Mara Labs Podcast: Recent Episodes
David Roberts
Each week, scientists David Roberts and John Gildea and their guests will break down everything from complicated formulas behind supplement science to simple steps to improve your health - one day at a time.
David Roberts and Drs. John Gildea and Martin Katz discuss Mara Labs' new menopause product, MenoMize, highlighting its ingredients: black cohosh, carnosic acid, and resveratrol. Black cohosh stabilizes the hypothalamus, aiding sleep and mood. Resveratrol, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, benefits cardiovascular health and sleep. Carnosic acid activates NRF2, inhibits NF-kB, and stimulates AMPK, promoting detox and antioxidant responses. The product is suitable for both perimenopausal and menopausal women, and it can be taken long-term. They emphasized the importance of personalized medicine, taking into account factors such as hormone-binding globulin and genetic predispositions.
In this episode, David Roberts and Dr. John Gildea talk with Henlopan Sea Salt founder, Dave Burris and discuss: * Does salt really cause high blood pressure? — Dr. John Gildea explains salt sensitivity, why only a portion of people are affected, and the surprising concept of “inverse salt sensitivity.” * Sea salt vs. table salt — Dave Burris shares his experience making sea salt and why natural salts contain trace minerals that refined table salt lacks. * The Redmond Real Salt controversy — A discussion of heavy metals in salts, what testing shows, and why soil often contains far more. * The role of magnesium and potassium — How these minerals in sea salt can actually counterbalance sodium’s effects on blood pressure. * Local and global salt stories — From artisanal salt makers on U.S. coasts to Himalayan and Hawaiian varieties, the episode explores why not all salts are created equal.
Transcript
Join the Mara Labs founders as they sit down with Dr. Jon Brudvig to discuss his groundbreaking self‑experiment—the first of its kind—using sulforaphane in BrocElite to help mobilize and potentially detoxify the body from microplastics. Learn about the science behind sulforaphane, its role in cellular health, and why this research could open doors to new frontiers in microplastic detox.
🔬 Topics covered:
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Dr. Jon Brudvig’s pioneering self‑experiment
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The science of sulforaphane & BrocElite
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Microplastics and their impact on health
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Natural approaches to supporting detox pathways
If you’re curious about natural health, detox, microplastic exposure, and cutting‑edge nutrition science, you won’t want to miss this conversation!
Dr Martin Katz and Dr John Gildea discuss the mechanism of how GLPerfect works for natural weight support.
In this episode, David Roberts interviews James Barry of Pluck, an organ meat spice, about the genesis of pluck and importance of nutrient dense foods.
In this podcast, Dr. John Gildea discusses how he measures Nrf-2 and how BrocElite turns on this pathway to provide all the health benefits we read about.
In this podcast, Dr. John Gildea and Dr. Martin Katz discuss what Long Covid is, and what to do if you think you have it. John gives us his unique perspective on Long Covid's mechanism.
Dr. John Gildea and Dr. Martin Katz discuss the health benefits of resveratrol and highlight the new bioavailable resveratrol supplement, ResverElite, from Mara Labs.
In this episode, David Roberts and Dr. John Gildea interview Dr. Jesse Myers. Dr. Myers talks about a wide variety of topics including root canals, oral microbiome, how oral health impacts Alzheimer's disease, fluoride and his favorite toothpaste. Anti-Inflammatory Efficacy of Curcumin as an Adjunct to Non-Surgical Periodontal Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Zhang Y, Huang L, Zhang J, De Souza Rastelli AN, Yang J, Deng D. Anti-Inflammatory Efficacy of Curcumin as an Adjunct to Non-Surgical Periodontal Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Pharmacol. 2022;13:808460. Published 2022 Jan 24. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.808460 The Intermucosal Connection between the Mouth and Gut in Commensal Pathobiont-Driven Colitis Kitamoto S, Nagao-Kitamoto H, Jiao Y, et al. The Intermucosal Connection between the Mouth and Gut in Commensal Pathobiont-Driven Colitis. Cell. 2020;182(2):447-462.e14. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2020.05.048 Plant-Derived Exosomal MicroRNAs Shape the Gut Microbiota Teng Y, Ren Y, Sayed M, et al. Plant-Derived Exosomal MicroRNAs Shape the Gut Microbiota. Cell Host Microbe. 2018;24(5):637-652.e8. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2018.10.001 Efficacy of curcumin as an adjunct to scaling and root planning in chronic periodontitis patients: A clinical and microbiological study Nagasri M, Madhulatha M, Musalaiah SV, Kumar PA, Krishna CH, Kumar PM. Efficacy of curcumin as an adjunct to scaling and root planning in chronic periodontitis patients: A clinical and microbiological study. J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2015;7(Suppl 2):S554-S558. doi:10.4103/0975-7406.163537 The impact of the stone age diet on gingival conditions in the absence of oral hygiene Baumgartner S, Imfeld T, Schicht O, Rath C, Persson RE, Persson GR. The impact of the stone age diet on gingival conditions in the absence of oral hygiene. J Periodontol. 2009;80(5):759-768. doi:10.1902/jop.2009.080376 Porphyromonas gingivalis in Alzheimer's disease brains: Evidence for disease causation and treatment with small-molecule inhibitors Dominy SS, Lynch C, Ermini F, et al. Porphyromonas gingivalis in Alzheimer's disease brains: Evidence for disease causation and treatment with small-molecule inhibitors. Sci Adv. 2019;5(1):eaau3333. Published 2019 Jan 23. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aau3333 Secreted gingipains from Porphyromonas gingivalis increase permeability in human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells through intracellular degradation of tight junction proteins Nonaka S, Kadowaki T, Nakanishi H. Secreted gingipains from Porphyromonas gingivalis increase permeability in human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells through intracellular degradation of tight junction proteins. Neurochem Int. 2022;154:105282. doi:10.1016/j.neuint.2022.105282 Recipes: Zereshk Pollo https://www.instagram.com/p/CohYoWws_CY/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@drjessemyers/video/7198871142986157354 Regenerative Panang Curry https://www.instagram.com/p/CoTYdLWp_8G/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@drjessemyers/video/7196721381634018602
In this podcast, Dr. John Gildea and Dr. Martin Katz discuss the amazing health and anti-aging benefits of Resveratrol - the molecule in red wine thought to be responsible for the French Paradox.
So, in this podcast, Dr. John Gildea uses his 20 years of research in salt and kidneys to clarify many misconceptions about salt and it's impact on things like blood pressure. It was a fascinating and informative podcast for me to record, and one hope you will enjoy it!
In this episode, I have a quick conversation with Dr. John Gildea on how berberine differs from metformin in its anti-aging and blood glucose reduction. We also discuss how the two differ in their mechanisms and how they differ in relation to muscle growth.
In this episode, Dr. John Gildea shares a sleep tip that has helped him in his long Covid recovery. Listen in as he describes how to use a TENS unit to stimulate the vagus nerve which controls the rest and digest part of our nervous system.
In this podcast, Dr. Martin Katz discusses the importance of eating vegetables, and how his new children's book, Making a Magnificent You can be an excellent tool in communicting their importance to children.
John Gildea and David Roberts discuss the basics of sulforaphane. They highlight the confusion in the broccoli supplements due to how brands choose to call the precursor to sulforaphane, which is called glucoraphanin. They also highlight how sulforaphane is converted from glucoraphanin. And discuss some of the main benefits of sulforaphane.
2:00 – The difference between cell culture, animal and human studies
5:00 – how sulforaphane is made from broccoli
5:45 – Some organic seeds produce no sulforaphane
6:50 – What does BrocElite bring to the market?
8:00 – All but one other supplement has glucoraphanine – the precursor to sulforaphane. This needs to be converted in the gut
9:30 – if the enzyme myrosinase is added, it is a protein and gets degraded.
10:40 – if you have sulforaphane in the capsule, it gets into your bloodstream. If you have glucoraphanin, it may not
12:50 – Sulforaphane benefit of pain relief via anti-inflammation
14:00 – Fasting also gives the same benefits on pain as sulforaphane
15:30 – Sulforaphane benefit of brain health benefit from BDNF
19:15 – Sulforaphane benefit of Phase II detox
22:50 – The difference between a flush, cleanse and detox
25:00 – increase Nrf-2 by using molecules that work in synergy with sulforaphane
This week's podcast is pretty interesting. It's on the use of mega-dosing with Vitamin D3 to treat autoimmune diseases. John Gildea and his wife have birthdays a week apart. Some of us at Mara Labs took them out for a birthday dinner recently, and while there, his wife told me she takes 30,000 IUs of Vitamin D3 with K2-mk7 each day, which is not recommended for most people. In the podcast, we discuss the paper below, as well as D3's link to cancer.
Transcript
Link to the paper.
6:30 The upper level of D3 the body makes from the sun
7:13 Take Vitamin A with Vitamin D3
10:00 Cancer metastases and vitamin D
11:00 Vitamin D resistance, megadose vitamin D3 & autoimmune
12:30 25% underexpression of D3 receptors – both genetic and epigenetic
In this episode, Martin Katz M.D. and John Gildea, Ph.D. talk about the benefits of mother's breast milk, the infant microbiome, the importance of fats for infants and the issue with conventional infant formula. 4:00 - Breastfeeding tips
5:30 - What breastfeeding moms should eat
6:58 - Why conventional infant formula is bad
9:00 - Mary Enig, fats expert & Nourishing Traditions.
10:20 - Is raw milk safe for infants?
In this podcast, Dr. John Gildea and Dr. Martin Katz highlight three Nrf-2 Independent benefits of sulforaphane: 1) mitochondrial fusion,
2) inflammasone inhibition and
3) Nf-kB down regulation.
In this podcast, Dr. John Glidea and Dr. Martin Katz discuss the issues surrounding glutathione supplements and IVs.
Transcript
All broccoli supplements want consumers to believe they have sulforaphane in the capsule. But there are only two that actually do. One of them is Prostophane from France, which uses harsh chemical solvents to isolate sulforaphane. BrocElite is the other, and is the only naturally derived, stabilized sulforaphane product on the market.
In this podcast, we discuss how curcumin impacts the gut microbiome both positively in increasing it's diversity, and negatively if it reaches the colon.
Click here for the transcript.
In the conversation, Dr. Katz mentions the “Hygiene Hypothesis." Here is a link to a blog we did on the topic.
In this podcast, Dr. John Gildea and Dr. Martin Katz discuss why quercetin is great to use as an antihistamine for seasonal allergies.
In this podcast, Dr. John Gildea and Dr. Martin Katz discuss the various biological pathways that curcumin turns on and off to make it an amazing natural molecule for health and longevity.
Transcript
Detoxification is often called detox or flushes or cleanses. Most of the commercially available flushes or cleanses are often offered by health “gurus” but don’t have research that shows how well they work. Dr. Gildea and Dr. Katz recommend limiting your exposure to toxins by eating organic, avoiding the “dirty dozen,” and filtering your drinking water with a reverse osmosis filter. They also suggest avoiding GMOs that have glyphosate and gluten which both open your tight junction barrier.
Transcript
6:00: Detox vs flush vs cleanse
10:00: The three phases of detox
13:00: Chinese air pollution study
15:00: How toxins get into your body
21:30: The importance of clean water
27:30: Glyphosate (RoundUp) and our internal research
29.5: Gluten & casein impact on tight junctions
36.5: detoxing metals mercury & Cadmium
In this podcast, we discuss how berberine is an amazing molecule for your health. Here are some links to the topics we mention:
Transcript
Berberine and cholesterol
Our internal pre-clincal study how quickly our berberine product, BerbElite lowers blood sugar .
Berberine induces oxytocin production
Berberine is better than valium as a sleep aid, increasing serotonin and dopamine over 20%.
Berberine keeps NRF-2 in the nucleus .
Show Notes: BerbElite for lowering blood glucose
Blog:
- How to Get Into Ketosis Quickly
Blood Glucose Monitors:
- Keto Mojo Blood Glucose & Ketone Monitor on Amazon
- Precision Xtra
- Freestyle Libre Continuous Glucose Monitor
Keto Recipes:
- Keto-friendly Tikka Masala
- Keto-friendly Sautéed Mushroom & Onions
- The Fat Bread Flat Bread Pizza
- Keto, Fasting Mimicking Soup
- Keto-Friendly Guacamole Recipe
- Keto Coffee
Show Notes: Blog article on The Anti-Aging Effects of Sulforaphane on the Microbiome,
And the science article reviewed in that blog.
4:00: Brain inflammation
10:00: Importance of the mitochondria
12:00: How the microbiome impacts cognition
Transcript
In this podcast, Dr. Martin Katz and Dr. John Gildea discuss natural immunity to viruses and challenge to idea that ones immunity to Covid-19 last only 90 days.
In this podcast, Dr. John Gildea fields a question from the audience about how berberine impacts muscle mass.
Transcript
In this podcast, we discuss some health goals for the new year. We touch on the ProLon fasting mimicking diet, daily salt requirements, ashwagandha for stress, fat browning and the Wim Hof breathing method.
2:00 - ProLon
9:00 – Daily salt intake
29:00 - Ashwagandha
32:00 – Fat browning and immunity
33.40 – Wim Hof
In this podcast, I highlight five benefits of a ProLon fast: stem cell proliferation, autophage, mitophage, microbiome die off, and ease of the program.
The Mara Labs staff is doing a fast January 16-21. Join us!
Click here for the podcast transcript.
Webinar Highlights:
11:00 – What is the Nrf-2 pathway?
17:00 – What does glyphosate do to the Nrf-2 detox pathway
23:40 – What is sulforaphane?
27:00 – How sulforaphane negates the effect of glyphosate on Nrf-2.
30:50 – Overview of the Johns Hopkins clinical trial summary on Autistic children who took sulforaphane
Transcript found here
Slides found here
Sulforaphane is the best natural compound at activating of Nrf-2, the anti-inflammatory pathway. Curcumin is the best natural molecule at turning off the pro-inflammatory pathway Nf-kb.
Together, they work in synergy, were their combined benefit is larger than the sum of their individual benefits.
The Israeli Covid study referred to in the podcast can be found here.
Research papers looking at curcumin’s synergy with sulforaphane can be found here and here.
The transcript to this podcast can be found here.
This podcast highlights my son's school science project on the microbiome. He showed that the microbiome increased in diversity by 62% when changing from a moderate carbohydrate diet to a high fat diet for two days. The microbiome lab testing company that we highly recommend is ombrelab.com.
The definition of lifespan is simple - it's the number of years that you live. Defining healthspan is a bit more complicated. In this podcast, Dr. Martin Katz and Dr. John Glidea discuss the physical, mental and community-related aspects of healthspan.
Martin mentions Phil Maffetone's VO2 max research which can be found here.
John mentions tests for your biological age (vs. chronological age) which can be found here.
Heart rate recovery ( HRR ) is commonly defined as the decrease of heart rate at 1 minute after cessation of exercise. A 1999 study found Median HRR was 17 beats per minute, with a range from the 25th to the 75th percentile of 12 to 23 beats per minute. HRR under 13 is bad.
A transcript of this podcast can be found here.
The holidays are coming up, and they are synonymous with friends, family, lots of turkey, and good food. And if you're like me, you have a tummy ache at the end of it. Inevitably, I overeat. I'll just admit it right now.
And so I asked Martin to join me today and share his amazing game plan that he follows every year. I have a few things that I've learned through trial and error. We'll talk about how to be mindful so that you don't tank your health over the whole holiday season.
I recently sat down with John Gildea to discuss his view of how our sleep impacts our health. In this conversation, we cover a proverbial smorgasbord of topics including blue light, ideal room temperature, ideal sleep time, Ashwagandha, the best withanolide for sleep, sleep supplements, and how alcohol and blood glucose impact sleep.
SleepElite: https://mara-labs.com/products/sleepelite
Transcript: https://mara-labs.com/blogs/journal/john-gildea-on-sleep-as-a-pillar-to-health