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In this episode Danny and Alan discuss the relationship between shift work and health. Why does shift work have negative health impacts? How can one mitigate circadian misalignment? How does shift work impact nutrient metabolism? What nutrition, sleep and lifestyle strategies can help shift workers?  Show notes at: sigmanutrition.com/episode387

Dr. Tobias is a nutrition and obesity epidemiologist at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. She received doctoral and postdoctoral training from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, under mentor Dr. Frank B. Hu. Dr. Tobias is co-Instructor of Nutrition Epidemiology with Dr. Walter Willett and faculty member at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Her epidemiologic research focuses on identifying lifestyle risk factors and underlying mechanisms related to obesity and its major chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cancer. Dr. Tobias is currently the Academic Editor for the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Show notes at sigmanutrition.com/episode386

In this episode we explore the causes of insulin resistance, and the dietary modifications that may help those with insulin resistance. We discuss how insulin resistance is a complex metabolic disorder, that goes beyond one single pathway or cause. There is also a discussion on the mechanisms of insulin resistance pathogenesis. Specifically, we talk about the accumulation of ectopic fat. Ectopic fat is the storage of triglycerides in tissues other than fat tissue, such as the liver, skeletal muscle, heart, and pancreas. There is also an overview of the Twin-Cycle Hypothesis, which was discussed in more detail in a previous episode with Prof. Roy Taylor. In addition, we give special mention to liver fat accumulation and the relationship between insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Then various diet interventions are assessed for their potential usefulness to those with insulin resistnace. This includes different diet types (e.g. whole-food plant-based diet, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet, etc.), role of macronutrients, pre-loading studies, and the role of meal timing and circadian effects. Find the show notes at https://sigmanutrition.com/episode385

In this episode Greg Nuckols and Mike Zourdos breakdown two research papers related to the interference effect and concurrent training.  Greg and Mike (along with Eric Helms and Eric Trexler) produce the MASS research review, which breaks down the latest research studies relevant to those interested in strength training, strength sports, and bodybuilding.  From April 27th to May 4th you can get a significant discount on a MASS subscription by visiting sigmanutrition.com/mass-sale/

In this episode Danny and Alan discuss irritable bowel syndome and the evidence related to dietary interventions. They discuss diagnosis of the condition, various sub-types, potential mechanisms, the gut-brain axis, first line treatments, impact of fibre, and evidence on the low FODMAP diet. Today's Topic in Focus: IBS & Diet [06:20] "I Have a Question!" [74:47] Quack Asylum [79:30] Random Recommendations [86:49] Show notes available at sigmanutrition.com/episode383

Andy Morgan is the founder of RippedBody.com and an online coach. He co-authored the Muscle & Strength Pyramids books along with Dr. Eric Helms and Andrea Valdez. He has published a host of excellent nutrition and training resources in the form of ebooks, articles and podcasts, which can be found on the Ripped Body website. He recently released the third edition of the Diet Adjustments Manual. You can find the show notes to this episode at: sigmanutrition.com/episode382

Prof. Chris Packard holds an Honorary Professorship of Vascular Biochemistry at the University of Glasgow. Over his career, Professor Packard has focussed on two aspects of atherosclerosis research, lipoprotein metabolism and how it is affected by diets and drugs, and large-scale clinical trials of lipid lowering agents. He is acknowledged as one of the leading researchers in the world in this field. Show notes available at sigmanutrition.com/episode381

Prof. Barry Popkin is the W.R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a nutrition and obesity researcher at the Carolina Population Center and is the director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Obesity at UNC. He developed the concept of the Nutrition Transition, the study of the dynamic shifts in dietary intake and physical activity patterns and trends around obesity and other nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases (NCD). Prof. Popkin is involved now in work on program and policy design at the national level to improve the average diet at the population level. He has published more than 545 journal articles, and is one of the most cited nutrition scholars in the world, with more than 90,000 citations. Show notes available at sigmanutrition.com/episode380

Danny and Alan are joined by Dr. Spencer Nadolsky. Dr. Nadolsky is a board-certified obesity specialist, lipidologist, and family physician. In this episode we discuss the strengths and limitations of BMI, adipose tissue type and relevance to risk, hypertrophic vs. hyperplastic adipocytes, 'Metabolically Healthy Obesity', and weight stigma. Show notes available at sigmanutrition.com/episode379

In this episode Danny and Alan discuss some critical aspects to understand about nutritional epidemiology in order to evaluate diet-disease relationships appropriately. Of particular focus in this episode is the unique exposure of interest in nutrition studies, why its crucial to understand temporal relationships and how to think about relative risk and absolute risk. The guys finish by explaining how one can include these findings into an understanding of an overall body of evidence. Show notes: sigmanutrition.com/episode378

Herman Pontzer, PhD is an Associate Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University and Associate Research Professor of Global Health at the Duke Global Health Institute. He is an internationally recognized researcher in human energetics and evolution. Over two decades of research in the field and laboratory, Dr. Pontzer has conducted pathbreaking studies across a range of settings, including fieldwork with Hadza hunter-gatherers in northern Tanzania, fieldwork on chimpanzee ecology in the rainforests of Uganda, and metabolic measurements of great apes in zoos and sanctuaries around the globe. Find the show notes to this episode at sigmanutrition.com/episode377

Dr. Kevin Hall, PhD is Senior Chief of the Integrative Physiology Section of the Laboratory of Biological Modeling at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). His laboratory investigates how metabolism and the brain adapt in response to a variety of interventions to diet and physical activity. They carry out studies to better understand the complex mechanisms regulating macronutrient metabolism, body composition, and energy expenditure. Recently Dr. Hall was lead author on a study titled 'Effect of a plant-based, low-fat diet versus an animal-based, ketogenic diet on ad libitum energy intake', which was published in Nature Medicine in early 2021. [Disclaimer: By participating in this podcast, the U.S. Government, represented by the National Institutes of Health does not directly or indirectly endorse any product or service provided, or to be provided, by Sigma Nutrition.] Link to show notes: sigmanutrition.com/episode376

In this episode Danny and Alan discuss the current evidence base related to sodium intake and health, most notably cardiovascular disease. The episode walks through understanding diet-disease relationships, the epidemiology of sodium and health outcomes, the reasons for conflicting conlusions, sodium measurements in research, intervention trials, and more. Importantly, the claim that the sodium-CVD risk relationship exhibits a "J-shaped curve" (i.e. risk is low at moderate intakes and higher at both low and high intakes) is dissected, with recommendations given on how to reconcile all the available evidence.

In this episode Danny becomes the interviewee, as he is interviewed by sports dietitian and owner of The Fight Dietitian, Jordan Sullivan RD. Jordan oversees the diet of several UFC athletes, including champions Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski. Danny and Jordan have an in-depth chat about all aspects of nutrition and weight cutting for combat sport athletes, including the concept of the "52 week fight camp" and Danny's five-phase model of combat sport nutrition. This discussion first appeared on the Fight Science Podcast. Thanks to Jordan Sullivan for allowing its reproduction here.   Show notes: sigmanutrition.com/episode374   Weight Cutting System: sigmanutrition.com/weightcut

In this episode Danny and Alan discuss the health impacts of alcohol and take a look at the research to answer whether alcohol should be viewed as having a J-shaped curve of risk or zero alcohol being better than any amount. Segments: [03:40] Today's Topic in Focus [53:45] "I Have a Question!" [62:14 ]Random Recommendations Show notes available at sigmanutrition.com/episode373

Dr. Mike Israetel​ is the cofounder of Renaissance Periodization, where he produces content related to training and dieting for hypertrophy, strength and bodybuidling. Dr. Israetel is also currently a professor in the strength and hypertrophy masters program at Lehman College. Mike is himself a competitive bodybuilder and professional Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grappler. Show notes available at sigmanutrition.com/episode372

In this episode Danny and Alan discuss the debate over the impact of dietary cholesterol on LDL-C levels and heart disease risk. Are eggs & cholesterol-rich foods a problem? Let's dive into the research to find out!    Today's Topic in Focus:  [00:51]    "I Have a Question!"  [62:32]    Quack Asylum [72:55]    Random Recommendations [75:28]    Show notes: https://sigmanutrition.com/episode371

Dr. Jake Mey is a registered dietitan and a human nutrition researcher. He is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. His work focuses on diet, muscle & metabolism. Dr. Mey has a PhD in human nutrition and kinesology. Show notes: sigmanutrition.com/episode370

Professor Jason Gill is a Professor of Cardiometabolic Health in the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences at the University of Glasgow. He leads an active multi-disciplinary research group investigating the effects of exercise and diet on the prevention and management of vascular and metabolic diseases from the molecular to the whole-body level.   He is a past Chair of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) Division of Physical Activity for Health and a member of the development groups for the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines for the prevention and treatment of obesity and for prevention of cardiovascular disease.   In this episode we discuss: Strength and chronic disease risk Discrepancy between self-report and objective measurements of physical activity Regression dilution bias: If you measure something poorly you diminish the apparent association with the outcome The EuroFIT randomized controlled trial The amount of exercise needed to get to a point of low absolute risk of cardiometabolic disease is more for high-risk populations vs. low-risk populations Why if you have a higher genetic risk for obesity, then lifestyle matters more, not less Should there be differential guidelines for activity based on race/ethnicity? Interaction between degree of social deprivation, lifestyle and health outcomes Why reducing sitting time may not be a useful target   LINK: sigmanutrition.com/episode369

Shannon Beer is a nutritionist, working with people via online coaching and mentoring, with the goal of helping people improve their health through facilitating lasting behaviour change. In collaboration with Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro, she has developed a coaching framework that applies motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral coaching, and acceptance and commitment therapy-aligned processes in a client-centered alliance toward their own values-based goals. This 'Comprehensive Coaching' model facilitates long-term behavior change and flourishing health in clients. Show notes: sigmanutrition.com/episode368