Mastering Nutrition

"What do you think is the best clinical way to monitor COMT function if you have already tested for SNPs?"

One way you can look at it is through the DUTCH test — which is at dutchtest.com — it's a dried urine hormone testing platform, they have a methylation index that is based on the methylation of estrogen. For example; the main significance of COMT, is related to long-term risk of estrogen-related cancers.  

Acute symptoms are primarily going to manifest in the brain in the relation between COMT and dopamine. 

The higher your COMT activity, the more flexible your brain. 

The lower your COMT activity, the more rigid your brain. 

If your nutrition is straight and you don't have a psychological disorder, that's just a personality trait.

They call this the worrier/warrior, phenotype. 

High COMT activity; you don't worry as much, like a warrior who picks his battles, wins, and repeats. There is nothing to worry about, the only concern is victory.

If you are a low COMT activity; you're not a warrior, you're a worrier. You think about all the possible ways something could go wrong. Instead of moving forward with an image of invincibility, you struggle to move at all, like a deer in the headlights. 

But that's the extremes. Within most of the population, it's just a personality trait. 

So, you really look at, how is your mind operating? If your mind is getting stuck on stuff, low COMT. If your mind is racing around to different things, high COMT. If that's just your personality, don't worry about it. But if it’s starting to interfere with your life, then that’s where it matters. 

Low COMT, focus on methyl donors: B12, folate, choline, betaine, some of the other assisting B vitamins. 

High COMT, focus on  methyl buffers: Glycine. 

This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/ 

If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a

Supplements that may increase deep sleep.

So, deep sleep is, primarily what's going on in deep sleep is that all of your biogenic amines, which are most of the neurotransmitters that you make from protein with the possible except — like depending on how you classify it, you could say ultimately you make melatonin from protein, but it's not a biogenic amine.

Biogenic amines, which are the catecholamines — all are basically shut off. They're probably not zero, zero, but they're almost zero during sleep. Acetylcholine is also shut down during deep sleep, but it pops up during REM sleep.

I really don't think this is a supplement issue. 

First of all, you definitely don't want to be taking anything that has acetylcholinesterase inhibitors at night. 

Non-organic foods have pesticides that are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. I don't know if that's relevant here dose-wise.

Things that improve cognitive function are often acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. So, gingko biloba is one. I wouldn't take that at night. There are drugs that treat neurological problems, especially Alzheimer's, that are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors; I wouldn't take those at night. 

I'm on the fence about whether you should take choline at night. I think it's most likely fine to eat eggs at night. If you're taking something like alpha-GPC; I'm not sure. You might want to avoid that at night if you find, particularly if you find that when you're tracking your sleep with an Oura ring your REM is higher than normal and your deep sleep is lower than normal. 

But other than that — I would say that methylation support is very important to help lower some of the important biogenic amines. Histamine, for example, is primarily gotten rid of with methylation in the brain and if your histamine levels are high during the day, it might cause anxiety during the night and that could interfere with your deep sleep.

Electrolytes are also super important. Calcium, magnesium, salt and potassium. All these things you need to get straight in order for your sleep cycle to be working right.

If your cortisol is high at night or other factors of anxiety are high at night you might want a targeted supplement there, like phosphatidylserine — the evidence is conflicting, but has been used to lower the stress response. 

I don't think it's a blanket answer to that question. I think it's like figuring out what's the cause of the low deep sleep and working from there.

This Q&A can also be found as part of a much longer episode, here:https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/podcast/2019/02/09/ask-anything-nutrition-feb-1-2019/ 

If you would like to be part of the next live Ask Me Anything About Nutrition, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass, which includes access to these live Zoom sessions, premium features on all my content, and hundreds of dollars of exclusive discounts. You can sign up with a 10% lifetime discount here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/q&a

On March 4, members of the CMJ Masterpass joined me in a live Zoom meeting to ask me anything about nutrition, and here’s the full recording!

We talk about things like:

• How much spinach, broccoli, and kale is too much?
• Can frozen vegetables be trusted for their folate?
• Do cooked legumes lose folate when frozen?
• I go on an extended rant about the harm done by exaggerating the harms of synthetic folic acid.
• We use labs to identify a probable genetic defect in glutathione synthesis.
• When to think about supplementing with calcium.
• When a drug makes histamine intolerance and blood sugar dysregulation collide.
• My thoughts on root canals.
• Should you take leucine to gain muscle mass, or just eat protein?
• A GREAT discussion on how our detoxification system evolved to handle fruits and vegetables, and why eating them can help us out through the principle of "hormesis."
• Could low LDL levels compromise female fertility?

All this and much more!

If you’d like to participate in the next Q&A, consider joining the CMJ Masterpass. Use this link to get a 10% lifetime discount: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/masteringnutrition

This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.”

This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral

In this episode, you will find all of the following and more:

AMA About Nutrition Show Notes

00:40 Cliff Notes

03:44 Introduction

06:48 How much spinach, broccoli, and kale is too much? And why frozen vegetables cannot be trusted as a source of folate.

12:21 Do cooked legumes lose folate when frozen?

16:09 The difference between folic acid and folate, including a rant about the over exaggeration of the harms of folic acid.

34:02 Thoughts on myasthenia gravis and Epstein-Barr virus?

35:20 In the context of hemochromatosis and iron overload, why would ferritin be low when transferrin saturation is high?

43:04 What to do when the lab says that your pyroglutamate levels are the highest that they've ever seen? Could it be a glutathione synthetase deficiency?

52:43 Can you use a high GGT, gamma-glutamyltransferase, to indicate that the body is trying to make more glutathione?

54:40 What if taking collagen at night causes you to wake up and pee?

01:00:08 Does high serum B12 have any relation to cancer?

01:05:06 Should you take a calcium supplement if dietary calcium intake is low, blood calcium is normal, PTH is midrange, and vitamin D is 48 nanograms per milliliter?

01:11:07 What does it mean when after taking a drug, histamine intolerance and blood sugar dysregulation collide?

01:15:53 What are my thoughts on root canals?

01:25:58 What do I think of Layne Norton's suggestion to take 3 grams of leucine with every meal?

01:30:00 Are liver pills really as good as eating cooked liver?

01:34:08 How much vitamin C should be taken with a standard daily dose of collagen?

01:37:41 What do I think causes fibromyalgia?

01:41:33 Is folate also unstable in frozen liver, or does it just apply to greens?

01:42:37 Is there a potential for adverse effects for someone who supplements with 5 or 10 milligrams of folic acid or methylfolate based on a heterozygous MTHFR SNP?

02:00:05 What to do when serum magnesium is high, but the magnesium doesn't make it into the cells.

02:0...

On February 23, members of the CMJ Masterpass joined me in a live Zoom meeting to ask me anything about nutrition, and here’s the full recording!

We talked about lots and lots of things: 5-HTP versus tryptophan; unusually low appetite, my recommendations for glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency; choline and cognitive decline; how to gain muscle mass; side effects of vitamin B6; balancing thyroid hormones; which form of niacin to take for anti-aging (nicotinamide riboside, NR, versus nicotinamide mononucleotide, NMN); high cholesterol; measuring omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid status; handling MSG sensitivity; sulforophane; unraveling an apparent urea cycle defect; harms of vitamin E for GSTP polymorphisms...

…. and much more!

If you’d like to participate in the next Q&A, consider joining the CMJ Masterpass. Use this link to get a 10% lifetime discount: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass/masteringnutrition

This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.”

This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' "Living" Collagen. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, "living" collagen, bone marrow and more... in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/ancestral

In this episode, you will find all of the following and more:

00:43 Cliff Notes

11:50 If my tryptophan is low, and I'm on a low-carb diet, would you recommend 5-HTP supplements or tryptophan supplements or both?

15:14 Should I be concerned about high HDL cholesterol in the context of low normal total cholesterol?

17:51 Is it a problem if my appetite is too low and I don’t seem to eat enough food, but everything about my health and well-being is great?

22:32 What should people with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency be doing not just about glutathione, but about folate, vitamin K, fatty acids, and neurotransmitters?

36:53 Why do you recommend the Genova ION Profile instead of the NutrEval?

38:08 Could choline citrate, CDP-choline or alpha-GPC mitigate the risk of cognitive decline associated with anticholinergic use?

39:28 Do you have any recommendations on how to get enough calcium on a low-carb, no-dairy diet?

42:26 Should I manage my total cholesterol of 305 just for my doctor or should I be doing it for my own sake? If so, how should I do it?

54:14 During a workout, is there one type of sugar that is better at getting through the gut than any other type of sugar?

58:41 What food supplements and training programs are good for developing muscle mass?

01:03:02 Upcoming revisions to Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, and which tests you could cut back on in order to save money.

01:05:36 Any thoughts on cod liver oil and Jigsaw Alaskan cod liver oil in particular?

01:08:26 Would you discuss the role that taurine might play in MTHFR? Adding taurine produced an immediate and dramatic improvement in my energy levels.

01:10:33 Tinnitus and nightmares as side effects from P5P supplementation.

01:15:33 What about the Jigsaw magnesium supplements?

01:16:18 If free T3 looks good, why is TSH still a little high? Why hasn't the T3 brought it down enough?

01:21:36 What to do about cataracts.

01:29:11 Do you have any gut experts you can recommend?

01:29:29 From your deep dive into nicotinamide riboside and NMN, do you think either is effective, and is one preferred over the other? Do you still recommend taking TMG with NR?

01:36:34 Do you know any differences in carbohydrate lipid metabolism in someone who has congenital adrenal hyperplasia?

01:38:18 Is it good insurance to supplement minerals that are less studied like chromium, molybdenum, and boron, or do you think it's unlikely to be beneficial?

01:39:35 If I have high LDL, do I need to know more about large fluffy particles versus small dense or should I just act on it...

Question: Is whole food vitamin C superior to natural because it is part of a tyrosinase complex?

Short Answer: Vitamin C is nearly ubiquitously distributed in plant tissues, and is never bound to any enzyme as a structural complex. Vitamin C promotes absorption of iron from plant foods, inhibits copper absorption, and de-loads copper from ceruloplasmin, which may play a role in distributing copper to tissues. Vitamin C is not capable of destroying ceruloplasmin. These functions follow directly from vitamin C as an electron donor and there is no evidence whatsoever that whole food vitamin C behaves differently in these respects than synthetic vitamin C. However, daily needs in most contexts are 2-400 milligrams of vitamin C per day, which is below the dose shown to potentially cause problems with copper. Getting this from whole foods or whole food supplements is better than using synthetic vitamin C because it avoids GMO corn and Chinese synthetics and provides a host of other beneficial constituents alongside the vitamin C.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-hair-trace-mineral-analysis

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question:

• Is Hair Mineral Testing Useful?
• What's the Deal With Seed Oils?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the June 16, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

• Butyrate for Hashimoto’s? What else?
• What in the comprehensive nutritional screening is helping to interpret lactate/pyruvate and ketone ratios?
• Is the solution to a respiratory chain disorder to take Niagen?
• If I have high manganese on an HTMA, do I need to detox?
• Should CFS patients target reducing their serum BH4?
• What to do about low alkaline phosphatase?
• If my glucose spikes above 140, should I eat fiber and take ACV before the meal, eat cinnamon with the meal, chew slowly, and move for ten minutes after my meals?
• Difficulty getting Quest to do the lactate/pyruvate ratio correctly.
• Is 38 milligrams of niacinamide enough to rule out niacin deficiency as a cause of low NAD+?
• How does optimizing body composition help optimize energy metabolism? Can impaired energy metabolism make someone fatter?
• Is monounsaturated fat the best fat?
• Manganese followup.
• Do you need to stop taking biotin before a biotin test?
• What in "a bunch of supplements" flip the lactate/pyruvate ratio from high to low?
• NAD infusions, yay or nay?
• Why do I feel better after a warm shower, even better than after sunshine?
• Should I cut back on vitamin A if I have toxicity symptoms but cutting back makes me get sick?
• Do home blood drop tests have to be pricked at the finger?
• Is it true that my boyfriend was just born a night owl?
• How much eating out is too much?
• When measuring ketones, lactate, and glucose at home to optimize energy metabolism, what time of day should we take the measurements?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june-a55

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.