HoldsUp

Mark Hyman, MD · 2025-06-04 · Mark Hyman (host), Jeff Bland

Eat This to Regulate Your Immune System and Fight Inflammation

45 research-tied claims examined: 9 contradicted 4 overstated 4 context 20 supported 8 unverified

9

Contradicted by research

0:03:02Jeff Blandcontradictedmoderate

Conditions including autism, atopy, allergies, asthma, eczema, and autoimmune diseases are largely absent in indigenous cultures worldwide.

"And in indigenous cultures around the world, these are primarily absent." (said at 0:03:02)

Epidemiological research directly contradicts the claim that allergic diseases, asthma, eczema, atopy, and autoimmune conditions are primarily absent in indigenous populations worldwide. Systematic reviews and large population-based surveys show substantial disease burdens across diverse indigenous populations. For example, a systematic review of 54 studies involving over 170,000 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people found asthma prevalence ranging from 2.0% to 50.5%, eczema from 2.0% to 44.4%, and atopy up to 36.4%. A meta-analysis in the Arctic region found a cumulative incidence of atopic dermatitis of 19% among indigenous children and adolescents. Studies among Sámi populations in Sweden also found self-reported asthma prevalence exceeding 20%, which was higher than in the non-indigenous Swedish population.

0:19:22Jeff Blandcontradictedhigh

Crown-like structures observed in fat biopsies under microscopy represent dead macrophages surrounding adipocytes.

"And what are those called? They're called crown cells. And you can see those in people that are metabolically unstable that are obese. If you do a thin section under the microscope of their fat, you do a needle puncture biopsy and you look at their fat cells, you'll find these crown cells. Those are the the skeletons of the dead immune cells that told the fat cells they should be upset." (said at 0:19:22)

The speaker inverts the biology of adipose tissue crown-like structures (CLS). In histological sections of adipose tissue, crown-like structures do not represent dead immune cells surrounding fat cells; rather, they consist of living, active adipose tissue macrophages (immune cells) that encircle and clear an individual dead or dying adipocyte (fat cell). Adipocyte hypertrophy and stress in obesity lead to adipocyte death, which triggers the recruitment and clustering of viable macrophages to degrade the lipid droplet remnants via lysosomal exocytosis and phagocytosis.

0:23:52Jeff Blandcontradictedmoderate

The systemic immune-inflammation index is calculated from neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet counts on a standard complete blood count, and a score above 2 indicates an inflammatory state.

"It is taking the differential from a CBC, complete blood count, and putting it through a simple arithmetic equation that anybody can do because it's simple math, of the relative number of neutrophils, lymphocytes, and platelets in your in your blood from a standard blood test. You do a calculation, and it will tell you from the immune-inflammatory index—is what's called the result of that equation. If it's above two, then you start to be into an inflammatory state" (said at 0:23:52)

The speaker correctly identifies that the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is calculated from neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet counts from a standard complete blood count (specifically, [platelet count × neutrophil count] / lymphocyte count). However, the assertion that an SII score above 2 indicates an inflammatory state is contradicted by the literature. Because SII multiplies the platelet count by the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, normal healthy baseline values for SII typically range in the hundreds (e.g., median ~380 to 540), and inflammatory disease cutoffs are typically between 500 and >1,700. The threshold of ~2 is commonly cited for the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) alone, not the SII.

0:31:45Mark Hyman (host)contradictedmoderate

Natural killer cell activity is depressed in patients with conditions like COVID-19 and Lyme disease.

"Microbes that seem to suppress our immune system. And one of the ways we diagnose it is by measuring the activity of natural killer cells, which are depressed." (said at 0:31:45)

The speaker claims that natural killer (NK) cell activity or count is depressed in conditions like Lyme disease and that measuring depressed NK cells is used to diagnose such chronic infections. However, systematic reviews and controlled studies evaluating unconventional diagnostic tests for Lyme borreliosis show that measuring NK cells (such as CD57+ natural killer subsets) has unacceptably low sensitivity and specificity and is not a valid or recommended diagnostic marker. Furthermore, controlled investigations comparing patients with post-Lyme disease syndrome, individuals who recovered from Lyme disease, and healthy controls found no significant differences in natural killer cell numbers.

0:36:37Jeff Blandcontradictedmoderate

Blocking prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) with NSAIDs such as indomethacin or ibuprofen suppresses the immune system and increases susceptibility to opportunistic infections.

"How do we get rid of it? We block it with an anti-inflammatory drug like indomethacin or ibuprofen that blocks PGE2. Now, but when we block PGE2, what happens? Then we become more immune-suppressed, and now we become more at risk to opportunistic infection." (said at 0:36:37)

The speaker reverses the established biological mechanism. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) functions as an immunosuppressive mediator that impairs anti-tumor and anti-microbial functions of cytotoxic T cells, natural killer cells, monocytes, and neutrophils while expanding immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and regulatory T cells. Consequently, blocking PGE2 synthesis with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as indomethacin or ibuprofen reverses or alleviates immune suppression rather than causing immune suppression or increasing susceptibility to opportunistic infections.

0:44:28Jeff Blandcontradictedhigh

Albert Szent-Györgyi won a Nobel Prize in chemistry for his discovery of vitamin C.

"Albert Szent-Györgyi, who won a Nobel Prize, as you know, in chemistry for his discovery of vitamin C" (said at 0:44:28)

Albert Szent-Györgyi did not win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry; he was awarded the 1937 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries concerning biological combustion processes, specifically focusing on vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and the catalysis of fumaric acid. The 1937 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Walter Norman Haworth (partly for his investigations on vitamin C) and Paul Karrer.

0:50:20Jeff Blandcontradictedmoderate

Tartary buckwheat has a protein utilizability close to that of meat.

"it's high in protein and its protein utilizability is close to that of meat." (said at 0:50:20)

While buckwheat and Tartary buckwheat contain a favorable essential amino acid profile (notably higher lysine than true cereals), Tartary buckwheat protein has relatively low digestibility and utilizability compared to animal proteins like meat. In published nutritional research, the bioavailability and digestibility of buckwheat protein are known to be limited by strong interactions with high concentrations of polyphenols (such as rutin and quercetin), anti-nutritional factors, and complex structural features, leading to significantly lower net protein utilization than meat.

1:02:20Jeff Blandcontradictedhigh

Delphinidin has never been reported in high levels in any food source other than berries.

"Now, delphinidin has never been reported in anything at high levels in anything other than berries." (said at 1:02:20)

Delphinidin and its glycosides (such as delphinidin-3-rutinoside, or nasunin) are well-documented in high concentrations in non-berry dietary sources, most notably the peel of purple and black eggplants (Solanum melongena), as well as in black bean seed coats and other pigmented plant foods. Analyses of eggplant cultivars consistently demonstrate that delphinidin derivatives constitute the predominant anthocyanin pigment in the peel, reaching concentrations well over 1,000 mg/kg fresh weight.

1:03:09Jeff Blandcontradictedlow

The hull of the tartary buckwheat seed contains anthocyanosides, while the interior endosperm contains higher concentrations of flavan-3-ols.

"And it turns out that in the hull of the tartary buckwheat seed, there is a different composition of polyphenols than in the endosperm inside the seed, because the hulls have to be able to protect the inside of the cell against all the environmental damage. So what's in the hull—in the hulls, the husks—are these anthocyanosides that are really good as protectors from environmental stress to protect the interior, which are higher in the flavan-3-ols that are necessary for metabolism." (said at 1:03:09)

The speaker claims that the hull of Tartary buckwheat contains anthocyanosides (anthocyanins) while the interior endosperm has higher concentrations of flavan-3-ols. However, spatial-temporal metabolomic and tissue-fraction profiling reveals an inverted distribution for flavan-3-ols/procyanidins: procyanidins (polymeric flavan-3-ols) and related phenolics are concentrated predominantly in the outer hull and bran fractions, rather than accumulating at higher concentrations in the interior tissues.

4

Overstated

0:01:55Jeff Blandoverstatedlow

There are approximately 30,000 edible food species, yet humans derive 90% of their caloric intake from fewer than eight foods.

"there are 30,000 edible foods of which we constitute 90% of our calories from less than eight foods." (said at 0:01:55)

The figure of approximately 30,000 edible plant species worldwide is well-supported in agro-biodiversity literature. However, stating that 90% of global caloric intake comes from fewer than eight foods overstates the concentration of the human diet. Published literature indicates that while three major staple crops (rice, wheat, and maize) provide about 60% of plant-derived calories, approximately 30 plant species comprise the vast majority of human diets, with about 150 species cultivated for food.

0:38:41Jeff Blandoverstatedmoderate

A Nature Medicine study of Tanzanians showed that individuals eating a traditional African diet had lower inflammatory potential and lower gene activation in their immune cells compared to those consuming a Westernized diet.

"Just this week, as we're having this conversation, in a very well-respected journal, Nature Medicine, is published this incredible study from Tanzania. Several thousand Tanzanians were divided into two groups. One group were individuals that were eating the traditional African diet. The other group were people that had become westernized, eating the westernized diet." (said at 0:38:41)

A 2025 randomized controlled trial published in Nature Medicine investigated the immune and metabolic consequences of transitioning between traditional African heritage diets and Western-style diets in Northern Tanzania. The study found that switching from a heritage-style diet to a Western-style diet promoted a pro-inflammatory state, whereas switching to a heritage-style diet or consuming a traditional fermented beverage had largely anti-inflammatory effects. However, the study evaluated 77 healthy young men in a short-term dietary crossover trial, not a cohort of 'several thousand Tanzanians'.

  • supports: Immune and metabolic effects of African heritage diets versus Western diets in men: a rand… (Nature medicine 2025) · cited 53x in the literature
    "We conducted a randomized controlled trial in the Kilimanjaro region in Northern Tanzania to investigate the immune and metabolic effects of switching between Kilimanjaro heritage-style and Western-style diets for 2 weeks and consuming a traditional fermented banana beverage ('Mbege') for 1 week. Seventy-seven young and healthy volunteers assigned male at birth, some living in urban areas and some living in rural areas, were recruited in the trial... The switch from heritage-style to Western-style diet affected different metabolic pathways associated with noncommunicable diseases and promoted a pro-inflammatory state with impaired whole-blood cytokine responses to microbial stimulation. In contrast, the switch from Western-style to heritage-style diet or consuming the fermented beverage had a largely anti-inflammatory effect." (abstract, results, passage verified)
    pubmedfull study (doi)
0:41:42Jeff Blandoverstatedmoderate

The biological age of a person's immune system is the single best predictor of longevity and year of death.

"In fact, what has been found—this is the last 10 years—is if you were to only measure one thing that would determine the year of your death, it'd be the age of your immune system. That's the best data we have today to predict your longevity, is the age of your immune system." (said at 0:41:42)

While longitudinal research shows that metrics of immune system aging (such as the IMM-AGE score) predict all-cause mortality independently of chronological age and traditional risk factors, claiming it is the single best predictor or can determine the exact year of death is an overstatement. No biological marker or aging clock can pinpoint an individual's specific year of death, nor has immune age been established as definitively superior to all other clinical or biological predictors of longevity.

1:02:35Jeff Blandoverstatedlow

Clinical trials demonstrate that the anthocyanin delphinidin improves cognitive function and blood sugar levels.

"And there are clinical trials on delphinidin as a cognitive improver, as a substance that improves blood sugar." (said at 1:02:35)

The claim overstates the clinical evidence. While small clinical trials and acute crossover studies using delphinidin-rich maqui berry extract (such as Delphinol) have shown modest reductions in postprandial glucose and improvements in glycemic parameters in humans with prediabetes or impaired glucose tolerance, evidence for delphinidin improving cognitive function is limited to preclinical animal models (such as Alzheimer's and high-fat diet rodent models) and surrogate biomarkers (such as transient increases in circulating BDNF). There are no established human clinical trials demonstrating that delphinidin acts as a cognitive enhancer.

4

Needs context

0:01:31Jeff Blandneeds contextmoderate

50,000 new synthetic chemicals of unknown toxicology have been introduced into the environment.

"50,000 new chemicals of unknown toxicology introduced in the environment." (said at 0:01:31)

The figure of ~50,000 (often cited as between 40,000 and 85,000) reflects widely cited estimates of industrial and synthetic chemicals that entered commercial use and the wider environment over the last several decades with little or no comprehensive toxicological data. Under regulatory regimes such as the 1976 US Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), tens of thousands of existing chemicals were grandfathered in or entered commerce without mandatory pre-market safety or toxicity testing. However, 50,000 is a rough benchmark estimate rather than an exact census of completely uncharacterized chemicals in environmental circulation.

0:45:15Jeff Blandneeds contextlow

Albert Szent-Györgyi found that ultra-pure crystalline vitamin C only partially cured scurvy in guinea pigs until impure paprika extract containing flavonoids (vitamin P) was administered.

"However—and this is a point that most people don't know—that if he used the ultra-pure vitamin C, he only got the guinea pigs almost well, but they weren't totally well. The only way they could get totally well was to give them the impure vitamin C that had kind of a orange color to it, like it it had impurities from paprika. It wasn't purely crystalline white. And then they got well. What do you think that stuff was coloring the vitamin C? It was flavonoids. He called it vitamin P for permeability because it prevented capillary permeability." (said at 0:45:15)

Albert Szent-Györgyi did isolate flavonoids (initially called "citrin" or "vitamin P") from Hungarian red pepper (paprika) and lemon peel alongside Rusznyák, observing that crude extracts containing flavonoids decreased capillary permeability and vascular fragility (hence "P" for permeability). However, historical and biomedical evidence shows that pure vitamin C (ascorbic acid) fully prevents and cures the classic deficiency state of scurvy in guinea pigs and humans without requiring flavonoids. While flavonoids modify capillary fragility and synergize with ascorbate in vascular function, vitamin P was later determined not to be an essential vitamin or required to cure scurvy. No published evidence supports the assertion that pure crystalline vitamin C fails to cure scurvy in guinea pigs without flavonoid addition.

0:58:50Mark Hyman (host)needs contextvery low

The polyphenols and fiber in Himalayan tartary buckwheat modulate the microbiome in ways that assist blood sugar control.

"and it has effects on the microbiome in ways that help blood sugar control. So there's so much going on there, not just the fiber in it, but also the polyphenols, which now are needed for gut microbiome health." (said at 0:58:50)

Preclinical rodent studies demonstrate that both dietary fiber and polyphenol (flavonoid) extracts from Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) modulate gut microbial composition (e.g., increasing short-chain fatty acid producers, altering the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio, and enriching taxa like Akkermansia) and concurrently improve glycemic parameters and insulin sensitivity. However, this specific microbiome-mediated mechanism for blood glucose control is supported primarily by animal models (such as db/db or streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice), and robust direct clinical trial evidence in humans establishing that Tartary buckwheat polyphenols regulate blood sugar specifically through microbiome modulation is lacking.

1:01:39Jeff Blandneeds contextlow

Sprouting Himalayan tartary buckwheat seed produces a three-fold increase in overall immune-active phytochemicals.

"when we did a compositional analysis of the phytochemicals in the sprout, as you had alluded to earlier, we had a three-fold increase of the overall immune-active phytochemicals." (said at 1:01:39)

Sprouting (germination) of Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) has been shown in compositional analyses to significantly increase concentrations of total phenolics, flavonoids, and free-radical scavenging capacity compared to ungerminated seeds. However, the magnitude of the increase varies depending on the specific phytochemical, germination duration, and processing conditions. Furthermore, describing these compounds broadly as 'immune-active phytochemicals' reflects preliminary in vitro and functional characterization of plant polyphenols (such as rutin and quercetin), rather than direct human clinical immunological outcomes.

20

Supported by research

0:00:00Jeff Blandsupportedvery low

Immune cell rate of aging can be reduced by 47% in 90 days.

"In 90 days, you would reverse your immune health by 47%. GUEST1: Reduce the rate of aging of the immune cells by 47%." (said at 0:00:00)

The claim refers to a 90-day pilot clinical trial evaluating a Tartary buckwheat-derived polyphenol supplement in 50 healthy participants, which assessed epigenetic clocks and cellular markers of immune aging. While the pilot study documented significant changes in epigenetic age clocks and immune markers over the 90-day intervention, the evidence is very low certainty given the preliminary nature of the pilot study, small sample size, and lack of extensive replication in large randomized controlled trials.

0:02:06Mark Hyman (host)supportedmoderate

Three food crops make up approximately 60% of human caloric intake.

"Three make up like 60% of them." (said at 0:02:06)

Global agricultural and nutritional analyses, including data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), confirm that three staple crops—rice, wheat, and maize—collectively provide approximately 60% of global human dietary energy intake.

0:04:06Jeff Blandsupportedhigh

There are approximately 80 distinct medical diagnoses classified as autoimmune diseases.

"There are 80-some-odd different diagnoses of autoimmune diseases that have different names, different reimbursement codes like MS or lupus or Hashimoto's" (said at 0:04:06)

Standard biomedical literature and health authorities (such as the National Institutes of Health and the Autoimmune Association) recognize more than 80 distinct autoimmune conditions—commonly cited as '80+' or between 80 and 100 distinct disorders—including systemic lupus erythematosus, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes mellitus.

0:07:48Mark Hyman (host)supportedhigh

Paul Ridker published a 1997 paper in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrating that individuals with elevated inflammation markers had an increased risk of heart attacks.

"I remember back in 1997 when this paper came out in the New England Journal by Paul Ridker, which essentially—he was a Harvard professor that showed that people with high levels of inflammation had a high risk of heart attacks." (said at 0:07:48)

In 1997, Paul Ridker and colleagues published a prospective nested case-control study in the New England Journal of Medicine using data from the Physicians' Health Study. They demonstrated that baseline plasma concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), a systemic marker of inflammation, predicted the risk of first myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke in apparently healthy men over an 8-year follow-up. Men in the highest quartile of CRP had approximately three times the risk of myocardial infarction compared to men in the lowest quartile (relative risk 2.9, P<0.001), independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

0:08:00Mark Hyman (host)supportedhigh

Studies following Ridker's initial work showed that patients with elevated cholesterol but low inflammation had low heart attack risk, whereas those with low cholesterol and high inflammation had high risk.

"And there were following studies where they showed that if your cholesterol was high, but your inflammation was low, you had a low risk. But if your inflammation was high and your cholesterol was low, you had a high risk." (said at 0:08:00)

Large prospective cohort and randomized clinical trial analyses led by Paul Ridker and colleagues demonstrated that baseline inflammation (measured via high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, hsCRP) is a potent, independent predictor of cardiovascular events, often exceeding low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in predictive value. In cross-classification analyses (such as the Women's Health Study and collaborative analyses of trials including PROMINENT, REDUCE-IT, and STRENGTH), individuals with high inflammation but low LDL-C exhibited higher cardiovascular risk and mortality than those with low inflammation and elevated LDL-C, establishing the paradigm of residual inflammatory risk.

0:10:07Jeff Blandsupportedmoderate

Microplastics have been detected inside human arterial walls.

"And so now it's microplastics, which are now found in artery walls." (said at 0:10:07)

A prospective multicenter study published in 2024 examined excised carotid artery plaque specimens from 257 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. Using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, stable isotope analysis, and electron microscopy, researchers detected polyethylene in carotid artery plaques from 58.4% of patients and polyvinyl chloride in 12.1%, confirming the presence of micro- and nanoplastics within human arterial atheromas.

0:13:42Jeff Blandsupportedmoderate

A Stanford Medical School study co-authored by David Furman demonstrated that the majority of human immune system function is non-heritable and shaped by environmental influences.

"A seminal paper was published out of Stanford Medical School a number of years ago. One of the authors was a former podcast guest that you'd had, David Furman, asking the question, is our immune system genetically controlled or is it non-genetically controlled?... And the answer is that a very small amount of our immune system function is hardwired into our genes. The majority of our immune system function is not heritable." (said at 0:13:42)

A 2015 twin study from Stanford University School of Medicine (Brodin et al., co-authored by David Furman and Mark M. Davis, published in Cell) evaluated 210 healthy monozygotic and dizygotic twins across 204 immune parameters, including cell population frequencies, cytokine responses, and serum proteins. The study found that 77% of the measured parameters were dominated (>50% of variance) and 58% almost completely determined (>80% of variance) by non-heritable influences, with cumulative environmental exposures and infections (such as cytomegalovirus) shaping the majority of immune variation over time.

0:17:36Jeff Blandsupportedmoderate

A study conducted by Oura and Stanford showed that biometric data from the Oura Ring could detect infection onset days before clinical symptoms appeared.

"And then I found out that the company Oura was rapidly involved with studying with Stanford the relationship between the biometrics that come off the Oura Ring with that of immune system function. And they published a paper showing that you could detect some days before you got an infection, based on your Oura Ring data, whether you were going to have an immune problem." (said at 0:17:36)

The claim is supported by published literature on consumer wearable devices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies evaluating biometric data from wearable devices—including the large-scale TemPredict study utilizing the Oura Ring (which tracks continuous dermal temperature, heart rate, and heart rate variability) as well as wearable studies from Stanford University—demonstrated that aberrant physiological metrics could detect infection onset approximately 2.5 to 3 days before symptom onset or diagnostic testing.

0:18:15Jeff Blandsupportedmoderate

Some individuals with a BMI over 40 have normal insulin, blood sugar, lipids, low hs-CRP, and no apparent chronic disease.

"One type I call friendly fat. This is like Santa Claus. That person doesn't have altered metabolic function. Their insulin's fine. Their blood sugar is fine. Their lipids are fine. Their hs-CRP is low. They have no apparent chronic disease. Yet, their BMIs are over 40." (said at 0:18:15)

Observational cohort studies confirm that a subset of individuals with class III obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m²) exhibit a "metabolically healthy obesity" (MHO) phenotype. These individuals display normal fasting glucose, normal insulin sensitivity, normal lipid profiles, lower systemic inflammatory markers (such as hs-CRP), and an absence of overt cardiometabolic disease, though longitudinal studies note that this metabolic profile can transition to an unhealthy state over time.

0:29:40Jeff Blandsupportedhigh

Shinya Yamanaka won the Nobel Prize for the discovery of Yamanaka factors.

"So Yamanaka factors won a Nobel Prize for their discovery. Uh Professor Yamanaka—are these genes that are associated with longevity." (said at 0:29:40)

Shinya Yamanaka was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (shared jointly with Sir John B. Gurdon) for discovering that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using a specific set of transcription factors (Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc, commonly referred to as the Yamanaka factors).

0:09:06Jeff Blandsupportedhigh

Macrophage immune cells penetrate the vascular endothelial layer into the intimal layer of blood vessel walls, where they engulf oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and subparticles through the release of oxidants.

"So it goes through the first layer, which is at the endothelial level, and it gets into the intimal level, and then eventually it sees if there's something funny going on in there. And if it sees something funny going on, it does what it's supposed to do: get rid of funny business and attack it as a foreigner. So it does a macrophage engulfment, and it goes through its process, which is killing by chemical warfare through the release of oxidants. So what could be inside that vessel wall that would precipitate that? It could be many different things, one of which could be oxidized LDL." (said at 0:09:06)

The speaker's statement accurately summarizes the foundational mechanism of atherogenesis. Endothelial activation/injury permits the infiltration and retention of lipoproteins into the subendothelial intima, where they undergo oxidative modification. Circulating monocytes/macrophages transmigrate across the endothelium into the intima, recognize and engulf oxidized LDL, and transform into lipid-laden foam cells amidst ongoing inflammatory and oxidative processes.

0:27:02Jeff Blandsupportedhigh

C-reactive protein (CRP) is synthesized by hepatocytes in the liver.

"C-reactive protein is a is a molecule made by your body's immune system, or actually by the hepatocytes, that then is related to inflammatory burden." (said at 0:27:02)

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a well-established acute-phase reactant synthesized predominantly by hepatocytes in the liver in response to pro-inflammatory cytokine signaling (such as interleukin-6 and interleukin-1β) during systemic inflammation and infection.

0:27:15Jeff Blandsupportedhigh

A high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level above 1 to 2 mg/L indicates a chronic inflammatory condition.

"And this high-sensitivity variant gives you a much more sensitive determination of your immune cell inflammatory potential, and anything above, say, 1 to 2 on that test is indicative that there's some kind of a chronic inflammatory condition that may be present." (said at 0:27:15)

Standard clinical guidelines established by the American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorize high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels into risk tiers based on low-grade systemic inflammation: <1.0 mg/L indicates low risk, 1.0 to 3.0 mg/L indicates moderate risk (reflecting mild chronic inflammation), and >3.0 mg/L indicates high risk. An hs-CRP level above 1 to 2 mg/L thus reflects the presence of low-grade chronic systemic inflammation.

0:44:55Jeff Blandsupportedvery low

A goat produces almost a gram of vitamin C per day endogenously in its liver.

"In fact, the goat makes over um almost a gram a day of vitamin C in its own liver." (said at 0:44:55)

Comparative biochemical research shows that mammals—with specific exceptions such as humans, other primates, fruit bats, and guinea pigs—possess the enzyme L-gulonolactone oxidase and synthesize ascorbic acid (vitamin C) endogenously in the liver. In adult mammals such as goats and other ruminants, baseline hepatic synthesis produces substantial amounts of vitamin C daily (often estimated at tens of milligrams per kilogram of body weight, amounting to several grams per day in an adult animal).

0:46:35Jeff Blandsupportedhigh

The flavoring agents of dill and spearmint are enantiomers of the same molecule, carvone, differing only in optical rotation (R-carvone and S-carvone).

"So what is the molecule that produces the flavoring of dill and the flavoring of spearmint? It's the same molecule. It just tastes different. It's called carvone. Now now here is the point of the of my story. It turns out the only difference between the carvone that's in dill and the carvone that's in spearmint is the way that it rotates plane-polarized light. One rotates plane-polarized light to the right; the other rotates plane-polarized light to the left." (said at 0:46:35)

The flavoring components of spearmint and dill/caraway are indeed enantiomers (mirror-image stereoisomers) of carvone. (R)-(-)-carvone provides the characteristic spearmint odor/flavor (levorotatory, rotating plane-polarized light to the left), whereas (S)-(+)-carvone is the primary constituent of caraway and dill seed oil (dextrorotatory, rotating plane-polarized light to the right).

0:55:07Jeff Blandsupportedlow

A 90-day human trial of 50 subjects taking 1,200 mg/day of Himalayan Tartary buckwheat polyphenols showed up to a 20-fold alteration in immune cell epigenetic patterns regulating the ceramide kinase and COP9 pathways.

"That the signal was so strong on our immune system uh of these um 50 subjects that we had in the trial that some of the epigenetic patterns in their um immune uh genes were amplified or altered by 20-fold... they were regulating two interesting pathways or networks. One is called the ceramide kinase network, and the other is called COP9." (said at 0:55:07)

A 2024 pilot clinical trial evaluated the epigenetic effects of a standardized Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) polyphenol concentrate in 50 healthy human subjects over 90 days. The study examined peripheral immune cells using DNA methylation profiling (epigenetic age clocks and gene ontology pathway analyses) and reported significant intervention-related modifications in immune cell epigenetic patterns and pathways related to immunity and longevity. However, the evidence certainty is low because it is a single open-label pilot study (NCT05234203) with limited sample size and preliminary surrogate biomarker endpoints.

0:33:26Mark Hyman (host)supportedmoderate

Long COVID affects tens of millions of people in America.

"particularly with long COVID, which is tens of millions of people in America" (said at 0:33:26)

Nationally representative surveillance data from the United States confirm that Long COVID affects tens of millions of Americans. According to the CDC's analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, the prevalence of current Long COVID among all U.S. adults was estimated between 6.0% and 7.5% (equating to approximately 15 to 20 million adults actively experiencing symptoms at any given point during 2022–2023), with a cumulative history of Long COVID reported by more than 14% to 18% of adults (exceeding 35 million people). Estimates based on the 2022 National Health Interview Survey similarly indicate millions of adults experiencing persistent post-COVID symptoms.

0:49:46Mark Hyman (host)supportedmoderate

Quercetin activates AMPK, an enzyme in longevity pathways.

"quercetin, which has been studied for longevity and activates AMPK, which is a key enzyme in longevity pathways" (said at 0:49:46)

Preclinical and mechanistic studies demonstrate that quercetin activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) through phosphorylation. In addition, AMPK is well established as a key regulatory enzyme in nutrient-sensing and longevity pathways, and quercetin is widely investigated as a phytochemical and senolytic candidate in aging and longevity research.

1:00:16Jeff Blandsupportedlow

A pilot trial analyzing immune cell aging clocks found that Himalayan tartary buckwheat reduced the rate of immune cell aging by 47% over three months.

"And so what this then translated to when we did the algorithms of uh aging clock analysis of the immune cells is that we reduced the rate of aging of those immune cells by 47% over the course of three months." (said at 1:00:16)

A 2024 pilot clinical trial (PMID: 39628466) evaluated the effects of 90 days (approximately three months) of daily supplementation with a standardized Himalayan Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) polyphenol concentrate in 50 healthy adults aged 18–85 years. Using epigenetic clock algorithms (such as DunedinPACE and other DNA methylation metrics) and deconvolution methods on peripheral blood immune cells, the study reported significant intervention-related reductions in biological and immune aging clocks. Because the findings come from a single small, preliminary pilot trial, certainty is low.

1:00:40Jeff Blandsupportedmoderate

The study showing a 47% reduction in immune cell aging was an unblinded, non-placebo-controlled pilot trial with a small number of subjects.

"This was a pilot trial, was a small number of subjects, uh wasn't blinded, wasn't placebo-controlled." (said at 1:00:40)

The speaker accurately describes the study design of the trial evaluating a Himalayan Tartary buckwheat polyphenol supplement on epigenetic markers of immune aging (PMID 39628466). It was an open-label, single-arm pilot study conducted in 50 healthy participants without blinding or a placebo control group.

8

No source found (not proven false)

0:00:05Jeff Blandunverifiedvery low

80% of autoimmune disease cases occur in women.

"80% of autoimmune disease is seen in women. That's a fact." (said at 0:00:05)

No published record matching the claim that 80% of autoimmune disease cases occur in women was located; this does not prove the claim false.

0:02:07Jeff Blandunverifiedvery low

In 1900, myocardial infarction and diabetes were extremely rare clinical conditions in medical practice.

"So what happens is that heart attack in that, you know, 1900 was like a rare disease, right? Diabetes was super rare. In fact, in 1900, I remember reading some of the the original reports saying if there was a heart disease patient in clinic, they used to run over and try to see them because they may not see another one in their practice." (said at 0:02:07)

No published record matching the specific claim that myocardial infarction and diabetes were extremely rare clinical conditions in 1900 was located; this does not prove the claim false.

0:05:21Jeff Blandunverifiedvery low

There is a documented epidemiological correlation between childbearing/pregnancy and the risk of developing autoimmune disease.

"Yes, there is a correlation between childbearing and autoimmune disease." (said at 0:05:21)

No published record matching the claim that there is a documented epidemiological correlation between childbearing and autoimmune disease was located; this does not prove the claim false.

0:06:49Mark Hyman (host)unverifiedvery low

Plains Native Americans had the highest proportion of centenarians of any population at the turn of the 20th century.

"when you look at the historical records, like for example, the Native Americans in the plains, they had the highest number of centenarians of any population at the turn of the last century." (said at 0:06:49)

No published record matching the claim that Plains Native Americans had the highest proportion or number of centenarians of any population at the turn of the 20th century was located; this does not prove the claim false. Anthropometric historical records (such as studies by Steckel and Prince) document that 19th-century Plains Native Americans were among the tallest populations in the world due to nutrition and equestrian hunting before bison depletion, but this is distinct from demographic records of centenarian prevalence, which are subject to substantial age-misreporting artifacts in early census data.

0:15:30Jeff Blandunverifiedvery low

Human blood plasma proteins and mature erythrocytes lack DNA, so epigenetic biological age clocks measured from blood samples reflect the DNA of leukocytes (immune cells).

"Now it turns out that plasma proteins and erythrocytes don't have DNA. So when you're measuring then the biological age of a blood spot sample, you're actually measuring the age indirectly of the immune system." (said at 0:15:30)

No published record matching the specific claim that blood-based epigenetic biological age clocks exclusively reflect leukocyte DNA because erythrocytes and plasma proteins lack DNA was fetched; this does not prove the claim false.

0:51:08Jeff Blandunverifiedvery low

Himalayan Tartary buckwheat contains 121 distinct phytochemicals across the flavonol, flavone, flavanone, and anthocyanin polyphenol families.

"When we analyzed it very precisely for its composition, we found there were 121 different phytochemicals from the polyphenol family across all the various families—the flavonol, flavone, flavanone, and anthocyanin families." (said at 0:51:08)

No published record matching the specific claim that Himalayan Tartary buckwheat contains exactly 121 distinct phytochemicals across the flavonol, flavone, flavanone, and anthocyanin polyphenol families was located; this does not prove the claim false. While Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) is well-documented in the scientific literature to be rich in polyphenols and flavonoids such as rutin, quercetin, and anthocyanins, proprietary or lab-specific compositional analyses identifying a precise count of 121 polyphenols have not been published in peer-reviewed journals.

0:54:26Jeff Blandunverifiedvery low

Studies in Asian medical literature demonstrate that consuming Tartary buckwheat flour in amounts equivalent to ~1,200 mg/day of polyphenols improves insulin sensitivity, reduces inflammation, and lowers lipid levels in humans.

"And the reason we chose that is that there were data that had already been published in the uh Asian medical literature showing that they could show clinical effects in humans um in terms of improved insulin sensitivity, reduced inflammation, reduced lipids when they fed that amount of flour to individuals." (said at 0:54:26)

No published record matching the claim that consuming Tartary buckwheat flour in amounts equivalent to ~1,200 mg/day of polyphenols improves insulin sensitivity, reduces inflammation, and lowers lipid levels in humans was located; this does not prove the claim false.

0:58:07Mark Hyman (host)unverifiedvery low

Himalayan tartary buckwheat regulates glucose metabolism, improves HDL cholesterol, lowers LDL cholesterol, reduces liver fat, and modulates the AMPK pathway.

"It also has incredible effects on metabolism by regulating glucose metabolism. And the fibers in it help with cholesterol metabolism, improve your HDL and lower your LDL, and helps liver fat and modulates something called AMPK, which is a critical pathway that a lot of people are studying related to longevity." (said at 0:58:07)

No published record matching the specific claim that Himalayan tartary buckwheat regulates glucose metabolism, improves HDL, lowers LDL, reduces liver fat, and modulates the AMPK pathway was located; this does not prove the claim false.

Unverified means no publication matching the claim was located; it does not prove the claim false. Spotted an error? See the corrections policy - disputes from the people quoted are prioritized.