Mastering Nutrition

Question: If undercarboxylated osteocalcin has health benefits, and vitamin K2 decreases it, what does that mean for K2 supplementation? Short Answer: Vitamin K2 helps secure osteocalcin in bone matrix, where it is decarboxylated and released as an endocrine hormone in response to certain stimuli. When released, it acts to optimize insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity, fuel use during exercise,...

Finally, the long-awaited results of my self-experiments conducted from September through January are released! First, make sure you get my MTHFR Protocol, my free 7-page quick guide to optimizing and personalizing your methylation status, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2019/03/01/start-here-for-mthfr-and-methylation The primary abnormalities in my metabolism during this pre-biotin peri...

I have a free gift for you. That is my MTHFR Protocol, a 7-page quick guide to optimizing and personalizing your methylation status using foods and supplements. My MTHFR Protocol is free to anyone who subscribes to my Substack, whether free or paid. Use this link to get your copy: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol I hope you enjoy your free gift and find it useful. Chris Mas...

For nearly 20 years, I have strongly suspected that I have a genetic disorder in synthesizing or recycling something that is absent or poorly available from plant foods, is very rich in organ meats, and is not present in any of the supplements I was taking when I was a vegan. After six months of research, testing, and self-experimenting, I now believe what I have been looking for is a mix of moder...

Question: If I'm at risk of heart disease and phosphatidylcholine increases my TMAO, should I stop the supplement? Short Answer: On a scale of one to ten, my concern about TMAO and cardiovascular disease is a three. There are thousands of things that should be given equal weight as potential contributors to heart disease, but TMAO gets the most attention because the Cleveland Clinic has an incredi...

Question: How do I get my ceruloplasmin up if copper doesn't raise it? Short Answer: Usually ceruloplasmin raises with copper, which may be important to protect copper from causing oxidative stress. If it does not raise in parallel, the usual suspects to look at are vitamin A and thyroid hormone. However, in this person's case, his own evidence from self-experiments suggest that he needs antioxida...

This analysis of the recent study by the Hazen group at Cleveland Clinic published in Nature Medicine claiming erythritol contributes to cardiovascular disease shows the following: Why elevated plasma erythritol is likely to reflect thiamin deficiency and NADPH depletion from insulin resistance, inflammation, and oxidative stress Why the in vitro and mouse study blood clotting likely reflects osmo...

Question: How do I fix low blood sugar on vegan keto? Short Answer: Consider how important it is for your ketones to be elevated. Most likely you need to eat more protein, which will lower your ketones. I would aim for a minimum of 0.8 grams per kilogram of ideal bodyweight and consider using 1.2 grams per kilogram of ideal bodyweight. If this does not work, consider all of the nutrients involved...

Question: Why would vitamin D, vitamin K2, and calcium give me brain fog? Short Answer: Most likely by decreasing serum phosphorus. The solution is to balance these nutrients with vitamin A and phosphorus. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com...

Short Answer: Plasma zinc is the single most important marker of zinc status. Urine zinc may decline faster in deficiency. Hair zinc increases with supplementation but does not decrease in deficiency. Plasma zinc is decreased by inflammation, oxidative stress, the ovulatory and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle, probably pregnancy and oral contraceptive use, and any kind of stress that leads to...

Short Answer: It could be byproducts of any of the three amino acids that make up the glutathione molecule, which include the individual amino acids, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, sulfite, and propionyl CoA, or it could be microbial metabolites of glutathione produced in the gut. The full answer contains seven hypothesis-driven tests that can be done at home to determine the cause. This is a clip fro...

Short Answer: From the trials, statins seem to reduce heart disease risk and total mortality, but it is impossible to separate this from conflicts of interest and industry funding. There are plausible mechanisms by which they may hurt mitochondrial function and promote soft tissue calcification. Dietary sulfur appears to lower cholesterol. While Lester Morrison showed 1500 milligrams per day of ch...

Short Answer: I believe most methyl donor intolerances are a result of deficiencies in the glycine buffer system, which requires glycine, vitamin A, fasting (glucagon), androgens, riboflavin, unmethylated folate (THF), and iron. No one should expect to tolerate 30 milligrams of folate, however, and there is almost never a reason to use doses that high. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open t...

Short Answer: The main problem with too much protein, particularly animal protein, is that acidity may hurt the bones and increase the risk of calcium oxalate kidney stones, but this can be obviated by balancing it with organic acids, which have bicarbonate-sparing effects that are alkalinizing. The best index of the organic acid content of foods is the potassium content. This balance can be achie...

High-dose biotin supplements can cause a multitude of false lab tests, masking recent heart attacks, pregnancies, or allergies, giving false signals about tumors, and far more. In this episode, I lay out for you the nature, scope, and magnitude of the problem, and develop actionable strategies you can use to protect your lab tests from generating false information as a result of this phenomenon. Y...

Short Answer: Energy metabolism in general declines across the body with aging, but energy metabolism seems to stay healthy enough in the brain in people who do not experience cognitive decline. Cognitive decline does appear to be driven by decreases in brain energy metabolism, but these are not best described as a specific impairment in glucose handling. MCT oil can be modestly beneficial and a k...

Short Answer: If it can't be explained by the dose of salt, it may be that the salt is not being absorbed orally. Glucose, starch, or simply a meal consumed alongside the salted water may help with this. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com...

Get my new 7-page quick guide on how to not get sick for free when you sign up to my Substack: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/staying-immune-through-the-winter Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the  mitochondria test Mitome .

Short Answer: SHBG is increased by adiponectin (vitamin K2, insulin sensitivity), thyroid hormone, fasting physiology (AMPK, fat oxidation), and estrogen (especially estrone), while it is decreased by insulin resistance, obesity, the fed state and carbohydrate-dominant physiology, androgens, and polyunsaturated fat. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition...

I am done with my work on COVID vaccines, at least until I finish my  Vitamins and Minerals 101 Book , so I am now making my scientific review on the likely causes of COVID vaccine side effects public. This is an excerpt of pages 19-52 of my  Healing From COVID Vaccine Side Effects  guide ( free to Masterpass members here ). You can read the written version on Substack using this link, which conta...

Short Answer: While protein restriction may have value in people with established cancer or kidney disease, cycling robustly between fasting and feeding states is likely to provide all the value that restriction of protein or calories might otherwise provide, and a high protein intake supports bone mass, muscle mass, and the detoxification of carcinogens, all of which are important to longevity. T...

Short answer: Low or low-normal alkaline phosphatase may raise the plasma B6 level over the cellular level. Tryptophan metabolites in urine reflect the B6 requirement for the kynurenine pathway, and this requirement increases with more estrogen, more inflammation, or a higher protein intake. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can...

Short answer: 4-6 hours after a meal the small intestine is emptied and the insulin-to-glucagon ratio declines; 25 hours after, hepatic glycogen is emptied; 5 days later the brain is adapted to ketones and gluconeogenesis reaches its minimal level. Moving from one to the other cannot occur with a small piece of signaling like the bite of an apple. It requires the preponderance of signaling. This i...

Short answer: Probably not. Animal studies showing a difference use huge doses in an unrealistic context. Human studies show they don't at doses used. Human effect on PSA is vulnerable to regression to the mean and thoroughly unconvincing.   This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access five other free samples using this link:  ...

Short answer: Trust the CGM. HbA1c is confounded by red blood cell turnover and fructosamine 3-kinase activity. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access five other free samples using this link:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-fatty-liver In that batch of free episodes you will also find the...