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 links here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/energy-metabolism-governs-everything

Get the methylation protocol here: 

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol

Check out my course on energy metabolism here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/masterclass-with-masterjohn-energy

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 episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-plant-compounds-and

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

• How do I consume omega-3 without hurting my omega-6 status?

• If I have a hereditary weakness in breaking down branched-chain amino acids, what cofactors do I need to consider, and do I need to restrict my protein when losing weight?

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 January 21, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

• Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque?

• How do I consume omega-3 without hurting my omega-6 status?

• If I have a hereditary weakness in breaking down branched-chain amino acids, what cofactors do I need to consider, and do I need to restrict my protein when losing weight?

• Could carnitine help a fatty acid oxidation disorder?

• Should anti-inflammatories be taken away from workouts?

• How does vitamin C affect autoimmune disease?

• Folate form and purines

• Can methylene blue help the respiratory chain?

• Best references for omega-3 and inflammation resolution?

• Smoothies and blood sugar

• Is transdermal magnesium oil effective for osteoarthritis?

• Why do K2 and Mg help my nerve pain?

• Should I separate my potassium benzoate and vitamin C supplements?

• The best and most simple comprehensive micronutrient panel.

• How much K2 is needed in pregnancy?

• How do I accentuate the fasting-feeding cycle?

• Could K2 help with environmental pollution?

• Why do shoulders crack when we get older?

• Why do I react poorly to anti-inflammatory foods?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-january Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

 

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 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-phosphatidylcholine In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

• Phosphatidylcholine and TMAO
• Vitamin K2 and Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin

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 December 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

• Inositol, What Is It Good For?
• If I am at risk of heart disease, and phosphatidylcholine raises my TMAO, should I stop the supplement?
• If undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOCN) has health benefits and vitamin K2 decreases it, what does that mean for vitamin K2 supplementation?
• Maragen Calcium
• Could slow methylation cause high selenium levels?
• My current thoughts on cholesterol and heart disease
• If I already have oxidative stress, what ducks should I have in a row before supplementing with iron?
• Is it safe to take eight milligrams of zinc daily without copper?
• What to do about developing sensitivities to an increasingly broad range of foods?
• What else to do about hemochromatosis besides phlebotomy?
• If gestational diabetes is just a biotin deficiency, why are women who are insulin resistant prior to pregnancy at higher risk for it, including women with PCOS?
• What to do about chronically elevated amylase and lipase?
• What to do about a non-drinker having very high GGT and occasionally high ALT?
• What are the most common vitamin and mineral deficiencies?
• What are the best supplements, vitamins, and minerals for OCD and depression?
• What is the connection between low pyruvate and high ketones?
• Is high LDL a concern if the carotid IMT and coronary calcium scan are clear? 
• Do I trust food allergy tests?

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

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

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-biotin-help-detoxify-oxalate 

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 addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-phosphatidylcholine In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

• Phosphatidylcholine and TMAO
• What to Do About Twitching

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 December 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

• Inositol, What Is It Good For?
• If I am at risk of heart disease, and phosphatidylcholine raises my TMAO, should I stop the supplement?
• Maragen Calcium
• Could slow methylation cause high selenium levels?
• My current thoughts on cholesterol and heart disease
• If I already have oxidative stress, what ducks should I have in a row before supplementing with iron?
• Is it safe to take eight milligrams of zinc daily without copper?
• What to do about developing sensitivities to an increasingly broad range of foods?
• What else to do about hemochromatosis besides phlebotomy?
• If gestational diabetes is just a biotin deficiency, why are women who are insulin resistant prior to pregnancy at higher risk for it, including women with PCOS?
• What to do about chronically elevated amylase and lipase?
• What to do about a non-drinker having very high GGT and occasionally high ALT?
• What are the most common vitamin and mineral deficiencies?
• What are the best supplements, vitamins, and minerals for OCD and depression?
• What is the connection between low pyruvate and high ketones?
• Is high LDL a concern if the carotid IMT and coronary calcium scan are clear? 
• An algorithm to fix twitching
• Do I trust food allergy tests?

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

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

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 lactate during fasting that is suppressed by my meals, and 3) a massively outsized lactate response to alcohol. The first two were provoked by an 18-hour fast and the last by undereating prior to the alcohol.

These support a deficiency in the biotin-dependent, manganese-dependent, oxalate-poisoned enzyme pyruvate carboxylase.

This is long, and if your time is limited, you may want to skip to “The Bottom Line” in this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/self-experiments-in-the-biochemically

However, there are some major reasons to commit some time to reading the whole report: It serves as a crash course on the most relevant biochemistry of glucose, ketones, lactate, and ethanol across contexts that include general health, diabetes, infancy, and pregnancy. It includes a literature review of all of the relevant “normal” data.

For example, what usually happens to lactate during fasting?

What is the normal response of ketones to a glucose tolerance test at the 15-minute mark?

How high should you expect your lactate to go up when you drink vodka, bourbon, or beer?

I have laid out a model of self-experimentation that you can borrow from for your own experiments.

 There are many thought-provoking nuggets in here.

For example: Is it possible that two pounds of extra body fat prevents peripheral neuropathy in me and perhaps others? I make the case that it may.

Has your fasting glucose gone up on low-carb? See why mine went down after doing repeated glucose tolerance tests on myself (which I don’t recommend at home!) 

And, learn why I can fast my way to a glucose of 70 or eat my way to a glucose of 70 and I would choose eating my way there every time.

The full written version with linked references is found here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/self-experiments-in-the-biochemically

And don't forget to 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

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.

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 definitely combined with a defect in burning long-chain fatty acids for energy. The treatments for this, which I will be testing one at a time, will be high-dose biotin, high-dose riboflavin, possibly high-dose L-carnitine and glycine, and, if needed, an otherwise low-fat diet supplemented with C8-specific MCT oil.

This episode covers the content of the first of two articles I have written up on Substack.

First, I have a free gift for you: my MTHFR Protocol. This 7-page quick guide to optimizing your MTHFR status using foods and supplements is freely available to all subscribers to my Substack. Subscribe now and you will immediately get it emailed to you in the welcome email. You can subscribe here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol

The content of this episode can be found in the written version, with live links, here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/getting-to-the-bottom-of-my-health 

The second article that will be covered in the next episode is about my self-experiments between September 2022 and June 2023 in the "biochemically unoptimized state" and can be found here:   https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/self-experiments-in-the-biochemically

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 marketing the test. That said, it is not a universal necessity to supplement with phosphatidylcholine. If you are concerned about your TMAO, you can try substituting trimethylglycine (TMG), and ultimately judge the value of each supplement by whether it is helping you in a demonstrable way. 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-phosphatidylcholine In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

• Vitamin K2 and Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin
• What to Do About Twitching

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 December 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

• Inositol, What Is It Good For?
• If undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOCN) has health benefits and vitamin K2 decreases it, what does that mean for vitamin K2 supplementation?
• Maragen Calcium
• Could slow methylation cause high selenium levels?
• My current thoughts on cholesterol and heart disease
• If I already have oxidative stress, what ducks should I have in a row before supplementing with iron?
• Is it safe to take eight milligrams of zinc daily without copper?
• What to do about developing sensitivities to an increasingly broad range of foods?
• What else to do about hemochromatosis besides phlebotomy?
• If gestational diabetes is just a biotin deficiency, why are women who are insulin resistant prior to pregnancy at higher risk for it, including women with PCOS?
• What to do about chronically elevated amylase and lipase?
• What to do about a non-drinker having very high GGT and occasionally high ALT?
• What are the most common vitamin and mineral deficiencies?
• What are the best supplements, vitamins, and minerals for OCD and depression?
• What is the connection between low pyruvate and high ketones?
• Is high LDL a concern if the carotid IMT and coronary calcium scan are clear? 
• An algorithm to fix twitching
• Do I trust food allergy tests?

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

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

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:

1. Why elevated plasma erythritol is likely to reflect thiamin deficiency and NADPH depletion from insulin resistance, inflammation, and oxidative stress
2. Why the in vitro and mouse study blood clotting likely reflects osmotic stress with no relevance to the use of erythritol as a sweetener.
3. Why I strongly suspect the Hazen group is hiding data, specifically the data that they obviously had a chance to collect and would have clinched their case but appears nowhere in their paper.
4. Why even though I do not use erythritol as a sweetener, were I ever to think about doing so, the new Nature Medicine paper would play no role in my decision.

Read the analysis in written form, fully referenced, here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/erythritol-and-blood-clotting