The Energy Balance Podcast

The podcast challenges the belief that carbs cause insulin resistance, highlighting how fat burning and impaired glucose metabolism are the real culprits. It discusses research supporting the bioenergetic view of insulin resistance and diabetes, emphasizing the importance of increasing carbohydrate intake to improve insulin sensitivity in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Dig into the controversial role of resistant starch with insights on how it may affect blood sugar and gut health. Explore whether the benefits of resistant starch hold up against personal digestive experiences. Discover the delicate balance of calcium to phosphorus, its vital impact on bone health, and the pervasive myths surrounding calcium intake. Plus, find out why excess phosphorus from certain diets could be harmful. This lively discussion will challenge your dietary assumptions and empower you with practical tips!

Topics include the differences between spore-based and standard probiotics, ketogenic diets for epilepsy, concerns with low-calorie sweeteners, and whether stevia is better than artificial sweeteners.

Debunking myths about insulin resistance and diabetes, clarifying the role of fat burning and stress. Recommending specific diet, movement, and supplement strategies to reverse insulin resistance. Exploring the bioenergetic perspective on glucose metabolism and the adaptive nature of insulin resistance. Addressing the importance of hormonal balance, micronutrients, gut health, and sleep in managing insulin resistance.

In this episode we discuss: Our thoughts on Chris Palmer’s “Brain Energy” theory of mental health Why low carb diets are not the solution for anxiety and depression and what to do instead What most people miss when it comes to weight loss and why we shouldn’t focus on fat-burning Strategies to optimally manage blood sugar for Type 1 Diabetes Whether we should lower our fat intake to lose weight    Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Food Guide: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/guide    Check out the Energy Balance Solution program here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/solution/   Click here to check out the show notes: https:/jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-109-chris-palmers-brain-energy-type-1-diabetes-and-low-fat-diets-for-weight-loss-qa   Timestamps: 0:00 – intro 1:19 – our take on Chris Palmer's “Brain Energy” theory of mental health disorders 5:04 – challenging the misconception of a separation between the brain and body 8:03 – why low-carb, ketogenic, and carnivore diets can produce temporary mental health benefits 10:36 – how impaired energy production underlies poor brain health and how to fix it without using low-carb diets 14:05 – how fat burning can temporarily relieve symptoms of poor glucose utilization (with a major cost) 18:29 – why fatty acid oxidation is our default metabolic state under stress and underlies all chronic disease 22:20 – whether ketogenic diets promote metabolic flexibility 24:53 – poor glucose metabolism as a driver of Alzheimer’s disease and other mental health conditions 28:13 – the adaptive benefit of burning fat during stress 31:31 – blood sugar management for Type 1 Diabetes and whether a low-carb diet is optimal 38:13 – whether lowering fat intake is necessary for burning and losing fat 42:09 – whether improving metabolic function alone is enough to reduce stored fat and when a decrease in dietary fat intake may be necessary 47:32 – the difference between subcutaneous fat and visceral fat and their potential implications 50:34 – how to fix our hunger signals to prevent excessive eating 54:33 – weighing the costs of extreme diets and the need for more innovative thinking around health

Herman Pontzer, an expert on energy expenditure, and Ted Naiman, a physician focused on nutrition, delve into fascinating insights on metabolism and diet. They discuss the drawbacks of relying heavily on exercise for weight loss and explore Pontzer's constrained model of energy expenditure. Naiman presents his protein to energy ratio diet, emphasizing the balance needed in protein intake. The duo also tackles how to raise metabolism by increasing caloric intake and highlights overlooked nutrients crucial for mitochondrial function.

In this podcast, they discuss studies showing that omega-3 consumption may decrease lifespan, increase disease processes, and potentially harm offspring during pregnancy. They also explore the impact of omega-3s on inflammation, endotoxin, and mitochondrial respiration. They highlight data from native cultures that suggests omega-3 intake doesn't improve cardiovascular disease or mortality. Lastly, they discuss extremely healthy populations with high-carb and high-saturated fat diets that have low omega-3 consumption.

In this episode we discuss: Studies showing that fish oil and cod liver oil supplementation increase oxidative damage in humans, even in the triglyceride form alongside antioxidants  Why omega-3s are harmful in both healthy and unhealthy humans  The harmful metabolic and hormetic effects of omega-3s (and why omega-3s aren’t beneficial due to hormesis)  The research showing that omega-3s do not improve chronic health conditions or mortality in humans      Sign up for the Free Energy Balance Mini-Course here: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy     Check out the Energy Balance Solution program here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/solution/     Click here to check out the show notes: https:/jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-106-omega-3s-increase-inflammation-and-oxidative-stress/   Timestamps: 0:00 – intro 1:26 – a summary of the harmful effects of omega-3 consumption in humans 9:14 – omega-3 consumption amplifies the damage from stress (including fasting) 17:08 – vitamin E does not protect against lipid peroxidation from fish oil consumption 20:06 – studies showing that increased omega-3 consumption (including fish oil and cod liver oil) in humans and other animals increases lipid peroxidation, even in triglyceride form 31:45 - how omega-3s triggers hormesis, and why this doesn’t make omega-3s beneficial 39:50 – the context of the omega-3 research and its application 42:57 – studies showing that omega-3 supplementation doesn’t improve chronic health conditions or reduce mortality in humans

In this episode we discuss: Whether the research suggesting that omega-3s decrease mortality is valid Omega-6 intake as a major confounding variable when looking at omega-3 research The dramatic lifespan-lowering effect of omega-3s and total PUFA across all species How omega-3s increase susceptibility to oxidative stress and damage Looking at the Masai diet as an example of a low-omega-3 diet with high omega-3s in the red blood cells     Download the Free Energy Balance Food Guide here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/guide/     Check out the Energy Balance Solution program here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/solution/     Click here to check out the show notes:  https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-105-challenging-the-idea-that-increased-omega-3-consumption-lowers-mortality/   Timestamps: 0:00 – intro 1:35 – why we’re discussing omega-3s and lifespan 8:10 – the studies showing an association between omega-3 content in phospholipid and reduced mortality 16:48 – conflict of interest as a confounding variable in these studies 18:12 – healthy user bias as a confounding variable in these studies 20:46 – omega-6 consumption as a confounding variable in these studies 29:04 – problems with using RBC phospholipids and serum fatty acids as markers of fatty acid composition of the diet 30:35 – a low omega-6 diet will increase omega-3 content in the RBC phospholipids and serum fatty acids 36:35 – the effect of heritability on RBC phospholipid and serum fatty acid composition 43:58 – the effect of oxidative stress on RBC phospholipid and serum fatty acid composition 52:57 – why it’s important to consider interventional studies and other research to determine whether we should increase omega-3 consumption to reduce mortality 55:30 – research looking at the relationship between composition of phospholipids and lifespan across species 1:07:33 – research looking at the relationship between composition of phospholipids and lifespan within species 1:23:30 – increased consumption of omega-3s increases omega-3 content in phospholipids and therefore the peroxidizability index 1:28:53 – looking at the Masai diet: low omega-6 intake increases omega-3 content in RBC fatty acids

In this episode we discuss: Individualism and competition vs. collaboration and communitarianism Whether humans are inherently selfish and destructive  The cost of social media and other forms of distraction How drugs and alcohol can function as numbing agents  Why many causes that appear worthy turn out to be distractions from the real problems   Check out the Energy Balance Solution program here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/solution/   Download the Free Energy Balance Food Guide here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/guide/   Click here to check out the show notes:  https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-104-how-western-culture-keeps-us-distracted-and-fighting-amongst-ourselves/   Timestamps: 1:14 – individualism and competition vs. collaboration and communitarianism 25:45 – randomness, subjectivism, moral relativism, and the resulting nihilism 31:20 – the consequences of the idea that humans are selfish, destructive, and useless other than what we can produce 41:39 – how potentially beneficial advancements become co-opted to maintain the current power structure 48:04 – how western culture degrades esteem and prevents self-actualization 49:43 – the many aspects of modern technology and entertainment that distract us from what’s important 55:26 – how drugs and alcohol can also function as numbing agents 1:03:42 – how worthy causes become co-opted to prevent legitimate progress 1:13:18 – contrasting with cultures that are family-oriented and less distracted by technology 1:16:10 – the effects of culture in science, health, and everyday life