April 20, 2019

Dr. Chris Masterjohn: Why You’re Probably Nutrient Deficient – The Genius Life

Dr. Chris Masterjohn (T: @ChrisMasterjohn IG: @ChrisMasterjohn) is an expert in nutrition and specifically micronutrients. Check out his website and podcast.

Note from Podcast Notes – we take notes on podcasts, none of this is personal opinion or support for/against a vegan diet.

Clams, liver, and oysters are very high in vitamin B12
- Over 90% of vegans are deficient in vitamin B12
Due to genetic reasons in how certain molecules are converted from plant foods, vegans are more likely to be Vitamin A deficient
The best sources of zinc are oysters, beef, and cheese
- “You’re way more likely to become zinc deficient if you’re not eating animal products and you are eating a lot of plant products”
The number one source of riboflavin is liver followed by kidney, heart, and almonds
If you are vegan, perhaps consider still allowing yourself to eat something like oysters due to their high nutritional content

“We can see in the literature that veganism and vegetarianism are strongly associated with mental disorders – especially anxiety, depression, and panic attacks”
- “There are definitely indications that vegetarianism and veganism is probably making people less resilient to mental stresses and more likely to have mental problems”
“I think that you could make a very strong case for a general population that they’re nutrients in animal products that are very important for mental health”
- Like Vitamin B12

Deficiency statistics:
- 15% of the elderly (people over 65) in the general population – this is mainly due to absorption issues which develop with age
- Over 70% of lacto-ovo vegetarians
- Over 90% of vegans
You can only absorb about a day’s worth of vitamin B12 at a time – the rest is stored (for future use, in case your deficient on certain days)
- Only 8 grams of liver per day will allow you to hit your B12 needs
Clams, liver, and oysters are very high in B12
- B12 is also found in things like meat and milk, but you have to eat/drink quite a bit to hit the RDA

Due to genetic reasons in how certain molecules are converted from plant foods, vegans are more likely to be Vitamin A deficient
- You can get carotenoids from red, yellow, and green vegetables (which can then be turned into retinol – the animal-based form of vitamin A that we need in our bodies)
  - But the problem – many people are genetically bad converters of carotenoids to retinol

The best sources of zinc are oysters, beef, and cheese
Zinc is about five times more absorbable from animal foods than from plant foods
- Animal protein increases zinc absorption
- A principle inhibitor of zinc absorption is a molecule found in whole grains, nuts, and legumes (sorry, we couldn’t quite hear the name of the molecule mentioned – it’s pronounced “phi-t”)
“You’re way more likely to become zinc deficient if you’re not eating animal products and you are eating a lot of plant products”
“Beef is a great source of zinc, but you can eat one oyster a day and get your zinc needs”

“Vegetarians and vegans are three times more likely to have biochemical evidence of riboflavin deficiency compared to omnivores”
- One study found that there’s been a 38 percent decline in riboflavin content in our produce from 1952 to 1999
The number one source of riboflavin is liver followed by kidney, heart, and almonds

The forms of vitamin B5 that we need are highest in nutritional yeast, liver, and organ meats

You can’t just get by with a vitamin B12 supplement
Perhaps consider still allowing yourself to eat something like oysters due to their high nutritional content

“The main driver of people overeating is our very easy access to hyperpalatable foods”
“What we are designed to do to have long-term health is to cycle between the fasted state and the fed state.”
- In the fasted state, we break down useless junk which is a waste of energy (known as autophagy)
- In the fed state, we invest energy in the things that are really useful – like antioxidant defense and repair processes
Ketones reduce the likelihood for seizures by lowering glutamate levels and increasing GABA levels in the brain

These notes were edited by RoRoPa Editing Services