Sigma Nutrition Radio

Gil Carvalho, physician and science communicator, and Mario Kratz, researcher on diet–disease links, discuss whether unprocessed red meat affects diabetes and cardiovascular risk. They examine cohort signals vs short RCTs. They debate mechanisms like saturated fat, heme iron and TMAO. They stress the importance of comparator foods, background diet, cuts and dose when interpreting the evidence.

Dr. Jenna Gillen, an exercise physiologist studying how movement and nutrition shape glucose metabolism. She discusses why brief post-meal activity blunts glucose spikes. She outlines low-volume interval training and tiny “exercise snacks” as time-efficient strategies. She explains who benefits most and how meal timing, carbs, and energy balance change outcomes.

Dr. David Creel, a clinical psychologist, registered dietitian, and exercise physiologist working in weight management at the Cleveland Clinic. He discusses tailoring recommendations to real-life contexts. He highlights collaborative communication, self-monitoring, habit-building, relapse prevention, and practical movement strategies like exercise snacking. He also covers how GLP-1 medicines change motivation and the need for structured behavior support.

Alan Flanagan, a nutrition scientist and educator who interprets clinical and mechanistic evidence, unpacks why omega-3 trials give mixed results. He breaks down trial design, dose, population risk and outcome choices. Short segments explore historical narratives, mechanisms like triglyceride effects, and why subgroup patterns and dosing explain much of the conflict.

Dr. Majid Fotuhi, neurologist and Johns Hopkins adjunct professor known for work on neuroplasticity and brain-health programs. He explains lifelong neuroplasticity and how modifiable risks like sleep, diet, exercise, stress and cognitive training shape cognition. He describes a multimodal 12-week approach, how to judge brain-health claims, and why genes increase risk but do not determine destiny.

Joanne Slavin, professor of nutrition science who researches fiber and cardiometabolic health. Alan Flanagan, microbiome researcher focused on bile acids and low-fiber diets. Andrew Reynolds, nutrition epidemiologist studying carbohydrate quality and population fiber effects. They debate whether fiber is essential, examine microbiome and bile acid shifts on animal-based diets, and discuss population recommendations and carbohydrate-quality measures.

Jose Areta, exercise-nutrition researcher studying how exercise and diet interact at the muscle-protein level. He discusses a tightly controlled study on short-term energy deficit plus aerobic training. Short, focused talk on dynamic proteomics, surprising mitochondrial gains, structural protein shifts, evolutionary trade-offs, and practical implications for athletes and weight-loss contexts.

Tera Fazzino, associate professor and addiction scientist studying obesity and eating behaviors. She explains a data-driven definition of hyper-palatable foods and the nutrient groupings that create them. She compares hyper-palatable to ultra-processed foods, explores mechanisms that drive overeating, discusses early exposure risks, and outlines research and regulatory next steps.

Dr. Matthew Nagra, naturopathic doctor and nutrition researcher, and Eric Helms, strength coach and sports-nutrition researcher, debate protein needs. They explore what the RDA means, dose-response for muscle and bone, how training status and energy balance change needs, and where benefits taper off. Practical ranges and long-term health context are discussed.

Brendan Egan, an Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise Physiology, shares his insights on maintaining functional capacity as we age. He discusses the importance of muscle strength and the concept of 'use it or lose it,' stressing that declines in muscle function can be modified with training. Egan highlights how short-term resistance training can yield lasting benefits and explores barriers to ongoing strength training for older adults. He emphasizes the need for individualized exercise programs tailored to personal capabilities to enhance independence in later life.