Sigma Nutrition Radio

Episode 171: Corey Peacock, PhD discusses how he implements science-based practices in the physical preparation of the elite MMA athletes he works with, including Anthony Johnson, Michael Chandler, Matt Mitrione and Rashad Evans. Dr. Corey Peacock is currently serving a dual role as the Head Exercise Physiologist and Performance Coach for MMA’s the Blackzilians fight camp. In this role, he is responsible for contributing physiological evaluations, strength & conditioning, and injury prevention methodologies. His experience as both a Strength Coach and Sports Performance Researcher have allowed him to implement state of the art injury prevention technology and coaching techniques within the team. A former collegiate football player and coach, Corey graduated from Kent State University with a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology, focusing his application on human performance. He works closely with many Strength & Conditioning professionals from the NFL, NHL, MMA and NCAAF and is regarded as one of the top Performance Coaches and Sports Scientists in South Florida. Along with coaching, Dr. Peacock also works as a professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance at Nova Southeastern University. As a researcher, he has contributed multiple peer-reviewed publications integrating the fields of exercise physiology, athletic performance, and supplementation.

Episode 170: Aadam Ali of Physiquinomics is on to discuss his personal diet experiements, what he learnt and some philosophies on nutrition and training. Aadam writes fitness-related content over at his site Physiqonomics. He writes about his philosophies on nutrition, training and all things physique related. He also self-experiments with different approaches and reports the results. These have included periods of time eating various iterations of a ketogenic diet, employing extended fasts, using time-restricted feeding and more. He has also written content for various other reputable sites including Strengtheory. Aadam also works one-to-one with coaching clients who want to improve their physique.

Episode 169: Molecular physiologist Chad Macias, of the Institute for Human Kinetics, discusses some limitations of research, issues of misinterpretation and/or inaccurate communication related to research on cancer, nutritional ketosis and the press-pulse method. Chad is currently pursuing post-graduate research in Molecular Oncology. Chad has spent over 19 years conducting research and developing protocols in cellular and molecular physiology. He is an adjunct faculty member at the University of San Diego, and has developed some of the most advanced blood lactate testing and intermittent hypoxia protocols in the world. He founded the Institute for Human Kinetics in 2011, where he works with many of the world’s top athletes. In addition, he was a two sport Olympic athlete. He also serves as the Human Performance Specialist at Navy Special Warfare developing programs to prepare Navy Seals for combat deployment though their Tactical Athlete Program. Chad also heads OPI’s Research Team and has the knowledge base to conduct medical and exercise physiology research in both humans and rodents.

Episode 168: The Sigma coaching team sit down to discuss issues related to selecting a powerlifting weight class, progression over the long-term and the pros and cons of cutting weight.  

Episode 167: Dominic D'Agostino, PhD returns to the show to discuss issues related to traumatic brain injury (including CTE) and associations with contact sports such as boxing, MMA and American football. Dominic D’Agostino, Ph.D. Dr. D'agostino is an Assistant Professor at the College Of Medicine Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology at the University of South Florida. The primary focus of his laboratory is developing and testing metabolic-based therapies, including ketogenic diets, ketone esters, ketone supplements and metabolic-based drugs. His research also explores the use of these metabolic therapies for a broad range of disorders linked pathophysiologically to metabolic dysregulation, including seizures, neurological disorders, wound healing, muscle wasting and cancer. The laboratory uses in vivo and in vitro techniques to understand the physiological, cellular and molecular mechanism of metabolic therapies. In This Episode We Discuss: Development of chronic TBI Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and association with combat sports and American football Potential risk reduction strategies for combat sport athletes What's going on in the brain after injury? - GABA, glutamate, elctrolytes, etc. Substrate metabolism in the brain and neuro-inflammatory response after injury

Stephan Guyenet, PhD, discusses overeating, appetite regulation, calorie balance, neuroscience, African Rift Valley, Hodza people's sugar intake, factors contributing to obesity, practicality of dieting, effects of marijuana on appetite.

Episode 165: Kevin Hall, PhD of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is on the podcast to discuss his work examining the carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity and responds to recent comments on the issue by Gary Taubes. Dr. Hall is a Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Biological Modeling at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Kevin's laboratory investigates how metabolism and the brain adapt in response to a variety of interventions to diet and physical actvity. They perform experiments in both humans and rodents to better understand the complex mechanisms regulating macronutrient metabolism, body composition, and energy expenditure. A unique aspect of the laboratory involves the development of mathematical models to quantitatively describe, explain, integrate, and predict our experimental results. Over the past couple of years, Kevin has been the principal investigator on a couple of high-profile metabolic ward studies looking to examine: 1) the effect of restricting calories from fat vs. from carbohydrates, and 2) the hypothesis that ketogenic diets offer a metabolic advantage. In This Episode We Discuss: Defining the carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity Scientific models and the principle of experimental falsification Main predictions of the carbohydrate-insulin model Examining the idea that ketogenic diets confer a metabolic advantage Response to recent comments from Gary Taubes The effect of weight loss on appetite

Episode 164: Dominic D'Agostino, PhD of the University of South Florida discusses his lab's research onto various treatment therapies for cancer including nutritional ketosis, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and metabolic drugs. Dr. D'agostino is an Assistant Professor at the College Of Medicine Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology at the University of South Florida. The primary focus of his laboratory is developing and testing metabolic-based therapies, including ketogenic diets, ketone esters, ketone supplements and metabolic-based drugs. His research also explores the use of these metabolic therapies for a broad range of disorders linked pathophysiologically to metabolic dysregulation, including seizures, neurological disorders, wound healing, muscle wasting and cancer. The laboratory uses in vivo and in vitro techniques to understand the physiological, cellular and molecular mechanism of metabolic therapies. In This Episode We Discuss: Cancer as a metabolic disease Potential mechanisms of action for ketosis being a beneficial metabolic state in cancer patients Ketosis, calorie restriction, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and metabolic drugs as adjunct therapies in cancer treatment Possible future avenues of research What research needs to be done for this research to become seen more in front-line clinical practice Barriers to implementation

Episode 163: Danny discusses some mental limitations to making progress. Namely they are: being unwilling to embrace the mundanely uncomfortable, an inability to invest in the long-term process and being unwilling to “do the work” without constant validation.  

Episode 162: Andrew Chappell, PhD of Sheffield Hallam University is on the show to discuss preliminary data looking into different nutritional strategies followed by natural bodybuilders. Dietary Strategies Of Elite Natural Bodybuilders - Chappell AJ & Simper T., The popularity of natural bodybuilding is increasing rapidly. Within the United Kingdom (UK) the British Natural Bodybuilding Federation (BNBF) runs seven regional qualifiers culminating in a UK finals. This cohort provides an excellent opportunity to study the dietary and training practices of an elite group of natural bodybuilders. In order to achieve the optimal physique for competition the athlete typically undertakes in a fat loss regime whilst attempting to maintain muscle mass normally accrued prior to the weight loss period. A combination of resistance training, cardiovascular exercise, calorie reduction, supplement regimes and peaking strategies are employed in order to obtain this physique. Although recommendations exist, these recommendations are not always based on bodybuilding populations and there is a paucity of applied research in this area. Here we report the results of a recent cross-sectional study investigating the preparation techniques of natural bodybuilding participant's competing at the BNBF finals. There was a tendency for successful bodybuilders to have a different macronutrient composition than unsuccessful bodybuilders. Specifically carbohydrate intake was higher over the duration of a pre-contest diet in successful bodybuilders. Implications for this will be discussed.