Question: How can I protect against oxalates? Short Answer: Getting 300-400 mg calcium between food and supplements at each meal will minimize oxalate absorption. Maintaining postprandial urine pH in the 6.4-6.8 range by getting 3-5 grams of potassium per day from food or from organic acid salts such as potassium citrate will prevent its crystallization in the kidney. Reducing dietary oxalate will prevent any possible damage in the gut. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Mast...
Sep 25, 2023•5 min
Question: Why should postprandial blood glucose be kept under 140 milligrams per deciliter? Short Answer: When blood glucose rises above 140 mg/dL, this is the approximate point at which it spills into the polyol pathway at a greater-than-normal rate, which represents a suboptimal state of metabolism that is likely to hurt antioxidant status and compromise detoxification pathways as well as the recycling of vitamin K and folate. It must be kept in mind that a healthy person will adapt to glycemi...
Sep 11, 2023•10 min
Watch the full-length video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhgGGbdw4zE&t=8621s Get my free 51--page report, Methylene Blue: Biohacker's Delight or Playing With Fire?, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-guide-to-methylene-blue Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome ....
Sep 02, 2023•10 min
Get the written and referenced version here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-guide-to-methylene-blue This is a 51-page guide in which you will learn the following: The Origin of Methylene Blue The Entry of Methylene Blue Into Medicine From Malaria to Many Uses in Medicine How Methylene Blue Works A Redox-Reactive Dye The Blue Bottle Experiment Methylene Blue Radicals, Photoexcited States, and Demethylated Metabolites Methylene Blue Can Oxidize and Reduce Many Targets Methylene Blue...
Sep 01, 2023•1 hr 18 min
Question: What is the relationship between copper and estrogen? Short Answer: Estrogen moves copper from the mother's bloodstream to the fetus during pregnancy. Its action at the intestines is poorly understood but I believe estrogen and progesterone interact to promote intestinal copper absorption. Maintaining pregnancy-level hormones while not pregnant poses a risk of promoting too much absorption of copper from food without transferring it to a growing baby. Copper status should be monitored ...
Aug 28, 2023•12 min
This is now subscribers-only and is available here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/why-would-citrate-or-malate-cause Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome .
Aug 23, 2023•31 min
This is now subscribers-only and can be accessed here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/what-to-do-about-constipation Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome .
Aug 22, 2023•42 min
Question: How to slow graying of hairs and potentially reverse it? Short Answer: What works for any given individual will likely be to find the weakest link and fix it, from among the following systems: the signaling of energy abundance (body fat, insulin sensitivity, thyroid hormone, adequate protein, individualized meeting of carbohydrate needs, good management of psychosocial stress, supporting neuroendocrine signaling with copper, vitamin C, zinc, and glycine, and supporting thyroid function...
Aug 14, 2023•22 min
Question: How much iron can we absorb at once? Short Answer: High-dose iron will produce more total absorbed iron, but will also leave more in the gut, which could cause constipation or disturb the gut microbiome. If desperate for quick relief, 200 milligrams per day of iron taken in the morning will work faster than lower doses or the same dose taken in the afternoon. For most people, however, I believe it is best to start with 18 milligrams of iron, and only increase it to 27 or 36 milligrams,...
Jul 31, 2023•28 min
Question: What cofactors are needed to synthesize and recycle BH4? Short Answer: Zinc, magnesium, potassium, and niacin are the cofactors needed for the synthesis and recycling of BH4. Folate and methylation are not involved, though high-dose folate or folic acid could hypothetically hurt BH4 recycling since both are recycled by dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). 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 sam...
Jul 17, 2023•13 min
Question: Is it important to get vitamin D sulfate specifically from the sun? Short Answer: It is important to get morning outdoor sunlight as close to every day as possible for your circadian rhythm, and to get some exposure to unprotected sunlight during the day when UV is available, but at doses less than needed to cause reddening, and it is equally important to always avoid burning. There are many reasons for this, and the cholesterol sulfate hypothesis — to which the vitamin D sulfate hypot...
Jul 03, 2023•28 min
These are considered rare, yet this reinforces the pattern of never looking for them, leading them to likely be massively under-diagnosed. Many are highly relevant to nutrition. Written Version: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/when-to-consider-inborn-errors-of Mitochondrial Energy Summit: https://drtalks.com/mitochondrial-summit/?uid=406&oid=47&ref=3053 My MTHFR Protocol: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientif...
Jun 24, 2023•24 min
Iris from Denmark has generously donated an hour of her consulting time with me to you, the community, so that her case can be used to raise awareness of the importance of arachidonic acid and the pitfalls of getting too much EPA. In this podcast, we cover: 00:27 Iris's history of too much omega-3 and not enough omega-6. 01:52 The symptoms that have improved upon reversing this. 04:54 Is it correct that the body needs both arachidonic acid and DHA to resolve inflammation? 09:03 How to navigate t...
Jun 23, 2023•44 min
This may explain why high-dose biotin causes "oxalate dumping" symptoms in some people but not others. Written and referenced version: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/can-b12-and-folate-help-detoxify Mitochondrial Energy Summit: https://drtalks.com/mitochondrial-summit/?uid=406&oid=47&ref=3053 My MTHFR Protocol: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome ....
Jun 23, 2023•16 min
Question: If a person has a hereditary weakness for Branched Chain Amino Acid Catabolism would this impact the type of diet they might choose to loose weight? Should they limit protein if it will increase their need for nutrients like Biotin?What are all the possible cofactors we should consider supplementing to support Leucine catabolism? Short Answer: Metabolizing branched-chain amino acids requires all B vitamins except folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and chloride. If you have a geneti...
Jun 19, 2023•21 min
Question: If I don't want to hurt my omega 6 status through my omega 3 intake, how do I do that? Is it simply a question of taking them at separate times? Or is it a question of dose? And if it is a question of dose, how do I know when to start eating fish and taking my omega 3 supplement again? Short Answer: How they are combined in meals is not important, but it is important not to have too much EPA in cell membranes relative to arachidonic acid, and this is driven by cumulative intake over ye...
Jun 05, 2023•24 min
That was not an exaggeration. Everything. In this podcast I cover why riboflavin abolished my allergies, why a respiratory chain disorder could cause an autoimmune condition, and why a hypothetical athlete who went keto to take home the silver might be able to use thiamin to take home the gold. Most importantly, I cover why these are idiosyncratic needs, not general rules. The generalizable principle is that nothing is more central to life and health than energy. Read the written version with li...
May 31, 2023•43 min
Question: Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque? Short Answer: Yes, but if you don't have specific intolerances to plant compounds the best thing to do is simply aim to meet your vitamin and mineral targets from a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices, rather than trying to use specific plant compounds from specific studies in any specific amount. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episo...
May 22, 2023•28 min
Question: What can be done about twitching? Short Answer: Most twitching will be driven by glutamate/GABA balance or acetylcholine regulation, and the most likely nutritional issues are any of the electrolytes or any factor that influences energy metabolism. The best way to address it is to consider the conditions that influence it and then trial and error your way through each potential nutritional issue in order of which ones make the most sense for your individual case first. This is a clip f...
May 08, 2023•7 min
This is a hypothesis that may reconcile some anecdotes and has many hints suggested in the enzymological literature. First, make sure you get my MTHFR Protocol, my free 7-page quick guide to optimizing and personalizing your methylation status, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2019/03/01/start-here-for-mthfr-and-methylation For the written version with references, as well as the 58 comments, including from Susan Owens, head over to Substack: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/can...
Apr 19, 2023•41 min
Question: If undercarboxylated osteocalcin has health benefits, and vitamin K2 decreases it, what does that mean for K2 supplementation? Short Answer: Vitamin K2 helps secure osteocalcin in bone matrix, where it is decarboxylated and released as an endocrine hormone in response to certain stimuli. When released, it acts to optimize insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity, fuel use during exercise, and male testosterone. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In...
Apr 17, 2023•18 min
Finally, the long-awaited results of my self-experiments conducted from September through January are released! First, make sure you get my MTHFR Protocol, my free 7-page quick guide to optimizing and personalizing your methylation status, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2019/03/01/start-here-for-mthfr-and-methylation The primary abnormalities in my metabolism during this pre-biotin period were 1) 15 minutes of paradoxical rise in ketones after eating rice, 2) paradoxical rise in lacta...
Apr 12, 2023•3 hr 24 min
I have a free gift for you. That is my MTHFR Protocol, a 7-page quick guide to optimizing and personalizing your methylation status using foods and supplements. My MTHFR Protocol is free to anyone who subscribes to my Substack, whether free or paid. Use this link to get your copy: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol I hope you enjoy your free gift and find it useful. Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome ....
Apr 12, 2023•49 sec
For nearly 20 years, I have strongly suspected that I have a genetic disorder in synthesizing or recycling something that is absent or poorly available from plant foods, is very rich in organ meats, and is not present in any of the supplements I was taking when I was a vegan. After six months of research, testing, and self-experimenting, I now believe what I have been looking for is a mix of moderate genetic defects in biotin recycling, possibly combined with poor cellular uptake of biotin, and ...
Apr 06, 2023•1 hr 41 min
Question: If I'm at risk of heart disease and phosphatidylcholine increases my TMAO, should I stop the supplement? Short Answer: On a scale of one to ten, my concern about TMAO and cardiovascular disease is a three. There are thousands of things that should be given equal weight as potential contributors to heart disease, but TMAO gets the most attention because the Cleveland Clinic has an incredible PR machine to spread their research, which serves to bolster their financial interest in marketi...
Apr 03, 2023•22 min
Question: How do I get my ceruloplasmin up if copper doesn't raise it? Short Answer: Usually ceruloplasmin raises with copper, which may be important to protect copper from causing oxidative stress. If it does not raise in parallel, the usual suspects to look at are vitamin A and thyroid hormone. However, in this person's case, his own evidence from self-experiments suggest that he needs antioxidants to lower his transferrin saturation. Lowering his transferrin saturation may be the key to raisi...
Apr 03, 2023•24 min
This analysis of the recent study by the Hazen group at Cleveland Clinic published in Nature Medicine claiming erythritol contributes to cardiovascular disease shows the following: Why elevated plasma erythritol is likely to reflect thiamin deficiency and NADPH depletion from insulin resistance, inflammation, and oxidative stress Why the in vitro and mouse study blood clotting likely reflects osmotic stress with no relevance to the use of erythritol as a sweetener. Why I strongly suspect the Haz...
Mar 24, 2023•49 min
Question: How do I fix low blood sugar on vegan keto? Short Answer: Consider how important it is for your ketones to be elevated. Most likely you need to eat more protein, which will lower your ketones. I would aim for a minimum of 0.8 grams per kilogram of ideal bodyweight and consider using 1.2 grams per kilogram of ideal bodyweight. If this does not work, consider all of the nutrients involved in energy metabolism — all of the B vitamins, iron, copper, sulfur, magnesium, potassium — but espec...
Mar 20, 2023•15 min
Question: Why would vitamin D, vitamin K2, and calcium give me brain fog? Short Answer: Most likely by decreasing serum phosphorus. The solution is to balance these nutrients with vitamin A and phosphorus. 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-questions-on-supplements In that batch of free episodes you will also find the a...
Mar 06, 2023•25 min
Short Answer: Plasma zinc is the single most important marker of zinc status. Urine zinc may decline faster in deficiency. Hair zinc increases with supplementation but does not decrease in deficiency. Plasma zinc is decreased by inflammation, oxidative stress, the ovulatory and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle, probably pregnancy and oral contraceptive use, and any kind of stress that leads to an adrenal output. If plasma zinc declines despite supplementation, corroborate that this reflects ...
Feb 20, 2023•23 min
