The PricePlow Podcast

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/shawn-baier-hmb-093 We’ve lately seen a lot of buzz about β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate, otherwise known as HMB. After diving deep into the ingredient — which has been with us since the 1980s but wasn’t fully understood or marketed correctly in those early decades — we’re glad to see it making a comeback with supplement formulators who are using it correctly. In fact, we recently published our ultimate guide to HMB titled “HMB (β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate): Performance-Driven Muscle Supplement“, explaining when and how the leucine metabolite is used best. In the above article, we review the history of HMB and go over some of the methodological flaws that led to inconsistent results in HMB studies — including one “HMB study” that didn’t even contain any HMB at all! As you’ll see in today’s podcast, this ingredient has been through quite a saga – which is why we’re very excited about our PricePlow podcast guest today! To give us the real story, we had Shawn Baier, a sports nutrition scientist and former competitive powerlifter who’s been working with HMB since the very beginning of its rise in the late 80s and early 90s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_INxdWytv5A Detailed Show Notes with Shawn Baier: The Resurgence of HMB (0:00) – Why Are We Talking About HMB? (0:50) – Shawn Baier Introduction (3:10) – Trends In the Supplement Industry (3:30) – History of HMB (4:45) – History of Powerlifting (8:15) – Some PricePlow History (8:45) – Introduction to HMB (10:00) – Synchronicity in Research (10:45) – BCAA Metabolites Research in the 1980s (12:00) – How HMB Became A Human Supplement (15:45) – HMB In Context (16:00) – Dual Effect of HMB (17:15) – Partnership With TSI Group, Ltd. (17:45) – The Medical Importance of Muscle Health (18:05) – The Inevitability of Muscle Loss (18:45) – The Importance of Prevention (19:15) – Economies of Scale in HMB for Agriculture (20:45) – Why Arginine and Glutamine in early HMB research? (22:30) – Why Is Lysine Important? (27:18) – Why Muscle Growth Signaling Molecules Like HMB Matter (31:15) – HMB’s Role In Tissue Remodeling (33:00) – Protein Quality (34:45) – Eat Quality Food! (36:00) – The Problem With Some HMB Studies (38:00) – Great research bringing other great ingredients (40:30) – Does HMB Matter, Practically Speaking? (42:31) – More Methodological Problems With HMB Studies (46:00) – Specific Examples of HMB-Beneficial Settings (49:25) – There Has To Be A Stressor! (53:00) – The Negative HMB Study… That Used an Adulterated Supplement WITH NO HMB! (57:00) – Funding Studies and Efficacy Testing (1:00:00) – Getting More Specific (1:05:00) – Vitamin D Levels, Another Confounding Variable (1:13:00) – Diet and HMB (1:17:30) – Muscle Damage, Not Just For Athletes! (1:18:45) – Does HMB Help A Good Diet? (1:23:30) – Sales Pitch? No – The Science Speaks For Itself (1:26:30) – Vitamin D Deficiency a Bigger Problem Than You Think (1:32:15) – Protein Requireme… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/spencer-lynn-092 In mid-April of 2023, we hosted Spencer Lynn, the northeast regional manager at KOS, a popular supplement company in the natural foods community. In this episode, we discuss: Spencer’s transition from the military to working in the dietary supplement industry The state of nutrition in MREs given to the military when deployed Selling KOS supplements into retail stores Using LinkedIn as a networking tool The recent 100 mile ultra-marathon Spencer completed! Video: Spencer Lynn Goes Hard in the Paint https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIaQZUGLGu0 Show Notes: Spencer Lynn on Diet in the Military, KOS Supplements and Ultra-Marathons Detailed Show Notes coming soon! Follow Spencer and KOS Spencer Lynn on Instagram: @slynn46 Spencer Lynn on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/spencerlynn46/ KOS on Instagram: @KOS You can also sign up for PricePlow’s KOS news to get notified when any new KOS product updates hit the market!

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/chris-waldrum-nutrex-research-091 A lot has changed since we last talked to Chris Waldrum, who graced us with his presence in the legendary Episode #69 on the PricePlow Podcast. This time around, he’s recently begun managing the new direction of the brand at Nutrex Research (named the “Nutrex Rebirth“), so we brought him on to talk about the transition from his sale of Inspired Nutraceuticals and on to Nutrex’s rebrand coming this year. We’ve long had a great relationship with Nutrex, spanning back to a trip we took in 2018 where we met the leadership team. Five years later, we’re still big fans of products like the Gummy Bear flavor of Outlift, still a house favorite flavor, and IsoFit is one of the most incredible isolates on the market – and more people need to know about it. That is Chris’ job – to retell the Nutrex story to the next generation of athletes, and remind them how a major brand with serious international power can still throw its weight around in America. The first product to rebrand is Outlift Amped, so that’s what you can look forward to first. You can watch on YouTube below or listen on any number of podcast apps: Video: Chris Waldrum Heads up the 2023 Nutrex Research Rebrand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOTV7-ZozhU Show Notes: Chris Waldrum Leads the Nutrex Research 2023 Rebrand (0:00) – Re-Introductions (1:20) – The Beginning of Inspired Nutraceuticals (5:00) – DVST8 and the Takeover (7:50) – How did moving away from Inspired transpire? (11:20) – What’s next for Chris? (14:10) – Nutrex going forward… (16:45) – Chris and his design/consultancy work (21:52) – Who is Nutrex Research? (31:22) – What are the plans for formulas changing or will they stay the same? (36:01) – Compliance when working for a big company who distributes globally (43:25) – What is the plan for lower-income international markets? (51:04) – Formulating products with synergism (55:31) – Will we see transparency in terms of manufacturing? (1:00:01) – How important is transparency in building a brand? (1:08:09) – What is going to happen with Lipo-6? (1:16:34) – How does your mindshift change from being at a smaller brand like Inspired to a huge brand like Nutrex? (1:19:20) – What do you think the hardest part of working at a big brand will be? (1:21:03) – What type of athletes are Nutrex looking to bring on? (1:29:03) – Changing the thought process of the human race (1:36:03) – Issues within the industry (1:44:01) – Are you using AI for anything business wise currently? As always, an incredible time with Chris! Follow Chris and Nutrex Research Chris Waldrum on Instagram: @ChrisWaldrum Nutrex Research on Instagram: @NutrexResearch And as always… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/glaxon-2023-michael-bischoff-joey-savage-090 Prepare yourselves for a doozy. A year and a half after the unforgettable Episode #057 on Glaxon Goon Day, Team PricePlow returned to Houston, TX to catch up with Michael Bischoff and Joey Savage of Glaxon for April Fools weekend. What’s Glaxon up to in 2023?! Glaxon put together an incredible event on April 1st to showcase some of their newest innovations, and it was no joke. We were able to two forthcoming products and a third experimental local drink: Glaxon Energy Drink Glaxon Super Cereal A Glaxon-formulated craft beer Just like last time, this was a legendary podcast, covering ongoing issues with the above products (and their ingredients), choline overconsumption, genetically-modified foods and supplement ingredients, and other recent and upcoming launches from Glaxon. After that, we returned from dinner to close out with a discussion on artificial intelligence and the use of AI models like ChatGPT in the dietary supplement industry. Brace yourselves for a long, educational, and thought-provoking conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLSkqMgEO9E Show Notes: Coming Soon Detailed Show Notes are Coming Soon, but below is a list of egg studies asked for in YouTube The egg studies 1. Eggs and Fatty Liver, USA: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32928581/ 2. Eggs and Fatty Liver, Iran: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5387362/ 3. Eggs and eczema: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17573718/ 4. Eggs and Metabolic Syndrome, China: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34506988/ 5. Eggs and Diabetes 1, USA: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4861752/ 6. Eggs and Diabetes 2, USA: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32453379/ 7. Eggs and TMAO: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4135488/ 8. Eggs and Heart Disease / Mortality: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6439941/ 9. Eggs and Heart Failure, Sweden: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26399866/ 10. Eggs, Diabetes, and Heart Disease 1, USA: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10217054/ 11. Eggs, Diabetes, and Heart Disease 2, USA: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17179903/ 12. Eggs, Diabetes, and Heart Disease: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2911502/ 13. Eggs, Diabetes, Mortality, Greece: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2796.2006.01638.x 14. Eggs, Diabetes, Mortality, USA: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2386667/…… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/sibyl-swift-lance-blundell-cbdmd-089 On March 27, 2023 we hosted a tremendous conversation with Dr. Sibyl Swift and Lance Blundell of cbdMD, a premier hemp-based health solution company that sells CBD — and even THC — based supplements. In Lance’s words, they are a “hemp-extracted cannabinoid company”. Sibyl is cbdMD’s Chief Science Officer & VP of Regulatory Affairs, while Lance is the General Counsel at cbdMD. Together, they provide a powerhouse combination of science and regulatory affairs, and in the hemp-based industry, there’s plenty to discuss on that front. After getting into their backgrounds, we discuss the ongoing issues between the FDA and CBD supplements, how cbdMD can legally sell THC products online, what CBD can actually do for consumers, and they problems a legitimate company like cbdMD faces in this wild world. This one’s a good one, and it won’t be our last. As major updates regarding the FDA’s regulatory situation with CBD arise, and hemp-based research moves forward, we’ll be sure to have them back on. Watch on YouTube below, or listen on your favorite podcast app in our audio feeds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZoR0IOZGWc Sybil Swift and Lance Blundell of cbdMD: Detailed Show Notes (0:00) – Introductions – Dr. Sibyl was at the FDA! (5:00) – cbdMD – Who they are and the goals for the company (9:45) – The CBD Market and what’s happening within this space (11:50) – Compliance is the hardest complication with CBD & Hemp (16:30) – How should the FDA deal with CBD and Hemp companies like yourself? (20:30) – Partnering with Whoop for a study (22:00) – Sibyl talks about her time working for the FDA (27:45) – What exactly have the FDA said about CBD (33:20) – How does the FDA regulate CBD when it is a much bigger market than supplements (35:00) – Why is it legal for cbdMD to sell THC over the counter like they do? (40:00) – CBD and Delta 8, turning CBD into Delta 8 (42:00) – The ratio of CBD to THC and how it feels when taken as a supplement (44:45) – The difference between cbdMD and other people in the space selling CBD (49:45) – Bringing CBD into the sport and athlete market (53:15) – EnXtra and how it works (58:30) – What claims can be made for CBD/THC etc? (1:05:25) – Claims can’t be made due to the FDA’s stance on CBD (1:09:20) – Does getting high have anything to do with the safety of the ingredient? (1:11:32) – What are the concerns for safety with people buying CBD? (1:13:28) – How can we help you here at PricePlow and in the Supplement industry in general? (1:16:54) – Have you looked into endocannabinoids and things like Anandamide? (1:19:30) – How do you see the future of CBD and Hemp? Thank you to Dr. Sibyl and Lance for joining us! How to follow Dr. Sybil, Lance, and cbdMD: Dr. Sibyl Swift on LinkedIn Lance Blundell on LinkedIn cbdMD on LinkedIn cbdMD on Instagram You can also sign up for PricePlow’s cbdMD news alerts and we’ll contact you when new cbdMD content or product updates occur through our system!

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/dan-lourenco-ghost-lifestyle-2023 After winning Brand of the Year for the third straight time during PricePlow’s 2022 Supplement Industry Awards, we invited Ghost Lifestyle’s Dan Lourenço back onto the PricePlow Podcast for his fourth appearance on the show. We recapped 2022 with him, and then got Ghost’s 2023 plans underway. Inside, we talked about what a great year Ghost had, especially with Ghost Energy blowing up. But being in every major category, what’s the next big thing for Ghost to get into? For a long time, they’ve been working on a functional food — maybe we’ll get to see it in 2023, but only if it’s ready. Dan also gave us some heads up on Ghost Legend V3, which will have a few unique twists. Ghost Gamer is likely to get some minor change as well. They’ll be leaning heavily into wellness, with their sports nutrition lineup and proteins very well squared away. Hilariously, Dan gets caught drinking a black can in the video… and it turns out to be a “fake” product we think they should release! Find out what it is inside! Video: Watch Dan talk about Ghost Lifestyle for 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IUBxykYV7g Detailed Show Notes: Dan Lourenço #4 on the PricePlow Podcast (0:00) – Introduction (01:42) – Dan’s background in the supplement industry (03:48) – The challenges of starting a supplement company (06:29) – The evolution of the supplement industry (09:16) – The story behind Ghost Lifestyle (12:33) – The importance of branding in the supplement industry (14:21) – The role of social media in building a supplement brand (19:24) – How Ghost differentiates itself in a crowded market (23:11) – The importance of ingredient transparency (25:07) – The challenges of ingredient transparency (27:35) – Ghost Lifestyle’s product development process (32:05) – Ghost’s plans for 2023 (34:27) – The future of supplement regulation (37:13) – 2020’s impact on the supplement industry (40:20) – Ghost Legend V3 Pre-Workout (41:20) – Ghost Lifestyle’s approach to innovation (45:15) – Ghost Lifestyle’s approach to marketing (50:05) – The importance of community in the supplement industry (57:16) – The importance of staying true to your brand’s values (59:50) – The future of Ghost Lifestyle (1:00:20) – Ghost Sparkling Water?! (1:03:15) – Dan’s advice for aspiring supplement entrepreneurs (1:06:15) – Rapid-fire questions (1:08:32) – TMNT Collab Returning Conclusion Dan Lourenco shares his insights and experiences in the supplement industry, from the challenges of starting a new brand to the importance of building a strong community around your products. He also shares his vision for the future of Ghost and offers valuable advice for aspiring supplement entrepreneurs. Listen to our other Podcasts with Dan Dan Lourenco & Ryan Hughes – Ghost Energy V2 | PPP #035 Dan Lourenco: The State of Supplements in Esports | PPP #041 … Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/taylor-knox-nutramedia During the 2023 Arnold Sports Festival, we had the chance to sit down for a long conversation with Taylor Knox of NutraMedia, a premier branding firm that’s well known for their incredible label designs. Taylor came up through NutraBolt / Cellucor, worked on the first round of Glaxon labels, and is now running his own business with a team of artists who are building some of the best labels in the business at NutraMedia. This conversation was fiery, talking about everything from Taylor’s history in the industry to his plans for a documentary and highly-specific label printer technologies that make some labels stand out from others. This is a must-listen podcast for any PricePlow follower, especially if you’re an industry insider looking for some insights on branding and labeling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_2KUAzWn88 Show Notes: Going to Brand Therapy with Taylor Knox Detailed Show Notes Coming Soon Where to follow Taylor and NutraMedia Taylor Knox on LinkedIn NutraMedia on LinkedIn NutraMedia’s website: NutraMedia References

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/elan-sudberg-alkemist-labs In early March of 2023, we hosted Elan Sudberg of Alkemist Labs on the PricePlow Podcast. Alkemist Labs is the place you go to get testing done on botanicals and mushrooms — they are even federally licensed to test psychoactive substances. They can be considered “plant and fungus cops”. In this episode, Elan educates us on the importance and challenges of botanicals testing, covering technologies like HPTLC and DNA testing and how to appropriately test new substances. We get into some of the market trends and challenges that arose in 2020, and then head into the psychedelic space, discussing cannabis, psilocybin, ketamine, the fentanyl crisis, vaping, and far more. Finally, we ask what Elan would do if he were made emperor for a day, and he gives a pretty detailed answer that’s indicative of the problems he sees in his corner of the world. Great episode, we’ll definitely have him back on in the future. Detailed show notes are below! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2DIJ02qfqo Show Notes: Talking Testing with Elan Sudberg of Alkemist Labs (0:00) – Introductions (2:15) – Testing Botanicals and Mushrooms (3:30) – DNA testing (7:10) – Testing Example: Cordyceps (10:30) – What is the main concern right now? (15:30) – Why is there so much discrepancy in the testing industry? (18:30) – Have you had to pioneer your own reference material? (21:30) – What if you don’t have any background on an ingredient? (24:30) – Ingredient companies with new ingredients (28:00) – Trends from the Testing Perspective (31:20) – Psilocybin (35:30) – Psychadelic therapy, mostly ketamine (43:30) – Fentanyl Crisis (48:30) – Mystery powders (50:40) – Vaping industry (55:00) – Elan as Emperor for a Day

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/todd-spear-katie-emerson-nutrition21-085 In February of 2023, NutraIngredients-USA held the Sports & Active Nutrition Summit USA in San Diego, CA. This three-day event features expert presentations, panel discussions, and networking opportunities for everyone in the active nutrition industry. Colloquially referred to as just “Summit” to industry insiders, this has become one of the most high-powered networking events in the industry. It’s filled with both business leaders and nutritional science experts, providing a perfect cross-section for PricePlow’s followers. We maintained tradition by recording another podcast with the Nutrition21 team — Todd Spear (Sports Nutrition Category Leader) and Katie Emerson (Manager of Scientific Affairs) — a sponsor of PricePlow and the Summit. This is a follow-up to a previous PricePlow Podcast episode (#075) from SupplySide West 2022, and continues the conversation forward. Katie tells us about the presentation she delivered, and the team dives into hot industry topics and Nutriton21’s well-known dietary supplement ingredients like Nitrosigine, nooLVL, Chromax, and Velositol. You can watch on YouTube below, or listen on your favorite podcast app in our audio feeds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4AwUGKfTzI Todd Spear & Katie Emerson #2: Detailed Show Notes (0:00) – Introduction (1:45) – Katie Emerson’s Presentation for Nutrition21 at Summit West (4:30) – Leading industry ingredients using the “gold standard” (6:00) – Todd’s supporting formulation (8:15) – PreRace – Do Endurance athletes want pump? (9:00) – The shift from sports nutrition to active nutrition and lifestyle (11:30) – ProSupps Hyde at Walmart – Mass consumer (FDM) (14:30) – It all started with less efficacious products… (15:45) – Interest in Mechanisms of Action (18:00) – Formulating for the 5 million (21:45) – Velositol on Howard Stern (25:00) – Todd’s N=1 Experiment with Velositol (30:00) – Chromax: The Chromium Workhorse (33:00) – The Placebo Effect (40:45) – What is an “average person” for a study anymore? (49:00) – Katie’s presentation: products that cross categories (51:00) – Lustriva (skin care ingredient) (56:00) – Closing up and general conversation

https://blog.priceplow.com/industry-news/nmn-fda Mike gives the situation report on the FDA vs. NMN, reading his long-form article titled NMN, FDA, and the Supplement Industry’s Fight for Its Life as it stands through February 20, 2023. This should get you up to speed on the situation the dietary supplement industry finds itself in, where the FDA has decided to pull a New Dietary Ingredient Notification (NDIN) for reasons unrelated to safety – something that is not granted in any law or regulation. You’ll learn about the New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) process (which is a notification, not an approval), GRAS (generally recognized as safe) affirmation, DSHEA 1994, and the biochemistry and health importance NMN — which is quite literally just a B vitamin (and a rather powerful one) that’s found rather commonly in nature. We also get into David Sinclair and the Joe Rogan Experience, although they’re rather irrelevant to the legal side of this case. Follow along on YouTube or read the article at https://blog.priceplow.com/industry-news/nmn-fda