This episode brought to you by Rock Lobster Cycles, beautiful bicycles handbuilt in Santa Cruz, California.

In our last interview, scientist and world champion rower Dr Brianna Stubbs had recently successfully defended her PhD in Biochemical Physiology and reached a juncture in her career. Ten months later, Brianna has retired from professional rowing but continues her passion for biochemistry with San Francisco based nootropics company HMVN where she is working to commercialise the D-BHB ketone monoester developed at Oxford University alongside Prof. Kieran Clarke.

The big news is the wait is over! After over a decade of research, the ester is finally here.

This interview is two rolled into one. In the first part, we talk about Brianna’s transition out of academia and professional sport and into the world of Silicon Valley startups. In the second part, Brianna talks about the benefits of the ketone ester and takes on some of Dr Tommy Wood’s challenging questions given to me by ahead of the interview but unseen by Brianna.

If you’re only interested in hearing about the ketone monoester, skip to the 24-minute mark.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Brianna Stubbs, PhD:

[00:01:23] Retirement from rowing.

[00:02:56] Podcast: Off Road Triathlon World Champion Lesley Paterson on FMT and Solving Mental Conundrums.

[00:03:19] App: Strava.

[00:04:17] The move to San Francisco.

[00:05:00] Professor Kieran Clarke, PhD, CEO of TdeltaS.

[00:05:24] HVMN.

[00:08:27] World Rowing Championships.

[00:09:40] Rodent and then human experiments.

[00:10:37] Finding purpose and resolving ambivalence.

[00:12:09] Journaling.

[00:12:55] Mentoring.

[00:14:42] Podcast: How to Create Behaviour Change with Simon Marshall.

[00:15:08] YouTube: HVMN Enhancement Podcast: Ep. 46: Correcting Nutritional Deficiencies ft. Christopher Kelly.

[00:15:38] Tony Hsieh of Zappos.com.

[00:16:38] Body composition.

[00:17:39] BHRT (Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy). Podcast: The Critical Role of Oestradiol for Women’s Cognition with Dr. Ann Hathaway, MD.

[00:17:57] DXA scan.

[00:18:09] Intermittent fasting.

[00:19:22] We Fast Facebook Community.

[00:20:42] Put on 20lb, mostly muscle.

[00:24:51] Podcast: World Champion Rower and Ketone Monoester Researcher Brianna Stubbs.

[00:25:19] Dr. Richard Veech, Hans Krebs.

[00:26:52] Ketone metabolism.

[00:28:04] Study: Cox, Pete J., et al. "Nutritional ketosis alters fuel preference and thereby endurance performance in athletes." Cell metabolism 24.2 (2016): 256-268.

[00:28:47] Case Report: Newport, Mary T., et al. "A new way to produce hyperketonemia: use of ketone ester in a case of Alzheimer's disease." Alzheimer's & Dementia 11.1 (2015): 99-103.

[00:29:20] FDA GRAS (generally recognized as safe).

[00:29:32] WADA.

[00:30:38] Who is the ester for?

[00:31:54] Article and Studies: Reference 1, 2 and 3.

[00:33:30] Glycogen sparing or impairing?

[00:35:57] WINGATE test.

[00:36:08] If you've got ketones, you don't break down as much protein? BCAA.

[00:36:32] Study: Vandoorne, Tijs, et al. "Intake of a Ketone Ester Drink during Recovery from Exercise Promotes mTORC1 Signaling but Not Glycogen Resynthesis in Human Muscle." Frontiers in physiology 8 (2017).

[00:37:27] Pro cycling.

[00:39:00] Study: Youm, Yun-Hee, et al. "The ketone metabolite [beta]-hydroxybutyrate blocks NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammatory disease." Nature medicine 21.3 (2015): 263-269.

[00:40:05] Why is glucose required for an increase in exercise performance?

[00:41:12] Anaplaerosis. See Tommy’s letter published recently in the journal Strength and Conditioning.

[00:42:19] Should we stop using the salts?

[00:42:41] Appetite suppressing effects of ketones.

[00:43:02] D and L isomers.

[00:44:11] Dominic D'Agostino, PhD.

[00:45:14] Are diet and lifestyle still the most important factors?

[00:46:36] Caffeine, nitrates, beta-alanine.

[00:47:31] Ketone ester 30 min rowing performance.

[00:49:21] Podcast: SNR #195: Brendan Egan, PhD – Exogenous Ketone Supplementation.

[00:52:25] Study: Volek, Jeff S., et al. "Metabolic characteristics of keto-adapted ultra-endurance runners." Metabolism 65.3 (2016): 100-110.

[00:52:41] Intramuscular triglycerides.

[00:53:07] Ketones as signaling molecule.

[00:53:46] YouTube: HDAC inhibitors and Podcast: A Ketogenic Diet Extends Longevity and Healthspan in Adult Mice with Megan Hall.

[00:54:27] Nicotinic acid receptor.

[00:55:11] Book: Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert M. Sapolsky.

[00:56:16] General anesthesia.

[00:57:11] Two papers, Kieran hyperglycemia and Veech (ask Tommy)

[00:59:02] Exogenous ketones lower blood glucose.

[00:59:46] Biden pancreatic islet study

[01:00:26] Insulin is anti-proteolytic.

[01:00:37] George Cahill paper

[01:03:03] Who's it for?

[01:03:12] Price.

[01:04:06] Intestinal Alk Phos. See Why You Should Skip Oxaloacetate Supplementation, Fueling for Your Activity and More with Dr. Tommy Wood.

[01:06:12] Product page at HVMN.