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Dr. Jockers Functional Nutrition

The Science of Protein Cycling, Autophagy and Fat Loss with Vanessa Spina

Dr. Jockers Functional Nutrition

Dr. Jockers

Health & Fitness, Nutrition, Alternative Health

4.8 • 688 Ratings

🗓️ 2 December 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Dr. Jockers and Vanessa Spina break down new human research showing why high protein doesn't block autophagy when calories are low. You'll learn how this changes everything we've believed about protein timing, fasting, and cellular repair. The conversation also reveals why prioritizing protein can accelerate fat loss without sacrificing muscle.

 

You'll hear how protein impacts appetite, hormones, and metabolic flexibility—and why many people overeat simply because they're under-consuming essential amino acids. Vanessa explains the protein leverage effect and how it naturally reduces cravings, stabilizes blood sugar, and makes eating "effortlessly" satisfying. These insights can help you rethink how you build your daily meals.

 

You'll discover why certain fasting styles can increase visceral fat loss, support hormonal balance, and boost performance. Expect a mix of science, real-world application, and surprising findings you may not have heard before.

 

 

In This Episode: 

00:00 Introduction and Exciting New Study

00:21 Welcome and Guest Introduction

00:30 Deep Dive into the New Study

01:52 Vanessa Spina's Expertise and Background

05:47 Interview with Vanessa Spina Begins

06:15 Discussion on Protein Absorption Study

14:04 Personal Experiences with Protein and Fasting

16:55 Debunking Protein Myths

18:10 Nutrition Principles and Protein Prioritization

22:23 Ketones, Satiety, and Inflammation

27:07 Balancing Hormones and Stress

31:17 Understanding Autophagy and Protein Intake

32:35 The Importance of Human Trials in Research

35:11 Study on High Protein Fasting Mimicking Diet

38:38 Results and Implications of the Study

42:18 Personal Experiences with Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting

45:32 Practical Tips for Implementing Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting

57:54 Comparing Different Fasting Approaches

01:01:13 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

 


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I just wanna take a moment to interrupt this podcast to tell you about one of my favorite podcasts I listen to. It's called The Dr. Josh Axe Show, hosted by my good friend Dr. Josh Axe. Every week he shares how to balance your hormones, restore your gut, boost your energy, and slow aging without relying on harsh medications or quick fixes. He shares both ancient biblical practices and the latest breakthroughs in nutrition, herbal remedies, and lifestyle medicine. If you're ready to take control of your health, renew your energy, and transform your mind, body, and spirit, tune into The Dr. Josh Axe Show every Monday and Thursday wherever you get your podcasts.

 

 

"Most people don't overeat because they lack willpower — they lack protein." 

 

 

Subscribe to the podcast on:

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Resources:

 

 

Connect with Vanessa Spina:

 


Connect with Dr. Jockers:

If you are interested in being a guest on the show, we would love to hear from you! Please contact us here! - https://drjockers.com/join-us-dr-jockers-functional-nutrition-podcast/ 

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Yeah, it's so exciting when you see studies that, you know, validate things that you've experienced in your personal life, you know, sort of by challenging some of the perceived notions or accepted notions out there.

0:10.0

Now, the thing I love the most about this study is it just means that everyone can just take a deep breath and stop worrying so much about, you know, scheduling their protein.

0:23.1

Well, welcome back to the podcast.

0:29.8

Got a great episode today with my guest, Vanessa Spina, from the Optimal Protein Podcast. We're going to talk about protein cycling, autophagy, and top fat-burning strategies.

0:36.4

And we're going to do a deep dive on a new study that came out published in the

0:40.1

Journal of Clinical Nutrition, August 2025.

0:43.6

So very recent, it was done at the School of Life Sciences at University of Nottingham in the UK.

0:49.7

And it's titled The Effects of Fasting, Mimicking Diets with Low and High Protein Content

0:54.7

on Cardiomedabolic Health and Autophagy.

0:56.8

It was a randomized parallel group study for seven days.

1:01.2

And it was really groundbreaking because we've been told that high protein levels stop

1:07.8

autophagy.

1:09.4

And in this study, individuals that were on a high protein diet, but they were also calorie restricted, and that's really important.

1:16.6

We're going to dive into that in detail.

1:18.6

But they actually showed that they actually had the same level of autophagy as people that were protein restricted.

1:25.6

And so if you've been listening to me for any period of time,

1:28.7

you know I'm a huge advocate of protein, but this was really, it was eye-opening because, again,

1:35.1

the idea in the functional nutrition world is that high protein, even in a calorie-restricted

1:41.7

state, would stop autophagy and deep cellular healing.

1:46.6

And this study showed that that's not true.

1:48.6

So anyways, with all that lead up, we're going to do a deep dive on that.

1:52.5

And Vanessa is an expert when it comes to nutrition and when it comes to protein in particular.

...

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