Metabolic Health — Episodes

16 curated episodes

73 min · Jun 2026 · #300

Who Should Take GLP-1s? Weight Loss Explained | Dr. Robert Kushner & Mike Haney

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.

Read the companion article →

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.

Read the companion article →

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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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.

Read the companion article →

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

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.

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.

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.

Read the companion article →

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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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.

Read the companion article →

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.