← DR. GUNDRY PODCAST: GUT HEALTH, WEIGHT LOSS, AND NUTRITION
DR. GUNDRY PODCAST: GUT HEALTH, WEIGHT LOSS, AND NUTRITION
Gundry MD Ultimate H2 Review: Hydrogen Supplement for Gut Health, Energy, and Longevity | EP 371
00:48:14
Loading summary
Transcript36 lines
- [00:00]
Dr. Steven Gundry
What does a confident smile say to you? And more importantly, what does it say about you? At Smile Generation, they believe a confident smile isn't just about white teeth, it's about whole body wellness. As I've discussed on this very podcast, oral health is connected to everything from your heart and immune system to even your brain.
- [00:22]
Podcast Host/Announcer
When you care for your mouth, you're.
- [00:24]
Dr. Steven Gundry
Investing in your entire future. Smile Generation's trusted dentists provide all encompassing, compassionate care. Merging advanced, proven technology with a patient first approach. They educate and empower individuals to protect their health through oral care tailored to.
- [00:41]
Podcast Host/Announcer
Their lifestyle, wellness goals and life stage.
- [00:45]
Dr. Steven Gundry
Visit smilegeneration.comgundry to learn more when you.
- [00:51]
Podcast Host/Announcer
Understand that your smile is more than just teeth and gums, that it's actually a gateway to your health, your confidence and your future. That's where empowerment begins.
- [01:02]
Smile Generation Representative
Smile Generation is offering a $59 new patient special, which includes a comprehensive dental exam, cleaning and X rays. Regular value at least $290. This offer is for new patients only and is not valid for Tricare or Medicare Advantage and may be covered by insurance subject to your plan's restrictions. To take advantage of this offer, book your appointment by December 31, 2025. For complete terms and conditions, visit SmileGeneration.com.
- [01:30]
Podcast Narrator/Host
GUNDRY welcome to the Dr. Gundry Podcast, where Dr. Stephen Gundry shares his groundbreaking research from over 25 years of treating patients with diet and lifestyle changes alone, Dr. Gundry and other wellness experts offer inspiring stories, the latest scientific advancements, and practical tips to empower you to take control of your health and live a long, happy life.
- [01:56]
Podcast Host/Announcer
What if the water you drink every day could either boost your health or quietly sabotage it? On today's episode, we're uncovering the truth about what's really in your glass from the surprising science behind hydrogen water and which hydrogen water delivers the most benefits to. What happens if you sip lemon water every single day? To the hidden dangers of juice? And finally, is filtered water really worth it? You'll discover which drinks can truly fuel your health and which ones you may want to rethink starting today. So grab a glass of the right stuff and let's dive in. This episode is sponsored by Thrive Market. It's my top choice for healthy groceries, supplements and more, delivered straight to my door with up to 30% off. Get $80 in free groceries when you join today@thrivemarket.comGendryPodcast.
- [02:50]
Dr. Steven Gundry
This is how I start my I drop one of these in a glass of water and just like that, I've got one of the most Powerful health tools we know of molecular hydrogen. Why do I do this? Well, most people can't make hydrogen anymore. And the fact is we need 20 liters of hydrogen a day. Turns out microplastics deplete hydrogen producing bacteria in our gut. Number two, even if we have those bacteria, they have to have fiber to make hydrogen. Now, historically, humans ate 100 to 150 grams of fiber daily. Today, most Americans eat less than 15 grams and many eat just 2 to 3 grams a day. That lack of fiber starves your hydrogen producing gut bacteria. A lifetime of killing off these bacteria means a significant, significant percentage of the population is now incapable of making hydrogen gas. Even if you eat more fiber now, those bacteria may already be gone and won't come back easily. Antibiotics, processed foods and even meat from animals raised with antibiotics also damage your microbiome. What is hydrogen and why do we want it in our water? Molecular hydrogen is H2. It's the smallest molecule in the universe. It dissolves in water and when you drink it, it passes right through the gut wall into your bloodstream. From there it travels to your cells where it starts to work. Now this is not the same as alkaline water. Don't confuse the two. Alkaline water may have a high pH, but if it came in plastic or even had a plastic cap, the hydrogen gas is long gone. Hydrogen gas escapes easily, which is why fresh is always the best. Why is hydrogen so important for your health? Over 15,000 studies on the benefits of molecular hydrogen now exist. It supports energy production, mitochondrial function and cellular repair. It activates the NRF2 pathway. Your body's built in antioxidant defense system. It helps regulate nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide, which support blood vessels and brain health. Animal studies show hydrogen gas improves exercise performance and speeds up recovery. Now, hydrogen isn't a stimulant. It helps restore balance when your body is under stress. Can hydrogen water help restore gut health?
- [05:30]
Advertisement Voice
Yes.
- [05:30]
Dr. Steven Gundry
Studies show hydrogen water can improve microbiome composition in 15 to 20 human and animal studies. Increase butyrate and propionate, two key short chain fatty acids, lower calprotectin, a marker of gut inflammation, and leaky gut normalized ghrelin, the hunger hormone, especially in overweight individuals. And if you've read my books, you know butyrate is one of the holy grails of gut health, brain health and mitochondrial function. Now, is all hydrogen the same Same? Well, not even close. Many hydrogen products don't deliver a high enough dose to have any effect. In fact, some so called hydrogen water in pouches or bottles, test at 0.3 parts per million or less, far below the effective threshold. Okay, so what about the machines out there, the bottles and other methods? Well, pre bottled hydrogen water. It's often stored too long and sealed in plastic caps that leak hydrogen. So by the time you drink it, there may be no hydrogen left. There are expensive hydrogen machines. Unfortunately, many don't produce enough hydrogen to be effective. They often cost thousands and aren't always tested for real output. Tablets, on the other hand, they deliver freshly generated hydrogen gas in high amounts. Also, these include absorbable magnesium, which most of my patients are deficient in. They're easy to travel with, they're affordable, and they're reliable. But not all tablets are the same. So here's a buying guide. Search the brand's website to check on the concentration of hydrogen. Look for at least 1 to 1.5 parts per million. So how do I take it? Like I always recommend to folks asking about when to take supplements. Whenever it works into your schedule. Do that so that you're consistent. You can also use it before or after a tough workout, during travel, to minimize jet lag or after poor sleep. Now, a crucial tip. Do not sip it. Chug it right after the tablet fully dissolves to retain the gas. And don't let it sit around. Consume it within five minutes. And please don't take the tablet as is. Please dissolve it. Plop, plop, fizz, fizz. Avoid continuous sipping all day. Hydrogen works best as a short pulse of stress, like exercise. Think of hydrogen like a workout for your cells.
- [08:11]
Should you drink lemon water every day? All right, you've heard all about it and you've seen it everywhere, the lemon water trend. And if you've hopped on board, I'm here to tell you you're wasting your time and your lemons. That's right. Lemon water is not all it's cracked up to be. So where does this idea come from? Well, the idea started out that lemon water is actually really good for you because of one of the oddest and quite frankly, most unfounded diets there is out there, the alkaline diet. Now, interestingly enough, lemons are acidic, they contain citric acid, but they are associated with alkaline effects. What the heck does that mean? Well, the body operates at a very, very, very tightly controlled PH level. A fine balance between acids in the body and alkaline effects in the body. And while it is absolutely true that most vegetables have an alkaline effect, they trend towards the alkaline side of the ph. Scale and many animal products tend towards the acidic effect. There really is no evidence that eating a slightly alkaline diet or drinking a slightly alkaline water has any effect on your body's PH balance. This became very trendy and still trendy because you see all the alkaline waters for sale now, and normally the normal phone is 7.0. We, our bodies operate on a ph between 7.35 and 7.45, so a very, very narrow band. Interestingly enough, Italian waters, Italian sparkling waters, by law are required to have a balanced pH of 7.0 or higher. So you would think that if you're kind of trying to get rid of acids in your body or you're eating a lot of acid containing foods, that you ought to balance that with alkaline water. With alkaline foods. The problem is there is so little available bicarbonate in alkaline water or in these foods that you would actually have to eat tons of of these foods to have any effect on your ph, even your stomach ph. And you would have to drink untold thousands of gallons of lemon water a day to have any effect on your alkaline status. In fact, on our podcast a few years ago, we had an expert in alkaline water, one of the founders of studying alkaline water, and he had a good chuckle about the idea that we could actually affect our alkalinity by using alkaline water. So that's not why they have lemons. Well, what are people saying about the benefits of lemon water? Well, according to an article by Harvard Health, there are quite a few benefits. And here's their benefits. Well, the first being that it prevents oxidation. Now, you've heard me talk about oxidation and in fact, one of the reasons I'm not a big fan of the cholesterol theory of heart disease is that if you like that theory, then cholesterol has to be oxidized. It has to be rusty or rancid kind of fish that smell bad, that's the omega 3 fats in the fish that are oxidizing and that's the, that fishy smell that the amount of antioxidants in lemon water are so infinitesimal that again, that's not where to get your antioxidants from. How about phytonutrients? Yeah, lemons are an excellent source of phytonutrients, but all you're doing by drinking that lemon water is getting a very delicate, dilute amount of phytonutrients. You'd be much better off taking that lemon that you were going to squeeze in the water and eat some of the peel, eat the pith and have.
- [13:10]
A bite of the lemon.
- [13:11]
In fact, my father used to actually eat a lemon with salt almost every day of his life. That's the way to get a lemon into you.
- [13:22]
Podcast Host/Announcer
Worried about what's in your tap water?
- [13:24]
Dr. Steven Gundry
You're not alone.
- [13:25]
Podcast Host/Announcer
Most American homes have harmful contaminants in their water. That's why I use Aqua Tru. This countertop water purifier uses a four stage reverse osmosis system, the same technology behind major bottled water brands. And it's independently tested to remove over 80 contaminants including chlorine, fluoride and arsenic, 15 times more than a regular pitcher filter. The filters last up to two years, saving you money and cutting down on plastic waste. And the taste, absolutely amazing. My wife and I love it. Right now, get 20% off any Aqua True Purifier. Go to aquatruwater.com and use code GUNDRY20. That's Aqua T R U water.com code GUNDRY20.
- [14:15]
Dr. Steven Gundry
Harvard says it's a great source of vitamin C. Here's the problem with vitamin C. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin. Once you take vitamin C, within two to four hours it's left your system. And so the amount of vitamin C in lemon water is very small. And once you drink it, it's good gone. So as I've told you before, it's really important to have a continuous supply of vitamin C in our body because we're one of the few animals that do not manufacture vitamin C. So my advice, get yourself timed. Release vitamin C capsules. They come in 500 milligrams, they come in 1000 milligrams. Take one twice a day. If that's a pain in the neck, get yourself some chewable vitamin C's about 500 milligrams and chew for a day, every morning, noon, dinner and before you go to bed. That way you're guaranteed to have a continuous supply of vitamin C. Just to remember, rats have been bred to not produce vitamin C. Those rats live half as long as a normal rat. When you give those rats who can't produce vitamin C vitamin C continuously in their drinking water, they reestablish their normal lifespan. That's how important continuous exposure to vitamin C is. How about a potassium boost? Actually, lemons are not a great source of potassium and just getting that little bit of potassium is not going to be enough to help your muscle cramps. As you know, I recommend potassium, magnesium Aspartate for muscle cramps. And there's actually good data out of athletic performance that potassium magnesium improves muscle performance in athletes. Finally, lemon water prevents kidney stones. Well, it's true that having a lot of citric acid is one of the treatments for one type of kidney stones. But here the same thing happens. You have to take citric acid multiple times during the day at much higher concentrations than you ever get in lemon water. So throw the lemons in your food, but don't put it in your water. So what are you going to do instead? Get yourself your, your balsamic vinegar, get yourself other vinegars. Vinegars are going to give you huge benefits. You're going to get all the polyphenols that you get from vinegars, you're going to get all the postbiotics, short chain fatty acids from vinegars and, and you're going to get all the postbiotic benefits that have now been shown to occur when we drink or eat fermented foods. There are lots of other good options. Water based kefirs, Kombucha, which is low sugar. Now a word of warning, there are so many high sugar kombuchas out there that it's scary. And I spend time, some time looking at them in the grocery stores every week. Kombuchas have been sugarized because quite frankly, kombucha is an interesting taste. And to cover it up, companies have added more and more and more sugar to their products. So you'll drink them. Now back to balsamic vinegar. A lot of people really don't like the really kind of bitter vinegar taste of balsamic vinegar. Here's a trick. I have no relationship with this company, but I use their product, it's called Napa Valley Naturals and they make a 25 year age balsamic vinegar which is thick, it's almost sweet tasting, it's syrupy and a little goes a long way. And it's incredibly reasonably priced. You can find it in a lot of stores. You can find it on Amazon. Again, I have no relationship, but it's a great way to get a high quality balsamic vinegar into your sparkling water that makes it taste like a Coke. And for those of you who are not aware, I actually invented the idea of the new Coke made out of balsamic vinegar and sparkling water well over five years ago. And you can actually watch my YouTube on how to do it. Finally, you're going to see in my upcoming book that dead bacteria that are left over from fermentation actually carry important messages to the Bacteria that live in our gut. So anytime you can have a fermented food, even though it has no, no living probiotics, you're way ahead of having something like lemon water, which has none of these benefits. Now, if a little lemon water motivates you to hydrate throughout the day, that's great, be my guest, mix it up, use limes for a while, use lemons, use tangerines for a while, that's fine. If that's what you want, go ahead and do it. Just know if you're drinking lemon water for the health benefits, there are so many better options out there for you. And that's what I'm here to do, give you the best options for your immediate and long term health.
- [20:07]
Now, juice cleansers have been called the ultimate reset for your body. But a groundbreaking new start study suggests they might actually wreck your microbiome in just three days. So today I'm going to break down what this study found, what really happens to your body when you drink juice, and how modern fruit, especially in juice form, is putting you into fat storage mode all the time. So let's get in the that new study. It's really eye opening. Researchers put healthy adults into three groups. One group drank only juice. Another had juice plus whole foods. The third ate only whole plant based foods. Now, the researchers studied these people's gut and oral bacteria before, during and after the diets. The results, the juice only group had a surge in inflammation linked bacteria both in their mouth and in their gut. Now what's so interesting about these bacteria, and I've written about this extensively, these bacteria are linked to leaky gut and spoiler alert, alert, cognitive decline. Now, the whole food group who didn't drink any juice at all had healthier, more protective microbes. And the juice plus the food group landed somewhere in the middle. Now, Dr. Melinda Ring, the lead researcher, put it bluntly, and I couldn't agree more with her conclusion. Most people think of juicing as a healthy cleanse, but this study offers a reality check, something that I've been saying for the last 25 years. So what does juice do to your body? I want to talk you through this. What's happening step by step. Now, the moment juice hits your tongue, your tongue does not have a, any sugar receptors. It has sweet receptors. Those sweet receptors occupy two thirds of the surface area of your tongue. The only thing that we would have ever encountered long ago that was sweet was quite frankly, either fruit or honey. Now, when those sweet receptors taste sweet, they fire signals to your brain that Energy is incoming. The next thing that happens is your brain calls down to your pancreas that in fact sugar must be sugar, because that was all there was back then, is on the way, and that we should make insulin in our pancreas to facilitate that sugar, which your brain knows you're eating, getting into your cells. The problem is, up until recently, that sugar in fruit arrived with fiber. In fact, it was encased with fiber. So some degree of digestion had to happen before that sugar was liberated from the contents of the fruit. But without the fiber that's now gone from juices, your body absorbs that sugar almost instantly. Now, let's back up for a second. Remember that fruit juice is a combination of fructose, fruit sugar and glucose. And that table sugar, sucrose is half glucose and half fructose. But high fructose corn syrup, for example, has more fructose than glucose, hence high fructose corn syrup. So when we eat a piece of fruit, we have a slow digestion of of that fruit back in the good old days. And we would liberate glucose and fructose. Now here's the bad news. Fructose is a mitochondrial toxin. Just look it up. It is. Normally glucose is absorbed directly into our bloodstream from the intestines. Do not pasco. Do not collect $200 fructose because it's so dangerous, very little gets absorbed directly into our bloodstream. Instead, it is bypassed into the liver via the portal vein. And there in the liver, it's detoxified into triglycerides, a fat that you have measured on your cholesterol test every time you have it done. And uric acid. Now, some people have heard about uric acid. Uric acid is the causative agent of gout. But what a lot of people don't know and has been really eloquently written about by my friend David Perlmeyer in his book Drop acid. Combination of uric acid actually affects your kidney function in a negative way. But uric acid also produces insulin resistance, which we don't want.
- [25:59]
Progressive Insurance Advertiser
The Dr. Guttery podcast is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Because Progressive offers discounts for paying in front of full, owning a home and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Potential savings will vary, not available in all states or situations.
- [26:39]
Dr. Anurag Singh
Ourselves are constantly renewing themselves. But as we age, they start to need help keeping up. That's where Urolithin A comes in. I'm Dr. Anurag Singh, MD, PhD and Chief Medical Officer at Timeline. I've spent years researching this remarkable nutrient and what I have learned has the power to change the way we age. Urolithin A targets common signs of aging at the root. By revitalizing the mitochondria, the battery packs of the cells, for the first time, you can easily incorporate it into your routine. With Mitopure, the only clinically proven urolithinase supplement on the market. One daily dose of Mitopure boosts energy production, improves muscle strength and enhances endurance, even without a change in exercise. It's so powerful that it's the number one doctor recommended longevity supplement trusted by elite athletes and health experts. Empower your cellular health with Timeline, powered by Mitopure. Visit timelinenutrition.com gundry10 and use code GUNDRY10 for 10% off your first order. That's timelinenutrition.com GUNDRY10.
- [27:53]
Dr. Steven Gundry
How come this happened? Let's take a second and let me tell you the thing that made us successful humans but is often our biggest Kryptonite. Great apes had a genetic mutation that they no longer made an enzyme called uricase that broke down uric acid into a harmless compound. So what? It allowed them during climate change, when forests began receding about 10 million years ago, to take fruit, which only occurred seasonally. Fruit only ripens once a year, even in the jungle. And store that fructose in fruit as fat as triglycerides. And allowed uric acid to produce insulin resistance to make sure that that sugar was not used as fuel but was guaranteed to be stored as fat. And the reason we call them great apes is that this was a great mutation during climate change because they could out compete other monkeys who didn't have this ability and store fat for the lean times. Fast forward. Humans inherited that mutation. Mutation. We cannot break uric acid down into a harmless compound. We used to think that this was called the thrifty gene. And the theory was that we went through rough times where we couldn't find anything to eat and that somehow we magically, mystically evolved a genetic mutation to. To allow us to store fat for the lean times. No, we just inherited the great apes mutation. So that allowed us to also take advantage of fructose on a seasonal basis to store fat for the winter. Fun fact. Bears get fat for the winter by becoming insulin resistant. That's why they can eat all those berries and eat all that salmon and turn it into fat, because they're insulin resistant. So what is it about fructose that is our Achilles heel or our kryptonite? Remember, fructose is a mitochondrial toxin. We have to diffuse it, and we do that in our liver with turning it into triglycerides. As I tell many of my patients who have fatty liver. And if you've been paying attention to the news, fatty liver disease or non alcoholic steatohepatitis, that's a word. Is now rampant in America. And animal studies and human studies show that fructose is the culprit. As I tell my patients who like fructose, foie gua, which is goose liver, or duck liver that is so fat it basically turns into butter, that when I tell them they have fatty liver, they basically have foie gras for their liver. Now, that's kind of a nice visual, but we can produce fatty liver in ducks and geese by force feeding them either fruit or in most cases, whole grains. And they produce so much triglycerides in their liver that it can't get out of the liver fast enough. And so it builds up. We see the same thing in animal and human studies by giving people more and more fructose, which is now so prevalent in our diet. Now, some people say, but juice is natural. Well, it's not. The fruit we eat today isn't natural at all. It's been bred to be bigger, sweeter, and packed with fructose. And once you juice it, it's not much different from drinking soda. In fact, to your body, a glass of orange juice and a can of Coke both look like glucose plus fructose with zero fiber buffer. Now, I talked about this extensively with the glucose goddess right here on this podcast. We flipped the script. So something that made us take over the world. Because we were capable of storing fat for the hard times, we've made fruit sweeter. It's now available 365 days a year, and we've started juicing it. As I tell my patients, if you think juice is safe and healthy, let's all take a trip to the San Diego zoo or the LA Zoo or your favorite zoo, and let's look in all the cages and see where the juicers are. They're not juicing in the ape cages. Yeah, we'll throw them an orange and they'll eat the whole orange. This is the most unnatural thing you can do. So now we're stuck in permanent fat storage mode, never giving our bodies the seasonal break that they evolved to expect. So what's the problem with that? When we overload and damage our mitochondria, when we overload our liver with fat, the result is fatigue, weight gain, blood sugar swings, and mitochondrial stress. So what's the lesson here? Juice is not the health food we were told it is. Whole fruit, in season and in moderation, fine, that was our design. But please, even then, avoid the sugar bomb. Fruits like ripe bananas, ripe mangoes, and grapes. But juice, any kind of juice, Juice. It's a sugar bomb. If you really want to use up all that fresh produce, please consider reverse juicing. I've written about this extensively. Get your juicer, put the fruit in organic, preferably throw the juice away, and then take the pulp, freeze it in a silicone ice cube tray, and then use it to flavor your plain goat or sheep or coconut yogurt. You were designed to get the benefits of polyphenols in fruit the way nature intended. So that's it. Modern human studies show juice is lethal.
- [34:53]
The real reasons you should drink filtered water. Okay, it's the scary truth that the tap water provided to millions of Americans actually fails to meet federal health standards and violates limits for dangerous contaminants. Take fluoride for example. Beginning in the early 20th century, scientists linked high levels of naturally occurring fluoride in certain communities water supplies to low levels of tooth decay. Well, unfortunately, those studies were deeply flawed and are incredibly outdated. However, now roughly 73% of the US population with public water access is receiving water fortified with fluoride. Now, fluoride. Fluoride unfortunately is known to negatively impact many parts of the body, including the cardiovascular and immune systems. It's also been linked to serious illness and disease. And unfortunately, in my opinion, fluoride is doing way more harm than good. And it's in most of our water supplies. Not to mention heavy metal metals are in most of our water supplies. Lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic are all on the World Health Organization list of chemicals of major public health concern. Yet they can almost all be found in tap water.
- [36:34]
Podcast Host/Announcer
You know, these days there's a subscription for just about everything. But what if you could roll all those into one and actually save money? That's exactly what I do with thrive. Market Thrive is my one stop shop for high quality grocery staples, non toxic cleaning supplies, everyday supplement, skin care, and so much more. Instead of bouncing between stores or websites, I can get everything I need in one place. And it's all carefully curated for healthy living. And here's the best part. Thrive Market members save up to 30% off top health brands and it's all delivered straight to your door. No lines, no hassle, just smart, healthy shopping. So here's the deal. When you join Thrive Market today, you'll get $80 in free groceries. Just go to thrivemarket.com gundrypodcast that's thrivemarket.com gundryPodcast.
- [37:25]
Dr. Steven Gundry
Now, the resulting health issues are almost too numerous to mention, but they include cardiovascular diseases, disorders, neuronal damage, kidney issues, and the risk of serious illness. But of course, water is essential to life. So what is the best filtration system for clean, safe drinking water? Well, that depends on where you live. Before you spend money on a good filtration system, it's best to find out where what you're working with. So here this is really easy. I recommend going online and actually checking out what's in your water. Simply google water quality report for blank your city and it'll come right up. You may have to check a couple sites, but your city will post what's in their water water. Now, once you find that you may have a great drinking water that's pretty much devoid of what I've talked about so far, the chances are you're going to be shocked with what that report shows. So what should you do? Well, one of the things to consider is drinking water from from an underground spring that's been bottled. For instance, I've sung the praises of San Pellegrino water from Italy in a glass bottle. Now, there's multiple reasons for that and I'm not a spokesperson for the company. I'm a big fan. It has the highest sulfur content of any any water that's been measured. It's been rated as the purest water that you can drink. It has no additives, no anything in it. And it's in glass. Now why is glass important? Most people are aware of the scandal that involved BPA that's in almost all plastic, plastic bottles, plastic containers. And there was a huge move to ban BPA and that move has pretty much been effective. The problem is the replacements for BPA like BPs look to be just as dangerous as endocrine disrupting chemicals as what they replace. So plastic is plastic is plastic. So you may have the best source of water, you may have the best filtrated water, but if you buy it in a plastic container, you're probably doing yourself no favors and probably harm. So there are other great waters out there, but please buy them in a glass container. Don't fall for the plastic trap. Now, there are many good reverse osmosis water systems that you can purchase, either a countertop unit or a whole house unit. Both of our houses in Palm Springs in Santa Barbara use reverse osmosis water filtration systems. The point is, get a system that you can afford that's easy to use, that doesn't disrupt your life, and use it not only for drinking, but use it for cooking. And that's an important distinction. Use it for making your coffee. Use it for whatever you're going to use water for before, it's not just to have a glass of water. Now, there are several, you know, good filtration pictures that are quite reasonable, but when I've looked at the long term cost of the filter replacements, oftentimes your initial investment, particularly in a countertop filtration system system, will pay for itself over a fairly short period of time. But if that's not in your budget, do consider one of the pitcher filtration systems, and there's some pretty good ones out there. Now, the second thing to consider is the hardness of your water. Now, the simple definition of water hardness is the amount of dissolved calcium and.
- [42:19]
Magnesium in the water.
- [42:22]
Now, many people get water softeners installed in their homes because soft water can make your water heater last longer, make soap lather easier, and can keep your dishware sparkly clean. It can also keep your sinks from clogging up, the spouts, your shower head clogging up. However, it's been shown that people who live in hard water areas actually have better heart health than people who have soft water. Now why might this be? Well, it turns out that hard water in general has multiple beneficial minerals, like sulfur, for instance, that may actually improve our heart health. The other problem with previous water softeners is that most water softeners used sodium chloride as the water softener. Now, however, we can get potassium chloride as a water softener system. So if you're going to use a water softener, please use a potassium chloride water system for two reasons. Number one, you're going to eliminate the sodium factor. But number two, potassium is very deficient in our diets and in our water. And potassium is one of those minerals that actually improves heart health and improves heart function and actually lowers blood pressure. So if you're going to invest in a soft water system, please get the potassium chloride based systems. And now potassium chloride big bags are really easy to find in most hardware stores right next to the sodium Chloride bags. All right, should you buy spring water or purified water whenever you're looking at buying these products in the grocery store or at the big box stores? First of all, please keep in mind glass is vastly superior to any plastic that you're going to buy. Number two, you can take too much of a good thing out of water. And if you're going to buy reverse osmosis filtered waters or purified waters, look for waters that have had the minerals re added back in. And some companies make a big point of assuring you that they have re added the minerals that they've removed in the process of filtering the water. All right, so number one, find out your water quality in your town. You may be shocked with what you thought was healthy. Number two, if you're shocked, get yourself a wild water filtration system. We've gone through the whole list of what's a good idea if you can afford it, buy bottled water in glass containers again. My favorite is San Pellegrino, which is sparkling. Their other company is called Panna P A N N A which is non sparkling. Also in a glass bottle bottle. There's several great American companies like Poland Spring for example. That gives you everything that you're looking for. Buyer beware in plastic bottles is the final takeaway.
- [46:24]
Podcast Host/Announcer
Now it's time for the question of the week. The question of the week comes from Tephdetany on Instagram. On my latest soy episode, she said thanks for for that so much info. So will eating natto work just as well as taking it in supplement form for detoxing from the COVID spike protein? Have you ever recommended any of your patients take a nattokinase supplement? Well, that's a really good question. The COVID spike protein, unless you were injected with one of the MRA vaccines, really is only produced for a limited amount amount of time. In my published data from the American Heart association meeting, the effect from those shots subsides after about six months. But we certainly see the effect of inducing spike protein manufacture by these shots occurring for, like I say, three months. But it wanes completely by six months after that time. There's no evidence from my work with patients that there's any lingering effect of producing spike proteins. No, I have not recommended nattokinase to my patients. The reason for that is that what works in a test tube rarely works in humans and there's no real compelling evidence that nattokinase taken in a pill form will be that much benefit. On the other hand, natto is actually a very rich source of vitamin K2 which does have vascular health benefits. So take a vitamin K2 supplement or eat your natto. I'm not particularly fond of the taste of natto, but many people love it, so go right ahead. Great question. Now it's time for the review of the week. The review of the week comes from iCheldubois9466 on YouTube. They said you're such a great speaker, funny and as I apply your disposal discoveries and use your good products, my body and mind have evolved for the better. Before I wrote you saved my life and now I say you're allowing me to rewire my brain too. So thank you infinitely. Dear Dr. G. Well, thanks very much Michel Dubois 9466 Like I say, I see patients six days a week and have now for about 30 years. And it's your experiences, my patients experiences, that I try to impart. The lessons I've learned, the lessons they've taught me and I'll keep doing so with your permission. So thanks for writing in. This is why I do this.
- [48:52]
Advertisement Voice
Just when you thought summer couldn't get any hotter, Pluto TV is turning up the heat with thousands of free movies presenting Summer of Cinema. Stream your favorite blockbuster films like Gladiator.
- [49:04]
Dr. Steven Gundry
I Will have My Vineyards, Good Burger.
- [49:07]
As as well.
- [49:09]
Advertisement Voice
Beverly Hills Cop, the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo and Julie and Julia.
- [49:13]
Dr. Steven Gundry
Bon Appetit.
- [49:15]
Advertisement Voice
All for free on your favorite devices. Pluto TV Stream Now Pay Never.
- [49:24]
Podcast Narrator/Host
I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Dr. Gundry podcast. If you did, please share this with family and friends. You never know how one of these health tips can completely transform someone's life when you take the time to share it with them. There's also the Dr. Gundry Podcast YouTube channel where we have tens of thousands of free health insights that can help you and your loved ones live a long, vital life. Let's do this together.