#066 Dr. Mark Mattson on the Benefits of Stress, Metabolic Switching, Fasting, and Hormesis

Dr. Mark Mattson

Dr. Mark Mattson is a professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the former chief of the Neuroscience Research Laboratory at the National Institute on Aging. He's one of the most cited neuroscientists in the world, with more than 180,000 citations noted in the scientific literature.

Dr. Mattson's work has advanced scientific understanding of brain aging and identified fundamental aspects of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. His most notable work has focused on how the brain responds to mild stressors, such as those associated with exercise and intermittent fasting.

In this episode, we discuss...

• (00:00) Introduction to Dr. Mark Mattson
• (03:31) Hormetic stressors drive adaptation and prevent physiological complacency
• (13:00) Intermittent fasting improves health by promoting metabolic switching
• (16:49) Daily time-restricted eating vs 5:2 weekly fasting 
• (27:44) A ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting differ in terms of brain effects
• (34:23) Exercising while intermittent fasting exerts additive effects
• (52:32) Plant-based bioactive compounds induce hormetic stress
• (01:10:48) Severe caloric restriction may compromise muscle mass
• (01:26:25) Intermittent fasting in young vs. old and in men vs. in women
• (01:35:20) The effects of cortisol differ during a fast versus chronic stress
• (01:53:36) Fasting-mimetics like resveratrol and spermidine vs actual fasting
• (02:08:44) How ketone supplementation may improve brain health

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