The Science of Eating for Health, Fat Loss & Lean Muscle | Dr. Layne Norton

**Andrew Huberman** (0:00)
Welcome to the Huberman Lab podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life.
I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. Today, my guest is Dr. Layne Norton. Dr. Norton is one of the foremost experts in protein metabolism, fat loss and nutrition. He did his degrees in biochemistry and nutritional sciences and is considered one of the world experts in understanding how we extract energy from our food and how exercise and what we eat combine to impact things like body composition and overall health. Today, we discuss an enormous number of topics under the umbrella of nutrition and fitness, including for instance, what is energy balance? That is, how do we actually extract energy from our food? We also discuss the somewhat controversial topic of artificial sweeteners, whether or not they are safe or not, and whether or not they are an effective tool for weight loss, in particular for people suffering from obesity and different types of diabetes. We also talk about gut health, that is the gut microbiome, and how it's impacted by food and how it can actually impact the metabolism of the foods that we eat. We also discuss fasting or so-called intermittent fasting or time-restricted feeding, what it does and what it does not do in terms of how effective it is for weight loss and perhaps even for health and longevity. We also talk about protein and define very clearly how much protein each and all of us need depending on our daily activities and life demands. We discuss the various types of diets that you've probably heard about, including ketogenic diets, vegan diets, vegetarian diets and pure carnivore diets, as well as more typical omnivore diets. And how to make sure that you get all of the essential amino acids that are critical for healthy weight maintenance, weight loss or directed muscle gain. We also talk about supplements, in particular the supplements for which there is an immense amount of science pointing to their safety and efficacy for fitness and for overall body composition. What I'm sure will become clear to you as you hear Layne talk about each and every one of these topics is that he has an incredible ability to both understand the mechanistic science, but also the real world applications of the various discoveries that are made in particular papers. And in particular in the randomized controlled trials, that is when a given scientific hypothesis has been raised, he's extremely good at understanding why it was raised, but also at evaluating whether or not it works in the real world, which is what I believe most everybody out there is concerned with. I think this is one of the things that really distinguishes him from the other voices in the nutritional landscape. I assure you that by the end of today's discussion, you will have a much clearer understanding about what the science says about nutrition, about fitness and about how different diets and fitness programs combine to achieve the results that you want. Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford. It is however, part of my desire and effort to bring zero cost to consumer information about science and science related tools to the general public. In keeping with that theme, I'd like to thank the sponsors of today's podcast. Our first sponsor is Element. Element is an electrolyte drink with everything you need and nothing you don't. That means plenty of salt, magnesium and potassium, the so-called electrolytes and no sugar. Now, salt, magnesium and potassium are critical to the function of all the cells in your body, in particular to the function of your nerve cells, also called neurons. In fact, in order for your neurons to function properly, all three electrolytes need to be present in the proper ratios. And we now know that even slight reductions in electrolyte concentrations or dehydration of the body can lead to deficits in cognitive and physical performance. Element contains a science back to electrolyte ratio of 1,000 milligrams, that's one gram of sodium, 200 milligrams of potassium and 60 milligrams of magnesium. I typically drink Element first thing in the morning, when I wake up, in order to hydrate my body and make sure I have enough electrolytes. And while I do any kind of physical training and after physical training as well, especially if I've been sweating a lot, if you'd like to try Element, you can go to Drink Element, that's lmnt.com/huberman, to claim a free Element sample pack with your purchase. Again, that's drinklmnt.com/huberman. Today's episode is also brought to us by Thesis. Thesis makes what are called nootropics, which means smart drugs. Now, to be honest, I am not a fan of the term nootropics. I don't believe in smart drugs in the sense that I don't believe that there's any one substance or collection of substances that can make us smarter. I do believe based on science, however, that there are particular neural circuits and brain functions that allow us to be more focused, more alert, access creativity, be more motivated, et cetera. That's just the way that the brain works, different neural circuits for different brain states. Thesis understands this. And as far as I know, they're the first nootropics company to create targeted nootropics for specific outcomes. I've been using Thesis for more than six months now, and I can confidently say that the nootropics have been a total game changer. My go-to formula is the clarity formula, or sometimes I'll use their energy formula before training. To get your own personalized nootropic starter kit, go online to takethesis.com/huberman, take a three-minute quiz, and Thesis will send you four different formulas to try in your first month. That's takethesis.com/huberman, and use the code Huberman at checkout for 10% off your first order. And now for my discussion with Dr. Layne Norton. Layne, Dr. Norton, thank you so much for being here. This is a long time coming, and I have to say I'm really excited because I've seen you in the social media sphere. I've also listened to a number of your other podcasts. And as a fellow Ph.D. scientist, I feel a great kinship with you. I know you have tremendous experience in fitness and nutrition, a number of areas. We also got a lot of questions from our audience, and I'm really looking forward to talking with you today.