Mastering Nutrition

Does a growing child need a *less* nutritious diet than an adult? You would think so, looking at the RDAs! Yes, some of them are higher during childhood growth phases, such as calcium. But many of them are lower, and not because we know children need less but simply because they were scaled down by bodyweight. Should a child half your size who eats twice as much food as you eat a diet that’s only 25% as nutrient-dense? I doubt it. Tune in for my thoughts on the topic and what I think we should do about it. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Got MTHFR? 😬 Relax! Riboflavin will come to the rescue! 😁 MTHFR is an enzyme that uses folate (vitamin B9) to support your mental and physical health. It does so by using riboflavin (vitamin B2) to make the methyl group of methylfolate. The common polymorphisms that lower MTHFR activity may do so simply by hurting its ability to bind riboflavin, and enough riboflavin may be able to bring that activity completely back up to normal! Tune in for the details. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Your “MTHFR” Is Just a Riboflavin Deficiency: https://www.facebook.com/chrismasterjohn/posts/2055466797822271?__xts__[0]=68.ARClRvxs872wt7-3lIkGNHxQtLp6z_dNCwMkQnmca7MDVcXzkDV66Bqz69iVB-YNgJJZ-h3Bx8J-4LqujrQIDPOtevlPXCb_dqXakyOX5deOIOgRw1vpmLOPfOPBBw2aIIT9uC6JeNkYXrRfjp6qR0n0xN8m_ObAxdSV0SAF_HW5xZmvtArjHCGDdCBZYHH1GaHtOWkwirbHSOJkYu5xTeNbcBBbytj0tVLgkxr5pxLW-WDGGp1lnXqF3keDdeoM5tIxBpNw4CWCNEPCdeoP-LmX-79bqAK5F9BzdAtE3Hyzx60ugzsZoZGzZ2y_5c6fv0JQ4zXDsWdDRZUl_Yh0QeiHug&__tn__=-R Start Here for MTHFR and Methylation: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation Alex Leaf’s post on riboflavin and MTHFR: https://alexleaf.com/2019/02/11/supplement-riboflavin-to-fix-the-mthfr-polymorphism/ Our giant podcast episode, Why You Should Manage Your Riboflavin Status and How to Do It: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/16/manage-riboflavin-status/ Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Feel tanked after your workout? 😫 Well you might feel fine, but you might still be stressing your body too much. How do you know? This is my recommended protocol for using heart rate variability to determine how recovered you are. It covers everything from getting an accurate baseline measurement to discovering and testing things that impact your recovery time. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are some links related to this episode (no affiliate relationships): https://ouraring.com/ (top recommendation due to superiority of sleep data) http://www.sweetwaterhrv.com/ https://elitehrv.com/personal-pro Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

“Low Copper Low Vitamin C BRAIN Syndrome” Ok it’s not a medical term. I invented it. But this is the cluster of signs and symptoms that make it sound like your brain needs more vitamin C or copper, based on the neuropeptides we need these nutrients to activate. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are some links related to this episode: Part 2 of Nutrition in Neuroscience: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/18/nutrition-neuroscience-part-2/ How to Stop Waking Up to Pee:    https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/12/stop-waking-pee/ How to Manage Your Copper Status (short version): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/08/manage-copper-status-2/ Why You Should Manage Your Copper Status and How to Do It (long version): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/02/03/manage-copper-status/ Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

In part 1 we covered what niacin is and why you need it. Here’s part 2, where Alex Leaf and I cover blood tests, foods, and supplements! How much do we need? The RDA has some flaws, including claiming women need less than men, when all the evidence shows women need *more* than men. Why eating enough protein is so essential, yet so unreliable as a way of boosting niacin status. How the niacin in your coffee, seeds, and grains is all locked up and unavailable, and how to release it through proper preparation. Do you drink light roast or dark roast? You may either hate or love this episode… or you might just switch coffees. Should we take high-dose niacin to lower cholesterol? Alex has a theory on how we can do that without getting diabetes. 😬 High-dose niacin can cause liver failure and can kill lab mice. But Alex and I know how to steer clear of that problem! NAD-boosting supplements are the new darling of the anti-aging industry. But should we take nicotinamide riboside (NR), nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), or should we endure all the whole-body burning 🔥 that the folks injecting NAD+ are so hyped up about? We discuss the promises and problems of these approaches. Why you should match glycine to one form of niacin and trimethylglycine (TMG) to all of them. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: Niacin Part 2 Show Notes 00:38 Cliff Notes 01:35 Recap of Part 1 15:32 Markers of niacin status 17:32 Methylated metabolites of niacin in the urine as a marker of niacin status 19:05 Caveat to using methylated metabolites of niacin in the urine as a marker of niacin status 20:16 Erythrocyte NAD(H)/NADP(H) ratio, the “niacin number,” as a marker of niacin status 22:55 Caveat to the niacin number as a marker of niacin status 28:34 Critique on how the RDA for niacin was established 40:12 How protein intake affects the dietary requirement for preformed niacin 42:48 Estrogen regulates the synthesis of niacin from tryptophan. 43:35 In men in particular, niacin synthesis from tryptophan might just be a way to clear excess tryptophan. 45:31 General discussion about protein requirements 49:46 How different forms of food processing, such as nixtamalization, fermentation, and sprouting, increase the bioavailability of niacin 52:51 Niacin in coffee 53:52 Niacin in nutritional yeast 54:16 Dietary sources of niacin, divided into five tiers 59:57 Niacin in herbs and spices, including spirulina 01:03:46 The contribution of the microbiome to niacin status is not well studied. 01:04:56 Where we would expect to see niacin deficiency 1:05:38 Risk factors for niacin deficiency include Hartnup’s disease, megaduodenum, intestinal malabsorption, carcinoid tumors, certain drugs, alcoholism, HIV/AIDS, and deficiencies of iron, riboflavin, and B6. 01:09:52 Risk factors for suboptimal niacin status include a diet based on unprocessed whole grains, a diet based on sugar and fat, a diet low in non-collagen protein, any form of cellular damage, and low ATP levels. 01:14:42 How metformin and berberine could affect niacin status 01:17:28 The effect of leucine and muscle growth on niacin status 01:19:54 The prevalence of inadequate niacin intake and niacin deficiency 01:24:00 Contributors to niacin toxicity 01:25:08 The use of nicotinic acid to benefit blood lipids and reduce heart disease risk 01:31:14 Potential side effects of taking nicotinic acid to manage blood lipids include the flushing reaction, liver harm, and increased diabetes risk. 01:34:22 The mechanism behind high-dose nicotinic acid-induced insulin resistance and how you could mitigate it 01:48:01 Rodent studies of nicotinamide riboside supplementation 01:50:58 Human studies of nicotinamide riboside supplementation 01:56:32 Why the rodent studies of nicotinamide riboside supplementation look more promising than the human studies 02:04:16 What is the probability that someone would get longevity benefits from supplementing with nicotinamide riboside? 02:05:15 Whether or not Alex and Chris will start supplementing with niacin after doing the research for this podcast 02:06:17 Should someone with hypercholesterolemia consider taking nicotinic acid? How should they manage the side effects, and which form is best? 02:10:53 Does it matter if niacin is taken with food? Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/062-niacin-part-2-blood-tests-foods

Here are ten steps to healthy sleep! What has been most game-changing for you? Let me know in the comments! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are some links related to this episode: My Recommendations for Better Sleep (this has a link to the online calorie calculator, the sleep mask, and ear plugs I mentioned): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/07/29/my-recommendations-for-better-sleep/ The recent Chris Masterjohn Lite episodes (there are six per page, hit the right green arrow to go to the next six): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/lite Carbs or Keto for Sleep: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/06/12/carbs-keto-sleep/ Five Rules for a Healthy Diet: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/09/27/five-rules-healthy-diet/ How to Track Your Vitamin and Mineral Intake: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/07/24/track-vitamin-mineral-intake/ That Moment You Wake Up to Pee And Can’t Fall Back to Sleep: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/01/31/moment-wake-pee-cant-fall-back-sleep/ Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Don’t you just hate it when you keep waking up in the middle of the night to pee? If this is your biggest sleeping problem, listen up. In this episode I cover how sleeping regular hours is one of the most important ways to combat this, and how nutrients (salt, vitamin C, copper, zinc, glycine, enough calories) and stress management can also help. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are some links related to this episode: How to Make Your Own Melatonin:  https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/05/how-to-make-your-own-melatonin/ Vitamin A for Sleep:  https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/07/vitamin-a-for-sleep/ Should You Eat Protein At Night:  https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/21/7405/ Part 2 of Nutrition in Neuroscience, which covers the nutrients involved in making ADH: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/01/18/nutrition-neuroscience-part-2/ That Moment You Wake Up to Pee And Can’t Fall Back to Sleep: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/01/31/moment-wake-pee-cant-fall-back-sleep/ How to Manage Your Copper Status (short version): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/08/manage-copper-status-2/ Why You Should Manage Your Copper Status and How to Do It (long version): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/02/03/manage-copper-status/ How to Manage Your Zinc Status (short version): https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/10/23/manage-zinc-status-2/ Why You Should Manage Your Zinc Status and How to Do It: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/03/04/manage-zinc-status/ How to Manage Your Vitamin C Status: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/15/manage-vitamin-c-status/   Get Better Sleep With Glycine: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/12/13/get-better-sleep-glycine/ Balancing Methionine and Glycine in Foods: The Database: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/balancing-methionine-and-glycine-in-foods-the-database/ Why You Need Glycine: A Panel Discussion: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/01/08/why-you-need-glycine-a-panel-discussion/ Getting Better Sleep — Cool, Dark, And Lots of B6, Carbs, Calories, and Fat: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2011/03/25/getting-better-sleep-cool-dark-and-lots/ Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

To get good sleep, your brain needs to know when it’s daytime and when it’s nighttime. How does it know? Vitamin A tells it! So if you don’t have enough vitamin A, your brain is going to be clueless. Tune in for how to figure out if vitamin A is at the bottom of your sleeping problems. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are some links mentioned in this episode: How to Make Your Own Melatonin:    https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/03/05/how-to-make-your-own-melatonin/ Vitamin A Plays an Essential Role in Setting the Circadian Rhythm and Allowing Good Sleep: https://www.westonaprice.org/vitamin-plays-essential-role-setting-circadian-rhythm-allowing-good-sleep/ How to Manage Your Vitamin A Status: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/08/16/manage-vitamin-status/ Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Here’s how to make your own melatonin. No, not in your basement -- in your brain. We cover the effect of protein, carbs, vitamins, blue-blocking, and sunshine. Tune in for the details! This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order. To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10 Here are some links mentioned in this episode: Tryptophan and Carbs for Sleep: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/26/tryptophan-carbs-sleep/ Why You Shouldn’t Take Melatonin Too Often: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/28/shouldnt-take-melatonin-often/ Masterclass With Masterjohn: The Antioxidant System: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/antioxidant Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/cheatsheet use the code LITE5 to get $5 off. How to Manage Your Vitamin B6 Status: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2018/11/13/manage-vitamin-b6-status/ Start Here for Methylation: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/methylation Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Niacin is vitamin B3. You use it to make NAD, the ultimate anti-aging molecule that repairs your DNA and lengthens your telomeres, and the most foundational molecule in our entire system of energy metabolism. It is especially important to protecting your mind, your skin, and your gut. You use it to release all your neurotransmitters. This is why depression sets in as the earliest sign of deficiency and why, when it gets bad enough, it leads to suicidality or schizophrenia-like psychosis. You use constantly it to repair the microscopic damage done to your skin every time you step out into the sunlight. This is why red, inflamed skin appears on the backs of your hands or on your face when you’re deficient, but only if you get outdoors a lot. You use it to fuel the rapid turnover of cells in your intestines (the cells that absorb the nutrients in our food are replaced every 2-3 days!), and to repair those cells from the constant barrage of insults they face (think of everything those cells *don’t* let in our body 💩and the fact that *they* need to stare all that stuff down!) This is why deficiency will give you diarrhea and make you deficient in lots of other nutrients. You use it for lots of other things too, like participating with riboflavin to make the methyl group of methylfolate and recycle glutathione, the master antioxidant of the cell. You use it to recycle vitamin K, to support detoxification in the liver, and to synthesize cholesterol, fatty acids, neurotransmitters and nucleotides. Who needs more? We all do! Why? Because just aging alone depletes niacin and getting sick or developing diseases as we age depletes it all the more. Niacin repairs damage, so the more damage we face the more we consume. In fact, this is why many people are taking supplements like nicotinamide riboside (NR) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), to slow the onset of aging, or to age more gracefully. Some people are even injected NAD! But should we be? And what about the dark side of niacin? We all know the flush -- the redness and itching that accompanies high-dose niacin that people take to lower cholesterol. At high doses, niacin can even damage the liver. How? By sapping methyl groups. Sapping methyl groups can give you liver failure when it’s *really* bad, but sapping them just a little can leave you feeling weak, emotionally stuck, or tied up in a mental funk. In this two-part podcast series, Alex Leaf and I tackle all of these questions. Click the link to listen to part 1, where we teach you what niacin is and why you need it. In part 2, two weeks from today, we’ll cover how to get niacin in foods, blood tests, and supplements. This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.” In this episode, you will find all of the following and more: 00:37 Cliff Notes 11:35 The stories of Julie, John, and Jane 17:36 Symptoms of pellagra: the three Ds of dermatitis, dementia, and diarrhea, and the fourth D, death 24:00 Speculative signs and symptoms of suboptimal niacin status 24:59 Symptoms of excess niacin 26:43 Excess niacin will reduce the supply of methyl groups, which can lower creatine synthesis and affect neurotransmitters, and is probably what underlies niacin-induced liver damage. 30:31 Explaining the stories of Julie, John, and Jane in the context of niacin deficiency or toxicity 34:25 Chemical properties of niacin 37:03 How niacin and nicotinic acid derived their names 38:58 Chemical structures of nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, nicotinamide riboside (NR), nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) 42:51 The biochemistry of niacin 43:05 The differences between NAD(H) and NADP(H) in metabolism 47:03 NAD is often broken down to form ADP-ribose. 48:10 How PARPs (including PARP1 and tankyrase) and sirtuins use NAD to protect us from DNA damage, repair DNA damage, lengthen telomeres, and regulate gene expression 54:27 ADP-ribosyltransferases (ARTs) 56:43 The NAD metabolites cyclic ADP-ribose, linear ADP-ribose, O-acetyl-ADP-ribose, and NAADP are involved in regulating calcium transport, which is especially important for neurotransmitter release. 58:19 How the biochemistry of niacin explains the deficiency symptoms 01:03:23 The biochemistry of how we get niacin from foods and how we dispose of excess niacin 01:07:14 How the degradation pathways of niacin explain the liver toxicity and flushing reaction from different forms of niacin 01:22:08 Extended-release niacin 01:24:44 Rationale for nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and nicotinamide riboside (NR) supplementation 01:33:38 Physiology of niacin absorption and circulation 01:40:47 Endogenous synthesis of niacin 01:41:20 Tracer studies of oral and intravenous nicotinamide riboside supplementation in mice 01:45:40 Estrogen is a strong regulator of the conversion of tryptophan to niacin. 01:47:41 Pharmacokinetic study of Niagen (nicotinamide riboside) supplementation in humans Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/060-niacin-part-1-what-it-is-and