Chris Masterjohn: Nutrition scientist with a PhD and 21 years in nutrition research, known for evidence-based, non-hyperbolic content. He runs mitochondrial testing (mito.me) and writes a Substack newsletter.
What this episode covers
Chris Masterjohn lays out his core thesis that mitochondrial energy production sits at the root of all health, aging, and disease, declining about 1% per year but with roughly 75% under personal control. He and Joe Rogan walk through the levers that protect mitochondria, including creatine, morning and red/infrared light, nose-to-tail nutrition, diverse functional exercise, and adequate sleep. They dig into supplement nuance, why methylene blue, CoQ10, and thiamine help some people and harm others depending on individual mitochondrial bottlenecks, and Masterjohn's food-first, pharma-last philosophy. A long segment dismantles the seed oil and cholesterol orthodoxy, citing buried trial data and the 1984 NIH consensus conference. The conversation closes on thyroid function, iodine deficiency, and how atherosclerotic plaque is driven by damaged seed-oil fats rather than cholesterol itself.
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
Pure Encapsulations Macular Support
Pure Encapsulations
“I take uh a supplement from Pure Encapsulations. No affiliations with them. I just buy it. It's uh called macular support”— Joe Rogan
CoQ10
(generic supplement)
“you very well may benefit from one to 200 milligrams a day. But my food first pharma approach says you are you eating heart?”— Chris Masterjohn
Methylene Blue
(generic supplement)
“Methylene blue is something that could do wonders for your mitochondria if you need it and could really hurt you if you don't.”— Chris Masterjohn
Nattokinase
(generic supplement)
“Nattokinase is an enzyme that helps break down blood clots... the nattokinise helps break apart blood clots”— Chris Masterjohn
Kelp Powder
(generic supplement)
“I personally add in a/4 teaspoon of kelp powder to my to my food prepped meals per day. It's just always in there.”— Chris Masterjohn
Solved: The Riddle of Heart Attacks
Broda Barnes
“Broa Barnes wrote this book called Solved the Riddle of Heart Attacks in 1976. And his perspective was all about thyroid hormone.”— Chris Masterjohn
Big reveals from this episode
- Claims the real purpose of deep sleep is to let your mitochondria rest and rebuild energy reserves.
- Argues mitochondrial dysfunction and aging are essentially the same thing, declining 1% per year to roughly half by age 70.
- Reveals gymnasts and pole vaulters outlive the general population by eight years, far more than cyclists.
- Shares a client who regained her period after 10 years within two weeks of high-dose CoQ10 guided by testing.
- Says buried Minnesota Coronary Survey data found in a basement showed the seed oil group had double the atherosclerosis.
- Contends atherosclerotic plaque is driven by damaged seed-oil fats, not cholesterol, citing Daniel Steinberg's own research.
- Blames a 1984 Time magazine cover and NIH consensus conference for decades of misguided anti-cholesterol diet advice.
Worth remembering
- The Thanksgiving turkey-tryptophan sleepiness myth was invented by 1980s journalists; whey protein has more tryptophan than turkey.
- A study found 20 grams of creatine kept sleep-deprived people sharp on brain puzzles and less tired.
- 20 grams of creatine a day for six months doubled the rate of healing in traumatic brain injury.
- 93% of Americans get less than they need of at least one nutrient, per surveys.
- Sumo wrestlers die about 10 years earlier than the general population.
- CoQ10 shows a dose response where 100-200 mg helps the average person but 400 mg can worsen blood pressure and glucose.
- It takes about four years for your body tissues to fully reflect the fatty acid profile of the oils you eat.
- Telling people to cut salt inadvertently cut iodine intake, and goiters are reappearing in the Midwest.
- Most heart attacks come from a ruptured plaque triggering a blood clot, not the plaque slowly blocking the artery.