Matthew Butawan

• Master of Science
• Automation Engineer at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Time-restricted feeding (TRF) has increased in popularity among various groups, including fitness enthusiasts. The ideal timing of TRF in relation to daily exercise is unknown. Most fitness enthusiasts consume meals immediately or soon after exercise to improve body composition (e.g., lean mass). We compared two different TRF approaches, as well as...

Introduction: Methylliberine and theacrine are methylurates found in the leaves of various Coffea species and Camellia assamica var. kucha, respectively. We previously demonstrated that the methylxanthine caffeine increased theacrine’s oral bioavailability in humans. Methods: Consequently, we conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled pharmacokin...

This study investigated the effects of 6 mg/day of astaxanthin supplementation on markers of oxidative stress and substrate metabolism during a graded exercise test in active young men. A double-blind, randomized, counterbalanced, cross-over design was used. Fourteen men (age = 23 ± 2 years) supplemented with 6 mg/day of astaxanthin and a placebo f...

Time-restricted feeding (TRF) is becoming a popular way of eating in physically active populations, despite a lack of research on metabolic and performance outcomes as they relate to the timing of food consumption in relation to the time of exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine if the timing of feeding/fasting after exercise training...

Objectives: Mounting evidence suggests diet and exercise influence learning and memory (LM). We compared a high-fat, high-sucrose Western diet (WD) to a plant-based, amylose/amylopectin blend, lower-fat diet known as the Daniel Fast (DF) in rats with and without regular aerobic exercise on a task of spatial working memory (WM). Methods: Rats wer...

Methylliberine and theacrine are methylurates found in the leaves of various Coffea species and Camellia assamica var. kucha, respectively. We previously demonstrated that the methylxanthine caffeine increased theacrine oral bioavailability in humans. Consequently, we conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study pharmacokinetic study in human...

McAllister, MJ, Steadman, KS, Renteria, LI, Case, MJ, Butawan, MB, Bloomer, RJ, and McCurdy, KW. Acute resistance exercise reduces postprandial lipemia and oxidative stress in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-Acute ingestion of a high-fat meal (HFM) results in significant increases in postprandial triacylglycerols (T...

Coffea liberica possesses stimulant properties without accumulating the methylxanthine caffeine. The basis for this peculiar observation is that methylurates (e.g., theacrine and methylliberine) have replaced caffeine. The stimulant properties of methylurates, alone and in combination with caffeine, have recently been investigated. However, human p...

Waldman, HS, Smith, JW, Lamberth, J, Fountain, BJ, Bloomer, RJ, Butawan, MB, and McAllister, MJ. A 28-day carbohydrate-restricted diet improves markers of cardiovascular disease in professional firefighters. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-This study compared the effects of a 4-week, nonketogenic, carbohydrate-restricted (<25% of calories)...

Background: Certain dietary fibers have been reported to improve gut health and cellular immunity. Ambrotose is a glyconutrient supplement that contains mannose-rich polysaccharides (acemannan), reported to improve immune function. A more nutrient-dense version of this dietary supplement has been developed recently, with added aloe leaf gel powder...

Objectives Food intake and exercise are considered modulators of the immune system. Specifically, intermittent fasting protocols have been demonstrated to reduce inflammation and alter cytokine responses. The objective of the current study was to determine if a form of intermittent fasting known as time-restricted feeding (TRF) would alter immune p...

Background: Dietary supplements purported to increase circulating nitric oxide are very popular among consumers. We determined the acute impact of two novel dietary supplements on plasma nitrate/nitrite (NOx) and nitrite alone. Methods: 20 men and women (age: 24 ± 5 years) ingested two different nitrate-rich supplements (Resync Recovery Blend at...

Intermittent fasting refers to a period of unregulated caloric consumption paired with a period of complete, or heavily restricted, caloric consumption. One version of this involves splitting the day into a consumption period and a restricted period, known as time‐restricted feeding (TRF). TRF is shown to improve metabolic health and positively aff...

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a naturally occurring organosulfur antioxidant. Based on its small size and unique physicochemical properties, MSM exhibits broad tissue distribution and pleiotropic effects. Animal toxicity studies suggest MSM is safe and nontoxic. Though the antioxidant mechanism is presently unclear, MSM has demonstrated the abilit...

Ingestion of ketone supplements, caffeine, and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) may all be effective strategies to increase blood levels of the ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate (D-BHB). However, acute ingestion of a bolus of lipids may increase oxidative stress (OS). The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of adding varying amounts...

Time-restricted feeding (TRF), alternate day fasting (ADF), and the dietary restriction model known as the Daniel Fast (DF; a vegan/non-processed food diet plan) have garnered attention recently as nutritional interventions to combat obesity. We compared the effects of various dietary models on body composition, physical performance, and metabolic...

Background: Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is an organosulfur compound used as a dietary supplement. We determined the plasma MSM concentration following four months of oral MSM supplementation at escalating dosages. Methods: 45 men and women (25 ± 5 years) participated in this study. Subjects were assigned to ingest either 1, 2, or 3 grams of MSM dai...

Firefighters and military personnel are exposed to a variety of stressors. The combination of mental and physical stress (i.e., dual stress challenges [DSCs]) results in significant oxidative stress (OS), which may contribute to cardiometabolic dysfunction. Curcumin (CUR) is an exogenous antioxidant that may attenuate such OS. Fourteen trained men...

Obesity and its associated low grade inflammation is a major risk factor for the development of many diseases including type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular disease. Time restricted feeding (TRF), in which food consumption is restricted to certain hours of the day, is a dietary approach that improves metabolic param...

Purpose: Those engaged in high stress occupations such as firefighters and military personnel are exposed to a variety of psychological and physiological stressors. The combination of mental and physical stress [i.e., dual stress challenges (DSC)] results in significant increases in stress hormones, which causes oxidative stress (OS) and contribut...

Objective: Firefighters (FFs) involved in fire suppression have the greatest on-duty risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which may be caused by oxidative stress (OS). Methods: Healthy, active FFs performed a victim "search and clear" exercise involving three conditions: 1) no heat, 2) heat + antioxidant, and 3) heat + placebo. Blood samples we...

Objectives The bio-field array is a device that generates a dielectrophoretic electromagnetic field when placed in a hypotonic saline solution and a direct current of approximately 3 A is applied. It is known that cell physiology is guided by bioelectrical properties, and there is a significant growth inhibition in cancerous (MDA-MB-231) cells that...

Supplemental_Data – Supplemental material for Modulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress and the unfolded protein response in cancerous and noncancerous cells

Video S1. Red Blood Cells after BFA Treatment in Study Participant showing polarized movement and enhanced electrophoretic mobility. Video S2. Red Blood Cells before BFA Treatment in Study Participant showing no apparent polarized movement with decreased electrophoretic mobility.

Erythrocytes must maintain a biconcave discoid shape in order to efficiently deliver oxygen (O2 ) molecules and to recycle carbon dioxide (CO2 ) molecules. The erythrocyte is a small toroidal dielectrophoretic (DEP) electromagnetic field (EMF) driven cell that maintains its zeta potential (ζ) with a dielectric constant (ԑ) between a negatively char...

Time-restricted feeding (TRF) limits the duration of food availability without altering diet composition and can combat obesity in humans and mice. For this study we evaluated the effect of timing of food access during a TRF protocol on weight gain, adiposity, and inflammation. Young male C57BL/6 mice were placed on a high-fat (HF) diet (45% fat) f...

Objective: slightly elevated have been independently reported to favorably impact blood glucose. To our knowledge, no study has combined these two ingredients through oral supplementation in an attempt to modify the glycemic response to a glucose load. We determined the impact of acute ingestion of a novel glycine-cinnamon extract mixture on blood...

Objective: Theacrine, a methylurate class purine alkaloid, triggers diverse pharmacologic responses, including psychostimulatory activity by modulation of adenosinergic and dopaminergic pathways. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, theacrine increased energy, concentration, and mood, while reducing fatigue. Because caffeine, a methylxanthi...

The Daniel Fast is a biblically inspired dietary program rich in carbohydrate, most closely resembling a vegan diet but with additional restrictions, including the elimination of processed foods, white flour products, preservatives, additives, sweeteners, caffeine, and alcohol. While no specific requirements are placed on the ingestion of specific...

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) has become a popular dietary supplement used for a variety of purposes, including its most common use as an anti-inflammatory agent. It has been well-investigated in animal models, as well as in human clinical trials and experiments. A variety of health-specific outcome measures are improved with MSM supplementation, inc...

Although weight loss is often the impetus for beginning a dietary program, multiple physiological benefits are typically observed when someone embarks on a dietary regimen involving reduced caloric intake. Many of these changes, such as a reduction in blood pressure, an improvement in blood lipids and insulin sensitivity, and a reduction in inflamm...

Background: Postprandial lipemia and oxidative stress is observed following ingestion of a high-fat meal. The rate of meal ingestion, as well as caffeine coingestion may impact lipemia and oxidative stress following feeding. Methods: On four occasions, 12 men consumed a high-fat milkshake over 10 minutes (10) or 60 minutes (60), with coingestion of...