Seed Oils
Sorry if you've covered this before (I'm new to the podcast), but what are your thoughts on the "seed oils as the One True Cause of all human suffering" thing, à la Cate Shanahan, Chris Knobbe, etc.? Seems like a lot of mechanistic speculation with little to no evidence around human outcomes, with some abuse of apparent correlation thrown in for good measure, but I'd love to hear your take. Thanks!
Synthesized whey protein
We're starting to see commercially available whey that has been produced by bacteria engineered to synthesize whey protein directly from nutritional substrate. It seems like we should expect this to have directly comparable effects given the identical molecular structure. Is there any reason to think this bacterially synthesized whey will have any different effects that whey from dairy?
Stephen Guyenet vs. Gary Taubes
I just got through listening to the debate on Joe Rogan between these guys and firstly- clearly Guyenet "won," but I wanted to ask him about whey protein and why didn't he mention how whey protein increases insulin despite it being a protein and not a carbohydrate? If Taubes is all about insulin and carbs/sugars- wouldn't this fact destroy his hypothesis? Additionally I thought that overeating on any macronutrient would increase insulin simply because you are eating food? Also is it possible that both men are correct- that both schools of thought could co-exist and they both be playing a major role in obesity? I loved the debate but was thinking about these 2 things the whole time. Thanks!!
Obesity - Are the only efficacious interventions drugs and bariatric surgery?
It seems like there are significant differences in policies put forth between researchers from biomedical backgrounds and ones from public health policy backgrounds. Pr Allison touched on this during recent interviews, noting that there is very little evidence regarding the efficacy of upstream obesity prevention interventions, such community gardens, combatting food deserts, nutrition education, and cooking classes. On the other hand, governments are increasingly turning to such interventions, as well as policies such as front of pack labelling (Canada, 2022), nutrition facts tables, calorie labelling on menus, as well as the aforementioned ones. Given your research on determinants of health and obesity, what are some of the most promising interventions to prevent NCD morbidity, as well as stones unturned in public health policy? Would you agree with individuals such as Pr Allison that in our current environment, the only efficacious interventions are drugs and bariatric surgery? Regards, Gabriel
weight periodization
Are there best practices for the maximum duration someone should spend in fat loss or weight gain phases? Or perhaps an optimal ratio of fat loss/weight gain to maintenance phases? For example, should fat loss phases be for a maximum of 12 weeks followed by maintenance of at least equal duration before resuming a fat loss phase?