Semaglutide
1. What are your thought on Wegovy/Ozempic etc for patients who are not necessarily obese but just want to lose a "few pounds?" 2. Is it really a "game changer" for the obese as some people think? 3. What is it like for patients who get off of it with regards to their weight? 4. Does this medication only "work" because it reduces caloric intake or is there another mechanism at play in the brain? Thanks!!
Carninutrients
I consume a vegan diet for environmental and ethical reasons. After 6 years of this diet, I was having noticeable memory/recall issues. I started supplementing choline bitartrate, Coq10, creatine, and taurine and have had much improvement. Is there a scientific basis why this would happen? Are there risks to these supplements? In particular, does choline increase risk because of TMAO? I supposedly have a genetically increased need for choline. Thank you!
Glyphosate
Hi Danny! Glyphosate and GMO foods remain controversial and a source of ‘food fear’ for many. Can you speak to the latest evidence we have on the actual consumption levels of glyphosate in a typical diet and if there is cause for concern at typical intake levels? Thank you for all you do!
Options to lower LDL? Statin data?
Even with a plant based (80%) whole foods diet with low saturated fat and rrgular exercise my cholesterol runs high. I dropped paleo after 5 years and have brought total cholesterol down 50 points to 210 and LDL to 140. No matter what I eat how or much I exercise that seems to be the limit. The data on statins does not look compelling and seems to only really have benefits for those who have already had a heart attack and can tolerate without side effects(interested in your opinion). What do you think and what about red yeast rice and plant sterols. I am 56 with low BMI and excellent diet and metabolic health and take no prescriptions so I am hesitant to. Thanks.
What is the latest scientific opinion on food addiction?
In recent years it has been both suggested that food addiction is a thing by some and is not by others. I know this is an area that researchers continue to look into, but it can be confusing to discern what is the most likely conclusion with the current evidence. It seems that there is probably a reward response that is similar to addiction, and potential maladaptive neuroplasticity in relation to hyper palatable foods, but it would be great to get a clear overview of the current evidence base. thanks Kate
ADHD & nutrition
Hello, casual listener here. I have learned to sort out the BS from listening to the nuance surrounding topics on this show and appreciate the insight. Do you have any opinions on the literature of diet interventions for ADHD? Anything from whole diets to individual foods to the notorious red food dye. I am not familiar enough with reviewing studies myself and there is a ton of overly strong anecdotal opinions on this matter so hearing your perspective would be valuable to me to know if this area is worth paying attention to or is just quackery. Thanks!
Fasting and Muscle Mass Retention
Considering the growing interest in fasting protocols (both TRF and longer fasting protocols) - what would you recommend in these circumstances for the preservation / growth of muscle mass. Would it differ between Intermittent Fasting / Time-Restricted Feeding, and longer (1-3 day) fasts?
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?
The Most Dangerous Nutrition Trends / Fads?
First - just started listening last week, have listened to probably a dozen episodes, loving it so far. The most sensible and thorough "deep dive" nutrition podcast I've encountered, so thanks very much. So here's a big one for you - what do you think are the two or three most dangerous nutrition trends / fads in the world today? By "dangerous", I *think* I mean those most likely to cause significant negative health outcomes for the largest number of people. Or, alternately, you could interpret this as the fads that are the most unhealthful in absolute terms, the ones that are most likely to result in the most severe negative health outcomes for those who have adopted them. I'm good either way, whichever (or both!) you think is most relevant, interesting, and important in the grand scheme of things. Thanks again, and please keep up the good work! Mike p.s. And thanks for the prompt response to my previous question, I listened to that episode and found it helpful.
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?
Insulin Resistance and Intracellular lipid accumulation
Totally asking from a place of very limited knowledge, but is insulin resistance and perhaps resulting Type 2 Diabetes actually symptomatic of and caused by intracellular lipid accumulation in the liver and the muscle? Some big "plant-based proponents" share this as the reason for Type 2, is it a valid assertion? If so, why does this same issue not come up in discussions related to Keto high-fat diets, or is it even an issue related to Keto diets? Technically do people who are using Keto to lose weight generally remain insulin resistant and is it just masked due to lack of carb intake? What are the mechanisms at work here? What is the most effective way to regain insulin sensitivity, what protocol would you support?
What can we make of gut microbiome research?
Hello, Recently, gut microbiome research and its application in diet and lifestyle advice has been called into question due to stool samples lacking in their capability to represent the actual intestinal tract (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05989-7). I'm now wondering what to believe of all the "science-backed" messages out in the dietetics/nutrition world about "eating to improve your microbiome" and its associations with disease. How do we interpret this new evidence - do we have to throw out previous research? Thanks :)
Animal Vs Plant (the norm subject)
Does the literature still show that an additional 30-40% of plant derived protein is required to equate a similar response from animal protein? Isolates and sources such as mucoprotein play a role? How does this increase play out when looking at the viability of plant protein in older populations that exhibit anabolic resistance? Is animal protein really still the gold standard? And required as a "high quality" source, especially when dealing with sarcopenic/ co-morbid individuals, who eat less/ move less etc?
Nutrition and Colorectal Cancer
I've recently listened to #346, your interview with Dr. Kathryn Bradbury on nutrition and colorectal cancer. I found this useful and informative, so thanks very much for that! But I have a question for you based on this episode... I already have colorectal cancer, Stage 4, in fact. It started, not surprisingly, in my colon, and was dealt with via a combination of radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy. Approximately 10 months after my chemo was done, it showed up in my lungs, both of them. I was lucky, for a certain personalized definition of lucky, as it was deemed operable and I had two surgeries in the first quarter of last year to remove the cancer from both lungs. I've now gone about 14 months since my second lung surgery, am feeling great, and as of mid-March of this year have no evidence of cancer in me. So here's my question - given that the cancer is (or was...?) already in me, and given that there seems to be decent evidence that dietary choices can reduce the probability of it arising in the first place, is there any evidence that I can do anything nutrition-wise to minimize the chances of it returning again, spreading further, etc.? I've done some digging but haven't been able to find anything that I understand well enough to act on. Thanks again and as always for your great work! Mike (p.s. I've lost count of the number of people who've laid the "carbs feed cancer" stuff on me in the past few years! Fortunately, this is one I've been able to figure out by myself.)
Protein status
Would you please share your opinion about how you evaluate protein status in the body? Do you consider serum proteins (albumin etc) as a reliable indicators of protein sufficiency/ insufficiency in the diet, or indicators that people absorb all the protein they consume? Or amino acids profile would better indicate the protein status? Thank you