Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic: SNACK FOOD CEO VOWS TO BATTLE OZEMPIC   Questions:    Shitty question: digestion and regularity Jonathan writes: Hey Robb and Nikki, Long time listener, first time caller. Have been listening on and off since the paleo solution days with Greg Everett. (six listeners can't be wrong!) Quick back story (that you can cut if this is too much but maybe helpful context), about a year ago I had a bout of food poisoning and developed a weird aversion/anxiety around eating for a few months after. I got through it with meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy and completed the Nerva hypnotherapy course recently (which was pretty nice). I think a lot of ibs symptoms that I developed came from anxiety, panic, hypervigilance and fixation and have mostly subsided as I worked in it. However, I still have problems with Regularity. I'll have a few days of slow digestion and some heartburn, bloating, and gas then a few days of everything coming out with some moderate to severe "get your ass to the bathroom quick!" mixed in, then back to slow... You get the picture. It's like things get backed up then all move at once, rinse and repeat. Went to a gi doc and he was pretty not helpful - tested for celiac (I don't have it) and IBD (I don't have it) and then told me to, like, ya know, drink Metamucil and maybe, if I wanted, follow a low fodmap diet, or whatever man... Oh, and stop drinking kombucha. Good luck! I also did a Viome test and it told me my overall gut health was good but digestion scores were poor and have some very vague dietary recommendations, though I haven't tried their probiotic yet. Anyway, with the testing behind me I went down the path of looking back at diet and driving myself insane, it's just so hard to pick through the noise Fiber is good! No fiber is not necessary! Eat yogurt! No actually, dairy is bad! Take Probiotics! No, Probiotics don't matter, take prebiotics instead! It's probably Sibo bro! But you can easily check for that so.... And on and on it goes. OK, so my actual question is: Are there any general dietary or lifestyle non-negotiables you would reccomend to help with digestion and regularity? What are the food or diet boxes to tic. Maybe there are even some supplements or other potential things like zone 2 cardio, abdominal massage, cold showers... Anything. I'm pretty healthy otherwise with my exercise being wendler powerlifting and rucking, but don't follow a super strict diet. I do now super enzymes before the first bite of lunch and dinner and take Probiotics on and off along with some fermented foods. I try to drink a lot of water but fiber drinks tend to give me some stomach upset. Appreciate you taking the time to read this. Thanks for any help you can give!   GERD, ammonia breath, and macros Nancy writes: Hi Robb and Nikki: Been one of your 6 listeners since the Paleo Solution Podcast days and first just want to thank you both for the wealth of knowledge you continue to share... your curiosity, smarts, humility and sanity have been a godsend, especially over the last 3 years. Okay, here goes... I'm having two troubling issues and am wondering if they're related: I've had what I'm pretty sure is undiagnosed GERD for about the last 3 years, but a recent overindulgence at a cookout sent it over the top. I don't feel so much heart-BURN as bloating (in the stomach, not abdomen), along with a dry cough (mostly at night), a globus sensation in my throat, the feeling of post-nasal drip, and even fluid on the middle ear when things really flare up. Oh, and the first symptom I ever noticed was after an emergency appendectomy when I discovered my tooth enamel was being corroded... coincidence? To mitigate symptoms since this recent flare-up, I've been sleeping propped up at a 45-degree angle, chewing my food into oblivion, walking after meals, practicing diaphragmatic breathing and hoping like hell to get a handle on this (without meds) before it destroys my esophagus. (Tried pickle juice, ACV and ginger... very modest effects, at best, but tasty!) No one has had the balls to tell me this, but I'm pretty sure my breath smells like urine. I constantly smell it on the rim of my drinking glass, and no, I'm not drinking pee. Also did the lick-the-wrist test and got the same smell. The internet wants to convince me I have chronic kidney failure but my kidneys appear to be working fine... no pee issues at all other than smelling it where I shouldn't. For context: I'm a 56-year-old, post-menopausal female, 5-ft 8, 150-lb mesomorph, active daily (yoga and hiking), in good shape, strong immune system, don't smoke or drink (other than a glass of white wine once a week), have regular, near-perfect poops, and eat fairly clean (whole foods plus olive oil, butter, the occasional white basmati rice and super dark chocolate), with a long, never-fully consummated flirtation with keto... hey, fat is flavor, what're ya gonna do? I also, pretty naturally, tend to stick with a 16:8 fasting-feeding window, skipping breakfast most days. I'm wondering if (despite getting a decent amount of vegetable-, fruit-, and rice-based carbs) my high fat intake and the IF might have generated enough ketones to make my breath smell pee-ish, or if that's almost always a sign of too much protein. Thing is, I don't typically get more than 40-50g of animal protein a day (e.g., 2 or 3 eggs for lunch and a 6-oz. slab of salmon for dinner) and as a post-menopausal woman, feel my protein intake is already low. My hunch is that the pee breath and GERD are related, but I'm not clear as to how. I'm wondering — if I AM getting enough fat to be in ketosis, could the fat in my diet be causing the GERD? Or is it more likely that I'm not actually in ketosis but that the GERD is causing the pee breath? (And do you think the appendix surgery could have caused the GERD, what with things getting shoved around in there willy-nilly?) Apologies for the long-winded question-palooza... totally understand if this is too long for the podcast, but if you ARE able to offer any insights, they would be very much appreciated. Thanks again for all you do!   Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...    

Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic: Salt & Blood Pressure: How Shady Science Sold America a Lie Show Notes: Huberman Lab: What alcohol does to your body, brain and health Questions:    Time to Rethink Alcohol Karen writes: Love you guys!! I would appreciate your take on the effect of alcohol on the body. I am a health coach and I am trying to get as many perspectives as possible so I can offer knowledge to the clients who ask, about the pros and cons of the nightly glass(es) of wine, or the occasional weekend over indulgence. It seems that the deeper I dig on the subject, the more I feel we as a society need to educate ourselves about the potential impact that alcohol can have on our health rather than just look at it as a social acceptance or a “good source of resveratrol”. Please feel free to take a deep dive into the industry as well and a possible comparison to the tobacco industry and the lies that were being told regarding smoking. Are we being told the truth about the effects of alcohol on our body? Please know that your podcast is very much appreciated and I look forward to hearing what is going on in the Wolf household. (Team Home Schooling!!) Thank you for your time. Karen Cauliflower ear and BJJ Kristi writes: Hi Robb and Nicki, Have you found cauliflower ear to be something to worry about in BJJ? I worry about it more as a woman, so I'm curious especially if Nicki has ever thought about it. Do you see a lot of people in classes developing it? Do you do anything like putting binder clips on your ears to prevent it? Thanks, and I appreciate all you both do.   Essential Tremor and GABA connection?    Drew writes: Because I haven't seen a response on the podcast yet re: the potential connection between ET's and a GABA deficiency, I was curious what your thoughts were on that deal. I got diagnosed with ET's about 18 months ago and noticed that my sleep has also been inconsistent in that time. I assumed it was mostly lifestyle (stressful job, two special needs kids, etc), but started to wonder how the sleep inconsistency and ET's could be connected. I know it's a bit of a correlation/causation deal, but based on Doc Parsley's work on sleep and this study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4108714/), I'm curious what your thoughts are on the subject and if you've had any more luck in piecing this whole thing together. If it helps, been Paleo for a more than a decade, and recently leaned into more of Paul Saladino's stuff, especially adding the fruit & honey after jits, which I've been training for 2-3 days a week for about 8 months. I too notice a bit uptick in the ET severity after more than 2 cups of coffee, which is pretty rare nowadays since cutting back the caffeine helps so much with sleep and the ET severity. Thanks, Drew   Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...    

Robb, a person who had a recent analysis done on his DNA data, discusses the impact of genetic factors on brain optimization, blood sugar management, and joint health. The hosts also touch on topics like electrolyte sponsor, estrogen and thyroid health, and the influence of genetics on dietary choices and lifestyle.

Gary Brecka, Fact-Checking Gary Brecka on Rogan: A Deep Dive into MTHFR and Methylation. Topics include: benefits of a ketogenic diet for polycystic kidney disease, resistance within the medical field towards recommending the diet, weight training for longevity, treating an itchy rash with a ketogenic diet and UV light exposure, and meditation and dietary tips for high blood pressure.

Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here This episode is an interview with friend and MadLab founder Craig Patterson. Robb and Craig have a wide ranging conversation on all things related to owning and running a profitable microgym.  Show Notes: MadLab Business Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...

Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here In this episode Robb chats with Diana Rodgers, co-author of Sacred Cow and founder of Sustainable Dish. They chat about a recent study out of Harvard that claims that eating two servings of meat per week increases risk for Type II Diabetes. They also chat about Diana’s decision to wrap up the Sustainable Dish podcast and what’s next on the horizon.  Show Notes: Red meat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in a prospective cohort study of United States females and males   Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...  

Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic: An analysis of studies pertaining to masks in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Characteristics and quality of all studies from 1978 to 2023 Show Notes: Michael Rose - What Evolution Teaches Us About Living Longer (Ancestral Health Today Episode 005) Fat Fueled Sheep Hunting with Gina Shively | Salty Talk 019 | THRR Modern Wisdom #676 - Eric Weinstein - Why Can No One Agree On The Truth Anymore?  Questions:    Unusual blood sugar fluctuations Jack writes: Hi Robb, Long-time fan of your work, first time trying to reach out to you. Thanks very much for any insight you are able to provide. I have been tracking my blood sugar levels over the past 6 months after getting some results from my primary care provider that showed my fasting blood glucose at 93, and my HgA1C at 5.6. Both of these have steadily crept up over the past 5 years. My primary care provider was not concerned because I technically didn't fall outside of any "normal" range, but I have tried making my way through a good chunk of "Your Blood Never Lies" by James LaVelle, and I decided to try to dig into my tendencies a bit more after seeing a number of things "trending" in the wrong direction, though still "normal." I am a 38-year-old father of two kids ages 1 and 3, and I want to do the best I can to optimize my health for them.  I am about 162 lbs and roughly 12% bodyfat. Resting heart rate hovering in the high 40s and low 50s, blood pressure typically about 115/65. After getting a home glucose monitoring kit and tinkering with my diet, I found a decent rhythm and meal plan that allows me to largely avoid blood sugar spikes throughout the course of the day. I almost never see my blood sugar rise higher than about 125, and only once or twice saw it higher than 140 in the past 6 months. I respond decently well to my meals and snacks per the recommendations Chris Kresser gave for 1, 2, and 3 hour post eating readings. For a period of time, my fasting blood glucose was pretty consistently between 78 and 90, which I was very excited about. However, over the past 5-6 weeks I have been getting lots of high 90s, low 100s, and even some 110-115. Interestingly, my blood sugar will fall lower though throughout the day (typically to between 90-110, even down to as low as 80 in the late afternoon when I get home from work).  I am a strength and conditioning coach and currently get to workout 3-4 times per week for 30 minutes or so doing kettlebell circuits and the occasional run. My sleep has not been particularly great the past several months due to my son and daughter's nightime routines and sleep habits. I have lately tried to go to bed earlier when my daughter does in an attempt to get about 8 hours, but it was routine for me to get more like 6.5-7.5 hours "in bed," while oftentimes waking up several times per night and/or having a tough time falling asleep. I eat pretty well, though not 100% clean, during the week, and kick my heels back a bit on the weekend with some pizza and booze, but I wouldn't say I completely blow the doors off. These diet practices have been pretty consistent during the period of time before my morning blood sugar began to consistently be lower, and also now that it has gradually crept higher over the past 5-6 weeks. A) What do you think could be causing morning blood sugar to be on the "higher" side even if I eat fairly low/clean carb and haven't changed much diet wise over the past 6 weeks? B) If morning glucose is "high" but returns quickly to these 100-110 levels after my eating most of the time and I rarely spike higher than 125 or so, is that still bad for my health, or is an elevated "baseline" ok as long as I don't consistently get higher than 140 or so as I read in Kresser's article? Thanks so much for any insight you can share!   Staying Paleo in the Mountains Lucia writes: Hi, I'm 39 years old and I practice mountaineering. World wide the food recommended while being in the mountains specially over the 4000 meters (where the body battles to adapt to less oxygen and lower temperatures) is a diet rich in carbs and sugars to access glucose faster, since the physical demand is huge and these are easier to access. Since it´s particularly important to reduce the amount of weight we carry in our backpacks and we are not able to keep this food refrigerated, I´m wondering if you are familiar with this activity, and what would you suggest to eat, and how during an ascent and the days before and after, to stay paleo and cover the demands of my body. Ps: I usually loose a lot of weight every time i go, that includes tons of muscle lost.   BJJ in your 40s Chris writes: Dear Robb and Nicki, Thanks so much for the great podcast. Lovin it!:) I have a question regarding BJJ: I’m turning 39 next month and a bit in a midlife crisis: I’m pretty fit, doing my zone 2 and strength training regularly but I miss a bit the elements of play and community in my life. Zone 2 workouts are a bit lonely:) I know you two are doing Jiu Jitsu and I want to give it a try. Do you have any tips for starting with 39 and training into your 40s? How do you avoid injuries? Any chance to keep nice ears?:) How did your training approach evolve? My goal is character development and community. Do you think BJJ is ideal for that? Hope you have some insight! Thanks so much:) Chris   Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Transcript coming soon...

Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic: Blood biomarker profiles and exceptional longevity: comparison of centenarians and non-centenarians in a 35-year follow-up of the Swedish AMORIS cohort Show Notes: Winnebago Man (We've got flies Tony vid - nsfw - lots of F bombs in this) Questions:  OCR training and nutrition Justin writes: Hey Robb and Nicki, big fan love all that you guys do for your listeners! My question is if you were to put together the best training plan for running an obstacle course race such as spartan race or savage race what would that look like? I usually do the 10k to half marathon distances if that helps to clarify the distance. I currently attend orange theory fitness classes 4x per week monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday then long run on saturdays. I was hoping the consistency of doing orange theory for almost exactly 1 year would really help me get in OCR shape but sadly it just hasn’t made that big of an impact. I just started incorporating the long runs on Saturday back into my training and realized once I did the running from the classes really hasn’t changed how well I run and still feel my heart rate much higher than I’d like even at slower paces. Not sure if CrossFit would be a better option since I’ve never dived into that arena but I’m very open to any suggestions. Nutrition wise I try to get my body weight of protein daily, carbs around 220, and fat around 65. Those numbers were given to me by a nutritionist I did a consult with a few weeks ago. Again any tips you guys have are very much appreciated!   Salt intake Darren writes:  Hi robb and nikki. Listening to yiu from tasmania australia. I recently read salt fix and hearing alot about sodium intake. I have been having alot more salt recently and have noticed a dramatic improvement in all health perameters. Due to mainstream info i am struggling to accept that i should be taking extra salt. I eat a low carb whole food diet i run a busy cafe some cardio some weight training quite activevery lean 52 yoand my blood pressure is always around 100/70. My question is there any other long term problems with too much salt other than high bp. Thanks for keepin it real Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Click for transcript PDF

Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic: What It Will Really Take to Restore Trust in the CDC Paul Offit (72) is not getting a booster and neither should any healthy person who had COVID The most important lesson of the 1918 influenza pandemic: Tell the damn truth Show Notes: How to Sleep Like Your Life Depends On it!  Questions:    What to prioritize? Lacy writes: Hi Robb and Nicki! I 1st want to thank you for all that you do, you are truly changing the world! I am a mom of 3 kids, ages 4, 3 and 5 months and I work full time. As you can imagine, I have a lot on my plate but am trying my hardest to be as healthy as possible: I do the best that I can with sleep (as best one can do with young children), usually infrared light, attempt to eat healthy/get sufficient protein, workout, etc. but feel like I am spinning my wheels getting nowhere. Each pregnancy has added pounds and with each additional child I find less and less time to get quality workouts in. I guess my question is, as parents who have "been there" what would you recommend prioritizing? I am currently at my heaviest weight but am breastfeeding (VERY successfully partly due to LMNT) and find that my milk supply suffers everytime I try to lose weight and I'm sure my hormones are absolutely jacked up due to being pregnant and/or breastfeeding for the past 5 years (&counting). Should i focus on protein? Sleep? Hormones?What's a mom to do?! Thanks for the insight.   Masking Mari writes: Hi, long time listener here. Thanks for keeping on. Not a health related question- I’m going to be attending massage school in CA in January. I’ve been living in Idaho and haven’t been paying attention to much but I heard on one of your recent podcasts that certain schools in CA are implementing ridiculous bullshit again. I called the massage school to confirm- they told me they will be following CDC guidelines (mask mandates if the CDC recommends). Is this still….legal? If I say no can they kick me out? I would go elsewhere but other circumstances make this particular location and school the best option. Thanks for any advice if there’s any to give. - Mari   DEXA scan reliability Cassie writes: Robb & Nicki, I hope your move is going well for your family! First off I wanted to thank you both for having a significant impact on my health and wellness. I started training bjj over 10 years ago (when I still had braces) and it wasn't until our gym started following you and the Paleo lifestyle that all the wounds in my mouth started magically healing and I could finally sleep through the night. I am amazed by how undereducated our society is about the importance of the food (and poison) we put into our bodies. I really appreciate the effort you two put forth to make better humans. I recently started getting into podcasts so I apologize if you've already covered this: How reliable are DEXA scans? I just got one done and the results were shocking to say the least. I am a 34y/o female, 5'2, never had a child, I weighed in at 112 lbs, wear size 0 jeans and this thing marked me at 32% body fat. According to their chart, that puts me in the category of obese. Is this exactly what they mean by skinny fat? Like I'm just fat and bones, no muscle? *Mind blown emoji* I will admit, in the past year I haven't been training. I am active duty military, got promoted just about 12 months ago, and I feel like I have no time for myself in my life anymore. Do I cook, sleep, do laundry or finish my homework in my limited spare time? I would say, if anything, that I am definitely calorie restricted unintentionally, which worries me about training if I barely have time to eat as it is. I guess the other part of my question is how do I start over? Eating sufficiently? Training? Destressing? I have 4 more years before I retire, but until then I need to find small successes so that I don't wreck my body in the meantime. Thank you again! You're my favorite podcast every week. P.S. Are there any plans for flavored LMNT without sweeteners? I don't consume added sweeteners during my anti-inflammatory elimination diet resets so I can only have raw. Now my bf forever refers to LMNT as "sweat water." Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Transcript coming soon...  

Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic: CDC: New COVID-19 Hospitalizations Increase Nearly 16% Vinay Prasad: Do not report COVID cases to schools & do not test yourself if you feel ill Show Notes: Early and late long-term effects of vasectomy on serum testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels Questions:    30 Day Reset - Loss of Appetite Julie writes: Some personal info: I'm a 40 year old female. 5'3." BMR is 1,542 (based on a calculator I found using the google machine). 199 pounds. On September 1, I started the 30 Day Reset. During July and August, I was more conscious about what I was eating and lost 18 pounds. While doing that, I read Wired to Eat and decided to use September for the 30 Day Reset. Today is September 4, so this is just my 4th day on the reset. Yesterday morning I woke up hungry (which is abnormal for me), but I waited about two hours before I ate breakfast because that's what I'm used to. After getting my day started, I wasn't feeling hungry anymore so it wasn't a big deal to wait to eat breakfast. I typically wake up, I lift for about 30 minutes, some days I take a walk for 1-2 miles, then shower and eat breakfast. I don't normally feel hungry until a couple hours after waking up. Aside from waking up hungry, yesterday and today I have had almost no appetite. Because I lift, I feel like I should be getting a good amount of protein in my diet. Typically I would be eating 25-35g of protein per meal. I had a packet of salmon and some green beans for lunch today, and I basically forced myself to finish so I could get the protein I feel like my body needs. While I'm not trying to make any hardcore gains during the 30 Day Reset, I don't want to lose any muscle mass while I go through this. It just seems like yesterday and today, after I take a few bites of my meal, I'm no longer hungry. So, my questions: Is this loss of appetite normal or should I be concerned that I'm not eating enough? For the past three days, I've been eating 850 - 1,100 calories. Should I eat more even if I have to force myself because I'm not hungry? Thank you!   DIM Supplement Causing Sudden Decrease in HDL Susan writes:  Hi Robb and Nicki, Longtime listener... maybe since 2009 ~~ Paleo Solution w' Robb and Greg. Good stuff. As a spry 20 year old in about 2000, I started the Atkin's diet and transitioned to clean eating around 2008. My total cholesterol has always been ~200 and split 50/50 - HDL/ LDL. I've had it tested dozens of times over the years. I've been the same weight since my teen years immediately went back to that weight post pregnancy. My body fat by hydrostatic testing has ranged from 17% - 21% throughout my adult life, with it being more near 17% in my later adult life (more self control about calories I think). I lift weights with intensity 6-7 days per week and keep my calories between 1600-1900 per day. Daily Supplements: Magnesium Vitamin D Cheap little multi Fish Oil DIM I am now 44. I just got my fasting bloodwork done, and my HDL has dropped from 100-110 to 77. My LDL has gone from 100 to 149. Two things have changed in my lifestyle: The addition of the DIM supplement last summer. Before taking DIM, I had horrible perimenopause symptoms. I was waking up in the middle of the night so drenched in sweat that I would need to take a shower. If I wasn't drenched, I was nervous, stressing, mind-spinning and not sleeping. 100% of my symptoms are gone since starting 300mg of DIM before bed.   Simply in an effort to keep calories under control, I've entirely cut nuts out of my diet (I used to eat tons), and I eat a lot less red meat than I used to. I also have started to sometimes eat fake foods, like protein bars, which I never would have previously touched. I've been feeling pretty good, crushing it at the gym, staying lean and mentally pretty clear. So, I was excited to get my bloodwork back. Low-and-behold my LDL is up and HDL is way down. It hasn't been below 100 in the last 20 years. So, I consider this a sudden drop. Also, my kidney function is looking pretty mediocre. eGFR = 81 (sodium and potassium are off too) In any case, my family tends to drop dead like flies at a pretty early age due to cardiovascular disease (skinny little Irish smokers). So, this sudden fluctuation in cholesterol is pretty scary to me. Dr. Google says that taking progestins may cause HDL to drop. Dr. Google also says that DIM causes an increase in progesterone. My question is.... Do you theorize a tie between the DIM supplement and my sudden drop in precious HDL? As a very active person with a 90% clean diet, should I care? The other 10% is protein bars and Chardonnay. There is very little to be said about the long term affects of DIM out there on the interwebs. So, I'm interested to hear your thoughts on it. Thanks! Susan   Vasectomy Research Trevor writes:  Hello, my question harkens back to THRR episode 063. A question was asked about getting a vasectomy. Robb, you referenced someone you know who found research that indicated negative hormonal consequences (less testosterone) following vasectomy. I find myself in the same situation now as a 44 year old over-fat dude considering vasectomy for birth control. My wife has used hormonal birth control methods during our marriage. Now her functional medicine Doctor is encouraging her to cease her hormonal intervention to work on some health concerns. Before I run my business into a scalpel, I’d like to know the potential hormonal risks I’m facing. I’ve done my amateur keyword searches on jama.org and pubmed, but I can’t seem to find the research you mentioned in that episode. The conventional health articles say lower testosterone is not a risk. Can you help me find the research you mentioned? Or some tips on “how to fish” and do better research on my own? Thanks for all you two do! Trevor   Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...