Dr. Mark Madsen discusses the science behind intermittent fasting, ketosis, and their effects on health, aging, and brain function. He explores mechanisms like BDNF, autophagy, and evolutionary perspectives on stress responses. Key Topics - Mechanisms of fasting benefits: calorie restriction, glycation, inflammation - Role of ketones as signaling molecules and energy sources - BDNF and brain plasticity - Exogenous ketones and athletic performance - Evolutionary perspective on stress and adaptation Chapters 00:00 Introduction and guest introduction 00:11 Ben's fasting experiments and Ori Hoffmeckler influence 01:13 Are fasting benefits due to calorie restriction or other mechanisms? 01:31 Experimental evidence on fasting and lifespan extension in mice 02:30 Human study on 5-2 fasting and metabolic health 05:27 Benefits of fasting beyond calorie restriction 07:11 Fasting, ketosis, and athletic performance 08:10 Second wind phenomenon and metabolic flexibility 09:16 Fasting and metabolic health in athletes like Matthew Pinson 10:25 Exogenous ketones and their role in health and performance 16:02 BDNF, brain health, and the effects of ketones 19:10 Evolutionary perspective on brain and body adaptation 20:23 Stress response, autophagy, and cellular health 25:47 Exercise, challenge, and brain resilience 27:50 Lifestyle, obesity, and cognitive health 28:34 The importance of stress and challenge in evolution 43:31 Impact of media and public awareness on fasting science 45:28 Clinical trials and health benefits of intermittent fasting 46:26 Healthcare system, prevention, and societal challenges 48:23 Barriers to healthy lifestyle and socioeconomic factors 49:10 Diet, supplements, and natural chemicals in health 53:22 Neuroendocrinology and brain development 54:30 Neurotransmitters, glutamate, and neural wiring 56:26 Excitotoxicity and neural damage in disease 58:00 Dietary chemicals and adaptive stress response 01:02:59 Evolutionary mechanisms of plant chemicals and human health 01:04:58 Dose, duration, and frequency of stressors 01:06:06 Optimal intermittent fasting patterns and research challenges 01:07:41 Connecting lifestyle, stress, and evolutionary biology Mark Madsen's Institute - https://matsonianinstitute.org Brain Ponderings Podcast - https://matsonianinstitute.org/podcast Website - https://matsonianinstitute.org Podcast - https://matsonianinstitute.org/podcast ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🌈 Exploring the benefits of red and infra light therapy? Our community receive 10% off the FlexBeam from Recharge Health via this link: ⬇️ https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/DyJ3mn (learn more about the benefits of healing with light in our 'Light as Medicine' Playlist). 🤝 Join the community - by subscribing, you are self-selecting as a health nerd. We like you. We applaud you. You are shaping in real time the future of health information. As a thank you, we pledge to bring you the best we can, where we are, with the tools we have. 🎧 Listen to us on-the-go! Available wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. New episode every Wednesday! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
