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
Bile Acids in Health & Metabolic Disease | Ep. 282
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Role of bile acids in cholesterol regulation, digestion & metabolic diseases like diabetes.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Bile acids basics: They enable cholesterol excretion, with about half of bodily cholesterol eliminated this way, and also aid digestion by emulsifying fats to increase enzyme access.
- Bile production & pathway: Synthesized in liver hepatocytes, bile flows via ducts to the gallbladder for storage or directly to the small intestine; post-meal, cholecystokinin triggers gallbladder contraction for fat emulsification.
- Regulation of bile acids: Self-regulated to prevent cytotoxicity, as excess can damage cell membranes; insulin and bile acids themselves influence synthesis and transport, with defects in insulin-resistant states.
- Bile acids in metabolic diseases: Increased synthesis, especially 12-hydroxylated types, occurs in type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, potentially as an adaptation for better nutrient absorption during perceived scarcity.
- Gallbladder removal & gallstones: Common due to cholesterol supersaturation forming stones; removal eliminates concentration but preserves bile flow, reducing tolerance for high-fat meals.
- Bariatric surgery impacts: Procedures like gastric bypass increase circulating bile acids without major synthesis changes, while more extreme ones boost synthesis due to impaired intestinal sensing.
- Cholesterol homeostasis: Cells tightly regulate membrane cholesterol for fluidity and signaling; most bodily cholesterol is synthesized internally, with LDL receptors key to blood levels.
- Ongoing research: Haeusler’s lab explores manganese’s role in metabolism, bile acids in liver inflammation, and insulin’s effects on lipoproteins.
ABOUT THE GUEST: Rebecca Haeusler, PhD is an associate professor at Columbia University in the departments of medicine and pathology and cell biology, affiliated with the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center and the Digestive and Liver Diseases Research Center.
RELATED EPISODE:
- M&M 269 | Soybean Oil: Obesity, Fatty Liver Disease, Gut Health, IBS & Colitis | Frances Sladek
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