FoundMyFitness (general)

David A. Sinclair

David A. Sinclair, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biological Mechanisms of Aging. He is the co-founder of the journal Aging, where he serves as co-chief editor.

Dr. Sinclair's work focuses on understanding the mechanisms that drive human aging and identifying ways to slow or reverse aging's effects. In particular, he has examined the role of sirtuins in disease and aging, with special emphasis on how sirtuin activity is modulated by compounds produced by the body as well as those consumed in the diet, such as resveratrol. His work has implications for human metabolism, mitochondrial and neurological health, and cancer.

In this episode, you'll discover:

  • (00:00) Introduction
  • (17:59) Caloric restriction, fasting, and exercise activate sirtuin longevity genes
  • (21:47) Boosting NAD+ levels reduces sirtuin loss with age
  • (23:03) Resveratrol extends sirtuin activation 
  • (27:36) NAD+ resets epigenetic aging clocks
  • (31:54) Yamanaka factors reprogram adult cells into stem cells
  • (46:48) Resveratrol is a xenohormetic compound 
  • (55:35) Resveratrol improved cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease
  • (58:03) NR and NMN improve cognitive function 
  • (01:06:19) NMN delays aging in multiple organs
  • (01:01:22)  Challenges of translating animal research

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here.

Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter

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Direct download: david_sinclair_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:19pm EDT

This podcast is the audio from a presentation Dr. Rhonda Patrick gave on how the sauna may be an exercise mimetic for heat health and healthspan. Sauna use has emerged as a means to increase lifespan and improve overall health, based on compelling data from observational, interventional, and mechanistic studies. Listen in to find out more.

In this episode, you'll discover:

  • (00:00) Introduction
  • (03:01)  Clinical research shows that sauna improves cardiovascular health
  • (09:19) Finnish sauna vs Waon infrared therapy
  • (12:35) The mechanisms of sauna use mimic exercise
  • (15:58) Heat shock proteins mediate the benefits of sauna use
  • (23:42) Sauna use reduces inflammation
  • (25:54) Sauna use is enjoyable and safe
  • (28:55) Crowd questions and answers 

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here.

Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter

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Direct download: little_rock_sauna.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:24am EDT

In this short episode, Dr. Patrick discusses some of the compelling science including observational studies, randomized controlled trials, and human mechanistic studies that suggests exercise is a powerful tool for preventing or managing the symptoms of depression and mental illness. Moreover, she talks about the specific types of exercise and exercise parameters that evidence suggests might be the most helpful for depression.

This podcast started its life as a video, so make sure to check out the full video or the references and episode notes on the episode page.

In this episode, you'll discover:

  • (00:00) Introduction
  • (01:51) Multiple types of research support the anti-depressant effects of exercise
  • (04:45) Exercise boosts serotonin and blocks harmful kynurenine 
  • (10:00) Exercise causes beneficial inflammation that boosts BDNF
  • (13:18) Depression lowers BDNF and neuroplasticity
  • (15:08) Exercise increases endocannabinoids and endorphins 
  • (16:09) Concluding thoughts

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here.

Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information on depression straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter

Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor

Direct download: exercise_depression_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:22pm EDT

Elissa Epel

Elissa Epel, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco where she serves as the director of the Aging, Metabolism, and Emotions Center.

Her research centers on the mechanisms of healthy aging and the associations between stress, telomere length, addiction, eating, and metabolic health.

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of telomeres, the length of which is one of the useful biomarkers scientists have for getting a sense of the differences between how individuals or groups of individuals age. Telomere shortening is both a cause and a symptom of aging and plays key roles in not only how long we live, but in how well. Lifestyle factors such as poor nutrition and smoking can accelerate telomere shortening by generating oxidative stress and inflammation.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • (00:00) Introduction and overview
  • (12:14) What are telomeres
  • (17:23) Telomerase activity and cancer
  • (22:22) Factors affecting telomere length:
  • (24:50) Diet, coffee, and sugar
  • (30:16) Chronic stress
  • (35:01) Exercise
  • (40:14) Pregnancy and pre-conception
  • (51:19) Omega-3s EPA and DHA
  • (52:12) Vitamin D
  • (54:01) Weight loss and glucose management
  • (01:00:30) Meditation
  • (01:07:39) Consumer telomere length tests

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here.

Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter

Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor

Direct download: elissa_epel_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:39pm EDT

Matthew Walker

Matthew Walker, Ph.D., is a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and serves as the Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science. 

Walker's research examines the impact of sleep on human health and disease. One area of interest focuses on identifying "vulnerability windows" during a person's life that make them more susceptible to amyloid-beta deposition from loss of slow wave sleep and, subsequently, Alzheimer's disease later in life.

Dr. Walker earned his undergraduate degree in neuroscience from the University of Nottingham, UK, and his Ph.D. in neurophysiology from the Medical Research Council, London, UK. He is the author of the New York Times best-selling book Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • (00:00) Introduction
  • (08:47) Sleep boosts learning
  • (21:21) Manipulating sleep to enhance learning
  • (26:28) REM sleep, dreams, and memory encoding
  • (34:46) Sleep deprivation causes loneliness
  • (46:36) Sleep is disturbed in all neuropsychiatric conditions
  • (52:30) Bright light exposure 
  • (01:00:02) How much sleep is enough?
  • (01:10:21) Inflammation triggers sleep
  • (01:26:16) Bidirectional relationship between poor sleep and Alzheimer's disease
  • (01:35:12) Deep sleep deprivation increases beta-amyloid
  • (01:41:40) Preventing dementia
  • (01:48:44) Sleep tracking technology
  • (01:56:25) Four Pillars of Sleep
  • (02:06:02) Metabolism and microbiome
  • (02:23:34) Tips for better sleep

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here.

Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information on sleep for enhanced learning straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter

Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor

Direct download: matthew_walker_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:35pm EDT

This episode features a Q&A session with Dr. Rhonda Patrick. The questions were sourced from social media followers of both FoundMyFitness and also Zero Fasting Tracker, a convenient mobile app used widely in the fasting community for logging.

In this 45-minute podcast, Dr. Patrick answers some of the most popular questions related to fasting, including:

  • (00:00) Introduction
  • (03:46) What effects do coffee, supplements, and amino acids have on fasting?
  • (12:29) Should you consume electrolytes on a fast?
  • (14:50) What evidence is there that one method of fasting is more beneficial than others?
  • (24:01) What effect does the consumption of exogenous ketones have on fasting?
  • (29:30) Are there downsides to exercise during fasting?
  • (34:31) What role does fasting play in the growth-longevity tradeoff?
  • (49:48) What's the ideal way to break a fast?

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here.

Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter

Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor

Direct download: zero_qa_rhonda.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

Dale E. Bredesen

Dale E. Bredesen, M.D., is a professor of neurology at the Easton Laboratories for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Dr. Bredesen's laboratory focuses on identifying and understanding basic mechanisms underlying the neurodegenerative process and the translation of this knowledge into effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. He has collaborated on the publication of more than 220 academic research papers.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • (00:00) Introduction
  • (06:00) What is Alzheimer's disease?
  • (09:29) Alzheimer's types - hot, dry, and toxic
  • (18:56) APOE-4 gene triples risk of Alzheimer's disease
  • (20:55) Cognoscopy for dementia detection
  • (23:11) Lifestyle interventions
  • (32:33) Keto flex 12/3 diet can treat dementia
  • (50:58) Omega-3s resolve inflammation
  • (57:39) Sauna use detoxifies the body 
  • (01:06:05) Available consumer tests

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes.

Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information on alzheimer's disease straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter

Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor

Direct download: dale_bredesen_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:20pm EDT

Dr. Valter Longo

Dr. Longo is the current director of the longevity institute at the University of Southern California and also director of the Oncology and Longevity Program at the Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation in Milan, Italy.

Dr. Longo’s research focuses understanding the biological mechanisms that regulate the aging process, the role of fasting and diet in longevity and healthspan in humans as well as metabolic fasting therapies for the treatment of human diseases.

In this episode, we discuss...

  • (00:00) Introduction
  • (09:30) Defining fasting
  • (16:10) Insulin/growth hormone axis and aging
  • (21:37) Growth hormone deficiency protects from some diseases
  • (30:55) Fasting vs a ketogenic diet for cancer
  • (40:13) The fasting-mimicking diet (FMD)
  • (48:28) "Yo-yo" fasting once per month
  • (52:21) Fasting does not reduce muscle mass 
  • (57:03) Autophagy and apoptosis are our repair mechanisms
  • (01:02:33) Refeeding is necessary to rebuild healthy cells
  • (01:05:31) Top 5 biomarkers of healthy aging

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here.

Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter

Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor

Direct download: longo_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:18am EDT

Charles Raison

Charles Raison, M.D. is a professor at the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Founding Director of the Center for Compassion Studies in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Arizona.

Dr. Raison’s research focuses on inflammation and the development of depression in response to illness and stress. He also examines the physical and behavioral effects of compassion training on the brain, inflammatory processes, and behavior as well as the effect of heat stress as a potentially therapeutic intervention major depressive disorder.

In this episode, you'll discover:

  • (00:00) Introduction
  • (06:26) Role of inflammation in depression
  • (10:08) Evolutionary mechanism
  • (16:19) Genetics of depression
  • (22:57) How obesity causes depression biochemically
  • (33:32) Does exercise treat depression
  • (36:08) Hyperthermia as treatment
  • (46:08) Inflammation promotes depression
  • (53:39) Did we evolve to need hormetic stress?
  • (01:03:38) Heat-shock proteins
  • (01:06:10) Repurposing ancient wisdom
  • (01:17:31) Psychedelics and meditation
  • (01:27:51) What is the role of conventional pharmacotherapy?
  • (01:35:19) Lifestyle modifications for depression
  • (01:42:21) Why light and circadian rhythm are important for mental health

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here.

Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information on depression straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter

Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor

Direct download: charles_raison_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:15pm EDT

Eric M. Verdin

Eric M. Verdin, M.D. is the fifth president and chief executive officer of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and is a professor of Medicine at UCSF.

Dr. Verdin's laboratory focuses on the role of epigenetic regulators in the aging process, the role of metabolism and diet in aging and on the chronic diseases of aging, including Alzheimer’s, proteins that play a central role in linking caloric restriction to increased healthspan, and more recently a topic near and dear to many of you, ketogenesis. He's held faculty positions at the University of Brussels, the NIH and the Picower Institute for Medical Research.

 In this episode, you'll discover:

  • (00:00) Introduction
  • (07:32) Interventions to prolong lifespan
  • (10:42) The role of insulin pathways in aging
  • (16:25) HDAC inhibition by ketones
  • (27:52) Protein activates mTOR & IGF-1
  • (30:28) PPAR-alpha activation facilitates benefits of a ketogenic diet
  • (35:28) What biomarkers can predict aging?
  • (39:38) Cellular NAD+ levels decrease with age 
  • (52:47) Ketogenic diet safety 
  • (56:07) Intermittent fasting as an alternative to a keto diet

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here.

Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information on ketogenic diet & longevity straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter

Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor

Direct download: eric_verdin_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:02am EDT