After Matt and Nick's successful visit to the home of MYOXCIENCE Nutrition founder and content creator Mike Mutzel to give saunas and cold plunges a try, it was our turn to host Mike at our stomping grounds. In this episode, Matt chats with Mike about a wide range of healthspan topics, including nutrition, supplements, environmental exposures, and the interconnectedness of different aspects of health such as sleep, stress, and social connection. They also discuss the use of DEXA scans and other biological age tests, with Mike and Matt sharing their perspectives on the strengths, limitations, and appropriate uses of these tools. They emphasize the importance of not over-interpreting single data points and instead looking at trends over time as well as the need for individualized, holistic approaches to wellness rather than one-size-fits-all prescriptions.

Prior to his work at MYOXCIENCE, a nutritional company aimed at helping people optimize their metabolic health and body composition, Mike served as a sales representative in the natural product space and worked closely with doctors to implement clinical nutrition into their practice. In 2014, he published his first book, "Belly Fat Effect: The Real Secret About How Your Diet, Intestinal Health, and Gut Bacteria Help You Burn Fat". Mike holds an M.S. in Human Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport and a B.S. in Biology from Western Washington University.

Check out the links below for further information and/or reading about some of the things we discussed in this podcast episode. Note that we do not necessarily endorse or agree with the content of these readings, but present them as supplementary material that may deepen your understanding of the topic after you listen to our podcast. This list is in no way exhaustive, but it’s a good start

Re-evaluation of the traditional diet-heart hypothesis: analysis of recovered data from Minnesota Coronary Experiment (1968-73)

Mike mentions the Minnesota Coronary Experiment (MCE) in his discussion of cholesterol. The MCE, which ran from 1968-1973, was a double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial to test the "traditional diet-heart hypothesis" that lowering cholesterol via replacement of saturated fat with vegetable oil would reduce cardiovascular disease and mortality risk. The experiment found that while the group that replaced saturated fat with linoleic acid from corn oil and corn oil polyunsaturated margarine did indeed experience reduced cholesterol compared to controls, the group did not experience lower mortality risk from cardiovascular disease or other causes.

Use of dietary linoleic acid for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and death: evaluation of recovered data from the Sydney Diet Heart Study and updated meta-analysis

Mike also mentions the Sydney Diet Heart study in this episode when he describes what he calls the "reigning dogma": that higher cholesterol, which is often the result of high dietary saturated fat consumption, leads to increased risk of stroke, heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases. The 1966-1973 Sydney Diet Heart Study (SDHS) was a randomized controlled trial that replaced saturated fatty acids with omega-6 linoleic acid, a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid. The group that received omega-6 linoleic acid died of cardiovascular disease and other causes at higher rates than controls.

Vitamin D insufficiency in southern Arizona
It seems reasonable to assume that people who live in sunny places are less likely to suffer from vitamin D deficiency. But that isn't necessarily the case, according to Mike, who mentions a study demonstrating vitamin D insufficiency in a population living in Arizona. Arizona's residents experience an average of 300 days or more of sun per year, and Arizona houses three of the United States' sunniest cities (Yuma, Phoenix, Tuscon)—yet this study suggests that a large portion of Arizona's adults, especially women and people of Hispanic and black ethnicity, are deficient in vitamin D.

Considerations When Choosing Supplements

Matt and Mike discuss some of the negative practices prevalent in the supplement industry, particularly around labeling and packing loopholes. So how do you figure out which supplements actually do what they say on the tin? This article provides a framework for choosing supplements, which includes assessing safety and efficacy, monitoring dosage, and taking note of a supplement’s chemical form.

Examine.com

Examine is an independently-funded (no gifts, donors, sponsors, consulting clients, advertisements, or affiliations) database of supplements research that provides information about benefits, dietary sources, dosage, side effects, and more for pretty much any supplement you can think of. The website provides further references from the primary literature about each supplement it discusses.