Taking every supplement going but your testosterone is still on the floor? 💊 The problem might not be the stack. It might be your genes. 🧬
For our Men's Health Awareness Week series, Anastasis Tzanis, a former Greek special forces paratrooper and finance professional turned ION-trained nutritional therapist, breaks down three genes that decide whether your testosterone support actually works:
🔹 SRD5A2 converts testosterone to DHT, and zinc supports normal enzyme activity. Think oysters, beef, pumpkin seeds, lentils and cashews.
🔹 CYP19A1 codes for aromatase, which turns testosterone into estrogen. Certain flavonoids have been shown to inhibit aromatase activity in lab studies. Find them in parsley, celery, citrus peel, artichokes and chamomile tea.
🔹 SHBG binds testosterone and limits how much is free to use. Boron has been shown to lower SHBG and raise free testosterone within days. Reach for prunes, almonds, avocado, chickpeas and raisins.
Your genes set the mechanism. Food, matched correctly, supports it. ✅
For more myth-busting nutrition science like this, read our latest article on this topic where Anastasis shares his experience on how he brought his own testosterone levels back to normal: https://www.ion.ac.uk/articles/testosterone-myths-what-the-internet-gets-wrong-about-trt-and-mens-health?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=organic+social&utm_campaign=Article+Promo&utm_id=Men%27s+Health+Week
Institute for Optimum Nutrition
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Since 1984. Accredited, university validated nutritional therapy training, short courses & CPD. All our courses are delivered online.
Founded in 1984 by Patrick Holford, the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION) is a leading educational establishment in the United Kingdom for training and supporting nutritional therapists, and one of the most respected and accredited bodies of its kind in Europe. Our mission is to educate and enthuse, instilling personalised nutrition as the foundation of health for all. We specialise in profess
Join us at IPM Congress tomorrow for a practical, hands-on session with Heather Rosa, Dean of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, followed by a live Q&A. Bring your questions! 🙋♀️
🔹 Learn a quick head-to-toe observation and physical body scan to identify the signs of nutritional deficiencies and excesses
🔹 Walk away with a technique you can use in your clinic straight away
📅 Saturday 20 June, 09:45 to 10:15
📍 Level 4, Rutherford Room
https://ipmcongress.com/2026-workshop-programme-1/identifying-nutrient-imbalances-quickly-easily-clinical-practice
Stay to the end of this video to hear from our patron, Steve Bennett, and
Come and find ION at Stand F1. See you there! 💚
19/06/2026
Day 2 at IPM — here we come! 🙌🏻
We loved seeing students, graduates and colleagues at our stand and meet up yesterday. The conversations were brilliant and the energy at the Connection Hub was something special, as you can appreciate in the pictures 😄.
Back for more today — come find ION at Stand F1 and our students and graduates meet up at 3pm at the Connection Hub and say hello. 👋
While you’re there, check out our cookbook packed with delicious recipes from nutritional therapists, and grab a booklet full of interesting nutrition features!
This Men's Health Awareness Week, we're asking a question the nutrition world doesn't talk about enough: where are all the men? 🤔
Around 92% of those working in nutrition are women. At a recent ION industry day, Graduate Diploma student David Sogan counted three men in a room of 200.
When David says men tend to ignore their health "until it really hits them between the eyes," he's speaking from experience. He came to nutrition after a borderline pre-diabetic blood test stopped him in his tracks, at an age when most people are winding down. He changed his diet, transformed his health, and realised more people needed to know what he'd learned. Now 64, he says he feels healthier than he did at 44.
He wants to pass that on. Through The Real Food Rebellion, his school programme running in 64 secondary schools across the UK, he's teaching teenagers to see through ultra-processed food and the marketing behind it. He's also a director of Embrace Nutrition and an ambassador for Public Health Collaboration.
His take on why men stay away from becoming nutritional therapists? They tend to approach health through performance rather than curiosity, and tune out warning signs until something forces them to listen. Get the framing right, he reckons, and there's a real opportunity to change that.
Watch David's story 👆 and read his inspiring story: https://www.ion.ac.uk/graduate-stories/the-ion-student-making-a-difference-in-schools?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=organic+social&utm_campaign=Article+Promo&utm_id=Student+Article+David+Sogan
18/06/2026
We’re at IPM until Saturday — come find us at Stand F1! 🎉
The conversations have been brilliant so far. It’s been wonderful meeting so many ION students and graduates, including BSc student Jade and graduates Esra and Tracey — come say hello if you haven’t already.
📣 A note from our Dean, Heather Rosa:
“Attending ? Calling all ION students and graduates. Come and network at 15:00 each day in the Connections Hub. Hear how ION supports its graduates. Log in to the Whova event app.”
Heather is also running a practical session on Saturday, 9:45–10:15, in IPM’s Rutherford Room, followed by a Q&A: “Identifying Nutrient Imbalances Quickly and Easily in Clinical Practice.” More info: https://ipmcongress.com/2026-workshop-programme-1/identifying-nutrient-imbalances-quickly-easily-clinical-practice
On until Saturday, with day tickets from just £25. Register here: https://ipmcongress.com/register
See you there! 👋
It's Men's Health Week – and we're rethinking what men's nutrition really means. 🎙️
Fitness coach Luke Alfano built a following of 200,000+ sharing recipes, nutrition tips, and through his podcast. It was grief, not the gym, that transformed how he thinks about food. After losing his father to cancer, he ditched the protein-obsessed "gym-bro" diet for something built to last.
We sat down with Luke to talk about what men are really missing nutritionally, his 80-20 approach to eating well without the restriction, and why eating for longevity matters more than eating to look good.
📩 Subscribe to our newsletter to read the full conversation and his viral recipe. https://ion740.activehosted.com/f/37
17/06/2026
✨ Ready to build a nutrition practice you truly love?
Whether you're a new graduate or have been practicing for a while, this course focuses on helping you design a nutrition practice that is fully aligned with your personal values, strengths, and ideal way of working.
You'll learn how to:
🎯 Shape your offers and services into clear, compelling products that meet the needs of your ideal clients
🗺️ Create a blueprint for your business that allows you to attract, nurture, convert, and retain your customers
🤝 Build long-term relationships with the clients you're meant to serve
🗓️ Crafting Your Dream Practice: A Business Masterclass for Nutritional Therapists
📅 8 July 2026 | 💻 Live Online | 💷 £130
👩🏫 With Catherine Jeans
🔗 Book your spot: https://www.ion.ac.uk/cpd-live-online-event/business_masterclass?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social+media+post&utm_campaign=promotions&utm_id=CPD+Craft+your+dream+practice
16/06/2026
You've tasted it. You just didn't know it. 🍜
Every time you've stirred miso into soup, poured soy sauce over sushi, or sipped sake, you've encountered koji: Japan's ancient fermentation culture, and one of the most fascinating foods in nutrition right now.
So what exactly is koji?
Koji (Aspergillus oryzae) is a mould that grows on grains like rice or barley. As it ferments, its enzymes pre-digest food – breaking down proteins and starches so nutrients are far more bioavailable. Your body absorbs more with less effort.
It's the foundation of miso, soy sauce, sake, mirin, and rice vinegar – foods that have nourished Asian cultures for over a thousand years.
But the science gets more interesting.
Fermented foods like those made with koji may support not just your gut – but your mood.
Here's why 👇
🔬 Your gut produces over 90% of your body's serotonin – the neurotransmitter linked to mood, sleep, memory and appetite.
🧠 The gut and brain talk constantly via the vagus nerve. When gut health suffers, inflammation can travel to the brain – linked to anxiety, depression and brain fog.
🦠 Beneficial bacteria in fermented foods (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacteria) support production of serotonin, GABA, and BDNF – a protein key to memory and emotional regulation.
Scientists are now calling fermented foods "psychobiotics": live microorganisms that may benefit mental health through the gut-brain axis.
Fermented food isn't a cure-all – but it may be one of the most ancient, accessible tools we have for nourishing both body and mind.
🔗 Read the full article on our website: https://www.ion.ac.uk/articles/the-ancient-japanese-ferment-that-could-lift-your-mood?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=organic+social&utm_campaign=Koji+Article+Promo&utm_id=Koji+Article
13/06/2026
Curious about a career in nutrition? Our free Online Open Event is your chance to find out more! 🌱
Join us on Thursday 9 July, 6–8 pm and discover what it's like to study nutritional therapy at ION.
Whether you're just starting your nutrition journey, already practising, a healthcare professional looking to expand your knowledge, or considering a career change, we'll guide you through our courses, entry requirements, student support, career opportunities, and flexible post-study career options.
You'll hear honest insights from practising nutritional therapists, current students and graduates, gain a real understanding of life as an ION student, and have the opportunity to ask your questions throughout the event.
Learn more about our pathways into the BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy and the Graduate Diploma in Integrative Functional Nutrition, and explore where a qualification from ION could take you.
📅 Thursday 9 July
🕕 6pm–8pm
💻 Online – join from anywhere
Book your free place: https://www.ion.ac.uk/online-open-event/online?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social+media+post&utm_campaign=promotions&utm_id=Online+Open+Day+Event
12/06/2026
Ready to build a thriving 1:1 clinical practice that truly aligns with your goals? ✨
Join Catherine Jeans live online on 7 August 2026 for a practical, step-by-step course designed for nutritional therapists who want to primarily work in 1:1 clinical practice.
In this interactive training, you'll learn how to:
✔️ Design your dream business in a way that aligns with your goals, financial needs, values and skills
✔️ Understand who your ideal client is
✔️ Explore whether you need to niche
✔️ Identify your unique selling point
✔️ Understand how to sell your products with the mindset of a skilled marketeer
✔️ Discuss your questions during dedicated Q&A sessions
Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your practice, this course will help you create a clear roadmap for success.
📅 7 August 2026
💻 Live Online
🎤 Presented by Catherine Jeans
Enrol here: https://www.ion.ac.uk/cpd-live-online-event/business_masterclass?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social+media+post&utm_campaign=promotions&utm_id=CPD+Craft+your+dream+practice
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| Wednesday | 9am - 5:30pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5:30pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5:30pm |