Omega3

S2E41: Athletes, Exercise Immunology & Immuno-Nutrition w Dr. David Pyne PhD

Season 2 Episode #41

Dr. Bubbs interviews expert physiologist Dr. David Pyne PhD to talk exercise immunology and keeping athletes cold and flu free. In this episode, Dr. Pyne reviews the fundamentals of immunology and how the immune system is regulated by exercise and nutrition. He’ll discuss how training volume, intensity and load impact immunity, and more importantly, why keeping athletes cold and flu free is paramount for athletic success. Dr. Pyne also discusses the key immunity biomarkers and how effective they may (or may not) be at flagging at-risk athletes. Finally, he dives into the topic of immune-nutrition and how the food you eat, and supplements like probiotics, can impact athlete immunity and therefore ability to train and compete. 

Summary of Episode

2:40 – Immunology 101 – Review of the fundamentals

8:00 – How exercise impacts immune function

9:45 – How to manipulate exercise to support immunity

13:00 – Immunity biomarkers and assessment

16:00 – Importance of lifestyle factors in supporting immunity

18:30 – Impacts of probiotics on immunity

21:45 – Can probiotics reduce severity and/or duration of infection?

26:00 – Impact of carbohydrate on athlete immunity

28:00 – Impact of omega-3 on inflammation and immunity

31:30 – Role of supplements in immunity – research & practice

33:00 – Extreme temperatures and impact on immunity

36:00 – Recovery strategies and immunity

38:00 – Dr. Pyne’s reflections on 30 years of work in exercise and immunology


About Dr. David Pyne PhD

Dr. David Pyne PhD is a sports physiologist with 30 years practical and research experience across a range of individual and team sports such as, basketball, rugby union, rugby league, Australian Football, cricket and swimming at the Australian Institute of Sport and national levels. David has attended four Olympic Games and numerous international competitions with the Australian Swimming Team.  Between 2013 and 2017, David served as the Discipline Lead – Physiology for Swimming Australia.

Dr. Pyne's research work in the areas of exercise and the immune system, environmental physiology, the applied physiology of swimming, and fitness and conditioning for team sports is recognised internationally. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers in exercise and sports science journals and is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.


Links to Research Papers

Probiotics supplementation for athletes – Clinical and physiological effects

Exercise effects on mucosal immunity

Position statement part two: maintaining immune health. Exercise Immunology Review

Salivary IgA levels and infection risk in elite swimmers.


S2E17: High-Dose Omega-3, CBD Oil & Concussions w/ Dr. Michael Lewis MD

SEASON 2, EPISODE #17

Dr. Bubbs interviews Dr. Michael Lewis MD to discuss the applications of high-dose omega-3 supplementation in concussions. In this episode, Dr. Lewis reviews the pathophysiology of concussion and how it unfolds in two distinct phases, which athletes are at the highest risk of concussion, his research into the use of high-dose omega-3 for concussion in the military, protocols for omega-3 use with concussion, as well as the novel application of CBD oil for head trauma and mental conditions. 

About Dr. Michael Lewis MD

Dr. Lewis an expert on brain health and the prevention, management, and rehabilitation of concussions and traumatic brain injury (TBI). He founded the nonprofit Brain Health Education and Research Institute in 2011 when he retired as a Colonel after a distinguished 31 year career in the U.S. Army. His pioneering work has helped thousands of people around the world and he is regularly featured in the media including CNN’s Sanjay Gupta MD show and numerous radio shows and podcasts. He is the author of the Amazon Best Selling book, When Brains Collide: What every athlete and parent should know about the prevention and treatment of concussions and brain injuries.

Find out more at http://www.brainhealtheducation.org and BrainCare.center.


Research Articles & Links

Neuroprotection for the Warrior: Dietary Supplementation With Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Therapeutic use of omega-3 fatty acids in severe head trauma

Suicide Deaths of Active Duty U.S. Military and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Status: A Case Control Comparison 


S2E16: Dietary Supplements & The High Performance Athlete w Prof. Stuart Phillips PhD

SEASON 2, EPISODE #16

Dr. Bubbs interviews world expert Professor Stuart Phillips PhD to talk about his contribution to the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) recent research and consensus statement on the use of supplements in sport. In this episode, Stu discusses athlete rationale and motives for using supplements, caffeine dosing strategies for endurance based exercise versus repeated sprints, the application of dietary nitrates and what exercise duration benefits most, as well as evidence-based immune support supplements (sharing which are more hype than substance). Stu also outlines supplements that indirectly support performance via improving capacity to train or recovery such as HMB, omega-3s, and collagen supplements, as well as the  ‘decision making’ tree to help coaches, athletes and practitioners figure out how to best apply supplement strategies.

About Prof. Stuart Phillips, PhD

Professor Phillips is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Skeletal Muscle Health, Professor in Kinesiology, and Adjunct Professor in the School of Medicine at McMaster University in Canada. He is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American College of Nutrition (ACN) and his research is focused on the impact of nutrition and exercise on human skeletal muscle protein turnover. Professor Phillips currently has more than 18,000 career citations, and 200 original scientific research and review papers. Follow Prof. Phillips on Twitter


Research Article

IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete


The “Big Rocks” – Stu’s Tip

“Sleep, training and nutrition must be dialed in… Supplements are the sprinkles on the cake!”