Mind & Matter
Whether food, drugs or ideas, what you consume influences who you become. Learn directly from the best scientists & thinkers alive today about how your mind-body reacts to what you feed it.
The weekly M&M podcast features conversations with the most interesting scientists, thinkers, and technology entrepreneurs alive today.
Not medical advice.
At M&M, we are interested in trying to figure out how things work, not affirming our existing beliefs. We prefer consulting primary rather than secondary sources and independent rather than institutional voices. If we encounter uncomfortable truths or the evidence suggests unfashionable ideas may be valid, so be it.
As the host, my aim is to help you better understand how the body & mind work by curating & synthesizing information in a way that yields science-based insights that you can choose to use or disregard in your own life. Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
I am motivated to connect the dots and distill general principles from what I learn, preferring to ask questions and play devil’s advocate to debating or incessantly pushing my own viewpoint.
My beliefs:
- Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
- All knowledge is provisional and we must work hard to prevent ourselves from becoming attached to our favorite ideas & preferred conclusions.
- Wisdom comes from an iterative, trial-and-error process of learning and unlearning. Letting go of pre-conceived notions can be painful, but pain is information.
Sometimes modern discoveries teach us we must unlearn received wisdom. Other times, modern information overload & historical chauvinism cause us to forget ancient wisdom which stills applies. The framework for learning that I embody is inspired by three Ancient Greek maxims inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi:
- “Γνῶθι σεαυτόν” (Know thyself)
- “Μηδὲν ἄγαν” (Nothing in excess)
- “Ἐγγύα πάρα δ Ἄτα” (Certainty brings insanity)
Mind & Matter
Cancer Biology: Metabolism, Mitochondria & Energy | Thomas Seyfried | 224
Short Summary: Cancer’s metabolic roots with Dr. Thomas Seyfried.
About the guest: Thomas Seyfried, PhD is a professor of biology at Boston College. He has researched cancer metabolism, epilepsy, and lipid biochemistry for over 40 years.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Dr. Thomas Seyfried discusses the mitochondrial metabolic theory of cancer, challenging the dominant somatic mutation theory. He explores how cancer cells rely on fermentation due to defective oxidative phosphorylation, drawing on Otto Warburg’s work. Seyfried explains how ketogenic diets and nutritional ketosis can starve cancer cells by limiting glucose and glutamine, while sharing evidence from nuclear transfer experiments and clinical studies. The conversation also covers environmental factors driving cancer and the importance of metabolic flexibility for prevention.
Key Takeaways:
- Cancer is characterized by dysregulated cell growth, but Seyfried argues it stems from mitochondrial dysfunction, not just genetic mutations.
- Cancer cells ferment glucose & glutamine, unable to use fatty acids or ketones, making ketogenic diets a potential therapeutic tool.
- Nuclear transfer experiments show cancer traits reside in the cytoplasm, not the nucleus, challenging the somatic mutation theory.
- Environmental factors like processed foods, stress, and poor sleep disrupt mitochondrial function, increasing cancer risk.
- Seyfried’s glucose-ketone index helps monitor metabolic states to manage cancer & chronic diseases.
- Cancer rates are rising in younger people, possibly due to obesity, inflammation, and environmental toxins.
- Metabolic flexibility, cycling between ketosis and carb-based states, may mimic ancestral patterns and reduce chronic disease risk.
Related episode:
- M&M #215: Cancer Metabolism: Sugar, Fructose, Lipids & Fasting | Gary Patti
All episodes, show notes, transcripts, etc. at the M&M Substack
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