This episode discusses metabolism and how our thyroid hormone and growth hormone control our metabolism. I also clarify that metabolism isn't just about burning energy, it’s about converting energy from different sources into fuels for building and repairing our tissues such as muscle, brain, and tendons and mobilizing energy from body fat storage. I discuss the role of iodine, selenium, and salt for thyroid health, and how specific exercise protocols, amino acids and temperature can dramatically shift levels of growth hormone release in waking and in sleep. I also describe the current landscape of prescription compounds, peptides and other factors for changing levels of thyroid and growth hormone, and some of their risks. Throughout the episode, mechanisms and tools grounded in specific mechanisms are discussed. Thank you to our sponsors Four Sigmatic: https://foursigmatic.com/huberman Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/huberman Munk Pack: https://munkpack.com - Use code: huberman Supplements from Thorne https://www.thorne.com/u/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Introduction (00:06:05) Thyroid & Growth Hormone (00:08:44) Food Shapes: Do They Matter? (00:11:43) Stevia: Naming & Impact (00:13:30) Metabolism 101: Your Brain the Furnace (00:17:33) Releasing Hormones From Your Brain, Stimulating Hormones from Your Pituitary (00:21:04) Thyroid Hormone’s Real Effects: Growth, Repair and Energy Consumption of Tissues (00:22:45) Iodine, L-Tyrosine & Selenium: The Trio Essential For Thyroid Function (00:26:05) How Much Iodine Do We Need? By Food, Supplement or Ocean Air (00:28:09) Selenium For Thyroid: Brazil Nuts & Other Valuable Sources (00:33:05) Selenium For Pregnancy, Prostate Cancer Risk, Acne (00:35:20) “Clean Eating” Downsides: Cruciferous Vegetables, Leeching Iodine (00:39:00) Other Benefits of Iodine: Reducing Inflammation (00:41:00) Why & How Increased Thyroid Increases Metabolism (00:42:12) What To Eat To Support Your Brain (00:43:00) Hyperthyroidism (Too Much) & Hypothyroidism (Too Little) (00:44:35) Menstruation: Thyroid Carbohydrate & Sugar Craving (00:45:33) Ketogenic Diet & Its Effects On Thyroid, Rebound Weight Gain (00:48:39) Growth Hormone: What, Why & How (00:51:18) Growth Hormone (GH) Changes Across The Lifespan & Risks of GH Therapy (00:53:40) How To Powerfully Increase Growth Hormone: Know The Natural Triggers (00:54:49) Not Eating Within 2hrs of Sleep: Keep Blood Glucose Low(ish) At Sleep (00:55:43) Delta Wave Brain Activity Is the Trigger For Growth Hormone Release (00:58:25) LOW Doses of Melatonin Supplementation For Increasing GH Release (01:01:00) Book: Altered Traits, Binaural Beats? Delta Waves Access (01:04:35) Specific Types & Duration of Exercise That Stimulate Growth Hormone & Warmups (01:08:40) Keeping Low Blood Glucose & Ensuring A Cool Down For Two Phase GH Release (01:10:36) Sex Differences For WHEN During Exercise Growth Hormone and IGF-1 Release Occurs: Males Have To Last Longer (01:14:10) Supplements That Increase Growth Hormone 100-400% (or more): Arginine, Ornithine (01:18:20) Arginine & Exercise Together Can Be Counter-Productive (01:19:50) L-Citrulline Better For Arginine Than Arginine Itself (?!); & Blood Pressure Caution (01:23:09) Growth Hormone Changes Across The Lifespan: No One Escapes (01:26:00) Heat (& Cold) for Triggering Extremely Large Increases In Growth Hormone (01:29:20) Specific Heat Protocols For Increasing Growth Hormone: Up To 16-Fold (?!) (01:34:30) 2021 (New) Study: Heat Increases GH, & Lowers Cortisol, No Effects On Testosterone, DHEA Or Prolactin (01:36:00) Prescription Growth Hormone, & Emerging Peptides Therapeutics, Secretagogues Etc. (01:42:25) Synthesis, Summary Of Actionable Steps For Increasing GH and Thyroid Hormone (01:44:00) Zero Cost & Other Ways to Support Our Podcast; & Thank You!
Blinkist provides a 15-minute audio or written summary of books, which can help readers catch key points they may have missed. The platform summarizes books like Live Wired and Why We Sleep, making it a helpful tool for busy individuals.
In this podcast, the host debunks the common myth that certain foods resembling certain organs make them good for that particular organ. Instead, the host discusses thyroid and growth hormones, and how to control metabolism.
Thyroid hormone and growth hormone are essential for metabolism, tissue repair, maintaining cognitive function and preventing dementia. Adequate iodine levels are necessary for the production of thyroid hormone.
Many foods are sources of selenium, an important mineral for thyroid health and increasing thyroid hormone, such as pork, beef, turkey, chicken, cottage cheese, eggs, and brown rice. However, Brazil nuts are the richest food source of selenium, with six to eight nuts providing 550 micrograms of selenium, while all other foods contain only 30 to 50 micrograms.
Iodine, selenium, and L-tyrosine are crucial for thyroid health since they enable thyroid pathways, support bone, muscle, and cartilage repair while allowing the thyroid hormone to take glucose to tissues for better brain function, cognitive health, and high metabolism.
Maintaining healthy levels of thyroid hormone is crucial for brain function as 75% of metabolism is from the brain. The administration of drugs or the removal of the thyroid gland can help regulate thyroid hormone levels if necessary.
Learn how growth hormone is released during slow-wave sleep and how to maintain or increase growth hormone production through lifestyle modifications that optimize sleep, diet, and exercise habits.
Delta wave activity & slow wave activity in the brain are important for growth hormone release, which helps with metabolic functions, fat loss, and tissue repair. Meditation practice and melatonin supplements can increase this growth hormone release by helping to achieve deep sleep with delta wave activity.
Weight-bearing exercises that lead to getting close to the final repetitions but not pushing through, can lead to 300-500% increases in growth hormone, but exercise duration and body temperature are important factors. Additionally, the effects on IGF-1 and growth hormone differ between men and women.
Arginine and ornithine can increase growth hormone levels substantially, but using them with the specific goal of releasing growth hormone can short circuit the effects of exercise on growth hormones due to temperature.
Entering environments where it's very hot for short periods of time, anywhere from 20 minutes to 30 minutes, has been shown to increase growth hormone release 16 fold and provide a significant decrease in cortisol, a stress hormone. However, it did not change testosterone, DHEA or prolactin levels.
The composition of the substance determines the impact on the body, for instance, an increase in growth hormone induced by exercise, arginine, or sauna has significant effects. Similarly, the hormonal level can rebound after a period of abstinence in some cases.
This podcast explains the relationship between hormones such as thyroid, growth hormone, estrogen, and testosterone in influencing the body's metabolism and regulating eating habits, and discusses how adequate sleep, exercise and nutritional supplements can optimize their functions.