BioJacked #2: Autophagy with Josh Whiton

On this second episode of BioJacked, Josh Whiton visited us in the studio to get deep into the subject of Autophagy. He’d just given a talk at the nearby Personalized Life Extension Conference, where he unveiled “The Whiton Protocol”, a diet protocol geared towards the regular promotion of autophagy.

The Whiton Protocol (recently named by popular demand for Josh to call it something) turns out to have much in common with Kiefer’s Carb Nite diet, as we learned by chatting with him at BIL 2012, so we were eager to pick his brain and find out more about autophagy’s role in health and metabolism.

In Part One, we talk about what autophagy is: a process by which the body gets to clean up old “junk” (that’s a technical term) lying around in cells, things like pieces of old viruses and other organic detritus, for use as metabolic fodder during times of nutrient deprivation.

There are different kinds of autophagy, and certain types of nutrient deficiency accentuate these different types. This is a rather involved discussion, so instead of trying to pick out individual subjects in the time code to allow you to jump to topics of interest, I recommend listening to Part One (at least) from start to finish.

Download Part 1 (39 mins, 37MB)

Download Part 2 (44 mins, 42MB)

Download Part 3 (15 mins, 14MB)

Part One: Geeking out on Autophagy

  • 00:00 Just listen to the whole thing, ok?

Part Two: More about Josh, Qs from the Audience

  • 00:45 Why did Josh choose paleo guidelines for his diet?

    “I never felt, looked, or performed better than on Paleo.” –Josh Whiton

  • 03:30 Kiefer’s “biggest mistake” with the Carb Nite Solution.
  • 05:15 Comparing Kiefer’s Carb Nite to Ferriss’ Four Hour Body: what they both got wrong and right.
  • 08:30 The Whiton Protocol’s stance on processed foods — avoiding glycation.
  • 10:15 “Everything in moderation”?

“Most people ask about moderation, and I say well how’s that working for you?” –Josh Whiton

  • 13:00 Josh and Kiefer indulge in overcooked sweet potato skins.
  • 16:00 Does resistance training increase the protein “need” in the body? (Josh asks Kiefer)
  • 20:00 The advantages of hunting for your food.
  • 22:35 Q: Since CMA (Chaperone Mediated Autophagy) can’t handle larger issues like very large junk proteins, damaged organelles, bacteria and virus stowaways, do you have any suggestions that can get rid of these via diet?
  • 26:00 Q: Is 1g of sugar alcohol going to knock you out of ketogenesis and set you back on an ultra-low-carb diet? (Why Kiefer
  • 28:15 Q: The use of Acesulfame-K — does it destroy the metabolic states that CBL relies upon? (“It depends…”)
  • 29:15 Q: Is there an optimal time to do HIIT sessions? What combination of HIIT and Tabata would be ideal?
  • 30:10 Q: Is it OK to do HIIT later in the week while doing the Carb Nite Solution?
  • 31:15 Q: On CBL, what’s “overdoing” it feel like — can you define “feeling waterish” for those who are not so in tune with our bodies? (interesting answer)
  • 33:25 Q: To what extent are muscles glycolytic, and to what extent can they be trained to run on fats alone? (pushing the anaerobic threshold)

    “If I’ve learned anything, it’s that we don’t know shit about the human body.” –Kiefer

  • 34:45 Q: Assuming one wants to get a bigger knowledge about human body, what are you suggesting to read?
  • 36:45 Q: How would you know if you took in “too much” coconut oil or MCT oil? (What’s the deal with ketone production from MCTs?)

Part 3: Speculations on neurophagy, banter, fooooood….

This part is very scatterbrained as apparently we were all getting hungry for lunch, so we’re just providing this last part for your entertainment. We also went over our time a little bit. (Don’t judge, we’re still getting the hang of this.)

Resources Mentioned:

The Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss
Dave Asprey’s “Bulletproof Coffee” recipe (and story)
Kiefer on Intermittent Fasting
“Get Some” Ice Cream by Dave Asprey