Mind & Matter
Whether food, drugs or ideas, what you consume influences who you become. Learn directly from the best scientists & thinkers alive today about how your mind-body reacts to what you feed it. The weekly M&M podcast features conversations with the most interesting scientists, thinkers, and technology entrepreneurs alive today. Not medical advice. At M&M, we are interested in trying to figure out how things work, not affirming our existing beliefs. We prefer consulting primary rather than secondary sources and independent rather than institutional voices. If we encounter uncomfortable truths or the evidence suggests unfashionable ideas may be valid, so be it. As the host, my aim is to help you better understand how the body & mind work by curating & synthesizing information in a way that yields science-based insights that you can choose to use or disregard in your own life. Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet. I am motivated to connect the dots and distill general principles from what I learn, preferring to ask questions and play devil’s advocate to debating or incessantly pushing my own viewpoint. My beliefs: Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet. All knowledge is provisional and we must work hard to prevent ourselves from becoming attached to our favorite ideas & preferred conclusions. Wisdom comes from an iterative, trial-and-error process of learning and unlearning. Letting go of pre-conceived notions can be painful, but pain is information. Sometimes modern discoveries teach us we must unlearn received wisdom. Other times, modern information overload & historical chauvinism cause us to forget ancient wisdom which stills applies. The framework for learning that I embody is inspired by three Ancient Greek maxims inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi: “Γνῶθι σεαυτόν” (Know thyself) “Μηδὲν ἄγαν” (Nothing in excess) “Ἐγγύα πάρα δ Ἄτα” (Certainty brings insanity)
Episodes
Endogenous peptide diversity, GLP-1 drugs, and methods for novel peptide discovery.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Peptide Structure & Production: Short amino acid chains (3-50 residues) cleaved from larger precursors by PCSK enzymes, stored in dense-core vesicles, and released upon stimuli rather than acting as folded enzymes like proteins.
- Tissue-Specific Processing: The same precursor yields different peptides by tissue;...
The possible role of deuterium (heavy isotope of hydrogen) in regulating cell division, mitochondrial metabolism & cancer.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Deuterium Basics: Deuterium is twice as massive as regular hydrogen; natural water contains ~150 ppm, with stronger oxygen-deuterium bonds slowing reactions compared to oxygen-hydrogen.
- Mitochondrial Role: Healthy mitochondria produce deuterium-depleted metabolic water (~1...
Health Products by M&M Partners:
- AquaTru: Water filtration devices that remove microplastics, metals, bacteria, and more from your drinking water. Through link, $100 off AquaTru Carafe, Classic & Under Sink Units; $300 off Freestanding models.
- OmegaQuant: At-home blood testing to see fatty acid profiles, including omega-3 fatty acids. Use link to see options and support M&M.
- SiPhox Healt...
Fructose survival hypothesis: how fructose metabolism in the liver triggers ATP depletion, uric acid production, oxidative stress, lipogenesis & leptin resistance.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Glucose vs Fructose Metabolism: Fructose is rapidly metabolized in the liver by fructokinase without feedback, causing ATP depletion and uric acid production, unlike glucose metabolism.
- Liver Effects: Fructose induces uric acid prod...
Deep-dive into a 2026 cardiology review paper claiming seed oils reduce inflammation, exposing misrepresentations of cited clinical trials, and detailing how oxidized Ω-6 fats trigger inflammation.
Companion article: Click HERE
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Seed Oil Profiles: Typical seed oils like sunflower are high in linoleic acid (omega-6 PUFA), while canola is higher in monounsaturated fats and resembles olive oil.
- Review ...
Human genetic variation in dietary fat metabolism and its implications for health & disease.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Linoleic Acid Rise: Linoleic acid now comprises 6-8% or more of energy in Western diets.
- Metabolic Pathways: Omega-6 linoleic acid converts to arachidonic acid and pro-inflammatory oxylipins; omega-3 ALA converts via shared enzymes to EPA/DHA with anti-inflammatory effects.
- FADS Genetic Variants: Ancest...
Pregnenolone, a neurosteroid derived from cholesterol, affects brain activity and shows promise for treating mood and substance abuse disorders.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Steroid Biosynthesis: Cholesterol converted to pregnenolone, the precursor for all steroid hormones including cortisol, aldosterone, and sex hormones.
- Corticosteroids: Synthetic versions like prednisone primarily target glucocorticoid receptors for anti-i...
How omega-3 fats in human health, including dietary intake needs, supplements, & omega fat testing.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- ω-3 chemistry: EPA and DHA differ from plant ALA in chain length and double-bond count, making them structurally and biologically distinct — and largely irreplaceable by ALA conversion.
- ALA-to-EPA/DHA conversion: A small percentage of dietary ALA converts to EPA, and conversion to DHA is e...
How dietary fatty acids regulate the initiation, propagation, and resolution of inflammation.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Parenteral nutrition history: IV nutrition evolved from soybean oil alone in the 1960s to complex blends including fish oil as the biology of ω-3s became understood.
- Three phases of inflammation: Initiation, propagation (driven by ω-6–derived prostaglandins and leukotrienes), and active resolution (...
A metabolic view of Alzheimer's disease & the recent discovery of compounds that reverse advanced disease symptoms in mouse models by restoring mitochondrial health.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Classic Alzheimer’s pathology: amyloid plaques and tau tangles identified over 120 years ago, long assumed to drive irreversible neuron loss.
- Limitations of amyloid focus: plaques appear in some cognitively normal brains; an...
How exercise in parents can improve the metabolic and cardiovascular health of their offspring through epigenetic mechanisms.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Parental exercise & offspring metabolic health: exercise before and during pregnancy improves glucose tolerance and reduces fat gain in offspring.
- Paternal effects via sperm: moderate voluntary wheel running alters small non-coding RNAs, especially tRNA fragments, in sp...
How the vagus nerve regulates inflammation; bioelectronic therapies to treat inflammatory conditions.
Nick speaks with Dr. Kevin Tracey about inflammation as a major driver of modern diseases, the vagus nerve’s role in balancing immune responses via reflexes, limitations of anti-cytokine drugs, and emerging bioelectronic medicine using targeted nerve stimulation.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Inflammation is related to d...
How light regulate circadian rhythms, mitochondrial function, hormones, and appetite.
Nick & Dr. Alexis Cowan discuss non-image-forming effects of light on the body, from melanopsin-driven circadian signaling in the eye to UV-stimulated pathways in skin and brain that influence melatonin, cortisol, melanin production, and energy balance.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Melanopsin & non-image-forming light: blue light sig...
Is the fundamental purpose of sleep to remove oxidized fats from the brain?
Nick & Dr. Amita Sehgal talk about the latest science on why animals sleep. Using fruit flies, her lab shows that waking generates oxidized lipids in neurons that are shuttled to glia and then cleared by macrophage-like cells during sleep. This process protects mitochondria, supports memory, and links sleep to metabolic cleanup rather tha...
The science, hype, and unknowns surrounding popular peptides like BPC-157 & TB-500 ("Wolverine stack") for injury recovery & tissue repair.
Nick & Dr. Flynn McGuire discuss the surge in peptide use for injury recovery. They cover peptide basics, the preclinical evidence for BPC-157 and TB-500, mechanisms like angiogenesis and tissue repair, the lack of robust human trials, sourcing risks, regulatory bans,...
Biology of obesity resistance and factors influencing weight gain in humans and animals.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Historical views on obesity: In some cultures, like northern Africa or Stone Age societies, high body fat signaled status or attractiveness due to food scarcity, unlike today’s focus on leanness amid calorie abundance.
- Energy balance components: Metabolizable energy (95% absorption on average, but varyin...
Mitochondria in human evolution, climate adaptation, maternal genetics, aging, and disease.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Endosymbiotic theory: Mitochondria arose from oxidative bacteria engulfed by archaea-like hosts, confirmed by phylogenetic analysis.
- Maternal mtDNA inheritance: Mitochondrial DNA is inherited from the mother, not the father. There are adaptive reasons for this.
- Haplogroups & adaptation: Tropical lineages...
Role of bile acids in cholesterol regulation, digestion & metabolic diseases like diabetes.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Bile acids basics: They enable cholesterol excretion, with about half of bodily cholesterol eliminated this way, and also aid digestion by emulsifying fats to increase enzyme access.
- Bile production & pathway: Synthesized in liver hepatocytes, bile flows via ducts to the gallbladder for storage or d...
How the body's internal circadian clocks regulate metabolism, energy balance, and health.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Master circadian clock in the brain: Light detection via retina entrains the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which coordinates body-wide rhythms; intrinsic period slightly deviates from 24 hours, allowing seasonal flexibility.
- Peripheral clocks in organs: Nearly all cells have autonomous clocks; liver and fat clocks...
Gene regulation through RNAs, the neurobiology of opioid addiction, and how psychedelics affect drug-seeking by modulating inflammation and plasticity. Not medical advice.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Gene regulation basics: DNA transcribes to RNAs, including non-coding types like microRNAs that inhibit mRNA translation into proteins, influencing up to 60% of the proteome.
- Non-coding RNAs in neuroplasticity: MicroRNAs and cir...
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