Fork Around With Brie Towne

Welcome to Fork Around with Brie Towne, where we dig into nutrition science and wellness trends and figure out what actually works.

In this episode, we cover the foundation for everything else on the show: how to tell good nutrition science from internet noise. You'll hear why intelligent, capable people fall for health myths (it's how brains work), what the research ladder looks like, and why one study never tells the whole story. Then we run the viral "high cortisol" trend through five questions, from cortisol cocktails to ashwagandha to quitting HIIT, and see what holds up.

Work with Brie: brietownenutrition.com · Instagram: @brietownenutrition

About Brie: Brie Towne holds an MS in Nutrition Education and a bachelor's in philosophy, with training in public health, health psychology, and gut-directed hypnotherapy. She runs Brie Towne Nutrition in Manhattan Beach, CA.

This podcast is for educational purposes and isn't medical advice. Talk with your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine or starting a supplement.

References + Sources:

Multivitamins (Part 2)

• USPSTF Final Recommendation: Vitamin, Mineral, and Multivitamin Supplementation to Prevent CVD and Cancer (2022): evidence insufficient for multivitamins; recommends against beta carotene and vitamin E for prevention.

Ashwagandha (Part 3, Q2)

• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Ashwagandha fact sheet: 6 to 8 week studies showed less reported stress and lower stress hormones; linked to liver injury in some people; may affect thyroid.
• NIH LiverTox: Ashwagandha: liver injury is rare, usually appears 2 to 12 weeks after starting, and typically resolves after stopping.
• McGill Office for Science and Society: Why did Denmark ban ashwagandha?: Denmark banned it in supplements in April 2023.
• Nutrition Insight: International regulatory response to ashwagandha: Denmark's ban plus Dutch and French advisories.

Adrenal fatigue (Part 3, Q4)

• WebMD: Adrenal fatigue, is it real?: Endocrine Society position; adrenal insufficiency is the real, diagnosable condition.
• TIME: Is adrenal fatigue real?: endocrinologists on why symptoms are real but the diagnosis isn't.
• MDedge: Is adrenal fatigue a real condition?: Endocrine Society quote and a 2016 systematic review finding no substantiation.