4. Lost in the Source?
Today our science-lovers discuss two TikTok presenters with very different backgrounds and interests and decide that the views of both should be treated with caution!
episode notes
2:00 - what does Shelby have to tell us about berberine?
3:00 - how do berberine and the liver interact?
3:30 what does an anti-coagulant do and how does this relate to berberine? Look at this long potential list of interactions between therapeutic i.e prescribed drugs and berberine. For almost all of these, the interaction comes from the fact that the liver metabolizes (breaks down) both barberine and the prescribed medications - if it’s spending more time and energy on one then it may have less capacity to deal with the other!
5:35 - Berberine and the amazing placenta. but if ou’re interested to know more, check out this research. It’s pretty heavy and discusses work carried out in mice but it seems pretty likely that berbering might make it more difficult to get pregnant (don’t try using it as a contraceptive though!).
Government scientific advice clearly states to not take berberine whilst pregnant or breastfeeding. Finally, Here’s the opinion of a medical practitioner about whether berberine can be used to treat (pre) diabetes safely and effectively (hint: unlikely!). What’s also interesting here is that it mentions berberine really should not be taken by people using metformin, yet metformin is used (off-label) for weight loss, alarm bells ringing anyone?
7:15 - Has berberine been through rigorous clinical testing?
9:25 - Other than Tiktok, how could you research the good, the bad and the ugly about berberine?
10:00 - Who is Justin Nault and what does he have to tell us?
11:10 - Understanding qualifications, do you know what separates your dietician from your nutritionist (hint: it might be six years of education!)?
It’s definitely confusing but here’s the A-Z of these different types of qualifications.
13:00 - Is there a clinical condition called “metabolic dysfunction” and do 88% of us really suffer from this? NIH talks about metabolic syndrome, which it suggests 1/3 of us have (still horrible but not Justin’s 88%), check this link out to see what they have to say.
15:20 - Some good advice on whole foods (yes) and seed oils (no)!
16:00 - How much protein does Justin advise and how does this compare to the scientific literature?
Take a look at NIH’s figures yourself (and yes, we won’t be offended, you shouldn’t just trust us either!).
18:00 - What’s the link between Canadian Shelby and Justin Nault?
20:50 - The benefits of putting in a “pause”.
21:40 - And it’s goodbye from the team until next time, stay curious people 😊
