Mind & Matter

Send us a textShort Summary: Deep dive into preventive medicine, personalized nutrition, and systems biology, providing listeners with actionable insights on optimizing health through diet & microbiome management.About the guest: Momo Vuyisich is a biologist with a background in government science, focusing on drug development before shifting to preventive medicine. He holds a PhD in biochemistry and is currently Chief Science Officer of Viome, a startup company dedicated to personalized health through microbiome analysis.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and for free on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.Episode Summary: Dr. Vuyisich discusses the transformative potential of preventive medicine by drawing parallels between human health and systems biology, particularly through the lens of the gut microbiome. He explains how Viome uses comprehensive testing (stool, blood, saliva), providing personalized dietary and supplement recommendations based on individual physiological data. Covers the complexity of diseases like IBD, the impact of modern lifestyle on our microbiome, and more.Key Takeaways:Disconnection from Nature: Modern lifestyles have disrupted our symbiotic relationship with nature, leading to microbiome degradation through factors like antibiotics, preservatives, and hygiene practices.Personalized Nutrition: Viome's approach involves tailoring food recommendations & supplements to an individual's unique microbiome and physiological needs, highlighting that food impacts can vary greatly between individuals.Testing for Prevention: Regular testing with tools like Viome's full body intelligence test can help in making informed dietary changes to prevent diseases before they manifest.Lifestyle Over Medication: Many chronic conditions can potentially be managed or prevented through lifestyle adjustments rather than lifelong medication, emphasizing the need for a preventive rather than reactive strategy.Related episodes:M&M #178: Microbiome & Gut-Immune InteractionsSupport the showAll episodes (audio & video), show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. Learn all the ways you can support my efforts

Send us a textShort Summary: A deep dive into the enigmatic world of sleep, exploring its biological functions, evolutionary origins, and diverse manifestations across different species.About the Guest: Nicola Segata, PhD is a professor at the University of Trento in Italy.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.Episode Summary: Dr. Segata explains metagenomics, the study of genetic material from multiple species, and how it has revolutionized microbiome research; microbiome transmission from mother to child; stability and plasticity of the microbiome throughout life stages; obesity and cancer; influence of diet, lifestyle, and medications like antibiotics on microbiome composition.Key Takeaways:Microbiome Variability: The human microbiome varies significantly between individuals and is influenced by genetics, environment, diet, and lifestyle. Thus, personalized approaches to microbiome health may be necessary.Transmission and Acquisition: Microbes are transmitted vertically from mother to child at birth and horizontally through personal interactions. This transmission can influence health outcomes over one's lifetime.Impact of Diet and Drugs: Diet, particularly coffee consumption, can significantly shape the microbiome, with some bacteria growing in response to specific dietary components. Medications like antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors can also markedly alter microbial communities.Health Implications: The microbiome is linked to various health conditions, from metabolic diseases to cancer, with some treatments like fecal microbiota transplantation showing promise in altering microbiome composition for health benefits.Ancient vs. Modern Microbiomes: Studies on ancient microbiomes, like the Iceman's, suggest that modern urban microbiomes differ from those of our ancestors, potentially impacting modern health issues.Related episodes:M&M #178: Microbiome & Gut-Immune Interactions in Obesity & Metabolic Health | June RSupport the showAll episodes (audio & video), show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. Learn all the ways you can support my efforts

Send us a textShort Summary: A deep dive into the enigmatic world of sleep, exploring its biological functions, evolutionary origins, and the diverse manifestations across different species.Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.About the Guest: Vlad Vyazovskiy, PhD is a Professor of Sleep Physiology at the Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics at Oxford University.Key Takeaways:Sleep as a Mystery: Despite extensive research, the fundamental reason why animals sleep remains elusive, with no comprehensive theory yet agreed upon.Local Sleep Phenomenon: Sleep might not be a whole-brain event; even within a sleeping brain, different areas can be in different states of activity or rest.Sleep in Animals: Sleep varies widely among species, from micro-sleeps in penguins to unihemispheric sleep in dolphins, suggesting sleep could serve multiple, context-dependent functions.Synaptic Homeostasis: The hypothesis suggests that sleep could be crucial for renormalizing synaptic connections formed during wakefulness, although this idea is still under scrutiny.Hibernation & Torpor: These states relate to sleep but involve significant metabolic changes, possibly acting as survival mechanisms by conserving energy and reducing detectability by predators.Psychedelics & Sleep: Research shows psychedelics like 5-MeO-DMT can induce states where animals show signs of sleep in their brain activity while physically active, hinting at complex interactions between brain states and consciousness.Related episodes:M&M #43: Sleep, Dreaming, Deep Neural Networks, Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence, Overfitted Brain Hypothesis, Evolution of Fiction & Art | Erik HoelM&M #16: Sleep, Dreams, Memory & the Brain | Bob Stickgold*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes (audio & video), show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. Learn all the ways you can support my efforts

Send us a textPodcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.About the Guest: Alex Wiltschko holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard, focusing on olfaction. He transitioned from academic research to AI at Google before founding Osmo, where he applies his expertise in digitizing scents. He aims to innovate in areas like fragrance design and health applications.Episode Summary: Dr. Wiltschko explores the science of smell, discussing the divide between aroma and olfaction studies and how biological metabolism influences scent. He explains how only a tiny fraction of molecules emitted by strawberries are responsible for their smell, illustrating the precision of olfactory perception. The conversation also covers how Osmo is working to digitize scent, creating technology for safer, custom fragrances and potential future applications like non-invasive disease detection through scent.Key Takeaways:Aroma vs. Olfaction: There's a significant distinction in how the chemistry of scent creation (aroma) and brain processing of scents (olfaction) are studied, with little crossover between these fields.Biological Metabolism and Scent: Scent molecules are often byproducts of biological processes, with a complex relationship to nutrition and survival cues.Digitizing Scent: Osmo is pioneering the use of AI to digitize and manipulate scents, potentially revolutionizing fragrance design and detection technologies.Fragrance Innovation: The company focuses on creating unique, safe, and affordable fragrances for smaller brands, leveraging AI for quick design and production.Related episodes:M&M #114: Marijuana, Plant Chemistry, Terpenes, Volatile Sulfur Compounds, Cannabis Industry, What Pungent Weed Smells Like & Why | Iain OswaldM&M #22: Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Animal Behavior & Giving Computers a Sense of Smell | Alex Wiltschko*Not medical advice.Support the showAll episodes (audio & video), show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack Affiliates: MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off. Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for 10% off. Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription. Learn all the ways you can support my efforts