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Coevolution With Foods? Multivitamins? Eating Too Early? – Ask Me Anything (SNP49)

Release Date: 04/07/2026

#602: Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) – Megan Hellner, DrPH, RD & Katherine Hill, MD

Sigma Nutrition Radio

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder diagnosis characterized by a persistent restriction or avoidance of food intake that results in clinically significant consequences (medical, nutritional, and/or psychosocial), but without the weight- and shape-driven psychopathology typical of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. In this episode, Megan Hellner and Katherine Hill outline how ARFID presents across the lifespan, why it is frequently missed in routine healthcare, and what an evidence-informed assessment and treatment pathway can look like in practice. A...

#601: Gallstones & Gallbladder Conditions: Impact of Diet – Angela Madden, PhD RD

Sigma Nutrition Radio

This episode examines what we actually know (and importantly, what we do not know) about diet in relation to gallstones and gallbladder conditions. Much of the public-facing guidance around gallstones focuses on “avoiding fatty foods”, yet Dr. Angela Madden explains that this long-standing practice sits on surprisingly weak direct evidence, particularly when judged against the standards typically expected for clinical dietary recommendations. A central theme is the need to separate two distinct questions: dietary factors that influence the risk of developing gallstones (prevention), versus...

Coevolution With Foods? Multivitamins? Eating Too Early? – Ask Me Anything (SNP49)

Sigma Nutrition Radio

In this episode, Danny answers questions submitted by Premium subscribers. Questions Answered in This Episode: [00:05:13] Is eating too early (relative to chronotype) metabolically problematic? [00:16:55] Can plant-based diets reverse cardiovascular disease? [00:32:54] Are multivitamins useful insurance, or a waste with a good diet? [00:44:56] Does coevolution with foods determine human compatibility and benefit? [00:56:25] How should consumers choose supplement formulations and brands? [01:04:46] Folate vs folic acid: differences and best choice for women of...

#600: Finite Knowledge, Infinite Ignorance

Sigma Nutrition Radio

“The more we learn about the world, and the deeper our learning, the more conscious, specific, and articulate will be our knowledge of what we do not know, our knowledge of our ignorance. For this, indeed, is the main source of our ignorance — the fact that our knowledge can be only finite, while our ignorance must necessarily be infinite.” – Karl Popper To mark Sigma Nutrition’s milestone 600th episode (and 12-year anniversary), Danny and Alan examine several areas in which their views have changed, softened, strengthened, or remained stable over the lifespan of the podcast....

#599: Does Unprocessed Red Meat Increase Diabetes Risk? – Gil Carvalho, PhD MD & Mario Kratz, PhD

Sigma Nutrition Radio

This episode examines whether unprocessed red meat has a causal role in (1) type 2 diabetes risk and intermediate measures of glucose intolerance (insulin resistance, beta cell dysfunction, glycemic markers) and (2) cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. While there is commonly observed risk signal from observational cohorts, there exist short-term randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that show largely null effects on glucose homeostasis. This had led to differing opinions and interpretations of the evidence base. Some feel that in the context of an otherwise healthy diet, there isn’t much to...

#598: How Do Exercise & Diet Interact to Improve Glycaemic Control? – Jenna Gillen, PhD

Sigma Nutrition Radio

This episode examines how exercise and nutrition interact to influence glycaemic control, with particular focus on the postprandial period (i.e., the hours after eating) and on “time-efficient” exercise strategies such as low-volume interval training. Dr. Jenna Gillen outlines the physiological basis for why muscle contraction can acutely reduce post-meal glucose excursions, why repeated sessions can accumulate into longer-term improvements in insulin sensitivity, and why the nutrition context (pre- and post-exercise feeding, carbohydrate availability, and energy balance) can meaningfully...

#597: Behavioral Psychology in Diet & Health Counselling – David Creel, PhD, RD

Sigma Nutrition Radio

In clinical practice effective nutrition, exercise, and obesity care is rarely about identifying the single “best” plan on paper. Instead, sustainable change depends on behavioral psychology: understanding the person’s context, motivation, barriers, and patterns, then co-designing practical steps that can actually be implemented in real life. David Creel PhD, RD is a clinical psychologist and registered dietitian working in weight management at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Creel discusses how clinicians can bridge the gap between “optimal recommendations” and what is most likely to...

#596: Why Do Omega-3 Trials Show Mixed Results?

Sigma Nutrition Radio

Omega-3 fatty acids (particularly EPA and DHA) have a long history in nutrition and cardiovascular medicine, yet the clinical trial literature is often perceived as inconsistent. This episode examines why some randomized trials show clear benefit while others show null or mixed findings, and how differences in trial design, dose, population risk, and outcome selection can materially change what we observe. A key theme is separating (1) the persistent cultural narratives around omega-3s (including origin stories that do not hold up well to modern evidence) from (2) the more precise, mechanistic...

#595: Neuroplasticity and Reducing Risk of Cognitive Impairment – Dr. Majid Fotuhi

Sigma Nutrition Radio

Conversations about brain health have been dominated by a competing mix of fatalism and over-promising, with aging framed as inevitable decline and “brain optimisation” sold through weak evidence. So how should we think about cognition across the lifespan? In this episode, we explore the idea that neuroplasticity does not disappear in adulthood, but instead continues to respond, for better or worse, to repeated behaviours and exposures. Much of what is labelled age-related cognitive decline may in fact reflect an accumulation of modifiable risk factors. We also dig into how to critically...

How Much Dietary Fiber Do We Need to be Healthy? (SNP48)

Sigma Nutrition Radio

This is a Premium-exclusive episode of the podcast. To listen to the full episode you need to be subscribed to . This episode examines dietary fiber through the lens of a practical, clinically relevant question: if higher fiber intakes are consistently associated with reduced chronic disease risk, what intake level should we be aiming for to meaningfully improve health outcomes? The discussion deliberately spans from common online claims that fiber is “not essential” (and therefore unnecessary), through to mechanistic reasoning and the highest-quality evidence we have for...

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In this episode, Danny answers questions submitted by Premium subscribers.

Questions Answered in This Episode:

[00:05:13] Is eating too early (relative to chronotype) metabolically problematic?
[00:16:55] Can plant-based diets reverse cardiovascular disease?
[00:32:54] Are multivitamins useful insurance, or a waste with a good diet?
[00:44:56] Does coevolution with foods determine human compatibility and benefit?
[00:56:25] How should consumers choose supplement formulations and brands?
[01:04:46] Folate vs folic acid: differences and best choice for women of childbearing age?
[01:12:37] How reliable is omega-3 content in farmed salmon, especially imported frozen salmon?
[01:19:18] How accurate are food labels for metabolizable energy and absorption, especially across processing levels?
[01:23:58] Protein needs in breastfeeding and general rehabilitation (non-sport injury)?

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