Iron Radio: Do Supplements Beat Food for Vitamin Status? Wearable Food-Tracking Glasses + HDL, Exercise & Depression

On Iron Radio, hosts Dr. Lonnie Lowery, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Coach Phil Stevens discuss Nelson’s Flex Diet Certification and how supplementation topics are integrated due to time constraints, plus his creatine research PDF. They review a new NHANES-based paper (Sternberg et al., May 2026) suggesting supplement use explains more variability in vitamin biomarkers (R² ~3–21%) than reported dietary intake (~0.8–8.8%), while noting limitations like recall bias, low explained variance, and imperfect biomarkers. They then examine a 2021 AIM2 wearable device that detects eating episodes and captures food images with ~83% accuracy, debating research benefits versus privacy and data-broker concerns. Finally, they critique a 2026 cross-sectional study linking physical activity, HDL cholesterol, and lower depression odds, arguing the effect is associative and likely non-causal, and expand into broader concerns about interpreting lipids in athletic populations and medical risk models.

00:00 Show Intro and Hosts

01:05 Flex Diet Cert and Supplements

03:23 Brevity in Science Talks

05:34 Talk Tactics and Backup Slides

08:22 Supplements vs Food Biomarkers

14:04 Vitamin D and Biomarker Limits

15:21 Iron Radio Feed Update

16:32 Newsletter and Book Plug

18:21 Wearable Food Tracking Glasses

21:00 Privacy and Data Broker Fears

23:21 VR Ads and Escape

23:53 Food Illusions and Conditioning

24:27 Research Uses vs Privacy

26:20 Testing Dietary Recall Accuracy

27:39 HDL Exercise and Depression Study

30:29 Is HDL Really Causal

33:21 Selling Results in Titles

35:02 HDL Drugs and High HDL Debate

37:08 Statins Risk Models and Exercise

40:15 Athlete Labs and Wrap Up

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

When Should You Compete Again? Timing Meets, Momentum, and Realistic Goals in Strength & Physique Sports

In this Iron Radio episode, hosts Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss how athletes decide what to do next after a meet or show and when to compete again. Phil explains how competition frequency often shifts from many meets per year early on to fewer events as lifters get stronger, older, and need more time to recover and make meaningful progress, sometimes using smaller meets as non-max “training day” run-throughs for clients. Mike describes prioritizing goals to avoid competitions that distract from main objectives, and notes the added challenges in physique sports where frequent shows can create a stressful 6–12 week “gray area” and lead to issues like water retention and inflammation, especially for natural athletes. They emphasize realistic expectations, honest coaching, and the value of outside perspective for planning and psychology.

00:00 Welcome and Hosts

01:18 When to Compete Again

02:07 Phil on Meet Frequency

03:51 Clients and Progress Planning

06:13 Warmup Meets Strategy

07:49 Powerlifting vs Physique Peaks

08:50 Mike on Priorities and Goals

10:51 Physique Sports Gray Zone

16:40 Iron Radio Feed Update

17:52 Mike Nelson Newsletter

18:30 New Supplement Book

19:39 Levrone Transformation Talk

20:16 Setting Realistic PR Goals

21:26 Getting Athletes To Eat

24:03 Dreams Versus Reality

24:33 Choosing Your Strengths

27:50 Managing Warrior Mode

30:41 Why Coaches Matter

32:35 Wrap Up And Disclaimer

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Iron Radio: Why Lifters Need Variety, Play, and “Accidental Exercise” (for Longevity & Brain Health)

In this Iron Radio episode, Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss why strength athletes should include variety and recreational movement beyond specialized lifting, especially with aging. Phil cites evidence that most pro athletes were multi-sport as kids and argues that changing activities and training emphases can reduce injury, burnout, and loss of explosiveness. Mike explains the neurological benefits of movement in different planes and chaotic environments (eyes, vestibular system, proprioception), shares the GOAT drill as a warm-up, and suggests options like skateboarding, surfing, tennis, pickleball, juggling, and kettlebell juggling. The hosts emphasize “play,” hiking on real trails, and keeping at least minimal aerobic work so the gap between doing nothing and something doesn’t widen, while also cautioning older trainees to restart old skills at low intensity to protect tissues.

00:00 Welcome and Hosts

01:11 Why Variety Matters

03:56 Purposeful Play Training

05:44 Neuro Coordination Drills

09:31 Show Updates and Feeds

10:42 Newsletter and Book Plug

12:29 Aging Injury Proofing

17:09 Learning New Skills

19:35 Start Slow Stay Safe

21:09 Sprinting Risks and Tissue

23:28 Rebuilding Skills Slowly

24:10 Hiking for Real Movement

25:34 Ground Work and Aging

27:07 Sports as Cardio

28:09 Accidental Exercise Mindset

29:38 Playful Training Tools

31:15 Avoiding Specialization Traps

32:17 Offseason and Aerobic Base

34:06 Minimum Effective Conditioning

37:13 Juggling Desk Breaks

38:22 Flow Trainers and Hacky Sack

39:44 Wrap Up and Disclaimers

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie