Dr. Pastore and Lexie discuss sunscreen, focusing on how the chemicals in the product designed to protect your skin against the sun's harmful affects can be absorbed and negatively affect the inside of your body, and what you can do about it now.

Dr. Pastore covers what SPF is and what the SPF number on your sunscreen bottle means; melanin, sunburns & tans; UVA & UVB rays; how sunscreen affects your body's natural vitamin D production and what the FDA has to say about the current active chemical ingredients in sunscreen.

"Active" chemical ingredients to look out for on your sunscreen bottle: avobenzone, oxybenzone (BP-3), octocrylene, & benzylidene camphor derivatives

Check your sunscreen at: https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/

The safe mineral-based sunscreen: Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide

We are all bicohemically unique, and much of that has to do with our genetic makeup. Dr. Pastore and Lexie discuss one of Dr. Pastore's specialties as a practitioner - nutrigenomics; specifically functional nutrigenomics.

Dr. Pastore covers what the research has shown and how he applies nutrigenomics with his patients to identify how their DNA sequence variation/mutations or "genetic errors"(scientifically known as single-nucleotide polymorphism or SNPs) can lead to health complications, nutritional deficiencies, and specific to reactions to medications and supplements.

They discuss these genetic "errors" specifically for the bioactive compound caffeine, and the nutrients vitamin A, folate, iron, B12 and vitamin D.

Caffeine Gene SNPs: CYP1A2

Folate Genetic Test: C677T / MTHFR Gene SNPs: CT/TT (40% of women) means increased risk low circulating folate Biological form of folic acid is L-methylfolate

Iron Gene SNPs: TMPRSS6, TFR2, & TF

B12 Gene FUT2 SNPs: GG GA

Vitamin D Gene SNPs: DHCR7 CYP2R1

Dr. Pastore and Lexie cover 5 popular supplements typically marketed for weight loss.

Dr Pastore discusses CLA, apple cider vinegar, L-carnitine, green tea extract (EGCG) and skinny teas; what the actual research and studies have to shown, and how some of them, if taken daily, are actually doing much more harm than good.

Dr. Pastore and Lexie discuss some of the most common nutritional deficiencies in the standard North American diet. They look in depth at

vitamin D, choline, magnesium, Omega 3 (EPA/DHA), zinc and iron and what these vitamins/minerals/nutrients do in the body, where we find them in food, how much we need daily and what blood tests Dr. Pastore recommends to determine if you're deficient.

More info about Dr. Pastore: https://drrobertpastore.com/

More info about Lexie: https://www.instagram.com/lexircise/

Blood test names:

Vitamin D: 25-hydroxy vitamin D

Magnesium: Magnesium, RBC

Omega 3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA): EPA/DHA plasma & red blood cell membrane analysis

Zinc: Serum or plasma zinc concentration

Iron: Serum Iron & Transferrin & TIBC (total iron binding capacity)& UIBC (unsaturated iron-binding capacity) & Serum ferritin

Food sources for each vitamin/nutrient/mineral:

Iron: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/

Magnesium: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/

Zinc: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/

Choline: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/

Vitamin D: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/

Omega 3 EPA: https://ods.od.nih.gov/pubs/usdandb/EPA-Content.pdf#search=%22omega%203%22

Omega 3 DHA: https://ods.od.nih.gov/pubs/usdandb/DHA-Content.pdf#search=%22omega%203%22

In this episode, Lexie and Dr. Pastore discuss:

• The types of naturally occurring sugar

• Artificial sweeteners, how they are chemically processed and their negative health benefits, specifically the increasingly popular sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame potassium (ace-K)

• Sugar alcohols and how they are processed

• Plant-based & natural sweeteners

• Why you should retrain your taste buds to adapt to whole foods and natural sugar again

Lexie and Dr. Pastore discuss cannabinoids, specifically CBD and the scientific research around its current health claims. Dr. Pastore explains the endocannabinoid system, the current lack of regulation for CBD products such as tinctures, creams and food supplements and his hopes for the future of CBD research.

Roger is the CEO and Founder of Cell Science Systems and PreviMedica, a nutrition consulting firm. He is also the CEO of Cell Science Systems, GmbH, Potsdam Germany. Roger is one of the pioneers of food and chemical sensitivities testing with involvement in this field since 1986.

Dr. Pastore and Roger discuss the ALCAT test, what it is and how it difference from standard traditional allergy testing. They discuss some of the research conducted at Yale School of Medicine, pathomechanisms of reactions to food and chemicals in the diet and conclude with a brief discussion of Cell Science Systems work in non-celiac gluten sensitivity research.

Dr. Pastore elaborates on his recent paper published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in May 2019 regarding the celiac disease clinical decision support system (CD-CDSS) he designed to help medical experts diagnose the clinical chameleon that is celiac disease. Celiac disease is a genetic disease affecting roughly 1 out of 100 people. The current average duration to diagnosis is 10 years, yet 83% of people with the disease will never be diagnosed.

Physician Review of a Celiac Disease Risk Estimation and Decision-Making Expert System can be read here:

https://tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07315724.2019.1608477

Lexie and Dr. Pastore look more in-depth at the glycemic index, glycemic load, how foods are scored, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) & how the GI score of a food affects symptoms, triglycerides, the negative effects of trans fats, and cholesterol, including the good kind of the "bad" LDL cholesterol.

Dr. Pastore shares tools and resources including:

• Harvard Health's Glycemic Index for 60+ foods:
  • https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/glycemic-index-and-glycemic-load-for-100-foods

• The Glycemic Index Food Search:
  • http://glycemicindex.com

• The Glycemic Load Calculator
  • https://www.gisymbol.com/what-about-glycemic-load/

• The Triglyceride Glucose Index to predict insulin resistance
  • (Fasting triglycerides in mg/dL x fasting glucose in mg/dL) divided by 2. A score of 4.49+ may indicate insulin resistance.
  • Online Triglyceride Glucose Index Calculator:
    • https://www.mdapp.co/tyg-index-calculator-359/

In this episode, Dr. Pastore discusses carbohydrates, blood sugar & glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, symptoms of high blood sugar, medical testing methods, glycogen stores in muscles, diabetes and why you should reconsider drinking juice.