A Whole New Level — All Featured Episodes

47 curated episodes

77 min · Jun 2026 · #301

The Truth About Reducing Cardiovascular Risk

Dr. Kevin Maki, PhD — Founder and Chief Science Officer, Midwest Biomedical Research; Adjunct Professor, Indiana University School of Public Health; former president, National Lipid Association

You've assessed your risk and seen your numbers. A veteran lipid researcher explains what the evidence says to do about it—and why acting sooner may matter more than acting more aggressively.

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73 min · Jun 2026 · #300

Who Should Take GLP-1s? Weight Loss Explained

Dr. Robert Kushner, MD — Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Medical Education, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; lead investigator on the STEP trials

How GLP-1s change your biology—and why, despite the hype, they are not a one-size-fits-all solution for any extra pounds.

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92 min · May 2026 · #299

Do Athletes Really Need More Carbs?

Dr. Andrew Koutnik, PhD — Visiting Research Scientist, Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition; studies nutrition, metabolism, Type 1 diabetes, and performance

Why muscle glycogen—your store of carbs—may not explain “the wall”—and how blood glucose, insulin, and metabolic flexibility can reshape how you fuel training.

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68 min · May 2026 · #298

Why AI Won't Replace Doctors—But Will Change Everything Else

Dr. Ami Bhatt, MD — Chief Innovation Officer, American College of Cardiology; Chair, FDA Digital Health Advisory Committee

Why more health data doesn't equal better outcomes—and how "collaborative intelligence" (humans + AI) could shift care from rescue to prevention.

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94 min · Apr 2026 · #297

Does Most Chronic Disease Come Down to "Energy Flow?" | Greg Mushen and Josh Clemente

Greg Mushen — Technologist & systems thinker; writes Dark Lab; focuses on metabolic health, exercise physiology, and "flux" models

Why "metabolic flux" (clearance capacity) beats static markers—plus the movement threshold, walking/VO₂ max debate, and practical steps to reverse insulin resistance.

71 min · Apr 2026 · #296

The Truth About Protein: Why Exercise is Key to Muscle & Longevity

Dr. Stuart Phillips — McMaster University; Professor of Kinesiology & Director, Physical Activity Centre of Excellence

Protein alone doesn't build muscle — exercise does. Why the RDA is too low, how anabolic resistance accelerates with age, and what optimal intake actually looks like.

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67 min · Mar 2026 · #295

The Science of Preconception: Measuring Fertility, Toxins, and Generational Health

Dr. Ann Shippy — Board-certified internal medicine physician; functional medicine practitioner; author of The Preconception Revolution

Why fertility problems are often early metabolic warning signs. How toxins, mitochondria, and microbiome interact — and why three months is the minimum window to shift outcomes.

60 min · Mar 2026 · #294

Why your LDL score doesn't tell the whole story

Dr. Ronald Krauss — Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute; Senior Scientist & lipid researcher

LDL-C alone won't tell you your real risk. What ApoB, small dense LDL, and Lp(a) reveal that a standard cholesterol panel misses — and what metabolic dysfunction has to do with it.

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55 min · Feb 2026 · #293

Why you can't exercise your way to weight loss

Dr. Herman Pontzer — Duke University; Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology

Extra exercise doesn't burn extra calories long-term — your body compensates. The Constrained Energy Model explained, and why diet is the only real lever for weight loss.

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54 min · Feb 2026 · #292

Why you need a calcium score to know your real heart risk

Dr. Matthew Budoff — UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine; Professor of Medicine & cardiac imaging researcher

A coronary artery calcium score predicts heart events better than any blood test. Why most doctors don't order it, what a score of zero means, and when rising calcium is dangerous.

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84 min · Jan 2026 · #291

Why no diet wins (what 40 years of nutrition research shows)

Christopher Gardner, PhD — Stanford University; Professor of Medicine & nutrition researcher

After 40 years of diet RCTs, one thing is clear: no macro pattern wins. What the evidence actually supports, why industry funding distorts findings, and where consensus does exist.

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66 min · Jan 2026 · #290

Why weight loss is so hard to maintain

Dr. Eric Ravussin, PhD — Pennington Biomedical Research Center; Professor & metabolism researcher

Your body defends its set point aggressively after weight loss. What the Biggest Loser study revealed about metabolic adaptation — and why maintenance is harder than losing.

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94 min · Jan 2026 · #289

Why nutrition science got it wrong

Gary Taubes — Investigative science journalist; author of Good Calories, Bad Calories and Why We Get Fat

Nutrition science built its guidelines on epidemiology, not trials. The case for the carbohydrate–insulin model, why low-fat dogma persisted, and what RCTs actually show.

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58 min · Dec 2025 · #288

Women’s Hormones Explained: Energy, Mood, PMS, and Why “Normal” Labs Miss the Problem

Dr. Anjali D'Souza — District Center for Integrative Medicine; Integrative & functional medicine physician

PMS, fatigue, and brain fog are data — not noise. Why standard hormone panels miss functional problems, what progesterone and estrogen do day-to-day, and which labs matter.

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105 min · Dec 2025 · #287

Male hormones and men's health

Dr. Jesse Mills — UCLA Men's Clinic; Director

Testosterone isn't just about libido. How to tell reversible low-T from real deficiency, why lifestyle changes often work before prescriptions, and what labs can mislead.

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70 min · Nov 2025 · #286

Understanding electrolytes: Decoding blood & urine tests and focusing on the right things

Dr. Rich Joseph — VIM Medicine / Restore Hyper Wellness; Internal medicine physician & CMO; Stanford School of Medicine

CBC, electrolytes, and urinalysis decoded as feedback loops. What MCV reveals about iron vs. B12, what white cell trends tell you about stress, and why urinalysis is underused.

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89 min · Nov 2025 · #285

Immune health: inflammation, white blood cells, and resilience

Dr. Sharon Bergquist — Emory University; Physician & Director, Emory Healthy Aging and Resilience Center

Immune resilience isn't the same as immune strength. Why chronic inflammation is a metabolic problem, how the immune system ages, and what daily habits shift your baseline.

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105 min · Oct 2025 · #284

Glucose metabolism: HbA1c, insulin resistance, and better energy

Dr. Benjamin Bikman — Brigham Young University; Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology; author of Why We Get Sick

HbA1c tells you averages — insulin tells you direction. How glucose metabolism works, why insulin resistance precedes blood sugar abnormalities, and what to track instead.

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67 min · Oct 2025 · #283

Brain health: insulin resistance, biomarkers, and Alzheimer's risk

Dr. David Perlmutter — Perlmutter Health Center; Board-certified neurologist & New York Times bestselling author

Insulin resistance in the brain precedes Alzheimer's symptoms by decades. The biomarkers that reveal risk early — fasting insulin, homocysteine, ApoE — and what interventions work.

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110 min · Sep 2025 · #282

Longevity biomarkers for healthy aging

Dr. Matt Kaeberlein, PhD — Optispan; CEO & longevity researcher; former Professor, University of Washington

Which biomarkers predict healthy aging vs. just longevity. How mental and physical health connect at the cellular level, and where the science on lifespan interventions stands.

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50 min · Sep 2025 · #281

Thyroid test results explained

Dr. Angela Mazza, DO — Metabolic Center for Wellness; Integrative endocrinologist

TSH alone is a poor proxy for thyroid health. Why reverse T3 matters, how to interpret the autoimmune thyroid triangle, and why perimenopause changes everything.

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88 min · Aug 2025 · #279

Kidney function explained: tests, risks, and habits

Dr. Richard Johnson, MD — University of Colorado School of Medicine; Professor of Medicine & nephrologist

Creatinine, albumin in urine, and heat stress as early kidney risk signals. Why the Western diet accelerates age-related kidney decline and which habits protect function.

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94 min · Jul 2025 · #278

How your gut microbiome affects your health

Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, MD MSCI — ZOE; US Medical Director & board-certified gastroenterologist; author of Fiber Fueled

Gut bacteria produce postbiotics that regulate immunity, metabolism, and mood. Why diversity is the goal, how emulsifiers disrupt the gut barrier, and what to eat to rebuild it.

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64 min · Jul 2025 · #277

Key blood test results that tell you about your pancreas health

Dr. Robert Lustig, MD — UCSF; Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics & endocrinologist; author of Metabolical

Proinsulin and C-peptide reveal pancreatic stress that fasting glucose misses. The link between mitochondrial dysfunction, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer's — and how to reverse it.

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63 min · Jun 2025 · #276

Women's hormones blood test results: menopause and fertility

Dr. Natalie Crawford, MD — Fora Fertility, co-founder; Double board-certified OBGYN & Reproductive Endocrinologist

AMH, FSH, and estradiol tell different stories at different life stages. When to test, how oral contraception distorts results, and why menstrual history matters as much as labs.

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70 min · Jun 2025 · #275

Micronutrient blood test results explained

Dr. Joel Fuhrman, MD — Longevity Rx / Nutritional Research Foundation; Physician & nutrition researcher; author of Eat to Live

Micronutrient deficiencies drive disease long before symptoms appear. Which deficiencies are most common, why supplements often fail, and what testing actually reveals.

47 min · Jun 2025 · #274

Bloodwork 101: blood test results explained

Dr. Anjali D'Souza, MD — District Center for Integrative Medicine; Integrative & functional medicine physician

Normal lab ranges reflect average populations, not optimal function. Which biomarkers are worth testing beyond basics, how to read trends over time, and what to do when off.

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95 min · Nov 2024 · #268

Uncovering the shocking realities of obesity, skinny fat, and insulin resistance

Dr. Robert Lustig, MD — UCSF; Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics & endocrinologist; author of Metabolical

Fat storage requires insulin, not just calories. Why visceral fat is metabolically dangerous, what TOFI means for thin people, and how stress drives fat accumulation.

80 min · Sep 2024 · #265

How do you know if you are healthy and what your labs tell you?

Dr. Robert Lustig, MD — UCSF; Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics & endocrinologist; author of Metabolical

Most blood labs are not durable, revealing, or changeable. Why fasting insulin, uric acid, and ApoB are among the most valuable markers to get.

101 min · May 2024 · #255

What are LMHRs (lean mass hyper-responders)?

Dave Feldman; Dr. Nick Norwitz, PhD; Dr. Dominic D'Agostino, PhD — Citizen Science Foundation (Feldman); Harvard Medical School (Norwitz); University of South Florida (D'Agostino)

High LDL on keto doesn't always mean high risk. The LMHR phenotype — high LDL, high HDL, low triglycerides — what the Oreo study revealed, and why exercise may explain it.

64 min · Jan 2024 · #243

Fructose, sucralose, allulose, and avoiding insulin resistance from sweeteners

Dr. Richard Johnson, MD; Dr. Dominic D'Agostino, PhD — University of Colorado School of Medicine (Johnson); University of South Florida (D'Agostino)

Fructose suppresses satiety, sucralose disrupts the microbiome, and allulose does neither. A breakdown of every major sweetener and which ones drive insulin resistance.

80 min · Aug 2023 · #228

Role of nutrition for brain health

Dr. Georgia Ede; Dr. Dominic D'Agostino, PhD — Harvard-trained psychiatrist & nutrition specialist (Ede); University of South Florida (D'Agostino)

Psychiatric symptoms are often metabolic symptoms. How a ketogenic diet lowers insulin and CRP in ways that affect mood, which conditions respond best, and how to tailor it safely.

64 min · Jul 2023 · #220

Astronaut Scott Kelly on CGMs, the NASA twins study, and metabolic health in space

Scott Kelly — Retired NASA astronaut; held US record for continuous days in space (340 days)

A CGM showed a retired astronaut his "healthy" cereal was one of his worst meals. What 30 days of real-time glucose data teaches — and how space physiology mirrors metabolic aging.

61 min · Jun 2023 · #218

Ultra-processed foods and the factors affecting food and nutrition

Dr. Robert Lustig, MD; Dr. Tim Harlan, MD — UCSF (Lustig); Tulane University; Executive Director, Tulane Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine (Harlan)

The food industry can make ultra-processed foods less harmful — and hasn't. The specific ingredients (DATEM, sucralose, omega-6 oils) that damage liver, gut, and metabolism.

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72 min · Jun 2023 · #216

The benefits of biosensing for preventive medicine

Michael Dubrovsky — SiPhox Health; Co-founder & CEO

Annual blood tests are a single snapshot; biosensors give continuous film. How real-time data shifts healthcare from diagnose-and-treat to prevent-and-optimize.

65 min · May 2023 · #214

Is fructose a driver of Alzheimer's disease?

Dr. Richard Johnson, MD; Dr. Robert Lustig, MD — University of Colorado School of Medicine (Johnson); UCSF (Lustig)

Fructose activates a foraging survival pathway in the brain — one that may be hijacked in Alzheimer's. The evolutionary mechanism behind fructose-driven cognitive decline.

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80 min · Apr 2023 · #209

Understanding blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, and impact on chronic diseases

Dr. Robert Lustig, MD; Dr. Dominic D'Agostino, PhD — UCSF (Lustig); University of South Florida (D'Agostino)

Insulin is the energy-storage hormone — when cells stop responding, everything breaks. How to test for resistance early, why rising insulin precedes rising glucose by years.

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60 min · Apr 2023 · #210

Pregnancy and metabolic health: hormone changes and gestational diabetes

Azure Grant, PhD — Metabolic health researcher & circadian biologist

Insulin resistance drives PCOS and infertility. How metabolic health affects each trimester, and which interventions reduce gestational diabetes risk.

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64 min · Mar 2023 · #208

How a low-carb diet can boost exercise performance and health

Professor Tim Noakes — The Noakes Foundation; Professor Emeritus, University of Cape Town; exercise physiologist

Fat-adapted athletes burn fat where carb-dependent athletes can't. The case for low-carb endurance training, and why glucose spikes during exercise signal pre-diabetes.

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49 min · Feb 2023 · #201

Exploring the intersection of healthcare and artificial intelligence

Peter Diamandis, MD — XPRIZE Foundation & Singularity University; Founder & Executive Chairman

AI won't just find information — it will personalize health interventions in real time. Why the next decade of medical breakthroughs will exceed the last hundred years combined.

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53 min · Jan 2023 · #198

How functional medicine focuses on personalized health

Dr. Anjali D'Souza, MD — District Center for Integrative Medicine; Integrative & functional medicine physician

A 12-minute appointment can't find root causes. How functional medicine uses biomarkers to trace symptoms to mechanisms — and why this matters especially for women.

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103 min · Nov 2022 · #221

Can food and the keto diet affect your mental health?

Dr. Chris Palmer, MD — Harvard Medical School / McLean Hospital; Psychiatrist & researcher; author of Brain Energy

Mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain. How a ketogenic diet shifts neurotransmitters, and why schizophrenia, bipolar, and depression have mitochondrial signatures.

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79 min · Jun 2022 · #213

Uric acid: a key cause of weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and dementia

Dr. David Perlmutter, MD — Perlmutter Health Center; Board-certified neurologist & New York Times bestselling author

Uric acid above 5.5 mg/dL drives fat storage, insulin resistance, and neuroinflammation — even without gout. Which foods raise it, what optimal looks like, and how to lower it.

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57 min · Jun 2022 · #127

Unveiling metabolic health disparities in diverse communities

Dhru Purohit; Austin McGuffie — Dhru Purohit: Entrepreneur & health investor; Austin McGuffie: Content creator & Metabolism Mentor

Metabolic disease rates differ sharply across South Asian and Black communities due to food culture, not just genetics. Why community-specific approaches change outcomes.

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42 min · Apr 2022 · #102

Insulin resistance and how it affects each of us differently

Dr. Benjamin Bikman, PhD — Brigham Young University; Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology; author of Why We Get Sick

Insulin resistance doesn't look the same in everyone. Why women, South Asians, and lean individuals hit dysfunction at different thresholds — and what that means for testing.

29 min · Mar 2022 · #87

Inflammation and metabolic health

Dr. Taylor Sittler, MD — Levels; Head of Research & Development

Acute inflammation heals; chronic inflammation destroys. How blood glucose drives the inflammatory cascade, why CRP rises with metabolic dysfunction, and what lowers both.

53 min · Feb 2022 · #69

Insulin resistance and the hidden effects of sugar on kids

Dr. Robert Lustig, MD — UCSF; Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics & endocrinologist; author of Metabolical

Sugar gives children fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes by damaging their mitochondria. Why fructose is the main driver, and what dietary changes reverse the damage.

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