“Avoiding all stress isn’t the answer to fighting aging; it’s about building resilience to environmental stress.” — Dr. Rhonda Patrick
Rhonda Patrick, PhD, (@foundmyfitness) is an American biochemist and scientist. She first appeared on this podcast back in episode twelve, and whether you want to extend life, inexpensively buy a stem cell “insurance policy,” or guard against cancer, Rhonda has valuable insights and recommendations.
In this episode, Rhonda tackles some of your most requested topics, including:
- Best practices for fasting (and who struggles most with time-restricted feedings)
- What blood tests are most important to analyze for overall health
- The “minimum effective dose” for the benefits of sauna
- Heat vs. cold exposure, and how they should be used effectively
- Most effective smart drugs
- The latest fat loss research
- And much, much more
Rhonda is known for her studies of the mechanistic link between vitamin D and serotonin production, research that may have important implications for the understanding of autism and other disorders, and for her popular podcast, Found My Fitness.
Dr. Patrick also conducts clinical trials, performed aging research at Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and did graduate research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where she focused on cancer, mitochondrial metabolism, and apoptosis.
Enjoy!
You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.
#237: Exploring Smart Drugs, Fasting, and Fat Loss — Dr. Rhonda Patrick
Want even more from Rhonda Patrick? Listen to her first appearance on the podcast. In this episode, we discuss life extension, optimal performance, and much more.
Ep. 12: Dr. Rhonda Patrick on Life Extension, Performance, and More
QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Selected Links from the Episode
- Connect with Rhonda Patrick:
Website | Podcast |Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- The Tim Ferriss Show, Episode 12: Dr. Rhonda Patrick on Life Extension, Performance, and Much More
- Rhonda Patrick: Nutrigenomics, Epigenetics, and Stress Tolerance via The IHMC Evening Lecture Series
- Sulforaphane and isothiocyanates
- Sulforaphane and Its Effects on Cancer, Mortality, Aging, Brain and Behavior, Heart Disease & More by Rhonda Patrick, FoundMyFitness
- What is Xenohormesis? by Joseph A. Baur and David A. Sinclair, American Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology
- What Valter Longo, Satchin Panda, and Ruth Patterson have to say about time-restricted eating.
- MH Trials: Hugh Jackman’s 16:8 Diet by David Morton, Men’s Health
- Suprachiasmatic Nucleus: The Brain’s Circadian Clock by Martha U. Gillette and Shelley A. Tischkau, Recent Progress in Hormone Research
- Understand your body’s rhythms and contribute to research with Dr. Satchin Panda’s myCircadianClock app.
- Introducing “Zero,” a New App to Help You Fast by Kevin Rose, Medium
- Fasting vs. Slow-Carb Diet, Top $150 Purchases, Balancing Productivity and Relaxation, and More
- Dom D’Agostino — The Power of the Ketogenic Diet
- Some terms used: Autophagy, mitophagy, apoptosis, mitochondrial biogenesis, cellular senescence, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)
- Fasting Triggers Stem Cell Regeneration of Damaged, Old Immune System by Suzanne Wu, USC News
- Blood Sugar Levels in Response to Foods Are Highly Individual, The Weizmann Institute of Science
- More terms used: FTO, PPAR Alpha, PPAR Gamma, APOE4
- 23andMe
- Abbott Precision Xtra Glucose Monitor
- Thyroid Function Tests
- Are Saunas the Next Big Performance-Enhancing Drug?
- Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events by Tanjaniina Laukkanen, et al., JAMA Internal Medicine
- How Sauna Use May Boost Longevity by Rhonda Patrick, FoundMyFitness
- The Heat-Shock Response by Stephanie Liou, Huntington’s Outreach Project for Education at Stanford
- FOXO3: A Major Gene for Human Longevity — A Mini-Review by Brian J. Morris, et al., Gerontology
- What Is an Infrared Sauna? Does It Have Health Benefits? by Brent A. Bauer, M.D., Mayo Clinic
- Rick Rubin on Cultivating World-Class Artists (Jay Z, Johnny Cash, etc.), Losing 100+ Pounds, and Breaking Down The Complex
- The Surprising Truth About IGF-1 and How to Increase and Inhibit It by SelfHacked
- Post-Exercise Cold Water Immersion Attenuates Acute Anabolic Signalling and Long-Term Adaptations in Muscle to Strength Training by Llion A. Roberts, et al., The Journal of Physiology
- Effects of Whole-Body Cryotherapy on Recovery After Hamstring Damaging Exercise: A Crossover Study by B. Fonda and N. Sarabon, Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
- Effects of Whole-Body Cryotherapy vs. Far-Infrared vs. Passive Modalities on Recovery from Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Highly Trained Runners by Christophe Hausswirth, et al., PLoS ONE
- In discussing nootropics, Rhonda mentions choline, phosphatidylcholine, Alpha GPC, CDP Choline, and Yamabushitake (lion’s mane mushroom) extract.
- Alpha GPC — Scientific Review on Usage, Dosage, Side Effects, Examine.com
- CDP Choline — Scientific Review on Usage, Dosage, Side Effects, Examine.com
- Yamabushitake (Lion’s Mane Mushroom) Extract — Scientific Review on Usage, Dosage, Side Effects, Examine.com
- Rhonda’s research identified the relation between vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and serotonin production.
- Sulforaphane — Scientific Review on Usage, Dosage, Side Effects, Examine.com
- FDA Strengthens Warning That NSAIDs Increase Heart Attack and Stroke Risk by Gregory Curfman, MD, Harvard Health Blog
- What’s Behind the Heartbreaking Risk of Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: UC Davis Scientists Learn Why NSAIDs May Increase the Risk of Heart Disease by Kat Kerlin, UC Davis
- Curcumin — Scientific Review on Usage, Dosage, Side Effects, Examine.com
- Rhonda recommends meriva (curcumin phytosome) as an ibuprofin alternative.
- Type II (Hydrolyzed) Collagen — Scientific Review on Usage, Dosage, Side Effects, Examine.com
- Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate
- Search for NSF Certified Dietary Supplements or see if your supplement is verified by the USP.
- Rhonda’s Ultimate Micronutrient Smoothie
- Smoothie #2: Prebiotics, Phytochemicals, “Anti-Nutrients” & Hydrolyzed Collagen
- Lutein and Zeaxanthin — Scientific Review on Usage, Dosage, Side Effects, Examine.com
- Pterostilbene — Scientific Review on Usage, Dosage, Side Effects, Examine.com
- Punicalagins (from Pomegranites) — Scientific Review on Usage, Dosage, Side Effects, Examine.com
- Benzene and Cancer Risk, American Cancer Society
- Acrolein | CH2=CHCHO, PubChem
- Pure Encapsulations O.N.E. Multivitamin
- Thorne Research Magnesium Citrate Health Supplement
- Swanson High Potency Natural Vitamin K-2
- Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Phospholipids
- Nordic Naturals ProOmega 2000
- Fish Oil — Scientific Review on Usage, Dosage, Side Effects, Examine.com
- Thorne Research NiaCel Nicotinamide Riboside Supplement with ChromaDex Niagen
- How Exercise Makes You Smarter — Dr. Rhonda Patrick via Paleo f(x)
- Glycolysis: An Overview by NDSU Virtual Cell Animations Project
- George Brooks, Ph.D. on Lactate Shuttle Theory, Relevance for Traumatic Brain Injury & More
- The Twin Study: What’s the Real Value of Exercise? by Dave Smith, Make Your Body Work
- Refined Sugar and Its Effects on Mortality, the Brain, Cancer, Hormones & More by Rhonda Patrick, FoundMyFitness
- Vitamix 5200 Blender
- The “Triage Theory:” Micronutrient Deficiencies Cause Insidious Damage That Accelerates Age-Associated Chronic Disease by Bruce Ames
- The “Vitamin D Sweet Spot” and its Relationship To Aging by Rhonda Patrick, FoundMyFitness
- Does Meat Consumption Cause Cancer? by Rhonda Patrick, FoundMyFitness
- The IGF-1 Trade-Off: Performance vs. Longevity by Rhonda Patrick, FoundMyFitness
- How The Gut Microbiota Affects Our Health with Dr. Erica & Dr. Justin Sonnenburg by Rhonda Patrick, FoundMyFitness
- What Rhonda eats when she’s craving iron (with advice for vegetarians)
- The Extinction Inside Our Guts by Erica Sonnenburg and Justin Sonnenburg, Los Angeles Times
- Rhonda’s shipments of VSL #3 arrive packed in ice.
- My Life Extension Pilgrimage to Easter Island
Show Notes
- What new areas, experiments, discoveries, or hypotheses is Rhonda most excited about these days? [08:02]
- Your mom was right about broccoli and brussels sprouts. [10:12]
- How stressing out our cells may help slow the aging process. [10:52]
- Rhonda’s best practices for time-restricted eating — and who might not benefit from this practice. [13:00]
- How do the effects of fasting differ from those of a low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet, and what key metrics would indicate benefit (or lack thereof)? [16:16]
- Rhonda’s thoughts on minimum effective dose for sauna benefits in session time, temperature, and frequency — and what those benefits might be. [23:33]
- Is there any benefit to combining heat stress and cold stress in rapid succession — or do they cancel each other out? [45:30]
- Thoughts on how regular hyperthermic conditioning and hypothermic stress relate to muscle hypertrophy in strength training. [51:16]
- Why does Rhonda prefer the sauna after, rather than before, a workout? [55:22]
- How does Rhonda feel about nootropic cognitive-enhancing supplements? Does she take any herself? [1:01:38]
- Rhonda elaborates on the importance of vitamin D and omega 3. [1:08:51]
- Is sulforaphane a nootropic? [1:11:12]
- On cold-press juicing broccoli sprouts for sulforaphane and why Rhonda prefers blending. [1:17:50]
- What is the most effective non-pharmaceutical pain reliever for arthritis sport injury sufferers? [1:18:34]
- Because the FDA doesn’t require dietary supplements to be tested before going to market, how can we find trustworthy supplement brands? [1:26:35]
- What are Rhonda’s core supplements and foods for health and brain function? [1:29:00]
- What does Rhonda’s exercise routine look like? [1:53:17]
- What is the 80/20 of lifestyle changes — that is, what twenty percent of lifestyle inputs lead to eighty percent of positive effects? [1:57:16]
- Has Rhonda considered taking meat completely out of her diet?[2:11:21]
- Of paleo, ketogenic, and vegetarian diets, which seems best poised to combat inflammation, and what are the general pros and cons of each? [2:17:12]
- Do probiotics need to be taken forever, or do the introduced strains of bacteria gain a foothold at some point? [2:28:25]
- Are artificial sweeteners bad for gut (or overall) health? Should they be avoided altogether? [2:34:15]
- Is metformin really damaging to mitochondria, or is it more of a hormetic stressor? [2:36:28]
- For superior health, does Rhonda recommend staying away from all alcohol, or are a couple glasses of red wine on the weekend okay? [2:39:24]
Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That's how we're gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you're rude, we'll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)
My god, love the brain dump. The best thing about this podcast is that the information contained is accessible to the average human.
What were the three blood tests that Dr. Patrick recommended.
Loved this podcasts. Thank you.
I thought Rhonda talked at a normal speed but I usually speed up podcasts and I didn’t speed this one up. I made pages of written notes on this. So informative. I’ll choose that every time over banter and entertainment.
WOW! That was a BIG drink from the firehose! Thanks for all the work you put into this one, Rhonda. I can’t wait for the book version. (Wishful thinking, maybe?)
Do yyou hаѵe any video of thɑt? Ӏ’d care to fіnd
᧐ut some additional information.
Perhaps this is semantics….but I suspect not. Building resilience is good but being convex to stressors is antifragility….a better goal. In order to understand I suggest that you (TIM) bring Dr Nassim Taleb on to your podcase for interview.
Dr Patrick is full of information and communicates well. I”d like to know if she delivers these missives off the cuff or from carefully prepared and organized notes.
Lots of overall useful information, especially in regards on tips of how to keep a healthy body. Thanks for sharing this lovely podcast!
Hi, sorry I’m late but thanks for the great interview!
A question regarding fasting and the “nothing but water” rule: What if I have to take a bunch of medication in the morning (like Prednisolon, Quensyl, some iron supplement, vitamin D3,…, for Lupus therapy)? Would that count as “breaking the fast”? Thanks a lot in advance!
I could not finish listening to this podcast. She was talking so incredibly fast it’s hard to comprehend what she’s saying. Plus she talks like she’s reading it is very annoying
As a medical doctor, I really appreciated hearing a scientist talking about recommendations based on actual studies, and summarizing the literature. Yes, it is fast, she is reading from her prepared notes, and I had to go back to review, but what a solid summary. Answered very many questions that I have had for a long time.
AND Rhonda Patrick is humble: she’s very clear that she’s not a medical doctor, she doesn’t pretend to have super powers, and she actually mentions risks as well as benefits. Fantastic.
I much preferred this to a different podcast on related topics, featuring an economist-turned-“expert”, who did not appear to have any actual science background, rambled all over the place, never actually finished an answer to any question, and kept repeating various scientific terms without context. I’d rather have Rhonda Patrick any time: she knows what she is talking about.
Thank you Tim & Ronda, I have listened to this over and over – (like I do most of the podcasts) and have learned so much, the first time I listened I started the 8/16 and it straightened out my gut issue, added energy, thanks again and again
Absolutely She is the best………!!!