This week on Episode 388 of the podcast we have Cavin Balaster, author of the new book How to Feed a Brain. Cavin survived a two story fall, was comatose for 12 days, suffered from a diffuse axonal injury (DAI) and had less than a 10% chance of recovery. Cavin has a very interesting experience of recovery from a severe traumatic brain injury, and has done a great job of digging into info to help his recovery, and is a very inspiring person with a great outlook. Listen in as we chat about TBI’s, recovery, and more.

Show Notes:

00:00 – Summary/Pre-Intro
3:15 – Intro and Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
5:50 – Cavin’s background and brain injury
8:30 – Nutrition sparking Cavin’s study
10:58 – Greatest challenges Cavin faced along the way
15:09 – Cavin’s nutrition
17:50 – Increasing Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF)
20:12 – Journaling
21:49 – Supplements
25:47 – Fasting
30:32 – Pfizer stopping hunt for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s drugs
39:46 – Cavin’s advice for TBI
45:43 – Where to find Cavin

Article: Pfizer ends research for new Alzheimer's, Parkinson's drugs

Websites:
feedabrain.com
Preview of interview series: feedabrain.com/preview

adventuresinbraininjury.com
adventures in brain injury podcast

Book: How to Feed a Brain

Hey Folks!

We're back with another Q&A episode (yes, we're going to be doing these regularly)!

If you have a question for a future episode, submit them here https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

1. (3:00) Low Carb and Low Testosterone

Steve says:
Hey Robb and Nicki!

Any ideas as to why when I switched to low carb, my SHBG shot up, and, of course, my Free Testosterone went down...not good! I heard a podcast between Asprey and D'Agostino a while back and Dave mentioned that he was seeing that in a small percentage of clients, but did not know why? Hence...any thoughts you can provide would be helpful.

Stay the course...!!!
Steve

2. (5:30) Can visceral fat go away without procedures?

Annie says:

Hey Robb-
Thanks for looking over my question.
I am a 51 yr old woman- 27 years with Hashi's and I was just diagnosed with Reactive Hypoglycemia.
(Additional Back story- I've recently come through a 3 yr ordeal with adrenal fatigue and whacked out thyroid)
In a recent Dexa scan, it showed that I have a layer of visceral fat (and a much higher general body fat % than I expected) which prompted my Endo/Functional Med doc to advise me to start taking Metformin (I cried- I feel like I lost ) .
The scan results explain why I can feel the solidity of my ab muscles , but still have a section in my lower belly that is distended from under my ab muscles and not the same quasi-flatness of my upper abs.
Even though I eat Low Carb/ Keto and do HIIT/Crossfit/Lifting 3-4 hours a week , I cannot seem to get the fat from this area to reduce or disappear.
Will these combined strategies( low carb, exercise and metformin) shrink fat cells or make the fat go away? Or am I doomed to this to be my new, undesirable situation? It's not simply about vanity, its actually more about how I feel in a body that is not the one I've known and had to work with throughout the majority of my life. I've always been a mesomorph/athlete and usually around 20-22% body fat naturally (now I'm measured at 32%).

My question is it possible for that visceral belly fat to go away or get smaller through my current course of action? Or is that only possible through outside tools and resources like cool sculpting? I realize that sounds pretty vain, but again, it's a big change for my body and I am not loving it at all.

Thanks Robb-

Annie

3. (14:01) Keto diet and raised triglycerides

Conor says:

Hi Robb,

Huge fan of everything you do! I know you are super busy, but when you get a chance could you expand on keto and triglycerides? I am a 24-year-old male, 5'10 180 and about 15% body fat, very committed to weightlifting, yoga, nutrition, and fitness in general. I just got back a blood test and I had a raised triglycerides levels, about 220. I was wondering if I can do anything to lower this or if this is even bad. Anything will help, and I will be looking forward to your response.

Excited about your upcoming content and everything you do!

Kind Regards,

Conor

4. (17:51) Fasting
Nate says :
How do you know when adding in fasting is appropriate? For those who have most things dialed in (sleep, appropriate exercise, etc.). Also, is doing a calorie deficit similar to the 5:2 diet (as opposed to a normal daily deficit) advisable?

Paper link: Caloric restriction does not enhance longevity in all species and is unlikely to do so in humans

5. (23:11) Women and Keto
Holly says:
Hi Robb,
I hear a lot of people talk about IF may be stressful for a woman’s hormones, potentially causing mood deregulation and/or hair loss. I occasionally eat more carbs to address this, although I’m not sure if I have to if I’m feeling fine. Is there any benefit to scheduled/regular increase in carbs for women, and how much are we talking about? What are the circumstances of IF being contraindicated?

There’s lots of flys in here Tony reference:
If you are ever depressed, this will fix it: https://youtu.be/WDQQfBrSUs0?t=2m13s (NSFW language warning)

6. (27:53) Fasting (answered with next question together in one)
Madison says:
Hello!

What is allowed during a period of fasting? Clear broth, coffee, lemon water, and tea, just water, or some combination?

Thank you!

7. (27:53) Intermittent fasting and coffee with coconut oil/milk (answered along with previous question)

Caroline says:
I'm trying to find a definitive answer as to whether having a coffee in the morning with 1 tbsp coconut oil and 2-3 tbsp coconut milk is a good thing or a bad thing whilst doing IF and trying to lose weight (16:8 or 24 hours). I usually have one around 7am and another one around 10am.  I skip breakfast and eat around 1.30pm.

Does it take me out of fasting mode and, if so, how quickly will I go back into fasting mode assuming I don't eat anything?  Blood ketone tests show that my ketones increase by quite a lot after drinking coffee this way but is it having a negative impact on weight loss because my body is burning the fat in the coconut oil/milk rather than in my body?

There are many conflicting reports and opinions (most mainly about BPC) and I can't find a definitive answer.

I found this site today which is the first one I've seen explained this way.

http://www.theiflife.com/2-meal-coconut-oil-coffee/

What's your take on it?

My main goal is improved health (as measured by improved sleep and improved cognition) which I'm hoping will translate into weight loss of around another 12kg's (lost 5kg's through keto since mid January '18).

Thanks!

Twitter: @RobbWolf
Instagram: @dasRobbWolf
Facebook: @RobbWolfOnline

And we're back with Episode 386 of The Paleo Solution Podcast!

This week we have our good friend and functional medicine practitioner Dr. Michael Ruscio back on the podcast again. Dr. Ruscio is one of the most knowledgeable people on gut health that I know. He's so knowledgeable that he actually wrote a new book on the topic called Healthy Gut, Healthy You. Listen in as we discuss a lot about gut health, clearing up common gut health misconceptions, Dr. Ruscio's new book, and more.

00:00 – Synopsis and opening remarks
3:02 – Introduction
3:39 – Dr. Ruscio’s gut book
6:01 – What motivated Dr. Ruscio to write the book
10:48 – Reading things on the internet
13:27 – Knowledge vs. wisdom
14:51 – First part of the book – gut symptoms outside of the gut
16:51 – Not all guts are the same
19:01 – Evaluating health tips
21:21 – Metabolic flexibility and clinical application
22:51 – Opinions on feeding vs not feeding gut bugs
26:16 – The biggest work mistake Dr. Ruscio has learned from
31:18 – Supplementing stomach acid
36:20 – Coffee and caffeine effects (cliffhanger)
38:03 – Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS)
44:46 – Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT)
46:30 – Dosing sun exposure for adequate Vitamin D
48:44 – Adrenal Fatigue
52:31 – Machine learning algorithms and using a logic tree and context
58:01 – Closing remarks, book availability, and where to find Dr. Ruscio

Website: https://drruscio.com

Book: Healthy Gut, Healthy You

For Episode 385 of The Paleo Solution Podcast we have a special guest: Dr. Shawn Baker M.D. Dr. Baker is an orthopedic surgeon, multiple record breaker in weightlifting, and has been eating a carnivore diet for the last 15 months. Listen in as we talk about all-meat diets, and go over Dr. Baker's recent blood work results.

Show Notes:

1:50 – Opening Remarks/Summary
3:48 – Dr. Shawn Baker’s background
6:15 – All carnivore diets (and health and autoimmune disease)
12:46 – Athletics eating carnivore diet
14:45 – Concept 2 Rower
17:28 – Blood sugar swings
18:20 – Carnivore diet controversy and comparing to keto and mixed diets.
20:02 – mTOR and protein discussion
22:14 – Muscle mass and longevity
23:13 – Dr. Shawn Baker’s blood work
25:20 – C-Reactive Protein
27:10 – Fasting Glucose
30:15 – Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)
30:39 – Creatinine
30:50 – Cholesterol (general panel)
32:37 – Liver function (AST and ALT)
33:57 – More Cholesterol discussion
35:50 – Testosterone
40:38 – A1c
42:42 – Ferritin
44:21 – Iron related
45:57 – Insulin
47:55 – LDL-P
48:40 – LPIR score
48:55 – TSH
49:02 – Vitamin D
50:08 – Remnant cholesterol particles
50:41 – BMI
50:55 – Blood pressure
51:05 – HDL to Triglyceride ratio
53:09 – Lp(a)
54:54 – More LDL-P and cholesterol discussion (reverse discordance)
56:15 – More discussion on glucose (athletics and glucose)
59:05 – Where is Dr. Baker taking this next? (and salt and muscle pump)
1:01:05 – Fiber
1:02:26 – Fruits and vegetables
1:03:43 – Experimentation, science, and progression
1:08:51 – Where you can find Dr. Shawn Baker

Instagram: @ShawnBaker1967
Twitter: @SBakerMD

World Carnivore Tribe Facebook Group
MeatHeals.com
Carnivore Training System
https://nequalsmany.com/

Dr. Shawn Baker on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast:
http://podcasts.joerogan.net/podcasts/dr-shawn-baker

For Episode 384 of The Paleo Solution Podcast we have guest Lily Nichols. Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based nutrition (especially prenatal nutrition). Lily is also our go-to person for info on gestational diabetes.

00:00 – Intro
3:06 – Opening, and Robb and Lily discussing their children
5:20 – How Lily got into prenatal nutrition
11:28 – Evolutionary Medicine
16:42 – Nutrient deficiencies during gestation
19:47 – Low carb diets and birth defects
26:02 – Obesity and insulin sensitivity
28:18 – Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics policy paper on prenatal nutrition
32:14 – Ramifications of public nutrition policy
39:22 – Nicaraguan cab driver story, and food system
42:15 – Cow island in Alaska
43:49 – Our food system doesn’t make sense
46:35 – Real Food for Pregnancy book
55:13 – Where to find Lily, and closing

Website: realfoodforpregnancy.com and http://pilatesnutritionist.com/
Twitter: @lilynicholsrdn
Instagram: @lilynicholsrdn
Facebook: PilatesNutritionist

Previous guest appearance on the podcast: Episode 269 - Lily Nichols - Gestational Diabetes

Zoe Harcombe article on low carb diets and birth defects mentioned in the show: http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2018/02/low-carb-diets-birth-defects/

Book: Real Food for Pregnancy