Mastering Nutrition

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.

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

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

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

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

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 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

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.

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:

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

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

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

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 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.

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-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.

This is now subscribers-only and is available here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/why-would-citrate-or-malate-cause

This is now subscribers-only and can be accessed here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/what-to-do-about-constipation

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 

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

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 

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

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 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

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

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 

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

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  Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

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 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

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:

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:

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:

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:

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 

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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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:

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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:

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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:

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:

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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:

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:

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:

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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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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.

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.

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Staying Immune Through the Winter

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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:

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:

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.

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:

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:

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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.

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:

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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:

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:

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:

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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:

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:

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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.

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Short answer: Trust the CGM. HbA1c is confounded by red blood cell turnover and fructosamine 3-kinase activity.

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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.

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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.

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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

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"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/ 

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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.

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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!

Vitamin D deficiency and calcium deficiency look very similar, and poorly interpreted blood tests can easily mislead us into taking the wrong supplements. Here’s how to tell them apart.

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If you’ve got high cholesterol then this video is for you. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

This is how I recommend losing weight if you want a method that is reliable and easy to optimize over time.

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Did you realize even washing vegetables causes loss of folate? Learn everything you need to know to get enough folate from picking the right foods to avoiding loss in the kitchen in this five-minute video.

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You absolutely cannot trust frozen veggies as a source of folate. Remarkably, though, folate is stunningly stable in liver during frozen storage, and even cooking.

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If you feel better when you eat refined grains or when you take a multivitamin or B complex with synthetic folic acid, this video is for you.

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Spend eight minutes to know whether you need to manage your iron status and how to do it by watching this video. There’s a 30% chance it could make a big difference in your health, and a 3% chance it could be life-changing. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

This is a really important update to the video I put out on Tuesday about millet. There are millets on the market that can wreck your thyroid gland and others that are harmless. It’s important to know the difference.

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If you eat millet or eat gluten-free bread, you should watch this video, because you could be hurting your thyroid. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Last time we talked about supporting zinc nutritional status. Today we talk about how to kill a cold with zinc. Believe it or not, the principles are completely different. Your oysters can help you get sick lest often. But knowing how to find the right zinc lozenge and use it correctly is your secret weapon to stop a cold dead in its tracks when it eventually comes. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Here’s 5 rules you need to follow to get enough zinc. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Restricting salt, replacing iodized salt with natural unrefined salt, and consuming plant foods that generate isothiocyanate can all have their place in a healthy diet, but raise the risk of iodine deficiency. Here’s how to spot the problem and what to do about it. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

There are good reasons to eat traditional fats like butter, olive oil, animal fats, and tropic oils, rather than modern vegetable oils. But years of consuming vegetable oil can cause your vitamin E requirement to remain elevated for up to four years after you make the switch, leaving you vulnerable to some extra wear and tear during the transition. Here’s how I recommend using vitamin E in food or supplements to smooth out the transition. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

I currently use a Germ Guardian, but for about a decade I used this method, which is half the initial cost and one fifth the long-term maintenance costs.

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If you’re one of the 7% who have this gene, then drinking coffee may just save your life. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Although vitamin B12 is mostly found in animal products, there are true vegetarian and vegan sources. Nevertheless, designing a B12-adequate diet is more nuanced than it may seem even for someone with a healthy digestive system, because we can only absorb a limited amount from each meal. In this video, I teach you how to do exactly that for vegans, omnivores, and everyone in between. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

If you’re going to cook your own fresh liver, here are five core principles to make it taste as good as it possibly can. These can be applied to any recipe. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Liver is the most nutritious food on the planet, but many people find it difficult to work into their diet. Here are five ways to do that. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Bone broth is a fantastic way to support your beauty, strength, and health, but can be a pain to make. Here’s how to make it in an Instant Pot and have a week’s worth of reheatable food in the process. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Sometimes a really simple digestive aid can do wonders for your digestive system and save you from restrictive diets and other more complicated solutions. Here’s five ways to try ginger to do just that. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Here are three practical tips for how to prevent waking up early to pee and help you fall back asleep if you do. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Proper light hygiene can help you sleep better, make your sleep more restful, and help you feel more awake during the day. This video covers the three most important principles of light hygiene. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Although starch digests more slowly than some sugars and starch-rich foods often contain fibers that slow the release of glucose into the blood even further, the presence of glucose in the mouth helps our bodies coordinate the proper insulin response needed to keep our blood sugar stable. Some of us may tolerate natural sugars better than starches because we have low amounts of the enzyme salivary amylase, which begins converting the starch to sugar within our mouths. If your blood sugar response to starch is poor, providing you do not have diabetes, it is a worthwhile experiment to see if you tolerate natural sugars better. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.