213 - Could Your Supplement Routine Use an Audit?

Welcome to the Just Ingredients podcast. I'm Cara Lynn, and here we dive deep into the journey of healing and wellness. If you're ready to learn, feel empowered, and take charge of your health, you're in the right place. Welcome back to the show. Today, I am really excited because I have Matt Titlow here with me, and he is the CEO of Compound Solutions, which is like an ingredient house, is what you just said. They provide the most amazing ingredients. And so we're going to talk about supplements today and all things supplements and all the myths and misconceptions and why some people absorb them and why some people don't. And so welcome to the show. Thanks for having me. Looking forward to it. I'm curious. So how did you get interested in ingredients? So this is a longer story, so I'll try to make a little bit shorter. But actually, my father got in the industry about 40 years ago. He started Compound Solutions 26 years ago. I started 22 years ago. So in the end, I grew up in it. And then I realized that I just wanted to be the liaison between the science and the consumer. And so that is really my role while I'm the CEO. I'm that liaison from the clinical research to how does that actually fit the brand, the ethos of, let's say, just ingredients, and how does that ingredient support the consumer? Well, you are a wealth of knowledge, and I'm sure you learned it over these 22 years of talking to all the scientists and learning about all the ingredients and how they intermix and things like that. And so let's start with supplements. Like I said, you know so much about supplements. But one of the things I want to talk about, it's really trendy right now to hear like, oh, these are really bioavailable supplements or more easily absorbable. Or you'll hear like some people say like, well, I can absorb them, but so-and-so couldn't absorb them. So what is all this talk like? What is bioavailability? Why is this an issue? Right. So this is a little bit complex. So sometimes trying to simplify it can help. And I think there are two ways to go with this. And one is just strict bioavailability is what they're looking at is testing blood. So does that polyphenol like grapeseed extract get into your blood? But there are other aspects to it. Like, do you actually absorb your ingredients, your nutrients, your vitamins and minerals from your vegetables, for example? And so in the supplement industry, we've got into like liposomes, if someone's heard of that. Just an ingredient encased in fat, let's just say, to try to deliver that into the bloodstream. Now, does that get to the muscle tissue or the heart tissue or the brain tissue? That's a whole other question. So we've really kind of limited it to the blood in terms of bioavailability. Now, let's just talk absorption. A lot of like consumer, we're just thinking in the mind of the consumer, we got to be thinking, can I actually process that food? And that hits the gut. So if we just skip supplements for just one second and skip bioavailability, that word in the word liposome, and just think, can I actually take the nutrients from that broccoli and flourish? that's a function of our gut microbiome yeah that's the broccoli being bioavailable being bioavailable meaning i can actually ingest the broccoli in my colon i can actually ferment that and i can take those undigested fibers create short-chain fatty acids and break down other nutrients with my bacteria that goes through the liver and then into the blood and then that is what kind of quote unquote makes us healthy because those nutrients are like signals like I'm talking and you're listening you talk and I'm listening these are signals well you have receivers receptors well the receptors in the brain in the heart in the muscle they're super happy with broccoli they're a little less happy with skittles right so yes this is the gut microbiome okay so you're saying then for a supplement to be bioavailable it's not only the supplement and making sure that it's maybe liposomal or it's been tested to get to the blood. It also plays a role in the person, meaning the person needs to have good gut help. Both. So let's talk about both of those then really. Are there supplement companies making cheap supplements that we know won't get to the bloodstream? Yes. Without naming names, there are liposomes that aren't liposomes. So they say it's more bioavailable when it's not. So that's very well known in our space, in the ingredient space, but not said out loud. Well, we just said it out loud. It's like a marketing tool. It's a marketing tool. A marketing scam, I might say. You could say that. There's also just very real conversion issues. So like, let's just take B12. You can call it B12, but there's cyanocobalamin and there's methylcobalamin. Your body readily uses methylcobalamin, not readily using cyanocobalamin. Those are both B12. So that's a real life example where it's the same name for a supplement, but yet one is more bioavailable in the body and another. Exactly. So you want that like a just ingredients product to have methylcobalamin, for example. And I was going to say, we use the methyl form for all of you listening. cells. But it doesn't have to be liposomal to be bioavailable. That just increases. That's a huge myth. Huge myth. So let's just take creatine. People talk about the bioavailability of creatine and increasing it. It's already bioavailable. Okay. It's just, they're creating a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. It's like a solution looking for a problem. Interesting. So just use methylcobalamin. For example, you don't need to look for a liposomal methylgobalamin, it's already used. Okay. So a lot of things out there have been tested to be bioavailable. Right. It gets into the blood and then through the blood gets into our system and functions. So let's go back now to the person because some people aren't really going to absorb the nutrients or the ingredients or the supplements in this case if they've got gut issues. And so how does someone even know if they have gut issues? All right. When you get into gut issues, you have very flowery language. So we're going to go right into it. Okay, let's go. But I really believe that when we go to the doctor, we are always tested for height, weight, blood pressure. But the next question for a vital sign should be, how are you pooping? If you don't poop well, how in the world would you be healthy? It just seems really odd to say, gosh, I'm feeling great. Everything's great. I'm thin, I'm exercising, everything's great. And by the way, I haven't pooped in a week. Or I have diarrhea all the time. It just doesn't make sense. That's usually the first symptom expressing what's underlying. And that is like some sort of gut inflammation. And what does that mean? It usually means bloating or irregularity and irregularity. Those are the two classics. So I tell people if they're bloating after they eat, if they're bloating at the end of the night, If they're running to the bathroom after they eat all the time, they've got most likely what's called leaky gut or a lot of people call it that. Exactly. Yeah. And so should people not take supplements while they are dealing with gut issues? Is it beneficial? Supplements can help. I would do two things. One is I would go for a walk. I would just exercise just anything. Right. Anything to get the body moving. That would be A1 number one. And that's going to help the gut. That's going to help the gut. Okay. You don't hear most doctors say that about the gut. Right. Nature is a system. We are a system. When you change one thing in the system, the whole system can change. Love it. Let's take exercise. Yes, can help the gut. The next thing is I would eat vegetables because vegetables are what are breaking down into short chain fatty acids. What is that? It's butyrate. Butyrate is that linchpin in the gut lining. So why do we care about the gut lining? Well, because believe it or not, our gut resides outside the body. From the mouth to the anus, you're outside the body. Okay. I haven't heard it like that before, but I like that. So once you ingest, let's say broccoli, and you break down that into, let's say, short chains like butyrate, and that enhances your gut lining, what then goes from your gut lining into your blood is, quote, positive or good. When you have a very thin lining, because a lack of vegetables and a lack of butyrate, a lack of fiber and a lack of butyrate, well then it can get a little leaky. That thick layer becomes thin. And that's when you get pathogens and, quote, bad things, bad pathogens, bad bacteria into your bloodstream. And then that goes throughout the system. That's the whole leaky gut situation. That's the whole absorption thing with any nutrient, and that's what would harm your absorption of anything, let alone a supplement. So I'd exercise, eat a vegetable, and take your probiotic complex. All right. So I think most Americans are dealing with leaky gut, don't you think? I do. And I don't think it's opinion. I really think that if 95% of Americans are deficient in fiber, how would they not have some form of leaky gut or gut dyspiosis. Because that fiber is feeding the good bacteria in the gut. And feeding that gut lining. Okay, let's talk about this gut lining also, because leaky gut in simplified forms, in simplified language I should say, means that toxins are getting out of the gut and into the bloodstream, correct? Yes. And so since they're getting into the bloodstream, this is causing inflammation, and the inflammation is the root cause of so many different health issues out there, correct? Yes. Yes. So everybody basically needs to start with their gut and fixing their gut before they're out there spending thousands of dollars on supplements. Yes. I believe it's the window into health. I think it's the master switch to wellness. Okay. So you talked about butyrate and I didn't know what butyrate was until I started getting into the nutrition space and, you know, learning about that. So I don't know how many just general Americans know what butyrate is. So tell them what butyrate is. Yes. So when we eat a vegetable, again, I keep picking on broccoli, but we can pick on another one. It's fine. We can do bok choy. But in all seriousness, that breaks down in the colon. It ferments and that fermentation process creates a mixture of short chains. And those typical ones that we talk about are butyrate, acetate and propionate. So butyrate is primarily responsible as fuel for the colonocytes, which is those cells on the gut lining in the colon. That is their fuel. So like while our brain might like glucose, our gut prefers butyrate. Okay. This is crucial. That is crucial. And doesn the butyrate then because the cells love it that helps rebuild the gut lining That is exactly what happens So I think everybody needs to start with that though I mean like well of course eating fiber and moving Yes But so many people don't think about taking butyrate as a supplement where butyrate can help fix that gut lining. I am on your page. I don't know if you can go over 100 percent, but I'm on your page at least 100 percent. Yes. OK. And butyrate a lot of times is in the postbiotic. If you look at a pre pro and postbiotic complex, right? It's in the post part of it. True. Yes. Okay. So, all right. So we actually got ingredient from you, um, called core biome that we put in our postbiotic because I'll tell you what was going on. I was looking for a good prebiotic and I was like, okay, everything that I see is a prebiotic and probiotic, but I could not find anything out there that was pre pro and post. Right. And so I went to my food scientists and I was like, why is no one including the postbiotic? Like, this is ridiculous. To me, this is the most important part. We're missing it. Right. And so we went looking for a good postbiotic and found your core biome. And so why don't you tell them what the core biome is that we've put in our complex? Yes. So it is a, what we say, a bioavailable butyrate in the colon. In other words, it gets to the colon where it's needed so that directly feeds those colonocytes for fuel. and the reason why this is fuel is or critical isn't just because of the gut lining. I would really like to impart the fact that this fuel is unlike glucose for the brain. In other words, the gut doesn't fuel off of glucose. It doesn't fuel off of sugar. This is such a critical point. So what if we didn't eat enough fiber? What if we ate a lot of sugar and processed foods? you could be starving in your gut. And when you're starving in your gut, think of all those signals that are sent out from the gut that aren't ideal. And where do they send? Where do they go? To the brain, to the heart, to the skin. In other words, if you exercise, if you eat a vegetable, if you take your postpartum complex, right, with core biome, what happens to skin, brain, heart? This is like the soul of health is the gut. So the receptors in your skin, your brain, your heart can better receive them when your gut is not being starved. That's my view, yes. Well, and so a lot of people out there, you did a better explanation because a lot of people just say that sugar feeds the bad bacteria and fiber feeds the good bacteria, and that's the simplified form of what you're saying is sugar is just going to starve it because it's not fuel. Right. So we need the fuel, which is the fiber and the butyrate, to send out those signals to our brain and our heart and our skin and things like that. Yes. Can you imagine putting sand in your car and saying, let's go? Yeah, that's crazy. It's crazy, right? Okay, this is a tangent, though. I am really an advocate about mental health just because I dealt with depression. But a lot of depression, I think, could be helped with butyrate and with fiber and with exercise. Because how's the brain getting the right signals from the gut if we're not fueling the gut to send those signals to the brain? Yes. And what's unbelievable is that it's not Bluetooth. tooth. From the gut to the brain, there's an actual nerve, vagus nerve. And people know about now the vagus nerve and vagal tone. So I don't know why when we have a mental issue, we're not going to the gut. Because I would argue it's the first brain, call it the second brain, but it's the first brain. And it's not just that the signals are going, it's that the actual serotonin and dopamine are made there. I was going to say, that's the second part is neurotransmitters are made there. Right. And not even neurotransmitters. Hormones are regulated, told what to do, all sorts of things with the gut. Exactly. They are directing. It's the orchestra and it's the conductor conducting the orchestra and meaning the orchestra is really just signals going throughout the body. That's why if we exercise, everything gets healthier. Like if you exercise, your skin will get better. How does that happen when we're thinking exercise and muscle? Well, if you eat vegetables or take your postbiotic complex, how does that influence the skin? How does it influence the brain? What influences the gut first? Yeah, and I don't think people correlate that. Like, oh, I'm working out, so that's going to help my gut, which is then going to help my skin. No one thinks about that. They're thinking like, oh, I'm burning X amount of calories or I'm lifting this much weight. Right. It's too indirect. Oh, I love that. Yeah. Okay, so people now know they're going to exercise, eat their fiber, take their butyrate to heal their gut lining, help their gut. Yeah. And then they should start taking other supplements? I think you could take it simultaneously. I would argue that absorption or benefits will improve when your gut is healed. Yeah. Less bloating, better regularity are symptoms of better gut lining. Okay. I do want to move on, but I know I'll get this question. So before I move on to the next topic, I know people are going to say, but wait, okay, I know how to get my body more absorbable or to absorb them better, but is there a way to look on the label of the supplement or how am I going to know if it's an absorbable form of vitamin I'm taking? You know, I think that's just about trust and the whole world revolves around trust. And if you look at some lose 10 pounds in 10 days sort of a supplement, it's too good to be true. If you look at the supplement and it says, and there's no one to call, there's no phone number, you can't return it. It's just too much, right? If they don't disclose what's in there, too many proprietary blends, it's too good to be true. So I think the fact that, for example, people can contact you on 87 different social channels. I was going to say they can DM us and customer service. I think that's a part of it. It's just trust. Well, okay, you know what's interesting about the supplement industry? Talking about trust. Yes. You really can put anything in those pills and there's no one really to catch you. The issue is we have laws, but we don't have enough enforcement. Yeah. So we make supplements and they go out the door and to the consumer. And I'm checking and third-party testing and doing things. But what are other companies doing? They could be putting whatever they want in there and sending them out. we do run into a little bit of wild west boy has it improved over the last 10 15 years because i've been in it more than 20 so it has improved dramatically but the wild west still happens and you're relying on ingredient suppliers like us at compound solutions trusted entities like yourself and brands who are really focused on the ingredients and contract manufacturers who are actually abiding by good manufacturing practices testing and third parties exactly what you just said. It's just trust at the end of the day. It just keeps coming back to that. Well, which gets overwhelming for the consumer because they go to Costco and see all these brands like, say, vitamin D. They've got seven different options and they're like, oh, which one do I choose? It's tough. And it is crazy to me because I will tell you, I don't know if you've heard me tell this story. I've told it multiple times. We were testing turmeric and we had lots of turmeric brought in from lots of different suppliers. And there were really bioavailable sources of turmeric all the way to like a ton of rice powder with a little bit of maybe yellow turmeric sprayed in there. And it was like hardly any turmeric, but they both were called turmeric. Botanicals are notoriously cut. They're both called turmeric, but one is just complete rice powder with a tiny little bit of turmeric sprayed in there. Yes, that's exactly. Yeah. So, but they're going to go sell at Costco or wherever for the same amount of money, $49.99. Yeah, it is ridiculous and terrible. And I just apologize for this moment that we're in. Bottom line is consumers just have to find brands they trust. That's it. I wish I could make it simple. Do you know what's on the label? Just number one, is it actually disclosed? And number two, can you contact them? Okay. Those are huge. I also think there's one other maybe. Please tell, please tell. But maybe you think differently. What if there's a branded ingredient on the label? Does that give a little bit more trust to the people? A lot more. So let's talk about branded ingredients because like core biome is a branded ingredient in our pre-pro-post complex. Yes. So to give a little background on just so what does that even mean? Right. Like, why would we brand us and you? Right. Like, why would we collaborate like this? it's really a reference point on value. So let's just take toxicology, grass. So to introduce a new ingredient, oftentimes you have to do toxicology, which just means you have to make sure it's safe. Okay. And grass means generally recognized as safe. Okay. Typically that's in the three to $400,000 range. Okay. And then you have to do a clinical trial to make sure that it actually works. And that could be gut models. It can be in humans. You do various things, but you typically can't do any human trial under a hundred thousand dollars. That would be minimum, minimum. So if you are doing some sort of grass certification, clinical trials, you're typically into it about a half a million dollars pretty easily. Okay. So that barrier to entry is significant for someone who wants to just trade and make some money quickly. That is not a fly by night entity that just wants a quick, a quick hit and quick money. So that brand and patent associated with that ingredient typically indicates a significant amount of money and time. What I just indicated to you is years. Tip again, the order of three to get all that done. Okay. So we use branded ingredients from you that then show the consumer, hey, these have been clinically tested. These have been shown safe, effective. That's why we're choosing them. That's exactly. So that's another thing that they can look for on labels. A hundred percent. And it's an indication of not just the value in the product, but the value that the brand places on their product, which I believe is a value that you're placing on your consumer. Because they're not cheap. They're not cheap. Because of all the studies and things that have gone into them. And you're saying my consumer, my customer, is valuable enough for me to invest in her or him. Yeah. Well, I want to make something effective. That I want to make the crap turmeric sprayed on some rice powder. Exactly. Okay. Well, good to know. Yes. All right. So now here was my second question I was going to get to, but we went that little tangent. Yeah. So out there on social media everybody is teaching like oh vitamin D is amazing Methyl B vitamins is amazing Magnesium omega It gets overwhelming By the time you hearing all the amazing benefits of all the supplements people are like oh my gosh I taking worth of supplements or I taking you know 15 supplements a day How do people know what they should take? Wow. That is a big question. First is I would like to go back to what you have been preaching from day one that is whole food, right? Eating whole foods. After that, we're talking supplements. Can't out supplement a bad diet. what you said we've heard that all the heard that a lot exactly because you said how would i kind of narrow it down yeah how do people know what i trust well how do how does the consumer know what to take because i'm like okay yeah magnesium we all need that okay omega-3s we all need that vitamin d yeah we all need that vitamin c yeah that's great for collagen okay i'll take that yep you know what i mean man i would think about maybe your goals i would maybe start with my myself, right? Like, am I getting the protein I think I need between me and my nutritionist, my doctor, me and my neighbor? What would I think from my body? How much protein do I think? What are my goals, right? And once you have your goals, I think you can then lead into what you are supplementing. So let's just take your doctor. You get your cholesterol and your vitamin levels and things of this sort, you look at your division D or K or something along these lines, well, then supplement with it, right? But I think it's about you and then about the supplement. I think that's how I'd best answer it. That is good because I always tell people, test, don't guess. Otherwise, if you're looking at all these amazing benefits, you'd be taking 20 supplements. But I know a lot of people are low on vitamin D, but I personally am usually high on vitamin D, so I don't take it. But there's a lot of Americans that do need vitamin D. Right. I use Function Health. I get a lot of just so I can get a bunch of different tests. Not because I like that one or another one. It's just simply because I'm looking for a lot of tests and at a reasonable price. So if you're a doctor or you can do or you want your own, great. But I use that simply to get a lot of inputs. So I'm testing, not guessing. And then I supplement when I'm shorting. 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Find Just Ingredients at Target in stores and online. Now back to the show. Okay, I'm curious. If an average American could only buy three supplements, what three would you choose? Wow, three supplements. That is huge. I know that's so hard, huh? Someone asked me that the other day. Wow. All right. I would do a multifiber. Okay. Because I believe it starts in the gut. Okay, makes sense. After a multifiber, I would be between magnesium. Good guess. And I'd be between magnesium, D3K2, and protein. Of all those. I'd be circling those. Yeah. I know. It was really hard for me. I circled those. I circled methyl Bs, omega-3s. Yes. So. Yeah. I would like to reciprocate. Yeah. So you added on the B vitamins and methyl B vitamins. And omega-3s. Omega-3s, anything else? Nope. Those were, so really I had like five because it was too hard to narrow it down to very. So I was just curious. And I take those, by the way. I do too. So, okay. I have a question for you about something that's trendy out there right now. Okay. So NAD. Yes. NAD is a trendy supplement. We use another branded ingredient of yours for our NAD called NAD3. Right. So can we just talk about first maybe why NAD is trendy? I mean, we know the Kardashians are using it and it's gotten all over and people are doing NAD IVs. But why are people loving this supplement lately? Yes. Well, it's involved in energy production. Let's call it it's involved in the electron transport chain, which is basically saying energy production. And this declines with age. and so when you have a decline in let's say energy let's say mitochondrial function which is kind of your your engine that decline an engine and your engine kind of creates a decline in all health so if your engine is declining they're thinking well let's get that engine back let's recharge let's just press on the gas again and that's your gas for your cells well it's very reductionist. In other words, can you imagine playing in an orchestra one single instrument? It sounds silly. Like you don't just play like a horn and that's an entire orchestra. Right. You have violins and cellos. Well, just like nature, just like an orchestra, we play a system. And so you need to not just play offense, which is NAD. You need to play defense, which is a a decline in NAD status. So you don't want to take like vitamin C and smoke a cigarette. That would be really ironic, right? You have an antioxidant. There might be some people that do it. An antioxidant, right? Well, just like NAD. You wouldn't want to be sedentary and then take an NAD supplement because you're playing, you're contradicting yourself. Makes sense. So NAD3 exists to play defense, meaning prevent the declination, the decrease in NAD. Okay. While also up-regulating your NAD status. It's playing both ends, offense and defense. So your total NAD status is improved. That's what the NAD3 is doing. That's exactly what it's doing. Okay, so a lot of NAD supplements out there do not have NAD3 in it. Right. And so are they useless? I don't think they're useless. You just want to make sure that you'd be complementing it. In other words, you'd want to take it and exercise or take it and... Red light. Red light or, yeah. Do something else that isn't oxidative, right? Don't take an NAD supplement and then start eating Snickers and Twinkies. Okay. So NAD3 is about kind of counteracting any sort of decline, like pollution. It's just everyday life. We have microplastics. things that are oxidative, we're trying to prevent the NAD decrease, NAD plus decrease that would occur from that oxidative stress, while also upregulating your boost in NAD plus. Okay, so question for you, because a lot of people say NAD only works if it's injected right into the bloodstream. I don't believe that. There are a couple studies that show that whether it's ours, NAD3 or NMN or NR does increase NAD plus in the blood. So we have clinical studies showing that. Right. Okay. But again, like you said at the very beginning, you would need good gut health for it to make it through the gut to the liver into your bloodstream. That's exactly. In other words, it might do nothing if you are, let's just say, sedentary, eating a high sugar diet and have a leaky gut. So if you're eating Oreos all day long and not working out, of course, NAD is not going to work for you. It's not going to do anything. And that is kind of what a lot of supplements are, right? A supplement, you just said a minute ago, you can't out-supplement a poor diet. Yeah. And that's it. So again, that goes back to why some people say, oh yeah, I took like the adrenal complex and it helped me so much. And then others are like, oh, it didn't do much for me. Well, I'd have to go ask this person, well, what are you eating every day? Are you exercising? Are you getting good sleep? All those things. Exactly. 100%. We're all too different to have a one-size-fits-all. I mean, our gut microbiomes are so individual, let alone genetic differentiation. It's just, yeah, we're too different to have everything work every time. Think caffeine. Not everyone responds to caffeine. That is for sure. Right. how would we all respond to like 100% of people 100% respond the exact same way to anything fiber adrenal complex caffeine just doesn't it's not rational that's a good analogy because caffeine keeps me awake for hours and hours and it doesn't even affect my husband so there we go exactly okay talking about trendy topics because we just talked about nad yes i I am curious about berberine. Yeah. But I'm also curious, metabolism, speeding up metabolism, metabolism health is a huge topic right now out there as well. Yes. I think because of GLP-1s and berberine. And so let's first start with the connection. Is there a connection with the metabolism and the gut health? Yes. So when we talk about gut health and we think about GLP-1s, those satiety hormones are expressed in the gut, like the small intestine. So this is very, very important to note. I just want to pause on that, that they're expressed in the gut. I also want to pause and express that short-chain fatty acids like butyrate are what signal those satiety hormones, those receptors to respond. So think fiber breaking down the short chain fatty acids like butyrate. So this is very, very, very important. The second thing that I'd like to talk about is the fact that metabolism is really a function of how we can convert food into energy. And the food and the energy organ is the liver. And while we're talking a lot about the gut, And I agree that the gut is the main topic here, but how well your liver and your liver cells can turn that broccoli or that Skittles or whatever the heck you're eating into energy is going to be absolutely crucial. So metabolism is a function of your gut and your liver. So interesting. Okay, so let's go back to the gut. Yep. So again if you missing the exercise the fiber and the butyrate the receptors are being starved basically your gut being starved So those receptors aren telling your brain that you full Right So many women tell me that like, I just never feel full so I can keep eating and eating. So if not feeling full should be an indicator that your gut's off. Exercise and eat some vegetables. Wow. Yes. Okay. I'm going to tell them. So next time they tell me that they don't ever feel full, I'm going to tell them work on their gut health. Yes. I would say it just, it all just comes back to vegetables and exercise. Okay. So then now going to the liver, you got to convert that food into fuel through the liver. Yes. I get this question a lot. People are like, okay, I understand that, but how in the world am I supposed to know if my liver is doing a great job or if it's sluggish or it needs help? Triglycerides. Okay. So if you're going to your doctor and you said test, not guess, Think of it as like a trash truck and all this food is going in there. Right. And now let's say it's not processing efficiently. Let's just say. And you had Dr. Ben Bickman on and he was talking about insulin sensitivity and insulin knocks on the cell's door. And if the cell isn't answering, we have an issue. Right. Okay. So the food goes through the gut and it goes through the portal vein and it rise in the liver and it knocks on the door and it doesn't answer. Well, then it spills in the bloodstream. you don't want that because that's fat spilling into the bloodstream and other things and other things estrogen yeah you really don't want that yeah and that's why uh berberine got popular because of blood sugar insulin sensitivity chromium alpha lipoic acid cream tea these are a lot of those blood sugar aids, insulin aids, let's call it, that really is the basis for this kind of gut liver metabolism issue. Okay. So back to the question of how do they know they're going to go get blood work and check their triglyceride levels. They're going to check triglyceride levels. And if they're decent levels, then their liver's doing its job. Yes. And if they're high, their liver needs some help. Needs some help. You could also look at the typical ALT, AST. Those are just liver enzymes. And those are very well tested at any doctor's office. And there are others. But those three are very easily and readily available, cheap, and tested all the time. Okay, so back to berberine versus GLP-1s. Yes. Some people take berberine. Some people do GLP-1s. They're sort of doing the same thing, not necessarily. GLP-1s are expressing it for an extended period of time that no supplement can match. So yes, they are doing the same thing in terms of expressing GLP-1 or other satiety hormones, PYY, but one is doing it for a very long period of time and one is not. Think of any food. when I eat, let's say broccoli again, any food, even sugar, it's going to stimulate my satiety hormones. Cause at some point you'll have enough fuel to where your body says, okay, I'm done. I'm full at some point. Right? So no matter what food we ingest, it'll express a satiety hormone, but what expresses it more? Well, maybe something like a berberine and maybe something like a GLP one drug, but the drug is dramatically different from a supplement. The issue with the drug is that you may just want a natural solution. Maybe you are wanting to protect muscle. So you want to take berberine plus protein. It just depends on you. How do you feel about it, Karlyn? GLP-1s? Yeah, yeah. GLP-1s and the natural route. I would love, I would like to flip this. Well, I'm always go the natural route first, of course. I mean, that's what I teach. You know, I'm teaching eat the whole foods, quit eating so much sugar and processed stuff. I'm teaching lifestyle factors, get exercising, get sleeping, things like that. And I think a lot of times those things will help correct it. So people don't need to do the GLP ones. Also, I'm a big believer in controlling your blood glucose levels, you know, eating a carb with a protein, things like that. And so sometimes those will help it. But I want to say this little caveat. There is a time and a place for some people that it can be a great tool in the toolbox. For me, I've never, there's one answer to anything. I wish there was. I wish there was one answer to depression and one answer to cancer and one answer to, you know, obesity, things like that, but there isn't. So I'm really big about having a toolbox and that toolbox includes eating the real foods, getting your gut in order, you know, watching your liver, things like that, the sleep, the exercise, all those things. And if we need to include HRT for hormones, fine. If we need to include GLP for obesity and that's going to better their health, fine. But I'm never a go-to first to the drug. I'm a go-to first, the whole food and your lifestyle factors and things like that. So well said. I want to pause on that. That was beautiful. And the reason why I say that was beautiful is twofold. One is I think that is the way we should go. The world is gray. Nature is a system and so are we. And the thing that I also like about it is a lack of judgment. Not judging each other for what works is just so needed right now. And so I appreciate if someone needs or wants a GLP-1 or wants to go the natural route, do it, right? Well, and for some obese people, it might be life-saving. Exactly. But we're all different. And so work with your doctors, what I also say. I love it. Well, thank you so much for being here and answering questions about trendy things like berberine, NAD, teaching us about core biome and the importance of butyrate. You have taught the followers a lot. I know that. So thank you so much for taking your time to be here. And we always end the podcast by asking five questions. And so I'm going to ask you these five. So first one, what emerging health topic excites you the most? Okay, so this isn't necessarily emerging, but it will be. I love the gut and I should say gut because that's where the consumer is right now. But the liver, that's next. So that excites me. This isn't one of the five questions, but what do you think is going to be the new trendy thing out there? In terms of an ingredient? Uh-huh. Or supplements. Because berberine is a newer thing in the last few years. NAD is new and trendy in the last few years. I think fiber will be the new protein. Yes. I believe the liver is next because we all want a, quote, fast metabolism. And we'll soon realize that metabolism really is a function of how well our liver is functioning. OK, love that. All right. Number two, what is a piece of advice you'd give to your younger self? It'll all be OK. Oh, I love that. Oh, my gosh. I've been trying to tell myself that lately. Like, it's all going to work out. It's all going to be fine. Yeah, the stress. Yeah, right. It's stress and intensity around that, the anxiety. That is true. Love that. Okay, number three, what's the one health practice you'll never compromise on no matter how busy life gets? Oh, exercise, unequivocally exercise. Love it. I'm in the same court. Yeah. Number four, what's your favorite Just Ingredients product and why? Electrolytes, hand over fist electrolytes. You know, I love them. Taste because I believe in them and I take them every morning. Oh, I love that. It's a ritual. Do you think everybody should take electrolytes? Okay, this is me personally. Just opinion. I feel amazing sleeping, waking up. I didn't realize how dehydrated it was after that eight hours or whatever it is. I feel amazing waking up and taking your electrolytes. Do you know I don't take them in the morning? I need to. I wake up and have a protein shake and get to the gym. Again, everyone can do what they like. I just happen to feel amazing on those first thing. I'm going to try that. Yeah. Do you like our ratio of potassium to sodium, a three to one? Unequivocally, yes. I'm a huge fan. And here's why. OK. Because the average consumer isn't a marathoner or an Olympian. And we are the most deficient diet mineral in the American diet is potassium. And human history was more potassium than sodium in terms of actual food intake. And you've talked about whole food. I don't know how many times on this podcast. And I believe that more potassium than sodium is more whole food for the average consumer, me, than any of these sodium-focused, which is more athlete-focused electrolytes on the market. I love it. I take yours because of your high potassium. Thank you. I formulated that myself because I was taking one that was too high in sodium. And for the same reason, I'm like, I'm not out running marathons. I have got to find one that the everyday mom, in my case, I was thinking the everyday mom can take and enjoy and sip on all day long and be fine. And well, two things. One, potassium helps get water into the cell. We need to hydrate the actual cells. So I'm like, why aren't people doing this? And two, I love that you said that with not even me telling you anything about what to say, because that is exactly what I pitched a main store. They were like, no, we've got too many electrolytes out here on the shelf. And I said, you don't have one single one for a non-marathon person. I'm like a stay-at-home mom. There's not one single one on yourself that I want to take. The buyer was like, wow, you've educated me. That is my litmus test. I'm not even kidding for electrolytes because I'm not going to run a marathon. I'm not going to do that. I'm like, let's call it hybrid athlete guy. So I literally go, what is the potassium to sodium ratio? And then does it taste good? Well, awesome. I'm glad I asked you that. All right. Last question of the day. What is the best ingredient you've found to life? Community, friends. I'm trying to work on that. I'm almost saying that to myself. I don't know how your husband feels about this, but I feel like as we get older, men tend to like go it alone and think, yeah, I can do this. I can do this myself. A defect in masculinity. And I find that, oh, it's about friends. It's about community. It's about connection. I think that's what is so magnetic about you and your audience is your ability to create that community and create the connection. And I think Just Ingredients exists because of how you have created a bond. And yeah, I think that's everything. Oh, you're nice. Well, thank you. And I think it's important for women as well. You said men, but women need that community and friends and relationships just as much. So I love that so much. Thank you again for taking the time to be on the show. Thank you. thank you for being here and being part of this community don't forget to subscribe to the just ingredients podcast we've got so much more to share with you and if you're not already come join us daily on all social media platforms at just.ingredients until next time keep choosing what nourishes you