EP 1389
1389. Your Organic Protein Powder Is Slowly Killing You
In this episode of The Human Upgrade, Host Dave Asprey sits down with Oliver Amdrup-Chamby, founder and CEO of PUORI and a 16-year veteran of the supplement industry who opened the first CrossFit gym in Denmark and holds an Executive Program credential from Stanford, to expose the hidden contamination crisis inside the supplement industry and break down exactly what it takes to build a product that is actually clean. They cover why plant-based and organic protein powders consistently test with up to 10 times more heavy metals than whey and why the organic label offers zero protection against contamination, how glyphosate directly replaces glycine molecules in collagen and gets rebuilt into your body’s own connective tissue infrastructure when you consume non-grass-fed collagen protein, why oxidized fish oil creates inflammation instead of reducing it and how most brands avoid accountability by testing raw materials instead of finished consumer batches, what the omega-3 index actually measures and why raising it from four to eight percent correlates with up to five additional years of longevity, how genetic variation in vitamin D receptors forces some people to take dramatically higher doses than any government recommendation accounts for, and why creatine has crossed over from bodybuilding staple to essential brain optimization and concussion recovery tool that longevity doctors are only now beginning to take seriously.
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In this Episode of The Human Upgrade™...
Most people buying “clean” supplements are unknowingly loading their bodies with heavy metals, rancid fish oil, and glyphosate, even inside products labeled organic and healthy. This episode breaks down exactly what the supplement industry refuses to tell you and gives you the tools to stop poisoning yourself every morning.
-Grab a discount on Puori Products by visiting: https://puori.com/pages/dave?dt_id=1750934
Host Dave Asprey sits down with Oliver Amdrup-Chamby, founder and CEO of PUORI and a serial entrepreneur in the health and wellness space with over 16 years building what has become one of the most rigorously tested supplement brands in the world. Oliver opened the first CrossFit gym in Denmark in 2006, served as Regional Director of CrossFit HQ across Europe and the Middle East, holds an Executive Program credential from Stanford, and advises longevity projects including One Thirty Labs in Copenhagen. He founded PUORI in 2009 with a single obsession: creating the cleanest third-party tested fish oil on the market. That obsession grew into a full supplement line built on batch testing every finished consumer product for environmental toxins, a standard the industry has yet to catch up to.
Together, Dave and Oliver expose the hidden contamination crisis inside the supplement industry, from oxidized fish oil that creates inflammation instead of fighting it, to plant-based protein powders carrying up to 10 times more heavy metals than whey. They break down why organic does not mean safe, how glyphosate embeds itself directly into your collagen infrastructure and disrupts the body’s ability to build healthy connective tissue, and why the omega 3 index is one of the most powerful and measurable longevity biomarkers you are probably ignoring. They also dig into the surprising brain optimization and anti-aging benefits of creatine, including new research on concussion recovery and sleep deprivation, and how foundational supplements like vitamin D, magnesium, and high-quality fish oil remain the non-negotiables that no nootropic stack can replace.
You’ll Learn:
- Why organic protein powder often contains more heavy metals than non-organic options
- How glyphosate infiltrates collagen and gets rebuilt into your body’s own tissue
- What the omega 3 index is, why most Americans are dangerously low, and how raising it correlates with years of additional longevity
- Why plant-based omega 3s fail to convert to DHA and what to take instead
- How oxidized fish oil creates inflammation rather than reducing it, and what to look for on the label
- Why vitamin D deficiency persists even with regular sun exposure and how genetics affect your required dose
- The creatine research that has longevity doctors and neuroscientists paying attention for the first time
- How foundational supplements support mitochondria, metabolism, and long-term resilience in ways that trendy biohacking stacks cannot replicate
- What to look for in a clean supplement brand and why third-party batch testing of finished goods is the only standard that matters
Keywords: Oliver Amdrup-Chamby, PUORI supplements, fish oil oxidation, omega 3 index, heavy metals protein powder, glyphosate collagen, organic protein powder toxins, foundational supplements, creatine brain health, vitamin D deficiency, clean label testing, longevity supplements, biohacking, Dave Asprey, anti-aging, human performance, functional medicine, supplement transparency, plant-based protein heavy metals, whey protein
Resources:
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"If you're taking a product that has high oxidation in it, that's basically rancid, it might actually create inflammation instead of helping you with inflammation."
Oliver Amdrup-Chamby
0:00 – Trailer
Dave previews the episode’s core argument: the supplements you trust most may be quietly loading your body with heavy metals and glyphosate.
0:47 – Introduction
Oliver Amdrup-Chamby, founder of PUORI, joins Dave to discuss 16 years of obsessive supplement testing and why he started with fish oil.
2:19 – Foundational vs. Sexy Supplements
Oliver defines foundational supplements as the ones hardest to get from diet alone, including vitamin D, magnesium, creatine, and high-quality protein.
4:33 – Omega-3 Index Explained
Oliver breaks down why the omega-3 index, measured in red blood cells rather than plasma, is one of the most actionable and robust longevity biomarkers available.
5:45 – Vegan Omega-3s & DHA
Dave explains why it takes up to 45 grams of plant-based omega-3s to produce a single gram of DHA, making algae-based sources largely ineffective for most people.
7:39 – Fish Oil Oxidation
Oliver reveals that rancid fish oil creates inflammation rather than reducing it, and explains why oxidation during encapsulation is where most brands quietly fail.
8:48 – Batch Testing & Industry Transparency
Oliver explains why testing raw materials instead of finished consumer batches is a form of deception, and how PUORI publishes batch-specific lab results via QR code on every label.
16:03 – Storing Fish Oil Properly
Oliver warns that leaving fish oil outside in summer heat, even briefly during delivery, can send oxidation levels through the roof and render the product counterproductive.
17:30 – Vitamin D, Magnesium & Fish Oil Stack
Oliver identifies vitamin D, magnesium, and fish oil as the three supplements most people are deficient in based on macro population data, and explains why they work best together.
19:11 – Vitamin D Dosing & Genetics
Dave shares how six weeks of daily sun exposure in Hawaii still left his vitamin D levels at 34, revealing how genetic receptor variation forces some people to take dramatically higher doses.
21:34 – RDAs & Government Nutrition Advice
Dave argues that recommended daily allowances are economics-based minimum thresholds designed to prevent deficiency diseases, not optimize health, and have never reflected what humans actually need.
23:06 – Glyphosate in the U.S. Food Supply
Dave makes the case that the U.S. food system is so dependent on glyphosate that an abrupt ban would collapse domestic food production, requiring a gradual transition toward regenerative agriculture.
26:40 – Heavy Metals in Fish Oil
Oliver confirms that PCBs, dioxins, and heavy metals are the primary contaminants to test for in fish oil, and explains how a single contaminated ingredient like non-organic lemon oil can spike an otherwise clean batch.
37:44 – Protein Powders & Heavy Metals
Oliver and Dave break down category testing data showing plant-based protein powders carry up to 10 times more heavy metals than whey, and explain why organic certification offers no protection against contamination.
45:52 – Creatine for Brain & Concussion
Oliver shares how a brain specialist recommended 20 to 30 grams of creatine daily following his serious concussion, and explains the emerging research connecting creatine to faster neurological recovery and reduced symptom duration.
48:48 – TrueDark & Brain Recovery
Dave explains how TrueDark glasses shift brainwaves from beta to alpha within 15 minutes, a published finding that made them essential for managing overstimulation during his own traumatic brain injury recovery.
51:24 – Brain Scanning
Dave offers to connect Oliver with Daniel Amen for a QEEG brain scan, and explains how seeing his own brain data removed the moral component from his health struggles and gave him a hardware-level understanding of his performance issues.
53:58 – Toxins in Plant vs. Animal Protein
Dave explains nature’s toxin hierarchy: plants carry the highest toxin load to deter consumption, cows filter those toxins through digestion, and whey is the cleanest of all because mama cow actively protects her milk from contamination to safeguard the next generation.
56:30 – Collagen: Sourcing & Glyphosate Risk
Dave reveals that glyphosate directly replaces glycine molecules in collagen, meaning non-grass-fed collagen protein actively introduces glyphosate into your body’s own connective tissue infrastructure.
1:02:26 – Outro & PUORI Discount
Dave wraps the episode and directs listeners to puori.com/dave for a discount, reinforcing that knowing who makes your supplements and why they make them is the foundation of smarter supplementation.
Thank you to our sponsors!
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