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Dr. Martin Gibala is a muscle physiologist, professor, and kinesiology department chair at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He is best known for pioneering research on the health benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and his profound understanding of HIIT's physiological mechanisms. He is a co-author of the book "The One-Minute Workout."
In this episode, we discuss:
(00:00) Introduction (11:00) What is high-intensity training? (11:53) Zone 2 vs. HIIT for VO2 max — which is better? (13:22) The vital role of vigorous exercise (14:40) Why VO2 max matters for longevity (17:45) Why athletes vs. exercisers benefit from different intensity distributions (22:09) Measuring maximum heart rate and VO2 max (30:31) How the heart adapts to HIIT to increase VO2 max (35:47) Why vigorous exercise accelerates mitochondrial adaptation (40:06) Enhancing fat oxidation and mitochondrial growth with vigorous exercise (44:22) How intensive exercise boosts fat breakdown (45:56) Is high-intensity exercise better for autophagy than fasting? (55:15) Exercise snacks (57:55) Why 'choosing the stairs' reduces early death (VILPA study) (1:00:39) Protocol for VO2 max (1:05:50) The effect of HIIT on muscle fiber types (1:10:18) How aging effects muscle fibers (1:14:09) Does high-intensity training produce an "afterburn effect?" (1:16:13) Why vigorous workouts are better for BDNF and cognition (1:23:15) Anti-metastatic cancer effects (1:50:23) Wingate training vs. reHIIT — a comparison of protocols (1:55:38) Perceived exertion vs. HRmax (1:59:23) Interval walking for people with type 2 diabetes (2:01:06) Contraindications of HIIT (2:05:06) Why preconditioning reduces risks from exercise (2:10:44) Can resistance training be a type of aerobic exercise? (2:16:24) Does cardio and strength training interfere with each other? (2:18:45) How many minutes per week of high-intensity training? (2:26:58) Are there sex differences and misconceptions in high-intensity training, for women? (2:27:42) Should post-menopausal women do H.I.I.T.? (2:27:47) Does intense exercise raise cortisol? (2:34:16) Bone density and osteoarthritis (2:36:40) Atrial fibrillation risk (2:39:20) Hypoxic training and blood flow restriction (2:40:45) Tips for training with joint issues Watch this episode on YouTube
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Dr. Chris McGlory is an assistant professor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Known for his work in the field of muscle physiology and aging, Dr. McGlory's research focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying muscle protein synthesis and degradation, with a particular emphasis on the roles that omega-3 fatty acids play in maintaining muscle health in older adults.
In this episode, we discuss:
(00:00) Introduction (05:50) Start of interview (13:03) Why atrophy is worse for the old than the young (15:23) Can dietary protein prevent atrophy? (17:35) Why reduced movement can insidiously mimic short-term immobilization (22:51) The disability threshold — when atrophy may actually be deadly (24:58) Does high-dose omega-3 hold the key to fighting atrophy? (5g/day) (28:35) Does omega-3 help muscle respond more optimally to low protein? (41:37) Why omega-3 must be preloaded for 4 to 6 weeks (44:20) Why omega-3 trials have conflicting results (50:16) Does omega-3 enhance strength? (52:42) Sex differences in gaining mass and strength (54:46) Improvements in gait speed and balance (muscle performance / physical performance battery) (55:49) How to act on mixed evidence — and should we? (58:17) Why omega-3 may reduce frailty in old age (1:01:59) Why the anabolic mechanisms are counterintuitive (going beyond the canonical anti-inflammatory role of omega-3) (1:07:42) Do omega-3s boost tired, dysfunctional mitochondria? (1:15:16) Why we need an "omega-3 index" for muscle (1:18:52) Why the inflammation from cancer wastes muscle (1:20:38) Does omega-3 reduce atrophy from cancer cachexia? Watch this episode on YouTube
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Heat therapy, such as using a sauna or soaking in a hot bath, may significantly improve your slow wave sleep. My latest episode delves into the fascinating intersection between exercise and passive body heating and elucidates how high energy expenditure exercise and heat exposure share nuanced mechanisms in sleep regulation. Some key aspects explored include:
The surprising role of the immune system in regulating sleep through somnogenic cytokines, immune signals like IL-1B and TNF-alpha, released in response to heat stress and exercise. The interconnected nature of thermoregulation and sleep, particularly in the brain, which highlights the importance of overlapping sleep regulation and heat loss processes. This involves warm-sensing preoptic area neurons in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus, a region known to play a crucial role in sleep regulation. The intricate, bidirectional relationship between growth hormone (GH) and slow-wave sleep (SWS). With the majority of daily GH secretion occurring during the initial phase of SWS, stimulants of SWS, such as heat exposure, can result in enhanced GH secretion, establishing a strong connection between GH and sleep regulation. The varying influence of heat on growth hormone, ranging from doubling after two 20-minute sauna sessions at 80°C, to increasing its circulation up to 16-fold after two one-hour sauna sessions at 80°C. These findings highlight the potential for heat therapy and exercise with a high rate of energy expenditure to modulate slow wave sleep through the interconnected nature of thermoregulation, immunity, exercise, and hormones. By understanding and harnessing these links, individuals can potentially enhance their sleep quality and overall health and well-being.
In this episode, I discuss:
(00:00) - Introduction (01:06) - Increasing pre-sleep tiredness (02:06) - Effects of exercise (04:09) - How the immune system regulates sleep (05:07) - What heat and exercise have in common (06:39) - Hormonal effects of heat (06:59) - Growth hormone (09:26) - Prolactin and sleep onset (10:39) - Effect of sexual activity (12:08) - Overlap in the brain (thermoregulation vs. sleep) (12:46) - Heat protocols and tactics Watch this episode on YouTube
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Dr. Axel Montagne is a chancellor's fellow and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences. His group aims to understand how, when, and where critical components of the blood-brain barrier become dysfunctional preceding dementia and in the earliest stages of age-related cognitive decline. With this knowledge, they hope to develop precise treatments targeting brain vasculature to protect brain function.
More importantly his work, and that of his colleagues, provide a critical lens through which to view the contributions of vascular dysfunction (or, conversely, vascular health – if we choose to preserve it) as a critical common thread in dementia and neurodegeneration.
In this episode, we discuss:
(00:00) Introduction to Dr. Axel Montagne (11:44) What dementias have in common (12:42) The importance of preserving small blood vessels (in the brain) (13:38) Changes in the blood-brain barrier in aging that cause "leaking" (15:11) Predicting cognitive decline early with biomarkers – an opportunity for intervention? (16:32) Why targeting amyloid isn’t enough (18:54) The impact of the APOE4 genotype on brain vasculature (24:19) The cause of white matter damage in the brain (33:47) Why the loss of omega-3 transport affects pericytes (35:25) The role of exercise in prevention of blood-brain barrier dysfunction (35:45) Why high heart rates during exercise preserve brain function (36:49) The role of exercise in preserving vision health (40:17) Why leaky vessels damage myelin and the brain (45:31) Can you have more than one type of dementia? (47:54) Does the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier cause “type 3 diabetes"? (54:03) Why omega-3 may prevent detachment of pericytes (1:14:35) Why a hepatitis drug restored cognition in APOE4 mice (1:19:39) Why blood-brain barrier disruption results in the accumulation of amyloid-beta (1:25:14) Why lifetime hypertension increases dementia risk (1:37:13) Effects of obesity on blood-brain barrier leakage Watch this episode on YouTube
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Dr. Brad Schoenfeld is a professor at Lehman College in the Bronx, in New York City. His research primarily focuses on muscle adaptations to strength training, muscle hypertrophy. Publishing over 300 studies in the field of exercise and sports nutrition as a scientist, Brad began his career as a competitive bodybuilder and personal trainer.
In this episode, we discuss:
(00:00) Introduction to Dr. Brad Schoenfeld (05:26) Why should we lift weights? (06:56) Why building bone matters (11:33) How to lift in old age (13:45) Why to lift while young (especially women) (16:21) Should children lift weights? (17:05) Does lifting stunt growth? (19:48) How to change body composition (27:22) Protein requirements (29:19) How to calculate protein needs (36:54) Protein per meal - what's the right amount? (38:18) Does time-restricted eating undermine hypertrophy? (43:19) Anabolic window: myths vs. reality (46:15) Total daily protein intake (54:49) Why aging affects muscle power (loss of type II fibers) (57:52) Power training vs. strength (59:20) Benefits of explosive power training (fall prevention) (1:03:18) How to power train with plyometrics (1:03:58) Training to failure (is it important?) (1:09:59) Rest in between sets (is it needed?) (1:11:12) Number of sets per week (1:22:31) Tips for recovery (1:33:41) Should you get sore from exercise? (1:36:47) What can you do for soreness? (without blunting hypertrophy) (1:40:16) Does aerobic exercise undermine resistance training? (1:44:46) Resistance training for endurance athletes (1:46:33) Can stretching increase muscle growth? (1:51:06) Is yoga a type of resistance training? (1:53:37) Blood-flow restriction training (1:58:37) What is Brad's routine? Watch this episode on YouTube
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George Church, Ph.D. is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and of health sciences and technology at both Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Church played an instrumental role in the Human Genome Project and is widely recognized as one of the premier scientists in the fields of gene editing technology and synthetic biology. 
In this episode, we discuss:
(00:00) Introduction to Dr. George Church (07:13) History of the Human Genome Project (15:20) Manufacturing cell phones (with biology) (17:34) Genome Project-Write (20:03) Writing a human Y chromosome (from scratch) (20:48) What if you could eliminate viral disease? (22:51) De-extinction and reinstating lost traits and genes (27:06) The Vertebrate Genomes Project (29:47) AlphaFold and other AI tools (41:27) CRISPR vs. Base Editing (emerging tools of genetic engineering) (49:40) Why multiplex editing will change the world (52:18) Molecular flight recorder (53:31) Preventing viral spillover and enhancing livestock (57:40) PCSK9 gene therapy for cholesterol (1:00:30) Is aging an evolved program? (1:05:21) Treating aging with a combination gene treatment (1:09:04) Does animal research help us understand human aging? (1:11:40) Human organoids as a model and therapeutic (1:13:34) Could engineered transplant organs become better than the originals? (1:16:17) Embryo editing controversy (1:28:41) Gene editing for space travel (1:30:40) Can synthetic biology alleviate poverty? (1:34:07) Is in vitro fertilization and embryo selection practically similar to editing? (1:39:12) The occasional cost of brilliance (1:45:45) Eradicating disease with Gene Drive (1:48:55) Technologies to solve Lyme disease (1:51:57) Dr. Church's experience with narcolepsy as a bridge to creative insights (2:00:42) Why George encoded his book in DNA Watch this episode on YouTube
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