Carlos Verne

Evidence-based notes on supplements, training and recovery: what works, what doesn’t, what's worth investing on. Biochemist & founder, previously @UniofOxford

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

Hi, I'm Carlos Verne.

I read primary research on how the body actually performs, adapts, and recovers — and I write about what the data say, not what's selling.

Aiming for calmer takes than your timeline. Glad to have you here.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@anymanfitness One of the best examples of metabolism versus calorie counting.

A 60-min walk burns ~250 kcal (less than one croissant!), but the effect it has on your glucose and therefore how you feel and react for the rest of the day can go much further.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@Drlipid The magic of GlycA is that it is very stable and reproducible, unlike CRP which varies ~30% within days.

I like to think of it as the HbA1c of inflammation.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@sleepdiplomat I just checked the trial in question (Lin 2011), and their measurement is also questionable.

They used actigraphy (essentially, motion tracking), which is unable to distinguish "asleep" from "lying still".

That's quite a lot of things to get wrong in a study...

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@anymanfitness You may lose it (not always quickly), but the beautiful thing about strength training is that it is much easier to get it back.

Muscle memory (plus some consistency) is a force for good.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@RogerSeheult There are multiple reports and studies of natural light exposure helping recovery, but I have always wondered about the mechanism.

Does it all boil down to better sleep cycles? Perceived well-being while in the hospital?

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@BrandonLuuMD Multiple studies on this, all concluding that recovery quality is more important than vacation length.

Design your time off to rest and do it frequently. It will pay massive dividends.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@mariotomich The most valuable interventions are always the simplest ones.

Exercise regularly. Eat well. Sleep enough. And, clearly, spend some time outside.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@BowTiedPhys One common misconception is that the cause is muscle mass. It is not. One kg of muscle consumes just 13 kcal/day!

The metabolic dividend from lifting is mostly due to EPOC/NEAT, the recovery from training. Which means you need to keep training, not just be big and strong.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@BowTiedPhys Some think at-home BP is not as good as going to the doctor.

It is, actually. A NEJM study showed that at-home BP is a much better predictor of cardiovascular mortality. Frequency beats quality of measurement.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@foundmyfitness Yes, it's sleep duration (and to a large extent, restorative sleep) rather than time in bed.

This is why ensuring quality sleep is one of the most important interventions. Regular bedtime, avoiding meals close to bed, dark room, no screens... you know the drill!

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@foundmyfitness Genuine question: is omega-3 reducing aggression, or is it *correcting a deficiency*?

Most populations eat very little oily fish. If the effect is deficiency repletion, the takeaway could be "chronically low omega-3 has behavioural costs", which is arguably more interesting!

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@WilliamWallace The key nuance is *bacteria's ability to produce* versus *human's ability to absorbe*.

By the time (in the digestive tract) that these vitamins are generated, they can barely be absorbed.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@BrandonLuuMD There is a decent body of literature on how sunlight affects mental health. Not an expert, but in this case I wonder about the relation with circadian rhythms and morning sun.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@NTFabiano Yes, the placebo effect is real, but so are the physical effects. Insulin sensitivity, testosterone and motor control will all drop after bad sleep.

You can lie to yourself and succeed, but not to your body.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@foundmyfitness Very real. Biochemically, caffeine prolongs muscle relaxation *time*, whereas creatine shortens it. It's a beautiful story that started with a 1996 study where subjects drinking 5 mg/kg caffeine (350mg for 70kg) showed no strength gain despite being fully loaded with creatine

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@BowTiedPhys I am embarrassed that I didn't know about this.

Now I want to nerd out about starch crystallization and how it lowers GI, but all the cool kids are busy eating potatoes.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@Mirandaksmith I have always said that the most effective things are also the simplest ones.

Sleep enough, eat well, exercise regularly... If you crack these consistently, you are ahead 95% of the time.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@WilliamWallace Fifteen trials, ~140k people between them... that's about as settled as nutrition evidence gets!

Worth noting that Vitamin D is still an *essential* nutrient and not taking it will lead to disease. There are also other benefits beyond bone health that may hold.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@DrAndyGalpin Reminds me of a couple of earlier papers showing that non-response is dose-dependent i.e. if you increase training volume, the response increases. Valid for both hypertrophy and cardio if I'm not wrong.

[Carlos Verne @compoundperf]

@DrAndyGalpin The paper is packed with fascinating molecular details, but it was the practical section that caught my attention.

It says that if you under-respond, you should audit adherence, progressive overload, sleep and diet *before* invoking intrinsic factors.