Does sugar matter if calories are controlled?

Layne argues calories drive weight gain and metabolic disease more than sugar per se, while noting sugar's low satiety and overconsumption risk.

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Episode notes

In this week’s Q&A episode, I dig into your most common questions — from supplements to training to nutrition — and break them down with actual data, not influencer mythology. If you’ve ever wondered whether collagen is worth the hype, if fiber does more than “help you poop,” or whether turkesterone is anything more than TikTok creatine-with-a-fedora… this episode is for you.

We cover:

• Collagen:

Does it help joints? Skin? Connective tissue? Muscle? I walk through the clinical trials (including the ones influencers never mention) and explain where collagen actually works… and where it absolutely doesn’t.

• Fiber:

Yes, it helps your gut — but that’s just the start. We look at the research on mortality risk, insulin resistance, weight loss, inflammation, CKD, energy balance, colon cancer, and why higher fiber intake consistently predicts better health across multiple systems.

• Turkesterone & Ecdysteroids:

The internet loves calling this “natural anavar.” The human data… does not. I break down the preliminary studies, the animal research, and what’s real versus what’s marketing.

• Burnout & Training Balance:

How I manage training, work, and life without flaming out — and what actually matters for long-term consistency.

• Protein Needs After 40:

Do you need more protein as you age? What does the research say about anabolic resistance, amino acid signaling, and muscle protein synthesis in older lifters?

• Things That Hurt Muscle Growth:

Ice baths, alcohol, smoking, NSAIDs, corticosteroids — we go through the actual evidence on what blunts hypertrophy, what doesn’t, and what matters in the real world.

• Sugar & Weight Gain:

Do non-diabetics need to “fear” sugar? Or does it really come down to calories? We dig into metabolic ward studies, DIETFITS, high-sucrose diets, and the boring reality that calorie balance still wins.

• Men vs. Women in Training & Nutrition:

Sex differences in hypertrophy, strength gains, metabolic rate, and menstrual cycle effects on performance — what’s real and what’s bro-science?

• Training Over 50:

How many sets do you actually need to build muscle after 50? We review the dose-response data, multi-set vs single-set research, and the RCTs showing older adults can grow — there are no “non-responders.”

All research is cited directly from the studies mentioned — RCTs, meta-analyses, mechanistic papers, and long-term cohorts.

If you want evidence without the nonsense, this is your episode.

*SPONSORS*

• Workout Builder – Customized training programs for all experience levels: https://biolayne.com/workout-builder

• Physique Coaching Academy - Advanced Coaching and Nutrition Education for Personal Trainers: https://physiquecoachingacademy.com

LAYNE'S COMPANIES

Carbon Diet Coach: https://joincarbon.com/podcast

Outwork Nutrition: https://outworknutrition.com

REPS Research Review: https://biolayne.com/reps

Workout Builder: https://biolayne.com/workout-builder

Team Biolayne: https://biolayne.com/online-coaching

Physique Coaching Academy: https://physiquecoachingacademy.com