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?

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? 

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.