Mastering Nutrition
Mastering Nutrition is a podcast hosted by Chris Masterjohn, a nutrition scientist specializing in mitochondrial health. The show explores topics related to optimizing metabolism through personalized nutrition, based on genetic and biochemical data. Episodes delve into scientific research and practical advice for improving health.
Episodes
Depression Starts In Your Mitochondria
You could be one metabolic bottleneck away from feeling amazing. Mitome is the first at-home test that measures your cellular energy directly and gives you a personalized roadmap to optimize energy, slow aging, and protect against disease. Find it at mito.me This is not medical advice and is for educational purposes only. Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitoc
Aging is best explained by declining mitochondrial function over time.
Aging is best explained by declining mitochondrial function over time. This answers its own "why." Mitochondria produce the energy needed for repair so if any of it gets lost it sets up a vicious cycle. And some *always* gets lost. But how much is under your control. From Joe Rogan Experience JRE 2420. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBn54YNnKD0 It's a vicious cycle ini
The Medical Myth That Nutritional Deficiencies Are A Thing of the Past
This is a clip from Joe Rogan Experience JRE 2420. Watch the full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBn54YNnKD0 Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome.
Why Doctors Think They Can Ignore the Studies Suggesting Seed Oils Cause Heart Disease
This is a clip from Joe Rogan Experience JRE 2420. Watch the full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBn54YNnKD0
The Problem With Seed Oils and Why They Are So Controversial
This is a clip from Joe Rogan Experience Episode 2420. You can watch the full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBn54YNnKD0
Mitochondria: Why They Control Everything in Human Health
Mitochondria govern everything. Watch this with the slides here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mED1_L3wZbc Mitochondria convert your food to usable energy in the form of ATP, which is used to produce, maintain, repair, distribute, and organize everything in your body. Abundant health right now, and preserving your health throughout the lifespan toward your longevity, all depends on your mitochon
SSRI Withdrawal Is Mitochondrial Dysfunction
Chris Masterjohn, PhD, Founder and Scientific Director of mito.me, explains why SSRI withdrawal is mitochondrial dysfunction and what to do about it. This is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 29 million Americans and about 5-10% of the world's population are on SSRIs, which have become the first-line treatment of depression. These can cause sexual dysfunction and emotional blunting in
How Lactate Alkalinizes Your Muscles
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 G
D-Lactate: Groundbreaking Research No One Is Talking About
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 human
Handling Creatine Side Effects
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://chrismasterjohn
Your Cells Are Starving For Creatine
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 m
Is Whole Food Vitamin C Really Different? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #330
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 coppe
What's the Deal With Seed Oils? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #329
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
Is Hair Mineral Testing Useful? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #328
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 th
Secrets to Superior Cognitive Performance (Without Drugs)
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, m
Vitamin C, Whole Food Vs. Synthetic: Does It Matter?
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://chrismaster
Fact-Checking Gary Brecka on Rogan: A Deep Dive into MTHFR and Methylation
Watch or listen to the full critique here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMPvCiOkEtQ Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome.
Cancer, IV Drips, and the Glutathione Vitamin C Connection
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 peop
How to Find the Root Cause of Autoimmunity? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #327
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, infec
The Powerful Duo: How Glutathione and Vitamin C IV Drips Impact Cancer
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://chrismasterjo
Startled?! Try Glycine!
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.substac
Hormones Are Never In Charge
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 link
Biotin's Health Benefits: Way Beyond Hair and Nails
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 her
Exposing Harmful Supplements: Biotin's Dark Side
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" ar
Why Would Vitamin C cause muscle pain, joint pain, and brain fog? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #326
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 i
Why You Need THIS Supplement On a High-Protein Diet: Game-Changing Effects Explained by a PhD
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 you
Why High-Dose Biotin Could be the Answer for Your Blood Sugar, Brains, and Beauty
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 ef
A PhD's Secret Weapon: The Four Biomarkers Every Expert Should, But Doesn't, Analyze
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 Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific
Can NAC hurt your gut health? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #325
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
How I Found My Health "Super Unlock" After 20 Years of Research and 20,000 Genes Tested
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. This video is a free preview of a full-length 69-minute podcast. You can access the full video, full podcast, and the written and fully referenced article here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/unlocking-performance-and-lo
How can I protect against oxalates? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #324
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 wil
Why Should Postprandial Glucose Be Kept Under 140 mg/dL? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #323
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 r
Methylene Blue in 10 Minutes
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 Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome.
Methylene Blue: Biohacker's Delight, or Playing With Fire?
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 S
What is the relationship between copper and estrogen? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #322
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 absorpti
Why Would Citrate or Malate Cause Insomnia?
This is now subscribers-only and is available here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/why-would-citrate-or-malate-cause Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome.
What to Do About Constipation
This is now subscribers-only and can be accessed here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/what-to-do-about-constipation Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome.
How to slow or reverse graying of hair? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #321
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
How Much Iron Can We Absorb At Once? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #320
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
What cofactors are needed to synthesize and recycle BH4? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #319
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 sess
Is It Important to Get Vitamin D Sulfate Specifically From the Sun? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #318
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
When to Consider Inborn Errors of Metabolism
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://chris
How to Recover From Fish Oil
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 corr
Can B12 and Folate Help Detoxify Oxalate?
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 Chris Master
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? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #317
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 requ
How do I consume omega-3 without hurting my omega-6 status? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #316
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
Energy Metabolism Governs Everything
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 princ
Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #315
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.
What to Do About Twitching | Masterjohn Q&A Files #314
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 nutriti
Can Biotin Help Detoxify Oxalate?
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 comme
Vitamin K2 and Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin | Masterjohn Q&A Files #313
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
Self Experiments In the Biochemically Unoptimized State
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 per
My MTHFR Protocol
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. Chris Mas
Getting to the Bottom of My Health: Biotin and (V)LCAD
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 moder
Raising Ceruloplasmin When Copper Won't Do It | Masterjohn Q&A Files #312
Question: How do I get my ceruloplasmin up if copper doesn't raise it? Short Answer: Usually ceruloplasmin raises with copper, which may be important to protect copper from causing oxidative stress. If it does not raise in parallel, the usual suspects to look at are vitamin A and thyroid hormone. However, in this person's case, his own evidence from self-experiments suggest that he needs antioxid
Phosphatidylcholine and TMAO | Masterjohn Q&A Files #312
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 incre
Does Erythritol Cause Heart Disease?
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 os
Low Blood Sugar on Vegan Keto | Masterjohn Q&A Files #311
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
Brain Fog on Calcium, Vitamin D, or K2 | Masterjohn Q&A Files #310
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.
Why Plasma Zinc is the Best Marker of Zinc Status | Masterjohn Q&A Files #309
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
Glutathione Intolerance: Getting to the Bottom of It | Masterjohn Q&A Files #308
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 fro
Statins Vs. Sulfur for Heart Disease | Masterjohn Q&A Files #307
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 ch
Why would someone not tolerate methyl donors even if they need them? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #306
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 t
Does whey protein hurt the kidneys or otherwise hurt our health? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #305
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 achi
Biotin Causes a Multitude of False Lab Tests | Here is What to Do
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. Y
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? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #304
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 k
Why is an IV more hydrating than salted water? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #303
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.su
Thyroid Toxins: TODAY ONLY
The audio and written form of this report are available to everyone for free TODAY ONLY. Listen in while it's available! Here it is in written form, with references, figures, and tables: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/thyroid-toxins-double-edged-swords Sign up to my Substack for my free 7-page quick guide to staying immune through the winter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/
Nutrition and Immunity -- TODAY ONLY
This 2-hour lesson on Nutrition and Immunity is ordinarily reserved for Masterpass members but it is free today only. Listen in while you have access! Subscribe to my Substack to get my free 7-page guide, Staying Immune Through the Winter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/staying-immune-through-the-winter Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria t
Nutrition and Immunity -- TODAY ONLY
This 2-hour lesson on Nutrition and Immunity is ordinarily reserved for Masterpass members, but today only, it's yours for free. Listen in while it's available! You can also watch the video version here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/nutrition-and-immunity Sign up to my Substack to get my free 7-page quick guide to not getting sick this winter: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/
Staying Immune Through the Winter
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 Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome.
How to Increase or Decrease SHBG? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #302
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 additi
COVID Vaccine Side Effects: What Causes Them?
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 1
Protein and Longevity | Masterjohn Q&A Files #301
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.
Why do my urinary B6 markers say I'm deficient if I'm supplementing and my plasma levels are high-normal? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #300
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
The 3 Phases of Fasting: And How to Get Kicked Out of Each One | Masterjohn Q&A Files #299
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
Will reishi, turmeric, or curcumin tank my testosterone? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #298
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
What if my A1C says I'm diabetic but my CGM says I'm fine? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #297
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 al
Chips! The Only Ones I'll Endorse
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
The Ancestral Health Debate
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
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