Exercise Expert: The FASTEST Way to Lose Fat | Liz Plosser

0:00I have gone down so many deep rabbit holes that really just terrified the entire world. If you take estrogen, you're at high risk for breast cancer. It was like a really inaccurate read. My job is like putting the lens out and spotlighting the important stuff because there's so much misinformation. There was a study that looked at the top six creatine gummies on Amazon. Four of the top six had zero creatine in them, which is crazy. This is Liz Plosser, former editor-in-chief of Women's Health, where she oversaw brands reaching 44 million women.

0:32In this episode, we get into what the science really says about protein, creatine, and menopause, and what most people get wrong. When I added an essential amino acid supplement, bam. Like, I just looked so much more cut. It became part of my supplement stack for this exact reason. If you really want to see the benefits, look for one that is enhanced with. I'm Louise Nicola, and this is The Neuro Experience. So I want to start off by understanding one of the biggest misrepresentations right now in wellness, and that's protein.

1:04Protein is circulating the internet. And when we think about what protein actually is and how much we need, I think there's a huge divide right now between the scientists, the doctors, and then the wellness advocates. You know, we've got this notion that we should be eating over 100 grams of protein per day in order to, you know, build larger muscles. But then we've got another, you know, we've got another camp of people who say it's the stimulus that matters. So where do you sit on this, and what is the truth?

1:34I love this question. I have gone down so many deep rabbit holes on the whole protein debate, and I think it's such a lightning rod issue in the wellness space, whether you're coming at it as an academic or just, you know, one of those wellness influencers or, like me, a health journalist. I have done my research and talked to many experts, and I am a 47-year-old woman, so I know I'm not as efficient as digesting protein and getting the amino acids from it, the building blocks that I need to do, all those wonderful things in my body. So I aim for at least 100 grams a day personally.

2:07But I am, I know my weight, I know my height, I have three children, I know how stimulated and how many cognitive challenges I have during the day, and I know how I stress my body out in good ways with lifting five times a week. So for my activity level, I am personally aiming for a gram per pound of ideal body weight for me personally. Where do you stand? So I am the same as you. I am, when I, you know, I was explaining yesterday that I was in the OR for 16 hours, right? So I didn't meet my nutritional needs at all yesterday.

2:40However, I am trying so hard to stick to 100 grams of protein per day. So I'm in that, I'm in that bandwagon with you. I want to just track back, you said something that was interesting. You said amino acids. And I want to, you know, hone in on that. A lot of people still are wondering, you know, what are the building blocks of protein? And when we talk about protein, are we talking about chicken breast? Are we talking about, you know, 40 grams of protein powder? And, you know, we know that the building blocks of proteins are amino acids,

3:11but why don't we, yeah, why don't we merge into the amino acid field? Yeah. So this is something I'm asked about all the time and that I, um, I'm on a mission to explain to people that is when you're eating protein, when you see those headlines about how much protein you need and protein forward and protein chips and protein sodas. And there's like a new protein, you know, um, packaged food every day. It seems like. Wait, protein soda? Oh yeah. What? Yeah. Like canned fizzy protein.

3:43I've never seen that. I just saw colistrum soda came out last week. I mean, it's, it's wild what's happening. It's like a, um, uh, an energy drink, but with protein. Yeah. That they've magically infused with protein. I know, um, don't, don't get me started. So I think to like, take a step back when you hear from experts and see those headlines about eating so much protein, really what we're trying to do is eat the amino acids that are in protein. And actually, if you drill down further, you're trying to eat the nine essential amino acids.

4:14Those are the building blocks of protein and what your body uses to do all sorts of things in your body from yes, stimulate muscle protein synthesis, but also to keep your brain healthy and sharp and, um, to boost your immune system and to help all your muscles like your heart and, uh, you know, other body parts, your, your lungs, literally everything that happens in your body, your shiny hair, your strong nails. It all begins with amino acids. So it's a funny thing to think about, to think of eating a macronutrient for its building blocks,

4:48but that's what you're really doing. And so when people are talking about a hundred grams or a gram per pound of body weight, that is really to help you get enough of those essential amino acids. And you need all nine to make that magic happen in your body. Um, so that your, your body can use it properly and keep you healthy and keep you performing at your peak. So when we in, so when we have our, uh, our chicken breast and we're breaking that protein down, the protein is actually getting broken down into these nine essential amino acids.

5:20And so it kind of makes sense to supplement with those amino acids, correct? So then you're just actually getting the, the actual amino acids. Yes. So this is something as a health journalist, I've been looking into for years and it became an essential amino acid supplement became part of my supplement stack for this exact reason. Um, it's interesting. There are so many studies about protein. There are so many about creatine. That's another big, big buzzy topic these days, but there are even more studies that have been done

5:53in labs and published in gold standard journals about essential amino acids than there have been about creatine. Um, which surprises people, probably not you because you know, all the research, Well, I actually, I don't know the difference. Um, I'm sorry to cut you off. I don't know the difference between essential aminos and then BCAAs. Is that the same thing? So branch chain amino acids are a subset of the nine essential amino acids. There are three of them. Um, and they are leucine, which is sort of like the MVP of all the essential amino acids. It's the one

6:25that's, um, most active in activating muscle protein synthesis, um, and then isoleucine and then valine. So BCAAs are super important. They're great. The problem is you need all nine of the essential amino acids to activate protein synthesis in the body for all those things we talked about. So I suspect in the near future, there will be a world in which we stop seeing brands and influencers talking about BCAAs. I feel like probably eight or so years ago, they became quite

6:59trendy and you still see people like scooping them out. I don't mean to ding Instagram and social media. I love it. I'm there a lot, but I watch this stuff and I get asked that a lot. Like, well, I'm taking BCAAs. Isn't that the same as an essential amino acid supplement? And it's not, it's only a subset. So they can be quite expensive and I don't want to put anything in my body that's not actually giving me the maximum impact it could have. It's like showing up at a construction site and you only brought the bricks. You didn't bring the mortar or the shovels or, you know, the other

7:32tools you needed to do the construction work. Do you know when that change occurred? Because growing up, I was a triathlete and I was actually, you know, I started to get into the gym around 21. I was going to say around, I was age 21 and I was introduced to BCAAs. I remember it was an apple flavor. It was the thing to take, right? So I don't know where we moved from. I don't know when we moved from BCAAs to EAAs or Aminos. Yeah. They've got a few nicknames. I mean, I think if I could

8:05like reflect back as somebody who's been watching this space for a long time, first of all, I don't know how old you are today, but you were like very early to this, I would say. I think the reason BCAAs got so much hype is because they are like three of the most powerful and important amino acids, right? So I think they kind of got like scooped out like these are the heroes. Let's like put them all together. I don't know. I've, you know, I'm not a, I haven't worked at any of those companies. I don't know what the thought process is, but when you look at what researchers have been

8:38studying in the labs and particularly, you know, for the last decade plus, it's the full profile. And what's also interesting is that those studies, um, in labs, they enrich the essential amino acid mixture with more leucine. Like that one is you want a little more, you want a product that's enhanced with leucine to really activate muscle protein synthesis. You need that much. So if you're sort of looking at, you know, um, supplements that are available online or in stores, I would say

9:12for your money and for it to actually work in your body, if you really want to see the benefits, do the essential amino acid and look for one that is enhanced with leucine. And obviously you want it to be third-party tested and all these things that hopefully your listeners and viewers know. Guys, I am a big believer in testing instead of guessing, especially when it comes to your health. And for years, we've been told to wait until something goes wrong before looking at our blood work. I mean, that's, that's what the medical system is right now. You know, you break an arm and you're in the

9:43hospital and that's great, but it never taught us how to get on track as a preventative method. And this is why I use Function Health because when you use Function, it gives you access to over a hundred different biomarkers all in one place. They've got this amazing platform that you can look at everything. It tracks all of your biomarkers over time. So you can start seeing your patterns. And for me, the power is in the inside. So instead of wondering why your energy

10:13is off or your mood or your focus, or you're wondering if you're in perimenopause, you can actually see what's happening inside your body and make decisions for real data. Now, if you want to get some clarity, and if you want to get your blood work done with Function Health, you can, you'll get a discount. If you sign up at functionhealth.com slash Louisa Nicola, or go to functionhealth.com use code neuro 100 at sign up to get started. I need to talk to you about

10:45mitopure because if you listened to the episode last week, you will know that one of the most fascinating things about aging research right now is the role that mitochondria play in how we age. So these tiny little structures inside ourselves are responsible for producing energy. And when they start to decline everything from physical stamina to cognitive performance and diseases, I have been taking mitopure from Timeline. It's built around a compound called urolithin A. Now urolithin A,

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11:48go to timeline.com slash neuro. So you are the editor-in-chief of Women's Health. So you oversaw brands with around, what's the figure, 40 million women? Yeah, at our peak, 44 million women across channels. What is it that you've seen over the last, you know, 10 years in the wellness industry that is shaping most of the decisions today? Oh, goodness. I mean, I think I saw it. I've been an editor in legacy media since I was 24. I'm 47 now. So I've watched this for 23 years. I think a

12:24couple of things. When I started, as you can imagine, this was in the early 2000s, all of our cover lines and headlines were all about getting smaller, getting a bikini body in two weeks. And, you know, this many minutes on the treadmill equals this many M&Ms. I mean, I kind of like shudder, shiver, and cringe thinking back on it. And you know what? It worked. It preyed on vulnerabilities of women. And it's honestly hard for me to think back on that because I didn't even

12:56think for a minute, like, why are we doing this? You know, it was just like, this is our job. These are the cover lines that work. And so for me, the biggest and most awesome shift has been how most legacy media brands have are talking more about taking up space and getting stronger. And where a lot of the fitness content was focused on cardio and cardio is great for us. Aerobic health is so important. But I think we did a disservice to weightlifting over the years. And I think the

13:28pendulum has now swung in the other way. And I think there's still a lot of work to do. But that conversation is very much out there. I think women specifically are understanding how important weight training is. Not to genderize it, but I think men knew that for a while or were more comfortable, less afraid of getting bulky. Maybe they wanted to. And then I think this protein conversation is huge. It was a huge inflection point. We published a package called the protein playbook when I was at Women's Health. So it's been about four years ago, because I was still

14:02at the top of my tenure. I left the brand about a year and a few months ago. And it absolutely crushed the performance of it. It, you know, people couldn't get enough of it. It got such amazingly high page views. So I think it was in the zeitgeist. But I think the world was ready to learn and to get real science back information from researchers. The last thing I'll mention, and I feel like they're all sort of tangled together, perhaps, is the rise of the menopause conversation. At the beginning of my time at Women's Health, so that was 2018, we were publishing

14:38deep features, deeply reported features about menopause, but they weren't getting much action online. We kept doing it because we believed it was important. By the time I left, you couldn't create enough content around menopause and perimenopause. So I think these are all really positive, positive things. I think there's still a ton more work to do. And I think I'll end my soapbox here. As awesome as it is to see legacy media be more thoughtful and careful about word

15:08choice and imagery. There's still the sort of other side of this, which is social media, right? And what we see happening there, where it's sort of the wild, wild west, and people aren't trained editors and journalists, not that you have to be to be a great storyteller or scientists or doctors or, yeah, academics. And they have confidence and they have good lighting and great editing. Oh, and they've got teleprompters. And they've got teleprompters. Yes. And so that's

15:43sort of the perfect storm for misinformation. And I think that's perhaps the biggest challenge. In the early days of my career, it was all about sourcing good stories and the good stuff. Like I had to dig for them. Now I find that my job is like putting the lens out and spotlighting the important stuff because there's so much misinformation. So it kind of like flip-flopped. Would you look now in 2026 and think that the most powerful message is when it comes to women

16:15to lift heavy, to be strong, and to understand hormones? I think you nailed it. I wouldn't disagree with the word of that. That's interesting that in 2015 that you were focusing on menopause. I'm sure that you weren't probably focusing on it to an extent that it is today with the amount of information we have around estrogen as a neuroendocrine hormone. I think it's a much different story now. You know, back in 2015, I mean, I think the earliest studies that were published as it relates to brain health and estrogen were arising, of course, in 2015, but I don't think it was

16:48the topic of conversation. I completely agree with you. And I think, you know, that study that came out in 2002-ish, right, that really just terrified not just American women, but the WHI study, but the entire world about, oh my gosh, if you use hormone support, if you take estrogen, you're at high risk for breast cancer, which as hopefully everybody knows, was like a really inaccurate read. And it

17:20was a sad example of how headlines can misconstrue really great research. And then in 2018, when there was that incredible, like, 16-page long article in the New York Times that really dug deep into what that study actually said and what the leading researchers, how they feel about it, I feel like that was an inflection point too. And then much like protein, everything under the sun is for menopause now. So I have some feelings about that, positive ones, as well as honestly negative ones,

17:52but at least people are talking about it. What are some of the negative ones that you have? Well, I worry that this is a vulnerable demographic. We know that less than 10% of doctors receive training on menopause when they're in medical school. That's a number that's still accurate today. And half of the population of the world will go through menopause. Not half of the world will have a baby, but every single woman will go through menopause, whether medically induced or sort of the

18:24more traditional way in her 40s or 50s. And yet we have a tiny subset of doctors who have received training on it, which leaves a gap of misinformation, confusion. I don't know what's happening to me. And then add in those influencers we were just talking about. Again, another perfect storm. It's also an enormous number of people. And typically, women are reaching menopause at one of their highest earning decades of their lives. You know, they're in the peak of their careers

18:56professionally. So they have a lot of disposable income to spend. There's also research that shows that women tend to be the decision makers in the household budgets and incomes. So not only do they have money to spend, but they're the ones that are, you know, they've got the power. Exactly. So enter, you know, supplement companies, soda companies, fitness brands, everybody is finding a way into this demographic to say, we can help you. This is made just for you. I, you know, I haven't tried and

19:30sussed out every single product. I'm certain that some of them are really good. And there are specific things that happened to us during perimenopause, which I'm deeply in right now. However, I think the risk is that this is a vulnerable population and that marketers are looking for a way to take advantage of them for money. There's something most people never think about, but it's quietly affecting how they think every single day. The air they breathe. We spend most of our time indoors, unfortunately. Homes,

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23:09You know, I always tell both men and women listening that you should be getting the bare essentials down pack, which is exercise, sleep, and nutrition. So now that we know that that's not a marketing scheme, let's go back to the essential amino acids and really break it down. So I've started taking the Keon aminos. They taste the best. I'm a, I'm a, the watermelon fan. I mean, it's a, so I'm not, they're not branched chain. They are the essential amino. So you're telling me I'm getting all nine? You're getting all nine and they are immediately bioavailable

23:40the second they hit your system. So that's what I want to talk about. So when is the best time for us to be having these? And is this included in the a hundred grams of protein that I'm having? So it's complicated only in that when you look at a label on Keon's aminos or any other brands, it's not going to say X grams of protein, right? And people get kind of freaked out by that. They're like, well, I'm aiming for my a hundred grams of protein a day. So where does this stack in? This is what I'll tell you. And we can dig into the science a little bit.

24:14Food, which, you know, particularly if you're eating plant, excuse me, if you eat meat products, which have the full essential acid profile, plant-based, you can get it too, but you need to be more creative about and strategic because not all plant-based foods have all nine essential amino acids. That has protein in it, right? And then the amino acids are in there. When we eat food, we have to digest it. And we typically eat, there's two things happening. Number one,

24:44we typically eat our chicken breast with some fat and some carbs, right? Like maybe a little sweet potato or there's butter on that, you know, all good things, micronutrients, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins. However, when we eat a combination of macronutrients, it makes us less efficient at digesting it. It's harder to pull those amino acids out. That's number one. That's just how it is. I'm not telling anybody to not eat and to only have amino acid supplements, but it's important to note. Second, as we get older and our hormones fluctuate,

25:16this happens to men and women, but particularly women, it's harder for us to digest and it's harder for us to get the aminos out of food. So that's, I'm just level setting there. Those two things to the side, when you have an amino acid supplement that has been calibrated and formulated with those nine essential amino acids and hopefully leucine enriched as well, that's all your body has to digest. It's immediately bioavailable in your system. So the studies suggest that it's six

25:48times as powerful at impact, at sparking protein synthesis in your body than when you get amino acids from eating a protein source of food. That makes so much sense, especially as we're getting older as well. You mentioned you're in perimenopause and that's the state where you're not as, you're not going to be able to absorb as you mentioned the, so, oh, that's so, that's so interesting because I have it during the day and I have it when I'm at the gym in my drink bottle. That's great. So

26:19there's no wrong time to have them. Uh, the best time to have them is when you'll remember to my routine personally. And as the years have gone by, I've added more during the day. I started with just one scoop every single morning. Um, but I'll tell you what I do when I wake up in the morning while I'm brewing my coffee. After I've had a plain glass of water, I put my aminos and two scoops of creatine. I'm up to 10 grams a day now. Good girl. Thank you. I was hoping you would give me a gold star for that. Um, I stir them up and that's my first helping. Then I make my water bottle

26:52to take to the gym after I drop my youngest son at school. Um, and I've put another scoop in and then I will sometimes have another serving of it in the afternoon. Uh, during that time, you know, when a lot of people reach for coffee or feeling their energy flag, I sometimes just need that little extra boost. It's not like a surge of energy like you get from coffee, but I find it keeps me even and balanced. And vegans can take this too. It is vegan friendly, which is great because it's difficult for vegans to get all those nine essentials. Now you, you said you do this to

27:26break your fast. I would say first thing in the morning. And I actually wanted to ask you about fasting and it's, I've had, um, I've got my reservations on fasting, especially for women, but we know that fasting can actually induce muscle loss because maybe you're not getting in enough protein and you're not inducing muscle protein synthesis. How can we be, you know, if we're fasting, are we breaking the fast if we have the essential aminos? No, you're not because it doesn't create an insulin spike. So you're, you're covered. Um, you, it's actually a beautiful

28:00tool for people who are intermittent fasting or doing extended fastings. Um, you can use your aminos to make sure that your body is not cannibalizing its muscles for amino acids so that it can do all the other things it needs to do in its body. So you're really protecting your lean muscle mass and maintaining your fast by having an essential amino acid supplement. Okay. I want to give something to the men listening here, or honestly, to anyone who has a man in their life. Let me tell you something. We spend so much time thinking about what we put in our bodies, but most men and women

28:34never think twice about what they're putting on their skin every single day. And a lot of those everyday products, I'm talking shampoos, body washes contain ingredients linked to hormone disruption. This is why you or your man need to make the switch to based body works. I actually introduced based body works to somebody close to me. And the difference was immediate. First of all, let's talk about their shampoo. The shampoo from based body works uses peppermint and argan oil. So the scalp feels clean without being stripped. And over time, the hair just looks

29:08healthier. No sulfates, no unnecessary chemicals, just ingredients that actually make sense. And you know what guys, I know all of these products are usually made for women, but this one is made for men. So if the men in your life have been using the same products forever without thinking about what's in them, and you're noticing those hormone changes in them, the easiest way to upgrade it is to change to based body works. And if you want to, you can go to based body works.com use code neuro for 20% off. And guess what? They'll get a free toiletry bag when they buy a set. Come on,

29:45we all know that the men want that because confidence shouldn't come at a cost of your health. This is a controversial one, but I want your take. Okay. Do essential aminos actually improve body composition and preserve lean mass even on days that someone isn't exercising? A hundred percent. There's the data is unequivocal on this. There have been studies done on populations that are injured as well as on elderly people who are not working out. And when they take a daily essential amino acid supplement, they protect their lean muscle mass compared to a control

30:16group that loses it during those times when they're not activating muscle protein synthesis at the gym. And I'll just say end of one here, but my own lab experiment on my body that adding essential amino acids to my day. And I'm a person that's been obsessed with fitness my whole life. I was a competitive athlete growing up. I used to do marathons and triathlons. Um, and I've always done weightlifting in the background. First, I started lifting heavier, which was a big change for me during the pandemic. I learned how to get that endorphin high from heavier lifting where

30:46before I could only get it from long running. Um, but second, when I added an essential amino acid supplement, bam, like I just looked so much more cut. Why is that? Well, it's activating muscle protein synthesis and it's helping you recover from your workouts. So not only, um, am I sparking muscle protein synthesis to protect those lean muscles and make sure that it's continuing to grow sparking muscle synthesis from my weightlifting. But in addition, it's helping me recover, which means

31:20that I'm going to sleep more soundly. I'm not going to be a sore. And then tomorrow morning when I go back to the gym, I can lift that much heavier because I recovered more efficiently than I did without the supplement. So I think it was a combination of those things. How long does it take to actually see these results after taking these aminos? Because I got to tell you, I love taking them, especially like, like I mentioned to you during the day. And there are some days that I don't get to go to the gym, but I'm simply standing on my feet for 16 hours or I'm at my desk, which I hate sitting down for so long, but sometimes I get those days I'm still having it. Uh, so yeah, I mean,

31:53and I think maybe I didn't pick that piece of the question up, so I'll just hammer it home when we can't work out and lift weights. And of course we need to take rest days, but maybe we're injured or there's some other reason we can't work out without the volume, whether it's from lighter weights at high rep or from heavier lifting, which I just personally love doing, we're not activating muscle protein synthesis and our muscles need that to be protected. Right. So if on those days, I would argue you need your amino acid supplement even more than the

32:25days you're going to the gym. Like it becomes even more crucial. Um, we could get into this or not, uh, but for the population of people who are now taking GLP ones of which the current estimates are one in eight, this is so important because whether they're fatigued from the medication or their eating habits have changed and they're not having as much protein in their diet, EAAs, or I would say, I, I would, I wish every doctor would tell their patients to check out an EAA supplement to help

32:57support them when they go on this medication and beyond. Um, but yeah, so I have it every single day for the exact same reasons you do, even on my rest days. And, you know, I like to, when I have long travel days and I'm sitting the entire day, those are the days I'm like, yeah, I need this more ever. Yeah. I, um, I just want to shout out, uh, guys, if you want to try this, go to get key on.com slash neuro and you'll get 20% off the aminos that I'm currently having. And a little, little hint, I'm having the watermelon one. That's so good. So let's go back to the practical applications

33:31because I mean, every supplement pitch is imaginable, right? And I think that I've always, I'm, I don't know if I'm going to start adding this to my tier one when I start promoting, when I say promoting, I mean, like I promote, um, no brands, but I mean, I promote creatine and omega-3 fatty acids. I do believe that I don't care who you are. I don't care what age you are. I don't freaking care where in the world you are. In my opinion, everyone should be having creatine.

34:02In my opinion, everyone should be on a high dose of EPA and DHA. I believe we should all be having around two grams of both EPA and DHA. Now I'm starting to think they're my tier ones. All right, Liz. And then we've got tier twos. Oh, whey protein's up there too. Now I'm starting to think, should I keep whey protein there? Should I get rid of it and put aminos there? Um, when I was researching this episode, I was trying to look for the link between the amino acid profile and brain health. I don't know if you've seen anything on that. Uh, but I'm, I'm, I'm slowly moving. Maybe it's a

34:35tier 1.5. Well, I am smiling big because you're expert on brain health and cognitive performance and your tier one, 1.5 and two is basically my very sparse supplement stack. Those are the things that I turn to every day. Um, fish oil, yeah. Whey protein, creatine, and an amino acid supplement. I would argue, and particularly for people who are concerned about breaking a fast,

35:06if you use whey protein, which is great because it has the full nine essential amino acid profile, that will cause more of an insulin spike. And so you're breaking your fast when you do that. But you're still having the protein as well. You're still meeting your 100 grams a day. I'm absolutely aiming for that every day for all the reasons we talked about, because food is fun. It's a, I think like a pillar of health to gather and eat something delicious and be in community with people, plus all the vitamins, minerals, et cetera, that are in it. So I'm still aiming for that. But I think of my EAAs is my insurance policy and that no matter what happens that day, you know,

35:42like when my awesome husband makes pasta with veggie sauce for dinner and I'm like, oh, there's no, you know, lean ground meat on that. Or I went through a phase of my life where I would consider on those nights going to my cupboard and getting out a tin of tuna and eating that to hit 25 grams of protein before dinner. Wow. And I don't want to live my life that way. I want to enjoy the pasta and not give him shade for not including a protein source in it. And you don't have to worry about any of that when you have your aminos every day.

36:15You said that you got out of legacy media a year ago. What is your mission? Obviously, your mission probably changes or has changed since then. What is it now? Oh, thank you for this question. I honestly, it was a little bit of an identity crisis after spending decades in those roles and suddenly not having a big office with a beautiful front door to walk into. But what I very quickly found is this passion I have for health and well-being and for helping

36:50people click with movement and to just feel a little bit better than they did yesterday, that fire only burns more brightly. It has grown. And now I'm doing it on my own terms. And not that I seek to create controversy in the world. You know me well enough to know I'm not really that type. There is something liberating about feeling that I can say and do it exactly how I want to without the

37:23weight of an enormous brand and team behind it. Do you know what I mean? Like when I come on this podcast, I represent Liz in my own research, not anybody else, not a brand. This is me. And that's somewhat terrifying, you know, because I don't have the support system that I used to all that scaffolding. But I'm ready for that challenge. And I've, I've worked hard and I have the passion and I talk to the experts and do the research to stand by it. So I now write a substat called best case scenario,

37:57that's entirely wellness focused. I round up wellness news every Monday. And later in the week, I do a deep dive. So I've done, I'll send them to you. I've done some deep dives on amino acids as well as creatine. They're two of the most popular topics that I write about without fail. So that continues to be my mission. Nothing makes me happier than when somebody sends me a DM on Instagram or an email or leaves a comment on my substack saying they tried it or they learned something new. And you know what I think, Louisa, I think, and I felt this personally, even as a health journalist who

38:31knows everything, you have to hear it a bunch of different ways before it clicks. And who knows why hearing it from this person at this time in that way was finally the time you're like, okay, I'm going to try an amino acid supplement, or I'm actually going to pick up the heavier weight tomorrow at the gym. You know, I did marathons for years without really focusing on weightlifting. And he was just doing some random biceps curls in the background. I knew better. I had talked to the researchers. So I have compassion for every mere mortal everyday human and athlete out there

39:05who doesn't have it all figured out yet and still needs to hear it a different way. Yeah, it kind of goes back to the old days when you would hear somebody needs to see something 17 times before they buy it from you. Yeah. Which is really interesting. I don't know how many times I can say creatine is great for you, but it really hits every time I say it from whatever angle. So actually, let's get into creatine. And is there any new research that you can talk to me about? Yeah, I'm obsessed with this topic, particularly because I just changed my creatine protocol from

39:36five grams every day to 10 grams every day. What was the switch? So I had seen some of the studies that came out last year. First, there was the one about how after a bad night of sleep, when people are sleep deprived, if they had an extra dose of creatine, that their energy wasn't as low and they felt sharper than the control group that didn't do that. Correct. Yes, it can alleviate or completely ameliorate some of the negative symptoms associated with sleep deprivation. Which, you know, we all have those nights, some more than others. In addition, some studies came

40:13out about Alzheimer's and dementia improvement. And that was the pilot study done on patients with Alzheimer's disease taking 20 grams a day over an eight week period. And once they, after eight weeks, they tested them based on different types of cognitive tests. And all of these patients, not only improved their global cognition scores, but, you know, executive functions, memory, and processing speed, they also had a higher propensity to go to the gym. So they felt like,

40:49I want to go to the gym more. And these are Alzheimer's disease patients. I don't think people really understand what that diagnosis is. And if we can get an Alzheimer's disease patient to go to the gym, like that is, that's monumental. And even to have a minor increase, incremental increase in global cognition, then you've got me sold. However, I will say, caveat, that doesn't mean everyone needs to be taking 20 grams a day. That's a high dose. Yes. And thank you for unpacking that study. You did that much better than I would have. But I've read them. And I was intrigued by the

41:24high dose that was being used on these patients. And some, in some cases, even a little bit higher, depending on their weight, right? So that just got my wheels turning. And I went to Dr. Darren Candro and Dr. Abby Smith-Ryan, two of the world's leading creatine researchers, and was like, hey, what's going on with this? Should I be taking a higher dose? And I saw a PhD speak at a conference, and she mentioned in passing in the hallway to me that she had taken 15 grams of creatine that day,

41:56knowing she was giving the keynote. Well, yeah, I am. I gave grand rounds. And on that day, I took 15 grams. So I tucked that in my back pocket, too. It was like, wait a minute. What, you know, what does this mean for my own personal protocol? And both Dr. Smith-Ryan and Dr. Candro, although they weren't like, yes, everybody should be taking 10, 15, 20, 30 grams a day, they did agree that based on the research and the dosing that's used in labs, that it was very reasonable to take a higher dose. Now, what Darren said was on nights after you have a really bad night

42:32of sleep, or you've been traveling, or you have a high cognitive challenge that day, take a higher dose. But you know what happened to me, Louisa? I started doing that after a really bad night of sleep, or I'm going on a podcast or speaking at a conference or whatever it is. But I started to feel over time, like, every day is a cognitive challenge for me. I'm pushing my brain to the max every day. So I asked them, would it be okay to take 10 grams a day? Is there any, like, reason not to? And they said, based on my, you know, profile and what I was trying to get out of it, that it was completely

43:04reasonable. Well, that's for a number of things. One, anyone living in New York City should be on 10 grams a day, okay? It is cognitively demanding being in this city. I don't know if anyone knows what it's like to, like, just being Manhattan, especially on a rainy day, like today. Secondly, we know that muscle tissue is, is really hungry, right? So the moment that you take creatine, your muscle absorbs five grams of that. So if you're only taking five grams, we got no, we don't have more leftover for it to penetrate the brain. So let's say we take our five grams,

43:40which is what you were doing. And it goes into your, if anyone's watching on YouTube, she's got really nice defined deltoids right there. And they're just staring at me. I think she wore that, that tank as a, like, just to show those off. So, you know, it gets sucked into, sucked into the muscles. And then if you've got five grams left over, well, whilst it's, you know, slow, you know, going into the bloodstream, and then it goes up into the brain, once it crosses that blood brain barrier, that blood brain barrier is, you know, effectively either going to soak it all

44:13in, depending on either what age we are. And, you know, if we have any types, you know, if we've got mild cognitive impairment, maybe harder, but it's going to push past that blood brain barrier, get in and then be able to increase what we call brain creatine levels. So let's now take it up to 15 grams. Let's just say, okay, great. Muscle's taken up five grams. What's the other 10 grams? Well, it's just going to go in, raise more brain creatine levels, help with what we call cell

44:43energy metabolism. And when we are under stress, I don't know if you've done a search, anyone should just go do a search and look for creatine and depression. There are so many studies like dating back to like, you know, there's, there's, you know, there's randomized control trials where they're actually taking patients who are on SSRIs, getting rid of those, replacing it with creatine. And these patients are seeing the same results. Why is that? Because when you're low mood, maybe you're having, you know, depressive like symptoms, which we all get, or maybe you do have some form

45:15of depression. You've got low energy in the brain cell. So, you know, you've got the creatine that, you know, help uptake and give you the energy that you need to smile and be happy, which on some days for some people is just hard to do. So glad you brought up sort of like the emotional and mental health benefits in addition to the, you know, neurons firing. I think that's so important. And I too am very impressed by the research on that. I think that stuff is so cool. I'm also realizing that I think a couple of questions ago, you asked, you said you started

45:46to go down the rabbit hole of essential amino acids and brain. And brain health, yeah. And I am not an expert in brain chemistry. I wish I was more of one, but I have done a little bit of research on it. And what I can tell you is that EAAs are the precursor for neurotransmitters. So just like they're involved in everything else happening in your body, they are key and crucial in your brain. And please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't our brain, it takes up 20% of our energy and it's only 2% of our. Yeah. And three pounds in weight.

46:22Take care of your brain, right? I know I'm preaching to the choir with you, but like, this is serious stuff. Yeah, that's, yeah. I think another thing that I wanted to touch on when it comes to all of this is the role that peptides, no, not peptides. No, the role that collagen, collagen peptides are having today in society. I actually recently debunked a study that's gone viral for God knows what reason, showing that collagen can help with brain health. And

46:53it was a really, really poorly done study. So I'm going to post that, but I want to know what your take is on collagen. Yeah. I can't wait for that post. So, you know, I would put this in the category with BCAAs. I don't personally take collagen. I am covered with my essential amino acids. You know, it does everything I need it to do. How about skin health? Well, it helps with glowy, fresh skin cell turnover, stronger nails, healthier, thicker, shinier hair. I mean,

47:26it literally does everything. So, but yes, of course, understandably, that's why people are really curious about collagen and that's what they want help on. And for, you know, folks who are getting older, these are as our hormones fluctuate, skin health and having like shiny bright eyes and all those things, you know, we have to work that much harder for them. But based on what I've seen, I'm getting everything I need from my aminos. I kind of watch the collagen conversation from the sidelines. It's not harmful. It's not ineffective. I, there's some really smart people that are

48:01pro-collagen. I've heard them on podcasts, but so far, nothing they've said or that I've seen in the studies has convinced me personally to take it. Yeah. I think it's because when we look at the, the number one biomarker for healthy aging, we can look at muscle being the organ of longevity, and then you reverse engineer that. And we've got, yes, stimulus, which means we've got to push the weights. You know, I always tell people when it comes to creatine, yes, you can take it every day. You don't just need to take it the days you go to the gym. However, you're not going to take it and grow muscles. It's just the same as, you know, you're not going to just take these EAAs and then

48:37just, you know, essentially get bigger. No, but there, there are no magic bullets, as I like to say. And, you know, I, I obviously love Kion and they've been part of my life for a long time, but they are about as close to magic as you can get for protecting your lean muscle mass. They're not going to make it grow, but they can help protect it. Um, but yes, I get that question too. Do I need to take them on days I'm not working out? Should I take, why do I take creatine? I don't lift as heavy as you do at the gym. And I'm like, well, your heart is a muscle. And if you're running,

49:11your legs are pumping, you know, there's, and as we just discussed all these brain benefits. So I think that's speaking of sort of like misconceptions and myths that we see floating around in this space. I think that's a big one. I think the conversation is changing and fewer people think of it as like creatine is just for bodybuilders. I think, you know, now we have products coming out that are, um, you know, pink boxes and gummies and all these things to make them more palatable for different populations. Um, I'm glad the conversation is happening not to go on

49:46another soapbox, but I'm sure you saw this study. I, this is another thing I tell people who DM me with questions. Please do your research and make sure you're using a brand that's third-party tested. There was, um, a study that came out late last year, um, that looked at the top six selling creatine gummies on Amazon and four of them, four of the top six, when they sent them to an independent lab for testing, had zero creatine in them, which is crazy. You know, so I just caution people. I

50:18don't know what were, what was in those gummies, probably some sugar and other fillers to make them, you know, sticky and yummy and all those things. But like, do your research, make sure it's third party tested. Um, take the time to do that. You're putting it in your body. You're doing it for your health and longevity. So do it right. When it comes down to it, you know, you look at a, um, you look at a scoop of five grams of creatine, right? Then you look at a gummy and you think how there is no way that this has been able to go into a gummy. Maybe the sample, the, the serving size is four, you know, four gummies. Right. And it's another great point. Yeah. And then you think,

50:52well, okay, great. I need to have four gummies, but in those four gummies, how much sugar is in there? A, B, if you actually understand biologically, what does it take to create a gummy? Well, there's going to have to be some sort of heating and melting process in there. So you're going to be getting the degradation of that creatine in there anyway. And then thirdly, it's like, it's actually not hard. People ask me like, Oh, how do you drink it? It's like, these questions are just so simple. Like, like we are trying, Elon is trying to get us to Mars and you are asking me, how do you take

51:27your creatine? So yeah, it's no, I don't mean to, I don't, that's, I don't mean to be rude, but like, just take it. Yeah. It's so easy. It's tasteless. It dissolves quickly. I'm also asked quite often, is it okay to put it in my coffee? That's a big thing. And I asked, um, Abby Smith, Ryan. Yes. And she was like, unless you're taking an hour to drink your coffee, because coffee is acidic and it can break down, but she's like, most people finish their coffee in 20 minutes. So you're fine.

51:58Can I tell you a funny story? Yes, please. So I was sitting at a coffee shop on 5th and I sit down and two guys came to sit next to me. Right. And they were sitting at their own table. They didn't see me, obviously that they were just talking. And one of them started a creatine drink, right? So I was, there you go. Yep. Okay. And just two finance guys who know nothing by the looks of it on about exercise. Right. So I'm just sitting there and I'm thinking, okay, they're talking about creatine. So I took my earphones out. So I'm just, you know, just sitting there. We were quite close

52:30and, uh, proximity wise. And one gentleman said, why did you start the creatine drink? Why are you going into the creatine space? You're in finance. He said, because the creatine right now has gone up. Creatine cells have gone up, especially in women aged 50 years and above. And then the other man responded saying, really, how do you know that? He said, I'm not sure, but there is this woman on Instagram. Her name's Louisa Nicola. She's like everywhere, all over my Instagram. And I'm sitting and I'm like at the coffee shop, I'm looking around. I'm like, I wonder if I should

53:03introduce myself. I sat there and listened to his entire business model, his pitch. And then, so I stood up and I said, Hey, I said, actually, I don't agree with what you're doing. And he just looked at me. He goes, well, hang on. He goes, I, I know you. I said, yeah, that was me that you're talking about. So I, you know, he has a drink. I hope he's not listening to this. What's it called? I actually don't know what it's called. Um, but he has a drink and it's readily available now, but it's in a can. And I said, but how are you, how are you accounting for bioavailability? Because

53:36it creatine degrades in, in water over time. He couldn't answer that. So I found that quite interesting, which goes back to check that everything is third party tested and check who is actually making the goddamn product. Amen. That's an insane story. It was hilarious. That's an amazing story. Um, it actually sounds like it, a movie should be made. I hope it is someday Louisa. Um, but yeah, you're right. And it's the dosing matters like three to five grams.

54:08Five is pretty standard. Gummies have like one or one and a half. Usually these canned, I've seen some of the canned creatines, uh, beverages. They often only have one to one and a half. I wasn't even thinking about that, but yeah, the process of making them and then, um, but the same isn't for, um, essential aminos. No, the same is so essential aminos don't degrade in water over time. They do not. So we can have them. Yeah. Cause I put them in, I don't know what they're called, but you know, those big jugs that girls are carrying around right now. The Stanley's. There we go. The Stanley's. Somebody got me one. I have a 15 year old

54:41daughter, so I know all about Stanley. I mean, at Christmas time with my nieces, uh, my, my sister in law got me one as well with my 10 year old nieces. Um, and so I've got a Stanley cup and it's like this huge thing, right? And that's how I put my aminos in there. It's the only way I'm going to drink water throughout the day. That's great. Um, on that as well, I know I'm going, so now I've really lit up cause we're talking about, you know, things that I'm really excited about with aminos. Cause I know with creatine that we kind of need to be hydrated, right? So this is this new theory that I'm looking into that shows that maybe just maybe we can increase the absorption

55:16of creatine if we are having it with electrolytes. Oh my God. We are like, so cut from the same cloth. I just wrote a piece about this. I'm going to send it to you. Okay. So tell me everything you know. I, I, um, this is a topic I've been interested in as well. Um, and when I looked into it, it actually goes all the way back to bodybuilding culture of the 1990s when dudes at the gym would take their creatine with juice. Um, and it's the same idea as it because of sodium in it, but also

55:51because of sugar in it, the insulin in it that you get from that. So I asked the creatine researchers about it. Like, wait, is this a hack? Should we all be taking our scoop of creatine with some sort of electrolyte beverage? And I am not going to do justice. Like I'll send you the article or maybe put it in the show notes. Um, I'm not going to be able to explain the entire scientific mechanism for this, but the answer was like, yeah, that could be helpful. But also what Dr. Smith Ryan said,

56:21um, I keep name checking her. I have such a girl crush on her and her research and particularly her commitment to studying females. Um, she's actually bankrolled some research on her own without getting outside funding just to put more females in the lab, which I, I really respect. Um, at any rate, she says the way she has her creatine is with essential amino acids. Not that I don't have no idea what kind she has. I don't know if it's key on or not, but that's how she drinks it because she says she would rather get the same benefit from aminos, which she knows are so important

56:53than from adding some sort of sugary beverage to her creatine. I'll, I'll forward this to you. Funny story. I, um, this actually makes total sense. My parents came to visit me in New York, uh, this time last year and they're coming again. And so I, you know, like, you know, walk and my dad's 72, right? He's walking around and I felt like I had to hold his hand because he's walking around looking at things. I'm like, Oh my God. So I started spiking every morning. I started spiking his orange juice with 10 grams of creatine. No way. Yeah. And so we're like, you know, it was so hilarious. Mom was like laughing so much because

57:28he was like, he was like walking and he's like, let's, let's power walk all the way up to Grand Central. I'm like, stuff works. Yeah. It just, and I could see it in him. Mom wasn't getting as much of a boost because she was putting it in her coffee, but that makes total sense. He was getting it in orange juice. That that's kind of like the origin story of, and for some reason it's starting to percolate again, like this electrolyte theory. So it's not crazy. There's an actual like real science to support that underneath. So I want to wrap up by asking about your morning protocol book

58:01because a first, that's amazing. Congratulations. But B why morning protocol? I'm obsessed with mornings. I, I believe. Are you one of those people who wakes up and like the birds are singing? You're like, you know, I'm, I'm a human. I, once I get up though, I am like, oh, um, no, the, the funny thing about that book, I tell the story about how I used to like throw pillows at my dad when I was a teenager and he would come in and try to get me to go running with him. Um, but I believe how you start your day is how you live your day. So I think everybody

58:33should be the architect architect of a morning that sets them up to have an amazing day. And I think the beauty of mornings is how different everybody's looks. Um, what works for you is going to be very different from what works for somebody listening compared to me. Um, and it's interesting because my book called, um, own your morning, unlock your AM to, or what we'll find the, the exact, I'm like, what's the subtitle now? Own your morning is what you need to know. Um, my protocol looks different now than when that book was published four or five years ago.

59:08Um, mostly because I now write in the morning where I used to go to the gym at, I'd be working out at 6 AM. And part of it is because I work for myself now. So I, I get to make my own hours. Um, but part of it is because as an editor, I was editing other people's work, right? And so I would walk into my office and sort of wait for the pieces to come in and the meetings to begin. But now I'm the writer and I'm the reporter and my brain is sharpest in the morning. So I try to harness that power and I can, I can lock in quickly. I have my, my water, my coffee, my creatine,

59:43my aminos. I put in some good music and light a candle and no, I'm, I'm usually up by 5 AM writing most mornings. Wow. Yeah. So I do that for a couple hours before my kids wake up and need help, you know, getting ready for school. Um, and it's awesome. Like it's crazy how much good work I can get done at that hour of the day. Um, but I felt for a little bit like an imposter because the book goes into depth about why morning workouts are so good for us and all the neurochemistry and, um,

1:00:16other good things that happen in our body every time we work out and how important it is to begin your day that way. Um, so I still do morning workouts most days. They just happen a little bit later. So I'm still adjusting to that. I love mornings too. Um, but I wake up and go to war every morning. So I wake up and it's not like I'm not screaming hallelujah, but I do have my morning routine and I, but I am, I just go straight to war and it's actually on my computer. So I get up and I'm, I'm pretty vicious in the morning. I don't want people to talk to me.

1:00:48I don't want to be asked questions. I get out of my way and do not approach me until like 9am. Yeah. Well, you know what works for you. It's, uh, it's what I get done in those, whenever I wake, maybe like, let's just say I wake up at six, those three hours are just, I know that if I, and I, I always make sure, okay, got to leave the house, got to go to the gym right now. I'll get on with my day. I know that I've broken that, that focus zone. Totally. Yeah. I hate it. I get, I get very scared. I'm like, I get anxious. I'm like,

1:01:18oh my, but I have to leave and I know it's gone. Oh, I'm the same. I have to like pull myself away because I'm so locked in. Locked in. Yeah. I mean, to be clear, I'm not like dancing around like a cartoon character with butterflies. I'm kind of like you. I think I'm like, I'm like, let's LFG. Yeah. Can I say a bad word? Yeah. Let's fucking go. Exactly. Like, let's do this. Liz, I aspire to have your deltoids. Thank you for coming on the podcast and sharing all of this information with us. Like I said, guys, I'll put the key on aminos below just simply because I love

1:01:54them so much and I love the flavors. So thank you once again. Thanks for having me.