's thiamine deficiency, then you should also see elevations in alanine as well. So I would get a plasma amino acids test, and then you could also look at the thiamine level in the blood and you could look at... HDRI has an erythrocyte transketolase activity test, and it's listed as ETKA on their requisition form. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here. Question: High-dose EPA, triglycerides, and general healthIt's definitely the case that high dose EPA lowers triglyceride levels in people with high triglycerides. And it does that by interfering with carbohydrate signaling. So carbohydrate signaling, part through glucose itself, and part through insulin, increases triglyceride synthesis and in insulin resistant people, generally the average person with insulin resistance has an amplification of that pathway and is actually hypersensitive to it while being resistant to glucose handling part of the pathway. So blood glucose and blood triglycerides increase. And if you take high-dose EPA, you will interfere with the signaling and you will lower the triglycerides. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Are there any downsides to eating lots of nuts and seeds?I would mainly be looking at phytate and PUFA, and on the PUFA front, that's polyunsaturated fatty acids, on the PUFA front, I'm not in the extreme minimize it at all costs camp, but I am in the camp of, don't really overdo it beyond what you need to get your nutrients in. So I would look at the contribution of nuts and seeds to your micronutrient intake, and if you're flying real high on the pattern of nutrients that are in the nuts and seeds way more than you need of those types of nutrients, and I think I would cut back on that. And I would be a little bit concerned about the PUFA intake, whereas if you're not hitting your magnesium target, unless you eat the nuts and seeds, then I have a very different view of that. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Low cystine & sulfate, mid-range methionine, high homocysteine: what to do? My default position on this would be, you probably don't have a problem recycling homocysteine to methionine. And that might explain why, I'm assuming this is in the fasting state, your homocysteine is only slightly elevated. Now, if you mean by slightly elevated, if you mean slightly elevated outside of the lab's reference range, then that's very elevated. And so I would look at that a little bit differently, but especially when paired with the low cystine and sulfate levels, it sounds like you have a low rate of the transsulfuration pathway or the CBS enzyme, which is the first step in that pathway, which takes homocysteine down to cysteine, which then can be metabolized to sulfate. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Is TMG a good source of glycine?And so glycine is a methyl buffer. So it's not the default that one extra methyl group from TMG is going to make one molecule of glycine get lost, but generally if you put TMG into the system, you're going to lose methyl groups and you're going to wind up with probably the dimethylglycine going into the mitochondrion. Maybe that improves your glycine status, but I'm not so sure about that and I wouldn't rely on it. So I would just treat them completely differently. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Zonulin: what nutrients to look at if it's high? I think of that from my perspective, which is much more focused on nutrients and biochemistry, I'm thinking especially if you have the ION panel, which kind of takes apart my end of the spectrum, actually I would look at arachidonic acid levels because arachidonic acid in the gut is associated with lymphoid tissue, is metabolized to prostaglandin E2, which promotes immune tolerance. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: My iron won't go up even though I'm supplementing The top things that I would think of would be riboflavin and copper, plus inhibitors of iron absorption. So generally speaking, plant foods are strong iron absorption inhibitors. Generally, you're going to have organic acids that promote iron absorption in proportion to the amount of potassium in the vegetables that you eat, although it's also the case that polyphenols will tend to correlate. And polyphenols inhibit iron absorption, so I'm of the opinion that you shouldn't eat plant foods at the meal that you're trying to get your iron in if you have trouble getting your iron up. I would take the iron supplement with a carnivore meal. If you want to eat plant foods, eat them at some other point in the day. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please consider supporting my work by making a purchase using these links at one of my affiliates: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/foursigmatic, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paleovalley, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/seekinghealth, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestralsupplements, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/magicspoon, https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lmnt  Plenty more at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support! Question: Vitamin K and Clotting Risk When Not on Anticoagulants There's essentially not a trade-off because if you're not on vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants; in theory, there shouldn't be any effect of vitamin K supplements on clotting at all. The one caveat to that is that you might be relatively vitamin K deficient now and not realize it. So it is within possibility that you're not meeting your own personal vitamin K requirement to maximize clotting, but that's very, very unlikely because in population studies, almost no one falls into this category. But if that were true, then essentially, vitamin K supplementation would bring you up to a normal level of clotting, which may or may not affect the cardiologist's assessment of whether you should be on anticoagulants.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Do some people do well on ketosis because they have defective glucose metabolism?I doubt that that's the majority of people that feel good in ketosis, but certainly people with GLUT1 defects need to be on a low-glycemic index diet at least, if not a keto diet in order to not have seizures, and that's the best example of what would fit with that. People who do poorly with glucose, maybe in more moderate ways are going to do better on fat. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What to do when different folate markers don’t line upYou know, if you have high figlu on the NutrEval, which is Formiminoglutamic acid, which rises when there is Tetrahydrofolate THF, unmethylated folate, to metabolize figlu, and in that case, I would be thinking about maybe you have a B12 deficiency that is leading to the trapping of folate as the methylfolate form, so that THF isn't regenerated for that reaction. So I would absolutely never use figlu as the only marker of folate. I would look at serum folate and red blood cell folate always as the first markers of folate. So in this case, I would look at your serum folate and your red blood cell folate. So before I would get folate injections, I would be looking at all those markers to see whether there's a coherent story between all of them that are agreeing that your folate status is low despite supplements, versus a divergence story between them that is telling me that one form of folate is the one that's missing rather than a total folate. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Can sulforaphane hurt the thyroid?What I can say is that sulforaphane does generate thiocyanate ions, which do inhibit uptake of iodine into the thyroid and mammary glands. Although that is a matter of the ratio between isothiocyanate, or between thiocyanate ions and iodine. And so in principle, most uses of sulforaphane, in the context of adequate iodine shouldn't be an issue. I believe at some dose you're going to run into a problem with balancing with iodine, especially in people who have marginal iodine status, but I don't have any studies to back up what point that is. But I have seen cases of people where they got brain fog when they were taking sulforaphane and it went away when they took iodine.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Are the PUFAs in phosphatidylcholine supplements a concern?I don't think so. I think that you're looking at fairly low levels of PUFAs in there, but the way that I see it is yes, we want to restrict PUFA beyond what's needed, but what's needed is defined by what do we need to get our essential nutrients in. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is dairy safe for overmethylators?There's so little methylcobalamin in milk that I think that it is totally insignificant with regards to methyl groups, coming into the methylation cycle. Generally, if you're experiencing over-methylation symptoms from methylcobalamin or methylfolate, I think the big issue is partly that you don't have enough glycine in the system, very likely, and partly that your body is over-accustomed to low methyl supply and putting more suddenly into it leading into the system being adapted to a different state than the one you're putting into it. But if you find it is, you're reacting to dairy, I would be very surprised if it was the methylcobalamin, but if you're very convinced of that, then titrate up slowly with the dairy.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Should different macronutrients be eaten at different times of day?No, I don't agree with the principle. I think you want protein spaced out at every meal. And that's because your efficiency in extracting protein for muscle synthesis is limited in any given hour or any given unit time. And so you need a lot more protein if you're going to put all your protein in one meal, then you are not going to get optimal body composition results from that. Body composition plays into every other metabolic thing we care about. If I were to shift protein around in emphasis, I would put protein bias towards the morning and biased away from night. And that would be on the basis that protein is the basis for every single neurotransmitter involved in wakefulness. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is it OK to take two milligrams a day of MK-4?Two milligrams, I don't have major safety concerns over, but I would prefer for most people who aren't dealing with a clinical soft-tissue calcification issue take more like 200 micrograms. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How to feel great on a poor night’s sleep?I would say get rid of the poor night's sleep. And so that's go through the checklist of two to four hours of blue light blocking before bed, up to two to four hour, depending on your needs, psychological winding down routine, in which you clear everything off your to-do list, everything off your problem-solving list, focus on a paperback fiction, TV, video games, movies, et cetera. Deal with all those things first, because I don't think there is any magical one-off cure for poor night's sleep. And then if cold exposure helps, then that tells me that boosting norepinephrine is what's helping. So how do you boost norepinephrine? There's a lot of micronutrients involved in norepinephrine synthesis. So vitamin C, copper, salt, lots of things come into play, antioxidants that is. Cold exposure, maca root, coffee are probably the biggest things that you could use. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What supplements should be taken by someone on PPIs?I would first consider what you should do to get off the PPI. And so PPIs Are targeting stomach acid. And so I would first and foremost be thinking of excess histamine might be leading to excess stomach acid. You should probably try to eat a higher-protein diet, unless you're getting negative consequences from poor protein digestion. But if you're poorly digesting your protein, you are going to need more protein to nourish yourself. So I would think a higher protein diet and a multivitamin would really be the best things because there's too many nutrients whose absorption is going to be compromised by that. And then I don't really consider myself a gut specialist, but I would read up on what other people who are specializing in the gut are saying about how to compensate for PPI's with the microbiome, because I would think that would also come into play. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Could methylglyoxal be causing elevated fasting glucose in low-carbers?Yes. I did my doctoral dissertation on methylglyoxal so I've covered it in a lot of different contexts, and the basic story is we know that diabetics have high methylglyoxal levels. We know that diabetics have high methylglyoxal-derived advanced glycation endproducts. And we know that this is true even when they're treated. Now that raises the question, does diabetes cause methylglyoxal to increase, or does methylglyoxal cause diabetes? And the answer is both. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is it important to hit the AI for total omega-6?I think it's totally normal to not meet the AI for Omega-6 and to exceed the AI for Omega-3. Question is really, if you have systemic inflammation going on, you frame this as, should I strive to at least meet the AI for Omega-6 if I have chronic disease/inflammation? Well, if you have chronic disease/inflammation, you might be depleting your Omega-6, which means depleting arachidonic acid, which means you might need more arachidonic acid. If your arachidonic acid levels look good, you shouldn't worry at all about meeting the AI for linoleate as far as I'm concerned. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How 30 minutes on the elliptical helps my head and neck tensionSo what the elliptical does is, it doesn't do a whole lot for moving my neck one way or another, but it does a lot for moving my thoracic spine and my shoulders through a pretty defined range of motion, not full range of motion going like this is, but it's a lot of movement through a considerable amount of that range of motion, and I think it's sufficient to give my thoracic spine and my shoulders a lot of circulation of fluid that nourishes the joints and keeps things moving.My experience with this is that 30 minutes on an elliptical three to five days a week, cause improvement. Five days or more cause very marked improvement, three days a week is more like maintenance, and below three days a week... If I had to simplify it, five days a week, 30 minutes a day on the elliptical causes improvement that just gets better week, after week, after week. Three days of 30 minutes on the elliptical per week will maintain whatever improvement I've gotten from doing five days a week, and less than three days a week will cause a regression. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why does it take time to be fat-adapted when our body already knows how to burn fat?So the body does need time to get fat-adapted because yeah, the body knows how to burn fat, but fat adaptation is not about the body knowing how to burn fat, it's about the body increasing the expression of enzymes involved in burning fat. So everything that you do in the body requires enzymes. Enzymes are proteins that need to be made. It's going to increase enzymes involved in fat digestion and metabolism if you've been eating fat, and because it's expensive to do that, it's going to cut back on them if you haven't been eating fat. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What should someone with FH eat if they also have prediabetes?So first of all, it's a separable component of the diet so you need a low-saturated fat, low-cholesterol diet without necessarily eating a low-fat diet. Then second of all, the effect of that on blood lipids is dependent on the healthfulness of your insulin pathway. And so over time, that's something where you can play the balance between those two things and as you improve your blood glucose handling, you can fit in more carbohydrates to have a fuller dietary effect. For managing blood glucose, and I don't think it's a good idea to condemn all carbohydrates as a means of managing that. I think the best thing would be to get a continuous glucose monitor or a regular glucose monitor. If you're using a regular glucose monitor, use 30 minute, one hour, two hour, three hour, four hour time intervals after a meal and collect a baseline before a meal and look at how do different starches that you don't have an immunological response to... so you don't have to test grains because you don't tolerate them, but other foods that are rich in starches, whether it's carrots, or potatoes, or sweet potatoes, or whatever it is. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How should I take zinc if it makes me nauseous?As far as I know, there's no relationship between the nausea and zinc deficiency. I could be wrong, maybe there's research on it I haven't seen or it could be not researched but I don't think there's a connection. My guess would be that that is either related to her ionizing it faster in the GI tract than you, or something else related to her nausea impulse that might be nutritional, it might be genetic, it might be male/female. You could test out whether a little bit of bone broth or orange juice, or what have you with it buffers that enough to stop the nausea, and if it doesn't, I would just try to take it with a phytate-free meal. And by a phytate-free meal, I mean, a meal that doesn't have any whole grains, nuts, seeds, or legumes. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Can familial hypercholesterolemia be managed without statins? I think there's the general perspective that there's no point in having LDL-C be any higher than 50; therefore, since it doesn't matter, let's provide a sufficient margin of error where we're real confident that getting it down to 100 is great and so why not get it down to 50? If there is any extra protection we get it and we don't lose it. So my point of view would be, I would personally rather use a more conservative target of lowering down to 100 or so where the confidence is actually really high, because I'm not convinced by the lack of confidence that there's no neurological downside to pushing it twice as low as that. So that's my general perspective and if this were me, and it'll never be because I can't for the life of me get my total cholesterol above 160, but if it were me I'd be lowering my dose on that out of precaution on the other side. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is this a biotin deficiency? Beta-hydroxyisovaleric acid is well-established to be the most sensitive marker of biotin status. And actually typically it's done after leucine challenge, which is, no one does that. And so, generally in my experience, the way they have the reference ranges set on that should, on the ones that do have it, so the ION panel has it, the Genova panel has it, and the way they set the reference ranges, I think it works without the leucine challenge. But, I prefer the Genova ION panel because it has more, I just had a spreadsheet made up of the different markers that I wanted and the ones that were on the different organic acid panels and the ION panel has the most that line up with what, what I was looking for. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why do vitamin E requirements stay elevated for four years when we stop eating PUFA? None of this really proves that long-term vitamin E status is compromised, and that will make the clinical effect of PUFA be net negative after four or five years. But it does show you that the general relationship between the fact that you get more vitamin E when you eat PUFA oils, right? Because in the plant, the plant doesn't have this turnover problem, the plant makes vitamin E whenever it wants. And it has a certain amount of PUFA for some purpose, and it loads it up and so the plant has the amount of vitamin E that is needed to protect those under those conditions. So the question is, does a person, a human being, eating that oil also benefit from that relationship between vitamin E and PUFA that the safflower plant made? The answer to that is controversial. Important note: In the video, a graph was shown that showed adipose linoleate is cleared in about one year rather than four. This was from an animal study. On page 30 in the PDF and 546 in the journal of this reference: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0079683271900358 … it can be seen that it takes about 50 months (approximately 4 years) for adipose linoleate to bottom out in a human switched from corn oil to beef fat. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How long should our fasting windows be?I think someone who eats three meals a day and no snacking is doing a form of intermittent fasting that most people aren't doing. And I don't even have a basis for believing whether that is superior, inferior, or the same as one meal a day in a 20 hour, four-hour feeding window. And so I think it's very clear that you want to cycle through the fed and fasted states. I think exactly how you do that is all trial and error and anecdotal accumulation of anecdotes and experiences at this point. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What is the value of third party genetic reports?There are very, very few genes where we have really good information on how they impact nutritional requirements, but we have many, many, many genes where we have decent information on what they do mechanistically and where we can speculate things that might be helpful. So genome analysis is very useful as a brainstorming mechanism. And of course, there's genome sequencing in a clinical context to identify rare metabolic diseases, a totally different thing. That's obviously useful for where it's been defined as being useful, but doing a 23andMe analysis and submitting it to a report is useful for brainstorming and potentially generating some explanations for things that you observed. And I think Self-Decode did a really good job in distilling, first of all, taking a lot of conflicting polymorphisms and distilling them into a net result. And then, second of all, distilling some actionable principles. Third of all, noting where they're brainstorming and providing references to give some reasonable level of confidence of exactly.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What is the value of the oxidized phospholipids test?It's interesting to measure, but we don't have real strong data on its correlation to disease risk.  And we also don't really know how much it reflects the oxidation of lipoproteins in the subendothelial space, which is what matters.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Can NADH supplements cram more NADH into the system?The NADH will be hydrolyzed to something along the lines of nicotinamide riboside, it will be absorbed and it will act like nicotinamide riboside does, which will increase the amount of nicotinamide stored in the liver for release to the tissues. And that will help increase their NADH levels.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How to avoid losing nutrients in fat thrown out from an organ meat blendI don't think you're going to lose that many nutrients because the 25% fat, 75% lean ground beef mixed with those organs, most of that fat is coming from the marbling of the beef. That's not coming from the organ meats. Most of the nutrients in the organ meats, and they're not in marbled fat they're in cells and stuff.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How to manage the zinc-to-copper ratio?I don't agree with using the zinc/copper ratio in testing. So it is the case that zinc and copper need to be in a very loose range of ratios. So you don't want your dietary zinc to be more than 15 times your dietary copper, and you don't want your dietary zinc to be less than two times your dietary copper. But other than that, you're really looking at them individually, and you're looking at, do I have enough zinc? Do I have enough copper? Do I have signs of zinc deficiency? Do I have signs of copper deficiency? Do I have signs of too much of one or the other? Much more than you're looking at the ratio. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Milk thistle, sulforaphane, and blood donation for iron overloadIf it's an uptrend, you probably want to do something about it. Someone in that situation could try the Nrf2 stimulators, like milk thistle and sulforaphane. But if it is a genuine uptrend in early stage iron overload, that might be a situation that giving blood once a year would be the best solution.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why would methylated vitamins increase pain sensitization?I'm not sure. Just to throw out some random threads that may or may not be of use. I think methylation in some people is going to lead to increased synthesis of dopamine. But in general, the effect is going to be to decrease the tonic pool of dopamine. There's going to be some degree to which it decreases other neuro-transmitters. And it's possible that if, particularly, if glycine is not stabilized, that you're going to lose the inhibitory effect of glycine and that you might also lose the effect of ambient glycine in coactivating NMDA receptors. Now off the top of my head, I would think that you would want the glycine there to support.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why would ferritin and B12 increase on a low-calorie keto diet?Ferritin is very strongly influenced by inflammation, oxidative stress. And so if the iron status is not changing and the ferritin is going up and then down, to me that suggests that oxidative stress or inflammation is increasing in the hypocaloric state. I was thinking maybe there's more PUFAs and stronger favoring of oxidative stress when there's more PUFAs released from adipose tissue during the hypercaloric during a hypocaloric state.  So, all the PUFAs are being metabolized in the liver. And so there's probably oxidative stress increasing in the liver specifically in the hypocaloric diet, because the fatty acids are all being biased towards lipolysis from adipose tissue straight to the liver for beta-oxidation. And I think that's dramatically increasing the oxidative burden on the liver and there's short term damage being done in the liver that's increasing the B12 and ferritin levels. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why are polyunsaturated fats more easily burned for energy than saturated fats?I don't know in detail the mechanism, but I do know that it's been shown in human cells and in live animal experiments. And it presumably is related to the affinity of the enzyme for the fatty acid. And that's not something that's biochemically difficult. It's normal if there are enzymes that work with any fatty acid, for them to have different affinities for some fatty acids versus others.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why zinc deficiency causes resistance to thyroid and sex hormones and vitamins A and DThe answer to that is because the, because all of those things carry out their gene expression function by binding to nuclear receptors. And all of the nuclear receptors to DNA using zinc finger motifs. Zinc finger motif means that in the nuclear receptor, there's a zinc ion that coordinates the primary structure of the protein, which is a long string of amino acids into a finger shape.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Which nutrients do we need every single day? I would say that the top ones to be concerned about from a have-to-get-it-today perspective would be zinc and B12. And both of those have absorption caps that are fairly tight, but B12 is the number one concern.You want to pay decent attention to the zinc rule, and you do want to make sure that your B vitamins are getting in on most of those other B vitamins you could probably, as long as you're hitting the daily average on the weekly basis, that's good.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What nutrients does a collegiate swimmer need to look out for?Mainly calories would be absolute number one. Number two would be carbohydrate. So I do think that people can fuel athletic capabilities on low-carb diets, but you might want to look at stress hormones and sex hormones, because sometimes fueling athletic performance on a low-carb diet comes at the expense of elevated stress hormones, which could mess with thyroid hormones and sex hormones. I think those two things, the calories and carbs would be the top risk for potential hypothalamic amenorrhea. That would trump everything else, completely. Higher energy demands are going to demand more B vitamins. And that's generally going to be probably most B-vitamins besides B12 and folate. Although B-12 and folate are peripherally involved in energy metabolism, the other B vitamins are more directly involved.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is extended fasting the best choice for weight loss when low-carb doesn’t work?If someone's on low-carb diet, they're not losing weight, they're not sustaining the caloric deficit at food intake that's satisfying them. So I would try helping the protein and doing something maybe cyclical keto on top of that before I would do an extended fast.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: MK-4 vs MK-7: Vitamin K2 Showdown My default here is that a healthy diet would always have a mix of all of them. And although it's hard to justify a reason for having K1 specifically if you also have MK-7, the justification for having MK-4 is somewhat speculative. I wouldn't say speculative, but it's at kind of the theoretical level. So basically, MK-4 is not very good at supporting blood clotting, but MK-7 and K1 are. And we know that from human trials. And so we can at least say, you shouldn't only get MK-4, because it's not very good at supporting blood clotting. As default, get your K1 from veggies and then try to get a mix of MK-4 and MK-7, that totals up to 2-400 micrograms per day for the people who are just talking about one to 200 micrograms for general people, that can come from food if you eat those foods and supplement if you don't. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life.  From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book.You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How should someone balance a vitamin D of 80 ng/mL with other nutrients?Let's say the idea is to maintain someone on a lifelong level of 80 nanograms per milliliter. Maybe four times the first year, two times the second year, once the third year and then every few years thereafter, I would measure the urinary calcium and make sure that that level is not associated with hypercalciuria in that person. Because if it is, I think you're putting that person at an increased risk of kidney stones if nothing else. And then I would say that person wants to get at least 200 micrograms of vitamin K2. My default would be to say 10,000 IU of vitamin A, just off of the fact that I feel like you're basically doubling the normal amount of vitamin D in someone who is 80 nanograms per milliliter. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Can MTHFR cause ADHD?So, methylation will reduce the background level of tonic dopamine. And make you more mentally flexible. And a lack of methylation will generally lead to a higher level of background dopamine and make you not as mentally flexible. So, I really don't think that the ADHD is solely a consequence of MTHFR. Low methylation state and glycine wasting is probably playing into some of the aggravating factors, particularly glycine wasting. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: MTHFR, Depression, Irritability, and AnxietySo, if someone has an MTHFR snip, they don't have enough methylfolate. And so if they're treating it with methylfolate, the methylfolate causes the depression, irritability, and anxiety, then that's one thing. Whereas, if they have the MTHFR snip, they're not doing anything about it and they have depression, irritability, anxiety, that's another thing. So, if they're not doing anything about it and they have those problems, then it's probably from under-methylation. If they're supplementing methylfolate and that's causing the depression, irritability and anxiety, then my guess is that that is a temporary transient over-methylation state. That is a result of the body being adapted to a low methylfolate state and suddenly switching to a high methylfolate state. And I think the key to getting through that is to take small doses of the methylfolate and equilibrate to the lowest dose.This is my "Start Here for Methylation" page I mentioned: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2019/03/01/start-here-for-mthfr-and-methylation If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why you have to multiply labeled phosphatidylcholine by 15%Yes. If a lecithin product states the phosphatidylcholine content and you want to know the choline content, multiply by 15%. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is liver OK to eat if raw or if blended in a Vitamix?So, the blending might hurt some really sensitive stuff. There's a lot of glutathione in liver. It might hurt some of the glutathione. I think the majority of the vitamins are going to be okay. And the minerals in general will be fine. And I think it's important to note that, if it makes the difference between whether you eat the liver or not, then it's much more important to eat the liver that you like. My personal choice during times when I've wanted raw liver, my rule has always been that if it's frozen for two weeks or longer, it's safe to eat. And it's also from a clean and trusted source.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: If total carnitine is low, should I supplement?Supplementation does increase the acylcarnitine fraction and total carnitine to near normal levels. But I'm not clear about whether it's worth worrying about. So, if the total carnitine is low, but the free carnitine is normal, then total carnitine is low because the acylcarnitines are low. I wouldn't be too worried about the acylcarnitines being low. I would be very worried if the acylcarnitines were very high and overwhelming the total pool of carnitine, 'cause that would suggest a metabolic problem. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Isn’t taking copper with zinc self-defeating? No. So, the competition between their absorption is not that bad. And if it was bad, everyone would be deficient in both of them because all foods that contain one, contain the other.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Insulin resistance from fat invading muscle cells?I think increased free fatty acids in the blood. That's going to be a normal reaction to dietary fat and I think that if you have increased fatty acids than increased glucose, that you have more energy to dispose off. And if you have more energy to dispose of, and you don't dispose off the energy, then that's going to cause insulin resistance.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How do carbonated water, magnesium, and potassium affect pH?If you drink carbonated water, the CO2 is going to give up hydrogen ions to become carbonic acid, which is going to give up hydrogen ions to become bicarbonate. So making bicarbonate from CO2 is acidic taking bicarbonate is alkaline. So the thing you have to keep in mind here is that the reason bicarbonate is alkaline is because it makes CO2. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What’s the difference between the NADH/NAD+ and the NADPH/NADH ratios?So the NADH to NAD ratio and the NAD pH to NADP plus ratio are things that are having real consequences as ratios and biochemistry that are dictating what's going on in our body. The NAD pH to NADH ratio is physiologically irrelevant, but is used as a biomarker of niacin status. So if you look at a biochemistry textbook, that's telling you how things work in the body you're going to see constant references to the NADH to NAD ratio or the NAD pH NADP plus ratio. And you're never going to see any reference to the NAD pH to NADH ratio.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What if my ferritin is low, but other iron markers are normal?I would first see whether getting more iron in your diet raises your transparent saturation or your iron saturation higher than 40%. If it does, then I wouldn't push it but if it doesn't or if your transparent saturation is significantly below 30%, then I think there's room to try to increase iron further.If pushing iron up isn't the answer, I would try something like milk thistle or sulforaphane, things that are designed to promote gene expression for detoxification are antioxidant defense such as milk thistle and sulforaphane are generally also going to raise ferritin because ferritin is part of the protective response.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Menstrual Migraines, Pregnancy, and HRTWhat I think is happening is the estrogen is probably suppressing DAO when it's higher, but because it's staying suppressed, there's compensation that's happening for it to help minimize the histamine level. Whereas when the estrogen is cyclical, it's suppressing DAO when the body hasn't made any adaptations to low DAO. And that's sort of like sometimes women will get very strong problems with histamine coming off of a pregnancy because the DAO has been so high so long that all the other adaptations that you would have in other ways of breaking down histamine or down-regulating histamine receptors or whatever else, have all been... There's been no need for them. And so your body is maximally accustomed to DAO doing all the work for you. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How do I know if biotin deficiency is causing my hair loss and fungal rashes?The plasma or serum biotin level is not a good marker of biotin status because it's not very sensitive. And so, if you're in the bottom 10% of it, I would definitely take that as a red flag that you might have biotin deficiency, the best test for biotin, well, the gold standard for biotin deficiency is beta-hydroxyisovalerate in the urine after a leucine challenge. I don't know how you'd get anyone to give you that, but the next best thing is to get a urinary organic acid test that has as beta-Hydroxyisovaleric acid on it and I know that the Genova ION panel, which is the one I usually prefer has that, but a lot of other ones do too. So I, if you get one, I would just check and see whether the beta-hydroxyisovalerate is on the list of analytes. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How do you know if skin problems are from zinc deficiency?I would measure plasma zinc and if the plasma zinc, the sweet spot is around 120. If the plasma zinc is in the 70 to 90 range, that's borderline and if it's below 70, that's very clearly potentially related to skin problems. I think you have your answer right there. If your zinc's at 120, your skin problems, are not due to the zinc deficiency.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Anxiety, Neurotransmitters, and NutritionSo there's a few trans neurotransmitters that are particularly relevant. Histamine is a key anxiety neurotransmitter. Another neuro-transmitter that's relevant is dopamine and I don't see dopamine as primarily actually causing baseline anxiety. Measurement of neuro-transmitters is very difficult but you can get some hints and make some inferences. I would say the Genova methylation panel and the Genova ION panel plus sporty would give you more than enough to probe this stuff. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What are the best ways to stabilize blood sugar?I would definitely be trying to lower the glucose response. And what I would do in such a situation would be to run a series of experiments on the type of carbohydrate, as well as the amount of carbohydrate, as well as the context of the meal to see. I would use that as the maximum and so define the carbohydrate load of the specific foods that you can tolerate within that range, and then once you have that, then you can experiment with other things like what happens if I add Apple cider vinegar to this regiment, what happens if I add whey protein, which can also help, what happens if I add glycine, which can also help.The test is a great hint at what might be happening. But at the end of the day, what matters is what happens when you eat the meal you always eat.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.  

Question: What are the best natural ways to lower cholesterol?The top things that I would think of to lower cholesterol levels are number one, I'd get thyroid status thoroughly checked out. Number two, I would consider experimenting with a diet low in saturated fat or diet low in cholesterol to see how responsive your levels are to those things. Number three, I would experiment with some fiber supplements.  Number four, for people who are overweight, then normalizing body composition is an issue. Number five, I wouldn't use pantothenic acid. I would try pantethine.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Does high B12 mean it’s not getting into the cell?The right way to address that would be to measure serum or urine or both methylmalonic acid MMA, and that's a functional marker that's very specific to B12. If B12 was not getting into the cell, then methylmalonic acid is going to be high.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What range of folate and homocysteine are good for MTHFR?So 18 to 22 nanograms per milliliter for serum folate and then for homocysteine, I would say seven to nine, I think eight is right smack in the middle and it's fine. No harm in getting down to five, if you can get there but I wouldn't, if you're in the seven to nine range, I wouldn't worry about it.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Do Ketogenic Diets Lower Glutathione?And so what a ketogenic diet does is put you in a low insulin to glucagon ratio longterm and the insulin to glucagon ratio is what is used for the body to perceive whether it has enough energy to invest in making glutathione. And so the reason the liver's glutathione is going to go down on a ketogenic diet is because you're in the fasting state. Glutathione synthesis is a fed state process. It's something that goes down in the fasting state and up in the fed state period. And so if you're using a diet that is mimicking the fasting state and is allowing you to carry out fasting state physiology for a longer period of time than you would be able to go on zero calories, then you're going to mimic the fasting state. And the fasting state is characterized by lower glutathione synthesis. And that's the end of it.These are the studies we discussed on the ketogenic diet and glutathione levels: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18466343/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3102314/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. From now through March, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why do I have a high LDL-C when my diet is on point?Generally in the presence of insulin sensitivity, more carbohydrates, less fat will lower LDL, but in the presence of insulin resistance, more carbohydrate will sometimes raise LDL. And if the LDL is only a little bit out of range and the HDL is good, I wouldn't worry too much about it. If the total to HDL cholesterol ratio is under four, especially if it's close to 2.0 or underneath that, then I would be worrying about all the elements a little bit out of the range. But I would look at coconut oil, reducing it, body composition, normalizing insulin sensitivity, optimizing it. And if all those things are done, substituting some more carbohydrate, less fat may help.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations.  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Can protein replete glycogen on a low-carb diet?Yes, it's possible. And I don't know exactly what the dosing is, but I think it's totally possible. It comes at the risk, I don't want to say risk, but at the downside of creating a lot more ammonia. But I think it's quite possible. I think it was Master Nutrition, Energy Metabolism, Lesson 17, it was the one on the evidence around low-carb and athletic performance. And if you look at the studies suggesting low-carb does not compromise athletic performance, the diets are much higher protein than the diets that suggest that it does compromise athletic performance for glycogen levels. And so, I think on a low-carb diet protein is going to probably be a very critical determinant of glycogen levels.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Creatine: do the benefits outweigh the risks for a mid-30s male?I think that there are borderline no risks to creatine supplementation. I know some people get bloated from it that usually passes. Anecdotally, some people get insomnia. I think if nutrients are balanced and you just stick with it, that'll go away. There's speculation that it could aggravate male pattern baldness, but there's no good evidence of it.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How important are MAT1A SNPs to methylation?These in principle, could reduce the activation of methionine, but I don't know that there are any studies that have looked at whether that's the case. And so, just because a SNP isn't a gene doesn't mean that it reduces the activity of that gene. In fact, it doesn't mean it does anything even to the protein sequence of a gene because a lot of SNPs don't affect the protein sequence. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations.  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How to increase red blood cell magnesium content?Well, the first thing you want to do is look at your serum levels. And if your serum levels are low, you want to look at your urinary levels. And if your serum levels are not low or especially, if your serum are high, then you want to focus on promoting magnesium absorbed into the cell. If your serum levels are low, then you probably don't want to focus on that, you want to focus on magnesium intake or retention or absorption. If you're focusing on getting it into the cells, you're looking at insulin sensitivity, insulin stimulation, vitamin B6 and salt. For urinary loss, you're looking at anything that causes too much urinary output, stress. And if you still can't find the answer, you might want to start looking at certain genetic polymorphisms.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why would ferritin rise on a low-carb diet when iron status is stable?Well, they sound copper deficient because copper is needed to mobilize iron out of ferritin. Copper is most abundant in plant foods, except that it's also very rich in liver. And it's pretty decent in a number of shellfish, but on a low carb, steak and cheese diet, not only are you deficient in copper, but you are also now pushing your zinc levels up, which will lower your copper absorption. Low white blood cells is, first thing that I'm going to look at is copper levels, especially if the neutrophils are low. And that would very easily explain rise in ferritin.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What are the best practices for nutrient absorption?Large meals and fat soluble vitamins. Large meals are the ally of fat soluble vitamin absorption. Fat absorption from poor fat digestion, is the enemy of not only the absorption of fat soluble nutrients, but also the absorption positively charged minerals. There might a few of them missing, but those are the ones that really stand out to me as big nutrient absorption issues.I wouldn't micromanage these things, but if it is an eminent view where there is a problem to fix, that's when I start thinking a lot about them. But certainly there are more details in the vitamins and minerals 101 course, and what I have gone through right here.If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What’s the best prenatal nutrition?The things that sort of stick out to me are, you don't want to be Vitamin A deficient or Vitamin A toxic, so you're right in the middle of the range. You really don't want to be deficient in anything. Everyone knows about folic iron which is really important, but there's not really a good nutritional status test for choline. Biotin is very important. One third of mothers spontaneously become biotin deficient from pregnancy. And so I think that you want to be at least getting the RGA for biotin. DUS test of biotin status, is beta-hydroxyisovaleric acid, which is found on a blood panel but it is kind of pricey, but is the best. I think all of the nutrients are important, but I would single out those as being the most important to look at. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Supplement Timing and Food Combining for Zinc?So for zinc and food, the main issue is that, my guess is that a carnivore meat based meal would probably enhance zinc absorption, but that's never really been tested. There's some controversy in the field over whether you should take zinc on an empty stomach or not. So my position is basically like if it's practical for me to take the zinc on an empty stomach, do an empty stomach. And if it's not practical for you to take the zinc on an empty stomach, do it on a phytate free meal - no whole grains, nuts seeds or legumes. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How to approach chronic joint pain?You definitely want to move the joints that are affected.So the movement must target the joints that are affected. And you definitely want like 30 minutes a day of just moderate movement, even walking would be great. But then you also want movement aimed at actually supporting the muscles and the proper joint motions and stuff like that. And so that's where weight lifting comes in. And then you definitely want some guidance from a physical therapist who works with athletes at a minimum to guide the form on the weightlifting movements to make sure they're supportive of the joints instead of making them worse. And then eat a nutritious diet and look for inflammatory foods and try to cut them out and see if that improves it. Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5183725/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book.You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How should I break a 36-hour fast?The two things that I would think about are your digestion, it's probably going to take a little bit of time to ramp itself up. I don't think you're going to do any harm by eating things that are difficult to digest, probably not great for your microbiome, but probably something that would just adapt to you. And so I would take that very subjectively. In your experience, what types of things do you have trouble digesting from when you stop a fast? But I think it's going to be fairly common to feel like some things just don't digest this well when you come off at 36 hour fast than you otherwise would. I think that's very subjective. My main concern from a health perspective would be feeding syndrome. So generally when you're fasting, you lose phosphorus because the phosphorus is associated with carbohydrate metabolism and your glycogen levels have been depleted. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What are optimal levels of B12? So there's a paper called the Pathophysiology of Elevated Vitamin B12 in clinical practice that PM Schoenfeld, another Masterpass member, had given me. And this paper is very interesting because it identifies a bunch of things that high B12 can be an indicator of, not a causal factor in but an indicator of problems. And it also disputes the low end of the range. So according to this paper, we really want B12 levels above 400 picograms per milliliter, which is 295 picomoles per liter. I believe picograms per liter is what most people's lab results come in. And that's like double what most labs are using for low levels at least at the time this paper was written. I believe it's like 1400 is where their cutoff flies for potentially indicating problems. Reference: https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/106/6/505/1538806 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Are GABA or methylation support useful for panic attacks? I think anything that increases GABA activity is probably going to slow down anxiety and panic. I think that's clear just from the drugs that are used to treat an anxiety, or panic disorder. Xanax is used for that purpose. So I do think that working on nutritional support around GABA makes sense, but I also would look at histamine, because histamine is an alertness signal, but I think in very excessive amounts histamine is a panic signal. GABA might help move focus from one thing to another. And methylating dopamine is needed to provide mental flexibility so that you don't get stuck on anxiety producing thought patterns and emotional patterns. And histamine just is a general stimulant of anxiety beyond a certain threshold. So I think those would be the key areas to focus on if that helps. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book.You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is increasing reactive oxygen species a good strategy for appetite control?Is that going to cause satiety in the brain? Maybe. I haven't studied that. I think Stephan Guyenet would be a great person to talk to about that. It wouldn't surprise me in the sense that if you want to shut down energy coming into the cell, why wouldn't you also want, at some bigger level, to shut down energy input into the body? I guess that makes sense. But I've mostly studied this in the case of outside the brain, peripherally, what is it doing? And what it's doing in adipose tissue or in skeletal muscle is it's shutting down glucose uptake, leading to hyperglycemia, and it's shutting down fatty acid uptake into the mitochondria leading to elevated free fatty acid levels, all of which are generally harmful to the body. Now this is an adaptively desirable thing because, let's say you have a trillion cells. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What’s the best way to increase ferritin?If you're taking an iron chelate supplement then you should probably take it with a carnivore meal. Vitamin C and a few other ones, folate, are not really vegan nutrients but they're very plant-oriented nutrients in terms of what's the thing you're probably going to add to your diet that's going to help. And so I really feel like if I had iron deficiency anemia, I would probably just spend four weeks on a carnivore diet that was rich in red meat and if I really wanted to just pick a simple dietary plan, go all in on it. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.  

Question: What to eat for a 35-year-old vegan woman with hypothyroidism and low zinc levels? I think a vegan with poor zinc levels should supplement with zinc. You know, it's one thing if you have a vegan whose diet just happens to provide good zinc status, despite the fact that their diet is dramatically lower in total zinc than an omnivore who eats a lot of red meat or seafood, particularly oysters, and that the bioavailability of zinc from those foods is dramatically less. So a vegan probably needs twice as much zinc as an omnivore needs because of the inhibitory effect of phytate and the beneficial effect on zinc absorption by the amino acid composition of most animal proteins. Reference: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8914953/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Are the concerns about cyanocobalamin exaggerated? I'm not sure what people have said about the dangers. I know that I have been a critic of cyanocobalamin relative to other forms of B12 and then, other people may have used something I said maybe in an exaggerated way. And then there might be just much marketing that I haven't actually been exposed to where people have come up with their own marketing claims around other forms of B12. So my opinion is basically as follows: number one, the amount of cyanide that would be released from taking even high doses of cyanocobalamin is very small. And so I don't think taking cyanocobalamin is dangerous in any context that I can think of so that's number one. But number two, one of our mechanisms for detoxifying cyanide, and it's not the only mechanism, but it's one of the key mechanisms is to join the cyanide, to cobalamin, to pee it out in the urine.Reference: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0026049505001897?via%3Dihub If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What’s a better nasal spray, Sterimar or povidone-iodine? It's hard to say. So the Povidone-iodine obviously has some contraindications and it has contraindications mostly because it's been so commonly used in a medical setting and therefore has so much known about its safety and risk profile and I don't have any particular reason to think that the Sterimar is unsafe in any context. And I used it a lot. The only thing I can say anecdotally is I've used the Povidone-iodine intra nasally, and I've used the Sterimar spray intra nasally. And I feel like 0.5% Povidone-iodine is really powerful in wiping out anything we have going on in the nose. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Do postmenopausal women need to worry about iron overload?Generally, it's not men who are necessarily predisposed to iron buildup. It’s men with some genetic predisposition to that, so maybe less than 10% of men. But yeah, postmenopausal women with the same genetics will, like men, be vulnerable to that. When you stop menstruating, you essentially become like a man in terms of your ability to accumulate iron.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Should NAC supplementation be pulsed?So, yes, boost glutathione. It might bring glutathione down. It's speculative that you could pulse it to avoid that. But even supplementing oral glutathione for 6 months was shown to not affect glutathione production. And certainly, oral glutathione is going to have more of a negative feedback loop than a glutathione precursor. So, I am not too worried about it. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why would my threonine levels be low? The two things I can think of are increased gluconeogenesis and increased conversion of methylglyoxal, both of which I would expect to be driven by a low carbohydrate diet. Then of course, it could also be not enough protein consumption. But if it's why threonine is being metabolized, I'm gonna be thinking of a low carbohydrate diet. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.  

Question:  What’s the best alcohol to microdose? I prefer red wine on a taste, and tradition, and aesthetic basis. Just for background, I think  Half a drink to a drink a day is probably the net maximal benefit for alcohol and that can be averaged. It doesn’t have to be every day. And that’s the main thing. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.  

Question:  What’s the best nutrition for panic and anxiety?Methylation is overwhelmingly important. I do think that other factors impacting dopamine can be relevant in the sense that the main way that methylation regulates mental rigidity is through decreasing the pool of tonic dopamine, which favors mental flexibility. And so, you can also favor mental flexibility by increasing the activity of dopamine receptors that mediate the basic response dopamine.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.  

Question:  What determines the absorption of nutrients? This is a gigantic question because what determines the absorption of any given nutrient is independent for that nutrient. And so, it’s different for every nutrient. And we just don't have that level of data to drive modeling of absorption of other nutrients in an accurate way. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question:  Do low serine levels require IV supplements?You're probably just depleting serine through the CBS pathway and just eat more protein and consider supplementing glycine or collagen along with it. I don't see why that would require IV supplements.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How to fix high iron and calcium, low copper and magnesium, without blood donation? Your only options for decreasing iron levels are to eat a low meat vegetarian diet high in vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. That's probably your best bet. But the thing is, a very vegetable rich diet is gonna be pretty high in copper. And it's going to be high in iron too, but it's gonna be very poorly absorbable iron. And you know, especially if you eat a lot of whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes, you can get a lot of phytate. When doing that, you should probably supplement with zinc. You could consider supplementing with copper. The preferred copper for me would be liver or liver capsules, which I think provide copper way out sized to the iron that they provide. I think that's your best option when you don't have giving blood as an option to get rid of iron. If needed, you can do supplemental phytate, but I would use that as a last resort rather than a first one.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How much time should separate my zinc supplements and nut consumption? So, phytate primarily inhibits absorption of zinc and iron. I think you're gonna have a much lower probability of zinc encountering phytate if you take the zinc 2 hours after eating the phytate than if you take the zinc while you eat the phytate. But you know, if you're trying to be maximally conscientious, 3 hours after the meal. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What’s the safe use of an iodine nasal spray?So, the iodine in the food and supplement guide for the coronavirus most recent version, I included iodine as a nasal spray. It's very important to look at the percentages. And so, 0.5% is the concentration recommended and that means that if you get a 10% solution, which is the most common one, you want to dilute it down 20-fold, which means taking one part of the 10% solution 19 parts water. If you have a different percentage starting solution, you wanna dilute it differently. And it's critically important that you dilute it properly. And so, you should have someone double check your work if you're doing your own math or triple check your work because higher concentrations can cause damage to the nasal tissue. But in terms of how often what I recommend doing is using it as a before and after in potential exposures. For additional important safety information please see here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid-19/povidone-iodine-safety-efficacy-and-lugols If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why would ferritin be extremely high when transferrin saturation is low? Ferritin as a potential indicator of iron overload should not be anywhere near the level that was set to try to rule in biopsy provable hemochromatosis that is just a profoundly negligent approach to setting the range for ferritin. Now, I think part of what has stopped, you know— This mostly is a problem of the binary diagnostic mindset of conventional medicine. So, I'm not saying that this mindset is not useful. It is tremendously useful, but too many people confuse it for a reality when in fact it is a reality distortion filter meant to more efficiently triage people through various treatments or nontreatments. It may be inflammation as you very well tried to feather out. And if it's not that, it's probably oxidative stress. So, I’m not gonna say that’s the only other thing it could be. And for the record, you cannot rule out hemochromatosis genetics with 23andMe or any other genetic test by anyone because there are a small percentage of hemochromatosis genetics that are not in the HFE genes and no one has a panel for them. And so, it’s improbable that it’s hemochromatosis based on 23andMe. You can’t rule it out, but I would say it’s probably not hemochromatosis because his iron is low. And so, you know, I'm highly suspicious of oxidative stress, which also upregulates ferritin. If you have Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, I would measure everything in the oxidative stress section. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Can carnitine be used for fatty liver instead of choline? The role of choline and the role of carnitine have nothing to do with one another. Choline is going to help move fat out of the liver. Carnitine is going to help fat get into the mitochondria to be burned for energy. So, first of all, I think one thing that’s important to note is that you're gonna get more bang for the buck by fixing the things that are wrong rather than pulling on levers that are working perfectly fine.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is it OK to drink a pint of Gerolsteiner mineral water a day?It’s significantly less than a bottle. I guess conceivably if you're also drinking a lot of milk, or eating a lot of cheese, or supplementing with calcium, or taking bone meal powder, I guess you can get too much calcium. I wouldn’t really worry about it from 1 pint. I do think that the main concern with carbonated beverages of any type is that you have too much acid running over your teeth a lot. So, I think it's wise to drink this in a way that tends to bypass your teeth. You can do it more effectively if you use a straw, but I think you can manipulate the bottle in your mouth to kind of pour it beyond your teeth, which I think is a good thing to do. Probably the best thing that you can do for that is before you brush your teeth, make sure that you swish with water or baking soda.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Cataracts: what are the roles of methylglyoxal and polyols?Is the polyol pathway activation and methylglyoxal independent causes of cataract formation or are they related to one another? And the answer is a little bit of both. You know, if independent means unrelated, then they’re related. Not independent. But they are independent in the sense that you could have more of one. You know, you could do something that increases one and not the other or at least disproportionately increases one versus the other. So, the polyol pathway, I think the best way to describe that is under conditions of severe hyperglycemia where you have too much sugar to be disposed of in the normal routes. You can use the sugar to synthesize polyols. Glutathione is needed, among other things, to detoxify methylglyoxal. And methylglyoxal causes cataracts. Now, that's not to say that there aren’t other things going on. I mean, certainly glutathione is also needed to defend against oxidative stress. But then again, this might not be the only way that oxidative stress contributes to cataracts, but oxidative stress increases methylglyoxal generation in part by decreasing the activity of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase or GAPDH, which is the enzyme within glycolysis that is responsible for clearing what are known as triose phosphates. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life.  For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is the sugar in Life Extension Enhanced Zinc Acetate lozenges a problem?In that kind of protocol attuned to the progress of the potential cold, I find no alternative is more effective than the zinc acetate lozenges. And so, therefore, I'm willing to consume 40 or 60 grams of sugar for like 1 day or 2 days and then have it taper off granted— I might have a totally different attitude if I had diabetes. But from a cost-benefit analysis, I don't think consuming 40 grams of sugar once for a healthy person is going to cause any permanent damage. It's not the ideal thing, but the problem is that all the alternative zinc lozenges have generally involved factors that decrease the zinc ionization in the mouth.References: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2016/12/26/zinc-definitely-fights-colds-youre-probably-using-wrong-kind https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid-19/treatment-of-covid-19-with-high-dose-zinc-4-cases  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life.  For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: If I use SAMe for depression, what do I need for nutritional balance? Nutrition wise, I think the most important thing would be to make sure that you have an adequate glycine status. And you know, I don't know what your background is in terms of other issues, but the glycine buffer system, which is how you buffer excess methyl groups, which is what you would have if you take a large bolus of SAMe.Other nutritional concern would be having enough molybdenum. Generally, you're gonna have enough with 100 mcg a day. If you're eating liver once a week, you probably have enough, but there's no harm in taking like 500 mcg a day, so not really a problem if you want to supplement there just to make sure it's not an issue.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Should I take iron every day or use alternate day dosing?Reference: https://haematologica.org/article/view/9379 So, according to this abstract, in iron depleted women without anemia, oral iron supplements induce an increase in serum hepcidin that persist for 24 hours, decreasing iron absorption from supplements given later on the same or next day. Consequently, iron absorption from supplements is highest if iron is given on alternate days.Bringing this back to a practical level, is it easier for you to maintain a habit of every day dosing or is it easier for you to maintain a habit of every other day dosing? Because I know for myself by far and away, the easiest thing for me to do is to have a little turntable inside my cabinet of everything I’m gonna take in the morning just take it all. The more complicated things get, the more you need a list or you need an app that reminds you to take it every other day. When I wake up in the morning half the time I am not going to remember whether I took it the day before or not. So, I'm gonna have to keep track of that somehow. It's just so much more practical to take something every day at the same time than it is to try to impose more complicated dosing on it that I would want to be much more convinced that there is a real effect before I was going to bother with that greater difficulty of sustaining the habit.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

I'm not sure what the best dosing is given that it hasn't actually been studied fully, but I believe that it was estimated that in the people who have the highest collagen waste during collagen turnover that they can run short of glycine about 60 grams a day whereas I believe the more conservative estimate of glycine requirements based on people that turnover collagen much more efficiently.I would say that as a general rule, you should assume that you want something spread out as much as possible rather than the reverse if you don't have the data showing that it’s okay or better to have it all at once because wherever there is data or wherever there is a plausible rationale, it's almost always the case that it's better to have it spread out. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Where should I buy my chicken products? You may have local options. And a good place to look for local options would be eatwild.com. I’m assuming it’s still up. That was a great database and probably still is a great database of pasture-raised products of any type. Not just chicken. And then of course, there are the mail order companies that I have exclusive discounts with inside the Masterpass program, most of which sell chicken products. So, White Oak Pastures, North Star Bison who focuses on bison but I believe they have chicken also. And U.S. Wellness whereas  chicken might not be their main thing, I’m pretty sure they have chicken. Generally those companies, even if they don’t advertise themselves as mainly being about chicken, they usually will have some chicken. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. For the remainder of 2020, I will be working full-time on finishing my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, while reserving a portion of my time for consulting clients. You can pre-order my book at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book. You can sign up for a consultation at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/consultations  DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

I don't usually interview people on my podcast, but this is an important exception and I'd appreciate it if you'd share it far and wide. Here's the YouTube version: COVID Conversations: Gabriela Gomes on Herd Immunity Gabriela Gomes is Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at University of Strathclyde Glasgow and corresponding author of the recent paper, "Herd immunity thresholds for SARS-CoV-2 estimated from unfolding epidemics," one of the papers arguing that the herd immunity threshold is on the order of 10-20% in the European communities they studied rather than the 60-80% more commonly cited, and she's here to talk about herd immunity and COVID-19. Here's a list of topics we covered: 00:00:01 Introduction 00:01:28 Gabriela's body of research showing the importance of individual variation in susceptibility to infectious diseases. 00:04:25 Conventional models that don't take into account individual variation overestimate the size of epidemics and overestimate the effect of interventions. 00:05:21 How has her research been received by her colleagues? 00:09:30 The evolution of immunity has to be through the action of natural selection on variation, making it logically necessary that variation exists. 00:11:54 Nutrition scientists underestimated variation in nutritional requirements but have been much more receptive than infectious disease epidemiologists to incorporating it into their models. 00:15:51 The ability to identify a single necessary factor in infectious disease spread has biased the field toward a ground-up mechanistic model to vet the inclusion of variables. 00:22:34 What is herd immunity? 00:26:11 Tuberculosis disappeared because socioeconomic conditions improved. 00:29:06 Until the vaccine, measles cycled in and out of herd immunity as new infants entered the susceptible population. 00:31:13 Measles is much more transmissible than SARS-CoV-2. 00:32:21 SARS was contained before it had a chance to spread. 00:34:08 Herd immunity is not the end of concern about a disease. 00:34:33 The herd immunity threshold for COVID will be crossed many times, but crossing it the first time is the end of the "pandemic phase." 00:39:16 The seasonality of the flu is influenced not only by weather and social patterns that influence transmissibility, but also by cyclically crossing in and out of herd immunity. Viral mutations can be the trigger to temporarily cycle out of herd immunity. 00:46:57 Why conventional herd immunity threshold calculations say the threshold is 60-80% for COVID, but why Gabriela's model says 10-20%. 00:51:45 How do we know what the degree of variation is? 00:54:56 Gabriela's conclusions are similar to those reached by other researchers when looking at NYC and Chicago. 00:56:48 As long as susceptibility is correlated to infectiousness, natural infections will remove the most infectious people early on. 01:01:26 Is it possible that lockdowns and social distancing are solely responsible for everything we attribute to herd immunity? 01:08:30 How likely is it that fading immunity and reinfection would render the herd immunity model useless? 01:11:19 What does the New York City data tell us about herd immunity and reinfection? 01:15:32 What does Spain's second wave tell us? 01:19:21 We discuss Harvard Professor Miguel Hernán's suggestion on Twitter that NYC is doing so much better than Madrid because NYC had superior testing, contact tracing, and phased reopening. 01:23:16 Misunderstanding herd immunity has huge economic consequences. 01:25:13 Should we be looking at cases, hospitalizations, deaths, or seroprevalence as our primary metric? 01:35:28 We discuss University of Minnesota epidemiologist Michael Osterholm's suggestion that scientists modeling a 20% herd immunity threshold are "not connected with real-world thinking" and that the much higher infection rates in prisons and a South Korean call center show that the herd immunity threshold cannot be anywhere near as low as 20%. 01:41:05 Gabriela is hoping to find more collaborators to extend the modeling to more communities. 01:41:55 Why approaching herd immunity rapidly allows you to massively overshoot the threshold 01:46:10 How has her research been received by peer review, the press, and her colleagues? 01:49:00 What developments will she be looking for that would falsify her model? 01:50:39 What are the policy implications of her research? Here's how you can share this on social media: Retweet it on Twitter Heart it on Instagram Share it on Facebook Stay safe and healthy, Chris

Read the written version here, with links to the original references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid-19/are-we-already-reaching-herd-immunity Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates  Discuss this in the Masterpass Free Forum at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  Discuss this in the Coronavirus Forum when you purchase the guide, pre-order my upcoming book, or join the CMJ Masterpass. Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus  Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book  Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass  DISCUSS! Here are three ways to discuss this topic, including asking me questions and getting a response: The Masterpass FREE Forum. This forum is free and open to anyone to participate. Anything related to health and nutrition, including all aspects of the coronavirus, is welcome. I will do my best to participate several times a week, though I expect this to eventually be very large and may at some point have to participate on a weekly basis if it starts to take on a life of its own. Join for free at chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss The Coronavirus Forum. This is for anyone who purchases The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus, pre-orders my upcoming Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, or joins the CMJ Masterpass (if you join, use the coupon code COVID19 for 10% off the membership price). This forum is dedicated specifically to the coronavirus, has subsections based on topics (nutrition, medicine, lifestyle, mechanisms of disease), and has a section where the archive version of this newsletter is directly linked and each newsletter can be discussed as an individual thread. I consistently participate in this forum 3-5 times a week. Purchase the guide at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus The Masterpass Discussion Group. Preserved for those who join the CMJ Masterpass, it's the best place to ask me questions in a fairly intimate environment and get a rapid response. All topics I cover are fair game, and I consistently participate approximately five times per week. The Masterpass also has monthly live Zoom Q&As that are even more intimate. Join the Masterpass at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUPPORT These research updates are made possible by purchases of The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus You can get the guide for free if you pre-order my upcoming book, Vitamins and Minerals 101: How to Get the Nutrients You Need on Any Diet (to be released when the COVID-19 crisis subsides). You can pre-order it at chrismasterjohnphd.com/book You can also get the guide free when you join the CMJ Masterpass, which is meant to help people with significant health and wellness expenditures consistently save money by returning marketing cost of the companies involved back to the members as rebates. A membership also saves you 30% on pre-orders of the paperback and 50% on pre-orders of the digital versions of my book. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates DISCLAIMER I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!

Question: Why would blood glucose go up on a low-carb diet? When you're adapted to low insulin levels with lower GLUT expression, but you want to get glucose into muscle, you're going to need higher blood glucose levels to do it. I think elevated blood glucose is sufficiently known to be pathological that it would be unwise to assume the sort of more generous interpretation of that as a physiological response. I think it would be a much better approach to do what you need to do to get your blood glucose levels into the healthy range. Otherwise, I think it's quite a gamble to presume innocence of that elevated blood glucose. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. There are two ways to discuss this episode: Discuss it in The Masterpass FREE Forum, which is freely open to everyone, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss If you’re a Masterpass member, discuss it in the Masterpass Discussion Group, found in your dashboard. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why do thyroid levels drop on a low-carb diet? So insulin and leptin are both positive regulators of thyroid hormone, production, and conversion. And generally I do think there's probably a larger effect from thyroid production than peripheral conversion. I'm not too sure about that, but insulin does directly regulate thyroid. It has TSH-like effects on the thyroid gland. It doesn't replicate all of TSH's effects, but it does replicate a portion of them. So basically, more or less, have like TSH amplification with insulin. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. There are two ways to discuss this episode: Discuss it in The Masterpass FREE Forum, which is freely open to everyone, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  If you’re a Masterpass member, discuss it in the Masterpass Discussion Group, found in your dashboard. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates  Discuss this in the Masterpass Free Forum at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  Discuss this in the Coronavirus Forum when you purchase the guide, pre-order my upcoming book, or join the CMJ Masterpass. Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus  Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book  Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass  DISCUSS! Here are three ways to discuss this topic, including asking me questions and getting a response: The Masterpass FREE Forum. This forum is free and open to anyone to participate. Anything related to health and nutrition, including all aspects of the coronavirus, is welcome. I will do my best to participate several times a week, though I expect this to eventually be very large and may at some point have to participate on a weekly basis if it starts to take on a life of its own. Join for free at chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss The Coronavirus Forum. This is for anyone who purchases The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus, pre-orders my upcoming Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, or joins the CMJ Masterpass (if you join, use the coupon code COVID19 for 10% off the membership price). This forum is dedicated specifically to the coronavirus, has subsections based on topics (nutrition, medicine, lifestyle, mechanisms of disease), and has a section where the archive version of this newsletter is directly linked and each newsletter can be discussed as an individual thread. I consistently participate in this forum 3-5 times a week. Purchase the guide at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus The Masterpass Discussion Group. Preserved for those who join the CMJ Masterpass, it's the best place to ask me questions in a fairly intimate environment and get a rapid response. All topics I cover are fair game, and I consistently participate approximately five times per week. The Masterpass also has monthly live Zoom Q&As that are even more intimate. Join the Masterpass at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUPPORT These research updates are made possible by purchases of The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus You can get the guide for free if you pre-order my upcoming book, Vitamins and Minerals 101: How to Get the Nutrients You Need on Any Diet (to be released when the COVID-19 crisis subsides). You can pre-order it at chrismasterjohnphd.com/book You can also get the guide free when you join the CMJ Masterpass, which is meant to help people with significant health and wellness expenditures consistently save money by returning marketing cost of the companies involved back to the members as rebates. A membership also saves you 30% on pre-orders of the paperback and 50% on pre-orders of the digital versions of my book. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates DISCLAIMER I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!

Question: Is hydrogen sulfide produced in the gut a bad thing, and what to do about it?I agree that most people that have this problem have some kind of deranged sulfur metabolism, but I don't see why that makes it a physiological adaptation rather than a pathological condition. The correlation is probably a direct result of the predominance of sulfur-metabolizing bacteria in the gut, which is a bad thing that is actually causing the derangement of sulfur metabolism. Well, you could go the antibiotic route. And I think metronidozole, and let me see if I can dig this up quickly because I have done a lot of research on this issue for one of my clients. Okay. So from the research I was looking at, metronidozole is very effective against sulfur-metabolizing bacteria. But isn't that reliably delivered to the stool and maybe could be used as an enema. But I think generally, it is used. And then I think there's one other one that's sometimes used. I forgot what the other one is. I think it's... Okay. I can't find it. Anyway, you can go the antibiotic route under the guidance of a prescribing specialist. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. There are two ways to discuss this episode: Discuss it in The Masterpass FREE Forum, which is freely open to everyone, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  If you’re a Masterpass member, discuss it in the Masterpass Discussion Group, found in your dashboard. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What if low-carb makes me wake up to pee?  I would start by looking at your blood sugar. So I do think it's possible that if your blood sugar. Second of all, it's stimulated by salt. So salt at night might help. Third of all, in order to make it you need copper, vitamin C, and zinc. And then, fourth of all, you need, going past that, I also suggest trying to get deeper sleep. You might want to look at the quality of your sleep. So, I do think generally carbs help people get better sleep, but I do think that a ketogenic diet elevates GABA. And so I think there's a subset of people who would get better and deeper sleep on keto because of the increased brain GABA.This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. There are two ways to discuss this episode: Discuss it in The Masterpass FREE Forum, which is freely open to everyone, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  If you’re a Masterpass member, discuss it in the Masterpass Discussion Group, found in your dashboard. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Watch the YouTube video to see the slides: https://youtu.be/Az0f6VPaEAA Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates  Discuss this in the Masterpass Free Forum at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  Discuss this in the Coronavirus Forum when you purchase the guide, pre-order my upcoming book, or join the CMJ Masterpass. Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus  Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book  Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass  DISCUSS! Here are three ways to discuss this topic, including asking me questions and getting a response: The Masterpass FREE Forum. This forum is free and open to anyone to participate. Anything related to health and nutrition, including all aspects of the coronavirus, is welcome. I will do my best to participate several times a week, though I expect this to eventually be very large and may at some point have to participate on a weekly basis if it starts to take on a life of its own. Join for free at chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss The Coronavirus Forum. This is for anyone who purchases The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus, pre-orders my upcoming Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, or joins the CMJ Masterpass (if you join, use the coupon code COVID19 for 10% off the membership price). This forum is dedicated specifically to the coronavirus, has subsections based on topics (nutrition, medicine, lifestyle, mechanisms of disease), and has a section where the archive version of this newsletter is directly linked and each newsletter can be discussed as an individual thread. I consistently participate in this forum 3-5 times a week. Purchase the guide at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus The Masterpass Discussion Group. Preserved for those who join the CMJ Masterpass, it's the best place to ask me questions in a fairly intimate environment and get a rapid response. All topics I cover are fair game, and I consistently participate approximately five times per week. The Masterpass also has monthly live Zoom Q&As that are even more intimate. Join the Masterpass at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUPPORT These research updates are made possible by purchases of The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus You can get the guide for free if you pre-order my upcoming book, Vitamins and Minerals 101: How to Get the Nutrients You Need on Any Diet (to be released when the COVID-19 crisis subsides). You can pre-order it at chrismasterjohnphd.com/book You can also get the guide free when you join the CMJ Masterpass, which is meant to help people with significant health and wellness expenditures consistently save money by returning marketing cost of the companies involved back to the members as rebates. A membership also saves you 30% on pre-orders of the paperback and 50% on pre-orders of the digital versions of my book. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates DISCLAIMER I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!

Question: How does someone get arachidonic acid and choline without eggs and liver? So apart from liver and egg yolks, I think that it is very difficult to get enough arachidonic acid from food. Yes, GLA might help, but there's actually arachiodonic acid supplements. And for the vegans out there, I don't know if the production process is strictly vegan, but they are derived from a specific mushroom and you can get them on Amazon. So I think supplementing with arachidonic acid is probably the most direct way to do that. And then evening primrose or a barrage oil could help provide precursors to arachidonic acid.This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. There are two ways to discuss this episode: Discuss it in The Masterpass FREE Forum, which is freely open to everyone, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  If you’re a Masterpass member, discuss it in the Masterpass Discussion Group, found in your dashboard. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates  Discuss this in the Masterpass Free Forum at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  Discuss this in the Coronavirus Forum when you purchase the guide, pre-order my upcoming book, or join the CMJ Masterpass. Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus  Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book  Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass  DISCUSS! Here are three ways to discuss this topic, including asking me questions and getting a response: The Masterpass FREE Forum. This forum is free and open to anyone to participate. Anything related to health and nutrition, including all aspects of the coronavirus, is welcome. I will do my best to participate several times a week, though I expect this to eventually be very large and may at some point have to participate on a weekly basis if it starts to take on a life of its own. Join for free at chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss The Coronavirus Forum. This is for anyone who purchases The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus, pre-orders my upcoming Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, or joins the CMJ Masterpass (if you join, use the coupon code COVID19 for 10% off the membership price). This forum is dedicated specifically to the coronavirus, has subsections based on topics (nutrition, medicine, lifestyle, mechanisms of disease), and has a section where the archive version of this newsletter is directly linked and each newsletter can be discussed as an individual thread. I consistently participate in this forum 3-5 times a week. Purchase the guide at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus The Masterpass Discussion Group. Preserved for those who join the CMJ Masterpass, it's the best place to ask me questions in a fairly intimate environment and get a rapid response. All topics I cover are fair game, and I consistently participate approximately five times per week. The Masterpass also has monthly live Zoom Q&As that are even more intimate. Join the Masterpass at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUPPORT These research updates are made possible by purchases of The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus You can get the guide for free if you pre-order my upcoming book, Vitamins and Minerals 101: How to Get the Nutrients You Need on Any Diet (to be released when the COVID-19 crisis subsides). You can pre-order it at chrismasterjohnphd.com/book You can also get the guide free when you join the CMJ Masterpass, which is meant to help people with significant health and wellness expenditures consistently save money by returning marketing cost of the companies involved back to the members as rebates. A membership also saves you 30% on pre-orders of the paperback and 50% on pre-orders of the digital versions of my book. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates DISCLAIMER I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!

Question: Nutritional suggestions for SI joint pain and sulfur sensitivity? So certainly if it's autoimmunity, I'm thinking you might have problems with folate, where you might want to lower folate intake. You might benefit from having more A and D. You might benefit from removing hypothetically pro-inflammatory foods. Magnesium is important. Acid-base balance is important. Citrate is probably helpful. And then on the sulfur issue, molybdenum and manganese are both important for properly dealing with sulfur. And then you might also want to be looking at your gut microbiome as well. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here.   If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. There are two ways to discuss this episode: Discuss it in The Masterpass FREE Forum, which is freely open to everyone, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  If you’re a Masterpass member, discuss it in the Masterpass Discussion Group, found in your dashboard. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: If it’s easier to store fat than to convert carbs to fat, why is it easier to lose weight on low-carb? It's easier to store dietary fat as fat than it is to store dietary carbs. Why is it easier to lose weight on the keto diet than a higher carb diet assuming isocaloric? Well, I think there's an assumption that's not necessarily true there, but the ease with which you store something as fat is not really related to weight loss. So I think that's part of why that is true, or part of why there seems to be a conflict there. So the implication of the fact that it is easier to store dietary fat as fat than it is to store carbs as fat is that when you eat too many calories from carbs, you will have a lot more fat that is stored as fat because the carbs displaced their use for energy.This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life.  There are two ways to discuss this episode: Discuss it in The Masterpass FREE Forum, which is freely open to everyone, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  If you’re a Masterpass member, discuss it in the Masterpass Discussion Group, found in your dashboard. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Long-term shortness of breath after COVID-19: do I need iron?I don't think there's any evidence that iron fuels COVID-19. And it's pretty clear that the systemic inflammation is driving dysregulation of iron in a way that hurts oxygen delivery. So it's very clear that low oxygen delivery is a major feature of COVID. And I think probably the bulk of that is due to clotting, but also inflammation. And if you look at the CRP levels in COVID, like going up to the hundreds. Normally, you want it below one. Your CRP is two or three, we say you've got a problem with inflammation. In COVID, these problems are largely driven by CRP levels that are in serious excess of 150. And so that and the IL-6 are driving iron into ferritin at the expense of hemoglobin. If your iron is low that in itself will compromise hemoglobin and therefore compromise the delivery of the already scarce oxygen driven by the clotting. And so the last thing that you want is an iron deficiency that you're not fixing. So yeah, I would say no two ways about it. You absolutely want to fix your iron deficiency. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life.  There are two ways to discuss this episode: Discuss it in The Masterpass FREE Forum, which is freely open to everyone, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  If you’re a Masterpass member, discuss it in the Masterpass Discussion Group, found in your dashboard. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Are liposomal supplements really superior? I doubt it. So I think the evidence indicates that liposomes don't survive digestion unless they are pegylated, which means that they have polyethylene glycol that's attached to the liposome to protect them from digestion. There are a number of other such modifications that can be made, but I don't think that applies to most liposomal things on the market. So I'm generally very skeptical of the claims that liposomal will offer superior delivery, particularly if they're not being specifically designed to survive digestion, which most are not. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life.  There are two ways to discuss this episode: Discuss it in The Masterpass FREE Forum, which is freely open to everyone, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  If you’re a Masterpass member, discuss it in the Masterpass Discussion Group, found in your dashboard. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates  Discuss this in the Masterpass Free Forum at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  Discuss this in the Coronavirus Forum when you purchase the guide, pre-order my upcoming book, or join the CMJ Masterpass. Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus  Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book  Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass  DISCUSS! Here are three ways to discuss this topic, including asking me questions and getting a response: The Masterpass FREE Forum. This forum is free and open to anyone to participate. Anything related to health and nutrition, including all aspects of the coronavirus, is welcome. I will do my best to participate several times a week, though I expect this to eventually be very large and may at some point have to participate on a weekly basis if it starts to take on a life of its own. Join for free at chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss The Coronavirus Forum. This is for anyone who purchases The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus, pre-orders my upcoming Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, or joins the CMJ Masterpass (if you join, use the coupon code COVID19 for 10% off the membership price). This forum is dedicated specifically to the coronavirus, has subsections based on topics (nutrition, medicine, lifestyle, mechanisms of disease), and has a section where the archive version of this newsletter is directly linked and each newsletter can be discussed as an individual thread. I consistently participate in this forum 3-5 times a week. Purchase the guide at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus The Masterpass Discussion Group. Preserved for those who join the CMJ Masterpass, it's the best place to ask me questions in a fairly intimate environment and get a rapid response. All topics I cover are fair game, and I consistently participate approximately five times per week. The Masterpass also has monthly live Zoom Q&As that are even more intimate. Join the Masterpass at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUPPORT These research updates are made possible by purchases of The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus You can get the guide for free if you pre-order my upcoming book, Vitamins and Minerals 101: How to Get the Nutrients You Need on Any Diet (to be released when the COVID-19 crisis subsides). You can pre-order it at chrismasterjohnphd.com/book You can also get the guide free when you join the CMJ Masterpass, which is meant to help people with significant health and wellness expenditures consistently save money by returning marketing cost of the companies involved back to the members as rebates. A membership also saves you 30% on pre-orders of the paperback and 50% on pre-orders of the digital versions of my book. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates DISCLAIMER I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!

Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates  Discuss this in the Masterpass Free Forum at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  Discuss this in the Coronavirus Forum when you purchase the guide, pre-order my upcoming book, or join the CMJ Masterpass. Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus  Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book  Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass  DISCUSS! Here are three ways to discuss this topic, including asking me questions and getting a response: The Masterpass FREE Forum. This forum is free and open to anyone to participate. Anything related to health and nutrition, including all aspects of the coronavirus, is welcome. I will do my best to participate several times a week, though I expect this to eventually be very large and may at some point have to participate on a weekly basis if it starts to take on a life of its own. Join for free at chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss The Coronavirus Forum. This is for anyone who purchases The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus, pre-orders my upcoming Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, or joins the CMJ Masterpass (if you join, use the coupon code COVID19 for 10% off the membership price). This forum is dedicated specifically to the coronavirus, has subsections based on topics (nutrition, medicine, lifestyle, mechanisms of disease), and has a section where the archive version of this newsletter is directly linked and each newsletter can be discussed as an individual thread. I consistently participate in this forum 3-5 times a week. Purchase the guide at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus The Masterpass Discussion Group. Preserved for those who join the CMJ Masterpass, it's the best place to ask me questions in a fairly intimate environment and get a rapid response. All topics I cover are fair game, and I consistently participate approximately five times per week. The Masterpass also has monthly live Zoom Q&As that are even more intimate. Join the Masterpass at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUPPORT These research updates are made possible by purchases of The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus You can get the guide for free if you pre-order my upcoming book, Vitamins and Minerals 101: How to Get the Nutrients You Need on Any Diet (to be released when the COVID-19 crisis subsides). You can pre-order it at chrismasterjohnphd.com/book You can also get the guide free when you join the CMJ Masterpass, which is meant to help people with significant health and wellness expenditures consistently save money by returning marketing cost of the companies involved back to the members as rebates. A membership also saves you 30% on pre-orders of the paperback and 50% on pre-orders of the digital versions of my book. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates DISCLAIMER I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!

Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates  Discuss this in the Masterpass Free Forum at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  Discuss this in the Coronavirus Forum when you purchase the guide, pre-order my upcoming book, or join the CMJ Masterpass. Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus  Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book  Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass  DISCUSS! Here are three ways to discuss this topic, including asking me questions and getting a response: The Masterpass FREE Forum. This forum is free and open to anyone to participate. Anything related to health and nutrition, including all aspects of the coronavirus, is welcome. I will do my best to participate several times a week, though I expect this to eventually be very large and may at some point have to participate on a weekly basis if it starts to take on a life of its own. Join for free at chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss The Coronavirus Forum. This is for anyone who purchases The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus, pre-orders my upcoming Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, or joins the CMJ Masterpass (if you join, use the coupon code COVID19 for 10% off the membership price). This forum is dedicated specifically to the coronavirus, has subsections based on topics (nutrition, medicine, lifestyle, mechanisms of disease), and has a section where the archive version of this newsletter is directly linked and each newsletter can be discussed as an individual thread. I consistently participate in this forum 3-5 times a week. Purchase the guide at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus The Masterpass Discussion Group. Preserved for those who join the CMJ Masterpass, it's the best place to ask me questions in a fairly intimate environment and get a rapid response. All topics I cover are fair game, and I consistently participate approximately five times per week. The Masterpass also has monthly live Zoom Q&As that are even more intimate. Join the Masterpass at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUPPORT These research updates are made possible by purchases of The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus You can get the guide for free if you pre-order my upcoming book, Vitamins and Minerals 101: How to Get the Nutrients You Need on Any Diet (to be released when the COVID-19 crisis subsides). You can pre-order it at chrismasterjohnphd.com/book You can also get the guide free when you join the CMJ Masterpass, which is meant to help people with significant health and wellness expenditures consistently save money by returning marketing cost of the companies involved back to the members as rebates. A membership also saves you 30% on pre-orders of the paperback and 50% on pre-orders of the digital versions of my book. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates DISCLAIMER I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!

Question: Why would I develop shortness of breath on a carnivore diet? That can happen in scurvy. So given that vitamin C is one of the higher-risk nutrients on a carnivore diet, that would be the first thing that I would look at. I'm glad it was short-lived. I think it's possible that there are vitamin C-sparing effects of a carnivore diet, but they take a little while to kick in. So as you transition, you had a temporary scurvy and then you had adaptations that mitigated that. Certainly it could be many other things, but without doubt, I would look at vitamin C first and given that it was short-lived, I think that's great. But I think that you should still do some nutritional testing to make sure that you're not in a marginal position on some of those possible things.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. There are two ways to discuss this episode: Discuss it in The Masterpass FREE Forum, which is freely open to everyone, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  If you’re a Masterpass member, discuss it in the Masterpass Discussion Group, found in your dashboard. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is it possible to meet all your nutritional needs on a carnivore diet? So the short answer to this question is yes, but the longer answer to this question, as I just went through, is it's quite complicated.  I've said it with respect to carnivore diets. I think it's good to look at nutrition, kind of like an economic portfolio. If you are very, very expert, you can know what you're doing in limiting the asset classes you include in your portfolio. So, really know what you're doing. You can do carnivore or vegan, you can do it right or you can know whether you're not the right person to do either of those things. But, if you're not super expert and you're not willing to say, "Okay, this type of portfolio isn't going to work for me and my risk level," the best thing to do is to diversify. And you don't just diversify by eating different types of animal food. You diversify your asset classes. So just like no smart person who's not a massive expert should put all their retirement account into real estate. It's just much more robust to error to diversify your nutritional portfolio by eating a diverse number of animal foods, diversifying across the animal parts, nose to tail, diversifying across the species and doing the same thing with plant foods and thereby diversifying across plant and animal. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. There are two ways to discuss this episode: Discuss it in The Masterpass FREE Forum, which is freely open to everyone, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss If you’re a Masterpass member, discuss it in the Masterpass Discussion Group, found in your dashboard. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why are medium-chain fatty acids ketogenic even in the presence of carbs?It's all about the ratio. We know for a fact that MCT oil is ketogenic even in the presence of pasta, period, end of story. So, the question here is, biochemically, why is it happening? Well, they go into the mitochondria, even in the presence of insulin and a buildup of acetyl CoA over the incoming oxaloacetate. A high acetyl CoA-to-oxaloacetate ratio generates ketones. So the question is that basically this question is why isn't there enough oxaloacetate? So generally insulin is going to favor the burning of carbs. And so generally when you have a large input of carbs, you have production of oxaloacetate, but the metabolic conditions are favoring you burning it for energy, not you producing oxaloacetate. And I think it's just a matter of the ratio and the speed at which things come in. And so if the MCTs are coming into the mitochondrion fast enough, and they're exceeding the rate at which oxaloacetate is produced, which is a likely scenario given that A, production of oxaloacetate from pyruvate is quantitatively minor anyway, and then B, in the presence of carbs stimulating insulin, you're going to get the pyruvate even more preferentially burned for energy.This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. There are two ways to discuss this episode: Discuss it in The Masterpass FREE Forum, which is freely open to everyone, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  If you’re a Masterpass member, discuss it in the Masterpass Discussion Group, found in your dashboard. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What measurement of magnesium status is best to use for arrhythmias?I assume by "measure" you mean a measurement of nutritional status, in which case I think you want to look at the serum level. think that if you're trying to fix a problem with the serum level, you probably at some point want to look at the red blood cell level and the urine level. One of the ways that magnesium could impact the arrhythmias would be through influencing other minerals, and so I would not recommend just looking at magnesium on its own. You definitely have to look at the calcium levels, the sodium levels, the potassium levels, and those would be the big four. . This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. There are two ways to discuss this episode: Discuss it in The Masterpass FREE Forum, which is freely open to everyone, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  If you’re a Masterpass member, discuss it in the Masterpass Discussion Group, found in your dashboard. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.  

Question: Is subclinical thiamine deficiency a contributor to many diseases?So in terms of like in terms of subclinical deficiency, is it common, does it exist? It is hard to answer because, as usual, most of the data that's clear is on severe deficiencies, but there are some studies. I wouldn't say that there's a huge body of literature. There are some studies suggesting that even if you take a group of people who have some blood sugar issues and they are not thiamine deficient by classical standards, you can give them a hundred milligrams of thiamine hydrochloride a day and their blood sugar improves. So I think that's pretty good evidence that there is widespread subclinical thiamine deficiency. A lot of nutrition scientists and policymakers would object to using the word deficiency in that context. But the way that I see it is if you do a study and you show that blood sugar improves with a hundred milligrams of thiamine, unless you have a hypothesis about why a hundred milligrams of thiamine hydrochloride would be acting pharmacologically rather than nutritionally. And by that, I mean having some different effect at a higher than normal level, a supraphysiological level, that activates some biochemical pathway that is never activated at normal nutritional levels that could be obtained from food.This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here. If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, a private discussion group, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/ and use the code QANDA to get 10% off the membership for life. There are two ways to discuss this episode: Discuss it in The Masterpass FREE Forum, which is freely open to everyone, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  If you’re a Masterpass member, discuss it in the Masterpass Discussion Group, found in your dashboard. DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates  Discuss this in the Masterpass Free Forum at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  Discuss this in the Coronavirus Forum when you purchase the guide, pre-order my upcoming book, or join the CMJ Masterpass. Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus  Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book  Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass  DISCUSS! Here are three ways to discuss this topic, including asking me questions and getting a response: The Masterpass FREE Forum. This forum is free and open to anyone to participate. Anything related to health and nutrition, including all aspects of the coronavirus, is welcome. I will do my best to participate several times a week, though I expect this to eventually be very large and may at some point have to participate on a weekly basis if it starts to take on a life of its own. Join for free at chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss The Coronavirus Forum. This is for anyone who purchases The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus, pre-orders my upcoming Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, or joins the CMJ Masterpass (if you join, use the coupon code COVID19 for 10% off the membership price). This forum is dedicated specifically to the coronavirus, has subsections based on topics (nutrition, medicine, lifestyle, mechanisms of disease), and has a section where the archive version of this newsletter is directly linked and each newsletter can be discussed as an individual thread. I consistently participate in this forum 3-5 times a week. Purchase the guide at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus The Masterpass Discussion Group. Preserved for those who join the CMJ Masterpass, it's the best place to ask me questions in a fairly intimate environment and get a rapid response. All topics I cover are fair game, and I consistently participate approximately five times per week. The Masterpass also has monthly live Zoom Q&As that are even more intimate. Join the Masterpass at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUPPORT These research updates are made possible by purchases of The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus You can get the guide for free if you pre-order my upcoming book, Vitamins and Minerals 101: How to Get the Nutrients You Need on Any Diet (to be released when the COVID-19 crisis subsides). You can pre-order it at chrismasterjohnphd.com/book You can also get the guide free when you join the CMJ Masterpass, which is meant to help people with significant health and wellness expenditures consistently save money by returning marketing cost of the companies involved back to the members as rebates. A membership also saves you 30% on pre-orders of the paperback and 50% on pre-orders of the digital versions of my book. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates DISCLAIMER I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!

Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates  Discuss this in the Masterpass Free Forum at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  Discuss this in the Coronavirus Forum when you purchase the guide, pre-order my upcoming book, or join the CMJ Masterpass. Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus  Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book  Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass  DISCUSS! Here are three ways to discuss this topic, including asking me questions and getting a response: The Masterpass FREE Forum. This forum is free and open to anyone to participate. Anything related to health and nutrition, including all aspects of the coronavirus, is welcome. I will do my best to participate several times a week, though I expect this to eventually be very large and may at some point have to participate on a weekly basis if it starts to take on a life of its own. Join for free at chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss The Coronavirus Forum. This is for anyone who purchases The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus, pre-orders my upcoming Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, or joins the CMJ Masterpass (if you join, use the coupon code COVID19 for 10% off the membership price). This forum is dedicated specifically to the coronavirus, has subsections based on topics (nutrition, medicine, lifestyle, mechanisms of disease), and has a section where the archive version of this newsletter is directly linked and each newsletter can be discussed as an individual thread. I consistently participate in this forum 3-5 times a week. Purchase the guide at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus The Masterpass Discussion Group. Preserved for those who join the CMJ Masterpass, it's the best place to ask me questions in a fairly intimate environment and get a rapid response. All topics I cover are fair game, and I consistently participate approximately five times per week. The Masterpass also has monthly live Zoom Q&As that are even more intimate. Join the Masterpass at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUPPORT These research updates are made possible by purchases of The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus You can get the guide for free if you pre-order my upcoming book, Vitamins and Minerals 101: How to Get the Nutrients You Need on Any Diet (to be released when the COVID-19 crisis subsides). You can pre-order it at chrismasterjohnphd.com/book You can also get the guide free when you join the CMJ Masterpass, which is meant to help people with significant health and wellness expenditures consistently save money by returning marketing cost of the companies involved back to the members as rebates. A membership also saves you 30% on pre-orders of the paperback and 50% on pre-orders of the digital versions of my book. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates DISCLAIMER I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!

Discuss this in the Masterpass Free Forum at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss  Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates  Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus  Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book  Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass  DISCUSS! Here are three ways to discuss this topic, including asking me questions and getting a response: The Masterpass FREE Forum. This forum is free and open to anyone to participate. Anything related to health and nutrition, including all aspects of the coronavirus, is welcome. I will do my best to participate several times a week, though I expect this to eventually be very large and may at some point have to participate on a weekly basis if it starts to take on a life of its own. Join for free at chrismasterjohnphd.com/discuss The Coronavirus Forum. This is for anyone who purchases The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus, pre-orders my upcoming Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, or joins the CMJ Masterpass (if you join, use the coupon code COVID19 for 10% off the membership price). This forum is dedicated specifically to the coronavirus, has subsections based on topics (nutrition, medicine, lifestyle, mechanisms of disease), and has a section where the archive version of this newsletter is directly linked and each newsletter can be discussed as an individual thread. I consistently participate in this forum 3-5 times a week. Purchase the guide at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus The Masterpass Discussion Group. Preserved for those who join the CMJ Masterpass, it's the best place to ask me questions in a fairly intimate environment and get a rapid response. All topics I cover are fair game, and I consistently participate approximately five times per week. The Masterpass also has monthly live Zoom Q&As that are even more intimate. Join the Masterpass at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUPPORT These research updates are made possible by purchases of The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus You can get the guide for free if you pre-order my upcoming book, Vitamins and Minerals 101: How to Get the Nutrients You Need on Any Diet (to be released when the COVID-19 crisis subsides). You can pre-order it at chrismasterjohnphd.com/book You can also get the guide free when you join the CMJ Masterpass, which is meant to help people with significant health and wellness expenditures consistently save money by returning marketing cost of the companies involved back to the members as rebates. A membership also saves you 30% on pre-orders of the paperback and 50% on pre-orders of the digital versions of my book. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates DISCLAIMER I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19.

Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass These research updates are made possible by purchases of The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus You can get the guide for free if you pre-order my upcoming book, Vitamins and Minerals 101: How to Get the Nutrients You Need on Any Diet (to be released when the COVID-19 crisis subsides). You can pre-order it at chrismasterjohnphd.com/book You can also get the guide free when you join the CMJ Masterpass, which is meant to help people with significant health and wellness expenditures consistently save money by returning marketing cost of the companies involved back to the members as rebates. A membership also saves you 30% on pre-orders of the paperback and 50% on pre-orders of the digital versions of my book. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass   These research updates are made possible by purchases of The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus You can get the guide for free if you pre-order my upcoming book, Vitamins and Minerals 101: How to Get the Nutrients You Need on Any Diet (to be released when the COVID-19 crisis subsides). You can pre-order it at chrismasterjohnphd.com/book You can also get the guide free when you join the CMJ Masterpass, which is meant to help people with significant health and wellness expenditures consistently save money by returning marketing cost of the companies involved back to the members as rebates. A membership also saves you 30% on pre-orders of the paperback and 50% on pre-orders of the digital versions of my book. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19.

Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus Get the guide for free when pre-ordering my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book Get the guide for free and get 30-50% off the pre-orders of my book when you sign up for the CMJ Masterpass: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Question: Should a female focus on lowering DHT to avoid pattern baldness? Carrie: DHT is only one of the alpha metabolites. If you just do it in serum, that's usually what everyone test, but there are some other big ones, androsterone, and 5 alpha-androstanediol is another big one that you can test in your intestine. DHT maybe low in women, but I'll see the androsterone be really elevated which is more common in women I see. In which case, yes, you can decrease testosterone, but you need to get yourself sort of off the 5 alpha pathway. That's when you're looking at one, lifestyle, so decreasing stress, looking at your insulin, but then supplemental. This is where you're looking at the things like saw palmetto, stinging nettle root, Pygeum africanum, EGCG from green tea, reishi mushrooms, zinc. Those things help reduce the 5 alpha effect to reduce the male pattern baldness effect. That's usually what I see. You can't reduce the testosterone, but really it's the pathway. It's going down. You're probably just missing the metabolite that's causing the problem. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Question: Is there an optimum number of meals or insulin spikes per day for optimizing thyroid function? Assuming that you're controlling for the level of insulin sensitivity on the thyroid gland -- I guess if I had to throw out a wild guess, the free fatty acid concentration is probably mostly relevant when the free fatty acid levels are really high. It's probably not the case that you want to just like -- it's probably -- I don't know. If you go a long time without eating food or you eat like very high fat, very low carb acutely, in that context it's probably when the free fatty acid levels are getting the highest. If you're spreading your meals out more, you're probably never going to have as big of a peak. Or you're spreading your carbohydrate out more, you might have slightly elevated free fatty acids that never actually cross the threshold for that to matter. But I still think the dominant things for insulin on the thyroid is mostly just going to be an average cumulative thing. I don't think that the number of spikes is going to drive that. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Question: What can be done to reverse hypothyroidism other than taking thyroid medicine? Chris: I'll throw in a couple things. If you just look at the nutrients needed to make thyroid hormone, you're looking at enough protein in addition to enough iodine. But then also the production of thyroid hormone is a very, very dirty process that requires an enormous amount of antioxidant support. Selenium is very important. But also, if you're looking at antioxidant protection, you're looking at not just things that we think of as dietary antioxidants. But you're looking at protein, zinc, iron, copper, manganese in addition to selenium. You're looking at vitamin C, vitamin E and a whole bunch, sort of a Pandora's box that you're opening up. I think that probably the things that stand out the most are protein, iodine and selenium, but really you have a pretty big network of supportive nutrients in the background. Of course, everything I just said assumes that you're missing something that you need to make thyroid hormone, which is not necessarily the case, but I covered part of it. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why would a woman have no cycle? Why would a woman have an anovulatory cycle? Carrie: Remember, cortisol is very, very, very potent in the brain. If the body perceives itself is under stress, whether it's physical, mental, emotional, environmental, it doesn't matter, then reproduction is not its primary focus anymore. I had been thinking this for a long time. I didn't know how to eloquently say it and then she said it on stage one day. She said, "Ladies, whether you want to or not, I'm sorry, but you were put here to reproduce. Biology is what you do." Now obviously not all women do and a lot of women, in fact, are trying to avoid it, but that's what the body is set up for. When you were under a lot of stress and under body fat, under body weight falls in that category, then your brain says, "This is a stressor. This is not a good time to get pregnant. I'm going to take away her ovulation and/or I'm going to make her cycle late and/or I'm going to take her cycle away completely all together." This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Question: What to do about premenstrual water retention? Chris: I looked at a really good paper that showed that in women who had water retention symptoms with PMS, the main difference in their hormones was that they weren't clearing progesterone as fast from their ovulation-related peak. I was discussing this with a different friend who had found that she would consistently get water retention in response to using progesterone creams. Carrie: A big reason, that we are protected up to the point and then we go through menopause and we'd lose all that estrogen. A man's production of estrogen and a postmenopausal woman's production of estrogen. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Question: Dietary nutritional advice for breast cancer prevention and thoughts on HRT? Carrie: Well, that's probably better for you when it comes to like nutrient ratios and stuff. But I will say working for an estrogen lab, we're looking at phase one and phase two detoxification and what we're trying to assess with estrogen. Men and women, we make estrogen, and then we detox our estrogen. We go through phase one detoxification. Well, it becomes a reactive oxygen species essentially. Then we quickly neutralize it. Our body has these systems in place to protect us. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Question: What are causes for night sweats in men? Carrie: Oh. Well, it can be hormonal just like it can be for women. I test all the same hormones in men. I check their thyroid with night sweats. I definitely even check the same thing. I check cortisol and I do norepinephrine markers with night sweats. This is also assuming that I don't suspect cancer because night sweats can be a key note, especially in men, night sweats can be a key note for cancers, and so I want to make sure I'm not suspicious of that. But it's to say for women, blood sugar issues, hormone issues, cortisol issues and making sure you're not sleeping in an extra hot room because men can get their night sweats from being overheated just like women can, sort of those basic things too. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Question: With an ovary removed, when should I think about increasing progesterone or estrogen? Carrie: You may actually need more progesterone. Like I was saying in the very beginning of this, that progesterone actually turns into that neurosteroid allopregnanolone, which can cross the blood-brain barrier and bind itself to GABA and affect sleep. It's very calming, obviously relaxing. It's GABA. Carrie: Obviously, there are other things that affect sleep too. If your norepinephrine is going up at night, if you got blood sugar issues, if your cortisol is going up at night -- and norepinephrine is a big trigger for hot flashes for women, especially night sweats. It's one of its symptoms. Women think it's hot flashes and night sweats from hormones and really it's from norepinephrine. Getting stress under control, winding down at night, those things, if you're on any kind of adrenal support, nourishing adrenal as opposed to stimulating adrenal can be really helpful also. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Question: Why do I wake up early every morning when I’m depressed? Carrie: Now, with depression, it's heavily studied if you have an elevated or excessive cortisol awakening response, meaning you go higher, your spike is higher and more dramatic than the average bear, then your risk for morning depression is much higher. The reason for that as we've already touched upon with estrogen and the serotonin versus kynurenine pathway because high excessive glucocorticoids or cortisol can also upregulate the pathway away from serotonin and down towards kynurenine. If you wake up with excessive amounts of cortisol, for whatever reason, you're stressed out, you're anticipating your day, you wake up in pain, you wake up with inflammation, something startled you awake, your kid is throwing up, it can increase your risk for morning depression because it pushes all that excessive cortisol, pushes your tryptophan away from serotonin and down towards kynurenine. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Sign up for the free newsletter: chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates Support the service by purchasing a copy of The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus: chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. I am also not an infectious disease epidemiologist and I am not speaking on behalf of infectious disease epidemiologists. I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in conducting and interpreting research related to my field. Please consult your physician before doing anything for prevention or treatment of COVID-19, and please seek the help of a physician immediately if you believe you may have COVID-19. SUBSCRIBE This series is based on my free daily newsletter, COVID-19 Research Updates. As a result of the time it takes to produce an video or podcast from a newsletter I wrote up, there's a slight delay between when I publish the newsletter and when you watch or listen to this. When you subscribe to the newsletter, you get the latest of my research every single day as soon as it's ready to come out. You get references and links to the sources for all the information, and you immediately get an archive of all the past issues. You can sign up at chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid19-updates SUPPORT It would mean the world to me if you support this service by purchasing a copy of my ebook, The Food and Supplement Guide to the Coronavirus. The guide contains my most up-to-date conclusions about what we should be doing for nutritional and herbal support on top of hygiene and social distancing for added protection. Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials testing nutritional or herbal prevention, these are my best guesses for what is likely to work without significant risk of harm, based on the existing science. Many people have asked why I am charging for this instead of giving it away for free, given that this is a time of crisis and people are in need. Unfortunately, I have not been immune to the effects this virus has had on the economy. My revenue from my other offerings started falling in February, and by mid-March I had days where my revenue was zero. I have three people who work for me full-time, and I am doing everything I can to avoid laying any of them off. By mid-March I had depleted 75% of my emergency fund in order to avoid any layoffs, and without charging for the guide I would not have been able to hold out much longer. Charging for the guide has allowed me to keep everyone working, replete some of my savings, and devote myself to researching COVID-19 full-time. As a result I now publish this daily COVID-19 series and the free newsletter, am involved in the design of several clinical trials that are in the process of being submitted for registration now, and am able to continually update the guide for free whenever my research warrants it. By purchasing the guide, you are enabling me to continue devoting my skills to the most important issue we now face. I am genuinely grateful for your contribution. You can purchase a copy at chrismasterjohnphd.com/coronavirus PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com.

Question: How does the body make hormones and what nutrients and foods do they need to do this? Carrie: Now, as far as nutrients go, like I said, cholesterol is the backbone to all of your hormones. Much like the gentleman who said earlier his cholesterol was quite low, it can impact the way and the amount of hormones that you make. The lower your cholesterol is, the tougher time you can have to make hormones. But the more cholesterol you make doesn't necessarily mean you're going to have mass amounts of hormones. It's a very tightly controlled system. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Should someone with low testosterone go back on testosterone replacement therapy or wait it out? Carrie: Men have luteinizing hormone just like women do. It comes from the brain. It's what stimulates the testes to make testosterone. If you have low LH, then I know it's a brain problem, not necessarily a testicular problem. If your LH is normal, it's not in the brain. Chris: If the question is how long should he wait, waiting is probably not going to give you any more answers than it was giving you for the last five years. Waiting probably isn't going to raise your testosterone. If you have one measurement that it's 100 in the morning and 45 in the night, you don't really know if it's increasing, like maybe six months ago it was 50. If you wanted to wait, what I would do is do some follow-up testing to see if it's actually changing over time. But if it's been flattened out for five years, I don't think it's going anywhere. But if it's been going up ten nanograms per deciliter every three months for the last five years, then you probably could wait it out. But without knowing that, there's no data indicating that waiting is a good strategy here, it sounds like. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What to do about low libido after a LEEP procedure? Carrie: With the LEEP procedure, so like I was saying, basically it's kind of like a hot knife through butter. They cut away a portion of the cervix. And it depends. Sometimes it's a little portion and sometimes they do what they call like a full big slider right across the face of the cervix. If you remember, for those of you who maybe never seen a cervix, it's shaped like a doughnut. Literally, your cervix is this tiny little pink doughnut and has a hole in the middle and the hole leads up into your uterus. For a lot of women, there's a lot of nerve sensation there so it does greatly affect orgasms. Other women don't have it. There's probably women listening who were like, "Mine is not sensitive at all. Is that normal?" Yup, totally normal. Every woman is different. For her though in particular, she did have a lot of nerve sensation there on the cervix. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Would a seasonally low vitamin D intake and high calcium intake cause soft tissue calcification? Chris: Yeah, okay. The end of this question is would the calcium simply be excreted due to the low vitamin D levels. Your vitamin D level being low, the first thing that's going to do and the major thing that's going to do is it's going to lower your calcium absorption. You would have more calcium excreted in the feces as a result of not absorbing it if your vitamin D level is low. However, a high enough calcium intake is going to more than compensate for that. It depends how low it is. If you live in northern Michigan and you're not supplementing with vitamin D in the winter, but you're outdoors a lot, your vitamin D is probably not going like rickets level low. It's probably dipping a bit. A calcium intake of 2,000 milligrams is so high that you're probably absorbing at least enough calcium. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Question on Iodine, Fatigue, and Detox Reaction. Carrie: Remember, iodine belongs to the halogen family and other halogens can bind onto your PT or tyrosine. I have had this before where patients would take iodine and the iodine will push off the fluoride and the chloride and the bromide off of the tyrosine, and so it binds on and now you have essentially a detox reaction. People will say, "I get headaches. I've broken out in rashes. I'm really tired." Because the other halogens have come off the tyrosine and are now floating around your system. I believe in iodine. I'm not sold yet on iodine testing. I feel like there are so many rules of thoughts. But if I use iodine, I warn people of that, of the detox reaction. Chris: What are all the normal things you do for a Herxheimer reaction? Carrie: Wait a minute. Obviously lots of water, exercise, binders, so like fiber and charcoal or zeolite or whatever you're doing to bind this stuff up, clay, those supplements with that sort of stuff in it. Saunas are really good, sweating, dry skin brushing to try to help move it through your body while staying on the iodine. You want the iodine to bind to the tyrosine and not the halogen to rebind because you stopped taking it, which is going to rebind to your tyrosine. I've seen it take up to a couple weeks, depending how halogen toxic that you are. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How to lower Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG)? Carrie: SHBG is like bane of my existence. I have no idea how to get SBHG down once it's up. Boy, I actually talk to practitioners about this all the time to figure that out. I would agree that supplements that for SHBG, it's very hit or miss, Tongkat being one of them, DHEA being the other. There are two other ones, stinging nettles and Avena oats. There's like very mild, very weak research about lowering SHBG with nettles and then with Avena. Again, it's like hit or miss. How to get that SHBG down? Well, also remember, SHBG binds estrogen as well. Although he said his estrogen is low. Actually low, but relative. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why does estrogen regulate tryptophan metabolism? Chris: I think that it's basically the body trying to make sure that the baby has enough niacin because chronic estrogen exposure would occur during pregnancy. When I was doing my niacin research, one thing that I found is that women seem to need more total niacin than men, but they seem to be better at making niacin from protein. What's really interesting is that the studies that were done that were used to make the RDA, there weren't comparisons in men and women, but two of the studies were men and two studies were in women. The standard deviations, meaning how much variation there was person to person, in how much niacin that they needed to normalize what they were looking at was way bigger in men than it was in women. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Insomnia is different between people who are and aren't on HRT? Carrie: Yes, sort of. If it's strictly a hormone issue, if she says, "I've never had insomnia. I turned 45 and I got insomnia. And, oh, by the way, I'm also having irregular periods and hot flashes and night sweats and all this stuff," I find that going on HRT generally resolves their insomnia. If they've had insomnia their whole life and, by the way, they're having hormonal issues as well or they're perimenopausal, going on HRT may or may not help their insomnia because their insomnia may be induced by, of course, other things; cortisol, blood sugar, parasites, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism. Then I find that it's much more systemic as opposed to just the women who say to me, "I turned 40 and can't sleep," or "I turned 56 and I can't sleep." I'm like, "Oh, perimenopause." This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&ahttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: The use of pregnenolone to manage perimenopausal symptoms, particularly insomnia. Carrie: Well, so here's the thing about pregnenolone. Oral or sublingual, so if you've got drops or little tables you suck on. Pregnenolone and progesterone, when they go through first pass, so you swallow them and then you go through first pass, they turn into other metabolites. One is called allo, which is short for allopregnanolone. Allo binds to your GABA receptors in your brain. Allo can cross the blood-brain barrier, binds to GABA. GABA, of course, is your calming, relaxing, everything is going to be okay hormone. Pregnenolone, oral pregnenolone and oral progesterone actually work on the anxiety and on the insomnia from a GABA point of view. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Guidance on what time of day it is best to take T4 and/or T3? Carrie: It actually depends if you're taking immediate release T4 or T3 especially or sustained release because T4 has a much longer half-life which is why we traditionally say to take it in the morning since it helps with energy and metabolism and all those things. Although I do know some people choose to take their T4 at night before bed. But T3 has a very short half-life, and so what I'm finding is some practitioners are now doing what's called a sustained release T3. They take their T3 and it helps sustain longer throughout the day, or they will take their T3 twice. They'll take it in the morning and then they'll sort of take it again in the mid-afternoon. Now, if you're taking a combination T4/T3 such as Armour or Nature-Throid, you can't get the sustained part. I do know some people who will take their Armour or their Nature-Throid in the morning, and then they will take in additional dose of T3 in the early afternoon like an extra, whatever it is, 2.5 or 5 micrograms of T3. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/10/19/ask-us-anything-hormones-dr-carrie-jones-may-10-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a ====== DISCLAIMER: I have a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and my expertise is in performing and evaluating nutritional research. I am not a medical doctor and nothing herein is medical advice. PLEASE NOTE: As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the time I am committing to staying on top of relevant research, as well as the high volume of questions I receive, it may take me extra time to respond to questions here. For an up-to-date list of where I respond to questions most quickly, please see the contact page on chrismasterjohnphd.com. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: A rant on why many people use “MTHFR” to slap a label on their health problems. I put MTHFR in quotes because I meant it the way that people mean when they say, "I have MTHFR." Everyone has MTHFR. What people mean by that is they have these MTHFR polymorphisms. What I meant by that title is that there's a very compelling—It's not totally airtight. It's not completely proven. There's a very compelling argument that the low activity of the C677T polymorphism in MTHFR is exclusively a result of mediocre riboflavin concentrations. That's what I meant by just your MTHFR in quotes means the polymorphism, the result of the polymorphism. Just riboflavin means that the enzyme activity is only lower as a result of that polymorphism because of the mediocre riboflavin concentrations. To them, MTHFR doesn't mean the rate of the MTHFR enzyme. It's a general label for all their health problems that they put Band-Aid solutions on like these tedious distinctions between these different forms of B vitamins and stuff like that that in a healthy well-balanced system don't matter. If people are hypersensitive to little distinctions in the type of B vitamins they’re taking like this, their problem is not just MTHFR. Their problem might be related to methylation. They probably have mineral deficiencies, or other genetic polymorphisms, or other health problems, thyroid-adrenal stuff that are causing that. The reason that MTHFR isn't simply about riboflavin for those people versus the well-controlled studies of showing that riboflavin supplementation specifically lowers homocysteine 40%, specifically in people with MTHFR C677T homozygous, specifically with poor riboflavin status. When you're out there saying that overmethylators can't tolerate methylcobalamin or they get terrible reactions to this, you're slapping overmethylator label on someone whose problem is that they just don't have a rational strategy for dealing with their MTHFR. Because no one is an overmethylator or an undermethylator, unless it's a collection of symptoms of a poorly managed methylation system. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Are there safety concerns in supplementing cyanocobalamin rather methylcobalamin in those with MTHFR polymorphisms? If you're concerned about methylation-related issues, you would want to be careful with methylcobalamin supplementation in a way that you would not need to be careful about hydroxocobalamin supplementation. If you don't have a specific methylation-related goal, then I think hydroxocobalamin is the default because that's the sort of like metabolically neutral B12 in that it's not predisposed to any particular system, and it's not going to affect any system in a specific way apart from just being nutritional B12. Then the second thing is “if you had MTHFR, is it dangerous to supplement with cyanocobalamin?” It doesn't matter. I don't think MTHFR has anything to do with methylcobalamin really. If you don't have malabsorption of everything else, you should look at the specific causes of B12 malabsorption, which are pernicious anemia and gastritis, including subclinical gastritis driven by H. pylori in the stomach. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What about pyroluria and measuring kryptopyrroles? I think it's fairly harmless to increase zinc and B6 as a test of whether that's true and see if you get results from it. But I wouldn't treat it like a diagnostic value because no one has followed up any science on that disorder in the decades since it's been proposed. Kryptopyrroles are very similar to porphyrins, that LabCorp has a whole series of tests on. I would go to LabCorp's site, go to Test Menu and then search it for porphyrin, and you'll see a bunch of things that come up. Some of the concerns are relatively similar in terms of zinc and B6 that come up with those. But in my view, the pyroluria thing is to the extent it has merits probably has some relation to the porphyrin disorders and maybe is one. I'm not sure. But I would definitely, like if you're going to investigate the issue, I would investigate it with those. I can say that from the porphyrin disorders, some of them will cause various things to happen in the skin ranging from the skin turning brown when exposed to sun, to pain in response to sun exposure, to the skin turning red in response to the sun. Not a usual red, but a weird red. Some of them will cause red to brown discoloration of the urine, but some of them don't cause any colors because there's a whole category of porphyrin disorders that are all in the same pathway and some of them are sun sensitive, some aren't; some accumulate in the skin, some don't; some of them try to change color; some of them cause pain, some don't; you can't really go exclusively on those symptoms. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How to manage blood levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. I don't specifically want to look at the omega-3-to-omega-6 ratio. The AA/EPA ratio, I do not believe in wanting to get it low enough to prevent inflammation. I don't believe in using it that way. But I do believe that if it were too low, it could cause problems. I don't know what the cutoff would be. But if you're on the low end of normal, then I would think about cutting back your intake of EPA. But my main concern would be if you're in the low or even middle end of the normal range for either arachidonic acid or DHA, I think you want to increase your intake of those. Particularly if your intake is already high, look for the cause of low levels. Especially if both of them are low, that could be caused by inflammation or oxidative stress. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Can PEMT genetics cause fat malabsorption, mineral deficiencies, and oxalate problems? First of all, saponification of minerals, the point here is that if you have malabsorption of fat, the fatty acids are going to bind to any positively charged minerals in your diet. This has been particularly well studied in preterm infants where the poor absorption of fatty acids causes the fatty acids to bind to the calcium that have lower bioavailability. Yeah. If you surpass your ability to absorb the fat, the fatty acids can bind minerals and induce mineral deficiencies. I agree with this. PEMT polymorphism is a marker of poor synthesis of phosphatidylcholine. That will impair export of fat from the liver. Low phosphatidylcholine synthesis due to PEMT. I was thinking of it as a direct marker. It's not a direct marker, but it could theoretically impact. This is probably especially true if you have a low phosphatidylcholine intake. Probably eating phosphatidylcholine protects against this. But yeah, low phosphatidylcholine levels in the liver partly as an interaction between low activity in the PEMT enzyme and low intake of phosphatidylcholine from food could cause bile acid issues, which could in turn cause fat malabsorption. If you have fat malabsorption and you have enough digestion of the fat to release the free fatty acids from triglycerides, but you don't have enough absorption of those fatty acids, the fatty acids will bind calcium. They won't bind oxalate, they can't. Binding the calcium will lower the calcium absorption, and it will also prevent the calcium from binding oxalate. Calcium binding oxalate is what prevents oxalate absorption, so yes, I would think that would increase oxalate absorption. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Could an elevated BUN indicate protein malabsorption and low stomach acid? I get the Heidelberg test. That's the only accurate way to assess stomach acid. If you want to do something else, it would be better to use the kitchen techniques, like take half a teaspoon of baking soda and see how long you take to burp, or take HCl with your meal and keep adding capsules and see how many capsules you can take without reflux. That's probably both more accurate than using BUN. I find it almost certainly the case that a slightly high BUN would never be a useful marker of low stomach acid and would never be a good marker of poor protein digestion. If you want to know if you have poor protein digestion, measure the protein in your stool. Get a GI stool test that looks at what you're not absorbing. That's how you test that. The reason that this sounds nuts to me is maybe you are allowing the protein to ferment in your gut and generate urea from the microbes that you're absorbing, like maybe. But where does most of the urea come from that's in your blood? It comes from the urea cycle, which is how you get rid of ammonia. How do you get ammonia in your body that goes into the urea cycle? You digest protein into amino acids, you absorb the amino acids, and then you break them down so that you can either burn them for energy or turn them into glucose or turn them into certain neurotransmitters or whatever, and then you lose ammonia that you put into the urea cycle. Why wouldn't the urea be a marker of having good digestion? I'm not even sure that we could say it could be an equally useful test of good digestion and bad digestion of protein. I don't know if it's as good a marker of bad digestion of protein as it is of good digestion of protein. But even if it were just as good a marker of bad digestion of protein as it is of good digestion of protein, something that's an equally good marker of two opposites is not a good marker of anything. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Are bilirubin and uric acid useful markers of antioxidant defense and oxidative stress? What are better markers? I think intracellularly where most of antioxidant support is highly relevant, then they're not that big a deal. In the plasma, they can be a big deal. It's quite possible that uric acid is one of the most important antioxidants in plasma. But I would say it's highly debatable whether we put uric acid into the blood specifically to achieve that versus that happens to be an accidental sort of just incidental to making uric acid during the excretion of purines, which make up the building blocks of DNA and ATP and things like that. I think the best marker of oxidative stress in plasma is the cysteine to cystine ratio. Cysteine is the reduced form of the amino acid cysteine. Cystine is the oxidized form. There are good studies at a general population level showing that that is the major specific indicator of oxidative stress that takes place in the plasma. The glutathione couple, glutathione reduced versus oxidized, is probably the best marker in the blood of what's happening with oxidative stress intracellularly. Unfortunately, the only test that looks at this is HDRI. I feel very, very torn about whether we should be working with HDRI because I know a lot about measuring glutathione. I've had some clients who got their glutathione test. What you need to do to accurately measure glutathione to preserve the sample, according to my client who did the test, is not at all part of the instructions or process that they use, so I am very skeptical of using them. No one else offers the reduced to oxidized version of glutathione. So, what I would recommend to assess oxidative stress would be Genova's Oxidative Stress 2.0 panel. It does give you the cysteine to cystine ratio. I'll put a note to put a link to that in the show notes. I think that's the best marker. They do have glutathione on there, and they do have a bunch of other things that can be useful in assessing oxidative stress. I would use that.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Does it matter what form of B12 you take? Cyanocobalamin is cheap and there's not really any clear evidence that it's harmful, but I just don't like the idea that it is cobalamin bound to cyanide. It's not found in the food supply. Forming cyanocobalamin and peeing it out is actually one of the main ways you detoxify cyanide. Hydroxocobalamin is also relatively inexpensive. It's relatively easy to get as injections. It is not an end product of detoxification. It is found in very high concentrations in the food supply. The normal forms of vitamin B12 that you find in the diet from food are hydroxocobalamin and methylcobalamin in milk, and hydroxocobalamin and adenosylcobalamin in meat. Hydroxocobalamin is the most universal food form of cobalamin, and it is always a substantial part of the food supply. I'm pretty sure it's cheaper than methylcobalamin, so I would use intramuscular injections of hydroxocobalamin. Most B vitamins start their absorption in the stomach and then mostly absorb in the small intestine. In the case of B12, when you're dealing with food, you're absorbing it in the small intestine almost exclusively with intrinsic factor that's produced in your stomach. Start with a milligram of oral hydroxocobalamin. Test that against your serum B12. If it's not moving your serum B12, see if 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 milligrams do. Because if they do, then taking that every day is going to be probably easier. Well, I mean, it depends on what you like. But you're probably going to like taking oral B12 more than you're going to like getting intramuscular injections. I would see if raising the dose works first. I'd use oral hydroxocobalamin. Then if you have to use intramuscular, I will use hydroxocobalamin. I guess you just have to judge it against from a medical perspective they're always worried about compliance, because unlike the people who are showing up to this AMA, the general population has very low motivation compared to us. Injection is preferable from that standpoint because there are fewer things to do. Plus, you have an accountability buddy because someone's got to inject you. You get an accountability buddy to do something once a month versus you have the personal responsibility to do something every day. From a compliance perspective, it's vastly superior, the getting injected. But if you're already taking 15 supplements every morning, then it's probably way easier for you to just add megadose of B12 in with those oral supplements than to get intramuscular injection. I'd prefer it. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is it useful to measure urine pH? The urine pH is telling you the acid burden that your body has been subjected to. It's telling you, you can make an inference about the compensations that your body has had to engage in. You can also make an inference about the limitations of your body in compensating for that because even your urine pH should be buffered. It's not the case that you put a little bit of acid in the urine and then boom your pH is going to go down. It's the case that your body has a whole bunch of systems to buffer even the urine pH as you excrete acids from your body. The system is, like in your blood, the tiniest, tiniest change in your pH is immediately going to set in motion a change in your breathing rate that is going to cause you to either increase or decrease the exhalation of carbon dioxide in order to adjust the pH of the blood. Then there's going to be a longer-term compensation where you're going to take some of those acids and pee them out. When you pee them out, your kidney is going to buffer those acids in the way of preserving the urine pH. If your urine pH goes down from 6.5 to 5.5, it tells you that your urine pH is like ten times more acidic, but it doesn't tell you that your blood is ten times more acidic. The critics of using urine pH will point that out. But what it does tell you is that your body has been subjected to a rather enormous acid burden, number one; and number two, that you're even starting to overwhelm your kidney's ability to buffer the urine and prevent the pH of the urine from changing. And so it does tell you about the stress put on the system. A high potassium intake would be the number one thing that would acutely affect it apart from taking the bicarbonate. By the way, always take bicarbonate on an empty stomach away from food. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why AGEs and deficient insulin signaling are the main problem in diabetes. The reason that methylglyoxal, which I did my doctoral dissertation on, the reason that methylglyoxal, which is quantitatively the most important form of advanced glycation end products in diabetics, the reason that it is elevated is not because of hyperglycemia. It's because of deficient insulin signaling. That is for two reasons. One is that you can derive methylglyoxal from glycolysis. You can derive methylglyoxal from ketogenesis. You can derive methylglyoxal from protein, specifically from the amino acid threonine. Insulin prevents you from making methylglyoxal in the glycolytic pathway no matter how high the glucose level is. Insulin, what it does in glycolysis is at the step where the intermediates spill out to generate methylglyoxal, insulin stimulates that enzyme that sucks the intermediates down. Diabetes, you have lower expression of that enzyme, and you have greater spillover out of glycolysis into forming methylglyoxal. In untreated diabetes, you can have blood glucose that goes up five times normal. That will be a factor that is influencing you to make not just five, maybe ten or far more times methylglyoxal on glycolysis. But the reason the glucose is elevated is because of deficient insulin signaling. No matter how much glucose you have or don't have, once the glucose gets into the glycolytic pathway, insulin is protecting against methylglyoxal by clearing the glucose down. The role of methylglyoxal starts at the first instance of hyperglycemia to cause the development from an acute first ever instance of hyperglycemia through the pathway of developing diabetes. Then in diabetes, methylglyoxal is overwhelmingly responsible for causing the cardiovascular complications, the complications in the eyes, and the neurological complications of diabetes, cataracts, all of these things. And so I think it's a huge mistake to think that the spiking glucose is the thing going on rather than the deficient insulin signaling. Now, if you want to use a rule of thumb that is not individually tailored to you, then the answer is use the 140 limit. But you follow that up with, is there evidence to support this? No, I think the evidence says that this is a mediocre approximation of how to identify whether there's a problem. But a good way to try to identify whether you're having a problem with glucose spikes is the GlycoMark test. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Nutritional recommendations for MTR and MTRR polymorphisms. In the methylation cycle, I've talked a lot about MTHFR, which helps finalize the methyl group of methyfolate. But then folate has to donate that methyl group to vitamin B12 in order for vitamin B12 to donate it to homocysteine. In that process, that's how you clear homocysteine primarily in the fasting state rather than the fed state. It's also how you recycle homocysteine to methionine to use for methylation, again, primarily in the fasting state rather than the fed state. If your MTHFR is working fine, then the creatine is much less relevant, and the glycine really isn't that relevant. Glycine is still important for everyone, but it's not specifically relevant because of the genetic variations. With that said, I do think that because some tissues rely more on folate and B12 than they do on choline that there might be some tissues that would benefit from supplementing creatine, so you could play around with it. I supplement creatine, and I don't have any problems. I mean, there's no harm in trying out the creatine. In my view, there's no blanket recommendation for someone with MTRR polymorphisms. What I say is because in theory you will be bad at repairing B12 when your B12 gets very damaged, you should thoroughly look at your B12 status at least once. Then every time you enter a new health era, you should monitor your B12 status again. What I mean by health era is your health changes or your developmental stage changes in a way that could impact your health. So, change in health eras, and I'm making this term up, this is not a medical term, but the change in health eras means you get sick with a sickness you never had before. That's a change in your health era. Or you go through puberty. That's a change in your health era. You go through menopause. That's a change in your health era. Or you go on birth control. That's a change in your health era. Look, my MTRR, as I said before, looks terrible on paper. I measured everything I could think of about my B12 status, and everything looked fine. I'm not talking about just serum B12. I'm talking about all the functional markers too. They looked just fine. That just reinforced my belief and the observational data that these things are so common. If these things dramatically impacted your B12 status in a very negative way most of the time, not many people would have the polymorphisms. And yet, they're very common. Those are huge reductions in activity. They're very, very common. So, I think it's ridiculous to make a generalized nutritional protocol around either of those. MTR, it gives you a couple ideas you can experiment with. MTRR, be proactive about monitoring your B12 status. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Nutrition for children with ADHD. In adults 100 to 800 milligrams per day has been used in a couple studies showing effects in the brain. One of the things that's going wrong in ADHD is that the brain is not getting dopamine's signal that something is valuable enough to keep paying attention to it. I think the drugs that are used to treat ADHD are increasing the tonic level of dopamine in the frontal cortex, and they're increasing the tonic level of dopamine in the basal ganglia. In the frontal cortex, the increased dopamine is basically making more stable mental states. If you focus on something, you will hold on to that better. In the basal ganglia, increasing the tonic dopamine is making it harder for a new thing to grab your attention, which reinforces the fact that you are more focused. Anything that increases dopamine is going to be good. There's that. Should we just use the glycine to promote sleep, or should I also use it in the morning? I would say, ultimately, you have to judge it based on the results you get, but you should try it at other times during the day because one of the roles of glycine would be to provide the buffer against excess methylation. For dopamine to make you pay attention to something that has value, you must have GABA suppressing attention to everything else. Dopamine cannot be a meaningful signal of the value of placing attention on something unless you have adequate GABA to suppress your attention paid to everything else. Because if you're paying attention to your schoolwork while you are also paying attention to your video games and to the mosquito in the corner equally as much, then you're not actually paying attention to your schoolwork. So, I think that anything that would boost GABA would be helpful. So, yes to the glycine during the day. Yes, you do want to keep choline levels up. But remember that choline is a methyl donor. Choline is a double-edged sword here. First of all, the choline is needed for acetylcholine. When dopamine tells you to pay attention to something, once you're paying attention, you need acetylcholine to sustain your attention on that thing and get results. Dopamine is the signal that that thing has value to pay attention to. Acetylcholine is what you actually use to pay attention to it and get results. You do want to help his acetylcholine levels, but you have to remember that choline is a methyl donor and that the more choline you have, the more important it becomes that the glycine is kept high enough to buffer excess methylation. Otherwise, choline could act as a double-edged sword and potentially wind up reducing dopamine levels. The other thing that I would add is the GABA. Maybe start at 100 milligrams a day and work your way up to 800 and just be careful with the low dose. See what results you get. If it seems promising, try increasing the dose. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

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Question: Nutrients important for neuroregeneration. Iron, phosphorus, and sulfate are very important for regenerating nerves. Magnesium. Acetylcholine is a major factor in regeneration of nerves, and so choline is important. If you were to use a supplement, alpha-GPC would be the ideal choline supplement to use because it's superior at generating acetylcholine. Vitamin A and zinc are very important for nerve regeneration. DHA, which is one of the omega-3 fatty acids that you find in fish is very important. Vitamin B6. Possibly GABA supplementation can help. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Advice for what to do after suffering a transient ischemic attack. A TIA, a transient ischemic attack, is like a mini stroke, but they all kind of fall into the same category where the development of plaque is a very significant part, is the major thing disposing you to having an event like that. Nutritionally, the major factors in blood pressure are potassium is the biggest one, the salt-to-potassium ratio, not eating too much. Some people are salt-sensitive, some aren't. But the major factor is really the salt-to-potassium ratio. Some of the other minerals like magnesium and calcium are important. But then stress and physical activity are huge in blood pressure as well. Assuming that's under control, the main nutritional factors that you want to pay attention to are things that get the blood lipids under control and then things that get the process of calcification and inflammation under control. The reason that the lipids are problematic is because they're getting damaged by free radicals and other damaging molecules, so things like vitamin C and E, glutathione, fruits and vegetables supplying polyphenols, all the minerals like zinc, copper, iron, manganese, selenium, all those things are important. Figuring out whatever the limiting factor is and managing the details is a really big project. There are some simple rules of thumb like getting regular exercise, provided that the doctor okays it. Obviously, with cardiovascular issues, you have to do that, but whatever is safe for him to engage in. If needed, meditation or stress reduction on the blood pressure. And then just cut the junk food out and include a well-balanced diet. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: When on a ketogenic diet, it is a problem if ketones are going up to 5 to 6 millimoles per liter? One of the popular ketogenic advocates was saying that if the ketones are getting above 3, then it's from not eating enough protein. I don't really see it that way. I think that protein will suppress ketogenesis, and so will carbs. Five to 6 millimoles per liter is what you see in therapeutic ketogenic diets. In terms of how you could bring the ketones down, more carbs or more protein are going to bring them down. Between the two of those, probably protein would be the most important thing to increase as a means of protection against lean mass loss and as a means of keeping neurotransmitters and all the other things that you do with protein healthy. But you could raise the carbs a little bit too. Because remember that your carb demand even on a ketogenic diet is definitely not down to 20 grams of carbs. That's not even feeding your brain on the ketogenic diet. If you have room to increase carbs, then I think would be great to get the carbs up to at least 30 and then maybe use protein going up to supply the rest of that. Then also pay attention to micronutrients. Do a dietary analysis. If there are certain nutrients that this person is not really getting in that more vegetables would help those micronutrients, then increase the vegetables and the carbs along with them for that purpose. But just on macros alone, I would say go up at least 10 grams on the carbs and go up to, if you can get there, a gram of protein per pound of body weight on the protein, and that will bring the ketones down. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Are there any solutions to getting nauseated from zinc supplements even at low doses and even when the zinc comes as oysters? With the zinc, my general recommendation is to take zinc on an empty stomach. The thing that is not controversial is that phytate is the principal inhibitor of zinc absorption. Phytate is found in whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. I think there's a very broad agreement across the zinc research community that taking zinc not with a meal that contains whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes is going to lead to higher zinc absorption. Then there's some controversy. Does it matter whether the zinc is on an empty stomach compared to a phytate-free meal, which would be a meal that doesn't have any whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes? Because there's a gray area there, I say if you can, take it on an empty stomach. If you can't, take it with a phytate-free meal. Generally, it's the case that if someone takes 15 milligrams of zinc with a full glass of water, they are very unlikely to get nauseated from it. Whereas if almost anyone takes 50 milligrams of zinc with a full glass of water on an empty stomach, they're almost definitely going to get nauseated from it. I would get nauseated from it. Taking the low dose should allow you to take it on an empty stomach, but for some people, they do get nauseated even taking only 15 milligrams on an empty stomach. Well, you have two options. The ideal thing would be figure out the lowest amount of food that it takes to. If you eat the oyster at the end of a phytate-free meal, is it still making you sick? If so, I don't think that's the zinc. I think it's something else. And your digestive system might not be up to the task of eating oysters right now at this moment. But if at the end of a phytate-free meal if you can fit in one or two oysters and it doesn't make you nauseated at all, then I think that's great. Oysters are probably the ideal zinc supplement if you can get them in. A couple of oysters a day goes a long way to getting your zinc in. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/09/06/ask-anything-nutrition-march-8-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Could low LDL hurt female fertility? I haven't seen evidence of it, but that would not surprise me at all given that cholesterol is what you make sex hormones from. If you see levels that low, I don't know that it's intrinsically a problem. You kind of want to start looking at what are the reasonable things you could expect to happen from that that affect female fertility? Fat-soluble vitamins could be relevant. Sex hormones could be relevant. I'd start looking at those things. I doubt that the LDL being that low itself in and of itself is going to be the thing that compromises fertility. This is the thing. Is the LDL low because of really good clearance from the blood, or is it low because of really low production? If it's low because of really low production, then you definitely have problems with fat-soluble vitamin transport. Because if the liver is not making lipoproteins as much, the fat-soluble vitamins are staying trapped in the liver and they're not getting to other tissues that need them. While there's no evidence for it, it makes perfect sense that dietary cholesterol would help that because dietary cholesterol is very helpful in Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, where the exact same defect is 1,000X to produce a devastating result. It makes total sense that in someone who is a carrier for SLOS, Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, who has defective cholesterol synthesis in their gonadal tissues and therefore has defective sex hormone synthesis, it makes total sense of eating cholesterol would help those people. So, I would try it. Egg yolks. That's what most people are going to eat for cholesterol. But this all hinges on the question of the LDL is low, so what? Is it because it's being cleared rapidly or because it's not entering the blood due to lack of synthesis? Whether that person is going to have infertility as a result of it and whether that's going to be helped by dietary cholesterol, it's all going to get a hinge on that. But the good news is for both people, it's probably completely harmless to eat some eggs. Eating eggs might just be the thing that helps. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is it safe to take creatine when nursing?If you felt fatigued and you took the creatine and all of a sudden that started reversing, then you either felt fatigued because you had low creatine synthesis, or you felt fatigued because you had a methylation problem. Those aren't mutually exclusive. If you're not methylating well, the most sensitive thing that will happen is you'll synthesize less creatine. But I mean it could have gone beyond creatine. It could have been that you're synthesizing less creatine, and you're not regulating your dopamine properly and things like that. But certainly, you're addressing a methylation issue/a creatine deficiency issue. I don't know the exact cause and effect scenario that would lead to ovulation, but it makes sense that you ovulate. Think about the regulation of fertility, the whole thought process of the body's regulation of fertility. All of it comes down to energy. It comes down to the fact that when you get pregnant, you're investing -- I don't remember what the numbers are off the top of my head -- something like 50,000 kilocalories in the pregnancy. Then in lactation, you're investing another I think thousand kilocalories a day or something like that. The whole hypothalamic regulation of sex hormones and thyroid hormone is all regulated by leptin and insulin as signals of long-term and short-term energy status. Insulin and leptin are hormones. Endocrine hormones are between tissues. But what happens at the cellular level is I think it's very plausible that something that's happening at the cellular level and the recognition of what those hormones mean to communicate that energy is present, sufficient for fertility is going to be ATP dependent. If you're missing creatine, then you're going to have a drop in the power of the ATP signal and the recycling of the ATP. This is the basis for why creatine is used for muscular power, but it's also the basis for why creatine is used to use energy in producing stomach acid or to communicate or to transmit light and dark signals through your eye to your brain to make vision. All over the place, creatine is super important to the cellular utilization of energy. My guess is it's correcting a response inside the cell to the leptin and insulin. In terms of safety in breastfeeding, I don't think there's any evidence one way or another. It's probably safe because you could get this from meat, and there's no evidence of harm. But if you wanted to be hyper careful, I don't think you need to do this, but if you wanted to be like super, super careful, what I would do is divide the 5 grams over three or four meals evenly on the basis that there are very, very trace amounts of byproducts of high-dose creatine. Five grams will cause extraordinarily tiny amounts of toxins that appear in the urine. I mean, not toxins at the level that we're talking about, but I doubt it's a risk. But if you wanted to be hyper careful, divide the dose up evenly.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Can you explain plant polyphenols and hormesis? In brief, our detoxification system didn't evolve to handle the toxins of modern society. Modern society invents a new chemical. Our body knows it's a toxin, but it doesn't know it because we were exposed to it for millions of years. It knows it because it has similarity to other toxins. That similarity may be weaker or stronger depending on the toxin. Our bodies do evolve to be bad at detoxifying. They evolve to be good at detoxifying. Our system is not designed to get sick when we encounter toxins. It's designed to get healthy when we encounter toxins. The way that works is throughout most of our evolutionary history, the toxins we were exposed to were the toxins in plants. Most of them are polyphenols. Most of them are the things that we ascribe health benefits to. A lot of those health benefits come from the fact that these are the toxins that our bodies are designed to work with. Xenobiotic defense -- xenobiotic is something foreign -- this defense system is this giant umbrella system that in a very general level assesses the likelihood of how much energy should we invest in keeping that system running based on how much toxins are we exposed to and uses that metric to invest the energy in that entire machinery. We're not investing in getting rid of a specific toxin. We're just taking the collective toxin and investing in the collective detoxification machinery, the collective antioxidant glycation-defense machinery. Because fruit and vegetable polyphenols were the major toxins, our system is designed to be very highly responsive to them, to use them as that metric. Now, in the modern society, what do we do? We invented new toxins. By the way, the fruit and vegetable polyphenols, what happens if you just take a bunch of them and you dump them on cells? You kill the cells. What happens when we eat them? Ninety-nine percent of them don't get absorbed. Why? Because the intestinal cells have a detoxification pathway that's just like the liver's. I think where you cross the line is, what you don't want to do is isolate those things into a pill and megadose them. That's why people, when they ask me about sulforaphane and milk thistle, my view of that is that that's what you do when you can't eat a high volume of unrefined plant foods with five to nine fruits and vegetables. But what you don't want to do is say, "Well, if the bottle says one capsule milk thistle a day is good for me, then ten capsules of milk thistle on top of ten servings of fruits and vegetables is good for me." Then you're in the zone of who knows what that's doing to you. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What to do when serum magnesium is high but RBC magnesium is low? The magnesium in the blood and the hair is high. When you say blood, I'm assuming this is serum or plasma because the RBC magnesium is low. I'm hoping that's not whole blood magnesium in which case it would be hard to separate from the RBC magnesium. But I mean even for whole blood, if the RBC magnesium is low and the blood magnesium is high, then the magnesium that's in the blood that's high is in the serum or plasma, not in the RBCs obviously. Clearly this means that you're deficient in magnesium transport. You're not deficient in magnesium. So, the last thing that you should do is start blasting high-dose magnesium at that. Because not only is it not going to help, but you basically have two or three times the risk of harm from supplementing high-dose magnesium, because the harm of high-dose magnesium comes when your serum levels go to double the upper limit of the reference range. If your serum level is high, and your RBC is low, and you start blasting. B6, even if it's adequate, maybe try 10 milligrams. Work your way slowly up to 100 milligrams of P5P. See if that helps. If it doesn't, you probably have a more serious issue with magnesium transport. You might have a rare genetic defect in a magnesium transporter. Off the top of my head, I'm not sure how to manage that. There's probably things you can't do. It might come down to just maximizing all the different possible ways that you can get magnesium into your system and cells. That might mean that you want a modest hypermagnesemia. In other words, you want your serum magnesium to be a little over the top of the upper reference range in order to try to drive magnesium into the red blood cells. But you still need to measure it regularly so that you know that you're not anywhere near twice the top of the upper reference range. Then just do what you can to maximize the other factors. Insulin, salt, and B6 is what I think there. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is there a potential for adverse effects of 5-10 mg of folate for heterozygous MTHFR? Is there a potential? Yeah. The tolerable upper intake level for folate was set at 1 milligram on the basis that there are rare hypersensitivity syndromes that have caused reactions to 1 milligram or higher. On the basis that in numerous case reports, supplementation of more folate than that has been the factor that appears to precipitate the neurological degeneration in B12 deficient patients. It seems like if you're B12-deficient and you add a megadose of folate, there might be something causal about adding the folate precipitating the B12 deficiency. That makes sense. Folate and B12 participate together in methylation. The neurological degeneration specific to B12 deficiency is probably mostly due to the non-methylation functions of B12. That's why it doesn't happen in folate deficiency. If you add folate, you're going to probably redirect some of the B12 into the methylation pathway, rob it from the other pathway, which is metabolizing methylmalonic acid into the citric acid cycle. You do that and you provoke the specific neurological degeneration of B12 deficiency.The flipside of this is someone could say, well, there's no evidence that outside of these rare things that 50 milligrams of folate causes harm. That's true. There isn't a well-characterized harm from it. But I still think that it's stupid, it's stupid. Why would someone with a heterozygous MTHFR SNP need 10 milligrams of folic acid or methylfolate? That makes no sense biochemically at all. It makes no sense. First of all, are they compound heterozygous or are they just heterozygous for the SNP? I don't know if it's harmful, but it's irrational to take high-dose methylfolate for this purpose or high-dose folic acid is irrational. It's on the basis that it's not effective. It is five to ten times the Institute of Medicine's tolerable upper intake level. It's not that I know it will cause harm. It's just that it's way into the territory of what has the possibility of harm in some people. Why for no benefit would you take yourself deep into the territory of possible harm? This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is folate unstable in frozen liver or just in frozen veggies? The answer is folate is stable in frozen liver. It is not stable in frozen greens.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How much vitamin C should I take with collagen? There's no evidence that you need to take vitamin C with collagen. There is a study by Keith Baar, who showed that 15 grams of gelatin, not collagen, but I suspect the collagen is exactly the same, 15 grams of gelatin but not 5 grams, the dose is important, with 50 milligrams of vitamin C taken before exercise improved collagen synthesis in the tendons. They included 50 milligrams of vitamin C because it's made for collagen synthesis, but they don't show that you needed the vitamin C. They just had the vitamin C in there. I don't know if it even matters in that context whether you need the vitamin C. I also have no reason to think that you need 50 milligrams instead of 10 or that 100 milligrams wouldn't work better because they didn't test the different doses. They tested the different doses of gelatin. I see no reason to think a high dose of collagen is any different in this respect. Let's assume that it's the same. What that means that I'm very confident that you need 15 grams instead of 5 grams when you take it before exercise to increase synthesis of collagen in tendons if that's what you care about. I have no confidence about how much vitamin C you need if you need any. But if you want to do what they did, then I do feel confident that 50 milligrams is enough to get some effect. I just don't know if it's enough to get maximal effect and I don't know if it's necessary at all or in that dose to get that effect. If it's for joint health and if it's taken before exercise, the timing is important because what you're trying to do is leverage the exercise to get more blood flow of the nutrients to the joints. That's why the timing matters. In that case, you take the vitamin C with the collagen, 50 milligrams is the dose we know works. We don't know if it's necessary, and we don't know if it's optimal. We just know that it works. If you're not taking it for joint health and you're not taking it specifically before exercise, you still need vitamin C. But the timing doesn't matter and pairing it to the collagen doesn't matter. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Are liver capsules as good as eating liver? Liver pills are mainly for people who are not going to eat liver. That's the first thing. The second thing is, there are advantages to taking the dosing schedule of a little bit of liver every day.  Probably the ideal thing would be to have 10 to 20 grams of fresh liver every day. But the number of people who are going to do that are even smaller than the number of people who are going to eat the fresh liver. What the liver pills do is, number one, they give people who don't eat liver that frequently to get the nutrients that have absorption caps that are better off gotten in small doses at a time to get those every day. It gives people who are not going to eat liver at all a way to get liver in. I don't know. I mean, it's a tradeoff. Probably almost no one is going to eat 10 to 20 grams of liver every day. If you don't, are you better off taking the capsules or are you better off taking liver once a week? You're probably better off taking half and half, like take three capsules every day and still eat liver once a week. It's probably the best thing to do in that case. I don't recommend anyone who would otherwise eat liver stop eating liver and take the capsules, but I do recommend the people who won't eat liver take the capsules. I think it's a nice thing to do. If you eat liver but take the capsules anyway, then take that in a lower dose because you eat liver. Like I said, eat one serving of liver once a week or twice a month and take two, three, or four of the capsules instead of six; two, three or four capsules every day. I think that's a happy medium that can have best approximates the best thing which is the 10 to 20 grams of liver a day. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Should I take 3 grams of leucine per meal? Leucine is metabolized into a leucine metabolite that is the signal of protein synthesis. It's the thing that tells your muscles whether they should be synthesizing protein. But do you synthesize more protein when you upregulate all the factors of muscle protein synthesis? Well, that is entirely dependent on the amount of amino acids you have supplied. Think about it this way. Why is leucine used as the marker to determine how much muscle protein to make? Because usually when you get leucine, it's with high-quality protein that has all the other amino acids that you need to make muscle protein. Now, the question is, is meat better than isolated protein? The research is pointing in the direction that at least some whole foods are just better than protein supplements, number one. Perhaps as a general principle, perhaps whole protein foods are better than protein supplements, number two. Number three, taking leucine or the leucine metabolite that regulates muscle protein synthesis is not going to be better than getting whole proteins even from protein supplements when you get enough protein to provide that leucine because the leucine and its metabolite don't actually achieve peak muscle protein synthesis unless you supply the protein with it. If you supply the protein with it, you do get the leucine. There probably are questions that can still be worked out about this, but it's probably going to wind up being that it's a waste of time to take the leucine if you're getting enough protein, and it's stupid to take the leucine and not get enough protein. You should just eat a lot of protein is where I think this is going.    This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What are your thoughts on root canals? Before Weston Price embarked on his journeys that led to the publication of Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, which is an epic pioneering work in nutritional anthropology, before he did that, he spent 25 years as the first research director for what became the American Dental Association, researching in laboratory science and clinical science what were the causes of tooth decay and the consequences of tooth decay. Price's argument was that no matter what you do to get the infection out of the main areas of the teeth, you are never going to get it out of the nooks and crannies of the dental tubules. If you basically try to get rid of the infection and then you stuff something in there and make sure it never comes out, you create a hypoxic environment that basically causes whatever is in there to mutate in worse possible form.  George Meinig wrote a book called Root Canal Cover-Up. He was a root canal guy, an endodontist. Now, the endodontists say that Price's work was discredited a long time ago and that this is complete BS.  Now, the problem is I have no idea to what degree modern science has adjusted to this. Now, I can't even ask Meinig to what degree has the evolution of endodontal techniques since you wrote the book, to what degree had they changed how we should view this, because he's not alive anymore, and I don't know anyone who can fill his shoes. Look, if you want a personal story on how conflicted I feel about this, I literally have two root canals in the same teeth on each side of my mouth that were the legacy of my veganism. My suspicion is I wish I could give you a black and white answer. I know that it's not that useful to have an answer that's just nothing but gray zones. But I'm very skeptical of how good root canals are. I'm not so terrified that I'm highly motivated to get the other one taken out even though it probably is the last thing in my life that I should do more research on what to do about. I'm sorry, I can't give you a better answer than that. All I can say is yes, it is justified to be worried about the risks of root canals. I can say this totally unambiguously. What you should absolutely definitely not ever do is make your decisions about something that has any potential to be a root canal situation without a dentist. The whole point of Price's work was they're serious from whole body health. Price was a pioneer in so many things. This is another one. Now, there's increasing evidence that inflammation in your mouth and decay in your mouth is tied to other diseases. Like periodontitis is tied to heart disease for example. Price was the pioneer of saying that the infections in your mouth are causing other diseases in the rest of your body. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What does it mean when histamine intolerance and blood sugar dysregulation occur together? Well, if his blood sugar is no longer as stable and he has histamine intolerance, then that drug probably interferes with vitamin B6 metabolism. Let me try to take one minute to see if I can find quick information on this. I can't. I can't find it quickly. My instinct is to say that the drug is affecting vitamin B6 metabolism on the basis that 80% of the vitamin B6 in the body is used for glycogen metabolism in liver, which is the thing that stabilizes your blood sugar between meals. If your blood sugar is not stable between meals any longer, then yeah, it could be a hormonal thing. What it really probably means is that there's something wrong with the liver's ability to store glycogen or to access the glycogen when it's stored because your blood sugar is stabilized between meals exclusively by the liver's glycogen metabolism. How does that relate to histamine intolerance? They're both caused by B6 deficiency. That's my take. I'd measure his blood levels of pyridoxal 5’-phosphate. Off the top my head, I believe LabCorp has a test for that. It would be helpful to look at his excretion of xanthurenate, kynurenate, and quinolinate in organic acids test. The Genova ION has all three of those. I don't think the other one is available to have all three. But every urinary organic acids test has some of those. I would go from there. I mean, if you want to save money, just trial a pyridoxal 5’-phosphate, which is the active form of B6. Trial a supplement of that to see if it helps. I would do that at, maybe start with 10 milligrams, but feel free to work up slowly over a few weeks to 100 milligrams. If a few weeks at 100 milligrams doesn't treat that and he's off the drug, then there's something else going on and I don't know what it is. But that would definitely be first line thinking for me. Thank you, Jennifer, for your question. I'm glad that was helpful. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/08/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-23-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: If PTH is mid-normal, do I need a calcium supplement? I'm assuming that by midrange you mean it's 30. If you mean it's 40, then no, you're deficient or you're probably deficient. You need to test how you respond. But what I would say is, it would still be good for you to try increasing that and see if the PTH goes down anymore. Because my baseline for where I suspect that someone's PTH is maximally suppressed is 30. But the evidence that it's maximally suppressed is that it doesn't get suppressed by more calcium and vitamin D. If it goes down in response to calcium and vitamin D, then it wasn't maximally suppressed. Where you want to be is not 30 to 20. It's the point of maximal suppression. Then the final thing is magnesium deficiency can compromise your ability to make PTH. I don't think that the average person in our society is deficient enough in magnesium for that to be relevant on the basis that population-wide most people have too much PTH. That contributes osteopenia and osteoporosis. But the big caveat here is if you are magnesium-deficient, then that might invalidate most of what I said if you're deficient enough to affect PTH. If your PTH is around 30 and not higher than that, you're probably fine. But it's good to know your magnesium status because if it's really bad, that could change that interpretation. It's also good to know if adding more calcium suppresses your PTH further, because if it does, that's probably calcium that you need. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What to do about sky-high pyroglutamate? Pyroglutamate, its other name is 5-oxoproline. It is something that is primarily produced when you are synthesizing glutathione, but you do not have enough of the second step in glutathione synthesis to keep up with the first step. Maybe you need more glycine, but your glycine isn't low enough to cause orders of magnitude higher pyroglutamate. It's almost certainly the case that you have a glutathione synthetase deficiency, unless you have extraordinary levels of oxidative stress. I think that would be easy to test for because I just can't imagine that your glutathione levels -- I guess it's not that easy to test for because if you have a glutathione synthetase defect, you're going to have bad glutathione levels. If you have a tremendous amount of oxidative stress, you're also going to have low glutathione levels. If you have low glutathione levels, that's going to cause a tremendous amount of oxidative stress. I think if it's not a glutathione synthetase defect, then it becomes a lot harder to figure out what it is because it probably means you have massive oxidative stress from somewhere and there's a lot of things that could cause that. That would be a potential Pandora's box of questions that would come out of that. But definitely the first step would be to look at glutathione synthetase. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: In hemochromatosis, why would ferritin be low but transferrin saturation high? Ferritin is your long-term iron storage. Transferrin is your short-term iron storage. The problem with hemochromatosis is that usually in a normal functioning system, there is a hormonal regulatory system that prevents you from absorbing iron from food when you have enough iron that when you have too much iron, shuttle the iron into ferritin which is protective both against pathogens eating the iron to grow and against oxidative stress, which free iron causes, which if you don't know the details about can be thought of as wear and tear on your tissues over time. In hemochromatosis, normally the way you judge how much iron you have is in the circulating transferrin pool, which is your short-term storage. How full is it? The defect in hemochromatosis is that when the short-term storage, transferrin, starts getting fuller than usual, you don't notice it, so you don't stop absorbing iron from food that makes the transferrin saturation go up even further. But you don't shuttle the iron into ferritin. That makes ferritin lower. What people get confused by is that historically, we have only paid attention to hemochromatosis when it's too late, when the person has been suffering for it from 30 or 40 years and they need organ transplants. What happens at that point is that the ferritin is very, very high. Why is the ferritin high? Not because you had too much iron. The person without hemochromatosis has the ferritin go up when they have too much iron. The defect in hemochromatosis is that you do not stop absorbing from food when you have enough, and you do not put the iron into ferritin when you have too much. The reason that ferritin is high in someone who's had hemochromatosis for 30 or 40 years is not because they have too much iron. It is because they have oxidative stress and damage caused by that iron. Oxidative stress and damage cause ferritin to go up no matter how much iron you have. So does infection, no matter how much iron you have. Essentially, what you have is ferritin is not the fireman that he should be to put out the fire as it starts, and the smoke detectors go off. Ferritin hemochromatosis is the cleanup crew who got to the fire after the house burned down. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Does folic acid act differently in the body than natural folate? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #68They don't really. Everything that is said bad about folic acid is sort of true to an extent but has been completely exaggerated in some circles. What happens is you have an enzyme called dihydrofolate reductase, or DHFR. Its purpose is not to metabolize synthetic folic acid obviously because that folic acid molecule doesn't exist in the food supply. Its normal purpose is that every time that you use folate to participate in processes outside of methylation, such as DNA synthesis, you wind up producing dihydrofolate as a byproduct. DHFR recycles that and turns it into tetrahydrofolate, or THF. Tetrahydrofolate is what has the methyl group added to make methylfolate. The question is, does that synthetic folic acid, we call that unmetabolized folic acid, does that cause harm? There are scientific hypotheses that it might, and it might, but there's no conclusive evidence of that. That's one side of the argument against synthetic folic acid. The other side of the argument is now that you are giving the DHFR enzyme more work, that means that might be detracting from the work that it has in recycling dihydrofolate that came out of the DNA synthesis reactions to make tetrahydrofolate. People think that they just cut out white flour and therefore they're better off. No. You cut out white flour, now you need to do more work to make sure that you are actually getting your nutrients from whole foods because if you were eating six pieces of white toast that you didn't have to worry about getting nutrients from whole foods and now you do. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Can frozen vegetables be trusted for folate? You absolutely cannot trust frozen vegetables as a source of folate ever. That's because folate is extremely unstable in the freezer, and you have no idea how old the vegetables are. If they were fresh-frozen yesterday, they'd probably have plenty of folate. But if they were fresh-frozen three months ago, they may seem completely fresh and yet they don't have any folate in them. I'm not a fan of frozen vegetables mainly on the folate issue, on the basis that many people believe they are getting folate from their vegetables. If they're eating frozen vegetables, they may not be. I'm very worried that there are a lot of people out there who believe that they are doing something good by cutting out refined flour from their diet and starting to eat lots of vegetables. But when they come as frozen vegetables, you may be cutting out a lot of folate from the form of synthetic folic acid added to the enriched flour that you had been eating and cut out of your diet and then not getting anything from the frozen vegetables, and that's a recipe for folate deficiency. There are a lot of people out there who think folic acid is some kind of toxin. It's not a toxin. It's effective at treating folate deficiency. It is effective at preventing neural tube defects. That's why it's added to flour. It is not the ideal form of folate. There's no question about that. But this is like calcium. People are saying that calcium supplements are bad. Well, not as bad as not getting any calcium. It's the same thing with folic acid. Folic acid is not the ideal form of folate, but it's a lot better than a folate deficiency. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How much spinach, broccoli, and kale is too much? Cruciferous vegetables have an issue with potential goitrogens. At serving sizes like this, the only issue with cruciferous vegetables is that they increase your iodine requirement. In theory, if you are juicing cruciferous vegetables to have like ten servings a day, in theory, you might get to the point where you cannot overcome the goitrogenic effect with iodine. That is based entirely on animal experiments that were done a long time ago, and we have no human data on where you cross that threshold. But in this case, I think two or three servings of cruciferous vegetables basically just means you need to pay a little bit more attention to your iodine status. In particular, you want to make sure that you're eating some seafood. If you're eating some seaweed in your diet, you're getting plenty of iodine in most cases. If you're not sure if you're getting enough iodine, then I would say 200 to 400 micrograms of iodine from a kelp powder-based supplement would be fine. Also, as a seasoning, you can get Maine Coast Sea Seasonings where you can just sprinkle seaweed onto your dishes as a flavor. It's like a salt shaker so it's really easy to use. Using that if you don't mind the taste is a great way to get iodine. I think that's really only the main concern there. The spinach is not a cruciferous vegetable, so it's not really contributing to this problem. It is high in oxalates and so it has its own problem. As long as you're getting calcium with the oxalate, for most people, there are exceptions to this. But if you don't personally have an oxalate issue, meaning a high risk of kidney stones driven by high oxalate levels in your urine or potentially behavioral issues in children some people are tying to oxalates. But if you don't have a specific issue with that, then I think really the only issue with oxalate is you want to make sure that you're consuming calcium in the meal that you're getting it in. The spinach has calcium, but it's only about 5% bioavailable so you should basically discount the calcium in the spinach. The kale and broccoli have bioavailable calcium. If you're mixing them together, that's probably a great way to do that, but you might not be hitting 300 milligrams of calcium in a meal. I think if you have a lot of oxalate in a meal, you probably really want to make sure you hit 300 milligrams of calcium in that meal. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/30/ask-anything-nutrition-march-4-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Certainly, the fat-soluble vitamins, vitamins A and D, both important. Lauric acid as a fat. Coconut oil might be a good fat choice for the fat in your diet. Monolaurin would be a very good choice for a supplement. Lauricidin is the best monolaurin to take, 3 to 10 grams a day. Be careful of your bowel tolerance, spread it out among your meals, and cut back if it starts to loosen your stool. Elderberry, which has mostly been studied in the context of flu, that probably has good antiviral properties. Garlic. Garlic appears to require very high doses if you're just taking a garlic extract. If you're taking stabilized allicin, 180 micrograms a day is good. But you could raise the question what if you're missing on some of the other important compounds in the garlic. I'll debate with some of my friends about that, but what's really been tested is 180 micrograms of stabilized allicin. Then zinc for sure in the immune response is super important. Then you get back to nutrient density. Although I'd give special importance to vitamins A and D, arachidonic acid just mentioned, zinc and copper, both, and then those supplements. If you're missing any one particular nutrient, then you're going to wind up with a specific vulnerability that will persist until you fix that one nutrient. Thanks, anonymous. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://themasterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/products/mastering-nutrition/categories/2811841/posts/9361575 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Can you give any suggestions for increasing delta-6 desaturase activity? There's a bunch of nutrients involved in that, so many that you basically just need to do a comprehensive nutritional screening for whether something is missing there. You might just have low activity by genetics. It's probably not worth solving that problem. The big governor though is if you have if you have insulin resistance or you have low insulin levels from chronic carbohydrate restriction, that might increase it. But you also look at your inflammation because you might have some of the higher fatty acids being depleted from inflammation or oxidative stress. I mean, more nutrient-dense diet across the board, more carbohydrate, if that doesn't do it, then just maybe take a supplement or increase the liver and egg yolks to the point where the arachidonic acid is normal. Measure your CRP. If that's high, address inflammation. In the Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, I have a big section on oxidative stress. I go through that testing. A starting point might be Genova's Oxidative Stress 2.0 blood panel. But if inflammation and oxidative stress are the things, work on those. If those aren't issues, then more nutrient density across the board, fix any nutrient deficiencies you find, increase carbohydrate if you're on low-carb. If none of those things work, then just increase your arachidonic acid level in your diet. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/08/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-23-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What are the pros and cons of boosting sulforaphane? Sulforaphane, the nice thing is it promotes detoxification. The bad thing is it raises the need for iodine. I don't know what ratio to take, but you definitely want to make sure that you're getting some kind of iodine into your diet, whether it's through like 200 micrograms of iodine from a kelp powder supplement or you experiment with milligram amounts from a broken up Iodoral tab or whatever. Because I don't know the dose, I'm just going to say work slowly and work your way up. Certainly, if you have any signs of hypothyroidism or you have any brain fog, increase the iodine or decrease the sulforaphane would be my opinion. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/08/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-23-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is it true that we can’t absorb more than 1.5 grams of creatine at one time? I don't think that's true. From what I looked at, it looked like the absorption of creatine was really, really good. I don't know if someone was arguing maybe that we don't retain more than that. But I think the retention of your muscles is going to be best with creatine if you take it post-workout and if you take it with carbohydrate to stimulate insulin. But on the whole, I think that the absorption and retention is good enough that it's more a matter of how fast will you get to peak muscular creatine than it is about where you get in the long-term. Maybe if you follow all the best procedures to absorb and retain creatine, you'll get to the 30% increase in muscular creatine in two weeks taking 5 grams a day instead of four weeks. Maybe someone who doesn't follow any best practices takes six weeks. But ten weeks later, you're probably going to be at peak effect if you just take 5 grams of creatine at a time without paying attention to all the details around absorption. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/08/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-23-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: NMN vs. NR: What’s better? And is TMG necessary? Yeah. There are no human studies looking at NMN and how it's metabolized. There are studies of NR. No one has showed any positive benefits of supplementing NR in humans yet, but they haven't really done any long-term studies or looked at many things, and they really haven't looked at anything that I would really want to see for NR. They've looked at things like glucose and lipids and other metrics of metabolic health doesn't really do anything for that. This is what I would say. My strong suspicion is that NMN is not absorbed intact. It's broken down into NR and it's absorbed intact as NR, while NR is just absorbed intact in NR. I believe that both of those supplements are going to lead to NR getting into the liver. I mean, I would use NR because there's more data on NR, and I wouldn't use NMN because there isn't any data on it. But it probably makes no difference at all because they're probably both absorbed as NR. Maybe if your digestion is weaker, you're going to do better within NR than NMN because you probably almost certainly are not absorbing NMN intact. If you're not digesting it, then you're absorbing less of it. But probably for most people, it makes no difference. I believe that both of these are going to generate NAD levels in the liver much more effectively than nicotinic acid or niacinamide would, the two common niacin supplements that are available on the market now and have been taken for ages. I think it will be better at boosting NAD levels in the liver. I think that will allow the liver to nourish many other tissues in the body to get a better NAD response in those tissues. My suspicion is that this is going to have a positive effect for anti-aging, for cellular repair. I think it's probably going to have a lot of promise for mental effects in the brain where there's high NAD turnover for neurotransmitter release. I think it's going to have probably really good effects in the gut where there's high NAD turnover because the gut faces so much damage by just being forced to deal with everything that you put into your body, unlike everything after the gut, after absorption, which has really high quality control. I think it's going to be great for skin issues. I think that in order to get the best NAD response and to tax the methylation system the least, you want to take a smaller dose with every meal rather than taking a higher dose once. I would take like 150 milligrams max at a meal. If you're going to take 450 milligrams, I'd take 150 at each of three meals. If you want to take less than that, you either use the powder or empty half of it out in a capsule. Like take half the capsule, empty it out into your mouth with a meal, 150-milligram capsule to do that. It will give you 75 milligrams. Take that three times a day. Then there's no good test to really see whether it's doing anything for you. You really have to judge it by your response. Are you getting tangible benefits from it? If so, then I think it's fine to keep it up. But yeah, I would take 100 milligrams of TMG for every 200 milligrams of nicotinamide riboside or nicotinamide mononucleotide. Personally, I wouldn't use the NMN and use the NR because there's more data on it.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/08/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-23-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What to do about cataracts. Carl Rayner says, "Cataract in one eye becoming noticeable. This eye had a posterior detachment about 11 years ago, which is basically healed. I've been on a low-carb diet for over 40 years. Eat raw cream cheese, eggs, meat and liver. In the past few years, adding fasting and more keto diet. Saw your thoughts about glutathione on the cheat sheet and interview with Wendy Myers. Am I on the right track and what else could I do? Grain intolerant. What testing beyond normal tests might be helpful?" I believe that cataracts in the eye are largely driven by the glycation of lens proteins. The glycation of lens proteins is largely driven by methylglyoxal, which I did my doctoral dissertation on. In direct contradiction to much of the low-carbohydrate literature, glycation is not all driven by carbs. Methylglyoxal is quantitatively the most important source of advanced glycation end products in the body. Methylglyoxal can be derived from glucose, or it can be derived from ketones, or it can be derived from protein. No one has ever done a very good study to determine whether you have more methylglyoxal on a ketogenic diet versus a high-carb diet. But there was one poorly designed study where they took a small handful of people. They said, "Here's the Atkins diet, new diet," Or what is it called? Atkins New Diet Revolution or whatever that book was called. They said, "Here, read this, go forth and do it." They went home, presumably they read the book or part of it, and they tried to do it. They came back, they lost weight, they had elevated ketones and guess what? They also had significantly higher methylglyoxal. Also, everything in the pathway that leads from ketones to methylglyoxal was elevated. I would say the data were very strong that in those people, they had higher levels of methylglyoxal because they had higher ketone levels that were generating it. They went on the Atkins diet, and they worsened their glycation risk by making a lot more of the thing that causes most advanced glycation end products and the thing that is probably overwhelmingly driving cataracts. But they didn't show any health consequences, and they certainly didn't measure cataracts in that study because that wasn't the point of it. They left more questions than answers. For example, what if they had a control group that lost the same amount of weight on a high-carb diet? My suspicion is that methylglyoxal would have gone up during weight loss but just not as much. I also think that if those people stabilized their new weight and then they worked carbs back into their diet, their methylglyoxal would go back down. In fact, I have a consulting client who developed cataracts that corresponded very well with when he started intermittent fasting. He did have poor glutathione status. We were able to improve his glutathione status, but the cataracts didn't go away. Todd Becker asks, "How do you test methylglyoxal levels?" You don't. You become a guinea pig in a lab because doing a study on it. That's about it. Look, I'm not against keto and I'm not against intermittent fasting. But if you're specifically talking about dealing with cataracts, you're probably not going to get the cataract to go away, but you probably can stop them from getting worse and stop them from forming. I think intermittent fasting and keto is probably going in the wrong direction. One thing that I do think, I don't think you're going to measure your methylglyoxal levels, but I think you should test your glutathione levels because glutathione is what detoxifies methylglyoxal. If you listen to my riboflavin podcast, we talked about cataracts being a sign of riboflavin deficiency and also being one of the things that's being investigated for whether riboflavin supplementation can help it. Why does riboflavin supplementation help that? For the exact same reason as when I went on that big, longwinded answer about glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency at the beginning, the riboflavin is there to boost glutathione recycling. I think the whole story, all these pieces knit together to a very, very, very nice story, clean story saying what you want in your eye to avoid cataracts from forming and getting worse, forming in the first place and getting worse, is you want low levels of methylglyoxal in your lenses. How do you get that? You have very good glutathione status. The keto thing is a maybe. There's no maybe that maybe keto makes that better, but there's a maybe that maybe keto makes that worse. You can't test the glutathione levels in your lens proteins, but you can test the glutathione levels in your blood. I would use the cheat sheet in a very targeted way for everything that's relevant to your glutathione status. I would follow the recommendations in there about how to boost your glutathione status. I would use your blood levels of glutathione as a metric. Rather than getting them in the normal range, I would try to get them as high within the normal range as you can, and titrate your approaches according to what works. Test it every couple of months, make one very important change. Well, actually, follow all the steps in optimizing glutathione status right now or all the ones you're willing to do. Follow them for eight weeks, test glutathione status, get a baseline glutathione if you can, but eight weeks of all my suggestions or whatever you're willing to do with them. Retest the glutathione, see if it helped. If it helped, then tweak one thing at a time after that. Do that one thing very consistently and stably for four to eight weeks. Retest glutathione. Whatever I said for glutathione, also consider maybe supplementing with high-dose riboflavin in there. Maybe 100 milligrams of riboflavin at each meal, I would probably revise my glutathione recommendations in the cheat sheet to include that as a possibility. Yeah, optimize against glutathione and consider riboflavin supplementation. Be very open-minded about the carbs, the keto and the fasting because those might be great for many things, but they're definitely not optimal for glutathione and methylglyoxal. Thanks, Carl. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/08/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-23-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: If free T3 looks good, why is TSH still a little high? Why hasn't the T3 brought it down enough? Your thyroid gland makes thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone increases your metabolic rate and does a lot of related things. Your hypothalamus is governing that by controlling your pituitary, the master endocrine gland, and its secretion of TSH, which is what controls the thyroid gland and makes it make more thyroid hormone. The way that the feedback occurs is that the circulating T4 is converted to T3 inside the cells of the pituitary. That is what suppresses the production of TSH, which is basically the pituitary monitoring the thyroid hormone levels to know whether the thyroid has done its job. If the pituitary, the master endocrine gland, decides that the thyroid has done its job, it takes down TSH, the signal to make more thyroid hormone. You really are not looking at whether the free T3 is suppressing the TSH. Ninety percent of that suppression comes from circulating T4 that's converted to T3 inside the pituitary gland. You really are looking at whether the T4 is on the high end of normal or not.  If your reverse T3 is on the higher end of normal, then that explains it. You basically have your brain telling your thyroid gland that it needs more thyroid hormone, but you have much of the rest of your body deciding that it's not in the position to carry out the effects on the metabolic rate that the thyroid hormone is demanding. It's converting the thyroid hormone into reverse T3, which is basically a thyroid antagonist. If your reverse T3 is high, then I think you want to look at things like calorie intake, carb intake, and stress levels because I think those are the main things that might make your body want to resist the signal of thyroid hormone by making the reverse T3. If the reverse T3 is good, meaning it's pretty low, then I think that means that there is something either in your brain, specifically in the hypothalamus or in the pituitary or somewhere in the combination where they're just deciding that your body needs more thyroid hormone than you have. My suspicion is that that's going to relate to how sensitive your cells are to the thyroid hormone, if your cells are somewhat resistant. Remember in the last AMA, this got brought up, and I talked about zinc deficiency and high free fatty acids being the primary things that are going to reduce sensitivity to thyroid hormone or cellular uptake. There are some indications that high free fatty acids might also decrease cellular uptake, but not much is known about what governs cellular uptake. In fact, there are some genetic variations in cellular uptake. If the thyroid hormone levels are high in your blood because they're not getting into the cells, then that could easily explain everything. It's just that your problem seems pretty moderate because you're not saying that your thyroid hormones are sky high and your TSH is sky high. You're just saying everything is a little on the high side of normal. It sounds like there's not a big problem, but that something somewhere your body is determining that you need a little bit more thyroid hormone. If you can address zinc, free fatty acids, and I would address zinc and free fatty acids as the top things, unless the reverse T3 is high, target carbs, calories, and stress. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/08/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-23-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What food supplements and training programs are good for developing muscle mass? Overwhelmingly, what matters for muscle mass is working out, eating enough protein, and eating enough calories.  You want to try and hit 10-20 sets per muscle group per week with eat set hitting within 80% of failure. So, if your doing a set of 8 reps but you could have done 20 reps with your chosen weight, that doesn’t count. You would want to pick a weight that you can lift no more than 10 times. Ideally, you’ll do some sets in the 5-rep range, 10-rep range, and 15-rep range.   For protein, you probably want to be up around 1 gram per pound of body weight or per pound of target body weight.  Then calories, you do need a caloric excess, but you don't want to get fat. If you know how many calories you need to be weight-stable, I recommend titrating the calories up 100 calories a day and then track your progress if you are gaining waist circumference. I know this is a little bit harder when you're a woman because you're going to have more fluctuations in water weight, but in terms of simple things to do to track your progress, waist circumference is valuable, and looking in the mirror is valuable.  If you can get an actual Bod Pod or DEXA scan, then that would give you more reliable information. There's a device called Skulpt. It's bioimpedance, I believe, but it's taking it at many different points where you take so much data that it actually becomes pretty accurate, but it's very time-consuming. Anyway, take your choice of what you're going to use to track your progress. If you're not gaining any fat, you can very slowly add your total calories. If you are gaining fat, you need to cut back on the calories. But you need to have a caloric excess to maximize your muscle gains. That right there is probably 90% of it and anything else is probably completely pointless unless you are a very good athlete, in which case you're going to be looking for what's the next. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/08/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-23-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Should I manage my total cholesterol of 305 just for my doctor or should I be doing it for my own sake? If so, how should I do it? You should want to improve your lipid profile for a lot more than to please your doctor. Let's revisit this from a cholesterol skeptic point of view. Uffe Ravnskov, he wrote a book called The Cholesterol Myths. In that book, he shows a graph from the Framingham study where he maps out the people who have heart disease and the people who don't. If you look at that graph, one thing that you see is that everyone who had total cholesterol over 300 had heart disease and no one who didn't have heart disease had cholesterol that high. Look, the only way to have a total cholesterol of 300 or more in most cases is to either have a thyroid disorder or to have a familial hyperlipidemia. We're talking about fasting levels here. You should want to manage your blood lipids for your own sake because people with familial hypercholesterolemia have a dramatically increased risk of having heart disease decades earlier than it becomes normal for the general population.  I'm not saying it's 100% certain that if you have a cholesterol of 300 you will have heart disease, but you are way disproportionate in risk for that reason. You definitely want to address this for the sake of your health. I think that if you have weight to lose, that losing weight should be one of the first things that you do to normalize your blood lipids and your inflammation. Being overweight also contributes to elevated free fatty acids, and elevated free fatty acids do raise your blood lipids. That's, in fact, the entire rationale of using high-dose niacin to lower LDL-C is by suppressing free fatty acid release. It’s also important to address any inflammation in your gut. You might have microbiome issues, and working more high-fiber vegetables into your diet and diversifying across the different plant fibers is a great way to nourish your microbiome, reduce inflammation that comes from the intestines that would negatively affect your blood lipids. If these things that we just talked about aren't enough to get the blood lipids into the normal range, then I think you want to experiment with eating more carbohydrate and a low-fat diet, but selecting those foods to maintain nutrient density. You could add something like psyllium husk fiber , which might be both good for your gut and the inflammation coming from your gut. It will also help reduce your cholesterol by making bile acids go into your feces and making your liver draw cholesterol from the blood. If those natural things don't get your blood lipids into the normal range, then I think that you should consider being open to pharmacological methods. I've gone through all the cholesterol-skeptic literature and I'm against demonizing cholesterol. I do not believe that high cholesterol is the cause of heart disease. But if your lipids are that high, it's overwhelmingly because you are not clearing them from the blood, and not clearing them from the blood is the single most important risk factor for them oxidizing, and them oxidizing does cause heart disease.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/08/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-23-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: "Do you have any recommendations on how to get enough calcium on a low-carb, no-dairy diet? I've read that vegetables provide calcium, but bioavailability is poor." The bioavailability of calcium from different vegetables is highly dependent on the specific vegetables.  Cruciferous vegetables have very good bioavailability. It's better than from milk. Spinach has like close to zero bioavailability. It's terrible and you shouldn't even count it. Nuts and seeds have about 20% of the calcium being absorbed. If you compare that to milk --- milk is probably going to be like 30% or 40%. Cruciferous vegetables are going to be like 50% or 55%. The real problem is the volume. If you look at broccoli or kale and you look at how much volume of those foods do you need to eat in order to get 1000 to 1500 milligrams of calcium a day, which is the target, it's a ridiculously high volume.  I'm a bit skeptical that you want to eat more than say 200 or 300 grams measured cooked of those foods a day because they're increasing your iodine requirement. At some point, they become a liability for your thyroid gland. I think it's best to eat two or three servings of those cruciferous vegetables a day, and that's basically maxing out the calcium that you can get from them. You're just not going to get anywhere near the 1000- to 1500-milligram target. A low carbohydrate, non dairy containing diet is emulating the traditional diets of the Arctic where plant foods were very limited. How did they get their calcium? They crushed up fish bones. They freeze-dried fish bones, they pulverized them, and they ate the bone powder. Bone meal is a traditional food. Some consider it as a supplement but it is the historic source of calcium in traditional diets that were low-carb. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/08/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-23-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What should people with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency be doing not just about glutathione, but about folate, vitamin K, fatty acids, and neurotransmitters?  G6PD, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, is an inborn error of metabolism. It's the most common one in the world. About 8% globally have some impairment in this enzyme. The reason that it's important is because glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase is the enzyme that allows you to make NADPH, which is a specific derivative of niacin that's involved in antioxidant defense, detoxification, synthesis of neurotransmitters, and synthesis of nucleotides, which are needed for cell division because they're parts of DNA. Someone with G6PD deficiency is vulnerable to hemolysis, or the destruction of red blood cells, because of glutathione deficiency. Glutathione reductase uses energy and NADPH, the thing that you can't make, to recycle glutathione. But it also uses riboflavin. So, one of the adaptations that someone with this impairment has to try to protect themselves is for the glutathione reductase enzyme to hog all the riboflavin so that it says, "I don't have enough of the raw material I need to make this happen, so I'm just going to make myself get way better at using what I do have." That's an adaptation to compensate for not being able to make NADPH is just to get way better at using NADPH to recycle glutathione. Supplementing glutathione is not necessarily a bad idea. You just have to be aware that at a certain point you just can't solve every one of the dozens of problems that are happening. I think that you should measure your glutathione status. Probably the best test available, not because it's the best we could have available but because there's nothing better right now, is LabCorp's test for glutathione. If that looks low, then I would supplement with glutathione to try to bring that up to normal.  For the folate recycling, you have to consider this basically as if you had a really bad MTHFR polymorphism because G6PD is needed to make the NADPH that MTHFR uses, again, with the help of riboflavin to make the methyl group on methylfolate. You can take some methylfolate, but as I've made the point in my MTHFR protocol at chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation, you have to take 18,000 times the RDA to compensate for the 18,000 times a day that you add a methyl group to the folate molecule using that enzyme. It's not safe to take anywhere near that much folate. What I would do is just very strictly follow the MTHFR protocol that I have at chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation, and that involves doubling your choline intake because you don't need NADPH to use choline to support methylation. Just as if MTHFR didn't work because of genetics and not enzyme, what you would do is you double your choline utilization for methylation because you're not good at using folate.  On recycling vitamin K, it probably just means that you need a high amount of vitamin K in your diet. I think it's probably similar as if you had a bad VKOR polymorphism. VKOR is the enzyme that recycles vitamin K using NADPH that you got from this pathway that's not working right when you have G6PD deficiency. In terms of all this stuff that you are not good at synthesizing, like cholesterol, fatty acids, nucleotides, and neurotransmitters, I think the only thing that you can do for that is to try to eat a lot of these things preformed. That means eating a diet rich in relatively lean animal foods because they have a lot of preformed stuff, like cholesterol, in them and mainly in the flesh, not the fat. With plants, you want to eat mostly fibrous vegetables because they are highly cellular and rich in nutrients that you can’t make.  You don't want to go extremely low-fat, but if you eat a diet fairly rich in animal foods, you're going to get a lot of the specific fatty acids that you can't make. A high-fat diet is mostly giving you just a bunch of fat that you could have made yourself. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/08/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-23-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: If my tryptophan is low, and I'm on a low-carb diet, would you recommend 5-HTP supplements or tryptophan supplements or both? There are multiple reasons why tryptophan could be low. It could be that you are not eating enough protein, or it could be that you have a high utilization of the tryptophan. I would look in the test and see if the 5-hydroxyindoleacetate is elevated — because if it is, then that would suggest high serotonin production, and that might explain the low tryptophan. If that is the case, you may want to look into other explanations. In this particular case, we have talked about high estrogen levels and how they might be one of those things. In which case the root cause is the high estrogen levels and you need to address it at that level. Repleting the tryptophan maybe isn't necessarily the goal unless you have symptoms that are related to low tryptophan levels. If you're overproducing serotonin, if anything, you might have symptoms that are more related to high serotonin levels.  You might not have any symptoms that are related to low melatonin levels, which is downstream from serotonin, in which case the main negative effect of depleting the tryptophan would probably be related to niacin because tryptophan is used to synthesize niacin — in which case the goal would probably be best served by supplementing niacin instead of tryptophan.  Something to note: if you're trying to put on lean mass and it's not working, it could theoretically conceivably be possible that serotonin overproduction would be depleting the tryptophan to the point where you didn't have enough tryptophan to put on the lean mass you want. If the tryptophan is being diverted into serotonin, that's why it's low, again, judgeable by whether 5-hydroxyindoleacetic is elevated, then it makes no sense to put 5-HTP into the system because your problem isn't that you have low serotonin. If anything, it's that you have a high serotonin.  The only other explanation I would say is if you have a low protein intake, you might need to increase your protein intake. But if that were the case, you would probably see other amino acids more across the board that were depleted and not just tryptophan.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/03/08/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-23-2019 If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What to do if signs and symptoms of zinc deficiency persist despite taking 75 mg zinc gluconate per day. You should do plasma zinc.  Also you know I kind of wonder whether you're taking that right. So if you're taking 75 milligrams of zinc like at one time then it's not surprising because you're absorbing like seven of those milligrams. The rest you are not.  To maximize absorption take them on an empty stomach in 10-15 mg which is typically the smallest dose available.  If you're doing that and the signs, the deficiency persist they're persisting when you're taking that, then it probably isn’t zinc related. If they're persisting until you take that and it goes away, then either you aren't absorbing the zinc well, or you're not taking it right. Those are the two things.  If you're not absorbing it well it could be a general malabsorption disorder, something causing loss of bile, or a polymorphism or genetic impairment in a zinc transporter, or low methylation which all can affect zinc transporters. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is a high value of arsenic a concern? Yes, arsenic is a toxin. You probably don’t want a lot of it, if it's just a little high it might not cause terrible damage. I would look at methylation if I saw high arsenic, because methylation is needed to get rid of arsenic.  Oh actually I should add that methylation supplements have been shown to help arsenic detoxification in areas of the world where arsenic was a serious concern. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question Are low polyunsaturated omega-6 values on the ION test a concern? Not the total, but if the arachidonic acid levels are low I would look at low arachidonic acid intake, or inflammation, or oxidative stress. It would concern me because arachidonic acid is important to a lot of physiological functions, but I don't care about the total omega-6. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: When high selenium does not come down in response dietary efforts and cessation of supplementation, what's going on? Either there's high levels of selenium in the soil where your food is grown, or you have low methylation because methylation is needed to get rid of excess selenium. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Creatine, when is it recommend that if you don't have the MTHFR SNP that causes methylation problems? 1.)When you want to improve your physique. 2.)When you want to improve your athletic performance. 3.)When you have a rare creatine synthesis disorder. 4.)If you have depression, it might help. 5.) If you have any signs that something else is messing with your methylation even though your genetics don't explain it. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: When should tryptophan be taken on a keto diet? Night, day, both? Presumably you're doing this to try to increase tryptophan getting into the brain.  The best thing to do is to take it two to three hours away from other protein.  The second consideration is if you have an allotment of carbs that you concentrate at one time of day, then it would be best to take the tryptophan then. With the caveat being if you’re eating protein with the carbs. In that case it would be best to take it away from the protein + carb meal.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Do you think there are true non-responders to creatine, or do you think that those apparent non-responders have some defects in methylation that makes typical doses of creatine sufficient only for other needs. Alex Leaf would be a great person to ask about this and he's not here right now…  [Alex appears] Alex, so Jen's question is are there true non-responders to creatine or do you just think that non-responders likely have some defect of methylation. It means the typical doses of creatine are only sufficient for their needs. Alex: I don't think that methylation is going to be relevant here. When you look at responders and non-responders, the difference seems to be in their ability to uptake creatine into muscle cells from the serum. So, it's very unlikely be related to methylation and it has to probably do with differences in creatine transporter abilities across cell membranes. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How do I bring up low levels of arachidonic acid? Should I supplement with 250 milligrams? What brand is there from well-known company?  If you want 250 milligrams of arachidonic acid, eat an egg. I don't know anything about arachidonic acid supplements yet, except that they exist because you can eat eggs and you'll get plenty. Do you want to try the supplement? Well you can, but I don’t think it’s necessary.  You eat two eggs a day already, so eat four.  The oxidative stress and inflammation will consume the arachidonic acid, so look at that too. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How to interpret the pattern of high citrate, low cis-aconitate, low glutamate, and high glutamine. The aconitate and citric acid are markers on the citric acid cycle where we metabolize most of our energy. If citric acid is high and isocitric acid is low, (this must be the Great Plains Test which doesn't have isocitrate/cis-aconitate) that would indicate oxidative stress. In terms of the glutamate being low --- if your glutamate is low and your glutamine is on the high side, then you probably have ammonia generation from somewhere that you're mopping up with glutamate. That would be my guess, but that's another can of worms to open. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What are the best ways to optimize glutathione status for someone who has a G6PD deficiency?  Riboflavin was shown to be of benefit for normalizing oxidative stress in people who have glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. So for people who don't know what this is G6PD is, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase is an enzyme that you use to take energy from glucose specifically, you can't take it from anything else, and you use it to recycle glutathione which is a master antioxidant of the cell.  You also need this to support the recycling of vitamin K and folate and you need this for synthesis of neurotransmitters among other things. But the big problem with G6PD deficiency is that you can have a lot of things go sideways when you can’t use this pathway. Red blood cells become more vulnerable to hemolysis and that is a result of oxidative stress from poor glutathione recycling in the red blood cell.  One of the adaptive responses to having G6PD deficiency is the glutathione reductase enzyme -- which is the enzyme that uses riboflavin and niacin to recycle glutathione with the energy taken from G6PD.  That enzyme -- glutathione reductase -- it develops a voracious appetite for riboflavin that makes all the riboflavin that won't go anywhere else, get sucked up into that enzyme. So basically you become very dependent on riboflavin support of glutathione reductase because you have lost G6PD, the enzyme that's involved in passing the energy on to riboflavin in glutathione reductase. There's probably no harm to starting at 400 milligrams of riboflavin a day, but if you feel like you want to be more cautious about it, I'd start at 5 or 10 milligrams a day, test the effect on glutathione status. You know in this case I think you want to look at erythrocyte glutathione status, I don't usually recommend that test, but it might be a more relevant test specifically for this condition.  What I would usually recommend for glutathione status would be plasma levels of glutathione. I also think LabCorp does whole blood glutathione.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Are there diminishing returns in the amount of fish in a weekly diet? I know you mentioned eating fish about twice a week. I've been trying to eat salmon once a day. Is there an ideal ratio of fish to non-fish protein you should aim for? There's not a lot of data backing that up and the data we have is pretty poor quality. But I'm of the mind that the diminishing returns come after one or two servings of fatty fish per week. I think if you're talking about white fish it's different. But I am referring to salmon or mackerel — I think once a week or twice a week is good.  As for white fish — it's not as different from meat as you might think, the real big difference in my view is there are some different, like there's selenium and iodine among other things. The big difference in salmon, mackerel, and other fatty fish, versus lean fish versus meat is the type of fat.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How to deal with the fact that blood tests for nutritional status aren’t adapted to children? There aren't childhood-based ranges that are data-driven. So what if the ranges need to be a little bit different in children? The approach in the Cheat Sheet is not to rely exclusively on ranges, it's also to look at the diet and lifestyle analysis and to look at signs and symptoms.  So what you do is you piece together: does the diet and lifestyle analysis, the blood lab, and the signs and symptoms all say deficiency X, too much Y. Then that's very good information and what you do is you intervene on the basis of what seems probable and you monitor the outcome. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: I just saw an email from Matt Stone referring to the overly deified nutrient vitamin A. Also, a few Weston A. Price Foundation bloggers are starting to spread the word about being sick on a high vitamin A diet. Any thoughts about this and comments about Vitamin A being toxic? You shouldn't deify any nutrient, right? Any point of view that breaks down the world into good and bad molecules, is a doomed-to-failure point of view because molecules don't have virtues.  Everything is about context. Too much vitamin A cannot be defined outside of context. Not just what your needs are, not just what your genetics are, not just what your turnover rate is, not just whether you are getting pregnant, but also the presence of other things in the diet. For example, vitamins D, E, and K, which will affect the vitamin A requirement because they all regulate each other's breakdown. Some people have too much Vitamin A. Some people take more vitamin A than they should. There's dozens of case reports of vitamin A toxicity, but there's no evidence that people at normal intakes who are not supplementing are getting inflammation from consuming dietary levels of vitamin A. The RDA is 3,000 IU. If you're correcting deficiency, 10,000 IU is highly reasonable over a short period of time. On the other hand, if you have someone who has a very long history of taking vitamin A supplements at 30,000, 40,000, 50,000 IU over 3 years, then, yeah, they might have all kinds of problems from that because they're taking too much. Toxicity is also way more likely if they're not taking vitamin D, vitamin E, or vitamin K. There's nothing remotely controversial about that; no reason to question it.  There are probably a lot of people in Weston A. Price who think that more of a good thing is better, and I know for a fact that many people were taking two or three tablespoons of high-vitamin cod liver oil for many years. That was nuts then and it's nuts now; they’re getting too many fat-soluble vitamins and too many polyunsaturated fatty acids from high levels of cod liver oil like that.  But again, 3 to 10,000 IU, even long-term, there's no evidence of toxicity. Some people are going to be intolerant. I know anecdotes of people who take vitamin A at very low doses and it causes some hypersensitivity reaction. I don't know what causes it. So there will be stories of people who improve when they take the vitamin A out of their diets. It will happen, it makes sense. And on top of that there are epidemic proportions of people with fatty liver. What happens when fatty liver gets bad? The cells that store vitamin A in the liver dump their vitamin A into the bloodstream so they can transform into cells that lay scar tissue down in the liver. So people with fatty liver, which is about three-quarters of people who are obese, right, so about 70 million Americans, maybe more now, have fatty liver disease. Some proportion of them are laying down scar tissue in their livers and they are losing the ability to properly store and metabolize vitamin A.  Could taking vitamin A out of the diet for them help? Probably, but it's a very tough place to be in because those people are going to have cellular vitamin A deficiency. So it's like, do you save the liver or do you save everything else? It makes sense to temporarily withdraw vitamin A, but really you need to just fix the obesity and fatty liver disease, then restore vitamin A that is needed. I have no problem saying that some people take too much vitamin A and that it can be toxic, but there are people going around right now saying that vitamin A is intrinsically toxic, and those people are absolutely nuts. That's flat-Earth level thinking that it's just intrinsically toxic and not a vitamin. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Is it ok to mix carbs and fat? There are a lot of people on the internet that claim the Randle cycle is behind America being fat, since the standard American diet is mixed in fats and carbs. Yet, I feel great on a diet of about 30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbs, based on meat, potatoes, fruits, and vegetables.  The randle cycle addresses why you would have elevated fatty acids or hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia due to competition. You're more likely to have circulating energy supplies in your blood due to poor tissue uptake when you're consuming carbs and fats together, and you're more likely to be more dependent on a higher insulin response. This doesn't mean that mixing them causes diabetes, it just means that there is more substrate competition and that, all else equal, if someone is on the edge of diabetes eating a mixed diet increases the probability that they're going to go over that edge because of the substrate competition contributing to hyperglycemia and the greater insulin requirement than someone who's on a low-carb or low-fat diet. If you have no evidence of metabolic dysfunction on a mixed diet, then there's no issue. Most Americans are fat because of caloric balance. Thinking that the glycemic or insulin response to eating plays a role in body fat gain is the same erroneous thinking that Taubes makes. There’s an element of truth in Taube’s carb-centric model, in that some people are going to eat more food in response to a high-carb diet if they have blood sugar problems. But that isn’t the norm. To say that the Randle cycle is the cause of obesity is making the same mistake because it’s focusing on the glycemic and insulin responses to eating instead of overall energy balance. What makes you fat is eating too much food.  The only thing that you should change about the calories in calories out (CICO) hypothesis, on a practical level, is to say that it tells you very little about the behavioral modifications that someone needs to make to sustain the caloric deficit over time. So, why do people get fat? I largely endorse Stephan Guyenet's view: it's basically the proliferation of hyperpalatable food. A mixed diet leverages the principle of creating a hyperpalatable diet by mixing carbs and fat, but your diet doesn't sound hyperpalatable. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Can you explain what parent essential oils are? I was given some articles that seemed to be saying that high-dose cold-water fish oils are damaging to cell membranes and mitochondrial function. "Parent essential oil" is a term invented by Brian Peskin, who looked at some  data that said it's not clear that supplementing with fish oil is good for you because doing so can cause oxidative stress and cause damage to cells. That's true because the highly unsaturated oils found in fish oil, as well as in liver and egg yolks, are highly vulnerable to being damaged. This includes the physiologically essential omega-3 fatty acid, DHA, and omega-6 fatty acid, arachidonic acid.  But that damage comes only when you eat too much. This is where I think Peskin is wrong, because he took that data and concluded that you don’t want to eat any of these oils. Instead, you should eat oils like flaxseed that provide the “parent” fatty acids that your body turns into DHA and arachidonic acid. But the parent oils are prone to being damaged too, just to a lesser extent. On a gram to gram basis, they are safer, but you need to eat a ton of parent oils to get the physiological requirement for DHA and arachidonic acid. So, on a daily requirement basis, the parent essential oils are going to be way more damaging. I recommend simply taking a small amount of arachidonic acid and DHA, since then you fulfill your requirements regardless of genetics or the environment or whatever could impede the transformation of parent oils to these physiologically essential oils. High-dose fish oil is ridiculous, and risky, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consume any.  Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What are your thoughts on monitoring HRV for optimizing performance? Measure your HRV every night and you stop exercising entirely to get a baseline.  You completely stop working out, you don't go “oh no I'm going to lose my muscle mass,” nothing's going to happen for a week or two. And this is the whole foundation of you having good data. This baseline ensures that you have good starting data that isn’t influenced by anything.  Now you start working out. You do one workout that's typical, you keep taking your HRV, you may see your HRV plummet. Then you say, how long does it take me to recover on my current diet and lifestyle? You repeat that, like you don't work out again until it's back up to the plateau level. Then you work out again and you see if you have a repeatable response where there's a certain amount of time on average that's fairly replicable that it takes you to recover your peak HRV after your typical workout. Then when you have that you get on that frequency. You can then start playing around with factors — like does it matter what type of workout I do? Is my recovery level consistently different when I lift weights at 5 reps per set versus 15 reps per set. Is my recovery time consistently different when I do cardio, or when I do cardio and weights on the same day, or when I play soccer. Then you can start to tailor your recovery time around the specific workouts. Maybe it takes you two days to recover from one workout and four days recovering from another. Lower body, upper body, if you have a lower body upper body split, does it take me five days to recover the lower body and does it take me three days to recover from upper body? At that point you can start tweaking diet and lifestyle. Do I recover faster if I eat more carbs? Do I recover faster if I eat food X?  Do it recover faster if I take supplement X? Always testing one thing at a time and making sure it's replicable before you form a conclusion before you do the next test. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Why did the FDA have a vitamin A requirement during pregnancy at 8,000 IU, which is much higher than the IOM recommendations in the past? I have no idea. I do know that the concerns around vitamin A during pregnancy are that in the first weeks of pregnancy, 10,000 IU and higher has been associated with birth defects. That was one prospective study in 1995, which is higher quality than retrospective studies, but still contradicted all the retrospective studies that came to the opposite conclusion.  So, there's no good consensus on the data, there's just moderately justifiable paranoia about the possibility that you could could cause birth defects. Also, there were like seven or eight letters to the editor about why that study had a bunch of problems with it, like the data just doesn't make sense. So the basis for restricting A in pregnancy is a theoretical concern that doesn't have a lot of data to support it. That said, I see no reason why someone needs 10,000 IU or more going into the first eight weeks of pregnancy. If you eat liver once or twice per week, you're not getting more than that. If you took a half a teaspoon of cod liver oil every day, you're not getting more than that. If you eat eggs and dairy every day, you're not getting more than that.  So, I would not supplement with 10,000 IU and higher vitamin A going into pregnancy, not because I'm super paranoid and there is good data justifying the restriction, but because the theoretical concern outweighs the lack of theoretical benefit in most cases for most women. Now if that woman is trying to get pregnant, but her serum retinol is low and her eyes are dry and her night vision is bad and she has hyperkeratosis, then you bend the rules a little bit because you have an obvious justification to get her vitamin A levels up.  It's just speculation versus speculation, so why not pave the middle ground of what you would reasonably get from food? This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Does mixing carbohydrate with fat cause people to get fat because of the Randle cycle? There's a theory floating around on the internet that mixed diets are more fattening than low-carb or low-fat diets because of the metabolic competition between glucose and fatty acids.  I don't believe this to be true because, in the context of isocaloric diets, mixed diets don’t seem to be more fattening than low-carb or low-fat diets. Isocaloric diets are important for understanding physiological cause and effect, but they interfere with the real-life practical understanding of something. We want to use isocaloric science to study the academic question of, physiologically, are carbs and fat more fattening when combined than not combined. But, in real life, people eat more food on a mixed diet than they eat on a low-fat or low-carb diet. I think someone who says mixed diets are more fattening because of the Randle Cycle is totally misunderstanding this. They are more fattening because of the hyperpalatability factors that Stephan Guyenet has explained.  Also, they probably are more likely to cause metabolic harm because of what Alex Leaf has explained about the Randle Cycle in his post, “Why you may reconsider buttering your potato” at Superhumanradio. He was arguing that you don't want to put butter on your potato because you have substrate competition between glucose and fatty acids, which makes it more difficult to clear the glucose from your blood and causes a compensatory higher insulin response. I'm not so insulin-centric that I believe that you necessarily always want to be minimizing your insulin response, and I definitely know that I have friends and colleagues who disagree with me on that, but I just don't view any disease, including type-2 diabetes, as a problem with hyperinsulinemia. The short of it is that the more you mix carbs and fat in your diet, the more likely you are to overeat. You don't necessarily overeat, but it's way more probable because it's hyperpalatable. The more you mix carbs and fat, the more you don't specialize in one or the other. What's the most efficient thing to do? If you eat a high-carb, low-fat diet your body specializes in burning carbs, you eat a high-fat, low-carb diet your body specializes in burning fat — and you're not going to do either of those as good if you're eating a mixed diet. Can you do them good enough? Often times, but if you have metabolic problems you might want to try a low-carb or a low-fat diet so you can specialize and be more efficient with your metabolism, because if you have metabolic problems whatever you're doing isn't working for you right now. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What to do if gamma-tocopherol levels are low-normal while taking 100 IU/d of alpha-tocopherol.   My initial impression is that there is nothing wrong because I don't care that much about gamma tocopherol. My doctoral research specialized in gamma tocopherol and there is some evidence that gamma tocopherol does some things that alpha tocopherol doesn't do. It’s likely that people who take high-dose alpha tocopherol supplements are suppressing their gamma tocopherol levels. But you don’t have to be in the middle of the green for gamma tocopherol on the ION test. So if you are taking a 100 IU of alpha tocopherol at the time of test, then stop taking that and replace it with TocoSorb, or take a lower dose. I think a reasonable dose of vitamin E for the average person is 20 IU. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What to do if taking biotin and yet beta-hydroxyisovalerate is elevated. Well in theory that's a marker of biotin deficiency, but you might have a defect in a biotin-dependent enzyme so you can try 5 milligrams, but if you still have high beta hydroxy isovaleric you need to start looking at a metabolic disorder, providing there are symptoms. You might have a 20% decrease in that enzyme activity. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: For someone who is taking 45 mg of vitamin B6 as P5P but has xanthurenate, kynurenate, and quinolinate high in the urine as markers of vitamin B6 deficiency, and who is a man with high estrogen, what should they do? If you have xanthurenate and kynurenate spilling into your urine, it means that quinolinate would be building up. Quinolinate is usually the last thing to rise in B6 deficiency.  Quinolinate is an excitotoxin: it both can cause neurotoxicity like glutamate does and it can also make you hypersensitive to glutamate, effectively giving you a glutamate sensitivity.  You clarified that quinolinate is in the fourth quintile. So you're kind of in the zone quinolinate might be a problem, particularly if you have trouble sleeping, or if you have trouble with anxiety, or you have anything that would be related to glutamate sensitivity, like headaches.  If you have any of those symptoms, they could be from quinolinate buildup. In that case, I recommend increasing B6. I would titrate it up to 100 mg. I'd be very cautious going higher than that. Don't take any pyridoxine hydrochloride ever. Second course of action is look at iron and riboflavin levels. If there's any things wrong with those fix them, since they are needed to properly convert tryptophan alongside B6.  Third course of action is to reduce protein intake, if necessary, or search for low tryptophan proteins and focus on those to meet your protein needs. You need at least a few hundred milligrams of tryptophan in your diet to be okay. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: For someone who is homozygous for the H63D allele of the iron- and hemochromatosis-related HFE gene, if ferritin is low but transferrin saturation is high, should they still donate blood? H63D is one of the genes that predisposes to hemochromatosis, a condition of iron overload. Most clinicians who work in this area do not consider the H63D allele to be a concern because it's less severe. With that said, most people who are progressive on the iron research front do believe it's a concern. There is literature showing that people can get clinical hemochromatosis from it and you don't have to get clinically hemochromatosis to be worried about iron overload.    My opinion on this is going to be different than someone who is an expert clinician, but is not immersing themselves deeply in the physiological literature about how this works. I don't have the skills that they have in triaging and filtering who’s ideal for what treatment and looking at large numbers of people that do one or another treatment and knowing intuitively what happens in those — but what I do have is I have immersed myself very deeply in the physiology.  So the way that I look at this is as follows: iron saturation is an estimate of your transferrin saturation. It's a cheaper way to estimate it than to actually measure transferrin saturation, so it's much more common to get iron saturation. But let's assume that we're talking about actual transferrin saturation or that iron saturation is a good metric of it. That's your short-term iron storage. Ferritin is your long-term iron storage. The defect in the H63D allele, same for the C282Y allele of the HFE gene, the two moderate and severe hemochromatosis alleles. Allele is a variant of the gene.  In normal physiology what happens is transferrin acts as a gauge of your iron status. The normal physiological levels are between 30 and 40 percent. Now being 41 percent doesn't mean you have a disease, we're not talking about diagnosis here, we're talking about understanding the physiology.  Mechanistically this is designed so that as you go from 30 to 40 percent and especially as you go over 40 percent that communicates the signal to a hormonal system that says you have more iron than you need. So you ramp down iron absorption and you ramp up ferritin. Why do you ramp up ferritin? Because you have more than you need in your short-term storage, so that's when you put it into your long-term storage. Also, because ferritin is a protective response that prevents you from having free iron. Free iron is bad because it feeds pathogens and it makes infections worse. Free iron is bad because it causes oxidative stress and causes wear and damage on your tissues. And so to avoid free iron you ramp up ferritin while you take down your absorption from food at the same time. And now is that a problem at all?  You could debate that, but if you're just talking, if you're not talking about diagnosis and you're talking about wellness, and you're talking about health management then… What I would want to do myself in that situation is I would first of all not let the ferritin go under 20, and if it's going near there I would be getting a CBC to make sure I'm not making myself anemic. And so I would not stop donating blood just because the ferritin is going down 60, 50, 40, I would consider it a gray area, it would be my preference to focus on the transferrin saturation and get it consistently under 40%. You get the pinprick to look at your serum iron levels, they're not going to let you donate blood if you're actually in the danger zone of anemia. So I would get the CBC to be proactive about it. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: Thoughts on lowering my resting heart rate. It's often in the high 80s or low 90s once I'm up for the day. I wish I knew the answer to that. I'd use it for my heart rate. I don't even measure my heart rate because my whole life it's been kind of high. I think breathing and meditation are probably the best things that you can do.  I've typically had a white coat syndrome response to getting my blood pressure taken, and because as soon as I feel the pressure, I start to get anxiety and I'm like, “oh no it feels like it's high” and I get an adrenaline rush. A couple of years ago I got rejected from giving blood three times in a year because either my blood pressure, or my pulse was too high when they measured it, both because of the adrenaline surge. I was not able to donate blood until I started using Headspace, the meditation app, in particular the visualizations of the happiness portion. The first time I was able to donate blood was when I went in to get my blood pressure and pulse taken and I imagined that bright light in the middle of my chest I just did the visualization and "boom" my heart rate and my pulse, just went straight into normal zone because I was able to create an association between that visualization and the state that the meditation produced.  So that would be the first thing that I'd try. If I find out that I have a medical condition with a physiological solution I'll let you know, because I have the same thing. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question:  How to manage the zinc-to-copper ratio and what to do if zinc and copper are both low-normal when supplementing with 15 mg of zinc and 1 mg of copper. I don't recommend looking at the zinc-to-copper ratio. Although there are studies correlating health endpoints with the zinc-to-copper ratio, I do not believe that it is a causal factor in disease.  I believe the zinc-to-copper ratio is often associated with disease because inflammation raises plasma copper and lowers plasma zinc, based on taking zinc up in the cells and mobilizing stored copper out of the liver. You want zinc and copper at the right levels; the ratios are less important. You want both around the middle of the reference range; the bottom of the range is not adequate. If you are taking a supplement, then the simplest thing to do would be to take it twice per day instead of once per day and to make sure you are taking it on an empty stomach. Up to 50 mg of zinc will not cause nausea on an empty stomach in most people if you take it with a full glass of water. Some people do have digestive issues when supplementing on an empty stomach, and if you need to take it with food, do not supplement anywhere near phytate, which is the principal inhibitor of zinc absorption and is found in whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. I recommend Jarrow’s zinc balance, which has the exact ratio that you’re talking about. It’s a convenient way to have the copper in the zinc supplement already. But if you are low in copper, this isn’t an adequate source for two reasons: (1) the amount of copper is too low, and (2) the form of copper isn’t ideal (it has lower bioavailability because it’s not the oxidation state that you get in food). For a copper supplement, I would want to use food first, and liver capsules if you want a supplement. For foods, check out the tiers of copper-rich foods that I recommend, which includes liver, cocoa powder, and certain mushrooms. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What nutrients are needed to break down old, damaged bone and build new, healthy bone? So you are breaking down bone all the time throughout every second of your life.  We are always breaking down bone, we are always building up new bone, and if you had any kind of defect in the ability to break down old bone, then you would have problems manifesting elsewhere.  Bone breakdown is necessary to maintain your serum calcium levels. You would probably be having severe hypocalcemic attacks if you were not breaking down your old bone — and you probably also would have exercise intolerance and/or poor exercise performance as a result of the undercarboxylated osteocalcin released from bone, which acts as a hormone to improve energy utilization during exercise.   In fact the overwhelming problem in the general population is that people are breaking down too much bone and not building it back up enough.  So if you just look at the course of someone's life over time when we are young we are building more bone than we're breaking down and that, somewhere around 25 years old depending on male and female — we reach peak bone mass and then we spend the entire rest of our lives declining in bone mass. To some degree when you're building bone you need everything. So eating a nutrient-dense diet across the board is important, but things that are extremely important that kind of stand out from building other tissues when you're building bone is collagen. Half your bone is protein — about 95 percent of the protein in your bone is collagen. The limiting factor for collagen synthesis is glycine. Collagen peptides provide glycine and they also are better at stimulating collagen synthesis than just powdered glycine. So collagen peptides, bone broth, edible bones from canned fish or from the ends of small chicken bones, would all probably be helpful. Then clearly calcium and phosphorus are the overwhelming minerals in bones. So you need enough calcium and enough phosphorus — between the two of those in the population most people do not get enough calcium and get too much phosphorus. People get phosphorus from processed foods and from soda, and in addition to the natural phosphorus in meat and other foods. If you are not eating junk food you probably don't get too much phosphorus, but you still probably get enough. If you're not eating junk food, and you're not eating dairy, and you're not eating bones, you probably do not get enough calcium and in particular many people in the natural health community have read a lot of anti-calcium supplementation stuff. I want to emphasize over and over again that it's better to get calcium from food than to get calcium from supplements, but it's better to get calcium from supplements and then not get calcium.  Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What are my thoughts on detoxing heavy metals? My thoughts are first you need to look at how bad the heavy metal is and if it is even at a level that a conventional practitioner would say you have toxicity; for example lead.  If this is your situation then I don’t feel comfortable advising anyone here, but if your levels are slightly high and you would like to reduce them, then my suggestion would be zinc supplementation on the basis that most heavy metals produce a metallothionein increase.  Metallothionein is your endogenous chelatior.  The ability of the heavy metal to provoke that protective response is completely dependent on zinc concentrations inside your cell even across the range of deficiency through normal status through more zinc than you need, and there's no evidence for a threshold or cutoff.  So I think if your zinc status is fine and you boost your zinc status a little, without causing any zinc toxicity, or copper deficiency -- I think that's a very gentle and safe way to reduce your load of heavy metals.  Unless what you're seeing is arsenic, in which case methylation would be my focus because methylation plays a specific role in addressing arsenic. For anyone who hasn't seen that I have a comprehensive methylation resource at chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/24/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-17-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What to do about elevated morning blood glucose in the mid 90s. I think usually your morning glucose is primarily impacted by your hormones and very rarely impacted by what you ate the night before, unless you are severely glucose intolerant. So the overwhelming probability is that if your blood glucose is elevated in the morning and mid-90s is not tremendously high; it is most likely cortisol.  If there are other signs of slipping into pre-diabetes then I might come up with another explanation, but I don't think waking up in the morning and often having mid-90s glucose — with everything else being fine, is likely to be a sign other than cortisol levels. It's not necessarily a bad thing because you're supposed to have a cortisol spike in the morning. You may want to look at your cortisol levels over time. The DUTCH test can do that. It happens to look at a lot of other things that I think are useful so that might be my first go-to.  First you want to know if that's actually the issue.  If cortisol is out of range then you probably want to look at stress reduction as a first step, and there's some evidence for using phosphatidylserine to lower cortisol.  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: neither my mother nor myself respond to T3 supplementation (cytomel; up to 140 mcg/d). Body temp remains low and reverse T3 stays normal. Could you discuss the factors that might interfere with thermogenesis in response to T3, and offer considerations how to improve this? Having normal levels of reverse T3 tells you that the body isn’t deliberately getting rid of the thyroid hormone. High reverse T3 would be a sign that your body just doesn't want the thyroid hormone around. That doesn't seem to be happening and so that makes me wonder if there could be a problem with taking up the thyroid into the cells. In which case I would expect thyroid hormone levels to be higher in the blood then you would otherwise expect them to be. Or if there's a problem with the thyroid actually carrying out its functions inside the cell to regulate gene expression. This could be a zinc deficiency issue, since zinc is necessary to allow the thyroid receptor to bind to the DNA. In fact, zinc is necessary for everything that has a nuclear receptor that alters gene expression by binding to a nuclear receptor. This includes receptors for vitamin A and vitamin D, receptors for the sex hormones, and for thyroid hormones; all require zinc to act. But, you seem to be saying that your issue is a specific thermogenic response, which makes me ask, are you seeing every other thing that you would expect from thyroid  hormone and not thermogenesis?  If that's the case, I have no idea. But, if you're not seeing any of the effects from thyroid hormone that you would expect, then I would say maybe some kind of resistance to getting into the cell if blood levels are elevated. If blood levels are normal, then maybe it’s not acting on the nuclear receptor, which I'd think zinc deficiency.  I don't know what else you could do with the exception of measuring the free fatty acids, which would be high if you had a zinc deficiency. They might not be if you're taking insulin and you're eating moderate to high carb. Get free fatty acids measured, which would often be called NEFA, for non-esterified fatty acids. You know you can't have everything. I would rather your pancreas just start making all the insulin it needs, but options are limited, right? so I don't know if you can fix the temperature issue. If you can with fixing it at the root problem great, but if you can't then absolutely I would I would manage your temperature with clothing.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: "What are your top three non-nutrient factors that prevent someone from entering beta-oxidation or ketogenesis? I mean like sleep disruption." Top three non-nutrient factors? Unless you are taking a drug that prevents lipolysis, then they aren't non-nutrient.  The overwhelming things that govern those are carbohydrate and fat intake. You eat more fat, you have more beta-oxidation. You eat less fat, you have less beta-oxidation. You eat less carbohydrate beyond a threshold. ==I don't think sleep disruption is going to do that. Sleep disruption is going to increase your stress hormones — so with sleep disruption, your cortisol is going to spike, and it's going to increase your appetite for junk food —  so you're probably more likely to eat things that are anti-ketogenic when you're sleep-deprived because you're eating more junk food, which has more carbs. You probably are not going to have lower beta-oxidation. You're probably going to have higher oxidation because you're going to eat more fat. But most people do not have impairments in beta-oxidation.  If you have a riboflavin deficiency, you can have an impairment in beta-oxidation, but even in disease states, beta-oxidation is higher. If you have a fatty liver, beta-oxidation is increased because your liver is trying to get rid of fat. The overwhelming thing governing beta-oxidation is the relative balance of fat going into your tissues versus out. To the extent carbs displace the fat from being burned, carbohydrate is going to decrease beta-oxidation —  but if you're eating carbohydrate, and you're eating more fat, versus less fat, you're going to have more beta-oxidation when you eat more fat.  So, yes, sleep disruption will disrupt the appropriate way of handling those things, but I don't think it's going to block ketogenesis or beta-oxidation, except by messing up your appetite. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: "Any recommendations for peripheral neuropathy? Testing vitamin B, lion's mane?" First of all, there is no such thing as vitamin B. I'm not trying to be a nitpick, but there's literally almost a dozen B vitamins, with different tests, that do different things. So, I think it's important to establish a habit of never saying vitamin B because, not to be a grammar nitpick, but I just think it's misleading to think about the concept of vitamin B.  There are quite a few B vitamin deficiencies that can cause peripheral neuropathy.  You can also cause peripheral neuropathy by taking vitamin B6 in too high doses, and that's one of the reasons why you have to separate them out because B6 is unique among the other B vitamins in that respect.  In Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet; I have an index of signs, and if we go into peripheral neuropathy, I have listed here deficiencies of thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin E — toxicity of selenium and B6.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: "If cholesterol, LDL-P, and oxidized LDL are high, the sterol panel is normal, and TGs are great, would you suspect clearance of the particles driven by LDL receptor in the liver is the issue, and what would you recommend to boost LDL-R?" Yes, it sounds like you should target LDL-R.  The big regulators of LDL-R function are thyroid hormone, and the amount of cholesterol in the liver cell, and anything that brings bile acids into the feces, and that's generally a high-fiber diet; psyllium husk would be a fiber you could add. Thyroid hormone is the other piece of that, and that you target with higher carbohydrate intake. Higher carbohydrate intake also acts on PCSK9 to boost LDL receptor activity.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: "What are your recommendations on magnesium supplements and dosage?” My opinion is that most people shouldn't be supplementing with high doses of magnesium. I think if you're going to supplement with more than 400 milligrams a day, you should be testing your magnesium status, and you should be making decisions on that. I think there's way too many people throwing really high doses of magnesium into their system.  The topical stuff makes sense if you're absorbing poorly, but hey, maybe you're absorbing poorly because you don't need it, and so I think you really have to judge it against real metrics of results. So, in terms of types, I would not recommend magnesium oxide for anything. It's poorly absorbed, so maybe you could argue that magnesium oxide is going to help act as a laxative better, but that's not bowel function, that's pharmacologically modulating your bowel transit time. So, I don't think it makes sense to deliberately take a poorly absorbed magnesium to have that effect. The good sources of magnesium are: magnesium citrate is okay, glycinate is okay, malate is okay, across the board, I genuinely don't believe that the form is that important. It's just that oxides of minerals including magnesium are generally poorly absorbed. There isn’t much difference in the other forms. As always tailor it to the individual. I wouldn't give blanket recommendations there. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: "Calcium score, is there a way to treat one's calcium score and get it to zero?" ⇒ No, you don't treat the calcium score. You take the calcium score as indicative of what's going on in atherosclerosis, and you treat that. The goal, I think, is calcium score equals zero. No, that's a bad goal because that's like saying my goal this year is to be a billionaire. Is that going to make me harder and get closer to it? I don't know. You set somewhere what the ideal is, but then you don't think about that, you think about — okay — what's the next step right now in front of me. What you focus on is the thing that's right in front of you. So, maybe you want to be a billionaire -- but your goal is, how do I increase my revenue this month? Not how do I be a billionaire this year. If you want a calcium score of zero, fine, but you don't think about that; you think about how do I lower my calcium score, because then when you lower your calcium score, you do more of that. When you do something that raises your calcium score, you do less of that. In atherosclerosis, calcium is super driven by the atherosclerotic progress. So, ideally it would be nice if you had ultrasound imaging of your carotid IMT. If you have advanced plaque formation, you probably will be able to see that on the IMT, like you can see how the plaque is developing and whether the actual atherosclerotic plaque is. K2 is relevant there, but a general deficiency of K2 is more likely to manifest as diffuse calcium deposits everywhere in the artery. So, it might be that your LDL is high, and then that's what you should be focusing on.  You really have to start from point A through B through C, and K2 is one of those things, but you need to look at all the factors that can be contributing to atherosclerosis. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: "What do you think of alternative testing like hair mineral analysis or SpectraCell?" I'm against SpectraCell on the basis of, it's not validated. I gave more details in a podcast episode "What Makes a Good Marker of Nutritional Status?" and you can find that at chrismasterjohnphd.com/marker. Hair mineral analysis; I like hair mineral analysis when there is nothing better and more validated. For a lot of the trace minerals where we don't have good, validated markers of nutritional status, so I think hair mineral analysis is good. I also think hair mineral analysis is good if you don't have the money to do something comprehensive with all the best markers, and you want something that can clue you in when something might be off. So, the nice thing about it is, with less money, you cover all the minerals. The less nice thing about it is, it's not very well validated quantitatively.  Even where there's data, like for example — it is validated that your iron in your hair tends to be higher when your iron in your body is higher, and vice versa. But it's not validated to say, when hair is X amount, this is when you need more iron, and when hair is Y amount, this is when you need less. The way that the blood markers are — like transferrin saturation, ferritin, hemoglobin, all these more validated markers. We have tons of quantitative data saying — the normal range is this — the optimal range is this. You lose the precision when you go back to the hair mineral analysis. I wouldn't use it — the thing is, if you spend $200 on a hair mineral analysis, that's $200 that you can't put towards your Genova ION Panel, or you could have gotten four iron panels with that, right?  So, you have to be careful that if your financial resources are constrained, you might want to do the hair mineral analysis on that basis, but it might be a better financial decision long-term to hold onto that money and do free stuff. In Testing Nutrition Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, what I say is, if you don't have the money for the comprehensive testing, you focus on the things that are free.  You do the dietary and lifestyle analysis.  You do the symptom analysis.  Then you go to the things that that indicates is most probable, and then you do the best validated test. Maybe this diet and symptom analysis all points you to iron, and you spend $60 on the iron panel, and that gives you more payoff than $200 on a hair mineral analysis.  So, it's not an obvious choice about when to get the suboptimal test. It's something you have to think about carefully. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: How do I address edema?  Edema is basically going to be caused by excess salt retention in the body. The reason is that with the exception of very extreme scenarios, your body is going to tightly regulate the sodium concentration of the water in your body, and sodium draws water.  Now, that's not to say that the cause is eating salt. And there are cases where eating salt might remove edema. But generally salt retention of total water volume is going to be a big factor. In hypothyroidism it becomes I believe at least partly about glycoproteins in those spaces that are holding onto water.  If it's thyroid-related, you're not really talking about nutritional support, you're talking about fixing your thyroid. Maybe that means nutritional support, but it might mean other things. But the nutrition is aimed at the thyroid, not the edema. Maybe manganese would help modulate those glycoproteins in hypothyroidism the same way that it does in regulating the stickiness of the arterial wall. I'm totally guessing on that. Edema in the menstrual cycle is caused by high aldosterone, which is probably caused by high progesterone. I know that everyone in alternative health thinks that progesterone is the good hormone, and estrogen is the bad hormone — but in PMS water retention, I believe progesterone is just accumulating so much that it's spilling into aldosterone. I genuinely don't know what to do about the high progesterone, but about the high aldosterone. Magnesium and B6 have been shown to help with that. I did an episode about that, so I would Google "Masterjohn what to do about menstrual weight gain" for more details on thata. Then I would play around with salt and potassium. So, generally less salt during that time and more potassium in the diet are potentially going to be helpful. I think the principles are going to be similar elsewhere. It doesn't have to be in the menstrual cycle. You are generally going to find that salt is increasing extracellular water, and potassium is increasing intracellular water, and that's often going to be a factor in edema that can't be tied to thyroid hormone. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: "How do you determine if you're getting enough protein? I heard Dr. Stephen Phinney say, for those on a keto diet, if ketones are greater than 3 on a regular basis, then it's a sign you're not getting enough protein." First of all, why are you on a ketogenic diet?  If your purpose is to get the ketones, why wouldn't you want your ketones higher than 3? The ketogenic diet is, regardless of what people are doing it for, it's best tested in terms of epilepsy, and the classical ketogenic diet gets ketone levels up to 3 or 4 millimoles per liter… sometimes higher. Then the question is, you're not doing it for medical therapy, why are you doing it?  If you're doing it to lose weight, who cares what your ketones are?  There's a ton of people out there who are on a "ketogenic diet" who don't care what their ketones are because they're doing it for weight loss, for body composition, or to feel better. If those are what your goals are, your metrics should just be whether you're losing weight, whether you're getting better body composition, or whether you're feeling better. There's no data backing up the fact that you can measure your blood ketones and determine what any of those outcomes are going to be. That has nothing to do with why you need protein. Yes, too much protein is probably going to lower your ketones. Protein is anti-ketogenic. It's not as anti-ketogenic as carbs are, so I get the kernel of truth that Phinney is getting at. The higher your protein is, the lower your ketones are going to be, and maybe there's some general correlation to be seen across people that the people who tend to have ketones that high tend to not be eating enough protein, but that's a correlation that has nothing to do with the underlying reason of why you eat protein.  You eat protein because you need protein to optimize your neurotransmitters, you need protein to optimize your metabolism, and you need protein to optimize your body composition. The number one metric that we have on protein intakes and quantifying them is on body composition, and you want a half a gram, to a gram of protein for every pound of target body weight. So, if you're trying to gain muscle, use what you want to have at the end of gaining muscle. If you are overweight, use what your ideal weight would be. And the more you care about your body composition, the more you should aim for the top of that range instead of the bottom. It doesn't matter if you're keto or not. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: What supplements would you recommend for a ketogenic diet? Any concerns with carbs being that low?  If someone's on a keto diet and they have 80 grams total carbs, the first question I have is where are the carbs coming from?  That's really going to determine whether the person needs supplements. So, on a keto diet in general and protein, too? If you're eating a lot of fat instead of protein, then you're going to need supplements of the things found in protein foods. If your carbs are all coming from honey, then you're going to need things that are found in vegetables. ==>You just can't tailor nutrient needs based on carb total data alone.  The biggest things would be make sure you're getting a gram of protein per pound of body weight if your ketones and goals can handle that load of protein. That'll protect you from a lot of nutrient deficiencies right there. Try to cook your proteins in ways that recapture the juices. That will help conserve the electrolytes.  You also probably want salt and either a lot of low-net carb vegetables, or you're probably going to need more potassium in your diet. Those are the big things that I'd look at. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: "Why would a male be low in calcium?" You either have something wrong with parathyroid hormone governing your calcium levels, in which case you would want to see a doctor about that, or you have a long-going deficiency of related nutrients.  Not enough calcium and not enough vitamin D should not cause low serum calcium — unless the deficiency has been going on for a very long time and is very bad. Then again, I don't know what measurement you're referring to. So, maybe the calcium was a tiny bit low, and you remeasure it, and it's not low anymore; it was a fluke.  But if you're talking about confirmed low serum calcium, then nutritionally, I would look at long-standing severe deficiencies of calcium and vitamin D. I'd follow it up with measurements of PTH and calcitriol to better assess the situation. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: "I keep waking up in the middle of the night and stay awake for hours. Would low carb make it worse?" It definitely could.  Your brain will consume 120 grams of carbohydrate every day, just your brain. There's got to be another 30 grams or so that would be used no matter what obligately by red blood cells, certain cells in the testes, the kidney, and the lens of the eye. Then the rest of your body — if you're eating not a ketogenic diet, the rest of your body is not really trying to burn fat, so it's going to burn through carbohydrate. Your liver stores about 90 grams of carbohydrate to be able to stabilize your blood sugar between meals, and overnight is the biggest time where it has to do that because overnight is the longest period of time that you go without meals. If you add that up, you're looking at like 250 grams of carbohydrate a day — and remember we haven't gotten to high-intensity exercise yet. Now, if you go on a ketogenic diet, what happens?  Well, your brain glucose consumption goes down from 120 grams a day to like 30 or 35 grams a day. You cannot and will not ever, ever, ever, ever, ever go to zero. That's one thing. You still have another 20, 30 grams of carbohydrate that you're burning through by cells that cannot burn anything else. You still have a minimum probably 60 or 70 grams of carbs per day that you need — even when you're maximally keto-adapted. I'm not saying you need to eat those carbs. You'll make them through gluconeogenesis if you don't eat them. But the rest of the body where the needs were flexible, has mostly shifted to burning fat for fuel on a long-term ketogenic diet. So, the real big problem is if you're not low-carb enough to be keto, but you're way under 200, 250 grams of carbs a day. Like, probably 100 grams of carbs a day is like, if it works for you, great, but if you have symptoms of low blood sugar at night, you shouldn't be spending a lot of time guessing why, because you're in this gray area where you are not keto-adapted, your brain is still burning through 120 grams a day, your liver still stores 90 grams a day, and the rest of your body still probably is preferentially burning carbs for energy instead of storing them for the most part because the carbs are there. So, your body is not deliberately, intensively reorganizing to conserve the carbohydrate in that gray area. ==If you are eating 50 or 100 grams of carbs, and you are in this place, then you absolutely should connect the two and see if increasing your carbs helps. Low-carb is not the best solution to high fasting glucose. There's a lot of people on low-carb who have high fasting glucose. There's a ton of people who go low-carb and develop high fasting glucose. That’s because a low carb diet alters the hormonal environment in two main ways: 1.) Increases the morning glucagon response.  2.) Increases adrenal hormones.  Both of these are early and late-stage adaptations to low glucose supply.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: "Which brand and dosage of no-carb electrolytes would you take at night to optimize sleep, especially after sauna use?" I would drink a bottle of Gerolsteiner, and I would add to it 100 milligrams of any kind of magnesium: citrate, glycinate, malate, those three are fine. And I would add to it 400 milligrams of potassium citrate, or bicarbonate if it's an empty stomach. You say no-carb. Because of the potassium, I personally would take maybe like a teaspoon of honey with this. I would also take some salt. Let's say a half a teaspoon, to a teaspoon of salt with it. The caveat being if you’re sodium sensitive you should be mindful not to overdo it. If you know you don't have a problem with salt and blood pressure, then I would recommend adding the sodium to the mix.  This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: "Vitamin K2, MK-4 and MK-7, might have caused prolonged heart palpitations. Upon stopping it, symptoms mostly resolved after a week or so. Does that mean that the body is better off without it? Might increasing calcium intake mitigate this?"  I would say, the calcium is really interesting. I genuinely hadn't thought of that until you mentioned it. Even though I've heard other people ask this question, I haven't had time to look into it, but you raise a good point. So, it is conceivable, for example, that your bone density has been very low because you have not had the K2 you needed to get the minerals into the bone. So when you get the K2, you start loading the calcium into the bone, but maybe because your whole body is programmed to assume things were the way they were before you started taking the K2, then it doesn't adapt fast enough to normalize your blood calcium, which, by the way, how do you normalize your blood calcium? You take calcium out of the bone. MK-4 has been studied in high-milligram doses as an osteoporosis drug because it inhibits bone resorption. If you inhibit bone resorption, you will definitely interfere with your ability to maintain normal serum calcium levels because bone resorption is how you do that. So, either you're giving the nutrients needed to get the calcium into the bone and the body is just prioritizing that because it's been missing them for so long, and your serum calcium drops — or you're actually creating signaling stopping bone resorption, and so your blood calcium drops because of that. Either way; taking calcium might impact that, and I would love to have some anecdotal data on that because there's no studies on K2and heart palpitations. So, I would love it if we have some anecdotes of people saying whether the calcium helps, especially since so much of the K2 stuff is so skeptical of calcium.  Kate Rheaume-Bleue's book Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox, I think it's a great book. Basically, what that book is, is an enormous elaboration of my 2007 article on Activator X and Weston Price.  If I had written that book, I would have done things a little bit differently. The whole idea of the calcium paradox that's in the title, I think it has merit. There is some data indicating that calcium supplements might worsen the risk of heart disease, but I think that the conclusions are way too anti-calcium, and I think there's too many people out there taking K2 who have it in their heads that calcium supplements are bad.  Calcium supplements are bad compared to getting enough calcium from food. A huge portion of those people are not getting enough calcium from food, and getting calcium is more important than where it comes from. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question, part 1: "Bovine colostrum from New Zealand cows. Yea or nay for those with dairy sensitivities? If nay, what would you recommend instead?" What is your goal? If you have a dairy sensitivity, your problem could be with casein, with the whey proteins, or with something more specific like certain antibodies. It's very complicated. You're less likely to tolerate colostrum if you have a known dairy sensitivity, but you can't really know without testing the colostrum. Question, part 2: "to settle a client's overactive immune system down." What, specifically, about the overactive immune system are we looking at? I would think maybe this is chronic inflammation that's not resolving, and then I'm thinking more about arachidonic acid and DHA. Question, part 3: "She can take a supplement one time and then the next time it throws her over. Same with food." Okay, that sounds to me like an oral tolerance issue. When you put something in your mouth, it goes to your gut, and then your immune system decides whether it's safe or whether it's not safe. Your immune system doesn't know anything when you're born; it is more or less a blank slate. You do have predispositions because you have genetics that impact categories of protein fragments that you have the potential to make a decision about, but you are never born having a tolerance or intolerance to something. You are born with very broad genetics that say, “I will make decisions about this category, I can't recognize this category, I will make decisions about this category.” So, you eat food or take supplements, you put something in your mouth, you swallow it. In your gut, your immune system says, “This might be something important, I'm going to take it back to my home base and decide what to do about it.” That home base is called the gut-associated lymphoid tissue, or GALT. Your immune system is deliberately taking things into that lymph tissue, purposefully taking fragments that are not completely digested for the purpose of making decisions about it. In the gut, how does it make that decision? Overwhelmingly, there are two pro-tolerance factors. They are prostaglandin E2, which is made from arachidonic acid, the omega-6 fatty acid that's found most abundantly in egg yolks and liver, and that is the direct target of anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin, high doses of EPA from fish oil, and probably a lot of herbal anti-inflammatories. They will lower prostaglandin E2, and prostaglandin E2 is critical for oral tolerance in the gut. So, any potential anti-inflammatory is a potential contributor to this. You need prostaglandin E2, made from COX-2 from arachidonic acid, made from everything that everyone believes is inflammatory. All the anti-inflammatory drugs, the Zone diet, almost everything written about inflammation says prostaglandin E2 is inflammatory. It is one of the two central causes of oral tolerance, of the immune system recognizing that something is safe. The other is retinoic acid made from vitamin A. So, to create a pro-tolerance environment, you want no COX inhibitors being taken, you want sufficient arachidonic acid in the diet, and you want sufficient vitamin A in the diet. Then what are the factors that tell the immune system, this is not safe, and that is tissue damage. So, the immune system is basically saying, "I will make a decision about this. To make this decision, I need data." So, what are the data that things are okay? Retinoic acid, prostaglandin E2. What are the data that say this is not okay? All the factors released during tissue damage because tissue damage is the number one sign that something is harmful. So, if the thing comes in and they're fine, then the next time they take it, they don't tolerate it. That sounds like they are programmed to decide that everything that comes in is a threat. And so they take it, and it gets into their system and it doesn't do anything, but meanwhile the immune system took a piece of that into gut-associated lymphoid tissue, and said, "We need to program to make an army against this threat," and so it's the second time that they took it that they have the reaction. And so that means, again, get the arachidonic acid, get rid of the anti-inflammatories, get the retinoic acid from the vitamin A, and thoroughly investigate any possible sources of tissue damage in the gut. I don't know if it's necessarily the gut. It could be tissue damage somewhere else that then the things circulate into the gut, but it's probably the gut because that's what's closest to the situation. So, those are the things that I would be looking at. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

In part 2 of The Carnivore Debate, we cover the philosophy of the carnivore diet and the potential pitfalls of carnivore and keto. The research that Dr. Saladino and I discussed with each other before this debate is listed in the show notes -- there are five pages of references! Here’s what we debated: What exactly is a carnivore diet? Is a 90% meat diet a carnivore diet, a carnivore diet you cheat on, a carnivore-ish diet, or just a meat-heavy omnivorous diet? And why definitions absolutely matter.  Is the carnivore diet ancestral? What can we learn from present-day hunter-gatherers, the archeological record, and our evolutionary history as revealed by our genes?  Who is the carnivore diet for?  To what extent do carnivore and keto overlap? What are the benefits of keto and how broadly applicable are they? What are the potential harms of keto? In particular: acid-base balance thyroid, stress, and sex hormones oxidative stress and glycation sports performance We agree we need to cycle between the fed state and the fasting state. Can the keto diet, designed to mimic fasting-state physiology, provide adequate fed-state signals to keep our body feeling well nourished? Inuit CPT-1a deficiency redux: did a genetic impairment in the ability to make ketones sweep through the Arctic to protect the Inuit from acidosis, or to help them stay warm? Dr. Saladino completed residency in psychiatry at the University of Washington and is a certified functional medicine practitioner through the Institute for Functional Medicine. He attended medical school at the University of Arizona where he worked with Dr. Andrew Weil focusing on integrative medicine and nutritional biochemistry. Prior to this, Dr. Saladino worked as a physician assistant in Cardiology. It was during this time that he saw first hand the shortcomings of mainstream western medicine with its symptom focused, pharmaceutical based paradigm. He decided to return to medical school with the hope of better understanding the true roots of chronic disease and illness, and how to correct these. He now maintains a private practice in San Diego, California, sees clients from all over the world virtually, and has used the carnivore with hundreds of patients to reverse autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, and mental health issues. When he is not researching connections between nutritional biochemistry and chronic disease, he can be found in the ocean searching for the perfect wave, cultivating mindfulness, or spending time with friends and family.  Find more of Dr. Paul Saladino on the Fundamental Health podcast and at https://carnivoremd.com Get my free 9-page guide to optimizing vitamins and minerals on the carnivore diet at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/carnivore  This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral  This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: Masterjohn and Saladino Show Notes 00:42 Cliff Notes 05:18 Introductions 05:28 What is a carnivore diet? 18:15 Is the ancestral human diet carnivore or omnivore? 50:40 Who is a carnivore diet for? 01:08:03 To what extent do carnivore and keto overlap? 01:10:34 Who is a keto diet for? 01:18:50 Ketogenic diets are only a partial mimic of fasting physiology 01:23:46 Ketones effect on the NAD/NADH ratio  01:27:31 Ketogenesis has opposite effects in the liver as in the ketone-utilizing tissue. 01:29:31 Ketogenic diets and oxidative stress 01:40:18 Longevity: why you want to cycle between the fasting state and the fed state 01:45:04 Can the ketogenic diet provide a sufficiently robust fed-state signal? 01:53:11 The keto diet and thyroid, stress, and sex hormones 02:10:05 Keto and sports performance 02:18:05 Why do the Inuit have a genetic impairment in making ketones, to protect against acidosis, or to stay warm? 02:35:48 Wrapping up Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/070-the-carnivore-debate-part-2

Dr. Paul Saladino, Carnivore MD, and I sit down to talk about the carnivore diet. In part 1, we focus on whether you can get all the vitamins and minerals you need on a carnivore diet, and how to best design a carnivore diet to maximize the nutrition you get. We discuss what I consider high-risk nutrients: Vitamin C Folate And what I consider conditional-risk nutrients: Manganese​  Magnesium​ Vitamin K​  Potassium​  Molybdenum​  We also chat about some other things: Dioxins in animal foods: a reason for vegetarianism?  The methionine-to-glycine ratio: balancing meat with bones and skin. Did paleo people get nutritional deficiencies? Bioindividuality: why we all have different needs and our needs evolve over time. Diversify to manage risk: does this mean eat plants, or just eat all the parts of an animal? Ketogenic diets and oxidative stress. Do carbohydrates give you more intracellular insulin signaling? Should carnivores eat dextrose powder for carbs? Are today’s hunter-gatherers representative of those from 80,000 years ago? Did the Maasai really mostly eat meat and milk? My open-door helicopter ride in Hawaii. Dr. Saladino completed residency in psychiatry at the University of Washington and is a certified functional medicine practitioner through the Institute for Functional Medicine. He attended medical school at the University of Arizona where he worked with Dr. Andrew Weil focusing on integrative medicine and nutritional biochemistry. Prior to this, Dr. Saladino worked as a physician assistant in Cardiology. It was during this time that he saw first hand the shortcomings of mainstream western medicine with its symptom focused, pharmaceutical based paradigm. He decided to return to medical school with the hope of better understanding the true roots of chronic disease and illness, and how to correct these. He now maintains a private practice in San Diego, California, sees clients from all over the world virtually, and has used the carnivore with hundreds of patients to reverse autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, and mental health issues. When he is not researching connections between nutritional biochemistry and chronic disease, he can be found in the ocean searching for the perfect wave, cultivating mindfulness, or spending time with friends and family.  Find more of Dr. Paul Saladino on the Fundamental Health podcast and at https://carnivoremd.com Get my free 9-page guide to optimizing vitamins and minerals on the carnivore diet at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/carnivore  This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: Masterjohn and Saladino Show Notes 2:11 Introductions 6:36 Dioxins in food.  14:33 Methionine to Glycine ratio. 23:08 Nutritional deficiencies in paleolithic people. 27:09 Bio individuality/diversity 36:07 Deficiencies that arise from eating only muscle meat. 37:26 Vitamin C 44:22 Weston A. Price’s documentation of whale stomach lining and moose adrenal as a source of vitamin C in Arctic diets. 56:03 Ketogenic diets, oxidative stress, and vitamin c.  58:36 Insulin 1:05:46 Antioxidant status. 1:22:44 Folate. 1:26:05 Riboflavin. 1:30:23 Manganese. 1:32:28 Dextrose powder. 1:37:31 Potassium/sodium. 1:52:37 Hunter gatherer diets now vs. 80 000 years ago. 2:03:05 The Maasai. 2:09:00 Vitamin K 2:19:00 The most radical thing I’ve done recently.  Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/069-the-carnivore-debate-part-1

Question: If your cholesterol is high, how do you avoid having a large burden of oxidized LDL? First, normalize your cholesterol.  And no, I’m not saying that high cholesterol is the cause of heart disease. It's not, but oxidized LDL is, and the number one cause of both high cholesterol and oxidized LDL is not clearing LDL particles from the blood. So, I would never skip over the question of what I can do to get cholesterol in the normal range. I think the boundaries of the normal range are a little exaggerated.  If you look at traditional cultures that eat a traditional diet, live a traditional lifestyle — they're not modernized, and they don't have heart disease — you do see cholesterol levels that go higher than ours.  So, for a man, maybe going up to 220 mg/dL in total cholesterol is pretty normal. For a woman in her 40s and 50s, up to 250 maybe. I'm not looking to change those numbers if lifestyle and diet are ancestral. If everything else about the data make it look like that person's very healthy — especially if direct measures of plaque development like carotid IMT, intima-media thickness, and coronary calcium score are normal. I wouldn't be thinking about fixing the cholesterol at that point. But, for someone whose cholesterol is like 300 mg/dL, you don't even see that in Tokelau, where the saturated fat content and the traditional cholesterol levels are the highest ever recorded in an ancestral population. So, when they're that high, you have to fix it as your first line of defense. That means improving LDL receptor activity.  The big things to look at are body composition, inflammation, fiber intake (higher fiber is generally better), and thyroid. Let's say you haven't brought the cholesterol down, what do you do to protect it? Well, that largely comes down to a few things. Imagine the lipoprotein leaves the liver, some as LDL, some as VLDL, both of which wind up being LDL at some point. It leaves the liver packaged with antioxidants. Those include vitamin E and coenzyme Q10, but it isn’t limited to those two. They are just the most important in this situation. When LDL is circulating in the blood, it gets behind the arterial wall, and that's the main site of oxidation. So, the question is, how oxidizing of an environment is that? Also, it gets stuck behind the arterial wall, so the question is, how sticky of an environment it is?  Because if it gets stuck in the oxidizing environment behind the arterial wall, then that's the very powerful regulator of whether it's going to oxidize.  So, the stickiness. Probably the dietary approach that best regulates the stickiness is manganese. Manganese is found mostly in plant foods and vegetarians have the highest intakes. People with plant-rich diets that also eat animal foods are in the middle. And people who eat a lot of animal foods and no plants are at the bottom. So, eat a lot of plant foods is one thing. There are some animal experiments specifically with blueberries as a source of manganese showing in animals that it makes the arterial wall less sticky, so there's that. Then there’s the oxidizing environment. A big part of that is systemic inflammation because if inflammation causes oxidative stress. You should have been looking at inflammation for high cholesterol in the first place. Assume you have that covered. And then antioxidants in general.  You're looking at protein, selenium, zinc, copper, iron, manganese, vitamin C, vitamin E, glycine… you're looking at so many things in there, so you really got to figure out what the weakest link is in that person and focus on that weakest link. There may be many. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: "I'm curious about the role of the lymphatic system in fat metabolism, specifically in high-fat, low-carb diets. Is there a biochemical explanation for why improving lymphatic circulation would improve fat metabolism?" Well, I wouldn't call it biochemical, I'd call it physiological, but yes.  Fat goes from your gut through your lymphatic system to your blood. If your lymphatic circulation is not good, neither is the delivery of your fat to any part of your body. It's as simple as that.  If your lymphatic system is slow, so is your delivery of fat to every organ in your body. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Question: "Lp(a) and genetic component with relation to cholesterol and risk of cardiovascular disease." First, I'm going to be able to give better answers to questions if they're more specific.  But to the question: Everyone seems to think that Lp(a) causes heart disease. I don't believe it. I don't believe it because the function of Lp(a) is to clean up oxidized LDL particles. It might have other roles, but that's one of the primary ones. So, we have two possible explanations for the correlation between Lp(a) and heart disease. Either Lp(a) causes heart disease and people with genetically elevated levels have a higher risk of heart disease, or it is correlated simply because people with more oxidized LDL particles (which does cause heart disease) have more Lp(a) to clean them up. I’ll be recording with Peter Attia on this topic, so I’ll brush up on Lp(a) data beforehand and may change my viewpoint, but this is my view right now. If anyone wants to send me data to look at to revise my view, I'll happily take a look. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

"Can magnesium hydroxide be absorbed via skin?" I don't know. I genuinely don't know. "I've been applying milk of magnesia as a deodorant alternative in spray form for a few years now, and it works well, but I'm concerned about I might be hypermagnesemic, as I'm having low pulse, low blood pressure, and frequent bowel movements." You might be hypermagnesemic. You should measure your magnesium status, for sure. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Concerns about long-term bicarbonate supplementation and other suggestions for raising pH Helen Donnell says, "Your post on urine pH and exercise tolerance was a game-changer for me, but anytime I miss a dose of bicarb, I'm right back to 5. Any long-term concerns with taking bicarb two to three times a day, any suggestions for other ways to get my system pH up?" Well, I will say in my case that I stopped taking the bicarbonate when I figured out that I had a zinc deficiency. So, for people who don't know the backstory here, Google "Masterjohn urine pH" and you'll probably get that blog post to come up. It's called "How Normalizing My Urine pH Helped Me Love Working Out Again".  The backstory in brief is, when I was going through the mold and barium toxicity crisis of turn of 2016 into 2017. I got to the point where it would take several days to recover from one workout. I couldn’t afford to be laid out like this I realized while looking at some lab tests —  a Genova ION Panel — had some findings that suggested pH imbalance problems. The only thing abnormal in my ION Profile was that my glutamine-to-glutamate ratio. The glutamate was really high, and the glutamine was really low.  First thought; sounds like a pH issue. I was talking with a friend of mine that led down the same rabbit hole, maybe the reason the workout is tanking me is because my system can't handle the lactic acid. So, I started measuring my urine pH, and my urine pH was very, very low. Less than 5.  I just kept taking bicarbonate at ¼ teaspoon increments. It just wasn't going anywhere until at some point, all the sudden I shot up out of bed, and I was like I want to work. I felt amazing. I went and measured my urine pH, and it was 6.  It was like it just went nowhere until I got enough bicarbonate in. Once that happened it crossed the threshold getting into 6, and all the sudden I felt amazing. That was the first big clue. Then I replicated things over time, and found that it was a consistent effect. What turned things around for me was when I realized that my zinc was low. That was because bicarbonate allowed me to work out consistently and gain more muscle mass. Gaining muscle made me get patches of dry skin.  Well, what do patches of dry skin mean? It’s the earliest sign of zinc deficiency. Resistance training increases muscle mass and that requires more zinc to sustain the new tissue.  What does zinc have to do with pH balance? Well, zinc is a cofactor for carbonic anhydrase, which is one of the main enzymes in regulating pH.  I started supplementing zinc and tested my plasma zinc. Even though I had been taking zinc for three days, my plasma zinc was at the level I associate with a deficiency — which is around 70. Once I started supplementing zinc, the pH problems went away.  So, zinc is definitely something I would look into. If zinc isn’t your issue, I would keep going down the rabbit hole and do a comprehensive analysis like I do with Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet.  Harms of bicarbonate: alkalinizing the stomach is the main one. To avoid complications you want to take it as far away from food as possible. I do think that excessive chronic use and alkalizing the stomach could lead to a lower ability to kill pathogens in the stomach and lead to overgrowth of bacteria in the stomach or small intestine. I would feel more comfortable about using it as a bridge to get from point A to point B and fixing the underlying regulatory problems as the destination. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Should you be more concerned about overall fat intake or saturated fat intake with familial hypercholesterolemia? Question: "I have familial hypercholesterolemia, as well as a mutation in my Lp(a). I listened to your 2016 podcast regarding FH and have implemented a low-fat diet and am in the process of fixing thyroid issues. My question is, can you please further explain whether I should be more concerned about overall fat or saturated fat intake?" To be clear, I am not treating anyone here. I am not a medical practitioner, so I am not treating the disease of familial hypercholesterolemia and this is just educational in nature.  As a general principle, if I'm thinking about familial hypercholesterolemia —  I would be thinking more about saturated fat, with that said, I would be testing it. First it depends on the specific saturated fatty acid, but saturated fat relative to other fats raises cholesterol levels. There are people that dispute that, but the data is super clear. This does not mean that everyone should lower their saturated fat intake because most people can probably accommodate that, right? Most people have a working system to regulate their cholesterol levels. The thing is with the familial hypercholesterolemia, that system is broken, so you become hypersensitive to all the things that do have some effect. You will be hypersensitive to the fact that saturated fat raises cholesterol levels more so than other fats do — but I think it's more to the root of the problem, based on how these things regulate LDL receptor activity, which is what clears cholesterol from your blood and which is what is broken in familial hypercholesterolemia.  I think a lower-fat, higher-carbohydrate diet is more relevant to the root mechanism.  How do you test this? So, standard lipid panels are dirt cheap, and it is not hard to convince your doctor to order them. You don't need to get fancy. You don't need the NMR and all that other stuff. I'm not saying it doesn't have its place, but if you want to do dietary tests to see what are the big factors affecting you, you just run these standard tests every couple of months and you pick a diet to go on and stay on it for 4-8 weeks and then see what the results are. So, you do the low-fat diet where most of your fat comes from coconut, which is the Kitavan diet, where they don't have heart disease. You can try that for 4 or 8 weeks, and then look at your cholesterol levels. Next you do the low-fat diet where most of your fat comes from olive oil, which is a more of a Mediterranean approach. You can try that and see what that does to your cholesterol levels. You tailor your diet to your own response —  because I can predict what will generally happen, but the individual person is going to have so many different genetic and other factors, that influence what they're responsive to that they just need to test it out. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

How would you address normal TSH, but low T4?  Well, the first thing I'd do is I'd look at your T3. For those of you who aren't familiar with thyroid hormones, TSH tells your thyroid to make thyroid hormone. T4 is the precursor. T3 is the active hormone.  If your TSH is normal, that means that your pituitary is receiving the proper messages from your thyroid gland. But if your T4 is low I would ask; is your T3 normal or high? If your T3 is high, then you're probably just converting it very rapidly. If your T3 is low —  then even though your pituitary appears to be receiving the right signals, you're not making enough thyroid hormone. In fact, it would become unclear whether your pituitary is actually making the right signal because if your T4 and your T3 are low, your TSH should be high because your pituitary should be saying, "wait a second, T4 and T3 are low, so I need to make more of the message, TSH, to tell the thyroid gland to kick into gear." If T4 and T3 are both on the lowish side and the TSH is normal. I would then look to the pituitary. In terms of nutritional issues, I think the big things that you're looking at are calories, carbohydrate, and body fat — because the pituitary is overwhelmingly asking the question, do I have enough energy in the short term and the long term to engage in the health-promoting, long-term investments that thyroid hormone governs?  Those are many, like all the biological peacocking, like making nice hair, and making nice skin, and making things look nice. It’s also protecting your tissues from damage. Then the big, thing is if you're in the right age bracket, is fertility. So, if your pituitary is not making as much TSH as it should, then that's basically saying your brain perceives that you don't have enough energy on hand, and that means either your body fat's too low, your calories are too low, or your carbs are too low —  because those are the big signals that your brain is going to use. As mentioned int the Nutrition in Neuroscience series that I did all of these releasing hormones that govern the endocrine system require copper, vitamin C, zinc, and glycine.  So bottom line is; look at is body fat, calories, and carbs. But the next layer to peel back would be; vitamin C and copper especially, and zinc and glycine in the background. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

"What do you think is the best clinical way to monitor COMT function if you have already tested for SNPs?"   One way you can look at it is through the DUTCH test — which is at dutchtest.com — it's a dried urine hormone testing platform, they have a methylation index that is based on the methylation of estrogen. For example; the main significance of COMT, is related to long-term risk of estrogen-related cancers.     Acute symptoms are primarily going to manifest in the brain in the relation between COMT and dopamine.    The higher your COMT activity, the more flexible your brain.    The lower your COMT activity, the more rigid your brain.    If your nutrition is straight and you don't have a psychological disorder, that's just a personality trait.   They call this the worrier/warrior, phenotype.    High COMT activity; you don't worry as much, like a warrior who picks his battles, wins, and repeats. There is nothing to worry about, the only concern is victory.   If you are a low COMT activity; you're not a warrior, you're a worrier. You think about all the possible ways something could go wrong. Instead of moving forward with an image of invincibility, you struggle to move at all, like a deer in the headlights.    But that's the extremes. Within most of the population, it's just a personality trait.    So, you really look at, how is your mind operating? If your mind is getting stuck on stuff, low COMT. If your mind is racing around to different things, high COMT. If that's just your personality, don't worry about it. But if it’s starting to interfere with your life, then that’s where it matters.    Low COMT, focus on methyl donors: B12, folate, choline, betaine, some of the other assisting B vitamins.    High COMT, focus on  methyl buffers: Glycine.    This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/  Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Supplements that may lower anxiety at night and improve heart rate variability during sleep I don't know enough about the HRV, the heart rate variability, to comment on improving that specifically. Heart rate variability is largely related to recovery from stress. So, I know the Oura ring tracks heart rate variability during sleep.  The main application that I'm familiar with HRV for is recovery from stress, especially from exercise. So anything that supports recovery — mainly is rest, is going to support that. Getting enough carbohydrates to support your high-intensity exercise is going to be another thing. In general, nutrient density across the board is going to be supportive of recovery, and enough calories.  Now, lower anxiety at night before or during sleep I think is a whole different story.  You might have anxiety because you have not recovered well from your exercise.  Maybe your cortisol is running high.  But it could be for totally different reasons, and that's a giant can of worms that I don't think really can be unpacked in an umbrella answer. I think that's kind of something that needs to be very individualized because it requires 10, or 15, or 20 follow-up questions. But some of the first things that I would think about would be what are you doing to psychologically wind down? The fact is that this is not all about nutrition. It's not all about light hygiene. It's also about psychology. So, is your anxiety at night driven by overthinking? If so, what are you overthinking about? You may need to start a psychological wind down routine if this is your issue.  And then, there are so many other potential causes of anxiety that you really have to address it on a case-by-case basis, but those are the top things that I think about. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Nutritional causes of low white blood cells and possible solutions? The absolute first thing that I would always think of when I see low white blood cells is copper.  So, generally copper deficiency at its most sensitive is going to cause neutropenia; which is low neutrophils, but it can cause low white blood cells across the board. I'm not saying there aren't other things, but that's going to be the number one thing that I jump to first when looking for low white blood cells. Solutions, well, I'm not going to assuming it's copper. What I'm going to say is, do we have copper here? So, the first thing is testing serum copper, or serum ceruloplasmin. Which are the two most important markers of copper status.  Is the individual eating copper-rich foods?  Top Tier: Liver, oysters, shitake mushrooms, spirulina, and cocoa powder. Second Tier: All other organ meats other than liver, all other mushrooms besides shitake, all other shellfish besides oysters.  Third Tier: Legumes, and potatoes.  First I want to know if they are eating any of the top two tier copper-rich foods. If the answer is no, then I'm not going to wait on the serum copper and serum ceruloplasmin. I would suggest increasing the copper-rich foods because there is absolutely no harm in modifying the foods you eat to ensure you’re getting some in there.  You don't really need the testing to do that. But I would definitely get the testing before I would start doing any bigger interventions than that. For example, I'm not going to start that person on a copper supplement if I don't have good data backing up copper deficiency. This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/ If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

So, deep sleep is, primarily what's going on in deep sleep is that all of your biogenic amines, which are most of the neurotransmitters that you make from protein with the possible except — like depending on how you classify it, you could say ultimately you make melatonin from protein, but it's not a biogenic amine. Biogenic amines, which are the catecholamines — all are basically shut off. They're probably not zero, zero, but they're almost zero during sleep. Acetylcholine is also shut down during deep sleep, but it pops up during REM sleep. I really don't think this is a supplement issue.  First of all, you definitely don't want to be taking anything that has acetylcholinesterase inhibitors at night.  Non-organic foods have pesticides that are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. I don't know if that's relevant here dose-wise. Things that improve cognitive function are often acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. So, gingko biloba is one. I wouldn't take that at night. There are drugs that treat neurological problems, especially Alzheimer's, that are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors; I wouldn't take those at night.  I'm on the fence about whether you should take choline at night. I think it's most likely fine to eat eggs at night. If you're taking something like alpha-GPC; I'm not sure. You might want to avoid that at night if you find, particularly if you find that when you're tracking your sleep with an Oura ring your REM is higher than normal and your deep sleep is lower than normal.  But other than that — I would say that methylation support is very important to help lower some of the important biogenic amines. Histamine, for example, is primarily gotten rid of with methylation in the brain and if your histamine levels are high during the day, it might cause anxiety during the night and that could interfere with your deep sleep. Electrolytes are also super important. Calcium, magnesium, salt and potassium. All these things you need to get straight in order for your sleep cycle to be working right. If your cortisol is high at night or other factors of anxiety are high at night you might want a targeted supplement there, like phosphatidylserine — the evidence is conflicting, but has been used to lower the stress response.  I don't think it's a blanket answer to that question. I think it's like figuring out what's the cause of the low deep sleep and working from there. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

On May 25, members of the CMJ Masterpass joined me, Chad Macias, Danny Lennon, and Alex Leaf in a live Zoom meeting to ask us anything about sports nutrition, and here’s the full recording! We talk about things like: Is there a risk of depleting histidine with beta-alanine supplementation? What’s the best form of fuel to use during a workout? Candy, or something else? Nutritional strategies for recovery from soft tissue injuries to muscles, tendons and ligaments from lifting? Is AMPK the primary regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis in muscle, and does it matter? Can riboflavin help with exercise performance? Why the post-workout anabolic window DOES matter, and why you should NOT eat too much protein BEFORE lifting. Take BCAAs, or just eat protein? Should athletes cycle caffeine, and does it matter if they are fast or slow oxidizers? Nitric oxide: does it have important effects by modifying proteins, rather than just affecting blood flow? Is it delayed-onset muscle soreness if it happens all the time? Or is it a pathology? Transdermal carnosine (Lactigo) for fibromyalgia, the role of glutamate and neurotoxicity in fibromyalgia and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and my own experience with using high blood glutamate to identify how acidity was wrecking me after workouts. Maximizing muscle growth and optimizing performance on a low-protein diet. Best time to take Tru Niagen (nicotinamide riboside) and TMG (trimethylglycine), especially the purpose of increasing exercise tolerance. How important are refeeds for dieters? Carbohydrate periodization for endurance athletes? Is there any value to training low during those times where you depend on glucose to either try to train your body to better tap into limited glycogen stores or to try to create a better aerobic response? Besides leucine, what could help increase protein synthesis to prevent sarcopenia in older adults who strength-train regularly?  For muscle growth, what generally applies to everyone? All this and much more! If you’d like to participate in the next Q&A, consider joining the CMJ Masterpass. Use this link to get a 10% lifetime discount: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/masteringnutrition This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral  This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: 02:54 Is there a risk of depleting histidine with beta-alanine supplementation? 08:40 What’s the best form of fuel to use during a workout. Candy, or something else? 19:17 Nutritional strategies for recovery from soft tissue injuries to muscles, tendons and ligaments from lifting? 22:55 Is AMPK the primary regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis in muscle or are there other important pathways that need to be considered and which can be targeted by nutrition in addition to endurance training? 28:43 Can riboflavin help with exercise performance? 39:30 Why the post-workout anabolic window DOES matter. 44:26 Does the form of HMB matter? 49:07 Why you should NOT eat too much protein BEFORE lifting. 54:34 Take BCAAs, or just eat protein? 59:13 Summarizing the things that help with muscle growth. 1:00:28  How should caffeine be cycled if being used to enhance weightlifting performance and/or weight loss? Is there a difference for fast or slow metabolizers of caffeine? 1:04:25 More on caffeine 1:09:30 Caffeine for weightlifters 1:14:30  Nitric oxide: does it have important effects by modifying proteins, rather than just affecting blood flow? 1:20:42 Is it delayed-onset muscle soreness if it happens all the time? Or is it a pathology? 1:24:34 Transdermal carnosine (Lactigo) for fibromyalgia. My own experience with using high blood glutamate to identify how acidity was wrecking me after workouts. 1:30:04 The role of extracellular glutamate and neurotoxicity driving DOMS and fibromyalgia.  1:31:46 Recommendations for maximizing muscle growth and optimizing performance on a low-protein diet. 1:41:59 Best time to take Tru Niagen (nicotinamide riboside) and TMG (trimethylglycine) especially the purpose of increasing exercise tolerance. 1:52:24 How important are refeeds for dieters? 1:54:42 Carbohydrate periodization for endurance athletes. 1:59:12 Is there any value to training low during those times where you depend on glucose to either try to train your body to better tap into limited glycogen stores or to try to create a better aerobic response? 2:08:27 Besides leucine, what could help increase protein synthesis to prevent sarcopenia in older adults who strength-train regularly? Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/068-ask-us-anything-about-sports

On May 10, members of the CMJ Masterpass joined me and Dr. Carrie Jones in a live Zoom meeting to ask us anything about hormones, and here’s the full recording! We talk about things like: What time of day is best to take T4 and/or T3? How to use pregnenolone to manage perimenopausal insomnia? Is insomnia different between people who are and aren't on HRT? Estrogen’s effect on the kynurenine pathway could be keeping you up at night. What about men with high estrogen? Over-the-counter supplements to lower SHBG and increased free testosterone? Mycotoxins Iodine, fatigue, and “detox” reactions. Loss of libido and sexual sensation with the LEEP procedure: could progesterone and vitamin E help? What else? Should I be on testosterone replacement therapy? Supporting hormones with nutrition. Why is early morning waking a characteristic symptom of depression and what other conditions have early waking as a symptom? Causes for night sweats in men? Nutritional advice for breast cancer prevention, and the HRT question. Water retention near menstruation. Why would a woman have no cycle? Why would a woman have an anovulatory cycle? What can be done to reverse hypothyroidism other than taking thyroid hormone? All this and much more! If you’d like to participate in the next Q&A, consider joining the CMJ Masterpass. Use this link to get a 10% lifetime discount: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/masteringnutrition  This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral  In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: 04:20   Introduction 07:55     Guidance on what time of day it is best to take T4 and/or T3? 10:37     The use of pregnenolone to manage perimenopausal symptoms, particularly insomnia 12:30      Insomnia is different between people who are and aren't on HRT? 14:15       Estrogen and kynurenine pathway 19:02       Aromatizing in Men 21:40       Over-the-counter supplements to lower SHBG and increased free T, boron, zinc, various herbs 24:20      Discussion about Mycotoxin. 28:48     Discussions in Iodine and mild fatigue and detox. 35:14     Discussion on soft tissue calcification. 40:40    Discussion on LEEP Procedure 45:53     Discussion on testosterone 54:30     Suggestions on supplements to assist with delayed onset muscle soreness.  55:48     How does the body make hormones and what nutrients and foods do they need to do this? 59:29     Know more about hormone production. 1:09:00  Why is early morning waking a characteristic symptom of depression and what other conditions have imbalances of early waking as a symptom? 1:17:00   When should you consider increasing progesterone or estrogen. 1:20:30   Causes for night sweats in men. 1:25:00   Dietary nutritional advice for breast cancer prevention, macronutrient ratios, micronutrient intakes, et cetera. Also any thoughts on risks and benefits of HRT in perimenopause relative to breast cancer risk? 1:28:29   Discussions on Methylation 1:34:35   Struggles with water retention around period. 1:39:23   Why would a woman have no cycle? Why would a woman have an anovulatory cycle? 1:45:02   What can be done to reverse hypothyroidism other than taking thyroid medicine?  Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/067-ask-us-anything-about-hormones

This is part 2 of the pantothenic acid Mastering Nutrition podcast. Pantothenate is also known as vitamin B5! It supports your mood, mental health, skin clarity, energy, sleep, and comfort. Alex Leaf and I team up again, this time to how to get B5 from foods and supplements, and how to know when you’re getting enough. When you aren’t getting enough, you may suffer from fatigue, apathy, discomfort, uneasiness, or pain. You may get numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. You may get depressed, quarrelsome, childish, or want to spend all day in bed. Your pulse may get higher than you’d expect after minor exertion. Your sleep gets trashed. You get muscle cramps and abdominal cramps, you fart more, and when things get real bad you might throw up. The best test for measuring B5 status is urinary pantothenic acid. Currently, the only place I know where to get this is the Great Plains OAT test. Hopefully someone will offer it as a standalone. Blood tests are not very useful. 😔 Official recommendations suggest we only need about 5 milligrams per day. In the podcast we discuss why some people might need GRAMS per day.  ❗❗❗There aren’t ANY supplements on the market that have the major forms of B5 found in food. There is good reason to think that food B5 is superior to supplements such as pantothenic acid and pantethine.❗❗❗ I recommend shooting for 10 milligrams per day from food, and then supplementing more when necessary:  2 heaping tablespoons of unfortified nutritional yeast gives you 10 mg.  2 100-gram servings of roasted sunflower seeds or the livers of chicken, beef, lamb, or veal will give you this, but I recommend limiting liver to two servings per week. 3 100-gram servings of gjetost cheese, black and red caviar, kidney from lamb imported from New Zealand, pork liver (and most products made from it), shiitake mushrooms, or canned grape leaves will do the trick. Most fresh cuts of muscle meat give you enough in somewhere between 3-5 100-gram servings, though some require up to four pounds and the data is pretty messy. Five 100-gram servings of any of the following will work: eggs, duck, goose, emu, fresh salmon or trout, raw avocado, canned chilli, peanuts, peanut butter, cashews, white or portabella mushrooms, liver pate (limit to 5 servings per week), giiblets or heart from chicken or turkey, beef thymus or heart, pork kidney or brain, or lamb brain. The following can give you enough if you eat four pounds of them: whole grains, most natural dairy products besides butter, most seafood that isn’t canned, most beans that aren’t canned, raw coconut, most nuts and seeds, and most processed meats. Here are a few reasons to supplement: One gram of pantothenic acid from sodium or calcium pantothenate has been used for rheumatoid arthritis, and 2-10 grams per day have been used for acne. In acne, a topical cream containing dexpanthenol (a cream-soluble form of B5, the cream usually marketed as wound-healing cream) is combined with the oral dose. 300 mg pantethine 3 times per day lowers cholesterol. These doses appear extremely safe, with only a very small proportion of people experiencing minor side effects even at these very high doses. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral  This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” More details in this huge podcast! Listen in below! In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: 01:14 Recap of Part 1 06:39 Cliff Notes 14:51 The case for why urinary pantothenic acid is the only legitimate marker of nutritional status and why blood concentration is not a useful marker 28:23 How the Adequate Intake for pantothenic acid was established 29:42 The idea of pantothenic acid balance and comparing it to nitrogen balance 41:38 What I think the recommended pantothenic acid intake should be 45:06 The effect of different forms of food processing on loss of B5 from foods 50:21 Dietary sources of B5, divided into five tiers 54:11 The contribution of the gastrointestinal microbiome to B5 status 01:06:12 Causes of suboptimal status or deficiency of pantothenic acid 01:11:59 Prevalence of suboptimal pantothenic acid status 01:12:32 When I think supplementation with high doses is warranted 01:13:10 What are some of the benefits, besides fixing deficiency, that we might get from supplementing with pantothenic acid or its derivatives? 01:13:26 The use of pantethine as a therapeutic for dyslipidemia 01:23:01 Comparison of pantethine supplementation to high-dose niacin for lowering blood lipids 01:25:33 Topical dexpanthenol for skin health and wound healing 01:29:13 The effect of pantothenic acid supplementation on acne 01:32:42 The effect of pantothenic acid supplementation on sports performance 01:40:58 The effect of pantothenic acid supplementation on hair health 01:42:34 The effect of pantothenic acid supplementation on arthritis 01:48:31 Summary of pantothenic acid supplementation 01:52:28 Is there any reason to use pantothenic acid specifically versus other forms such as pantethine? 01:54:49 Does it matter if you take pantothenic acid in divided doses or all at once? 01:57:08 Does it matter if you take pantothenic acid with food? 01:58:51 Two insightful quotes from papers on pantothenic acid 02:04:08 Pantothenate should be known as the B vitamin that we know the least about, not the B vitamin that we are least likely to become deficient in. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/066-pantothenic-acid-part-2-foods

Got any strange, unresolved health problems? 🤭 High-dose riboflavin might help!  MIGHT. 😬 This episode is a shot in the dark, but covers how high-dose riboflavin could help with a lot of mystery issues. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101  This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet  To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10  Here’s a massive podcast I did on riboflavin with Alex Leaf, which has 50 scientific references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/16/manage-riboflavin-status/ Here are some previous posts on riboflavin: Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (written version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/riboflavinmthfr Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (video version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/26/mthfr-just-riboflavin-deficiency-2/ How to Know If You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/04/know-need-riboflavin Sunlight and Tanning Beds Hurt Your Riboflavin Status https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/06/7758 Riboflavin and Tanning Beds for Fungal Infections? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/11/riboflavin-tanning-beds-fungal-infections High-Fat Diets Make You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/13/high-fat-diets-make-need-riboflavin Exercise and Dieting Make You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/18/exercise-dieting-make-need-riboflavin How to Get Enough Riboflavin From Food https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/20/7774 The Best Blood Test for Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2019/06/25/best-blood-test-riboflavin Riboflavin Supplements: Free B2 Is Better Than FMN or Riboflavin 5’-Phosphate https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/06/18 Riboflavin for Iron-Deficiency Anemia https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/07/02/riboflavin-iron-deficiency-anemia High-Dose Riboflavin for Migraines https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/07/04/high-dose-riboflavin-migraines Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Got migraines? 😣 You may need a LOT of riboflavin! 😮 This episode covers what dose to use, and how to time the dosing. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101  This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet  To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10  Here’s a massive podcast I did on riboflavin with Alex Leaf, which has 50 scientific references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/16/manage-riboflavin-status/ Here are some previous posts on riboflavin: Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (written version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/riboflavinmthfr Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (video version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/26/mthfr-just-riboflavin-deficiency-2/ How to Know If You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/04/know-need-riboflavin Sunlight and Tanning Beds Hurt Your Riboflavin Status https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/06/7758 Riboflavin and Tanning Beds for Fungal Infections? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/11/riboflavin-tanning-beds-fungal-infections High-Fat Diets Make You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/13/high-fat-diets-make-need-riboflavin Exercise and Dieting Make You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/18/exercise-dieting-make-need-riboflavin How to Get Enough Riboflavin From Food https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/20/7774 The Best Blood Test for Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2019/06/25/best-blood-test-riboflavin Riboflavin Supplements: Free B2 Is Better Than FMN or Riboflavin 5’-Phosphate https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/06/18 Riboflavin for Iron-Deficiency Anemia https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/07/02/riboflavin-iron-deficiency-anemia Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Got anemia? 🙋🏽🙋🏼‍🙋‍♀️🙋🏿‍♀️ You may need more riboflavin! 😮 This episode covers how to know if your iron-deficiency anemia could be helped by riboflavin, and what to do about it using food and supplements. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive podcast I did on riboflavin with Alex Leaf, which has 50 scientific references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/16/manage-riboflavin-status/ Here are some previous posts on riboflavin: Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (written version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/riboflavinmthfr Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (video version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/26/mthfr-just-riboflavin-deficiency-2/ How to Know If You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/04/know-need-riboflavin Sunlight and Tanning Beds Hurt Your Riboflavin Status https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/06/7758 Riboflavin and Tanning Beds for Fungal Infections? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/11/riboflavin-tanning-beds-fungal-infections High-Fat Diets Make You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/13/high-fat-diets-make-need-riboflavin Exercise and Dieting Make You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/18/exercise-dieting-make-need-riboflavin How to Get Enough Riboflavin From Food https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/20/7774 The Best Blood Test for Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2019/06/25/best-blood-test-riboflavin Riboflavin Supplements: Free B2 Is Better Than FMN or Riboflavin 5’-Phosphate https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/06/18 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

What’s the best riboflavin supplement? 🤷‍♂️ For years I thought it was riboflavin 5’-phosphate, also known as flavin mononucleotide (FMN). In this episode, I explain why I know believe it is plain old riboflavin. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive podcast I did on riboflavin with Alex Leaf, which has 50 scientific references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/16/manage-riboflavin-status/ Here are some previous posts on riboflavin: Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (written version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/riboflavinmthfr Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (video version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/26/mthfr-just-riboflavin-deficiency-2/ How to Know If You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/04/know-need-riboflavin Sunlight and Tanning Beds Hurt Your Riboflavin Status https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/06/7758 Riboflavin and Tanning Beds for Fungal Infections? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/11/riboflavin-tanning-beds-fungal-infections High-Fat Diets Make You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/13/high-fat-diets-make-need-riboflavin Exercise and Dieting Make You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/18/exercise-dieting-make-need-riboflavin How to Get Enough Riboflavin From Food https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/20/7774 The Best Blood Test for Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2019/06/25/best-blood-test-riboflavin Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

This episode covers the best blood test to use for assessing riboflavin status. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Here’s how to get RIBOFLAVIN from FOOD. 🍲 😋 This episode covers how to figure out how much you need, and which foods to get it from. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive podcast I did on riboflavin with Alex Leaf, which has 50 scientific references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/16/manage-riboflavin-status/ Here are some previous posts on riboflavin: Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (written version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/riboflavinmthfr Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (video version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/26/mthfr-just-riboflavin-deficiency-2/ How to Know If You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/04/know-need-riboflavin Sunlight and Tanning Beds Hurt Your Riboflavin Status https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/06/7758 Riboflavin and Tanning Beds for Fungal Infections? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/11/riboflavin-tanning-beds-fungal-infections High-Fat Diets Make You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/13/high-fat-diets-make-need-riboflavin Exercise and Dieting Make You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/18/exercise-dieting-make-need-riboflavin Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Pantothenic acid is vitamin B5. You use it to make coenzyme A, a molecule that is central to energy metabolism, most famous for forming acetyl CoA, which lies at the intersection of all anabolic (building up) and catabolic (breaking down) reactions. Alex Leaf and I team up again, this time to tackle B5. This is what happens when you don’t have enough: You get fatigue apathy, discomfort, uneasiness, or pain. You get numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. You may get depressed, quarrelsome, childish, or want to spend all day in bed. Your pulse gets higher than you’d expect after minor exertion. Your sleep gets trashed. You get muscle cramps and abdominal cramps, you fart more, and when things get real bad you might throw up. Much of this can be explained by pantothenic acid’s role in working all of this magic: We use it break down fat, protein, and carbohydrate for energy. We use it to synthesize fatty acids, ketones, and cholesterol. We use it to synthesize all of the steroid hormones, including the sex hormones, the glucocorticoids that regulate blood sugar, and the mineralcorticoids that regulate electrolyte balance and blood pressure. We use it to regulate our use of iron properly, including preventing its accumulation in the brain, where it can cause neurological damage. We use it to make melatonin, which tells our body it’s time to sleep. We use it to make acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in learning, memory, and cognitive performance during periods of sustained, focused attention. We use it to make mucin, which lubricates the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, vagina, penis, and internal organs. We use it to regulate the fasting/feeding cycle by flipping on the genes for autophagy during fasting and flipping on the genes for repair and antioxidant defense during feeding. We use it for quite a few other things too, like the detoxification of some drugs; the synthesis of hemoglobin to prevent anemia; switching on the urea cycle to help us burn protein for energy cleanly; using folate to synthesize DNA, all the major vitamin-derived carriers in the system of energy metabolism, and glycine, an amino acid that acts as a calming, sleep-promoting neurotransmitter, stabilizes blood sugar, and supports collagen synthesis to make your bones strong and your skin smooth. Burning fat only requires 20% more B5 than burning carbs, which is small compared to how these macros affect riboflavin requirements, However, under conditions of stress you can burn carbohydrate without any B5 at all and you cannot do that with fat. In mice with severe deficiencies of coenzyme A, ketogenic diets dramatically worsen the neurological effects of deficiency. Although pantothenic acid is named for its presence everywhere and in everything using the Greek word “pantos,” and the common dogma is that no one is deficient, Alex and I make the case in this two-part podcast that suboptimal pantothenic acid status might just be the norm. And the crazy thing? Official recommendations suggest we only need about 5 milligrams per day. In the podcast we discuss why some people might need GRAMS per day. Plus, why the FOOD forms might be superior to anything you can get in any supplements on the market. In part 2, to be released on July 5, we’ll cover how to get pantothenic acid in foods, blood tests, and supplements. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral In this episode you will find all of the following and more: 00:37 Cliff Notes 14:02 Symptoms of experimentally induced pantothenic acid deficiency 15:57 It is thought that pantothenic acid deficiency doesn’t occur naturally. 18:59 Experiments inducing pantothenic acid deficiency 26:06 Signs and symptoms of suboptimal pantothenic acid status 26:54 Is there pantothenic acid toxicity? 30:52 Hypothetical problems of taking high doses of pantothenic acid 31:53 What pantothenic acid is 35:28 Comparisons to niacin and riboflavin 37:14 Roles of coenzyme A 46:02 Roles of 4’-phosphopantetheine 48:12 Burning fat requires 20% more vitamin B5 than burning carbohydrate; and why in the context of severe deficiency of B5 or impairment in the metabolism of B5 a high-fat diet could have devastating consequences. 53:09 The importance of the ratio of acetyl-CoA to free CoA in regulating many metabolic pathways 01:01:02 There are metabolic disorders, such as fatty acid oxidation disorders, that compromise the pool of coenzyme A. 01:03:03 Synthesis of coenzyme A 01:06:47 How coenzyme A synthesis is regulated 01:11:38 Degradation of coenzyme A 01:15:44 The physiology of pantothenic acid absorption 01:25:29 A 2015 paper showed that 4’-phosphopantetheine can cross cell membranes via passive diffusion. 01:29:00 The physiology of pantothenic acid transport in the blood 01:32:11 Cellular uptake of pantothenic acid from the blood 01:33:21 Tissue distribution of pantothenic acid 01:36:00 There may be a particularly high need for pantothenic acid in adolescence. 01:37:01 Mothers actively transfer pantothenic acid to their fetuses and into their milk at their own expense. 01:39:29 Pharmacokinetics of supplementation 01:48:20 A case for why food is superior to supplements for vitamin B5 01:52:41 Inborn errors of coenzyme A metabolism include pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN). Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/064-pantothenic-acid-part-1-what

Losing weight? Leaning out? Slimming down? 🙋🏽🙋🏼‍♂️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️🙋🏿‍♀️ Hitting the gym? Doing cardio? Gettin’ yo fat-burnin’ on? 🙋🏽🙋🏼‍♂️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️🙋🏿‍♀️ You might need more riboflavin. 😬 This episode covers by how much, and how to get it from food. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive podcast I did on riboflavin with Alex Leaf, which has 50 scientific references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/16/manage-riboflavin-status/ Here are some previous posts on riboflavin: Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (written version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/riboflavinmthfr Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (video version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/26/mthfr-just-riboflavin-deficiency-2/ How to Know If You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/04/know-need-riboflavin Sunlight and Tanning Beds Hurt Your Riboflavin Status https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/06/7758 Riboflavin and Tanning Beds for Fungal Infections? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/11/riboflavin-tanning-beds-fungal-infections High-Fat Diets Make You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/13/high-fat-diets-make-need-riboflavin Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Eating keto? Low-carb? High-fat? 🙋🏽🙋🏼‍♂️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️🙋🏿‍♀️ You might need more riboflavin. 😬 This episode covers how much more you’d need and how to get it from food. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive podcast I did on riboflavin with Alex Leaf, which has 50 scientific references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/16/manage-riboflavin-status/ Here are some previous posts on riboflavin: Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (written version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/riboflavinmthfr Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (video version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/26/mthfr-just-riboflavin-deficiency-2/ How to Know If You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/04/know-need-riboflavin Sunlight and Tanning Beds Hurt Your Riboflavin Status https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/06/7758 Riboflavin and Tanning Beds for Fungal Infections? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/11/riboflavin-tanning-beds-fungal-infections Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Have a fungal infection? Here’s how the combination of tanning beds and riboflavin might help. This is speculative, but worth trying for many people. Make sure to talk to your doctor about any infections you have and anything you’re doing to treat them. Tune in for the details! This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive podcast I did on riboflavin with Alex Leaf, which has 50 scientific references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/16/manage-riboflavin-status/ Here are some previous posts on riboflavin: Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (written version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/riboflavinmthfr Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (video version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/26/mthfr-just-riboflavin-deficiency-2/ How to Know If You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/04/know-need-riboflavin Sunlight and Tanning Beds Hurt Your Riboflavin Status https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/06/7758 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Do you sunbathe or use tanning beds? If so, you might need more riboflavin. Tune in for the details. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive podcast I did on riboflavin with Alex Leaf, which has 50 scientific references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/16/manage-riboflavin-status/ Here are some previous posts on riboflavin: Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (written version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/riboflavinmthfr Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (video version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/26/mthfr-just-riboflavin-deficiency-2/ How to Know If You Need More Riboflavin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/06/04/know-need-riboflavin Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Riboflavin is the ultimate fat-burning nutrient. 🔥 Could you need more of it? This episode covers the signs you could need a just a little more, and what it would look like if you started running real low. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive podcast I did on riboflavin with Alex Leaf, which has 50 scientific references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/16/manage-riboflavin-status/ Here are some previous posts on riboflavin: Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (written version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/riboflavinmthfr Your “MTHFR” is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency (video version) https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/26/mthfr-just-riboflavin-deficiency-2/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/ask-us-anything-about-gut-health

Niacin is great! BUT… It can hurt your liver. 😟 This episode covers a protocol to make sure niacin doesn’t hurt your liver. It covers the specific form you take, your health history, the dose, and what to take it with to protect your liver. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive 2-part podcast series I did on niacin with Alex Leaf, which has 52 scientific references: Part 1: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/01/niacin-part-1-need/ Part 2: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/16/niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods-supplements/ Here is Alex’s blog post on this specific topic: https://alexleaf.com/2019/02/22/niacin-heart-disease-liver-toxicity-and-diabetes/ Here are other recent episodes on niacin: Should You Inject Yourself With NAD+? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/18/should-you-inject-yourself-with-nad/ The Best Form of Niacin for Anti-Aging https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/23/best-form-niacin-anti-aging/ How to Safely Take Nicotinamide Riboside for Anti-Aginghttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/25/safely-take-nicotinamide-riboside-anti-aging/ How To Know If You Need More Niacinhttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/04/30/know-need-niacin Coffee! How to Free the Locked-Up Niacinhttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/05/02/coffee-free-locked-niacin/ How to Free the Niacin in Grains and Seeds https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/07/free-niacin-grains-seeds Do Women Need More Niacin Than Men? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/09/women-need-niacin-men How to Get Enough Niacin From Food https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/14/get-enough-niacin-food The Best Blood Test for Niacin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/16/best-blood-test-niacin Should You Use Niacin to Lower Your Blood Lipids? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/21/7721 How to Take Niacin Without Getting Diabetes https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/23/take-niacin-without-getting-diabetes How to Take Niacin Without Flushing https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/28/take-niacin-without-flushing Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Ugh, the NIACIN FLUSH! 🥵🥵🥵 This episode covers what to do and what NOT to do to avoid it. It covers slow-release niacin, extended-release niacin, inositol hexanicotinate, niacinamide, aspirin, and waiting it out. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive 2-part podcast series I did on niacin with Alex Leaf, which has 52 scientific references: Part 1: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/01/niacin-part-1-need/ Part 2: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/16/niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods-supplements/ Here is Alex’s blog post on this specific topic: https://alexleaf.com/2019/02/22/niacin-heart-disease-liver-toxicity-and-diabetes/ Here are other recent episodes on niacin: Should You Inject Yourself With NAD+? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/18/should-you-inject-yourself-with-nad/ The Best Form of Niacin for Anti-Aging https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/23/best-form-niacin-anti-aging/ How to Safely Take Nicotinamide Riboside for Anti-Aginghttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/25/safely-take-nicotinamide-riboside-anti-aging/ How To Know If You Need More Niacinhttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/04/30/know-need-niacin Coffee! How to Free the Locked-Up Niacinhttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/05/02/coffee-free-locked-niacin/ How to Free the Niacin in Grains and Seeds https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/07/free-niacin-grains-seeds Do Women Need More Niacin Than Men? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/09/women-need-niacin-men How to Get Enough Niacin From Food https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/14/get-enough-niacin-food The Best Blood Test for Niacin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/16/best-blood-test-niacin Should You Use Niacin to Lower Your Blood Lipids? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/21/7721 How to Take Niacin Without Getting Diabetes https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/23/take-niacin-without-getting-diabetes Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Here’s how to take NIACIN 😁… without getting DIABETES. 😔 Alex Leaf and I did a HUGE podcast on niacin, and Alex looked at the data on whether it is safe and effective to use for preventing heart disease. Based on that data, one out of every 18 people who use it for this purpose get saved from heart disease, but for every 7 people saved from heart disease, 3 get diabetes. In this episode I cover Alex’s idea on how to take niacin without getting diabetes. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive 2-part podcast series I did on niacin with Alex Leaf, which has 52 scientific references: Part 1: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/01/niacin-part-1-need/ Part 2: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/16/niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods-supplements/ Here is Alex’s blog post on this specific topic: https://alexleaf.com/2019/02/22/niacin-heart-disease-liver-toxicity-and-diabetes/ Here are other recent episodes on niacin: Should You Inject Yourself With NAD+? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/18/should-you-inject-yourself-with-nad/ The Best Form of Niacin for Anti-Aging https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/23/best-form-niacin-anti-aging/ How to Safely Take Nicotinamide Riboside for Anti-Aginghttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/25/safely-take-nicotinamide-riboside-anti-aging/ How To Know If You Need More Niacinhttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/25/safely-take-nicotinamide-riboside-anti-aging/ Coffee! How to Free the Locked-Up Niacinhttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/05/02/coffee-free-locked-niacin/ How to Free the Niacin in Grains and Seeds https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/07/free-niacin-grains-seeds Do Women Need More Niacin Than Men? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/09/women-need-niacin-men How to Get Enough Niacin From Food https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/14/get-enough-niacin-food The Best Blood Test for Niacin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/16/best-blood-test-niacin Should You Use Niacin to Lower Your Blood Lipids? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/21/7721 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Should you use niacin to lower your blood lipids? For every seven people that this saves from heart disease, three get diabetes. This episode covers alternative strategies to achieve the same effect of niacin on blood lipids without the risk of diabetes. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive 2-part podcast series I did on niacin with Alex Leaf, which has 52 scientific references: Part 1: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/01/niacin-part-1-need/ Part 2: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/16/niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods-supplements/ Here are other recent episodes on niacin: Should You Inject Yourself With NAD+? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/18/should-you-inject-yourself-with-nad/ The Best Form of Niacin for Anti-Aging https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/23/best-form-niacin-anti-aging/ How To Know If You Need More Niacinhttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/25/safely-take-nicotinamide-riboside-anti-aging/ Coffee! How to Free the Locked-Up Niacinhttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/05/02/coffee-free-locked-niacin/ How to Free the Niacin in Grains and Seeds https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/07/free-niacin-grains-seeds Do Women Need More Niacin Than Men? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/09/women-need-niacin-men How to Get Enough Niacin From Food https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/14/get-enough-niacin-food The Best Blood Test for Niacin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/16/best-blood-test-niacin Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Here’s why the best test for niacin status is HDRI’s NADH/NADPH, how to use it to calculate the niacin number, and what numbers you should be aiming for. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive 2-part podcast series I did on niacin with Alex Leaf, which has 52 scientific references: Part 1: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/01/niacin-part-1-need/ Part 2: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/16/niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods-supplements/ Here are other recent episodes on niacin: Should You Inject Yourself With NAD+? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/18/should-you-inject-yourself-with-nad/ The Best Form of Niacin for Anti-Aging https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/23/best-form-niacin-anti-aging/ How to Safely Take Nicotinamide Riboside for Anti-Aginghttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/25/safely-take-nicotinamide-riboside-anti-aging/ How To Know If You Need More Niacinhttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/25/safely-take-nicotinamide-riboside-anti-aging/ Coffee! How to Free the Locked-Up Niacinhttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/05/02/coffee-free-locked-niacin/ How to Free the Niacin in Grains and Seeds https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/07/free-niacin-grains-seeds Do Women Need More Niacin Than Men? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/09/women-need-niacin-men How to Get Enough Niacin From Food https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/14/get-enough-niacin-food Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Here’s how to get NIACIN from FOOD. 🍲😋 I recommend getting a half gram to a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (double this if you measure your weight in kilograms), which contributes to your niacin status, as well as 20 milligrams of preformed niacin from food per day. So, here are your foods, arranged in five tiers. Tier 1 supplies close to 15 mg or more per serving. Fresh yellowfin or shipjack tuna, anchovies, liver (beef, lamb, pork), unfortified nutritional yeast in the amount of 3 heaping tbsp. Tier 2 supplies 7-14 mg per serving. Peanuts and peanut butter, liver (veal, chicken, turkey), most fresh meat products from typical farm animals and game if they are lean cuts, certain fish (canned or fresh bluefin tuna, salmon, mackerel, yellowfin, halibut, American shad, sturgeon, cod, mahimahi, and bluefish), certain seeds (hemp, chia, sunflower). Tier 3 supplies 3-6 mg per serving. Most but not all other finfish (but not shellfish); sesame seeds and tahini, pumpkin and squash seeds, pine nuts, almonds, chestnuts, flax seeds, peas, cuts of meat that are not muscle or liver or are fattier, many mushrooms (white, portabella, shiitake, oyster, crimini), coffee (caffeinated, Italian “heavy” roast, 10 g/cup). Tier 4 supplies 1-2 mg per serving. Bulking up on these “don’t hurt” your niacin status. Most beans, most crustaceans, processed meats, white and sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, cabbage, coffee (caffeinated, 10 g/cup, French “dark” roast, at high end or New England “light” roast at low end). Tier 5 supplies less than 1 mg per serving. Virtually all other foods that are not mostly fat, mostly sugar, or unenriched refined flours contain some niacin. They are harmless if you eat abundantly from tiers 1-3 first, but harmful if you do not, especially if they also serve to stop you from bulking up on tier 4 foods, which is necessary if you don’t meet your requirement from tiers 1-3. Just bad for niacin status. Fat, sugar, and unenriched refined flours are the most displacing. The more of these foods you eat, the lower your niacin status will be. Most enriched flours are in tier 2 or 3. Traditionally processed whole grains are likely to occupy tier 4. Honorable Mentions Some foods are rich but not consumed in enough quantity to be relevant: dried spirulina, chilli powder, coriander, paprika, parsley, ginger, tarragon, red or cayenne pepper would all occupy tier 2 at 100-gram servings. This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive 2-part podcast series I did on niacin with Alex Leaf, which has 52 scientific references: Part 1: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/01/niacin-part-1-need/ Part 2: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/16/niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods-supplements/ Here are other recent episodes on niacin: Should You Inject Yourself With NAD+? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/18/should-you-inject-yourself-with-nad/ The Best Form of Niacin for Anti-Aging https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/23/best-form-niacin-anti-aging/ How to Safely Take Nicotinamide Riboside for Anti-Aginghttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/25/safely-take-nicotinamide-riboside-anti-aging/ How To Know If You Need More Niacinhttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/25/safely-take-nicotinamide-riboside-anti-aging/ Coffee! How to Free the Locked-Up Niacinhttps://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/05/02/coffee-free-locked-niacin/ How to Free the Niacin in Grains and Seeds https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/07/free-niacin-grains-seeds Do Women Need More Niacin Than Men? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/09/women-need-niacin-men Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Do women need more niacin than men? The RDA says they need less. But the evidence suggests otherwise. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive 2-part podcast series I did on niacin with Alex Leaf, which has 52 scientific references: Part 1: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/01/niacin-part-1-need/ Part 2: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/16/niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods-supplements/ Here are other recent episodes on niacin: Should You Inject Yourself With NAD+? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/18/should-you-inject-yourself-with-nad/ The Best Form of Niacin for Anti-Aging https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/23/best-form-niacin-anti-aging/ How to Safely Take Nicotinamide Riboside for Anti-Aging https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/04/25/safely-take-nicotinamide-riboside-anti-aging How to Know If You Need More Niacin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/04/30/know-need-niacin Coffee! How to Free the Locked-Up Niacin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/02/coffee-free-locked-niacin How to Free the Niacin in Grains and Seeds https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/07/free-niacin-grains-seeds Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Are your whole grains and seeds good sources of niacin? That depends on you prepare them! Whole grains have 80-90% of their niacin locked up, and seeds have 40% of their niacin locked up. This episode covers how to free the bound niacin. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive 2-part podcast series I did on niacin with Alex Leaf, which has 52 scientific references: Part 1: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/01/niacin-part-1-need/ Part 2: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/16/niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods-supplements/ Here are other recent episodes on niacin: Should You Inject Yourself With NAD+? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/18/should-you-inject-yourself-with-nad/ The Best Form of Niacin for Anti-Aging https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/23/best-form-niacin-anti-aging/ How to Safely Take Nicotinamide Riboside for Anti-Aging https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/04/25/safely-take-nicotinamide-riboside-anti-aging How to Know If You Need More Niacin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/04/30/know-need-niacin Coffee! How to Free the Locked-Up Niacin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite-videos/2019/05/02/coffee-free-locked-niacin Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

COFFEE 😍😍😍 Is it a good source of NIACIN? That depends on how you brew it. This episode has the details on the effect of roasting, coffee strength, and decaffeination. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive 2-part podcast series I did on niacin with Alex Leaf, which has 52 scientific references: Part 1: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/01/niacin-part-1-need/ Part 2: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/16/niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods-supplements/ Here are other recent episodes on niacin: Should You Inject Yourself With NAD+? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/18/should-you-inject-yourself-with-nad/ The Best Form of Niacin for Anti-Aging https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/23/best-form-niacin-anti-aging/ How to Safely Take Nicotinamide Riboside for Anti-Aging https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/25/safely-take-nicotinamide-riboside-anti-aging/ How to Know If You Need More Niacin https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/30/know-need-niacin/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Ever wonder if you need more niacin? This episode covers the signs and symptoms of niacin deficiency as well as the reasons you’d be likely to become deficient. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Vitamins and Minerals 101. This is my new, free, 30-day course that covers the basics of each nutrient, including why it’s important, how to get it from food, how to know if you need more, when you should think about supplementing, and concerns for special diets or special populations. You can get it delivered by Facebook Messenger or email. The Messenger version is taught by Chris Masterbot, my baby bot, is more interactive, and has more jokes and emojis. This requires no background beyond high school and is made for the beginner, but even many experts find it a great refresher and find little golden nuggets in each lesson. Sign up for free at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/101 This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I've been through the pain and suffering of embracing a diet because I *thought* it was healthy, only for it to wreck my body and mind. I've been through the path of healing, only to make the mistakes of thinking that what worked best for me would work for everyone, and that what I did to heal would be something I would need to do forever. I've learned the hard way that each of us is unique, and that we all change with time. Your needs are not mine, mine are not what they were ten years ago, and yours won’t be in ten years what they are now. That’s why we need a recipe to know exactly what’s missing, what’s there in excess, and what’s out of balance. It is my mission to empower you to know exactly what your body needs, and to make exactly the right decisions to nourish it. Make the cheat sheet your secret weapon, and use the code LITE20 to get 20% off, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive 2-part podcast series I did on niacin with Alex Leaf, which has 52 scientific references: Part 1: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/01/niacin-part-1-need/ Part 2: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/16/niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods-supplements/ Here are other recent episodes on niacin: Should You Inject Yourself With NAD+? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/18/should-you-inject-yourself-with-nad/ The Best Form of Niacin for Anti-Aging https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/23/best-form-niacin-anti-aging/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/25/safely-take-nicotinamide-riboside-anti-aging/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Nicotinamide riboside (NR) is the best form of niacin to take for anti-aging benefits. BUT… it could sap your creatine supply, making you weaker, hurting your digestion, or causing you to get depressed. AND it could mess with your dopamine, giving you “sticky brain” syndrome, causing negative thoughts and emotions to get stuck in your mind. How do we protect against this? It all comes down to dose, frequency, timing it with meals, and making sure you have enough methyl donors. Tune in for the details. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive 2-part podcast series I did on niacin with Alex Leaf, which has 52 scientific references: Part 1: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/01/niacin-part-1-need/ Part 2: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/16/niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods-supplements/ I don’t have an affiliate relationship with Niagen, but I have one with Amazon, and if you would like to purchase the recommended product in a way that offers me a small commission to support the free work I put out at no extra cost to you, you can use this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/amazon/niagen Here’s a Twitter exchange I had with Charles Brenner, who patented and distributes that product, in which he ignored all my points about creatine: https://twitter.com/ChrisMasterjohn/status/1102389284798107651 https://twitter.com/CharlesMBrenner/status/1102394681550360578 The studies Brenner conducted showing NR causes massive excretion of methyl groups: https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/108/2/343/5051210 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/27721479/ My original video, Why You Should Be Careful With Niacin and Nicotinamide Riboside: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/07/26/careful-niacin-nicotinamide-riboside/ Start Here for MTHFR and Methylation: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation The recent videos on niacin and NAD: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/18/should-you-inject-yourself-with-nad/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/23/best-form-niacin-anti-aging/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Niacin, niacinamide, nicotinamide riboside, nicotinamide mononucleotide, oh my! 🙉 Which form should you take for anti-aging? In this episode, I recommend nicotinamide riboside (NR). It’s better at increase NAD+ levels than niacin or niacinamide. It’s probably equal to nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), but NMN hasn’t been studied as well. NMN is probably absorbed as NR anyway, and might have lower absorption if your intestines are damaged. Tune in for the details of why I’m making this recommendation. Also, stay tuned for the next episode on how to use NR safely, or, use the links below to get the safety details in my long-form niacin podcast. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a massive 2-part podcast series I did on niacin with Alex Leaf, which has 52 scientific references: Part 1: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/01/niacin-part-1-need/ Part 2: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/16/niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods-supplements/ I don’t have an affiliate relationship with Niagen, but I have one with Amazon, and if you would like to purchase the recommended product in a way that offers me a small commission to support the free work I put out at no extra cost to you, you can use this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/amazon/niagen Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Should you inject yourself with NAD+ to stay young forever? 💉😮 My buddy Ben and some guys at Onnit are doin’ it. 👊 I’m a little less prone to livin’ on the edge. 🤓 I like the idea of living forever, but, well, I don’t want to wind up 🤕 or 🥴. Tune in for my thoughts on NAD+ injections. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s Joe Rogan’s interview of Ben Greenfield, where I took the clip from used in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehfdd1eH4g4 Here’s a massive 2-part podcast series I did on niacin with Alex Leaf, which has 52 scientific references: Part 1: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/01/niacin-part-1-need/ Part 2: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/16/niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods-supplements/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

An estimated 70 million Americans have fatty liver disease, and the strongest predictors are obesity and type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The lab I worked in when I completed my PhD specialized in fatty liver disease, so I did a lot of research on this and have published some papers on it. Here’s my recommended fix, which I call the “choline-boosting modified fast.” It focuses on weight loss that is as rapid as the person can handle, but no more rapid; using the foods least likely to contribute to liver fat, modified according to the person’s ability to digest them; and supplying the nutrients needed to remove fat from the liver through foods, if possible, and otherwise through supplements. Tune in for the details! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 My “Start Here for Fatty Liver” page has many of my articles on this topic, rich with scientific references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2016/04/24/start-here-for-fatty-liver-disease/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Fatty liver can hurt your liver’s ability to store vitamin A, which could make vitamin A supplements or vitamin A-rich foods toxic. Yet one of the main conditions that causes fatty liver -- obesity -- also makes your cell’s deficient in vitamin A, deep down inside. This a big problem! You might need more vitamin A, yet not be able to handle getting it. Tune in for my solution. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are other recent posts on vitamin A: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/02/know-vitamin-toxicity/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/04/7558/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/09/vitamin-pregnancy-worry/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Can vitamin A cause birth defects? Maybe. Here’s what I recommend to do with your vitamin A intake when you’re expecting, or expecting to maybe be expecting. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s the article I discuss in the video: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/childrens-health/vitamins-for-fetal-development-conception-to-birth/ Here are other recent posts on vitamin A:  https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/04/7558/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/04/7558/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

If you have vitamin A toxicity, should you see a doctor? What foods should you stop eating, and are there any supplements you should start taking? Tune in for my suggestions. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here is the post on how to know if you have vitamin A toxicity:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/04/02/know-vitamin-toxicity/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Is vitamin A toxic? It can be! It’s a super-important essential nutrient and MANY people need MORE of it, yet it still has the potential to cause problems. Here is a method to use signs and symptoms, the amounts of vitamin A you’ve been exposed to, and lab tests to determine if you’ve gotten too much. There are a few symptoms that I neglected to mention in the video that are worth taking note of: skin peeling, itching, cracked lips, and fatigue. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s a great paper on vitamin A toxicity: https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/78/6/1152/4677527 Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet covers testing for vitamin A toxicity in the context of a comprehensive plan for managing nutritional status. Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Does a growing child need a *less* nutritious diet than an adult? You would think so, looking at the RDAs! Yes, some of them are higher during childhood growth phases, such as calcium. But many of them are lower, and not because we know children need less but simply because they were scaled down by bodyweight. Should a child half your size who eats twice as much food as you eat a diet that’s only 25% as nutrient-dense? I doubt it. Tune in for my thoughts on the topic and what I think we should do about it. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Got MTHFR? 😬 Relax! Riboflavin will come to the rescue! 😁 MTHFR is an enzyme that uses folate (vitamin B9) to support your mental and physical health. It does so by using riboflavin (vitamin B2) to make the methyl group of methylfolate. The common polymorphisms that lower MTHFR activity may do so simply by hurting its ability to bind riboflavin, and enough riboflavin may be able to bring that activity completely back up to normal! Tune in for the details. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Your “MTHFR” Is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency: https://www.facebook.com/chrismasterjohn/posts/2055466797822271?__xts__[0]=68.ARClRvxs872wt7-3lIkGNHxQtLp6z_dNCwMkQnmca7MDVcXzkDV66Bqz69iVB-YNgJJZ-h3Bx8J-4LqujrQIDPOtevlPXCb_dqXakyOX5deOIOgRw1vpmLOPfOPBBw2aIIT9uC6JeNkYXrRfjp6qR0n0xN8m_ObAxdSV0SAF_HW5xZmvtArjHCGDdCBZYHH1GaHtOWkwirbHSOJkYu5xTeNbcBBbytj0tVLgkxr5pxLW-WDGGp1lnXqF3keDdeoM5tIxBpNw4CWCNEPCdeoP-LmX-79bqAK5F9BzdAtE3Hyzx60ugzsZoZGzZ2y_5c6fv0JQ4zXDsWdDRZUl_Yh0QeiHug&__tn__=-R Start Here for MTHFR and Methylation: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation Alex Leaf’s post on riboflavin and MTHFR: https://alexleaf.com/2019/02/11/supplement-riboflavin-to-fix-the-mthfr-polymorphism/ Our giant podcast episode, Why You Should Manage Your Riboflavin Status and How to Do It: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/16/manage-riboflavin-status/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Feel tanked after your workout? 😫 Well you might feel fine, but you might still be stressing your body too much. How do you know? This is my recommended protocol for using heart rate variability to determine how recovered you are. It covers everything from getting an accurate baseline measurement to discovering and testing things that impact your recovery time. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are some links related to this episode (no affiliate relationships): https://ouraring.com/ (top recommendation due to superiority of sleep data) http://www.sweetwaterhrv.com/ https://elitehrv.com/personal-pro Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

“Low Copper Low Vitamin C BRAIN Syndrome” Ok it’s not a medical term. I invented it. But this is the cluster of signs and symptoms that make it sound like your brain needs more vitamin C or copper, based on the neuropeptides we need these nutrients to activate. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are some links related to this episode: Part 2 of Nutrition in Neuroscience: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/18/nutrition-neuroscience-part-2/ How to Stop Waking Up to Pee:    https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/12/stop-waking-pee/ How to Manage Your Copper Status (short version): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/08/manage-copper-status-2/ Why You Should Manage Your Copper Status and How to Do It (long version): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/02/03/manage-copper-status/ Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

In part 1 we covered what niacin is and why you need it. Here’s part 2, where Alex Leaf and I cover blood tests, foods, and supplements! How much do we need? The RDA has some flaws, including claiming women need less than men, when all the evidence shows women need *more* than men. Why eating enough protein is so essential, yet so unreliable as a way of boosting niacin status. How the niacin in your coffee, seeds, and grains is all locked up and unavailable, and how to release it through proper preparation. Do you drink light roast or dark roast? You may either hate or love this episode… or you might just switch coffees. Should we take high-dose niacin to lower cholesterol? Alex has a theory on how we can do that without getting diabetes. 😬 High-dose niacin can cause liver failure and can kill lab mice. But Alex and I know how to steer clear of that problem! NAD-boosting supplements are the new darling of the anti-aging industry. But should we take nicotinamide riboside (NR), nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), or should we endure all the whole-body burning 🔥 that the folks injecting NAD+ are so hyped up about? We discuss the promises and problems of these approaches. Why you should match glycine to one form of niacin and trimethylglycine (TMG) to all of them. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: Niacin Part 2 Show Notes 00:38 Cliff Notes 01:35 Recap of Part 1 15:32 Markers of niacin status 17:32 Methylated metabolites of niacin in the urine as a marker of niacin status 19:05 Caveat to using methylated metabolites of niacin in the urine as a marker of niacin status 20:16 Erythrocyte NAD(H)/NADP(H) ratio, the “niacin number,” as a marker of niacin status 22:55 Caveat to the niacin number as a marker of niacin status 28:34 Critique on how the RDA for niacin was established 40:12 How protein intake affects the dietary requirement for preformed niacin 42:48 Estrogen regulates the synthesis of niacin from tryptophan. 43:35 In men in particular, niacin synthesis from tryptophan might just be a way to clear excess tryptophan. 45:31 General discussion about protein requirements 49:46 How different forms of food processing, such as nixtamalization, fermentation, and sprouting, increase the bioavailability of niacin 52:51 Niacin in coffee 53:52 Niacin in nutritional yeast 54:16 Dietary sources of niacin, divided into five tiers 59:57 Niacin in herbs and spices, including spirulina 01:03:46 The contribution of the microbiome to niacin status is not well studied. 01:04:56 Where we would expect to see niacin deficiency 1:05:38 Risk factors for niacin deficiency include Hartnup’s disease, megaduodenum, intestinal malabsorption, carcinoid tumors, certain drugs, alcoholism, HIV/AIDS, and deficiencies of iron, riboflavin, and B6. 01:09:52 Risk factors for suboptimal niacin status include a diet based on unprocessed whole grains, a diet based on sugar and fat, a diet low in non-collagen protein, any form of cellular damage, and low ATP levels. 01:14:42 How metformin and berberine could affect niacin status 01:17:28 The effect of leucine and muscle growth on niacin status 01:19:54 The prevalence of inadequate niacin intake and niacin deficiency 01:24:00 Contributors to niacin toxicity 01:25:08 The use of nicotinic acid to benefit blood lipids and reduce heart disease risk 01:31:14 Potential side effects of taking nicotinic acid to manage blood lipids include the flushing reaction, liver harm, and increased diabetes risk. 01:34:22 The mechanism behind high-dose nicotinic acid-induced insulin resistance and how you could mitigate it 01:48:01 Rodent studies of nicotinamide riboside supplementation 01:50:58 Human studies of nicotinamide riboside supplementation 01:56:32 Why the rodent studies of nicotinamide riboside supplementation look more promising than the human studies 02:04:16 What is the probability that someone would get longevity benefits from supplementing with nicotinamide riboside? 02:05:15 Whether or not Alex and Chris will start supplementing with niacin after doing the research for this podcast 02:06:17 Should someone with hypercholesterolemia consider taking nicotinic acid? How should they manage the side effects, and which form is best? 02:10:53 Does it matter if niacin is taken with food? Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/062-niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods

Here are ten steps to healthy sleep! What has been most game-changing for you? Let me know in the comments! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are some links related to this episode: My Recommendations for Better Sleep (this has a link to the online calorie calculator, the sleep mask, and ear plugs I mentioned): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/07/29/my-recommendations-for-better-sleep/ The recent Chris Masterjohn Lite episodes (there are six per page, hit the right green arrow to go to the next six): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite Carbs or Keto for Sleep: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/06/12/carbs-keto-sleep/ Five Rules for a Healthy Diet: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/09/27/five-rules-healthy-diet/ How to Track Your Vitamin and Mineral Intake: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/07/24/track-vitamin-mineral-intake/ That Moment You Wake Up to Pee And Can’t Fall Back to Sleep: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/01/31/moment-wake-pee-cant-fall-back-sleep/ Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Don’t you just hate it when you keep waking up in the middle of the night to pee? If this is your biggest sleeping problem, listen up. In this episode I cover how sleeping regular hours is one of the most important ways to combat this, and how nutrients (salt, vitamin C, copper, zinc, glycine, enough calories) and stress management can also help. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are some links related to this episode: How to Make Your Own Melatonin:  https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/05/how-to-make-your-own-melatonin/ Vitamin A for Sleep:  https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/07/vitamin-a-for-sleep/ Should You Eat Protein At Night:  https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/21/7405/ Part 2 of Nutrition in Neuroscience, which covers the nutrients involved in making ADH: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/18/nutrition-neuroscience-part-2/ That Moment You Wake Up to Pee And Can’t Fall Back to Sleep: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/01/31/moment-wake-pee-cant-fall-back-sleep/ How to Manage Your Copper Status (short version): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/08/manage-copper-status-2/ Why You Should Manage Your Copper Status and How to Do It (long version): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/02/03/manage-copper-status/ How to Manage Your Zinc Status (short version): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/10/23/manage-zinc-status-2/ Why You Should Manage Your Zinc Status and How to Do It: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/03/04/manage-zinc-status/ How to Manage Your Vitamin C Status: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/15/manage-vitamin-c-status/   Get Better Sleep With Glycine: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/12/13/get-better-sleep-glycine/ Balancing Methionine and Glycine in Foods: The Database: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/balancing-methionine-and-glycine-in-foods-the-database/ Why You Need Glycine: A Panel Discussion: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/01/08/why-you-need-glycine-a-panel-discussion/ Getting Better Sleep — Cool, Dark, And Lots of B6, Carbs, Calories, and Fat: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2011/03/25/getting-better-sleep-cool-dark-and-lots/ Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

To get good sleep, your brain needs to know when it’s daytime and when it’s nighttime. How does it know? Vitamin A tells it! So if you don’t have enough vitamin A, your brain is going to be clueless. Tune in for how to figure out if vitamin A is at the bottom of your sleeping problems. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are some links mentioned in this episode: How to Make Your Own Melatonin:    https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/05/how-to-make-your-own-melatonin/ Vitamin A Plays an Essential Role in Setting the Circadian Rhythm and Allowing Good Sleep: https://www.westonaprice.org/vitamin-plays-essential-role-setting-circadian-rhythm-allowing-good-sleep/ How to Manage Your Vitamin A Status: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/08/16/manage-vitamin-status/ Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Here’s how to make your own melatonin. No, not in your basement -- in your brain. We cover the effect of protein, carbs, vitamins, blue-blocking, and sunshine. Tune in for the details! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are some links mentioned in this episode: Tryptophan and Carbs for Sleep: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/26/tryptophan-carbs-sleep/ Why You Shouldn’t Take Melatonin Too Often: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/28/shouldnt-take-melatonin-often/ Masterclass With Masterjohn: The Antioxidant System: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/antioxidant Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. How to Manage Your Vitamin B6 Status: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/13/manage-vitamin-b6-status/ Start Here for Methylation: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Niacin is vitamin B3. You use it to make NAD, the ultimate anti-aging molecule that repairs your DNA and lengthens your telomeres, and the most foundational molecule in our entire system of energy metabolism. It is especially important to protecting your mind, your skin, and your gut. You use it to release all your neurotransmitters. This is why depression sets in as the earliest sign of deficiency and why, when it gets bad enough, it leads to suicidality or schizophrenia-like psychosis. You use constantly it to repair the microscopic damage done to your skin every time you step out into the sunlight. This is why red, inflamed skin appears on the backs of your hands or on your face when you’re deficient, but only if you get outdoors a lot. You use it to fuel the rapid turnover of cells in your intestines (the cells that absorb the nutrients in our food are replaced every 2-3 days!), and to repair those cells from the constant barrage of insults they face (think of everything those cells *don’t* let in our body 💩and the fact that *they* need to stare all that stuff down!) This is why deficiency will give you diarrhea and make you deficient in lots of other nutrients. You use it for lots of other things too, like participating with riboflavin to make the methyl group of methylfolate and recycle glutathione, the master antioxidant of the cell. You use it to recycle vitamin K, to support detoxification in the liver, and to synthesize cholesterol, fatty acids, neurotransmitters and nucleotides. Who needs more? We all do! Why? Because just aging alone depletes niacin and getting sick or developing diseases as we age depletes it all the more. Niacin repairs damage, so the more damage we face the more we consume. In fact, this is why many people are taking supplements like nicotinamide riboside (NR) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), to slow the onset of aging, or to age more gracefully. Some people are even injected NAD! But should we be? And what about the dark side of niacin? We all know the flush -- the redness and itching that accompanies high-dose niacin that people take to lower cholesterol. At high doses, niacin can even damage the liver. How? By sapping methyl groups. Sapping methyl groups can give you liver failure when it’s *really* bad, but sapping them just a little can leave you feeling weak, emotionally stuck, or tied up in a mental funk. In this two-part podcast series, Alex Leaf and I tackle all of these questions. Click the link to listen to part 1, where we teach you what niacin is and why you need it. In part 2, two weeks from today, we’ll cover how to get niacin in foods, blood tests, and supplements. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: 00:37 Cliff Notes 11:35 The stories of Julie, John, and Jane 17:36 Symptoms of pellagra: the three Ds of dermatitis, dementia, and diarrhea, and the fourth D, death 24:00 Speculative signs and symptoms of suboptimal niacin status 24:59 Symptoms of excess niacin 26:43 Excess niacin will reduce the supply of methyl groups, which can lower creatine synthesis and affect neurotransmitters, and is probably what underlies niacin-induced liver damage. 30:31 Explaining the stories of Julie, John, and Jane in the context of niacin deficiency or toxicity 34:25 Chemical properties of niacin 37:03 How niacin and nicotinic acid derived their names 38:58 Chemical structures of nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, nicotinamide riboside (NR), nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) 42:51 The biochemistry of niacin 43:05 The differences between NAD(H) and NADP(H) in metabolism 47:03 NAD is often broken down to form ADP-ribose. 48:10 How PARPs (including PARP1 and tankyrase) and sirtuins use NAD to protect us from DNA damage, repair DNA damage, lengthen telomeres, and regulate gene expression 54:27 ADP-ribosyltransferases (ARTs) 56:43 The NAD metabolites cyclic ADP-ribose, linear ADP-ribose, O-acetyl-ADP-ribose, and NAADP are involved in regulating calcium transport, which is especially important for neurotransmitter release. 58:19 How the biochemistry of niacin explains the deficiency symptoms 01:03:23 The biochemistry of how we get niacin from foods and how we dispose of excess niacin 01:07:14 How the degradation pathways of niacin explain the liver toxicity and flushing reaction from different forms of niacin 01:22:08 Extended-release niacin 01:24:44 Rationale for nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and nicotinamide riboside (NR) supplementation 01:33:38 Physiology of niacin absorption and circulation 01:40:47 Endogenous synthesis of niacin 01:41:20 Tracer studies of oral and intravenous nicotinamide riboside supplementation in mice 01:45:40 Estrogen is a strong regulator of the conversion of tryptophan to niacin. 01:47:41 Pharmacokinetic study of Niagen (nicotinamide riboside) supplementation in humans Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/060-niacin-part-1-what-it-is-and

I used to be addicted to melatonin. I couldn’t sleep without taking a time-release melatonin every night. Well, it wasn’t really an addiction. It was that my sleep just sucked, so I was stuck using melatonin because my body wasn’t working right. I haven’t needed melatonin to sleep for *years.* I regard it as a sign of the success of what I’ve done to fix my sleep that I don’t need it anymore. Do you take melatonin? I’m not against it. I think everyone should have some melatonin on hand in their bedroom and their travel bag. But taking it every night cannot replicate the natural rhythm inside your body. Taking a dual action immediate- and time-release can get close, but it just ain’t the same thing. So, use the melatonin when needed, but consider it part of the journey and not the destination. Until you’re off the melatonin, you still have fixing to do. Tune in for the details! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 For more detail on the underlying science behind this episode, see part 4 of my Nutrition in Neuroscience series:  https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/01/nutrition-in-neuroscience-part-4/ Here’s a good dual-action melatonin you could take when needed. Purchasing it with my link will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps support the free work I put out: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/amazon/dualactionmelatonin Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

In order to sleep well, you need to get a good dose of tryptophan into your brain at any point during the day. The simplest way to do that is with natural, whole-food, high-glycemic carbohydrates like white potatoes and sweet potatoes. Tune in for how to make this work on a high-carb, low-carb or even keto diet, when to include a tryptophan supplement, and what to consider when timing the supplements or carbs. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here is the previous episode on carbs, tryptophan, and stress-resistance: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/22/carbs-serotonin-stress-resistance/ Here are some studies on carbs and protein affecting tryptophan transport and sleep: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/573061 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21349213 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17284739 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Could eating protein at night hurt your sleep? In this episode I discuss why it *might* hurt your sleep. Eating protein at the last meal of your day is important if you are trying to build muscle, but if you are trying to resolve sleeping problems then trying a lower-protein meal at night should be one of the tools in your kit. Tune in for the details! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 For more detail on the underlying science behind this episode, see part 4 of my Nutrition in Neuroscience series: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/01/nutrition-in-neuroscience-part-4/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

In the last episode, I covered how and why I use alpha-GPC and ginkgo biloba supplements during periods where I need increased focused concentration. But could this hurt your sleep if you take them at night? Tune in for the details! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s the last episode on using the cocktail for focused concentration: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/14/alpha-gpc-ginkgo-biloba-focused-concentration/       Here’s the study mentioned in the episode that suggested better improvements in sleep quality when Alzheimer’s patients took an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor in the morning instead of at night: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23948729 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Riboflavin is the ultimate fat-burning nutrient. It makes even a bad MTHFR work right, and it keeps you looking young and beautiful forever. Here’s everything you need to know about why you should manage your riboflavin status and how to do it. In this podcast I join with Alex Leaf of Examine.Com. I focus on what riboflavin is and what it does, while Alex focuses on riboflavin supplements. Going into this podcast I changed my mind about three important things: While I had always discussed riboflavin as relevant to methylation and MTHFR, I had kept it in the back seat in my methylation protocol. Half way through recording this podcast I realized that it really deserves a front seat in my MTHFR protocol. In fact, it may be the case that there’s nothing wrong with the common MTHFR polymorphisms at all and that they only appear to hurt MTHFR activity because most of us aren’t getting enough riboflavin. And why aren’t we? Liver. Liver. We just have to eat liver. In Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, I had included HDRI’s erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity test as test for assessing riboflavin status. After doing the research for this podcast, I am now convinced that this test is only reliable as a marker of riboflavin status when the lab tests the enzyme activity with and without the addition of riboflavin, which HDRI doesn’t do. I will be revising the cheat sheet soon to rely solely on LabCorp’s whole blood riboflavin test for assessing riboflavin status. I have, for years, believed that riboflavin 5’-phosphate (aka, flavin mononucleotide or FMN) supplements are better than plain old riboflavin, especially for people who are hypothyroid or have low adrenal status, since these conditions impair the activation of riboflavin to it’s 5’-phosphate form. After doing the research for this podcast I now believe that for healthy people it makes no difference and that for people with small intestinal pathologies, the cheaper, less fancy, plain old “riboflavin” is likely to be more effective. In this podcast we being by considering the fictional stories of people who seem to have little in common. We then explain their stories by looking at the signs and symptoms of riboflavin deficiency. We consider the science of what riboflavin is, how it is used by the body, what it does for us, how to have great riboflavin status, and how to become deficient. We round this out with an extensive discussion of riboflavin supplementation. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: Riboflavin Show Notes 00:37 Introduction 01:46 Three things that I’ve changed my mind about while doing the research for this podcast 04:24 Cliff notes 14:13 Three stories of riboflavin deficiency 18:05 Signs and symptoms of riboflavin deficiency 21:31 Speculative symptoms of suboptimal riboflavin status 23:49 Chemical properties of riboflavin 27:22 Medical applications: infants with jaundice, eye surgery for keratoconus, and treatment of fungal keratitis 30:38 Chemical structure of riboflavin, flavin mononucleotide (FMN), and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) 33:02 Riboflavin’s roles in the body: energy metabolism, the antioxidant system, methylation, detoxification, and other nutrient interactions 34:03 Riboflavin’s roles in energy metabolism 39:33 How the different macronutrients (carbohydrate, fat, and protein) affect the riboflavin requirement differently 46:05 Riboflavin’s role in the antioxidant system 50:12 Riboflavin’s roles in the methylation system 52:29 Riboflavin’s interactions with other nutrients: vitamin B6, niacin, and iron 55:47 Riboflavin’s roles in detoxification 57:44 Other riboflavin-dependent enzymes include NADPH oxidase, monoamine oxidase, and protein disulfide isomerase. 59:31 The physiology of riboflavin absorption 01:02:31 The physiology of riboflavin utilization and the importance of magnesium, ATP, thyroid hormone, adrenal hormones, and protein 01:06:43 The gold standard marker of riboflavin status is the erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficient (EGRAC). 01:12:11 LabCorp’s whole blood riboflavin test, normalized to the concentration of blood hemoglobin, is the closest commercially available equivalent to the EGRAC. 01:14:02 Why urinary glutaric acid is not a specific marker of riboflavin status 01:14:54 Measuring riboflavin status should be done after an overnight fast, and biotin does not interfere with the test. 01:15:54 How the RDA for riboflavin was established 01:22:02 How much riboflavin is needed to optimize riboflavin status and maximally suppress the EGRAC? 01:27:25 Why high doses of riboflavin might be beneficial in cases of suboptimal magnesium, energy, thyroid, or adrenal status 01:31:04 Dietary sources of riboflavin 01:36:39 Free riboflavin is found in milk, fortified flours, and many riboflavin supplements. 01:38:55 Riboflavin is destroyed by light. 01:41:16 Riboflavin is produced in the colon, but it is unknown how much this contributes to systemic riboflavin status. 01:43:55 Factors that interfere with riboflavin status and utilization 01:51:02 Genetic defects in riboflavin metabolism and transport 01:53:50 How common is riboflavin deficiency and suboptimal riboflavin status? 01:58:36 Riboflavin supplementation for iron deficiency anemia 02:00:29 The relationship between riboflavin and the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and effects on homocysteine and blood pressure 02:09:32 Riboflavin supplementation and exercise performance 02:14:30 Whether or not riboflavin supplementation could impair adaptations to exercise 02:18:25 Riboflavin supplementation for migraines 02:25:06 Rapid fire questions 02:25:21 Does it matter whether we take free riboflavin or riboflavin 5’-phosphate?   02:26:51 Should riboflavin be taken with food? 02:30:28 How often should you take riboflavin? 02:32:20 Does it matter if you take riboflavin in one dose or divided doses? 02:33:13 Are there any adverse effects of riboflavin supplements? Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/058-why-you-should-manage-your-riboflavin

Here’s how and why I use alpha-GPC and ginkgo biloba supplements during periods where I need increased focused concentration. Tune in for the details! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 For a collection of my dopamine and choline resources, see https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation where they are collected together with my methylation resources. Here is a science paper documenting the different plants that contain acetylcholinesterase inhibitors: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17346955 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Here’s how to make your own GABA, not in your basement, but in your brain. GABA helps relax you, helps you make faster and better decisions under pressure, and helps you face your fears with less of a harmful stress response. To make it ourselves we need glucose to enter the brain, then we need to use seven B vitamins, at least four minerals, and a robust supply of cellular energy to make the GABA, and we need salt, potassium, and energy to make it function properly. Tune in for how to get all these nutrients from food and make it happen. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are the recent episodes on GABA: GABA for Faster Decision Making https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/24/gaba-faster-decision-making/ Facing your Fears with GABA https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/29/face-fears-gaba/ Why You Might Need Carbs With Your GABA or Glycine https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/05/7367/ How to Get GABA from Food https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/07/get-gaba-food/Does GABA or Glycine Wake You Up? https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/12/25/glycine-gaba-wake/Here are other episodes on the nutrients mentioned in this one: How to Monitor Your Thiamin Status: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/08/28/monitor-thiamin-vitamin-b1-status/ How to Monitor Your Vitamin B6 Status: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/13/manage-vitamin-b6-status/ Why You Need to Manage Your Iron Status and How to Do It: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/01/27/need-manage-iron-status How to Manage Your Copper Status: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/08/manage-copper-status-2 How to Manage Your Magnesium Status: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/08/23/manage-magnesium-status/ 3 Ways to Get Enough Potassium: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/07/19/3-ways-get-enough-potassium/ The Best Way to Supplement With Potassium: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/08/14/best-way-supplement-potassium/ For a comprehensive guide to managing nutritional status for all of these nutrients, making the information easier to find and use, get your copy of Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 for $5 off, and save over 15%. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

GABA helps relax you, helps you make faster and better decisions under pressure, and helps you face your fears with less of a harmful stress response. Tune in to find out how to get it from FOOD! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Page 84 of this PDF has a table of the GABA content of foods: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/gabathesis Here are the recent episodes on GABA: GABA for Faster Decision-Making https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/24/gaba-faster-decision-making/ Face Your Fears With GABA https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/29/face-fears-gaba/ Why You Might Need Carbs With Your GABA or Glycine https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/05/7367/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Most people won’t have adverse effects from taking GABA or glycine supplements, but some do. If you find that either of these cause anxiety from tanking your breathing or heart rate, a dose of high-glycemic carbs like white potatoes, sweet potatoes, or rice, could be the thing that helps. Tune in to find out why! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are the recent episodes on GABA: Face your Fears with GABA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/29/face-fears-gaba/ Courage, Not Confidence, For Facing Fears: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/31/courage-not-confidence-facing-fears/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Part 4 of how NUTRITION has a HUGE impact on your BRAIN! Everything in your brain is something you ate, something you made from something you ate, or, in a few cases, something your mother ate. Nutrition impacts your mental and emotional health, the function of your five senses, and your conscious and unconscious control over your body movements. Join me as I lead you in a safari through the textbook, “Neuroscience,” pointing out along the way all the interesting connections to nutrition. Listen in for part 2 on the COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS! Mental and emotional health, cognitive performance, and sleep! Ads This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: 00:39 Cliff Notes 12:08 Anatomy of the brain 16:41 The role of the basal ganglia in suppressing the investment of energy in any type of program until there is a worthwhile reason not to suppress it, and how dopamine acts as a signal of value in the basal ganglia via disinhibition 24:56 Why we can view Parkinson’s as fundamentally not a problem with movement but as a problem with a perception of the value of investing energy in controlling movement 28:23 Tonic and phasic dopamine and the importance of COMT-mediated methylation for regulating the tonic level of dopamine 36:34 The importance of GABA in suppressing the programs that dopamine doesn't signal has value in order to make the dopamine signal of value meaningful 37:28 Overview of the autonomic nervous system; the sympathetic nervous system mediates the fight-or-flight response, and the parasympathetic nervous system mediates the rest-and-digest response. 41:11 The roles of acetylcholine and norepinephrine in the autonomic nervous system, and the importance of nitric oxide to the sexual functions of the autonomic nervous system 44:28 Sleep and circadian rhythms, the importance of vitamin A, morning sun exposure, and avoiding blue light at night 48:12 Melatonin synthesis, the importance of vitamin B6, BH4, oxidative stress, vitamin B5, methylation, and tryptophan uptake into the brain 51:10 Why you can't mimic your natural melatonin rhythm with melatonin supplements 52:55 Antidiuretic hormone, the importance of light hygiene for preventing you from getting up to pee in the middle of the night, and why salt might also help 56:14 Whether the timing of carbohydrate, protein, and choline supplements makes a difference for your daytime wakefulness, your nighttime sleepiness, your deep sleep, and your REM sleep 01:00:44 The possibility that glycine and magnesium could help get rid of conditioned fear responses 01:01:30 Thoughts on consciousness; are we a ghost in the machine, or are we just a machine? 01:06:25 The default mode network is fundamentally about our inward, introverted-directed processes, contrasted with the executive control network, which is fundamentally about our relationship to the outside world and our extraverted functions. 01:10:52 How activities that had nothing to do with people skills but allowed me to flex my extroverted muscles, like exploring the outside world on my own, helped me with my people skills 01:16:48 Nutrition cannot replace the cognitive work necessary to have a healthy mindset and life, but nutrition does make it easier to do the right thing for your mental health. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/056-nutrition-in-neuroscience-part

We often look to ourselves for confidence when facing up to our fears. This is wrong. Here I share a personal story about how the idea of “courage, not confidence,” from Tim Ferriss’s interview with the designer Deb Millman, helped me face up to a fear. And I didn’t even have any GABA with me! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here is the book discussed in the episode. Purchasing it will earn me a small commission at no expense to you, which helps support the free content I put out: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/amazon/tribeofmentors Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

The CMJ Masterpass is for those of you who really love me. 💙 The GINORMOUS earlybird discount is about to disappear! ⏰So check this out now if you're not a member yet to see if it's for you. (or sign up at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass  Here's a video tour of what it looks like inside the Masterpass. 🔷The Masterpass is an all-access pass to premium features on all my audio and video content including Chris Masterjohn Lite (short, practical tips), Mastering Nutrition (long, in-depth podcasts on a specific topic), or Masterclass With Masterjohn (nutritional biochemistry courses with lessons arranged in series) that help you get my content faster and get more out of it. 🔷 The Masterpass also gives you a once-a-month opportunity to get in on a small-group live digital Q&A. Here's what you get as premium features: ✅ Early access to content: you get episodes as soon as they are produced, usually weeks and sometimes months before they are released to the public. ✅ No ads standing in the way between you and my content. ✅ Transcripts! These are great if you like to read, or if you want to be more productive. For example, I would first listen to the episodes while I'm doing something else to scan for familiarity, then I'd go back later and keyword search the transcripts for the things I found most interesting so I could follow them up by taking notes or reviewing them in more detail. ✅ Specifically in Masterclass With Masterjohn, you get additional learning tools, such as videos you can keyword search (you literally type in a word and hit "enter" to watch it skip to each instance where I use that word) or put on a customized loop (with three clicks you start and end the loop wherever you want and it plays that section over and over again until you stop it). You also get transcripts with the slides, references, and further reading materials embedded exactly where they are relevant. Even the scientific papers are mostly one click to open up the full text. Here's what's going on with the Q&A sessions: 🔶We use Zoom, a video chatting software, in webinar mode. You can ask your question anonymously in text, but you can also ask it publicly, and you can even get "on stage" and share your mic, web cam, or screen with everyone. 🔶I can't promise that everyone will get in every month. I'm limiting the seating -- the first time around is this Friday, to 30 seats that are already sold out -- to ensure everyone included gets to ask a question and I have time to give them a good answer. Right now I am promising to open up one live Zoom session per month and you as a Masterpass holder get the opportunity to grab your seat on a first-come, first-served basis. Over time I will experiment with the frequency and size of the sessions to make sure I'm offering the best value I can. 🔶As a Masterpass holder, you'll get immediate access to the replay whether you had a seat in the session or not. 🔶Eventually they get published as an episode of Mastering Nutrition. So you can get a little mini-famous 🌟in these. 🤩 And now about that discount. This is for you --> 💰 Haha, seriously though. I created the "earlybird" discount for all the people most on fire to see this happen who signed up while the system was still being constructed. That discount is 50% off, not just right now, but on the recurring membership fee FOREVER, through the life of the program. Depending on whether you pay once a month or once a year, it saves you $60-90/year. Now, the CMJ Masterpass is virtually finished. All the content has been fully migrated. The only things I have left to do are finish getting up the search bars and some how-to video tours. I'll be finishing that up today. So the earlybird discount is about to disappear. It ends tomorrow, Thursday, January 31, at midnight eastern time. To lock in your last chance of a $60-90/year discount, use the link https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass That link has the 50% discount already activated and it will stay that way until the discount expires tomorrow night. Remember this isn't for everyone. I'm not asking you to sign up unless you really love my content and would just love to have more of it faster with all these features that help you get the most out of it. I love all of you either way. ❤️ If you're on the fence, check out this video to see what it looks like on the inside. Oh, and if it feels like a risk, it's not. I'm confident that if you love my content you will absolutely love the Masterpass, so I'm offering a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you didn't like it for any reason, let my support team know within 30 days and you get your money back. Hope to see you inside the Masterpass! 😊

Do you feel too stressed when trying to face your fears? That stress could tank your immune system. Believe it or not, a little GABA can help you tolerate the stress, and face your fears without hurting your immune function. Tune in for how 100 mg of GABA could help! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s the study discussed in the episode: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16971751 Here’s a high-quality GABA supplement that uses the same dose as discussed in this episode. Purchasing it earns me a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps support the free content I put out: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/amazon/thorne/gaba Here’s the higher-dose GABA supplement discussed in the last episode. Same deal on the commission. https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/amazon/pureencapsulations/gaba Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Part 3 of how NUTRITION has a HUGE impact on your BRAIN! Everything in your brain is something you ate, something you made from something you ate, or, in a few cases, something your mother ate. Nutrition impacts your mental and emotional health, the function of your five senses, and your conscious and unconscious control over your body movements. Join me as I lead you in a safari through the textbook, “Neuroscience,” pointing out along the way all the interesting connections to nutrition. Listen in for part 2 on the THE FIVE SENSES! This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: 00:35 Cliff Notes 08:50 Exteroception and proprioception are mediated by mechanoreceptors. 11:32 Pain is mediated by nociceptors, which are unspecialized, low-sensitivity neurons. 13:10 Capsaicin activates the TRPV1 receptor, which is also activated by hot temperatures. 15:12 The use of topical capsaicin to relieve chronic pain 18:25 Interoception is our sense of the physiological state within the body. 20:20 Why anorexics crave spicy foods 22:17 Managing pain in the peripheral nervous system; acidity sensitizes pain receptors. 24:12 Managing the fatty acids that help resolve inflammation, particularly arachidonic acid and DHA, to help with peripheral sensitization to pain 25:59 Combining aspirin with fish oil, glycine, and bicarbonate to help with peripheral sensitization to pain 30:50 Central sensitization to pain occurs through an LTP-like process, which is mediated by NMDA receptors. 32:47 Overview of vision and the importance of vitamin A 38:21 The role of vitamin A in preventing night blindness and its very closely related role in setting your circadian rhythm 41:54 Overview of hearing 44:20 Nutrients important for hearing 45:44 Overview of smell 47:41 Overview of taste Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/055-nutrition-in-neuroscience-part

Need to make quick decisions under pressure? Tune in for how 800 mg of GABA could help! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s the study discussed in the episode: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4521208/ Here’s a high-quality GABA supplement that uses a dose close to the one discussed in this episode. Purchasing it earns me a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps support the free content I put out: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/amazon/pureencapsulations/gaba Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

While collagen won’t bonk your serotonin if you eat enough other protein, low-carbing too much might. Here’s why at least one meal a day with natural high-glycemic carbs like white potatoes or sweet potatoes could help improve your stress-resistance. Tune in for more details and for what to do if low-carb is something you need to stick to. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Part 2 of how NUTRITION has a HUGE impact on your BRAIN! Everything in your brain is something you ate, something you made from something you ate, or, in a few cases, something your mother ate. Nutrition impacts your mental and emotional health, the function of your five senses, and your conscious and unconscious control over your body movements. Join me as I lead you in a safari through the textbook, “Neuroscience,” pointing out along the way all the interesting connections to nutrition. Listen in for part 2 on the NEUROTRANSMITTERS! Get all four episodes right now, ad-free, and with transcripts. Sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: Nutrition in Neuroscience Show Notes 00:36 Cliff Notes 10:15 Overview of neurotransmitters 12:55 Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter. 20:08 De novo glutamate in the central nervous system is overwhelmingly made from glucose. 22:55 Ketogenic diet for epilepsy 26:12 Glutamate metabolism 29:42 There are two classes of glutamate receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic. 30:45 There are three classes of metabotropic glutamate receptors, their actions are complex and variable, and they can be excitatory or inhibitory. 31:04 The ionotropic glutamate receptors include AMPA receptors, NMDA receptors, and kainite receptors, all of which have a depolarizing effect by allowing sodium and potassium to flow freely through them. 33:47 Four unique things about the NMDA receptor: magnesium is required to block its ion channel, it’s important for coincidence detection, it allows calcium to come into the cell, and it has a glycine-binding site. 39:16 Long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) are important for forming memories, and glutamate receptors play an important role. 46:48 GABA and glycine are the two primary inhibitory neurotransmitters of the central nervous system. 50:04 GABA and presumably glycine can be stimulatory if there is more chloride on the inside of the neuron than the outside. 54:52 Evidence that GABA might cross the blood-brain barrier 57:43 GABA in foods 01:00:14 GABA metabolism in the nervous system 01:02:07 Glycine 01:08:01 Acetylcholine 01:13:49 The biogenic amines include histamine, serotonin, and the catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine). 01:14:30 Synthesis of the catecholamines 01:16:45 Dopamine 01:20:07 Norepinephrine 01:22:31 Histamine 01:26:14 Serotonin 01:29:10 ATP and adenosine 01:32:37 Peptide neurotransmitters 01:32:59 Hypothalamic releasing hormones include thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). 01:35:14 Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) 01:35:31 Oxytocin 01:36:18 Vasopressin 01:36:56 Synthesis of the neuropeptides Substance P, MSH, oxytocin, and vasopressin requires glycine, zinc, copper, and    vitamin C. 01:40:23 Endocannabinoids and the importance of arachidonic acid, EPA, and DHA

Will collagen supplements bonk your serotonin and make you depressed or anxious? Tune in for my response to an article that Trudy Scott, author of The Anti-Anxiety Food Solution,  wrote about this over at “Every Woman Over 29” blog. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are links mentioned in this episode: Trudy Scott’s article: https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/collagen-gelatin-lower-serotonin-increase-anxiety-depression/ My episode on why collagen shouldn’t replace other protein: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/06/do-you-supplement-with-collagen/ How GABA and glycine can sometimes have a stimulatory effect: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/12/25/glycine-gaba-wake/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Here are 5 ways to help resolve chronic pain: managing inflammation, reducing acidity, magnesium, glycine, and GABA. Tune in for more details! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are links mentioned in this episode: 3 Ways to Clear Stubborn Inflammation: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/10/3-ways-clear-stubborn-inflammation/ Nutrition in Neuroscience has been started here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/11/nutrition-neuroscience-part-1/ Part 3 of Nutrition in Neuroscience will be published on January 25 but is available now to members of the CMJ Masterpass. To get all four episodes of this series RIGHT NOW, ad-free, and with transcripts, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Nutrition has a HUGE impact on your brain! Everything in your brain is something you ate, something you made from something you ate, or, in a few cases, something your mother ate. Nutrition impacts your mental and emotional health, the function of your five senses, and your conscious and unconscious control over your body movements. Join me as I lead you in a safari through the textbook, “Neuroscience,” pointing out along the way all the interesting connections to nutrition. Listen in for part 1 on the basic cellular functions of neurons! This episode is brought to you by US Wellness Meats. I use their liverwurst as a convenient way to make a sustainable habit of eating a diversity of organ meats. They also have a milder braunschweiger and an even milder head cheese that gives you similar benefits, as well as a wide array of other meat products, all from animals raised on pasture. Head to grasslandbeef.com and enter promo code “Chris” at checkout to get a 15% discount on any order that is at least 7 pounds and is at least $75 after applying the discount but under 40 pounds (it can be 39.99 lbs, but not 40). You can use this discount code not once, but twice! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral To get all four episodes RIGHT NOW, ad-free, and with transcripts, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: 00:37 Cliff Notes 14:55 The primary type of cell in the nervous system is the neuron. 16:32 Glial cells are the assistants of the nervous system. 17:22 Cells in the nervous system are polarized. 18:54 Mitochondria are typically only located at the synapse of neurons and in the middle of photoreceptors; creatine is important for transporting energy in a cell where ATP production is highly polarized. 26:43 Sources of creatine 28:13 Brief overview of how to support methylation 31:06 The polarization of astrocytes and the obligate need for glucose in the brain 37:33 Electrical signaling, resting membrane potential, depolarization, threshold potential, hyperpolarization, and the importance of sodium, potassium, and chloride 45:13 How to get enough sodium, chloride, and potassium in the diet 53:51 The sodium-potassium ATPase uses ATP to pump three sodium ions out of the cell and two potassium ions into the cell, so magnesium and all of the nutrients involved in energy metabolism are important. 58:44 How action potentials propagate 01:03:40 Myelin and the importance of cholesterol 01:06:53 Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome is a rare genetic disorder of cholesterol synthesis that results in neurological problems that are corrected by dietary cholesterol. 01:09:32 Calcium acts as a second messenger in the nervous system, and the cytosolic calcium concentration has to be kept very low for this to work, which requires ATP energy. 01:14:22 Other roles of calcium in the nervous system 01:15:34 Sufficient dietary calcium and ATP energy are needed to support the second messenger roles of calcium. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/053-nutrition-in-neuroscience-part

Here are 3 ways to clear stubborn inflammation: managing your fatty acids, taking a new supplement that jump-starts the resolution process, or going with the aspirin protocol from a few episodes ago. Tune in for the details! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are links mentioned in this episode: The last episode on omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/08/omega-6-omega-3-fatty-acid-ratio-care/ The aspirin episode: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/01/aspirin-goes-best-bicarbonate-glycine/ Here are products mentioned in this episode. Purchasing them using these links earns me a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps support the free work I provide: Arachidonic acid supplements: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/aa Specialized pro-resolving mediators: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/spm Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Should you care about your omega-6/omega-3 ratio? The short answer is, no, not unless you’re vegan or eat a diet that doesn’t contain liver, egg yolks, and fish. Nevertheless, blood testing for arachidonic acid, EPA, and DHA levels can be useful and can guide dietary choices to improve the levels of these fatty acids. Still, don’t get caught up in the arachidonic acid-to-EPA ratio. And be mindful about how EPA behaves differently when you are or aren’t taking aspirin. Tune in for the details! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are links mentioned in this episode: How to avoid false data when using Cronometer to track your nutrient intake: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/07/24/track-vitamin-mineral-intake/ How anti-inflammatory drugs might lead to food intolerances: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/09/25/best-weapon-food-allergies-food-intolerances/ How anti-inflammatory drugs might contribute to chronic inflammation: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/01/aspirin-goes-best-bicarbonate-glycine/ The Quest test for AA, EPA, and DHA: https://www.questdiagnostics.com/testcenter/TestDetail.action?ntc=91001 Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, which puts this testing into the broader context of lab testing and gives protocols for using the testing: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 for $5 off Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Ladies, do you gain a lot of weight around your period? Here’s how daily supplementation with the right forms of magnesium and B6, as well as targeted use of a low-salt, high-potassium diet around your period with herbal diuretics and just the right dose of dark chocolate can help. Tune in to learn more! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are links mentioned in this episode: Briana Theroux’s web site: https://brianatheroux.com Using the links below generates a small commission for me at no extra cost to you: Magnesium and B6 together (this could be taken twice a day): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/amazon/mgandB6 Alternatively, you can take magnesium as glycinate or malate and B6 as pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (P5P) separately to yield 2-400 mg Mg and 40-50 mg P5P per day. If you like the taste, you could use this dandelion leaf and root tea: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/amazon/dandelionleaftea If you don’t like the taste of the tea, you could use these capsules: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/amazon/dandelionleafcapsules Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Most over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs carry a risk of causing food intolerances and chronic, low-grade inflammation. Aspirin is an exception. But this is why it’s best taken with bicarbonate and glycine. Tune in to learn more! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Replacing most of your fat with MCT oil will help create a small caloric deficit that can assist in weight loss, but is it worth it? Tune in for my answer. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

GABA and glycine supplements should both have a calming effect, helping to reduce anxiety and make you sleep better. But some people have asked me, what if they do the opposite? What if they cause anxiety and wake you up at night? Tune in for my answer. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are links to things mentioned in the episode: Testing Nutritional Status, The Ultimate Cheat Sheet is at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet (use the code LITE5 to get $5 off) The specific comment addressed in this episode: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/10/11/dont-use-niacin-buffer-excess-methyl-groups/#comment-47351 For *many* resources on glycine: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation On GABA, 5 Ways to Help With Glutamate Sensitivity and Glutamate Dominance: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/06/14/5-ways-help-glutamate-sensitivity-glutamate-dominance/ 3 Ways to Get Enough Potassium: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/07/19/3-ways-get-enough-potassium/ The Best Way to Supplement With Potassium: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/08/14/best-way-supplement-potassium/ How to Manage Your Magnesium Status: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/08/23/manage-magnesium-status/ How to Manage Your Thiamin (Vitamin B1) Status: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/08/28/monitor-thiamin-vitamin-b1-status/ How to Manage Your Vitamin B6 Status: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/13/manage-vitamin-b6-status/   Why You Should Be Careful With Niacin and Nicotinamide Riboside: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/07/26/careful-niacin-nicotinamide-riboside/ DON’T Use Niacin to Buffer Excess Methyl Groups: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/10/11/dont-use-niacin-buffer-excess-methyl-groups/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Does methylfolate make you angry or depressed? Tune in to hear what I think is going on and what to do about it. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here is a link to the liquid methylfolate supplement recommended in the episode: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/liquidfolate Here are links to the original comment threads discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/chrismasterjohn/videos/271674290121604/?comment_id=273676619921371&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/10/02/what-everyone-should-be-doing-about-methylation/#comment-47229 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Here’s a 7-step protocol to tackle histamine intolerance. Tune in to learn more! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are links to other episodes that were mentioned in this one. Copper: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/08/manage-copper-status-2/ Vitamin B6: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/13/manage-vitamin-b6-status/ Vitamin C: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/15/manage-vitamin-c-status/ Estrogen: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/12/04/migraines-menstrual-cycle-histamine/ Kidney and DAO: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/29/kidney-dao-supplements-histamine-intolerance/ Methylation: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation Selenium: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/20/manage-selenium-status/ Vitamin A: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/08/16/manage-vitamin-status/ Alcohol: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/12/11/alcohol-and-histamine/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/12/13/is-alcohol-good-for-you/ Medications: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/12/06/taking-medications-cause-histamine-intolerance/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Is alcohol good for you? It’s clear to me that 1) alcohol is a toxin and 2) it can help with having fun, which is good for you, but in this episode I consider whether some dose of alcohol might actually be fundamentally good for you. I discuss three ways this might work and what the optimal dose might be, as well as sharing a story of how I used alcohol to help clear up a fungal infection. Tune in to learn more! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 This is the episode on alcohol and histamine that was mentioned: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/12/11/alcohol-and-histamine/  Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Could drinking alcohol be contributing to your allergies or histamine intolerance? When my allergies started going nuts in Greece this summer, I was drinking more alcohol. Alcohol impairs the clearance of histamine *and* competes with histamine to be cleared itself. So it could make your allergies worse or contribute to histamine intolerance if you have it. Tune in to learn more! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Could your medications be contributing to your histamine intolerance? There are over 50 medications that could be culprits, so if you have symptoms of histamine intolerance and you are on any medications, tune in to this episode to find out if the ones you’re taking could be a problem. Make sure to discuss any problems with your medication or changes to be made with your doctor! Please don’t change your medications on the basis of this episode alone! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are the links to the introductory episodes on histamine intolerance: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/22/dietary-histamine-reliable-information/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/27/test-histamine-intolerance/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/29/kidney-dao-supplements-histamine-intolerance/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/12/04/migraines-menstrual-cycle-histamine/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Ladies, let’s talk about your cycle. Specifically, do you get migraines, other types of headaches, flushing, itching, or any other allergy-like symptoms that correlate with your menstrual cycle? If so, you could be experiencing temporary histamine intolerance caused by too much estrogen. Tune in to learn more! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here is the link to the Histamine Block: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/DAO Here is the link to the kidney extract: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/kidney Here is the link to the last episode on using DAO supplements: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/29/kidney-dao-supplements-histamine-intolerance/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Got histamine intolerance? Here are two supplements that could help. Tune in to learn which ones to use! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here is the link to the Histamine Block: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/DAO Here is the link to the kidney extract: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/kidney Here is the link to the episode that lists the symptoms of histamine intolerance in more detail, and covers food sources of histamine: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/22/dietary-histamine-reliable-information/ Here are the links to the episodes on B6, copper, and vitamin C: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/08/manage-copper-status-2/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/13/manage-vitamin-b6-status/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/15/manage-vitamin-c-status/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Do you have histamine intolerance? It could be confused with an increased burden of mast cells, one of the main types of cells that release histamine. Tune in for two lab tests that can help you tell the difference. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here is the link to the episode that lists the symptoms of histamine intolerance in more detail, and covers food sources of histamine: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/22/dietary-histamine-reliable-information/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Histamine! If you suffer from ANY of these symptoms -- diarrhea, headaches (including migraines), nasal congestion, asthma, wheezing, low or high blood pressure, heart palpitations (when your heart skips, flutters or beats irregularly), hives, itching, or flushing, you could be histamine intolerant. If you are, this means that, as much as your symptoms seem like allergies, it could be a reaction to histamine in foods, such as hard cheese, fish, shellfish, dried nuts and fruit, and fermented and aged products more generally. But can you trust the lists you find on the internet of which foods to avoid? In this episode I look at the data on histamine in foods -- and it’s messier than you might think. Tune in to see which foods you should be most concerned with. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Selenium makes you resilient to all kinds of stress, including the physical attacks of infections and toxins. It keeps your nails healthy, prevents the wear and tear on your tissues as you age, keeps your body from launching too much inflammation and releasing too much histamine, and appears to protect against several cancers. On the other hand, too much worsens the risk of diabetes and causes some of the same problems that “just enough” protects against. Because the soils vary so much in their selenium content, it’s hard to judge what you’re getting just from the foods you eat, and selenium is one mineral I think everyone should test at least once. Tune in for everything you need to know about how to manage your selenium status! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here’s the methylation page mentioned in the episode: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation Here’s a much more detailed page on selenium: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/02/18/why-you-should-manage-your-selenium-status-and-how-to-do-it/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Vitamin C protects against bleeding gums, makes your bones strong, helps keep you from getting sick, protects against the normal wear and tear on our tissues, helps us deal with alcohol, cigarette smoke, and toxins in our environment, and may even help support our ability to experience the emotional impact of physical intimacy. That last one is a little speculative, but it does make sense, because vitamin C is needed to make oxytocin, the so-called love hormone! Tune in for everything you need to know about how to manage your vitamin C status! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

In this episode, Hilda Librada Gore of the Wise Traditions podcast interviews me about the work of Weston Price, dental researcher extraordinaire and pioneer of nutritional anthropology. In the second half, we talk about how to condense what we've learned since Price's time about nutrition into some practical rules of thumb that can help us achieve the best diet to meet our nutritional needs. It originally appeared on the Wise Traditions podcast as episode 155 and 156. If you can be in Baltimore, MD this weekend, November 16-November 19, come to the Wise Traditions Conference! I'll be giving an all-day seminar on Monday the 19th about measuring and managing nutritional status. You can register for the conference on site and select my seminar as an add-on. Regardless of if you come to my seminar, you can get my "cheat sheet" for measuring and managing nutritional status at chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet and use the code MASTERINGNUTRITION to get $5 off your order. This episode is brought to you by US Wellness Meats. I use their liverwurst as a convenient way to make a sustainable habit of eating a diversity of organ meats. They also have a milder braunschweiger and an even milder head cheese that gives you similar benefits, as well as a wide array of other meat products, all from animals raised on pasture. Head to grasslandbeef.com and enter promo code “Chris” at checkout to get a 15% discount on any order that is at least 7 pounds and is at least $75 after applying the discount but under 40 pounds (it can be 39.99 lbs, but not 40). You can use this discount code not once, but twice! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral Here's what you can expect to find in the podcast. PART 1 Dr. Weston A. Price, a Cleveland dentist and researcher from the late 1800s, has been called the “Isaac Newton of Nutrition.” His research is just that pivotal to our understanding of the role diet plays in our health. Today, we take a deep dive into the research that Dr. Price conducted and how we can benefit from it. What foods did traditional peoples enjoy that helped them cultivate good health? What did they avoid? And what can we learn from their choices? On this podcast, Chris Masterjohn, a nutrition expert who has a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Connecticut, explains the foundational work of Dr. Price. In the 1930s, Dr. Price traveled the world in order to study isolated people groups, visiting sequestered villages in Switzerland, Polynesian South Sea Islanders, African tribal groups, Australian Aborigines, and more. He was interested in finding out how these groups resisted the tooth decay and deformations that he was seeing in his clinic in the United States. The world over, Dr. Price found that those on their traditional diets not only had beautiful straight teeth, free from decay, but they also enjoyed vibrant health and vitality. Chris discusses in detail how Dr. Price went about this work and how it can serve us in our pursuit of good health today. Highlights from the conversation include: Chris’ own recent trip to Greece and how he made discoveries for himself the purpose of Dr. Price’s research the wisdom and and history of traditional cultures the role nutrition plays in tooth decay the “displacing foods of modern commerce” the developmental effects of refined vs traditional foods how the width of the face is determined by more than just genetics the shocking story of the skulls Dr. Price found in Peru why our oral health and overall health are intrinsically linked how reversing tooth decay and healing cavities with diet is possible the difference between fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins & which are so difficult to get Dr. Price’s four main food categories for good health PART 2  We understand the beauty and benefit of diversity. We switch up our exercise routines. We diversify our investment portfolio. But did you know that it’s a good idea to diversify our diets, as well? Today, Chris Masterjohn makes a strong case for why it’s critical to do so for optimal health. Chris is a health expert and educator, with a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Connecticut. He explains in detail his rules of thumb for healthy eating. He give us practical ideas on how to translate the research of Dr. Weston A. Price from head knowledge to the dinner plate. Along the way, he tells stories about traditional people groups‘ dietary patterns; he warns us about the dangers of dietary extremes; and he gives us a window into the way he himself eats for optimal health. Highlights from the conversation include: Chris’ “rules of thumb” for good health why it’s important to diversify our food sources how nutrients are different, even in the same food groups how to actually implement Dr. Price’s research in your life practical tips and advice for diversifying your food the problem with categorizing certain foods as “good” or “bad” why plants are not as good a source of calcium compared to dairy products or bones the dangers of the carnivore diet how there are no people groups who eat animal foods exclusively; nor are there people living solely on plant foods the strange story of isolated peoples who had no access to animal foods the importance of eat eating the entire animal, nose to tail what to do if your body has specific needs what Dr. Price found when he searched for vegan people groups the important principle of how distinct our nutritional needs are (both compared to others’ needs and how our own needs change over time) Learn about the true diversity of traditional cultures Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/052-weston-price-and-beyond

Vitamin B6 protects against depression, anxiety, insomnia, age-related cognitive decline, hypoglycemia, kidney stones, and the morning sickness of pregnancy. Tune in for everything you need to know about how to manage your B6 status! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Copper! Copper is needed to prevent anemia, histamine intolerance, high cholesterol, and osteoporosis, probably helps with allergies, and is needed to make you feel good overall. There’s a dark side to its toxicity, but more likely you need more copper than less. Tune in for everything you need to know about how to manage your copper status! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 These links are mentioned in the episode: Zinc for heavy metals: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/01/zinc-heavy-metals/ The methylation page: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation Here’s a much more detailed page about copper: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/02/03/manage-copper-status/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Do you supplement with collagen?  Collagen is great, and important, but you SHOULDN’T be counting it toward your protein intake. I’ve been seeing “collagen protein” bars around, and there’s nothing inaccurate about calling them that, but it seems easily to be misled into thinking they provide all the protein we need at a meal. They don’t.  Many people have asked me why I talk about collagen and non-collagen protein separately, and this episode explains why. Listen in and let me know what you think! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 These links are mentioned in the episode: The glycine database: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/glycinedatabase The glycine podcast: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/gycine The methylation page, where it all fits into context: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Got heavy metals?  If the elevation of heavy metals is modest (for example, less than twice the upper limit of the reference range), I think it is best to use zinc supplementation as a gentle approach to help detoxify. Here’s how I recommend using zinc for heavy metals. My previous episode on how to supplement with zinc can be found here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/10/25/how-to-supplement-with-zinc/   This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

There are plenty of zinc supplements out there, and while many are acceptable, I don’t recommend using zinc oxide or zinc picolinate. People are often surprised that I recommend against picolinate. So, in this episode, I explain why. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Wondering what the best way is to supplement with zinc? This episode covers what kind to take, what dose, when to take it, how often, with what foods or on an empty stomach, and of course how to know if you should be supplementing. My preferred zinc supplement for most people is Jarrow Zinc Balance. You can use one of these two links to generate a commission to support my work at no extra cost to you. Amazon: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/amazon/jarrow/zincbalance Iherb: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/iherb/jarrowzincbalance This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Zinc is needed for healthy skin, a robust immune system, sharp vision, stable blood sugar control, balanced and strong hormonal health, and far more. It’s even needed for protection against the heavy metals that pollute our environment. Here’s how to make sure you’re getting enough -- but not too much!  -- from managing your diet, to non-dietary causes of deficiency, to measuring and managing your zinc status with bloodwork. My methylation resources, mentioned in the episode, can be found here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation My other zinc resources, mentioned in the episode, can be found here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/zincsearch This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Glutathione is a molecule you make from the protein in your diet that is incredibly important to protecting your liver, thyroid, and lungs. It’s the master antioxidant of the cell, critical to detoxing and cleaning out your system, and plays an especially important role in preventing asthma. Here are seven natural ways to boost your glutathione status! This is the link to the glycine database that is mentioned in the episode: http://chrismasterjohnphd.com/glycinedatabase This is the link to the episode on magnesium status mentioned in the episode: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/08/23/manage-magnesium-status/ This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Do you have asthma? Do you know or love someone who does? Here’s how to use supplemental glutathione (reduced, liposomal, and nebulized) to help with this condition. This is the link to the episode on nitric oxide, mentioned in this episode: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/01/11/nitric-oxide-genes-blood-pressure-asthma/ This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Many people use niacin supplements to reduce their methylation rate. Some use it regularly because they are “overmethylators” and some use it intermittently when they experience symptoms they associate with overmethylation. In this episode, I describe why I don’t recommend using niacin in this way. Doing so is using niacin as a drug, not a nutrient. Our goal should be instead to supply glycine in nutritionally adequate amounts to make the methylation system run smoothly like a well-oiled machine. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

A number of practitioners use whole blood histamine levels to classify people into undermethylators and overmethylators. I don’t agree with using histamine levels to assess methylation status. Tune in to find out why. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Please head on over to the YouTube video and like it, share it, or comment on it to help me promote this!  It would also be great if you're on Twitter if you could like, retweet, or reply to the tweet about the analysis. The links mentioned in the podcast can all be found in the description of the YouTube video. Enjoy!

Are you an undermethylator or an overmethylator? Neither! Chris Masterjohn Lite is a show about what works. Today we kick off a short series on a few things that don’t work by discussing why I don’t think it’s useful and why I think it’s actually counter-productive to classify people as undermethylators and overmethylators. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

MTHFR or not, this is the minimum that EVERYONE should be doing to support methylation, boiled down into five simple rules. Tune in to learn the rules! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Here is a healthy diet, boiled down into five simple rules. Tune in to learn the rules! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Food allergies seem more common now than ever. Are we just hearing about them more because of better awareness, or are they really more common? We have reliable data about celiac disease: it’s four times as common now than it was a half century ago. I suspect the same is true of other food intolerances and of food allergies. Your best weapons? The egg yolks and liver that have disappeared from our diets during this timeframe, and avoiding unnecessary use of over-the-counter anti-inflammatories. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off.   To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

When I was in Greece this August, I didn’t have any allergies at first, but then they started acting up, and they kept getting worse throughout my trip. I thought it was from the local environment, but when I woke up with conjunctivitis in the last week I looked back and realized my diet had been very deficient in vitamin A while I was there. Vitamin A deficiency can be an important cause of allergies, and if you suffer from allergies you should consider your vitamin A status. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Many people have asked me what I think about blood tests for food allergies. In this episode, I explain. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

If you suffer from allergies, you may need to remove fermented, aged, and cured foods from your diet. While the ultimate solution should be to make yourself more resilient to both pollen and these foods, lowering the amount of histamine in your “histamine bucket” may provide needed relief in the short-term. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.  

In the past I have recommended measuring your waist circumference in addition to your scale weight when you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle. This is an easy way to gauge how much of your change in weight is fat versus muscle. But sometimes it just doesn’t give you good information. Waist circumference is influenced not just by abdominal fat but also by the amount of undigested food in the stomach, and by retention of water and gas from hormones, inflammation, and digestive distress. This episode is about how to tell when you should and shouldn’t be measuring your waist circumference. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to ancestralsupplements.com. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

It may seem that people at risk of iron overload should manage it by avoiding iron-rich foods, but in most cases this is a bad idea. Iron-rich foods are rich in many other nutrients, like copper, zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin B12. Chelators like phytate can induce deficiencies of other minerals, like zinc. In this video, I explain why dietary management should be a last resort for iron overload. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

A lot of people seem to think that they should avoid iron-rich foods, even if they have no reason to believe they have a genetic predisposition to iron overload. In this video, I show you why this is ridiculous. I *do* have a genetic predisposition to iron overload, and I consume over 5 times the daily value for iron, including 10 ounces of red meat, and my iron status is kept on the low end of the physiologically healthy range by donating blood about once a year. Watch the video to see the numbers! In the video, I reference this previous episode on looking up your genetics for iron overload: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/03/22/know-youre-risk-iron-overload/ This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

In this episode, I break down an iron panel and explain why it’s important to also measure serum ferritin and transferrin, and when you should use transferrin saturation instead of iron saturation as a marker of your short-term iron status. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Thiamin, or vitamin B1, is needed for energy metabolism but is especially important to carbohydrate metabolism. Its deficiency causes severe neurological problems, but moderate deficits may manifest more mildly as poor carbohydrate tolerance. Carnivores and vegans alike can get plenty of thiamin if they eat the right foods, but a diet based mainly on fat, or on refined foods that have not been fortified with thiamin, can cause deficiency. Nevertheless, thiamin is unusual in that most factors contributing to deficiency are not dietary, and many are actually environmental. In this video, I teach you how to assess your thiamin status and fix it if you have a problem. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Magnesium is needed for literally everything in the body. When you don’t have enough, the most common problems are twitching, muscle cramps or spasms, heart palpitations, and weakness, plus other signs and symptoms discussed in the video. In this episode, I teach you how to look for its deficiency, how to use three different lab measurements to monitor your magnesium status, and how to fix a problem if you find one. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Taking creatine can raise your serum creatinine and give the false impression your kidney function is declining. Here is how to avoid this problem. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Dry eyes? Poor night vision? Get sick often? Bumpy or flaky skin? You may need more vitamin A. In this video, I tell you how to figure that out, and what to do about it. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Only 2% of Americans meet the official recommendations for potassium, yet potassium supplements carry risks that has led the FDA to strictly regulate the amount in one serving to be so small you would need to take 50 pills a day to meet the requirement. Here are my recommendations for using potassium citrate powder in a way that protects you from the risks and allows you to get the benefits of much larger amounts than found in the typical pills. The potassium citrate powder discussed in the video can be found at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/potassium. If you use my affiliate link, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please make sure to watch the video for proper use of the supplement and clear the decision with your doctor in case you have any conditions or are on any medications that impair your ability to handle potassium supplements. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Calcium supplementation is controversial. Some people believe that supplements, but not calcium-rich foods, can increase the risk of heart disease. Here are my recommendations for calcium supplementation to make it as close to eating whole foods as possible. The bone meal powder I use can be found at chrismasterjohnphd.com/calcium. If you use my affiliate link, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Do we really need to be taking fish oil? For most people, it is better to use fish or pasture-raised egg yolks to get omega-3s. But there are specific reasons to use cod liver oil, fish oil, or krill oil. More details in the video! This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

How do you put on muscle without risking gaining fat? You need the right workout, enough protein, and a gentle caloric surplus. Watch the video for more details! This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Here are seven ways to keep your blood sugar in control: vinegar; glycine, proper balance and eating order within your meals, walking after your meal, putting your carbs after exercise, managing your glycemic load per meal, and focusing on meals that have a low glycemic index for you personally. The video covers these recommendations in more detail. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Are you using niacin or nicotinamide riboside? If so, watch this video! These supplements can help you age more gracefully and give you more energy, but they can also hurt your liver, mess with your neurotransmitters and your mood, and even sap your energy. In this video I discuss using a powder for better control over the dose, and how to match your niacin dose to a corresponding dose of trimethylglycine (TMG). The nicotinamide riboside powder can be found at hpnsupplements.com. The TMG can be found at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/tmg. If you use my affiliate link for the TMG, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you, which will help support the free work This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

One of the most powerful things you can do to evaluate whether your nutrition is on point is to track your vitamin and mineral status for a few days that are representative of your diet. Here’s how to do it with Cronometer, with specific recommendations for making it representative and accurate, and avoiding errors in data collection. Plus, you get to see my results for a day! This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

In this video, I give you three different ways to get enough potassium. The first focuses on eating a lots of fruits and vegetables. The second focuses on a diet low in fat, moderate in grains, and devoid of refined foods. The third focuses on selecting vegetables with the highest amount of potassium per net carb for use in high-fat, low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diets. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

In this video, I give you three different ways to get enough potassium. The first focuses on eating a lots of fruits and vegetables. The second focuses on a diet low in fat, moderate in grains, and devoid of refined foods. The third focuses on selecting vegetables with the highest amount of potassium per net carb for use in high-fat, low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diets. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet Use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

If you have negative reactions to MSG, slowly cooked protein, pressure cooked protein, or fermented foods, you might have glutamate sensitivity. If you have a neurological or psychiatric condition (anxiety, sleep disorders, epilepsy are all examples), you might have glutamate dominance. In a previous episode, I discussed the possibility that oxaloacetate supplementation could help. In this episode, I discuss five more things to try: GABA, glycine, vitamin B6, magnesium, and electrolytes (salt and potassium-rich foods). Here is the older episode on oxaloacetate: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/05/11/oxaloacetate-supplements-help-glutamate-sensitivity/ This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

If you’re trying to get better sleep, should you be upping your carbs, or going keto? Paradoxically, both of these strategies can help, but for different reasons. In this episode I cover why they can help, how to pick your strategy, and some ways you can gain some more freedom over which strategy to choose. In this episode I mention the sleep recommendations that I put out last year. They can be found here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/sleep This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

When you want to lose weight, you really want to lose fat, right? You’re not trying to turn into a wimpy twig with no muscle mass, are you? If so, it’s important to design your weight loss strategy in a way that protects your muscle mass. If you don’t, your weight loss could be as much as half lean mass, and that’s not what you want. The two most important strategies are the right type of exercise program and consuming enough protein. Avoiding weight loss that’s too rapid is another strategy that can help. In this episode, I provide the details about how to implement these strategies in the right way. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Are you struggling to lose weight? Feel like you don’t have the willpower to make it happen?Your emotional relationship with food and your environment could be hampering your ability to succeed. Knowing whether you are a moderator or a sustainer, knowing which of the “four tendencies” determine your relationship to inner and outer expectations, and identifying the emotional and psychological needs that you are meeting with food can all help you design a weight loss program that properly addresses your emotions and environment. In this episode I discuss two quizzes made by Gretchen Rubin: Moderator versus abstainer (more an article than a quiz: https://gretchenrubin.com/2012/05/quiz-are-you-an-abstainer-or-a-moderator/) The Four Tendencies https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4232520/gretchenrubinfourtendenciesquiz This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Why should you bother spending time tracking calories or eating something so monotonous as “The Robot Diet” when there are plenty of dietary approaches out there that allow a variety of delicious foods, don’t require time spent tracking calories, and work for so many people?These approaches are “the low-hanging fruit of weight loss.” Is there low-hanging fruit available to you? How do you know when you’ve picked it all? That’s what I answer in this episode. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

The most reliable way to lose weight is to track calories, but tracking calories is time consuming. With the Robot Diet, you can substitute consistency for tracking calories, and save tons of time. Eat like a robot to have the abs of a robot. Walk like a human, talk like a human, and act like a human, and no one will no where they came from. Here are the two episodes I released last year on tracking calories:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/05/02/reliable-way-lose-weight/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/05/04/easiest-way-track-calories/ This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Get your copy at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

In this episode, I interview Chris Kresser! We discuss his new book, Unconventional Medicine, and everything he is doing over at the Kresser Institute, including his new health coach training program. Chris is changing the face of medicine with his new paradigm. Listen in to find out why I told him that in the 2020 presidential debates, I expect the candidates to be debating how many jobs Kresser created over the last four years. You can buy his new book, Unconventional Medicine, on Amazon. If you’re interested in becoming a health coach, or if you already are one and wish to undergo his new training to get his functional medicine perspective, you have up until June 3 to enroll. You can sign up here. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Everything you could ever need to know to optimize your nutrition, all in one place. Easier to find and use than ever before. Yours for only $30. This episode is brought to you by US Wellness Meats. I use their liverwurst as a convenient way to make a sustainable habit of eating a diversity of organ meats. They also have a milder braunschweiger and an even milder head cheese that gives you similar benefits, as well as a wide array of other meat products, all from animals raised on pasture. Head to grasslandbeef.com and enter promo code “Chris” at checkout to get a 15% discount on any order that is at least 7 pounds and is at least $75 after applying the discount but under 40 pounds (it can be 39.99 lbs, but not 40). You can use this discount code not once, but twice! To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: 00:37 Cliff Notes 11:46 Introduction 12:29 Alternative medicine’s critique of conventional medicine and what Chris Kresser has to add to that critique 15:41 Why hasn’t alternative medicine outcompeted conventional medicine? 18:42 The differences between alternative medicine, integrative medicine, and functional medicine 25:14 The functional medicine approach to headaches 27:03 The California Center for Functional Medicine’s intake process for new patients 34:32 Why taking medications to reduce fever might be a bad idea in most cases but can be helpful in some rare cases 37:27 How we can justify the costs of testing in functional medicine. Using type 2 diabetes as an example, investing $5,000 up front for one patient can save half a million dollars in the long run. 42:01 Who will end up paying for functional medicine? 47:38 What Chris Kresser is doing to spread the functional medicine approach to healthcare: his book Unconventional Medicine; the California Center for Functional Medicine; his program with the Berkeley Fire Department; and the Kresser Institute’s physician and health coach training programs. 52:53 Why doctors still need people skills 56:21 The importance of allied health providers, such as health coaches, nutritionists, and nurse practitioners, and how they can make longer appointments with physicians economically feasible 1:10:07 Advice for starting a career in functional medicine and deciding what degree to pursue 1:16:05 Advice for physicians who want to start practicing functional medicine 1:17:55 Who should read Unconventional Medicine and where to get it Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/051-chris-kresser-on-unconventional

Are mutations in your genes for the vitamin D receptor impacting your vitamin D requirements? There are three common genetic variants, known as Taq1, Bsm1, and Fok1. They’ve been associated with the risk of certain diseases but no one has quite sorted out what they are actually doing. It’s possible they raise your need for vitamin D. Watch this video for my recommendations on what to do if you have them. I recommend testing your VDR genes with StrateGene, which you can get here: chrismasterjohnphd.com/strategene For more information on how to get the StrateGene report, watch this video: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/12/04/know-need-care-mthfr/ You may also enjoy these other two videos I made about vitamin D testing: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/05/16/tell-difference-vitamin-d-calcium-deficiencies/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/05/18/vitamin-d-normal-pth-high/ To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Can you get vitamin A from plant foods? It depends on your genes. Listen to this podcast to learn how to figure out your BCO1 genetics and how this impacts your vitamin A requirement. Vitamin A is found in the form of carotenoids in red, orange, yellow, and green vegetables, and in the form of retinol in animal foods, especially liver. BCO1 helps you convert the carotenoids to retinol, which is the form you need to have in your body to be healthy. Many of us have genetic impairments in BCO1. In fact, for genetic reasons alone, if you took 100 of us, half of us would make the conversion less than half as well as the other half. A quarter of us would have our ability to make the conversion slashed four-fold. But it isn’t *all* about genetics. There are many other factors -- thyroid health, iron, protein, zinc, vitamin E, parasites, oxidative stress, heavy metals, polyunsaturated fats -- the list just goes on and on for the things that can affect this conversion. Knowing your genes is helpful, but only one piece of the puzzle. Listen to the podcast for how I recommend handling this. I recommend testing your BCO1 genes with StrateGene, which you can get here: chrismasterjohnphd.com/strategene For more information on how to get the StrateGene report, watch this video: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/12/04/know-need-care-mthfr/ To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Do you have anxiety? Depression? Attention problems? Or are you worried about estrogen and cancer? If so, listen to this podcast to learn about the role of your COMT genetics. COMT metabolizes dopamine, estrogen, and various other things. Half of us have the genetic for intermediate activity. The other half of us are split evenly between high and low activity. When nutrition is optimal, this just leads to personality differences: with low COMT activity, you’re better at focusing, but tend to ruminate on things rather than letting them go; with high COMT activity, you rarely get stuck in a rut, but you just as rarely sit down to focus on one single thing. When nutrition is off, we can go to pathological extremes, whether it’s depression and anxiety on one hand, or attention deficit and hyperactivity on the other. Robust COMT activity is also needed to get rid of harmful forms of estrogen that contribute to cancer risk. I recommend testing your COMT genes with StrateGene, which you can get here: chrismasterjohnphd.com/strategene To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 For more information on how to get the StrateGene report, watch this video, the first of the three MTHFR videos: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/12/04/know-need-care-mthfr/ Here are the two other MTHFR videos: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/12/06/what-to-do-about-mthfr/ https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/12/11/bloodwork-get-mthfr/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Today, January 14, is the *last day* to get 30% off your entire order by entering masterjohn as the promo code at checkout when you make purchases on paleovalley.com. Thiamin, or vitamin B1, is central to both energy metabolism and antioxidant defense. While its deficiency causes many problems, out of all the B vitamins its deficiency is most neurological in nature, because energy metabolism of the brain becomes severely compromised, and because neurotransmitters derived from protein cannot be produced. In its most severe form, beriberi, it can cause loss of muscle control, twitching, muscles freezing into awkward positions, and seizures. Carbohydrates require twice as much thiamin as fat. This means, on the one hand, that high-carbohydrate diets increase the need for thiamin, and on the other hand, that people who are deficient in thiamin may have neurological symptoms that resolve when they go on a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. Thiamin is widely distributed in foods. Historically, diets high in refined grain produced beriberi, but now refined grains are enriched in thiamin, so its deficiency is rarely caused by diet. However, certain foods such as raw fish and moths that are eaten in some cultures contain thiamin antagonists, gastrointestinal microbes can degrade thiamin, and there are various environmental causes of thiamin deficiency, such the algae that grow in dead zones. As such, environmental exposure to thiamin antagonists may be a more common cause of thiamin deficiency than poor dietary intake. Still, some foods are much higher in thiamin than most others, with whole grains, legumes, yeast, and red meat being among the best sources. The show notes for this episode are available at chrismasterjohnphd.com/50. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I wrote this to make everything you could possibly need to measure and manage your nutritional status all one click away. Get it now! This episode is brought to you by Paleovalley. I use their beef sticks as a convenient yet nutritious snack. They are made from 100% grass-fed beef and preserved through traditional fermentation. The fermentation makes them more digestible and gives them a fresher mouthfeel and texture compared to most other meat snacks I’ve tried, which tend to be too dry for me to fully enjoy. They also have a grass-fed organ complex that contains a blend of liver, heart, kidney, and brain, all stuffed into gel caps for those who can’t bring themselves to eat these incredibly nutritious meats with a fork. Head to paleovalley.com and enter the promo code masterjohn at checkout for 30% off your order. This is a huge savings available for only a limited time. You can get 30% off everything on the site, ordering as much as you want, but only for the duration of the next three podcast episodes. Check it out now to make sure you get your discount! This episode is brought to you by US Wellness Meats. I use their liverwurst as a convenient way to make a sustainable habit of eating a diversity of organ meats. They also have a milder braunschweiger and an even milder head cheese that gives you similar benefits, as well as a wide array of other meat products, all from animals raised on pasture. Head to grasslandbeef.com and enter promo code “Chris” at checkout to get a 15% discount on any order that is at least 7 pounds and is at least $75 after applying the discount but under 40 pounds (it can be 39.99 lbs, but not 40). You can use this discount code not once, but twice! To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/050-why-you-should-manage-your-thiamin

Do you have asthma? High blood pressure? Knowing your nitric oxide genes may help you find a solution. In this episode we continue to look at the StrateGene report, this time focusing on the genes for endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Impairments in this enzyme can increase your risk of asthma or high blood pressure. If you have either of these conditions and impairments in the enzyme, then you may benefit from strategies aimed at increasing nitric oxide production. Ensuring adequate zinc and arginine are part of the strategy because they support the enzyme, but you also should consider strategies that get around the enzyme, such as foods and supplements that generate nitric oxide enzymatically. Watch the video to learn more! I recommend testing your eNOS genes with StrateGene, which you can get here: chrismasterjohnphd.com/strategene For more information on how to get the StrateGene report, watch this video: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/12/04/know-need-care-mthfr/ Here is a link to Neo40: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/neo40 To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

You may have heard of MTHFR, but have you heard about MTRR? If you care about your vitamin B12 status, listen to this podcast to learn about it. MTRR is an enzyme that helps you repair your vitamin B12 once it’s been damaged. You don’t need to use it a lot most of the time, so some of us, including me, have genetic variations that make it not work very well, yet we’re fine most of the time. But when you are exposed to new health challenges that increase the damage done to your B12, suddenly you may need to use the enzyme more than usual, and if you have genetic impairments in the enzyme you may suddenly become vulnerable to vitamin B12 deficiency. I don’t recommend making a specific nutritional strategy around MTRR, but I do recommend you monitor your B12 status more proactively if you have genes that lower your MTRR activity. I recommend testing your MTRR with StrateGene, which you can get here: chrismasterjohnphd.com/strategene For more information on how to get the StrateGene report, watch this video: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/12/04/know-need-care-mthfr/ To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Glycine can you sleep, stabilize your blood sugar, improve your joint health, keep your skin beautiful, and do much more. It's a little amino acid with a big impact on your health. This episode is a panel discussion between Dr. Chris Masterjohn, Alex Leaf of Examine.Com, and Vladimir Heiskanen, covering everything you need to know about glycine. The best way to get glycine is from hydrolyzed collagen. Great Lakes offers the best balance of quality, transparency, and price. Vital Proteins, while more expensive, uses enzymatic digestions rather than heat to hydrolyze the collagen, and some people find that their digestion tolerates Vital Proteins but not other brands. Some people respond better to pure glycine. For these cases I recommend Bulk Supplements pure glycine powder. It has the same sweetness as sugar and can be used as a sweetener. You can view the show notes for this episode at chrismasterjohnphd.com/49. This episode is brought to you by Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. I wrote this to make everything you could possibly need to measure and manage your nutritional status all one click away. If you purchase it by Wednesday, January 9, you can turn in your proof of purchase at any point in the future while my consultations are available to get $30 back on a single consultation or $100 back on a Health and Wellness Package. Get it now! This episode is brought to you by Paleovalley. I use their beef sticks as a convenient yet nutritious snack. They are made from 100% grass-fed beef and preserved through traditional fermentation. The fermentation makes them more digestible and gives them a fresher mouthfeel and texture compared to most other meat snacks I’ve tried, which tend to be too dry for me to fully enjoy. They also have a grass-fed organ complex that contains a blend of liver, heart, kidney, and brain, all stuffed into gel caps for those who can’t bring themselves to eat these incredibly nutritious meats with a fork. Head to paleovalley.com and enter the promo code masterjohn at checkout for 30% off your order. This is a huge savings available for only a limited time. You can get 30% off everything on the site, ordering as much as you want, but only for the duration of the next three podcast episodes. Check it out now to make sure you get your discount! This episode is brought to you by US Wellness Meats. I use their liverwurst as a convenient way to make a sustainable habit of eating a diversity of organ meats. They also have a milder braunschweiger and an even milder head cheese that gives you similar benefits, as well as a wide array of other meat products, all from animals raised on pasture. Head to grasslandbeef.com and enter promo code “Chris” at checkout to get a 15% discount on any order that is at least 7 pounds and is at least $75 after applying the discount but under 40 pounds (it can be 39.99 lbs, but not 40). You can use this discount code not once, but twice! To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/049-why-you-need-glycine-a-panel

Concerned about kidney stones? Here are ten things you can do to naturally protect yourself. Believe it or not, calcium is protective. But there is far more. Listen to this podcast to learn all about it. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Happy 2018! After many dozens of hours putting this together, I'm super excited to announce "Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet." Over the course of 2017, many of you followed my podcast series on measuring and managing nutritional status. Some of you absolutely loved it. Some of you found it too technical to follow, or found the episodes too long and dense to share with your friends and family and were excited when I started condensing them into much shorter Chris Masterjohn Lite episodes. At the end of the day, I still am only about 5% through the series, mainly because producing each episode takes me about two weeks of doing nothing else and I need to clear out more time for it. One of my goals in 2018 is to unleash the complete series. But this also calls for something else: Could I completely distill the practical, actionable information from all the technical explanations? Could I collect it all into one, easy-to-find place? One of you wrote to me last year: Hi Chris, I'd happily pay for a PDF cheat sheet containing all your evidence-based recommendations in one table. I frequently find myself hunting through your transcripts :) Just a suggestion, keep up the good work. Man oh man, was he right. Quite often, dozens of hours reviewing the science around a nutrient led me to recommend specific tests that are not in common use, or specific ranges for tests that are commonly used but where the lab's range is far too broad, or just way off. So I started to put together such a cheat sheet. Lo and behold, I found myself hurting as I tried to find my own practical recommendations in the sprawling 2-hour transcripts.  After all this time in the trenches, what I've emerged with... let's just say, ain't no ordinary cheat sheet. It's the ULTIMATE cheat sheet. It's is a “cheat sheet” in two ways: ● All of the lab testing required for comprehensive nutritional screening is reduced to a single page, with hyperlinks making ordering any of the tests just one click away. ● In just five pages, I provide full instructions for lab testing, blood pressure, and dietary analysis, as well as an algorithm for quick decisions on what to do next for each marker that may be off. This “cheat sheet” is ultimate because of what comes next: ● Over 70 pages list the signs and symptoms associated with all the possible nutrient imbalances, the potential causes of nutrient imbalances, and an action plan for correcting each imbalance. To top it off, it ends with an index of the signs and symptoms of nutrient deficiencies and imbalances. The index has 178 entries, and each entry links directly to the sections of the text where those signs and symptoms are discussed. This makes it incredibly easy to browse through the index for the things that seem most interesting or relevant to you and find exactly what you're looking for without having to read the whole guide. If you're getting antsy, you can buy it right now, but read on if you'd like to learn more about it. Three Ways to Use the Cheat Sheet Let's face it, testing nutritional status can be expensive. In my consulting practice, some of my clients often ask me to find ways to minimize the costs associated with figuring out nutritional problems. Others are able to get practically anything covered by insurance if they use the right labs, and others just want me to find the cream of the crop, the best of the best. So I've started the cheat sheet by outlining three different ways to use it: In the comprehensive approach, you get the comprehensive lab screening, conduct a dietary analysis and a series of home blood pressure measurements, and collect a list of signs and symptoms that seem relevant from the index. In the time-saving approach, you skip the dietary analysis -- the most time-consuming part -- and only resort to dietary analysis if and when some of your health challenges prove too difficult to resolve without it. In the cost-saving approach, you skip the lab screening, only resorting to running labs when doing so proves necessary to determine the best course of action. The comprehensive approach is the one that generates the correct strategies the fastest, but if time or finances are constraining, the other two options allow you to make the best of the resources you have at your disposal. By the way, while practical, this is an entirely educational resource. Please don't try anything in the cheat sheet without consulting your doctor, and please don't ever ignore the advice of your doctor because of anything I've written in the cheat sheet. This Is a Living Document Putting this cheat sheet together has been tremendously valuable to me. It required me to do a lot of research, and to collect my thoughts and findings all into one place. I know very well that it's going to be my primary tool for helping myself and others in the years to come. So I want to keep this constantly up-to-date for both myself and for you. You'll notice that I've called it Version 1.0. Since it's practical in nature, I decided to think of it more like a software program than a book, and went with version over edition. When you purchase the cheat sheet, I recommend you enter your email address in the shopping cart. That will allow me to email you updates to future editions. If I make small changes to it, I will call the versions 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and so on, and give you the updates for free. When I make bigger changes, I will release versions 2.0, 3.0, and so on, and give you steep discounts for having purchased version 1.0 early in the life of the guide. I will also offer you opportunities to give me your feedback on the guide, and I will consider that feedback in the production of updates. This Is a Practical, Not a Scientific Argument I've put together a small collection of further reading materials at the end of the guide. If I had thoroughly referenced every statement in the guide, it would be unwieldy, with a sprawling bibliography that rivaled the guide in length. I mean, geez this is a cheat sheet and it's already 78 pages long! Instead, I listed what I consider the best starting places for developing a deeper understanding of the material. One of those resources is my podcast, where I will be doing an episode on each nutrient this year, in full scientific glory. What that means is that this is not for you if what you are looking for is full explanations of how things work, how I came to each conclusion, and the exact source of each statement pinned clearly to the statement itself. I have plenty of writings of that nature, but this isn't one of them. This is for you if you want to the practical what-to-do information all distilled into one place. And hundredsof hyperlinks ensuring you never have to scroll, squint your eyes to find things, or make an appointment with Dr. Google. This Is a Digital Document The format of the cheat sheet is a PDF. You'll be able to download it immediately after purchase. You can certainly print it out if you wish, and that might be best if you want to read it straight through. However, please keep in mind that one of the key features is the hundreds of hyperlinks. They bring you to the exact section you want to use when reading the instructions for use. They bring you to the exact paragraph to read when looking things up in the index. They bring you to the exact lab test when looking for a test to order. So, keep the digital version handy if for no other reason than this amazing assortment of links. An AMAZING Gift for You if You But It This Week If you buy the cheat sheet this week (by January 9), you can use your proof of purchase at any time to obtain a discount (technically a rebate) on my consultation services: If you purchase a single consultation, you can turn in your proof of purchase and I'll give you $30 back. That's the full value of the cheat sheet. So you can think of this as 10% off the consultation, or getting the cheat sheet completely for FREE. If you purchase a Health and Wellness Package, you can turn in your proof of purchase and I'll give you $100 back. That's a $30 investment to get $100 back, a $70 profit. It's like buying bitcoin!   You don't have to commit to a consultation now. This offer is good for the entire life of my consultation services. So, the action you need to take this week to be eligible is to purchase the cheat sheet, and to save the email with the download link and receipt as your proof of purchase. The action you can take at any time in the future is to use the proof of purchase for a rebate on my consultation services. This is subject to the availability of my services. If you wait until 2020, I cannot guarantee I will still be offering consultations. If you wait until August, I cannot guarantee you'll get your spot at a convenient time. All I guarantee is that as long as I offer these services, I will honor the rebate. Even if you decide not to follow up on the rebate, what you get is an amazing resource for the ridiculously cheap "full price" of $30. Actually, you can pay less than that. Plus a Discount If You Buy It Today! For today and today only, I'm offering an early bird discount. At checkout, put in this discount code: SaveMe5! It takes $5 off the price and expires at 11:59 PM tonight, eastern time. Here It Is... Ready? You can buy it here: Testing Nutritional Status: The ULTIMATE Cheat Sheet Happy New Year! Chris

So far we’ve seen that glycine or collagen supplements can improve sleep, tendon health, and blood sugar. But many of you have asked me, should we be concerned that they can raise oxalate levels? This could potentially increase the risk of kidney stones. There’s about a ten percent chance you could be at risk of a kidney stone some day, and if you’re in that minority you should be concerned about your exposure to oxalates. Glycine is very unlikely to generate oxalates, but collagen may, especially if you are deficient in vitamin B6. In this podcast, I describe how to figure out if this is relevant to you and what to do about it. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Got blood sugar problems? Glycine might help! 3-5 grams of glycine before a meal helps stabilize your blood sugar after the meal, and 15 grams a day every day helps improve long-term blood sugar stability in type 2 diabetes. Listen to this podcast for the best way to implement this strategy. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Achy joints? Tendon pain? Just looking to stay youthful forever? Taking 15 grams of collagen before your workout, maybe with a little vitamin C, can do wonders for your tendon health. Your tendons aren’t that metabolically active and they don’t vacuum up what they need as actively as your muscles do. Getting the collagen peptides into your bloodstream before your workout makes them available to your tendons when your workout starts pumping blood directly into all the nooks and crannies where those shy little tendons are found. Here is the link to the Sigma Nutrition episode with Danny Lennon and Keith Baar: https://sigmanutrition.com/episode143/ To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Creatine, best known for its ability to build muscle and enhance athletic performance, is also critical for digestion, mental health, protecting your hearing, and keeping your skin vibrant and youthful.    From among the various options for creatine supplementation, I recommend Optimized Nutrition micronized creatine powder. If you are using creatine while traveling, try Optimized Nutrition creatine caps. Click here for the only searchable database of the creatine content of foods on the internet. It has over 140 entries! This episode is brought to you by Paleovalley. I use their beef sticks as a convenient yet nutritious snack. They are made from 100% grass-fed beef and preserved through traditional fermentation. The fermentation makes them more digestible and gives them a fresher mouthfeel and texture compared to most other meat snacks I’ve tried, which tend to be too dry for me to fully enjoy. They also have a grass-fed organ complex that contains a blend of liver, heart, kidney, and brain, all stuffed into gel caps for those who can’t bring themselves to eat these incredibly nutritious meats with a fork. Head to paleovalley.com and enter the promo code masterjohn at checkout for 30% off your order. This is a huge savings available for only a limited time. You can get 30% off everything on the site, ordering as much as you want, but only for the duration of the next three podcast episodes. Check it out now to make sure you get your discount!   This episode is brought to you by US Wellness Meats. I use their liverwurst as a convenient way to make a sustainable habit of eating a diversity of organ meats. They also have a milder braunschweiger and an even milder head cheese that gives you similar benefits, as well as a wide array of other meat products, all from animals raised on pasture. Head to grasslandbeef.com and enter promo code “Chris” at checkout to get a 15% discount on any order that is at least 7 pounds and is at least $75 after applying the discount but under 40 pounds (it can be 39.99 lbs, but not 40). You can use this discount code not once, but twice! Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/048-creatine-far-more-than-a-performance

Do you have trouble sleeping, or wish you felt more rested and energized during the day? Glycine might be one of the best things you can try. It doesn’t just have a calming effect, but it improves sleep quality and can make you feel more rested even on the same amount of sleep. In this episode, I discuss how to use glycine for better sleep and why you should consider both free glycine and hydrolyzed collagen. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Is what you’re doing for MTHFR working? How would you know? In this episode I cover the most important blood work to get to make sure what you’re doing is working. I cover the importance of homocysteine, how to interpret glycine and sarcosine levels on a plasma amino acids test, the difference between measuring serum or plasma folate and measuring red blood cell folate, and more. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Got MTHFR? I got you: here’s what you can do with nutrition to optimize for your genetics. MTHFR mutations increase your need for choline and glycine. It’s key to get methylfolate in your diet, but high-dose methylfolate supplements are not the solution. You need to boost choline as an alternative supply of methyl groups, and creatine supplementation can help you better conserve your methylfolate by reducing the need to use it. This is important because adequate methylfolate preserves glycine and prevents it from being lost. Too little protein hurts methylation, but too much worsens the loss of glycine, so you need to hit the Goldilocks amount. Finally, you need to get more glycine to make up for whatever you’re losing. In this episode, I explain how to use food and supplements to make all this work in your favor. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Should you care about your MTHFR? Here’s how to find out your MTHFR genetic status and know how it affects you. MTHFR is an enzyme that allows folate, or vitamin B9, to support a process known as methylation. Methylation is important to mental health, cardiovascular health, sports performance, and preventing cancer, just to name a few. In this episode, I show you how to find your MTHFR genetic status. I also discuss how the various different genetic combinations impact you and how you can leverage that information to determine how strictly you should follow the dietary recommendations I’ll outline in the next episode. To order a StrateGene report while kicking a small commission my way at no extra cost to you, use this link: chrismasterjohnphd.com/strategene I appreciate the support! The audio of this episode was generously enhanced and post-processed by Bob Davodian of Taurean mixing. You can find more of his work at taureanonlinemixing.com. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Are you coming to Wise Traditions 2017? It's in Minneapolis, with some pregame events beginning on Thursday November 9th and the main conference running from Friday, November 10th through Monday, November 13th. I'm excited to see friends like Ben Greenfield and Laura Schoenfeld, to meet many other people I know only through the internet, and to spend some face-to-face time with lots of people who share traditional diets as a common interest. I'll be giving two talks, plus teaching an all-day interactive course on measuring and managing nutritional status. Here's what I'm doing: On Saturday, I'll be giving a talk on the role of protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins, and minerals in achieving an optimal hormonal balance. On Sunday, I'll be giving a talk "Methylate Your Way to Mental Health: Beyond Folate and B12 Supplements." On Monday, I'll be teaching an all-day interactive course called "Measuring and Managing Nutritional Status Masterclass." To register for the conference, go here. Please note that the Monday class on managing nutritional status comes separately. When you sign up, look for the "Monday Event Registration" header on the form, and change the dropdown menu from "No Monday Event Selected" to "Chris Masterjohn (includes lunch)." The Masterclass will take each of the essential nutrients, and cover both the "what" and the "why" behind the signs and symptoms of deficiency, the distribution in the diet, and the lab work used to assess nutritional status. It will consist of 10-15 minute chunks of lecture interspersed with questions that I'll give you. You'll vote on the answers with an app on your mobile device or laptop and we'll look at how people respond (anonymously in aggregate), often using the responses as a basis for discussion. You will have numerous opportunities to ask me questions about what we cover through the class and a more free-for-all-style opportunity to ask me anything at the end. Sound great? Register here! Register for Wise Traditions, 2017 Hope to see you there, Chris

In conditions of glucose deprivation, such as fasting or carbohydrate restriction, ketogenesis serves to reduce our needs for glucose. This reduces the need to engage in the energetically wasteful process of gluconeogenesis, which would otherwise be extremely taxing on our skeletal muscle if dietary protein were inadequate. Ketogenesis mainly occurs in the liver. The biochemical event that leads to ketogenesis is an accumulation of acetyl CoA that cannot enter the citric acid cycle because it exceeds the supply of oxaloacetate. The set of physiological conditions that provoke this biochemical event are as follows: free fatty acids from adipose tissue reach the liver, providing the energy needed for gluconeogenesis as well as a large excess of acetyl CoA. Oxaloacetate, with the help of the energy provided by free fatty acids, leaves the citric acid cycle for gluconeogenesis. These events increase the ratio of acetyl CoA to oxaloacetate, which leads to the accumulation of acetyl CoA that cannot enter the citric acid cycle and therefore enter the ketogenic pathway. This pathway results in the production of acetoacetate, a ketoacid. Acetoacetate can then be reduced to beta-hydroxybutyrate, a hydroxyacid, in a manner analogous to the reduction of pyruvate, a ketoacid, to lactate, a hydroxyacid. Acetoacetate is an unstable beta-ketoacid just like oxalosuccinate (covered in lesson 6) and can also spontaneously decarboxylate to form acetone, a simple ketone that is extremely volatile and can evaporate through the lungs, causing ketone breath. This lesson covers the basic mechanisms of ketogenesis and sets the ground for the forthcoming lesson on the benefits and drawbacks of ketogenesis in various contexts. Click here for the full lesson.  Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.

The last lesson covered how insulin, glucagon, and allosteric regulators from within the liver ensure that the liver only engages in gluconeogenesis when it can and when it needs to. This lesson focuses on an additional layer of regulation: cortisol. Cortisol is the principal glucocorticoid in humans. Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones produced by the adrenal cortex that increase blood glucose. Cortisol has multiple actions on the liver, muscle, adipose, and pancreas that all converge on making glucose more available to the brain. Among them, it increases movement of fatty acids from adipose to the liver, which provide the energy for gluconeogenesis, and the movement of amino acids from skeletal muscle to the liver, which provide the building blocks for gluconeogenesis. Cortisol serves both to antagonize insulin, thereby acutely increasing gluconeogenesis, and to increase the synthesis of gluconeogenic enzymes, which amplifies all other pro-gluconeogenic signaling and increases the total capacity for gluconeogenesis. In fact, even the day-to-day regulation of gluconeogenesis by glucagon is strongly dependent on normal healthy levels of cortisol in the background. Since gluconeogenesis is an extremely expensive investment with a negative return, it makes sense that the body would regulate it as a stress response, and thus place it under control by cortisol. This raises the question of whether carbohydrate restriction increases cortisol. Several studies are reviewed in this lesson that indicate that 1) there may be an extreme level of carbohydrate restriction that always increases cortisol, and 2) carbohydrate restriction definitely increases cortisol in some people. It may be the case that other stressors in a person’s “stress bucket” determine whether and how strongly the person reacts to carbohydrate restriction with elevated cortisol. For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/31 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.

Since gluconeogenesis is extremely expensive, it has to be tightly regulated so that it only occurs when both of two conditions are met: 1) the liver has enough energy to invest a portion into synthesizing glucose, and 2) the rest of the body is in need of that glucose. Since the liver is the metabolic hub of the body that also plays a major role in anabolic synthesis and nitrogen disposal, it also regulates glycolysis and gluconeogenesis according to whether amino acids are available to supply energy in place of glucose and whether there is sufficient citrate and associated energy for biosynthesis. This lesson covers how insulin, glucagon, alanine, citrate, fructose 2-6-bisphosphate, ATP, ADP, and AMP regulate the flux between glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/30 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.

Gluconeogenesis is extremely expensive. Three steps of glycolysis are so energetically favorable that they are irreversible. Getting around them requires four gluconeogenesis-specific enzymes and the investment of a much larger amount of energy. Overall, six ATP worth of energy are invested to yield glucose, a molecule that only yields 2 ATP when broken down in glycolysis. This lesson covers the details of the reactions as well as the rationale for investing so much energy. One of the most pervasive themes in biology is the drive to conserve energy. That we will spend this much energy synthesizing glucose is a testament to how essential it is to our life and well being. For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/29 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.    

Insulin is commonly seen as a response to blood glucose whose primary role is to keep blood glucose within a narrow range. This view of insulin fails to account for its many roles outside of energy metabolism that govern long-term investments in health. The biochemistry and physiology of insulin secretion suggest, rather, that insulin is a gauge of short-term energy status and energetic versatility. Since glucose can only be stored in small amounts and since it is the most versatile of the macronutrients in its ability to support specialized pathways of energy metabolism, it makes sense that it would be wired to the pancreas as the primary signal of short-term energy status and energetic versatility. In this lesson, we review the unique uses of glucose and the mechanisms of insulin signaling to synthesize them into a more nuanced view of the role of insulin than is typically presented. For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/28 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.

The pentose phosphate pathway provides a deep look into a stunning array of essential roles for glucose. In it, glucose becomes the source of NADPH, used for antioxidant defense, detoxification, recycling of nutrients like vitamin K and folate, and the anabolic synthesis of fatty acids, cholesterol, neurotransmitters, and nucleotides. At the same time, glucose also becomes the source of 5-carbon sugars, used structurally in DNA, RNA, and energy carriers like ATP, coenzyme A, NADH, NADPH, and FADH2. DNA is needed for growth, reproduction, and cellular repair; RNA is needed to translate genetic information from DNA into all of the structures in our bodies; the energy carriers constitute the very infrastructure of the entire system of energy metabolism. This lesson covers the details of the pentose phosphate pathway, how it operates in multiple modes according to the relative needs of the cell for ATP, NADPH, and 5-carbon sugars, the role of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and thiamin deficiency in its dysfunction, and what it means for the importance of glucose to human health. For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/27 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.

In August of this year, 25-year-old bodybuilding mom Meegan Hefford was found unconscious in her apartment, brought to the hospital where she was declared brain-dead, and died soon after. The cause? "Too much protein before competition," according to the New York Post. She had recently doubled her gym routine, started dieting, and begun slamming protein shakes in preparation for an upcoming bodybuilding competition. No one knew she had a rare genetic disorder that would make the breakdown of protein acutely toxic for her until after her death.   Does this tragic case carry lessons for the rest of us without rare genetic disorders? In this episode, I make the answer a definitive YES.   Protein is essential to life and health, but its metabolic byproduct, ammonia, is toxic. Humans dispose of excess nitrogen largely as urea, a nontoxic metabolite of ammonia that can be safely excreted in the urine. Rare genetic defects like Hefford's interfere directly with the production of urea. Other genetic defects that interfere with the use of certain fuels, especially fatty acids and branched-chain amino acids, can indirectly impair the synthesis of urea during metabolic crisis. Impairments of urea synthesis lead to the accumulation of ammonia, with devastating neurological consequences.   Null genes manifest in infancy and are best studied. Partial genetic deficiencies, like Hefford's are often asymptomatic through adulthood until dietary changes (protein supplementation, carbohydrate restriction, fasting) or metabolic demands (intense exercise, illness) force a greater rate of protein catabolism.   There is at least one genetic polymorphism in a urea cycle gene that is COMMON and associated with disease: the A allele of rs5963409 in the OTC gene is present in up to 25-30% of some populations. It impairs ammonia disposal and arginine synthesis and it increases the risk of hypertension and Alzheimer's disease.   Does it impair protein tolerance? It hasn't been directly studied, but it is reasonable to believe that people with this polymorphism may not tolerate protein as well as others, and that arginine supplementation could help.    We need to stop dismissing inborn errors of metabolism as too rare to be relevant and we need to start connecting the dots and learning the lessons they carry for everyone.   This episode is brought to you by Paleovalley. I use their beef sticks as a convenient yet nutritious snack. They are made from 100% grass-fed beef and preserved through traditional fermentation. The fermentation makes them more digestible and gives them a fresher mouthfeel and texture compared to most other meat snacks I’ve tried, which tend to be too dry for me to fully enjoy. They also have a grass-fed organ complex that contains a blend of liver, heart, kidney, and brain, all stuffed into gel caps for those who can’t bring themselves to eat these incredibly nutritious meats with a fork. Head to paleovalley.com and enter the promo code masterjohn at checkout for 30% off your order. This is a huge savings available for only a limited time. You can get 30% off everything on the site, ordering as much as you want, but only for the duration of the next three podcast episodes. Check it out now to make sure you get your discount!   This episode is brought to you by US Wellness Meats. I use their liverwurst as a convenient way to make a sustainable habit of eating a diversity of organ meats. They also have a milder braunschweiger and an even milder head cheese that gives you similar benefits, as well as a wide array of other meat products, all from animals raised on pasture. Head to grasslandbeef.com and enter promo code “Chris” at checkout to get a 15% discount on any order that is at least 7 pounds and is at least $75 after applying the discount but under 40 pounds (it can be 39.99 lbs, but not 40). You can use this discount code not once, but twice! Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/047-are-we-all-evolved-to-eat-high

Although insulin promotes storage of fat in adipose tissue, this occurs in the context of multiple layers of regulation where energy balance is the final determinant of how much fat we store. In a caloric deficit, the low energy status of muscle and heart will lead them to take up fat rather than adipose tissue, even in the presence of insulin. Insulin combined with low energy status will promote the uptake of glucose in skeletal muscle over adipose tissue and will promote the oxidation of glucose rather than its incorporation into fat. Some advocates of the carbohydrate hypothesis of obesity have argued that glucose is needed to form the glycerol backbone of triglycerides within adipose tissue. Although glucose can serve this role, it isn’t necessary because adipose glyceroneogenesis and hepatic gluconeogenesis can both provide the needed glycerol phosphate. Further, low energy status promotes the use of glycerol as fuel and high energy status is needed to promote the formation of glycerol from glucose. Finally, fatty acids are needed to store fat in adipose tissue and they overwhelmingly come from dietary fat in almost any circumstance. Insulin can only promote de novo lipogenesis, the synthesis of fatty acids from other precursors such as carbohydrate, in the context of excess energy, and this pathway is minor in conditions of caloric deficit, caloric balance, or moderate caloric excess. Thus, although insulin does promote storage of fat in adipose tissue, it doesn’t directly affect energy balance, and energy balance is the determinant of how much fat you store overall. For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/26 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.

Insulin prevents fat-burning in part by locking fat in adipose tissue and in part by shutting down transport of fatty acids into the mitochondrion inside cells. By downregulating lipoprotein lipase (LPL) at heart and skeletal muscle and upregulating it at adipose tissue, insulin shifts dietary fat away from heart and muscle and toward adipose tissue. By downregulating hormone-sensitive lipase in adipose tissue, it prevents the release of free fatty acids from adipose tissue into the blood. At the cellular level, insulin leads to the phosphorylation and deactivation of AMPK. Since AMPK inhibits acetyl CoA carboxylase, insulin-mediated deactivation of AMPK leads to activation of acetyl CoA carboxylase and the conversion of acetyl CoA to malonyl CoA. Malonyl CoA inhibits carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (CPT-1) and thus blocks the transport of fatty acids into the mitochondrion. Nevertheless, all of these steps are also regulated at the most fundamental level by energy status, as covered in lesson 22. Further, insulin stimulates the burning of carbohydrate for energy, as covered in lesson 24. So, is insulin’s blockade of fat-burning sufficient to cause net fat storage, or does this critically depend on energy balance? This question will be answered in the next lesson. For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/25 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.  

Most people interested in health and nutrition know that insulin clears glucose from the blood into cells, but it is much less widely appreciated that insulin also makes you burn that glucose for energy. Insulin stimulates the translocation of GLUT4 to the membrane of skeletal muscle, heart, and adipose cells, and activates hexokinase 2. GLUT 4 increases the rate of glucose transport across the cell membrane and hexokinase 2 locks the glucose into the cell, making sure that glucose travels inward rather than outward. Insulin stimulates glycogen synthase, causing you to store glucose as glycogen, but it also stimulates pyruvate dehydrogenase, causing you to burn pyruvate for energy. The key determinant of which one of these you do is the energy status of the cell. Glucose 6-phosphate is needed to activate glycogen synthase, and it only accumulates if high energy status is inhibiting phosphofructokinase. If low energy status is stimulating phosphofructokinase, the net effect of insulin is to irreversibly commit glucose to glycolysis, and then to stimulate the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl CoA, which then enters the citric acid cycle to allow the full combustion of the carbons and maximal synthesis of ATP. Thus, if you need the energy, the net effect of insulin is to make you burn glucose to get that energy. For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/24 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.

Insulin secretion. Remarkably, we know from dietary studies that we get the most insulin from eating carbohydrate, yet we know from molecular and cellular studies that insulin secretion is primarily triggered by the ratio of ATP to ADP inside the pancreatic beta-cell. The former implies that insulin is a response to glucose, while the latter implies that insulin is a response to total energy availability. What can explain this discrepancy? In this lesson, we explore the possibility that it is the anatomy and physiology that drive the dietary effect of carbohydrate rather than the biochemistry. Carbs are wired to get soaked up by the pancreas when blood sugar rises above the normal fasting level once the liver has taken its share to replete hepatic glycogen, whereas fats are wired to go primarily to the heart and muscle when those organs need energy and to go primarily to adipose tissue otherwise. The combination of circulatory routes and the relative expression of glucose transporters and lipoprotein lipase by different tissues likely directs fat to the pancreatic beta-cell as a source of ATP only during extreme hyperglycemia or when it exceeds adipose storage capacity due to obesity, insulin resistance, or very high-fat meals. The pancreatic beta-cell does have a diversity of complicated and often controversial secondary biochemical mechanisms that “amplify” the insulin-triggering effect of ATP, and carbs are more versatile at supporting these mechanism than fat. These likely make a contribution to the dietary effect, but they strike me as unlikely to be the primary driver of the dietary effect. Thus, insulin is a response mainly to carbohydrate availability but also to total energy availability, and this driven mainly by the anatomy and physiology but also by the biochemistry. Seeing insulin as a response to cellular energy status will eventually help us broaden our view of insulin as a key governor of what to do with that energy that goes far, far beyond regulating blood glucose levels. For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/23 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.

This lesson covers the regulation of beta-oxidation. The primary regulation of beta-oxidation occurs at the mitochondrial membrane, where fatty acids are transported into the mitochondrion. Acetyl CoA carboxylase governs both the formation of fatty acids from non-carbohydrate precursors and the transport of fatty acids into the mitochondrion. Its product, malonyl CoA, is a substrate for fatty acid synthesis in the cytosol but a regulator of fatty acid transport in the mitochondrion. Thus, there are two isoforms of acetyl CoA carboxylase that are regulated similarly. The cytosolic isoform plays a direct role in fatty acid synthesis and the mitochondrial isoform regulates beta-oxidation. This ensures that the two processes are regulated reciprocally, so that one is shut down to the extent the other is activated, thereby preventing wasteful futile cycling. The primary regulator of acetyl CoA carboxylase activity is, as you might expect by this point, energy status. When a cell needs more energy, it lets fatty acids into the mitochondrion. When it has too much, it shuts down fat-burning. For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/22 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.

This lesson covers the regulation of glycolysis. The principle regulation occurs at phosphofructokinase, which guards the gate to the first irreversible, committed step to burn glucose for energy. What governs it? Energy. If you need more ATP, you burn more glucose; if you don’t, you don’t. If the cell has glucose beyond its needs for energy, it uses it for the pentose phosphate pathway, which allows the production of 5-carbon sugars and antioxidant defense if needed, or stores it as glycogen if there is room. If not, glucose-6-phosphate accumulates and shuts down hexokinase. This, together with low AMPK levels, causes glucose to get left in the blood. The other key regulated step of glycolysis is pyruvate kinase, where the primary purpose of regulation is to prevent futile cycling between steps of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. On the whole, glycolysis and glucose uptake are regulated primarily by energy status and secondarily by glucose-specific decisions about the need for glycogen or for the pentose phosphate pathway. Since we mostly use glucose for energy under most circumstances, the key regulation of the pathway is the regulation of phosphofructokinase by energy status. This means glucose uptake is largely driven by energy status, and our decisions about preventing hyperglycemia should center on total energy balance. For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/21 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.

In this lesson, we examine the beta-oxidation in its simplest form: the breakdown of a long-chain, saturated fatty acid. We see once again the principle that the oxygen content of a molecule determines how much water its metabolism consumes and how much carbon dioxide its metabolism releases. In beta-oxidation, we consume one water per round and release no carbon dioxide. This reflects the fact that fatty acids are not hydrates of carbons like sugars are, which is where the name carbohydrate comes from.   For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/20 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.

In this lesson, we examine the entire glycolytic pathway. We use as our theme the transfer of oxygen from phosphate to newly generated water. This explains why the standard stoichiometry of glycolysis found in textbooks show it generating two water molecules, and ties the information together with the analogous principles from substrate-level phosphorylation in the citric acid cycle and the relative differences in water consumption and carbon dioxide generation between fat and carbohydrate. As with our discussion of the citric acid cycle, we also reveal why the standard stoichiometry of glycolysis is misleading and why, when we account for atoms rather than molecules, we find glycolysis to be net water-neutral. For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/19 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.

Can fat fuel intensity in a competitive athlete? This lesson takes a critical look at the commonly cited evidence in favor of a neutral or beneficial effect of low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diets on sports performance, as well as key pieces of conflicting evidence. Bottom line? Fat can fuel duration, but probably can never fuel your peak intensity, just as the physiology would predict. For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/18 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.

Can athletes fat-adapt their workouts? This lesson lays down the principles of exercise biochemistry and physiology needed to understand the importance of the three energy systems supporting energy metabolism in skeletal muscle: the phosphagen system (ATP and creatine), anaerobic glycolysis (dependent on carbs), and oxidative phosphorylation (dependent on carbs, fat, or protein). We discuss why maximal intensity always depends on carbs if the intensity and duration are sufficient to deplete phosphocreatine concentrations, and clarify the window of time and intensity that can be fat-adapted. This sets the foundation for the next lesson, which looks at the evidence of how carbohydrate restriction and ketogenic diets impact sports performance. For the full episode, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/17 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.

“Anaplerosis” means “to fill up” and refers to substrates and reactions that fill up a metabolic pathway as its own substrates leak out for other purposes. The citric acid cycle is a central example of this because its intermediates are often used to synthesize other components the cell needs. On a mixed diet where carbohydrate provides much of the energy, pyruvate serves as the main anaplerotic substrate. During carbohydrate restriction, protein takes over. Fat is the least anaplerotic of the macronutrients because the main product of fatty acid metabolism, acetyl CoA, is not directly anaplerotic. There are several very minor pathways that allow some anaplerosis from fat, but they are unlikely to eclipse the need for protein to support this purpose during carbohydrate restriction. Thus, carbs and protein are the two primary sources of anaplerosis. This means carbs can spare the need for protein, and that protein requirements rise on a carb-restricted diet. For the full lesson, go to chrismasterjohnphd.com/mwm/2/16 Sign up for MWM Pro for early access to content, enhanced keyword searching, self-pacing tools, downloadable audio and transcripts, a rich array of hyperlinked further reading suggestions, and a community with a forum for each lesson.