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)
Episodes
309 episodes
Endocannabinoid Biology in Health & Disease | Nephi Stella | Episode 305
The biology of endogenous cannabinoids & history of cannabinoid-based therapeuticsTOPICS DISCUSSED:Anandamide vs 2-AG: The two major endocannabinoids with a shared arachidonic acid backbone but distinct head...
Mitochondria Peptides: MOTS-c, Humanin, Genetic Variation in Health & Disease | Pinchas Cohen | Episode 304
Mitochondrial peptides act as stress signals that regulate metabolism, muscle mass, and neurodegeneration.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Mitochondria as Communication Hubs: Beyond ATP production, mitochondria encode peptides ...
Neuro-Immune Interactions: Pain, Inflammation, Peptides & Healing | Isaac Chiu | Episode 303
How the nervous and immune systems communicate, using peptides and other signals, to regulate pain, itch, and inflammation.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Nociception & Pathogens: Sensory neurons detect bacterial toxins wi...
MOTS-c & Mitochondrial Peptides in Health & Aging | David Lee | Episode 302
Mitochondrial peptide MOTS-c is a stress-induced signal that reprograms cell metabolism.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Mitochondrial Roles: Not just ATP production, but “speaker of the house” via communication molecules that ...
Peptides & GHK-Copper in Skin Health | Rahi Sarbaziha | Ep 301
GHK-Copper and peptides in skin care, aging, and general health.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Endogenous Decline: GHK-copper levels peak in young adulthood then fall with age, reducing natural support for skin repair and col...
Peptides & Blood-Brain Barrier in Health & Disease | William Banks | Episode 300
Blood-brain barrier as a dynamic interface allowing selective passage of nutrients, peptides, and gut hormones.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Blood-Brain Barrier Structure: Capillary endothelial cells with tight junctions, ab...
Iron Overload & Lipid Peroxidation in Cell Death & Neurodegenerative Disease | Pamela Maher | Episode 299
Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent cell death pathway driven by lipid peroxidation; chronoferoptosis, in which chronic stress sensitizes neurons gradually.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Cell Death Pathways: Apoptosis proceeds thr...
GLP-1s & Novel Peptides in Obesity, Diabetes & Metabolic Health | Katrin Svensson | Episode 298
Endogenous peptide diversity, GLP-1 drugs, and methods for novel peptide discovery.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Peptide Structure & Production: Short amino acid chains (3-50 residues) cleaved from larger precursors by P...
Deuterium, Metabolic Water & Cancer | Gábor Somlyai | Episode 297
The possible role of deuterium (heavy isotope of hydrogen) in regulating cell division, mitochondrial metabolism & cancer.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Deuterium Basics: Deuterium is twice as massive as regular hydrogen;...
Do Antioxidant Supplements Promote Cancer? | Isaac Harris | Episode 296
New research finds that excess antioxidants can support tumor growth in preexisting cancers.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Oxidative Stress: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by mitochondrial metabolism cause damage; co...
Fructose Metabolism in Obesity, Dementia, Evolution | Richard Johnson | Episode 295
Fructose survival hypothesis: how fructose metabolism in the liver triggers ATP depletion, uric acid production, oxidative stress, lipogenesis & leptin resistance.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Glucose vs Fructose Metabolism:...
How to Lie With Science: Seed Oils & Inflammation | Livestream 1
Deep-dive into a 2026 cardiology review paper claiming seed oils reduce inflammation, exposing misrepresentations of cited clinical trials, and detailing how oxidized Ω-6 fats trigger inflammation.Companion article: Click
Ancestry & Genetic Diversity in Human Fat Metabolism: Seed Oils & Omega Fats | Floyd Chilton | Episode 294
Human genetic variation in dietary fat metabolism and its implications for health & disease.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Linoleic Acid Rise: Linoleic acid now comprises 6-8% or more of energy in Western diets.<...
Pregnenolone & Corticosteroids in Brain Health | Sherwood Brown | Episode 293
Pregnenolone, a neurosteroid derived from cholesterol, affects brain activity and shows promise for treating mood and substance abuse disorders.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Steroid Biosynthesis: Cholesterol converted to pre...
Omega Fats & ω-3 Supplements in Human Health | Bill Harris | Episode 292
How omega-3 fats in human health, including dietary intake needs, supplements, & omega fat testing.TOPICS DISCUSSED:ω-3 chemistry: EPA and DHA differ from plant ALA in chain length and double-bond count, mak...
Omega Polyunsaturated Fats in Inflammation | Philip Calder | Episode 291
How dietary fatty acids regulate the initiation, propagation, and resolution of inflammation.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Parenteral nutrition history: IV nutrition evolved from soybean oil alone in the 1960s to complex ble...
Reversing Alzheimer's & Neurodegeneration: Latest Science | Andrew Pieper | Episode 290
A metabolic view of Alzheimer's disease & the recent discovery of compounds that reverse advanced disease symptoms in mouse models by restoring mitochondrial health.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Classic Alzheimer’s pathology...
How Parental Exercise Effects Offspring Health | Kristin Stanford | Episode 289
How exercise in parents can improve the metabolic and cardiovascular health of their offspring through epigenetic mechanisms.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Parental exercise & offspring metabolic health: exercise before a...
Vagus Nerve Stimulation & Inflammation | Kevin Tracey | Episode 288
How the vagus nerve regulates inflammation; bioelectronic therapies to treat inflammatory conditions.Nick speaks with Dr. Kevin Tracey about inflammation as a major driver of modern diseases, the vagus nerve’s role in balancing immune re...
Light, Hunger & Mitochondria: Non-Image Forming Effects of Sunlight | Alexis Cowan | Episode 287
How light regulate circadian rhythms, mitochondrial function, hormones, and appetite.Nick & Dr. Alexis Cowan discuss non-image-forming effects of light on the body, from melanopsin-driven circadian signaling in the eye to UV-stimulat...
Sleep, Brain Fat & Oxidative Stress | Amita Sehgal | Ep 286
Is the fundamental purpose of sleep to remove oxidized fats from the brain?Nick & Dr. Amita Sehgal talk about the latest science on why animals sleep. Using fruit flies, her lab shows that waking generates oxidized lipids in neurons ...
Peptides for Tissue Repair: BPC-157, TB-500 & the "Wolverine Stack" | Episode 285
The science, hype, and unknowns surrounding popular peptides like BPC-157 & TB-500 ("Wolverine stack") for injury recovery & tissue repair.Nick & Dr. Flynn McGuire discuss the surge in peptide use for injury recovery. They co...
Obesity Resistance & Leanness | Jens Lund | Episode 284
Biology of obesity resistance and factors influencing weight gain in humans and animals.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Historical views on obesity: In some cultures, like northern Africa or Stone Age societies, high body fat ...
Mitochondria Genetics & Human Metabolic Variation in Health & Disease | Douglas Wallace | Episode 283
Mitochondria in human evolution, climate adaptation, maternal genetics, aging, and disease.TOPICS DISCUSSED:Endosymbiotic theory: Mitochondria arose from oxidative bacteria engulfed by archaea-like hosts, confir...
