March 25, 2025 • 35 mins
In this episode, Dr. Alfred Alessi and Matt Tack uncover the hidden malnutrition epidemic, discussing the impact of pre-workout supplements and nutrient depletion. They examine how synthetic fertilizers and long food supply chains affect nutrition, while exploring the benefits of soil health and regenerative agriculture. The conversation highlights issues with ultra-processed foods and identifies common nutrient deficiencies. They critique the medical system's symptom-focused approach and explore Big Pharma's role in health management. Personalized supplementation strategies and key supplements for optimal health are shared, emphasizing the importance of proactive health management. The episode concludes with wrap-up and final thoughts.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
It's become a hidden malnutrition epidemic.
(00:02):
So basically, the the concept is we are overfedbut undernourished.
Right?
We're eating a lot of empty things.
So modern food production has made food a lotmore accessible and convenient.
But what's the cost there?
Now our our diets are dominated by ultraprocessed foods.
Welcome to Health Decode, your number onesource for real health information with your
(00:23):
host, doctor Alessi and Matt Tack.
Welcome back to another episode of HealthDecoded.
I am your host, doctor Alessi.
And your co host, Matt Tack.
Matt Tack, looking good, buddy.
Got the beard all trimmed up finally.
I got it trimmed up, man.
(00:44):
I went and saw my niece and nephew and I waslike, dude, I'm gonna be giving some kisses.
Yeah.
I gotta clean up a little bit.
You were in the middle ground where it wasn'tlike soft yet.
Was like spiky, You know?
Mine's like very fluffy and soft, but it's beensome years to get there.
Mine goes
straight out.
It just goes straight out.
Like, I don't ever think it actually trulycurls.
Maybe I I think I had a number of years ago ina crow, but
(01:06):
I am
down with the I had to down with facial hair.
Well, how you been, man?
What's new?
How's the week been going?
Week's been going good, man.
It's been busy.
You know, obviously, we've been working on afew things.
A few a few little bottlenecks with theInternet going down.
Right?
But as the game you gotta play and you gottapush through those things.
(01:29):
Yeah, I was just thinking that because likethis whole week my like normally you and I are
working out like midday.
We're getting those lunchtime workouts, but mywhole week's been off.
I've either had to go early or mostly I justbeen going out at the end of the day, like
05:30, six pm.
And I'm like, ugh, like that's not when I liketo lift.
It's the gym is full of people.
It's I'm not I don't have the most energy, butdude, I've been I've been dialing in with this
(01:53):
product that Taylor sent us the authentic nonstim.
So it's a pre workout that I can take beforelike an evening workout and not have to worry
about like is the caffeine going to keep me upall night because that affects me.
If I have caffeine after 4PM I'm I'm kind ofgoing to be tossing all night but do like I was
just reading the ingredients of this loadedwith L citrulline six thousand milligrams so
(02:16):
you get like a like a pretty gnarly pump fromthis And then he put in their lion's mane and
Alpha GPC.
Like really good focus man, like a really goodkind of like sustained energy throughout the
workout.
So really digging it man, really great product.
Obviously, we work with them and there aresponsors.
Always want to plug that, but just a kind of atrue testimonial there that I been been kind of
(02:41):
lately trying.
And then obviously right now, got a littlemushroom coffee.
Yeah.
I love the nootropics.
The nootropics when they kind of add that in,you get that you get that brain fuel along with
the body.
Yeah.
Love that.
Exactly, man.
Well, awesome, man.
Why don't we get into it?
We want to thank you guys for joining us today.
Another episode of Health Decoded.
(03:02):
Today's episode, we're gonna be talking aboutsupplementation, but more importantly, why
supplements aren't just a wellness trend andnowadays are a necessity.
Mhmm.
Then we'll dive into the modern food crisis,nutrient depletion, and why even healthy diet
often isn't enough anymore.
That's right, man.
(03:22):
That's right.
So in segment one, we're gonna just talk aboutthe nutrition crisis.
So I want to highlight some of the things thatwe're going to be seeing just in the variations
of our diet and why supplementation is acritical part of that.
But declining soil quality and food nutrientloss is a crisis in modern agriculture.
(03:45):
The soil crisis, you know, the reasoning whyour food is losing nutrients.
You know, over the past seventy years,agricultural practices have shifted
dramatically to support higher yields, fastergrowth in global food supply chains.
While this has allowed us to produce more food,it has also come at a steep nutritional cost.
(04:08):
So the very soil that grows our food is nowseverely depleted of essential vitamins and
minerals our bodies need.
In a study published in the Journal of AmericanCollege of Nutrition compared USDA nutrient
data from 1950 to 1999, and found that the andso this is from 1999.
This was in 02/2004 and found that the mineralcontent of fruits and vegetables declined up to
(04:32):
38%.
Here are some micronutrients that you want tosee this stat.
Calcium down 16%.
Iron down 15%.
Vitamin C down 20%.
A massive trigger in the growth of ourligaments, right?
That means we can't support enough muscle mass.
(04:54):
What does that do to the American body?
And, Riboflavin, the b two supplement, down38%.
So this means that a bowl of spinach or anapple today can significantly fewer vitamins
and minerals that the same food a fewgenerations ago did.
So now we ask our question self the question,why is this happening?
(05:17):
Synthetic fertilizers and monocropping.
So one of the biggest culprits behind soildepletion is the heavy use of synthetic
fertilizers.
Instead of natural compost and crop rotation,modern farms rely on chemical fertilizers that
provide only three key ingredients (05:34):
nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
While these help plants grow faster and bigger,they do nothing to replenish the dozens of
other trace minerals our bodies need such asmagnesium, selenium, and zinc.
So monocropping, the practice of growing thesame crop on the same land year after year,
(05:58):
makes the problems worse by stripping the soilof specific nutrients without replenishing
them.
And here's an example.
Corn and wheat fields, which dominate modernagriculture, leaving the soil deficient in
minerals like magnesium and potassium.
Nutrients essential for human health.
Here's a study by the University of Texas in02/2004 found that industrial farming has led
(06:21):
to a 40% drop in key nutrients and cropscompared to those using traditional methods.
So long food supply chains equal fewernutrients.
So even if a food is a nutrient rich atharvest, it doesn't mean those nutrients stay
intact by the time it reaches your plate.
(06:43):
Many store bought foods and vegetables travelthousands of miles before being consumed,
losing vital nutrients along the way.
And a study by the University of Californiarecently in 2017 found that spinach loses up to
90% of its vitamin C value within twenty fourhours of harvest.
(07:03):
By the time it reaches the grocery store, oftenfive to seven days later, most of its vitamin C
is completely gone.
Other nutrients like B vitamins andantioxidants degrade rapidly in storage.
Here's why (07:18):
Oxidation Light and temperature changes Heat and artificial lighting in
supermarkets accelerate this vitamin loss Theprocessing and transportation?
Many fruits and vegetables are picked beforepeak ripeness, meaning they never fully develop
(07:39):
their nutrient profile.
So what does this mean for you?
Even if you eat a healthy diet, you may stillbe missing out on critical nutrients simply
because today's food is not as nutritious as itused to be.
This means one of the biggest reasons whysupplementation is no longer optional, it's a
(08:00):
pure necessity.
You can't rely on the foods alone to meet allyour micronutrient needs.
Even organic produce, while lower inpesticides, still suffers from soil depletion.
Modern agriculture focus on yield, appearance,and shelf life, not nutritional density.
So let's talk about how to reclaim yournutrition.
(08:21):
Prioritize regeneratively grown and localproduce.
Farmer markets often have higher nutrientcontent than supermarket produce.
Eat fresh and seasonal.
The fresher your food, the more nutrient itretains.
Supplement supplement strategically becausemodern food is lacking targeted supplementation
(08:45):
is essential.
Support soil health initiatives.
Regenerate agriculture restores sore soilmicrobiomes, which naturally increase the
nutrient density of crops.
So here's the bottom line to all this.
The food we eat today isn't what it used to be,plain and simple.
If you're feeling tired, inflamed, ordeficient, it's not just in your head.
(09:07):
It's likely in your food.
Yeah.
That's that's crazy, man.
And that's, you know, we've seen this trendjust getting worse over time as well.
And so, you know, the biggest thing I thinkthere is, like, these soil health initiatives.
I've been kind of a big proponent of this forprobably the last ten years.
The the like dedicating money or like investingin these regenerative agricultural farms.
(09:31):
Kind of like what my cousin Andrew does withthe boozy pig.
They have regenerative agriculture where theanimals ruminate and eat food and then
obviously they you know, they poop and it goesinto the grass and regenerates that soil and
that's how it's supposed to be.
That's then they walk on it, right?
And they step and they push that into theground and it fertilizes it And all the
nutrients are able to grow and kind of like budfrom there.
(09:53):
That's not being done anymore, at least on alarge on these large scale farms.
So super important because that's where the thefood gets its nutrients from is from the
ground.
So, you know, let's let's get a little bit intokind of what these deficiencies are that we see
now in, know, American people with the standardAmerican diet and all of this that's been going
(10:15):
on.
So, you know, ultimately, it's all the ultraprocessed foods and the fact that they have
zero nutrition in them.
Right?
And so it's become it's become a hiddenmalnutrition epidemic.
So basically, the the concept is we are overfedbut undernourished.
Right?
We're eating a lot of empty things.
(10:35):
So modern food production has made food a lotmore accessible and convenient, but at the cost
of, right?
What's the cost there that now our our dietsare dominated by ultra processed foods.
And some of these stats are actually reallyalarming, and I I was not aware they were this
high.
But a study in the in JAMA 2021 found that 60%of the average American's diet comes from ultra
(10:58):
processed foods.
60%.
That is a majority, obviously, but a bignumber.
And that means people aren't getting whole foodnutrition or real food nutrition.
I call it fake food.
Whenever my kids were at the grocery store andthey're like, Papa, can we get this?
I'm like, no, buddy, that's not food.
You know, I want them to kind of correlate thatlike that thing in a box there that's bright
green.
That doesn't exist in real life.
(11:20):
You know what I mean?
So putting that together in our heads, butamong children and teenagers, this number is
even higher.
It's exceeding sixty seven percent of theirtotal daily calories.
And a lot of the that is the breakfast foods.
Right?
So ultra processed foods contribute then toobesity, metabolic disorders, and nutrient
deficiencies, what we're talking about today.
(11:41):
So despite providing more than enough calories,right?
So they're very heavy in calories, but verylight in actual nutrition.
And so why do they lead to deficiencies?
Because they're not just junk food, they'reactually contributing to nutrient depletion.
Because these refined ingredients, they stripthe body of natural vitamins and minerals
during the processing.
(12:02):
And so the high sugar and the artificialadditives, they're going to increase
inflammation and deplete your essentialnutrients, specifically like magnesium and B
vitamins.
And then obviously poor nutrientbioavailability.
So, the synthetic vitamins that are added backinto these processed foods like in fortified
cereals, They aren't absorbed or even reallylike like grasped by your body.
(12:25):
Your body doesn't know what these are.
And so it's not going to utilize those in theway that it should.
And so this is why so many Americans aresimultaneously overweight and malnourished at
the same time, which is then that paradox thatleads to long term health consequences.
So some of the most common deficiencies andkind of what you can see from those, these are
like kind of symptoms that, know, you can lookfor is number one is magnesium deficiency.
(12:50):
This is a silent epidemic in our country.
So a study from the National Institute ofHealth in 2023, found that fifty percent of
Americans are deficient in magnesium.
Now, magnesium is essential for over 300biochemical processes.
It's basically that co factor that your bodyuses for almost everything.
So, muscle function, stress regulation andsleep quality.
(13:13):
And so, the rise of ultra processed foods whichcontain almost no magnesium has led to this
deficiency.
And so, some symptoms you can experience whendeficient in magnesium, anxiety and
irritability, right?
That inability to be able to like calm andrelax, poor sleep and chronic fatigue.
And then like constant muscle cramping andheadaches.
(13:35):
So, magnesium also plays a critical role inblood sugar regulation.
So, a deficiency in this is also linked to thereason we have such an increased risk of type
two diabetes and heart disease in this country.
And so, the processed foods strip out thenatural magnesium found that in leafy greens,
nuts and whole grains.
And so, the next one which is probably right upthere with it is the vitamin D deficiency,
(14:00):
which is our immune and hormone regulating it'sa hormone really, not a vitamin, but we'll call
it a vitamin D.
And so a study in the American Journal ofClinical Nutrition 2011 found that forty two
percent of US adults are deficient in vitaminD.
That's from 2011.
So it's more than likely higher today.
And so vitamin D is crucial for immune health,bone strength, and hormone regulation.
(14:25):
It's basically a pro hormone that helps ourbody to then synthesize real hormones, right or
the other hormones I should say your androgens.
And so with modern indoor lifestyles, less sunexposure, the overuse of sunscreens, right?
I try to tell people not to use too muchsunscreen like there's a balance, right?
And poor dietary sources, those deficiencyrates are climbing.
(14:47):
So, some things you can see with vitamin Ddeficiency, some symptoms you could experience
frequently getting sick, colds and infections,low energy levels and maybe even depression.
And then we can bones and muscle pain, right?
Those joint those chronic joint things that yousee when you're like man, why do I just have
widespread kind of joint pain?
(15:08):
And so why is it a problem?
Well, vitamin D deficiency is associated with ahigher risk of chronic illness, including
autoimmune disease, osteoporosis,cardiovascular disease and processed foods
contain little to no vitamin D.
So that means people are basically going to bevitamin D deficient year round.
And so you know, we're not getting outside andgetting that adequate sunlight or getting it
(15:31):
from our food, that's going to become aproblem.
And so then the next one, kind of the topthree, right?
The Omega-three deficiency.
And this is one that I think kind of gets sweptunder.
Obviously, a lot of people talk about magnesiumand vitamin D, but I think Omega-three gets
missed.
This is an inflammation driver.
So a study in nutrients '20 '20 found thatsixty eight percent of adults consume below the
(15:55):
recommended levels of omega threes.
And so our diets in this country are very muchhigh omega six which is pro inflammatory and
low omega three and should be the oppositeshould be at least a four to one, three to six.
So omega three fatty acids are essential forbrain function, heart health and controlling
inflammation.
The rise of seed oils like canola, soybean andcorn has led to a severe imbalance, right?
(16:20):
Those are omega six fats and so it's pushedthat omega six level higher, which is
inflammatory and caused us to be lower in omegathrees.
And so what you'll see with an omega threedeficiency is things like brain fog and memory
issues, joint pain, chronic inflammation and anincreased risk of heart disease.
And so, this is actually something we use inour clinic to help when people have those high
(16:43):
inflammatory cardiac markers, we're going toput them on a very high level of Omega-three
fish oil supplementation, even utilizing likesublinguals and stuff like that to drive those
inflammation levels down.
Obviously, they have to then go on a diet toavoid the pro inflammatory omega-six's as well.
And so, know, why does this become a problem?
Because the low omega-three over time is tolink is going to be linked to cognitive
(17:08):
decline, right?
If we're talking about brain inflammation, thisleads to things like Alzheimer's and dementia.
And so chronic inflammation from omega-six pluslow omega-three is going to lead to those
things, those chronic inflammation diseaseslike arthritis, cardiovascular and autoimmune.
And so, know, I kind of like to plug in herelike what are we doing, right?
(17:29):
Like how are we helping?
And so, with Alessi functional health, we'retrying to address this from a proactive
standpoint like we always do, right?
So we understand that supplementation is nolonger really optional.
It's necessary to counteract the effects ofthese modern diets and depleted food sources
that we've discussed here.
And so we focus on restoring nutrient balancethrough a combination of functional medicine,
(17:53):
lab testing and other innovative therapies.
And you know, looking to optimize our cellularhealth and reduce inflammation.
And so, we use targeted supplementation, high,high quality bioavailable forms of those things
like magnesium, vitamin D and Omega-3s tocorrect these deficiencies, which then you
know, you might not ultimately need to be onthose high level supplementation for that long.
(18:16):
You can phase down to more of a low level, butultimately something you want to maintain.
And then we educate our patients on how toavoid inflammatory seed oils, reducing
processed foods and getting back to like awhole food nutrient dense diet.
And so kind of the takeaway here, know, whysupplements are no longer optional is that
(18:36):
everything you said, right?
The modern the modern food landscape is nowdeficient in all micronutrients pretty much.
Ninety percent what was it?
Ninety percent of vitamin c out of spinach?
I mean, that's crazy.
And so even if you're eating what you think ishealthy or what like the Internet will tell you
is healthy, you're probably not getting out ofthat what you think you are because of those
lower levels of actual available microvitamins.
(19:00):
And so, ultra processed foods are dominatingthe diets.
We have these massive deficiencies which arewidespread linked to chronic disease has put us
to a point where supplementation is really noteven supplementation at this point.
It should be a part of your lifestyle.
It should be something that everyone's doing atleast with these main ones that we discussed.
(19:20):
And so, you know, you if this is something youwant to learn more about, at Alessi Functional
Health, we offer comprehensive lab testingwhere we can test basically anything via blood
work, micronutrients, minerals, electrolytes,inflammation.
We have very comprehensive kind of list ofthings that we can look for to then help fill
those gaps and obviously get people back to astate of optimal health.
(19:43):
And so, we always kind of at the end of theepisode, we will tell you how you can get in
touch with us.
Real quick, let's take a break and hear a wordfrom one of our sponsors.
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Now back to the episode.
So welcome back.
We're gonna talk about the medical system,focused on symptoms, not prevention.
So mainstream medicine is designed to managedisease, not prevent it.
Doctors are trained to diagnose and treatconditions with pharmaceuticals, rather
(21:30):
addressing the root causes, many of which stemfrom nutrient deficiencies and poor metabolic
health.
So what's the problem here?
Most doctors never check for nutrientdeficiencies before prescribing medication.
Reactive medicine dominates, and patients seekonly when symptoms appear, rather than being
guided on preventing nutrition and lifestylechanges.
(21:54):
Insurance driven care discourages nutrienttesting.
Doctors are rewarded for prescribing drugs, notfor helping patients avoid diseases altogether.
So here's a study in JAMA 2016 that found thatless than twenty five percent of The US medical
schools even require a single course onnutrition.
(22:15):
Doctors receive an average of fewer than twentyhours of nutritional education during their
entire training.
So meanwhile, diseases like heart diseases,obesity, and type two diabetes, all of which
are directly linked to diet and nutrientstatus, continue to rise across the board.
So let's dig into a little bit of big pharma,right?
(22:38):
Keeping patients dependent on them.
Pharmaceutical industry makes billions off oftreating chronic disease while preventing
nutrition is largely ignored.
Here's some data from the Fortune BusinessInsights.
In 2023, the global pharmaceutical market wasvalued at $1,480,000,000,000 and continues to
(22:59):
grow as the chronic diseases increase acrossthe board.
So cholesterol too high?
Take a statin.
Blood sugar spiking?
Here's Metformin for you.
Anxiety?
Let's try some SSRI.
What's missing?
A doctor asking, Are you deficient inmagnesium, vitamin D, or even omega-3s?
(23:22):
All of which play a critical role in theseconditions.
Here's another, study done by The Lancet in2019 found that deficiencies in key
micronutrients like omega-3s, vitamin D, andmagnesium contribute to increased risk of
cardiovascular disease, depression, andmetabolic dysfunction, yet are rarely addressed
(23:45):
in conventional medicine.
What's the answer?
Big Pharma doesn't profit when you're healthy.
Preventative nutrition reduces dependency onexpensive medications, which threatens their
bottom line.
So here's our take (24:00):
Doctors hand out prescriptions like candy and never check for
basic nutrient deficiencies that could becausing the fatigue, the anxiety, and the
overall chronic pain.
Why is this?
It's faster and easier to write prescriptionthan educate a patient on nutrition and
lifestyle.
Insurance doesn't cover preventive focusedcare, leaving doctors little incentive to test
(24:24):
for deficiencies.
And then, most physicians aren't trained innutrition, they just don't know.
So they default to medication instead ofaddressing root causes.
And the reality here, if more doctors weretested for magnesium, vitamin D and overall
vitamin omega-three deficiencies, we'd seefewer prescriptions, fewer chronic diseases,
(24:45):
and overall better health across Americansociety.
So at Alessi Functional Health, we're breakingfree from the conventional model that ignores
nutrition in favor of pharmaceuticals.
We test using comprehensive nutrition testingto identify deficiencies before they become
chronic conditions.
Here's another root cause focus (25:05):
addressing metabolic imbalances, inflammation, and
nutrient depletion before they lead to disease.
Personalized protocols, quality bioavailablesupplements, because not all supplements are
created equal, and targeted lifestyle changesto correct deficiencies and optimize your
(25:26):
health.
So here's what I want you to take away fromthis.
Why supplementation is non negotiable.
You can't rely on mainstream medicine tooptimize your nutrition because big parm big
pharma profits when you stay sick, not whenyou're healthy.
Preventative health starts with fixingdeficiencies and not waiting for disease to
develop.
(25:47):
So now let's talk about how to strategicallysupplement, right?
How to use supplements as a part of yourlifestyle and not just like treating them the
same way you would medication right like likereactively so we've been told that a balanced
diet is going to provide all the nutrients weneed I wish this was true it's just not like
that anymore based on the the stats we justwent through with the nutrition depletion of
(26:12):
all these foods.
And so even if you're eating a rich a diet richin whole foods, you're still at risk for some
of these nutrient deficiencies due to the soildepletion, the poor absorption, and just modern
lifestyle stressors.
And so, even whole foods are less nutritiousthan they used to be.
Fruits and vegetables and grains are not asnutrient dense as they were fifty years ago.
(26:34):
And the the soil depletion and modern farmingstrips the soil of essential minerals.
We've talked about this.
Right?
So there was this this chemist, he's abiochemist, Doctor.
Donald R.
Davis, and this is a great stat, or a greatquote, I'm sorry.
He says, we still have plenty of food, but it'sincreasingly lacking in vitamins and minerals.
You would have to eat eight oranges today toget the same amount of vitamin C that your
(26:59):
grandparents got from one.
And so you know, again, that we don't havethat.
I don't have the stomach to eat eight oranges aday, right?
So like not necessarily wanted to do that.
And that's where the supplementation comes in,right?
So, again, the poor absorption and gut damagefrom processed foods also lowers this, right?
This is something that you know, go back tosome of our previous episodes on gut health,
(27:23):
and what it looks like when you have a leakygut or inflammation, your body's not going to
be able to absorb things properly as well.
So when we have leaky gut, we're having thesegaps in our body's ability to absorb and
process the things that we're taking in.
And so a study in the American Journal ofClinical Nutrition 2019 found that over seventy
(27:44):
percent of Americans have some level of gutinflammation, impairing their ability to absorb
these key nutrients.
And so some of the common causes of nutrientmalabsorption are the processed foods, which
contain preservatives and chemicals that aregoing to harm and imbalance our gut bacteria.
Chronic stress, which increases cortisoldamages the gut lining and reduces nutrient
(28:06):
absorption.
And then medications, antibiotics, acidblockers, birth control pills, all deplete
essential nutrients.
So Doctor.
Doctor.
Mark Hyman has a great quote as well.
He's a functional medicine expert, great one tofollow.
Says you are not just what you eat, you arewhat your body absorbs.
If your gut is inflamed, you could be eatingthe healthiest diet in the world and still be
(28:28):
malnourished.
And I think that rings true.
So, let's let's get into some of these musthave supplements.
Some of the ones we discussed plus a few more.
And I'll just go through what they are, whatthey do for us and why they're so important.
So since food quality absorption and lifestylestresses are working against us, strategic
(28:49):
supplementation comes in.
And so number one, definitely hands down numberone is magnesium.
Again, it supports over 300 reactions in thebody, including the ability for us to process
repair muscle, relax, sleep and process stressas well.
And so a study in the National Institute ofHealth twenty twenty three found that fifty
(29:09):
percent of Americans are magnesium deficient.
The next one is vitamin D3.
Now add to that K2 is another vitamin thatbinds with D3 to help with the absorption.
And so when you put these two together, it'sessential for immune function, hormone balance,
bone strength and the K2 ensures that calciumis deposited into the bones rather than into
(29:33):
the bloodstream and then the arteries.
So that's why that's so vital.
And these are again, these are the things thatyou're not going to you're not going to know
from your medical doc or even just taking a D3supplement, right?
This is important stuff.
And so a study in the American Journal ofClinical Nutrition found that 42 of US adults
are vitamin D deficient.
(29:53):
So another big number.
And then this increases our risk forosteoporosis, depression and weakened immunity
as well.
The next one is Omega threes.
So these reduce inflammation, improve hearthealth, support brain function.
A study in nutrients twenty twenty, sixty eightpercent of adults consume below the recommended
(30:14):
levels of omega threes, increasing those risks.
And so there's this high disproportionatebalance of omega sixes in the diet and in our
lifestyle to the omega threes right.
The next one here is B vitamins.
B vitamins are crucial for energy production,for nervous system health and for our brain to
function.
(30:34):
And so there's a study in neurology that foundthat B vitamin supplementation slows brain
shrinkage and cognitive decline in agingadults.
That's amazing.
And that's something as simple as taking asupplement with some B complex, right?
Now, the critical thing with B vitamins that alot of people don't know is you can't just go
(30:56):
to your general pharmacy and grab a B vitaminoff the shelf and expect that to work for you.
The methylated forms of B vitamins are going tobe optimal for absorption.
It helps our body to know what to do with itessentially when a when a vitamin B vitamin is
methylated, our body now can absorb thatappropriately versus you ever taken a lot of B
(31:16):
vitamins and your pee turns real yellow?
That's because your body is just excreting allof it, right?
And so that'll tell you that you're not reallyabsorbing much of that.
And so then the last one on this list andanother very important one that you and I both
definitely are proponents of is probiotics.
So probiotics are going to support your guthealth and balance.
They're going to improve digestion and immunefunction as well because your immune system
(31:38):
lives in your gut.
And so there's a study in Nature Reviews ofGastroenterology back in 2017 that basically
solidified that gut health impacts everythingfrom digestion to mood and inflammation levels.
So that's kind of like the starting point.
Everything you put in has to get into the gut.
So if that's not healthy, you're going to bemissing.
(31:59):
And so here's my take man eating healthy is agreat start.
But in today's world, it's just not enoughanymore.
And so nutrient deficiencies are rampant, evenamong the people who are prioritizing Whole
Foods.
So if you're serious about optimal health,strategic supplementation is a must.
And now that kind of real quick example we havefriends, you and I both who are fit, they are
(32:21):
healthy, they're working out, they're doing allthis stuff, they're almost like those
optimizers, right?
And they even are struggling with certainthings, joint pain, brain fog, and it's like,
they're just not getting enough from their dietalone, right?
And so that's where at Alessi FunctionalHealth, we take the guesswork out of
supplementation.
We use comprehensive testing, personalizedprotocols, and highly bioavailable supplements
(32:45):
to then fill these gaps.
And the key here is you don't want to waituntil you have symptoms, right?
Because then you're already deficient.
So getting ahead of these deficiencies beforethey lead to chronic issues is basically what
functional medicine is.
If we see a B vitamin level that's borderinglow but not quite like deficient low, let's
(33:05):
supplement that.
Let's get that up before it becomes an issue.
And so, we do recommend book a consultationwith us, get your nutrient levels tested and
let's create a supplement plan tailored to yourneeds.
We also have exclusive discounts for listenersof the podcast or people who are on our
newsletter where we can give you pricereductions on all the supplements blood work
(33:25):
everything to help you get towards thatproactive state of filling in those gaps rather
than waiting until something happens.
%.
What a good episode.
And as always, if you found value in today'sshow, like, subscribe, and share this episode
with someone who needs to hear it.
And wanna get in touch with us or be featuredon an episode?
(33:46):
Email us your questions at ask Alessi FX Healthdot com.
And then if you want a little bit moreinformation about us, visit AlessiFXL.com, sign
up for a newsletter, and check out resourcespage to learn more about our approach to
nutrition and cutting edge therapies.
Thank you for tuning in to Health Decoded,where we break down the science, bust the
(34:08):
myths, and help you take control of your healthnaturally.
Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered,and remember that your health is in your hands.
Thank
you for tuning in to Health Decoded where webreak down the truth about all things health
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(34:32):
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(34:53):
Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered,and remember, your health is in your hands.
It's become a hidden malnutrition epidemic.
(00:02):
So basically, the the concept is we are overfedbut undernourished.
Right?
We're eating a lot of empty things.
So modern food production has made food a lotmore accessible and convenient.
But what's the cost there?
Now our our diets are dominated by ultraprocessed foods.
Welcome to Health Decode, your number onesource for real health information with your
(00:23):
host, doctor Alessi and Matt Tack.
Welcome back to another episode of HealthDecoded.
I am your host, doctor Alessi.
And your co host, Matt Tack.
Matt Tack, looking good, buddy.
Got the beard all trimmed up finally.
I got it trimmed up, man.
(00:44):
I went and saw my niece and nephew and I waslike, dude, I'm gonna be giving some kisses.
Yeah.
I gotta clean up a little bit.
You were in the middle ground where it wasn'tlike soft yet.
Was like spiky, You know?
Mine's like very fluffy and soft, but it's beensome years to get there.
Mine goes
straight out.
It just goes straight out.
Like, I don't ever think it actually trulycurls.
Maybe I I think I had a number of years ago ina crow, but
(01:06):
I am
down with the I had to down with facial hair.
Well, how you been, man?
What's new?
How's the week been going?
Week's been going good, man.
It's been busy.
You know, obviously, we've been working on afew things.
A few a few little bottlenecks with theInternet going down.
Right?
But as the game you gotta play and you gottapush through those things.
(01:29):
Yeah, I was just thinking that because likethis whole week my like normally you and I are
working out like midday.
We're getting those lunchtime workouts, but mywhole week's been off.
I've either had to go early or mostly I justbeen going out at the end of the day, like
05:30, six pm.
And I'm like, ugh, like that's not when I liketo lift.
It's the gym is full of people.
It's I'm not I don't have the most energy, butdude, I've been I've been dialing in with this
(01:53):
product that Taylor sent us the authentic nonstim.
So it's a pre workout that I can take beforelike an evening workout and not have to worry
about like is the caffeine going to keep me upall night because that affects me.
If I have caffeine after 4PM I'm I'm kind ofgoing to be tossing all night but do like I was
just reading the ingredients of this loadedwith L citrulline six thousand milligrams so
(02:16):
you get like a like a pretty gnarly pump fromthis And then he put in their lion's mane and
Alpha GPC.
Like really good focus man, like a really goodkind of like sustained energy throughout the
workout.
So really digging it man, really great product.
Obviously, we work with them and there aresponsors.
Always want to plug that, but just a kind of atrue testimonial there that I been been kind of
(02:41):
lately trying.
And then obviously right now, got a littlemushroom coffee.
Yeah.
I love the nootropics.
The nootropics when they kind of add that in,you get that you get that brain fuel along with
the body.
Yeah.
Love that.
Exactly, man.
Well, awesome, man.
Why don't we get into it?
We want to thank you guys for joining us today.
Another episode of Health Decoded.
(03:02):
Today's episode, we're gonna be talking aboutsupplementation, but more importantly, why
supplements aren't just a wellness trend andnowadays are a necessity.
Mhmm.
Then we'll dive into the modern food crisis,nutrient depletion, and why even healthy diet
often isn't enough anymore.
That's right, man.
(03:22):
That's right.
So in segment one, we're gonna just talk aboutthe nutrition crisis.
So I want to highlight some of the things thatwe're going to be seeing just in the variations
of our diet and why supplementation is acritical part of that.
But declining soil quality and food nutrientloss is a crisis in modern agriculture.
(03:45):
The soil crisis, you know, the reasoning whyour food is losing nutrients.
You know, over the past seventy years,agricultural practices have shifted
dramatically to support higher yields, fastergrowth in global food supply chains.
While this has allowed us to produce more food,it has also come at a steep nutritional cost.
(04:08):
So the very soil that grows our food is nowseverely depleted of essential vitamins and
minerals our bodies need.
In a study published in the Journal of AmericanCollege of Nutrition compared USDA nutrient
data from 1950 to 1999, and found that the andso this is from 1999.
This was in 02/2004 and found that the mineralcontent of fruits and vegetables declined up to
(04:32):
38%.
Here are some micronutrients that you want tosee this stat.
Calcium down 16%.
Iron down 15%.
Vitamin C down 20%.
A massive trigger in the growth of ourligaments, right?
That means we can't support enough muscle mass.
(04:54):
What does that do to the American body?
And, Riboflavin, the b two supplement, down38%.
So this means that a bowl of spinach or anapple today can significantly fewer vitamins
and minerals that the same food a fewgenerations ago did.
So now we ask our question self the question,why is this happening?
(05:17):
Synthetic fertilizers and monocropping.
So one of the biggest culprits behind soildepletion is the heavy use of synthetic
fertilizers.
Instead of natural compost and crop rotation,modern farms rely on chemical fertilizers that
provide only three key ingredients (05:34):
nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
While these help plants grow faster and bigger,they do nothing to replenish the dozens of
other trace minerals our bodies need such asmagnesium, selenium, and zinc.
So monocropping, the practice of growing thesame crop on the same land year after year,
(05:58):
makes the problems worse by stripping the soilof specific nutrients without replenishing
them.
And here's an example.
Corn and wheat fields, which dominate modernagriculture, leaving the soil deficient in
minerals like magnesium and potassium.
Nutrients essential for human health.
Here's a study by the University of Texas in02/2004 found that industrial farming has led
(06:21):
to a 40% drop in key nutrients and cropscompared to those using traditional methods.
So long food supply chains equal fewernutrients.
So even if a food is a nutrient rich atharvest, it doesn't mean those nutrients stay
intact by the time it reaches your plate.
(06:43):
Many store bought foods and vegetables travelthousands of miles before being consumed,
losing vital nutrients along the way.
And a study by the University of Californiarecently in 2017 found that spinach loses up to
90% of its vitamin C value within twenty fourhours of harvest.
(07:03):
By the time it reaches the grocery store, oftenfive to seven days later, most of its vitamin C
is completely gone.
Other nutrients like B vitamins andantioxidants degrade rapidly in storage.
Here's why (07:18):
Oxidation Light and temperature changes Heat and artificial lighting in
supermarkets accelerate this vitamin loss Theprocessing and transportation?
Many fruits and vegetables are picked beforepeak ripeness, meaning they never fully develop
(07:39):
their nutrient profile.
So what does this mean for you?
Even if you eat a healthy diet, you may stillbe missing out on critical nutrients simply
because today's food is not as nutritious as itused to be.
This means one of the biggest reasons whysupplementation is no longer optional, it's a
(08:00):
pure necessity.
You can't rely on the foods alone to meet allyour micronutrient needs.
Even organic produce, while lower inpesticides, still suffers from soil depletion.
Modern agriculture focus on yield, appearance,and shelf life, not nutritional density.
So let's talk about how to reclaim yournutrition.
(08:21):
Prioritize regeneratively grown and localproduce.
Farmer markets often have higher nutrientcontent than supermarket produce.
Eat fresh and seasonal.
The fresher your food, the more nutrient itretains.
Supplement supplement strategically becausemodern food is lacking targeted supplementation
(08:45):
is essential.
Support soil health initiatives.
Regenerate agriculture restores sore soilmicrobiomes, which naturally increase the
nutrient density of crops.
So here's the bottom line to all this.
The food we eat today isn't what it used to be,plain and simple.
If you're feeling tired, inflamed, ordeficient, it's not just in your head.
(09:07):
It's likely in your food.
Yeah.
That's that's crazy, man.
And that's, you know, we've seen this trendjust getting worse over time as well.
And so, you know, the biggest thing I thinkthere is, like, these soil health initiatives.
I've been kind of a big proponent of this forprobably the last ten years.
The the like dedicating money or like investingin these regenerative agricultural farms.
(09:31):
Kind of like what my cousin Andrew does withthe boozy pig.
They have regenerative agriculture where theanimals ruminate and eat food and then
obviously they you know, they poop and it goesinto the grass and regenerates that soil and
that's how it's supposed to be.
That's then they walk on it, right?
And they step and they push that into theground and it fertilizes it And all the
nutrients are able to grow and kind of like budfrom there.
(09:53):
That's not being done anymore, at least on alarge on these large scale farms.
So super important because that's where the thefood gets its nutrients from is from the
ground.
So, you know, let's let's get a little bit intokind of what these deficiencies are that we see
now in, know, American people with the standardAmerican diet and all of this that's been going
(10:15):
on.
So, you know, ultimately, it's all the ultraprocessed foods and the fact that they have
zero nutrition in them.
Right?
And so it's become it's become a hiddenmalnutrition epidemic.
So basically, the the concept is we are overfedbut undernourished.
Right?
We're eating a lot of empty things.
(10:35):
So modern food production has made food a lotmore accessible and convenient, but at the cost
of, right?
What's the cost there that now our our dietsare dominated by ultra processed foods.
And some of these stats are actually reallyalarming, and I I was not aware they were this
high.
But a study in the in JAMA 2021 found that 60%of the average American's diet comes from ultra
(10:58):
processed foods.
60%.
That is a majority, obviously, but a bignumber.
And that means people aren't getting whole foodnutrition or real food nutrition.
I call it fake food.
Whenever my kids were at the grocery store andthey're like, Papa, can we get this?
I'm like, no, buddy, that's not food.
You know, I want them to kind of correlate thatlike that thing in a box there that's bright
green.
That doesn't exist in real life.
(11:20):
You know what I mean?
So putting that together in our heads, butamong children and teenagers, this number is
even higher.
It's exceeding sixty seven percent of theirtotal daily calories.
And a lot of the that is the breakfast foods.
Right?
So ultra processed foods contribute then toobesity, metabolic disorders, and nutrient
deficiencies, what we're talking about today.
(11:41):
So despite providing more than enough calories,right?
So they're very heavy in calories, but verylight in actual nutrition.
And so why do they lead to deficiencies?
Because they're not just junk food, they'reactually contributing to nutrient depletion.
Because these refined ingredients, they stripthe body of natural vitamins and minerals
during the processing.
(12:02):
And so the high sugar and the artificialadditives, they're going to increase
inflammation and deplete your essentialnutrients, specifically like magnesium and B
vitamins.
And then obviously poor nutrientbioavailability.
So, the synthetic vitamins that are added backinto these processed foods like in fortified
cereals, They aren't absorbed or even reallylike like grasped by your body.
(12:25):
Your body doesn't know what these are.
And so it's not going to utilize those in theway that it should.
And so this is why so many Americans aresimultaneously overweight and malnourished at
the same time, which is then that paradox thatleads to long term health consequences.
So some of the most common deficiencies andkind of what you can see from those, these are
like kind of symptoms that, know, you can lookfor is number one is magnesium deficiency.
(12:50):
This is a silent epidemic in our country.
So a study from the National Institute ofHealth in 2023, found that fifty percent of
Americans are deficient in magnesium.
Now, magnesium is essential for over 300biochemical processes.
It's basically that co factor that your bodyuses for almost everything.
So, muscle function, stress regulation andsleep quality.
(13:13):
And so, the rise of ultra processed foods whichcontain almost no magnesium has led to this
deficiency.
And so, some symptoms you can experience whendeficient in magnesium, anxiety and
irritability, right?
That inability to be able to like calm andrelax, poor sleep and chronic fatigue.
And then like constant muscle cramping andheadaches.
(13:35):
So, magnesium also plays a critical role inblood sugar regulation.
So, a deficiency in this is also linked to thereason we have such an increased risk of type
two diabetes and heart disease in this country.
And so, the processed foods strip out thenatural magnesium found that in leafy greens,
nuts and whole grains.
And so, the next one which is probably right upthere with it is the vitamin D deficiency,
(14:00):
which is our immune and hormone regulating it'sa hormone really, not a vitamin, but we'll call
it a vitamin D.
And so a study in the American Journal ofClinical Nutrition 2011 found that forty two
percent of US adults are deficient in vitaminD.
That's from 2011.
So it's more than likely higher today.
And so vitamin D is crucial for immune health,bone strength, and hormone regulation.
(14:25):
It's basically a pro hormone that helps ourbody to then synthesize real hormones, right or
the other hormones I should say your androgens.
And so with modern indoor lifestyles, less sunexposure, the overuse of sunscreens, right?
I try to tell people not to use too muchsunscreen like there's a balance, right?
And poor dietary sources, those deficiencyrates are climbing.
(14:47):
So, some things you can see with vitamin Ddeficiency, some symptoms you could experience
frequently getting sick, colds and infections,low energy levels and maybe even depression.
And then we can bones and muscle pain, right?
Those joint those chronic joint things that yousee when you're like man, why do I just have
widespread kind of joint pain?
(15:08):
And so why is it a problem?
Well, vitamin D deficiency is associated with ahigher risk of chronic illness, including
autoimmune disease, osteoporosis,cardiovascular disease and processed foods
contain little to no vitamin D.
So that means people are basically going to bevitamin D deficient year round.
And so you know, we're not getting outside andgetting that adequate sunlight or getting it
(15:31):
from our food, that's going to become aproblem.
And so then the next one, kind of the topthree, right?
The Omega-three deficiency.
And this is one that I think kind of gets sweptunder.
Obviously, a lot of people talk about magnesiumand vitamin D, but I think Omega-three gets
missed.
This is an inflammation driver.
So a study in nutrients '20 '20 found thatsixty eight percent of adults consume below the
(15:55):
recommended levels of omega threes.
And so our diets in this country are very muchhigh omega six which is pro inflammatory and
low omega three and should be the oppositeshould be at least a four to one, three to six.
So omega three fatty acids are essential forbrain function, heart health and controlling
inflammation.
The rise of seed oils like canola, soybean andcorn has led to a severe imbalance, right?
(16:20):
Those are omega six fats and so it's pushedthat omega six level higher, which is
inflammatory and caused us to be lower in omegathrees.
And so what you'll see with an omega threedeficiency is things like brain fog and memory
issues, joint pain, chronic inflammation and anincreased risk of heart disease.
And so, this is actually something we use inour clinic to help when people have those high
(16:43):
inflammatory cardiac markers, we're going toput them on a very high level of Omega-three
fish oil supplementation, even utilizing likesublinguals and stuff like that to drive those
inflammation levels down.
Obviously, they have to then go on a diet toavoid the pro inflammatory omega-six's as well.
And so, know, why does this become a problem?
Because the low omega-three over time is tolink is going to be linked to cognitive
(17:08):
decline, right?
If we're talking about brain inflammation, thisleads to things like Alzheimer's and dementia.
And so chronic inflammation from omega-six pluslow omega-three is going to lead to those
things, those chronic inflammation diseaseslike arthritis, cardiovascular and autoimmune.
And so, know, I kind of like to plug in herelike what are we doing, right?
(17:29):
Like how are we helping?
And so, with Alessi functional health, we'retrying to address this from a proactive
standpoint like we always do, right?
So we understand that supplementation is nolonger really optional.
It's necessary to counteract the effects ofthese modern diets and depleted food sources
that we've discussed here.
And so we focus on restoring nutrient balancethrough a combination of functional medicine,
(17:53):
lab testing and other innovative therapies.
And you know, looking to optimize our cellularhealth and reduce inflammation.
And so, we use targeted supplementation, high,high quality bioavailable forms of those things
like magnesium, vitamin D and Omega-3s tocorrect these deficiencies, which then you
know, you might not ultimately need to be onthose high level supplementation for that long.
(18:16):
You can phase down to more of a low level, butultimately something you want to maintain.
And then we educate our patients on how toavoid inflammatory seed oils, reducing
processed foods and getting back to like awhole food nutrient dense diet.
And so kind of the takeaway here, know, whysupplements are no longer optional is that
(18:36):
everything you said, right?
The modern the modern food landscape is nowdeficient in all micronutrients pretty much.
Ninety percent what was it?
Ninety percent of vitamin c out of spinach?
I mean, that's crazy.
And so even if you're eating what you think ishealthy or what like the Internet will tell you
is healthy, you're probably not getting out ofthat what you think you are because of those
lower levels of actual available microvitamins.
(19:00):
And so, ultra processed foods are dominatingthe diets.
We have these massive deficiencies which arewidespread linked to chronic disease has put us
to a point where supplementation is really noteven supplementation at this point.
It should be a part of your lifestyle.
It should be something that everyone's doing atleast with these main ones that we discussed.
(19:20):
And so, you know, you if this is something youwant to learn more about, at Alessi Functional
Health, we offer comprehensive lab testingwhere we can test basically anything via blood
work, micronutrients, minerals, electrolytes,inflammation.
We have very comprehensive kind of list ofthings that we can look for to then help fill
those gaps and obviously get people back to astate of optimal health.
(19:43):
And so, we always kind of at the end of theepisode, we will tell you how you can get in
touch with us.
Real quick, let's take a break and hear a wordfrom one of our sponsors.
This episode of Health Decoded is brought toyou by Authentic Nutrition, the brand
redefining what it means to fuel your body theright way.
(20:03):
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Now back to the episode.
So welcome back.
We're gonna talk about the medical system,focused on symptoms, not prevention.
So mainstream medicine is designed to managedisease, not prevent it.
Doctors are trained to diagnose and treatconditions with pharmaceuticals, rather
(21:30):
addressing the root causes, many of which stemfrom nutrient deficiencies and poor metabolic
health.
So what's the problem here?
Most doctors never check for nutrientdeficiencies before prescribing medication.
Reactive medicine dominates, and patients seekonly when symptoms appear, rather than being
guided on preventing nutrition and lifestylechanges.
(21:54):
Insurance driven care discourages nutrienttesting.
Doctors are rewarded for prescribing drugs, notfor helping patients avoid diseases altogether.
So here's a study in JAMA 2016 that found thatless than twenty five percent of The US medical
schools even require a single course onnutrition.
(22:15):
Doctors receive an average of fewer than twentyhours of nutritional education during their
entire training.
So meanwhile, diseases like heart diseases,obesity, and type two diabetes, all of which
are directly linked to diet and nutrientstatus, continue to rise across the board.
So let's dig into a little bit of big pharma,right?
(22:38):
Keeping patients dependent on them.
Pharmaceutical industry makes billions off oftreating chronic disease while preventing
nutrition is largely ignored.
Here's some data from the Fortune BusinessInsights.
In 2023, the global pharmaceutical market wasvalued at $1,480,000,000,000 and continues to
(22:59):
grow as the chronic diseases increase acrossthe board.
So cholesterol too high?
Take a statin.
Blood sugar spiking?
Here's Metformin for you.
Anxiety?
Let's try some SSRI.
What's missing?
A doctor asking, Are you deficient inmagnesium, vitamin D, or even omega-3s?
(23:22):
All of which play a critical role in theseconditions.
Here's another, study done by The Lancet in2019 found that deficiencies in key
micronutrients like omega-3s, vitamin D, andmagnesium contribute to increased risk of
cardiovascular disease, depression, andmetabolic dysfunction, yet are rarely addressed
(23:45):
in conventional medicine.
What's the answer?
Big Pharma doesn't profit when you're healthy.
Preventative nutrition reduces dependency onexpensive medications, which threatens their
bottom line.
So here's our take (24:00):
Doctors hand out prescriptions like candy and never check for
basic nutrient deficiencies that could becausing the fatigue, the anxiety, and the
overall chronic pain.
Why is this?
It's faster and easier to write prescriptionthan educate a patient on nutrition and
lifestyle.
Insurance doesn't cover preventive focusedcare, leaving doctors little incentive to test
(24:24):
for deficiencies.
And then, most physicians aren't trained innutrition, they just don't know.
So they default to medication instead ofaddressing root causes.
And the reality here, if more doctors weretested for magnesium, vitamin D and overall
vitamin omega-three deficiencies, we'd seefewer prescriptions, fewer chronic diseases,
(24:45):
and overall better health across Americansociety.
So at Alessi Functional Health, we're breakingfree from the conventional model that ignores
nutrition in favor of pharmaceuticals.
We test using comprehensive nutrition testingto identify deficiencies before they become
chronic conditions.
Here's another root cause focus (25:05):
addressing metabolic imbalances, inflammation, and
nutrient depletion before they lead to disease.
Personalized protocols, quality bioavailablesupplements, because not all supplements are
created equal, and targeted lifestyle changesto correct deficiencies and optimize your
(25:26):
health.
So here's what I want you to take away fromthis.
Why supplementation is non negotiable.
You can't rely on mainstream medicine tooptimize your nutrition because big parm big
pharma profits when you stay sick, not whenyou're healthy.
Preventative health starts with fixingdeficiencies and not waiting for disease to
develop.
(25:47):
So now let's talk about how to strategicallysupplement, right?
How to use supplements as a part of yourlifestyle and not just like treating them the
same way you would medication right like likereactively so we've been told that a balanced
diet is going to provide all the nutrients weneed I wish this was true it's just not like
that anymore based on the the stats we justwent through with the nutrition depletion of
(26:12):
all these foods.
And so even if you're eating a rich a diet richin whole foods, you're still at risk for some
of these nutrient deficiencies due to the soildepletion, the poor absorption, and just modern
lifestyle stressors.
And so, even whole foods are less nutritiousthan they used to be.
Fruits and vegetables and grains are not asnutrient dense as they were fifty years ago.
(26:34):
And the the soil depletion and modern farmingstrips the soil of essential minerals.
We've talked about this.
Right?
So there was this this chemist, he's abiochemist, Doctor.
Donald R.
Davis, and this is a great stat, or a greatquote, I'm sorry.
He says, we still have plenty of food, but it'sincreasingly lacking in vitamins and minerals.
You would have to eat eight oranges today toget the same amount of vitamin C that your
(26:59):
grandparents got from one.
And so you know, again, that we don't havethat.
I don't have the stomach to eat eight oranges aday, right?
So like not necessarily wanted to do that.
And that's where the supplementation comes in,right?
So, again, the poor absorption and gut damagefrom processed foods also lowers this, right?
This is something that you know, go back tosome of our previous episodes on gut health,
(27:23):
and what it looks like when you have a leakygut or inflammation, your body's not going to
be able to absorb things properly as well.
So when we have leaky gut, we're having thesegaps in our body's ability to absorb and
process the things that we're taking in.
And so a study in the American Journal ofClinical Nutrition 2019 found that over seventy
(27:44):
percent of Americans have some level of gutinflammation, impairing their ability to absorb
these key nutrients.
And so some of the common causes of nutrientmalabsorption are the processed foods, which
contain preservatives and chemicals that aregoing to harm and imbalance our gut bacteria.
Chronic stress, which increases cortisoldamages the gut lining and reduces nutrient
(28:06):
absorption.
And then medications, antibiotics, acidblockers, birth control pills, all deplete
essential nutrients.
So Doctor.
Doctor.
Mark Hyman has a great quote as well.
He's a functional medicine expert, great one tofollow.
Says you are not just what you eat, you arewhat your body absorbs.
If your gut is inflamed, you could be eatingthe healthiest diet in the world and still be
(28:28):
malnourished.
And I think that rings true.
So, let's let's get into some of these musthave supplements.
Some of the ones we discussed plus a few more.
And I'll just go through what they are, whatthey do for us and why they're so important.
So since food quality absorption and lifestylestresses are working against us, strategic
(28:49):
supplementation comes in.
And so number one, definitely hands down numberone is magnesium.
Again, it supports over 300 reactions in thebody, including the ability for us to process
repair muscle, relax, sleep and process stressas well.
And so a study in the National Institute ofHealth twenty twenty three found that fifty
(29:09):
percent of Americans are magnesium deficient.
The next one is vitamin D3.
Now add to that K2 is another vitamin thatbinds with D3 to help with the absorption.
And so when you put these two together, it'sessential for immune function, hormone balance,
bone strength and the K2 ensures that calciumis deposited into the bones rather than into
(29:33):
the bloodstream and then the arteries.
So that's why that's so vital.
And these are again, these are the things thatyou're not going to you're not going to know
from your medical doc or even just taking a D3supplement, right?
This is important stuff.
And so a study in the American Journal ofClinical Nutrition found that 42 of US adults
are vitamin D deficient.
(29:53):
So another big number.
And then this increases our risk forosteoporosis, depression and weakened immunity
as well.
The next one is Omega threes.
So these reduce inflammation, improve hearthealth, support brain function.
A study in nutrients twenty twenty, sixty eightpercent of adults consume below the recommended
(30:14):
levels of omega threes, increasing those risks.
And so there's this high disproportionatebalance of omega sixes in the diet and in our
lifestyle to the omega threes right.
The next one here is B vitamins.
B vitamins are crucial for energy production,for nervous system health and for our brain to
function.
(30:34):
And so there's a study in neurology that foundthat B vitamin supplementation slows brain
shrinkage and cognitive decline in agingadults.
That's amazing.
And that's something as simple as taking asupplement with some B complex, right?
Now, the critical thing with B vitamins that alot of people don't know is you can't just go
(30:56):
to your general pharmacy and grab a B vitaminoff the shelf and expect that to work for you.
The methylated forms of B vitamins are going tobe optimal for absorption.
It helps our body to know what to do with itessentially when a when a vitamin B vitamin is
methylated, our body now can absorb thatappropriately versus you ever taken a lot of B
(31:16):
vitamins and your pee turns real yellow?
That's because your body is just excreting allof it, right?
And so that'll tell you that you're not reallyabsorbing much of that.
And so then the last one on this list andanother very important one that you and I both
definitely are proponents of is probiotics.
So probiotics are going to support your guthealth and balance.
They're going to improve digestion and immunefunction as well because your immune system
(31:38):
lives in your gut.
And so there's a study in Nature Reviews ofGastroenterology back in 2017 that basically
solidified that gut health impacts everythingfrom digestion to mood and inflammation levels.
So that's kind of like the starting point.
Everything you put in has to get into the gut.
So if that's not healthy, you're going to bemissing.
(31:59):
And so here's my take man eating healthy is agreat start.
But in today's world, it's just not enoughanymore.
And so nutrient deficiencies are rampant, evenamong the people who are prioritizing Whole
Foods.
So if you're serious about optimal health,strategic supplementation is a must.
And now that kind of real quick example we havefriends, you and I both who are fit, they are
(32:21):
healthy, they're working out, they're doing allthis stuff, they're almost like those
optimizers, right?
And they even are struggling with certainthings, joint pain, brain fog, and it's like,
they're just not getting enough from their dietalone, right?
And so that's where at Alessi FunctionalHealth, we take the guesswork out of
supplementation.
We use comprehensive testing, personalizedprotocols, and highly bioavailable supplements
(32:45):
to then fill these gaps.
And the key here is you don't want to waituntil you have symptoms, right?
Because then you're already deficient.
So getting ahead of these deficiencies beforethey lead to chronic issues is basically what
functional medicine is.
If we see a B vitamin level that's borderinglow but not quite like deficient low, let's
(33:05):
supplement that.
Let's get that up before it becomes an issue.
And so, we do recommend book a consultationwith us, get your nutrient levels tested and
let's create a supplement plan tailored to yourneeds.
We also have exclusive discounts for listenersof the podcast or people who are on our
newsletter where we can give you pricereductions on all the supplements blood work
(33:25):
everything to help you get towards thatproactive state of filling in those gaps rather
than waiting until something happens.
%.
What a good episode.
And as always, if you found value in today'sshow, like, subscribe, and share this episode
with someone who needs to hear it.
And wanna get in touch with us or be featuredon an episode?
(33:46):
Email us your questions at ask Alessi FX Healthdot com.
And then if you want a little bit moreinformation about us, visit AlessiFXL.com, sign
up for a newsletter, and check out resourcespage to learn more about our approach to
nutrition and cutting edge therapies.
Thank you for tuning in to Health Decoded,where we break down the science, bust the
(34:08):
myths, and help you take control of your healthnaturally.
Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered,and remember that your health is in your hands.
Thank
you for tuning in to Health Decoded where webreak down the truth about all things health
and empower you to take charge of yourwell-being.
If you found value in today's episode, pleasesubscribe, leave a review, and share it with
(34:32):
someone who needs to hear this.
For more resources and personalized support,visit us at AlessifunctionalHealth dot com and
sign up for our newsletter.
To hear your questions answered live on theshow, send them to askalessifxhealth dot com.
That's ask at A L E S S I F X Health dot com.
(34:53):
Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered,and remember, your health is in your hands.
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