Medical Sports Nutrition - podcast cover

Medical Sports Nutrition

Dr A Matheson MRCP CISSNredcircle.com

This podcast is currently in between seasons and on a break.


A review of the Sports Nutrition literature with Dr Andy Matheson. Dr Matheson is practicing Family Doctor and ISSN certified Sports Nutritionist. Dr Matheson discusses which breakthroughs will give us that edge we are looking for, and which will be a waste of precious time and money. 


The podcast covers the new developments in the field of Sports Nutrition and how these might impact our health and performance. It demonstrates how a medical professional will review articles to assess if the discoveries from the published trials and research are suitable for their particular patients. 


This podcast is a lighthearted review of the medical literature and Dr Matheson has enormous respect for all scientific researchers and could not do a job as hard as theirs. 

The information presented is the personal opinion of the healthcare professional and is not a substitute for seeking professional advice. It is based on interpretation of current best practice and guidelines when the episode was recorded. Guidelines can change; To the best of our knowledge the information in this episode is up to date as of it’s release but it is the listeners responsibility to review the information and make sure it is still up to date when they listen.

Dr Matheson is not liable for any advice, investigations, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or products listeners might pursue as a result of listening to this podcast. Reliance on information provided in this podcast is solely at the listeners risk.

The podcast is designed to be used generate learning discussions and for education only. It is not recommended to be used as a method of diagnosis, opinion, treatment or medical advice for the general public. Do not delay seeking medical advice based on the information contained in this podcast. If you have questions regarding your health or feel you may have a medical condition then promptly seek the opinion of a trained healthcare professional.

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Episodes

#40 - Does coffee slow you down if you have the wrong genetics?

Send us a text In this episode we saunter through a vitamin D guideline that provides a super summary resource, we look at why genetic testing for caffeine may be available for 'normal' athletes sooner than you think, and realise again how gender biased Sports nutrition research is. This is the last show in this series. I do hope to have another series soon. Thank you to anyone listening. I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have. Zhou Y, Guo X, Liu Z, Sun D, Liang Y, Shen H, Li X, Mu J, Li...

Aug 27, 202420 minSeason 1Ep. 40

#39 - That Zoe study publication. Do additives such as emulsifiers give you diabetes?

Send us a text In this episode we look at the results in Nature Medicine of the Zoe study and think about what might have made it a stronger paper and what questions are still not answered. We talk about an antibiotic cream that may prevent viral infections and finally a Nutri-sante cohort study that shows the potential dangers of emulsifiers, which are a very common ingredient in many of our common sports supplements. Podcast 39 Mao T, Kim J, Peña-Hernández MA, Valle G, Moriyama M, Luyten S, Ot...

Jun 06, 202420 minSeason 1Ep. 39

#38 - Hot water or cold water immersion for athletic performance?

Send us a text What difference will 500m make to the ideal physiology for a rower. When should you go for cold immersion and when hot. Is training harder if you are on the hormonal contraceptive pill. Could that be a good thing. We skip through these and other questions trying to see if anything is clear or as muddy as a cold tub after a rugby team had been through it. Ref: Nash E, Nicoll A, Batt N, George J, Perananthan V, Prince D, Wallace M, Gow P, Vaz K, Chitturi S, Flores JE, Braund A, Bonn...

Apr 29, 202418 minSeason 1Ep. 38

#37 - Sleep - how long to nap, the impact of shared rooms and poor sleep causing infections

Send us a text In this episode we review a mix of sleep and menstrual cycle articles. We look at the impact of sleep on viral infections, the right length of naps and the impact of sharing rooms. Then studies looking at injuries in different stages of the cycle and confirmation that it is still not something that is discussed as openly as needed. Podcast 37 Radke J, Meinhardt J, Aschman T, Chua RL, Farztdinov V, Lukassen S, Ten FW, Friebel E, Ishaque N, Franz J, Huhle VH, Mothes R, Peters K, Tho...

Mar 21, 202417 min

#36 - Problems with the accuracy of social media nutrition advice (this podcast clearly the exception)

Send us a text In this episode we review an article by a group of dieticians saying that youtube videos by non-dieticans are of poor quality, look into the world of the Alkaline diet, and get an update on an exciting biomarker for the Med Diet. Podcast 36 Kiss A, Soós S, Temesi Á, Unger-Plasek B, Lakner Z, Tompa O. Evaluation of the reliability and educational quality of YouTube™ videos on sport nutrition topics. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2023 Dec;20(1):2278632. doi: 10.1080/15502783.2023.2278632. ...

Feb 15, 202416 minSeason 1Ep. 36

#35 - How carbohydrate use changes over hormone cycle and probiotics increase protein absorption in vegan athletes.

Send us a text In this episode we run through at a small but interesting study of the impact of the menstrual cycle on the fuels the body uses. We question if we should be going to Industry funded research for our articles on benefits of carbohydrates and we then finish with a article on probiotics improving protein absorption and muscle gain in elite vegan athletes. Lee SJL, Sim MP, VAN Rens FECA, Peiffer JJ. Fatigue Resistance Is Altered during the High-Hormone Phase of Eumenorrheic Females bu...

Jan 18, 202416 minSeason 1Ep. 35

#34 - What is wrong with the research published on nutrition and a really good plant based diet study

Send us a text We run through a selection of interesting articles, all of which demonstrate key flaws that we keep seeing in nutrition research. Testing at the wrong time, wrong timeframe to followup for that testing, competing interests that blow the mind. Articles that demonstrate the researchers deeply held beliefs rather than take the science and understanding forward. Enjoy! Podcast 34 Clauss M, Skattebo Ø, Rasen Dæhli M, Ditta Valsdottir T, Ezzatkhah Bastani N, Ivar Johansen E, Jensen Koln...

Dec 06, 202325 minSeason 1Ep. 34

#33 - The best way to take iron supplements and whose fault is UPF

Send us a text In this episode I review some practical changes to the way we can prescribe/recommend our athletes take iron supplements. I then sit on the sidelines and enjoy the fighting between factions on the sides of the Ultra Processed Food safety/blame war and am very glad not to be in the line of fire and feel some empathy for those involved. We finish with some articles on weight loss with different carbohydrates, the impact of fibre on cancer risk and an older article on post menopausal...

Nov 14, 202318 minSeason 1Ep. 33

#32 - Will coffee cause a bleed and will skipping breakfast give you cancer

Send us a text This episode we review a couple of articles that challenge the common perceptions for coffee and fasting, and decide if they will change our practice. We look at the useful points from the new IOC REDS consensus and enjoy an interesting Fish Oil Supplement article. Podcast 32 Svart M, Nielsen MM, Rittig N, Hansen M, Møller N, Gravholt CH. Oral 3-hydroxybuturate ingestion acutely lowers circulating testosterone concentrations in healthy young males. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2023 Oct...

Oct 17, 202318 minSeason 1Ep. 32

#31 - WHO make a very clear statement about sweeteners and can you trust the ingredient list of your herbal supplements

Send us a text We start with a look at a article providing further evidence BMI is unhelpful, moving onto the effect of low carb diets on bowel inflammation and then a time restricted eating study. The main player this week is the WHO sweetener review...spoiler they don't think they are good for you long term and are pushing back against the wave of industry funded positive spin on the observational studies hinting at increased long term mortality. Finally a great study on what is actually in yo...

Sep 07, 202318 minSeason 1Ep. 31

#30 - Sweeteners or sugar. A review of a recent pro sweetener article.

Send us a text This week we look at a recent BMJ paper on sweeteners vs sugar for health of diabetic patients and compare to some of the past papers we have studied in this area. We enjoy an excellent short intervention study on the impact of pre-meal almonds and wait for the larger studies to follow. Finally a look at the impact of Heat on your sleep low- train low adaptations. This podcast is a lighthearted review of the medical literature and Dr Matheson has enormous respect for all scientifi...

Aug 05, 202313 minSeason 1Ep. 30

#29 - Topical bicarbonate, coffee mouth rinse and pre race defecation. You will get some glances at the start line!

Send us a text A slightly noisey podcast due to nearby building work. My favourite this month was a superb Australian article proving how poor labeling is in supplements - the industry must do better than this. A review through some interesting options for pre race optimisation such as coffee mouth rinsing, defecation, topical bicarbonate, some interesting new ideas to explore. References Held S, Rappelt L, Donath L. Acute and Chronic Performance Enhancement in Rowing: A Network Meta-analytical ...

Jul 03, 202318 minSeason 1Ep. 29

#28 - Why a high fat diet will not cause a dip in performance

Send us a text In this episode we enjoy a article that clarifies why your performance should not dip on a high fat low carb diet although we are still waiting for the proof and why the answer to your fatigue and unusual symptoms may still be 'covid' even a year post infection. In a more cheerful papers, a year of hard training is still helping with diabetic control 10 years later. References: Podcast 28 Chen Y, Chen Z, Pan L, Ma ZM, Zhang H, Li XJ, Li X. Effect of Moderate and Vigorous Aerobic E...

May 09, 202316 minSeason 1Ep. 28

#27 - Bacon bad beetroot good? The confusing world of nitrates and nitrites.

Send us a text In this episode we look at an excellent review that attempts to help us understand nitrates. We get frustrated by studies jumping into the 'fasting vs exercise' debate and the 'plant vs fish' debate with very selective use of their data. References: Podcast 27 Gibbons TD, Cotter JD, Ainslie PN, Abraham WC, Mockett BG, Campbell HA, Jones EMW, Jenkins EJ, Thomas KN. Fasting for 20 h does not affect exercise-induced increases in circulating BDNF in humans. J Physiol. 2023 Jan 11. doi...

Mar 28, 202315 min

#26 - Flavonoids - good for ageing but not much evidence for athletes. Also - I'm not lazy coach, it's my microbiome.

Send us a text Firsty a smattering of proof that flavonoids are great for managing ageing changes, but still no good evidence they help our athletes perform any better. Then a nice microbiome paper that tells us why some mice seem to be lazier than others. Can we stretch this to human athletes? Also we ask where can we shoehorn in continuous glucose monitors - it looks fancy and must be useful for our patients.... Apologies for forgetting the name of a leading UK Medical Nutrition Academic - of ...

Feb 20, 202320 minSeason 1Ep. 26

#25 - Calcium, zinc, IL-6 - do we know how they fit into our athletes nutrition and performance?

Send us a text In short - no. But we review a series of recent articles trying to pick away at the inner workings of these markers. We try and avoid the pitfalls of black and white answers and steer around the icebergs of simplification. In addition, beetroot and blood pressure, water use and ibuprofen on the intestine. References: Lundy B, McKay AKA, Fensham NC, Tee N, Anderson B, Morabito A, Ross MLR, Sim M, Ackerman KE, Burke LM. The Impact of Acute Calcium Intake on Bone Turnover Markers dur...

Jan 14, 202316 minSeason 1Ep. 25

#24 - Lipidomics and how future cholesterol tests will diagnose cancers and more

Send us a text This week we will dip a toe into Lipidomics, the direction of cholesterol tests in the future; not just looking at lipid blood levels but using the lipid tests as a reflection of changes within our cell membranes. We then look at a state of play article for current available lipid blood tests and how to interpret panels, a keto diet study and a remind ourselves how good bariatric surgery is for people. References: Episode 24 Lauber C, Gerl MJ, Klose C, Ottosson F, Melander O, Simo...

Dec 30, 202218 minSeason 1Ep. 24

#23 - Low carbohydrate diets - do they raise you cholesterol and trash your microbiome. Evidence to prove they don't..

Send us a text In this podcast we cover the evolving evidence that low carbohydrate diets are not going to kill you in the ways that we keep getting told. We also look at the 1 year impact of even mild covid and look at what form your carbohydrate needs to be in mid race (spoiler - it does not really matter as long as you can tolerate it). Below are the references for this episode in no particular order... Moholdt T, Parr EB, Devlin BL, Debik J, Giskeødegård G, Hawley JA. The effect of morning v...

Nov 10, 202216 min

#22 - Ultra processed food kills you and gives you fat children. Time restricted eating improves your mood as well as your blood pressure in a randomised control trial

Send us a text In this review of the current nutrition literature we look at some articles highlighting the dangers of our processed food dependency, look at a rare bird in nutrition - a well designed RCT, and discuss a LEA case report. This podcast is a lighthearted review of the medical literature and Dr Matheson has enormous respect for all scientific researchers and could not do a job as hard as theirs. The information presented is the personal opinion of the healthcare professional and is n...

Oct 17, 202213 min

#21 - The age old conundrum. Is tea or coffee best for your health? And catch up with why covid trashes our VO2 for months

Send us a text We balance the tea/coffee debate with a large tea cohort paper review. Then a exploration through recent articles on the reduced VO2 post covid, the importance of our mitochondria in health and neurodegenerative disease and why sweeteners are evil. This podcast is a lighthearted review of the medical literature and Dr Matheson has enormous respect for all scientific researchers and could not do a job as hard as theirs. The information presented is the personal opinion of the healt...

Sep 26, 202213 minSeason 1Ep. 21

#20 - A keto diet reduces alzheimers symptoms and long term steroid use might not do your heart much good.

Send us a text This weeks review covers a fascinating case study on ApoE4 and dementia and the negative impact of long term steroid use. In addition a look at antibiotics and their effect on the immune system, and one article highlights how hard it is to get good translatable science from the lab to the gym. This podcast is a lighthearted review of the medical literature and Dr Matheson has enormous respect for all scientific researchers and could not do a job as hard as theirs. The information ...

Sep 14, 202212 minSeason 1Ep. 20

#19 - Intermittent fasting and why it's so good for us; fructose and why it's so bad for us.

Send us a text More on the discordance between what is healthy for us and what gets the best performance. If seems to be very good for our health, but performance improvements are mixed at best. Fructose added to our drinks is great for getting sugars in during a race, but terrible for our insulin sensitivity and triglyceride levels. Also will carb restriction thin our bones and a HIT study where they don't seem to get very out of breath. This podcast is a lighthearted review of the medical lite...

Aug 22, 202218 minSeason 1Ep. 19

#18 - Sleep is good for you, Weekend warriors don't die early and some uninspiring UEFA nutrition guidelines

Send us a text Lots of articles to run through this episode. Impact of sleep on health, best pattern to do your training, some disappointing UEFA guidelines, and a nice protein review. My search for good Hemp protein data continues. Enjoy! This podcast is a lighthearted review of the medical literature and Dr Matheson has enormous respect for all scientific researchers and could not do a job as hard as theirs. The information presented is the personal opinion of the healthcare professional and i...

Aug 03, 202217 minSeason 1Ep. 18

#17 - Why eggs might not kill you, it is what you eat instead that matters

Send us a text In this episode we catch up with some recent articles covering topics from vitamin C killing ITU patients, to the benefits of bariatric surgery. We focus on a super editorial that reminds us of how 'adults in the room' talk when discussing nutritional science - a breath of fresh air compared to twitter wars and simplifications that bombard us all the time. This podcast is a lighthearted review of the medical literature and Dr Matheson has enormous respect for all scientific resear...

Jul 06, 202218 minSeason 1Ep. 17

#16 - How Covid changes the brain structure. Are cold baths any use for training or just coaches revenge.

Send us a text The impact of Covid on the brains structure - what does it mean for the future. We also cover a recent large Spanish diet study for prevention of further heart disease, and finally some sports related papers - effect of cooling on training adaptations, usefulness of a REDS questionnaire and are reminded of the gulf between research and useful advice in the microbiome. This podcast is a lighthearted review of the medical literature and Dr Matheson has enormous respect for all scien...

May 29, 202218 minSeason 1Ep. 16

#15 - Can you tell me when I will die? Circadian Clocks - should I pay attention yet?

Send us a text What is the state of play with Circadian medicine and is the science good enough to translate to our day to day work. We review a lovely summary article and look at how some supplements may impact the circadian cycles. We ask if Sarcopaenia should be labelled a disease, or just a reason to ratchet up the protein recommendations in older athletes. And a Low Carb paper gently reassuring us with lipid levels that are ok. This podcast is a lighthearted review of the medical literature...

Apr 22, 202218 minSeason 1Ep. 15

#14 - Has practice caught up with the research in REDS? Not even close.

Send us a text This week's pick of the articles are focussed on REDS and sleep. How are dieticians managing REDS on the ground - is everyone following the new guidelines or still managing as a female athlete triad but calling it REDS? Do athletes bodies and minds ever fully recover from chronic REDS - a questionnaire study of lightweight rowers suggests not. Also, how food intake cant be seen separately from sleep and a hunt for data on insect supplements. This podcast is a lighthearted review o...

Mar 29, 202218 minSeason 1Ep. 14

#13 - Should my athletes be eating more algae? What is a bacteriophage and how will it make my athletes smarter?

Send us a text Looking at the questions that some articles have asked over the last 2 weeks. Is algae the next big thing for athletes? Why do vaccines work better in High income countries and what does this mean for my athletes? Why does vitamin D not work in Australians? What is the virome, and do I need to care. Why will probiotic companies be selling bacteriophages next year? This podcast is a lighthearted review of the medical literature and Dr Matheson has enormous respect for all scientifi...

Mar 10, 202214 minSeason 1Ep. 13

#12 - Need to lose weight - sleep harder and keep trying

Send us a text Firstly a look at the impact of paracetamol on training. Then some advice for anyone that struggles with weight and sleeps less than 6.5hrs a night. We then wade through a confusing/confused article looking at high vs low carb training on inflammation and finish on a favourite article looking at how never quitting your diet attempts keeps you living longer. This podcast is a lighthearted review of the medical literature and Dr Matheson has enormous respect for all scientific resea...

Feb 15, 202223 minSeason 1Ep. 12

#11 - Low Carb diets improve all health values in a UK GP study - an incredible achievement in a tough time for UK primary care

Send us a text A look through some articles. Some helpful - more proof that low carbohydrate diets are not bad for your renal function. Others less helpful - interesting studies that leave us disappointed, wishing for bigger and better - menstrual cycle impact on treadmill times and religious fasting impacting on health. This podcast is a lighthearted review of the medical literature and Dr Matheson has enormous respect for all scientific researchers and could not do a job as hard as theirs. The...

Feb 01, 202218 minSeason 1Ep. 11
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