Rhonda Patrick
biomedical scientist, PhD · FoundMyFitness · 720,000 subscribers
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What Patrick talks about most
Measured across the show notes of 29 episodes since 2024-01-01.
Where Patrick stands
Patrick is known for an approach that combines nutrition, supplements and exercise based on published studies, supplemented by his own experiences. On nutrition, the line is clear: added sugars, trans fats and nitrites in processed meat are harmful and warrant concrete action. People who eat carbohydrates can blunt the blood sugar spike by eating proteins or fats ten to thirty minutes beforehand. Patrick also highlights the importance of fermentable fibers, which form a gel in the digestive tract that encapsulates micro- and nanoplastics and inhibits their absorption. As a complement to diet, a multivitamin and two grams of omega-3 per day are recommended, for brain aging and the omega-3 index respectively: "2 g a day can raise people from 4% to 8%. I think that's a really good sort of just starting point for the average person."
On exercise, Patrick sees strength training and intensive aerobic training as complementary. Light weights produce just as much muscle growth as heavy ones, provided the effort is high enough, and HIIT is the most time-efficient way to improve brain function. On one point the line is firm: cold immediately after strength training inhibits muscle growth and should be avoided. That is not in itself at odds with the rest, but it does require careful timing.
Beyond exercise, Patrick also mentions the sauna, ideally four to seven times per week for at least twenty minutes. Both strength training and the sauna are partly supported by Patrick's personal experience: "what I noticed is that the rest of my day was so much easier in terms of dealing with stress." His position on gratitude in children stands apart, as Patrick cites no study or other basis for it.
sources: 21 positions with quote and timestamp
Nutrition and prevention
For: Taking 2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids daily is an effective and safe dose to raise the omega-3 index to an optimal level of at least 8 percent.
“2 g a day can raise people from 4% to 8%. I think that's a really good sort of just starting point or the average person.” · 01:13:39 · Modern Wisdom · 2024-02-26 · 178 min
based on: a study
Against: Heating plastic or drinking hot liquids from plastic cups should be avoided because heat greatly accelerates the breakdown into harmful micro- and nanoplastics.
“So you don't want to microwave any food in plastic, you don't want to cook with any plastic utensils, and you don't want to drink out of something that's going to have a hot beverage poured into it, because that's going to rapidly, you know, accelerate the breakdown into smaller particles.” · 00:08:44 · Modern Wisdom · 2025-02-24 · 129 min
based on: a study
Against: Added sugars in ultra-processed foods are a primary cause of chronic inflammation, overeating, and metabolic decline.
“I would say one of the biggest problem with ultra-processed foods is the added sugar. And when we say added sugar, we mean not sugar like if you if you're eating an apple, right, it's got like natural sugar in in that that's bound to a fiber matrix. We're talking about adding table sugar, like sucrose.” · 01:27:09 · Modern Wisdom · 2025-02-24 · 129 min
based on: a study
Muscles and exercise
For: To prevent muscle loss during time-restricted eating, breakfast should not be skipped. Instead, it is better to stop eating no later than three hours before going to bed.
“breakfast is actually really important, it's important to get protein, amino acids in that first meal because if you extend that fasting period by skipping breakfast, your body is going to be like, 'I need protein,' I need I got to make a bunch of proteins to like have my heartbeat and my kidneys function, right? So it's going to pull amino acids out of your muscle.” · 01:24:12 · Modern Wisdom · 2024-02-26 · 178 min
based on: a study
Against: Cold exposure immediately after strength training should be avoided because it can inhibit muscle hypertrophy and muscle growth.
“When not to do it would be after sort of a strength training or resistance training workout.” · 02:51:51 · Modern Wisdom · 2024-02-26 · 178 min
based on: a study
For: Training with lighter weights produces just as much muscle growth and strength as heavy weights, provided the sets are taken to sufficient muscular fatigue.
“untrained men could gain just as much muscle mass and strength lifting lighter weights as the men lifting heavy weights, as long as they put in the effort, so the volume and effort has to be high.” · 03:43:26 · Modern Wisdom · 2024-02-26 · 178 min
based on: a study
For: Strength training helps mentally by making it easier to handle stress for the rest of the day.
“what I noticed is that the rest of my day was so much easier in terms of dealing with stress” · 00:37:18 · FoundMyFitness · 2026-08-24 · 110 min
based on: personal experience
Brain and memory
For: Short sessions of intense, heavy exercise are one of the best ways to improve cognitive function and brain health.
“exercise, and particularly vigorous exercise, is one of the best ways that you can get a cognitive enhancement.” · 01:48:52 · Modern Wisdom · 2024-02-26 · 178 min
based on: a study
For: Taking a daily multivitamin is worthwhile for countering cognitive decline and slowing brain aging in older adults.
“the evidence was clear that just giving them a multivitamin improved cognition, and it slowed brain aging, which was it was estimated to slow brain aging by about 2 years.” · 01:52:45 · Modern Wisdom · 2024-02-26 · 178 min
based on: a study
For: High-intensity aerobic interval training is the most time-efficient form of exercise for improving brain function, neuroplasticity, and cardiorespiratory fitness.
“if you want to really have brain benefits, and really you want to have your cardiorespiratory fitness improved, you have to add in some aerobic exercise in there. The most time efficient way to do it would be HIIT.” · 01:57:50 · Modern Wisdom · 2025-02-24 · 129 min
based on: a study
For: It is essential to teach children gratitude from a young age.
“probably really great to start early with kids so that they can be grateful, you know, and and that's a big one.” · 01:14:46 · FoundMyFitness · 2026-08-24 · 110 min
based on: no basis given
For: Physical exercise is necessary for good mental health and brain function.
“I exercise for my my mental health and my brain. I absolutely have to exercise to be a good person, to be a good wife, to be a good mother.” · 01:42:14 · FoundMyFitness · 2026-08-24 · 110 min
based on: personal experience
Metabolism
For: Eating protein or fat 10 to 30 minutes before carbohydrates is an effective strategy to blunt post-meal blood sugar spikes and inflammation.
“If you eat protein or fat 10 to 30 minutes before carbohydrates, it can very much blunt and slow the postprandial glucose response.” · 02:04:19 · Modern Wisdom · 2024-02-26 · 178 min
based on: a study
Interventions and supplements
For: Using the sauna four to seven times per week for at least 20 minutes at 79°C (174°F) provides optimal benefits for heart health, mood, and longevity.
“20 minutes at 174° Fahrenheit four times a week is the recipe for I would say the the best, you know, effects for cardiovascular, brain, all-cause mortality.” · 02:38:43 · Modern Wisdom · 2024-02-26 · 178 min
based on: a study
For: Using a reverse osmosis filter is essential for effectively removing microplastics, nanoplastics, and harmful chemicals from drinking water.
“get a high quality reverse osmosis filter, whether it's counter top or whole house system. That's first and foremost.” · 00:48:56 · Modern Wisdom · 2025-02-24 · 129 min
based on: a study
For: Sulforaphane from cruciferous vegetables or supplements is a powerful way to activate detoxification enzymes and eliminate harmful toxins.
“consuming sulforaphane about it's like 40 about 40 micromoles of sulforaphane causes the excretion of benzene to increase within 24 hours by 60%.” · 01:04:14 · Modern Wisdom · 2025-02-24 · 129 min
based on: a study
For: Regular sauna use significantly improves the ability to cope with stress.
“then I started using the sauna every morning before I would go into the lab. And, you know, you get hot and it's hard and it's uncomfortable and what do you know? All of a sudden my my I was able to handle stress a lot better.” · 00:39:57 · FoundMyFitness · 2026-08-24 · 110 min
based on: personal experience
Gut and microbiome
For: Consuming fermentable dietary fiber protects the body against the absorption of microplastics and supports a healthy gut barrier.
“The fermentable fiber, which is found in fruits and vegetables, that is fermented into like this viscous gel that encapsulates microplastics and nanoplastics and stops them from being absorbed.” · 00:09:57 · Modern Wisdom · 2025-02-24 · 129 min
based on: a study
For: Short-chain fatty acids produced by gut fermentation of fiber are crucial as signaling molecules for the immune system and for preventing leaky gut.
“those act they get into circulation and act as signaling molecules to our immune system. I know one thing they're very important in doing is increasing the number of T regulatory cells, helping with autoimmune responses so you're not having a hyper autoimmune response. But I mean, clearly the gut is related to the immune system” · 01:00:17 · FoundMyFitness · 2026-08-24 · 110 min
based on: a study
Heart and blood vessels
Against: Trans fats are extremely harmful to the cardiovascular system because they stiffen cell membranes and blood vessels.
“So when they get incorporated into our cell membranes, it stiffens our cells. It totally changes like the flexibility of it. And when that happens in the the endothelial cells that line our blood vessels and our arteries, it causes them to become stiff. So our blood vessels can't dilate as well, like vasodilation, right? It causes cardiovascular disease.” · 01:22:48 · Modern Wisdom · 2025-02-24 · 129 min
based on: a study
Cancer
Against: Nitrites in processed meat are carcinogenic because they are converted into cancer-causing nitrosamines in the digestive tract.
“Nitrites are found in processed meats, right? So they're a preservative... They can be converted, you know, when we digest them, they can be converted in our gut to nitrosamines, and these are carcinogens. And this is why processed meats has been classified sort of as a carcinogen” · 01:24:37 · Modern Wisdom · 2025-02-24 · 129 min
based on: a study
What we reviewed
| own podcast, since 2024-01-01 | 29 episodes (61 hours) |
| long conversations elsewhere | 2 (5 hours) |
| claims tested | 9 |
4 holds up · 3 partly · 0 does not hold up · 2 too early