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Creatine Benefits Muscle and Cognition Even Without Exercise, Study Suggests: Nutritionist Leyla Muedin discusses a 12-week Texas A&M study of 73 sedentary, generally healthy adults ages 45–65 (64 completed) examining creatine monohydrate (5 g twice daily) with and without a supervised exercise program during a calorie-deficit American Heart Association-style diet. Four arms compared creatine vs maltodextrin placebo and exercise vs no exercise. Creatine plus exercise produced the largest improvements in lean mass, strength, and body fat reduction, but creatine alone also significantly improved lean tissue mass, body composition, muscular performance, and selected cognitive and memory measures. The study used 10 g/day partly to target cognition, noting limited creatine crossing the blood-brain barrier. Creatine was well tolerated; urinary creatinine and estimated kidney filtration changes stayed within normal ranges, with cautions for those with renal impairment. Limitations included short duration, small sample, and self-selected exercise participation; longer-term and frailer-population studies are needed.

A tragic case of rhabdomyolysis at the NYC Marathon.What advice do you have for getting off antidepressant medication?What are some ways I can prevent cognitive decline?

Studies - remission of type 2 diabetes and reversal of fatty liverHow long do I have to nurse my hamstring injury?I've had diarrhea for three weeks now. Should I see a doctor?What are your thoughts on Botox and various other fillers? Any dangers?

In this episode of the Intelligent Medicine podcast, Dr. Ronald Hoffman hosts Dr. James Kimmel, a lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, to discuss the psychology and science behind revenge. Dr. Kimmel explains how revenge operates similarly to an addiction in the brain, triggering the same pleasure and reward circuits. He recounts his own traumatic experience with bullying and how it led him to understand the destructive nature of revenge. The discussion covers the implications for criminal justice, the role of social media in exacerbating revenge behaviors, and practical strategies for managing revenge cravings, including the potential benefits of forgiveness. Dr. Kimmel's new book, "The Science of Revenge," explores these themes and offers insights into breaking free from the cycle of retribution.

Dr. Ronald Hoffman continues his conversation with Dr. James Kimmel, a lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine and author of "The Science of Revenge."

Dr. Ronald Hoffman interviews King’s College London epidemiologist and ZOE co-founder Prof. Tim Spector about his book, "Ferment," and the science of fermented foods. Spector describes his shift from genetics and twin studies to microbiome research after finding identical twins had very different gut microbes. He outlines key drivers of Western microbiome loss—antibiotics, pollution/pesticides, sterile urban living, smaller families, and especially low-fiber, ultra-processed diets with additives. They discuss COVID-era findings linking diet quality to outcomes, and clinical and population evidence that fermented foods can reduce inflammatory markers and quickly improve mood, energy, hunger, bloating, and modest weight. Spector explains mechanisms involving immune effects in the small intestine, plus postbiotics. He critiques artificial sweeteners and processed “analog” cheeses, contrasts benefits of real and raw-milk cheeses, notes coffee/chocolate as fermented, and highlights future precision nutrition, prebiotics, and microbiome impacts on cancer immunotherapy.

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with King’s College London epidemiologist and ZOE co-founder Prof. Tim Spector about his book, "Ferment," and the science of fermented foods.

Bone density can be IMPROVED with the right combination of resistance and high-impact exercises; Why bone preservation matters when it comes to healthspan, longevity; Would BWH 85 Beta Glucan fend off multiple myeloma? Hard-to-treat depression may stem from circadian rhythm disruptions; Personalized mRNA cancer vaccines: Cancer breakthrough or pricey dead-end? Why Moderna stock is so volatile; Creatine plus resistance exercise fends off menopause woes.

The arbitrariness of the “10,000 step rule”; Forest-bathing delivers more brain and body benefits than ordinary walking; How does BWH Beta Glucan compare to AHCC? Why ApoB might yield better heart risk prediction than just LDL and HDL; Can vitamin C and glutathione be given together intravenously? When your fingertips turn white and blue in the cold; Exercise improves sleep—but so, too, does a healthy microbiome.

Meeting Senior Protein Needs on a Budget and the Role of Butyrate: Nutritionist Leyla Muedin addresses a listener struggling to reach the suggested 20–30 grams of protein per meal on a fixed income, explaining updated guidance of roughly 1–1.2 g/kg/day and offering a simple estimate that 1 ounce of animal protein provides about 6–7 grams. She advises not to force-feed, to be guided by hunger over the week, and to prioritize complete animal proteins over filling up on bread, rice, and beans, especially for seniors concerned about blood sugar. To reduce costs, she recommends shopping at discount stores (e.g., Dollar General, Aldi/Lidl) for eggs, canned fish, bacon, and fatty ground beef, noting non-organic options are preferable to high-starch processed foods. She then discusses short-chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate, butyrate), emphasizing butyrate’s importance for colon energy, barrier integrity, and inflammation, noting it can come from gut fermentation, butter/ghee, and ketosis via beta-hydroxybutyrate.

Exercise training for bone healthWhy has my Lipoprotein (a) trended upward in the last 4-5 years? Isn't it genetically determined?I have chronic insomnia, and my doctor told me to avoid any supplements due to my pacemaker/defibrillator

My husband is getting a total knee replacement. What do you recommend as far as food and supplements for recovery?Can I safely use Xlear nasal spray after getting a stent in one of my arteries?If a person has GERD occasionally, would it be advisable to avoid meat since it is acid-forming?I have a family history of rheumatoid arthritis. How can I prevent this?

Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Loneliness, Empathy, and Social Connection. Dr. Ronald Hoffman interviews neuroscientist Dr. Ben Rein about his book, "Why Brains Need Friends," focusing on how loneliness and social isolation affect well-being and health. Rein describes his research on the neurobiology of autism, empathy, and how MDMA enhances empathy via serotonin signaling in the nucleus accumbens, and argues that humans are evolutionarily wired for social reward through oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine. They distinguish objective isolation from subjective loneliness and discuss how isolation can trigger chronic stress responses, elevated cortisol, inflammation, and increased risks including stroke, dementia, heart disease, depression, anxiety, and suicide. Rein explains why digital communication (text, phone, Zoom) is less fulfilling due to reduced social cues and can erode empathy online; offers practical strategies to “level up” interactions from shallow to deep, track one’s social cadence based on introversion/extroversion, and addresses pets, social anxiety treatment, alcohol as a social lubricant, and concerns about robot companions.

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with neuroscientist Dr. Ben Rein about his book, "Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection."

Exercise as Medicine for Osteoporosis: Dr. Ronald Hoffman interviews Professor Belinda Beck of Griffith University, a director of The Bone Clinic, and co-founder of ONERO, an award-winning, evidence-based exercise program for osteoporosis. Beck explains bone as living tissue that remodels in response to mechanical loading (Wolff’s Law), arguing much age-related loss reflects insufficient stress and that targeted high-load training can rebuild bone. She contrasts exercise with calcium-only approaches, noting supplementation limits and potential cardiovascular risks, and reviews osteoporosis drugs (bisphosphonates, denosumab/Prolia, PTH analogs, romosozumab/Evenity), including rebound loss after stopping denosumab and microdamage repair issues with antiresorptives; medications don’t prevent falls. Beck describes her “LIFTMOR” trial: twice-weekly, 30-minute supervised high-intensity resistance and impact training for eight months improved spine BMD, produced hip structural strengthening, and improved functional fall-risk measures versus low-intensity controls. ONERO is a standardized, supervised program delivered by trained clinicians, can be additive with medication or hormone therapy, and locations can be found via the ONERO Academy website. More Resources: The ONERO® Summit website (an educational meeting for ONERO® licensees, doctors and patients/the public)The Bone Clinic FB page (for information and important advances in the field of bone health in lay terms)