The PricePlow Podcast

In September of 2019 at the annual Mr. Olympia convention, Ben and Mike interviewed one of our favorite sports nutrition and bodybuilding experts – John Meadows of Granite Supplements. This bodybuilder, former banker, business founder, and family man lets us in on some of the cutting practices used back in the day, his thoughts of the importance of sleep, how to bulk, and much more. At the end of this interview, he alludes to the new Granite Supplements Protein, and it’s as good as he said it would be! John Meadows Tells All | Mr. Olympia 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmOXB74p5gQ

In July of 2019, Ben visited Mike in Texas to film some content. But first they sat down, stimmed up with their favorite caffeine sources, and caught up on the industry and where they’ve been. Ben and Mike Catch Up | July 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNdTQ0ayhF0 Timestamps: :45 catch up on life 7:15 Ben’s training 15:20 Coming from “NutraBio University” 19:00 Ghost hitting the industry 34:00 Mfit’s launch 40:00 Mike’s new mission in the industry 50:30 Insulin talk 1:09:00 What we’re excited for in the second half of the year

While we at PricePlow love to talk about new brands, product releases, and new flavor variations, we strive to remain up-to-date with the business side of things within the supplement industry. It’s sometimes easy to neglect the inner workings of the industry – regulations, suits, etc. But, its extremely important to us that we cover this area and keep our readers in the know! In April of 2019, PricePlow founder and CEO Mike Roberto sat down with Robert Tauler of Tauler-Smith LLP to discuss legal workings within the supplement industry. Robert, an attorney who earned his law degree from Harvard in 2005, has spent many years dealing with various legal situations in the world of food and dietary supplements, and specializes in the area of branding and marketing. In this video interview, Mike and Robert talked specifically about false advertising lawsuits – the rules in place, how issues arise, and how to avoid them! The interview is extremely informative, and we highly recommend checking it out. We’ll link it below, but if you’re someone who’d just rather have some of the key points, we have you covered there, too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH7RA5vrj38 Below are the comprehensive show notes for readers, but first, be sure to subscribe to our podcast! The regulatory bodies, laws, and regulations Issues in the supplement industry seem to consistently circulating, and that’s due to a number of factors! Our world is highly entrepreneurial, and in regards to the supplement industry in particular, there are low barriers to entry. Many of these firms are small businesses, looking to provide supplements that they believe in to the masses! Laws have been set into place in order to keep consumers safe, however. The “Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994” (DSHEA) is the dominating federal law that regulates the industry. It outlines everything – what constitutes a dietary supplement, labeling, claims that can/cannot be made, and even proper manufacturing practices! Some states can even have their own additional laws. California is one such example – they enforce their own regulations, which is noteworthy given the state is such a vast market! There are two main enforcers of these regulations are the FDA and FTC. Despite the two being separate federal agencies, they actually overlap quite a bit in most cases. The FTC governs marketing specifically! They tend to focus more on “big-ticket, nationwide” items, and are more interested in regulating highly profitable, large companies. They also enforce FDA regulations, as well, in addition to being able to hand down their own punishments. The FDA establishes most of the rules and regulations regarding what people ingest, be it food or supplements. They can investigate and police their policies, and recommend troublesome cases to the Department of Justice. Common supplement and food industry false advertising lawsuits Now that you have a brief overview of the structure of the industry and its policing agencies, let’s get into what some of the issues that come up are! While the laws in place are essential, they can sometimes be quite confusing, especially for those who aren’t well-versed in them! Common issues within the industry One cannot claim to cure/mitigate a disease in nutritional supplements! Implied disease claims are even problematic – you can’t say something like “improves your joints” in ma… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

In June of 2019, we had The Guerrilla Chemist on the PricePlow Podcast after the successful release of Chemix Pre Workout and Beast Super Test MAX, both of which formulated by “TGC”. We get into his background a bit, and then he teases Neuro Beast, which we downright love! Our Guerrilla Chemist Interview from June 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJZmlJgiHoY Check out our Beast Sports Nutrition and Chemix pages to sign up for news alerts and save!

We were lucky enough to have the legendary Dave Palumbo of RX Muscle, Species Nutrition, and Muscle Serpents University join us for thirty minutes to introduce himself to the channel and focus on his well-known supplement company, Species Nutrition: Our Dave Palumbo Interview from May 12, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1NPZ_rhFOs In the video, we discuss Species Nutrition, Dave’s high-protein Ultra Low-Carb Diet, being ahead of the curve (maybe Dave should get that macadamia nut oil supplement going now!), and much more, including Dave’s snake breeding hobby/passion! Some of the Species supplements discussed are Isolyze, Testolyze, and Fiberlyze. Snake Breeding?! That’s right, bodybuilding will always be Dave’s first love, but another passion of his is snake breeding. You can see more about this on Palumbo’s Pythons and check out his other YouTube channel, Muscle Serpents University. He also has a channel named Muscle Fish, but definitely seems to be into the snakes a bit more lately. Interesting stuff from one hell of an interesting and experienced guy!

Get ready for a high-energy discussion with Matt Mosman of EndurElite, where we introduced Matt and covered his background, and then got into the Best Supplements for Endurance Athletes! Our Matt Mosman Interviews from Fall of 2018 The YouTube Videos were broken into two sections, but the audio feed is one segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_OOv8tmPn8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vosTEG17Z4w Quite a bit of knowledge dropped here, as we discuss things like carbohydrates, beta alanine, caffeine, creatine, PeakO2, betaine, taurine, and even fat adaptation for ultra endurance athletes!

What is Velositol? Velositol is a unique chromium / amylopectin complex that increases muscle protein synthesis (MPS) when combined with protein and exercise. It is GRAS affirmed (generally recognized as safe) at the recommended serving of 2 grams per day in protein drinks (including ready-to-drink and powder), meal replacement bars, energy and protein bars, with the consideration that these products can be taken up to three times a day. Velositol is manufactured and sold by one of the most prominent supplement ingredient suppliers, Nutrition21. You may know them from their other patented ingredients, Nitrosigine (a popular nitric oxide enhancing ingredient) and Chromax (a form of chromium supported by over 50 studies). Thanks to Nutrition21’s extensive knowledge of chromium and its ability to assist insulin (often for purposes of glucose metabolism and weight management), the creation of Velositol for muscle-building purposes was a logical next step. This is a promising new ingredient, to say the least. There has been some highly-successful preliminary human research on Velositol (but with smaller protein doses), while newer animal-based research with higher doses of protein combined with the ingredient also proved successful, although to a lesser degree. In this article, we will cover this research and the mechanisms behind the ingredient, thanks to the help of Nutrition21’s science team and the products using Velositol listed at the bottom of this post. What is Velositol? Watch our Interview with Todd Spear from Nutrition21! If you’d rather listen and watch than read, then check out PricePlow’s founder, Mike Roberto, talking to Nutrition21’s Todd Spear about Velositol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXw89RGOLWs What does Velositol do, and how? Velositol increases muscle protein synthesis (MPS) in combination with protein and exercise and it works by enhancing insulin sensitivity, resulting in greater uptake of amino acids into muscle, fueling MPS. Chromium picolinate, one of the main ingredients in Velositol, has been shown to improve insulin action, as well as increase the metabolism of nutrients. Increased insulin action causes various anabolic effects such as increases in the metabolism of nutrients (such as carbohydrates, lipids, and protein) and increases in the rate of glucose and amino acid uptake in muscle cells. Therefore, Velositol is thought to stimulate MPS via improved insulin activity. Insulin means everything The pros seem to far outweigh the cons… so why not give it a try? Healthy insulin activity is vital for MPS because in the presence of a protein containing essential amino acids, insulin aids in the transportation of amino acids into muscle cells to stimulate MPS. Therefore, when combined with adequate sources of protein, Velositol can increase insulin action and in turn, stimulate MPS. Moreover, Velositol has been shown to significantly increase enzymes involved in the MPS signaling pathway (such as mTOR, S6K1, and 4E-BP1), providing evidence of the cellular pathway by which Velositol enhances MPS. The Myokine connection Finally, an additional mechanism of action may be through increased myokines, such as musclin and fractalkine, which are cytokines released by muscle during exercise that lead to MPS and hypertrophy. Both clinical and preclinical studies have shown that groups taking Velositol had the greatest levels of myokines. Therefore, another mechanism by which Velositol increases muscle protein s… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

In May of 2018, Mike and Mark Glazier talked about Mark’s recent trip to Washington D.C. (posted here on Mark’s Facebook and embedded below), where the NutraBio founder and CEO was lobbying for better protein labeling laws. Mark explains some of the issues he commonly sees, and while we believe that customer education is the best way to go, there are many things that could be done from the top down view that could certainly help keep the bad actors from scamming and winning lawsuits, especially in the case of protein amino acid spiking. The conversation on the YouTube comments below are interesting, with many not wanting more regulation. Mark typically agrees, but he also knows the loopholes in the current laws, and would like to see them patched up for the industry. We discuss where those problems lie: Mike’s Interview with Mark Glazier, NutraBio CEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfFDn5wgAjw Follow Mark and Genius on Social Media Mark’s Instagram: @TheMarkGlazier NutraBio’s Instagram: @NutraBio NutraBio Facebook: Facebook.com/nutrabio The original Facebook Post that started this is on Mark Glazier’s Facebook.

Last year, I was fortunate enough to see Dr. Benjamin Bikman at KetoCon, and it was one of the best presentations I’d ever seen. I began following him on Twitter, and was excited to see that his team had published some new research. He agreed to schedule some time to come onto the PricePlow channel, and the result was this massively informative interview where we learned about all kinds of things: If this is a disease where we gotta control glucose, eat less glucose! It’s mind-boggling! — Dr. Ben Bikman A behind-the-scenes look at being a professional scientist insulin resistance misconceptions about ketosis Type-II diabetics going on the keto diet, and finally his lab’s new research showing that exogenous ketones help a muscle cell thrive (full-text and images below). We finished off with some of his own personal philosophies on training, supplementation and BHB salt usage, and never letting your dietary choices negatively affect your family. This is a must-watch interview if you’re interested in insulin, diabetes, the keto diet, or ketones in general: Dr. Benjamin Bikman’s New Research and More: Ketones Boost Muscle Tissue Health https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVxlHU_RlDY Full-Text PDF: β-Hydroxybutyrate Elicits Favorable Mitochondrial Changes in Skeletal Muscle Show Notes On top of the research above, we covered a lot of other studies. Here are some of them below: Dr. Bikman’s team’s initial study that led to the study at hand: β-Hydroxybutyrate improves β-cell mitochondrial function and survival (10:45) – Gerald Reaven, the “Godfather of Diabetes Research”, study in 1987, where the “recommended diet” by the American Diabetes Association for diabetics made them all worse: Deleterious metabolic effects of high-carbohydrate, sucrose-containing diets in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus The Tweet that started the conversation New research from my lab reveals how #ketones (bHB) elicit favorable #mitochondria changes in #muscle. https://t.co/Kct2ZGlQrj — Benjamin Bikman (@BenBikmanPhD) August 1, 2018 Learn more about Dr. Bikman After watching the podcast interview above, you’ll undoubtedly realize he is a force of knowledge in the world of insulin, type-II diabetes, metabolic disease, and using a low-carb or ketogenic diet to combat them. He is a must-follow on social media: Twitter: @BenBikmanPHd Instagram: @BenBikmanPHd Also see Ben’s lab website at bikmanlab.byu.edu. And of course, you can see our list of Keto Diet Supplements and BHB Salts on PricePlow!

DISCLAIMER The information on this page and in the video below is not to be taken as medical advice, and neither participant is a doctor or oncologist. You must speak to your doctor and receive written approval when beginning any new diet and/or supplementation program, and we take no responsibility for the opinions, evidence, or alternative adjunct strategies stated herein. No diet or supplementation program should ever be used as a replacement for sound medical treatment, which should be followed under the care of your medical specialist. Statements on this page and in the associated interview have not been approved by the FDA. Continue at your own risk. A year after helping us Optimize Brain Performance, Shawn Wells returns to the PricePlow Podcast for a very informative interview, especially for those considering some adjunct therapy or last-ditch efforts when all others have failed. We’re talking about cancer, specifically brain cancer (and even more specifically, glioblastoma). It’s best to watch the video yourself, and we’ll have plenty of links below. Note that the video is long, and also gets into the entire “state of the situation” after we’re done talking about cancer specifically: Targeting Cancer and other Metabolic Diseases with Diet, featuring Shawn Wells https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvIjuWndShg A ton of this entire discussion centers around the answer to this ultra-important question, however: Is cancer a metabolic disorder? Before proceeding any further down this path, the first question one has to ask themselves is if they believe the “Cancer is a Metabolic Disorder” theory. The best and most convincing video to watch on the subject is by Dr. Thomas Seyfried, titled “Cancer: A Metabolic Disease With Metabolic Solutions”. It is embedded below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEE-oU8_NSU More recently, Dr. Seyfried has published a paper titled Press-pulse: a novel therapeutic strategy for the metabolic management of cancer that I brought up in the podcast with Shawn. If you believe that metabolic disorders caused by diet may be the most pressing cause of the proliferation of cancer (as Shawn states in the video, he believes it is 90% of the time), then there are ways to attack this potential root cause alongside an oncologist’s prescribed therapy. Shawn’s Last-Ditch Adjunct Gameplan for Glioblastoma / Brain Cancer As mentioned in the interview above, Shawn had very little time to assist with someone’s terminal condition. This is the entirety of what he suggested (the suggestions start at the 25:00 mark in our interview above): THERAPEUTIC Diet Therapeutic typically means achieving a Glucose “K-Tone” Index (GKI) of 1.0. This is calculated using the formula based upon this study by Dr. Thomas Seyfried, the man mentioned above. This is possible — in fact, I achieved a GKI of nearly 1.0 by accident, but I only got to those levels when I lowered protein (not on purpose) and was fasting for a while. Which leads us to our next point: Intermittent Fasting In order to get into a “therapeutic” state as mentioned above, it’s far easier to do it unless you’re fasting or are extremely caloric-restricted. … Read more on the PricePlow Blog