The use of cinnamon
I am reversing lifelong pre-diabetic insulin resistance with a Virta lifestyle and CGM monitoring. When I added a tsp (originally two) of organic cinnamon (It was Starwest, a blend of cassia/ceylon) to my morning coffee, my CGM monitored glucose dropped like a stone. But online resources caution against too much coumarin. Some indicate that Ceylon cinnamon does not have the same health benefits. How should I be thinking about using cinnamon in my diet since, empirically for me at least, the stuff works. Am I doing harm or am I fixing the metabolic problem?
Endocrine Dysregulation and IR
can you go over in grotesque detail- the mechanism by which PCOS (or individuals w/ sub-clinical threshold PCOS symptoms), develop insulin resistance or glucose intolerance? (case study ex. normal labs of A1c, thyroid etc. but hitting >180 with 20g carb mixed meal.) esp in those physically active/ normal BMI. is this thyroid, hypothalamus, etc.current therapies? it is touched on in Insulin Deep Dive and others, but I've yet to understand the mechanistic change...would love your insight.
Sauna - too hot?
Rhonda PATRICK just put out some comments TE saunas being too hot may have negative impacts. Any data updates/specifics on peak temperatures for saunas? My litmus for years has been that the last five minutes are pretty uncomfortable, which for me is between 215 and 220°F (head level), 20min total; avg 5-7d/wk. Thank you in advance
Does Zone 2 heart rate range shift in the heat?
Zone 2 cardio needs no introduction and is the cornerstone of my runs. Like most people I just go off HR, keeping it around 65-70% of max. Living in the south, the summer turns zone 2 runs into almost a zone 2 walk just to keep my heart rate down. Since there is a baseline elevation in heart rate to compensate for the vasodilation in high temperatures, would we still be in Zone 2 if we are exercising at a higher HR like 75-80% of max if we're outside in the heat? I could see how the higher HR would reduce O2 supply for the heart since less time in diastole but not sure if/how that would affect overall mitochondrial activity in skeletal muscle and affect if someone's in Zone 2. Huge fan of the show btw, it helped inspire me to go into medicine and it's always a cool to see how the topics you discuss build upon what we learn in med school. Thanks