Avsnitt
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Fewer than 40% of people with PTSD respond to standard care. For the intrusive symptoms at the core of the disorder, response rates may be lower than 15%. So what options remain for patients who have not responded to existing treatments?
Dr. Keren Doenyas-Barak, director of the PTSD program at the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research and a faculty member at Tel Aviv University, has treated close to 1,000 civilian and military patients and led sham-controlled trials that are helping reshape how hyperbaric medicine is studied.
She walks host Dr. Dominic D'Agostino through the protocol her clinic uses—60 sessions over 12 weeks, with oxygen cycled at two atmospheres—the 35% CAPS-score improvement associated with continued progress after treatment ends, and the reported two-year outcomes, including improved occupational function, roughly double the proportion of patients living with a partner, and sharp drops in benzodiazepine and cannabis use. She also details the convincing sham control her team engineered after concluding that earlier placebo arms may have delivered a physiologically active dose.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
What hyperbaric protocol is best supported for treatment-resistant PTSD?What does a 35% reduction in CAPS score predict about long-term recovery?Which outcomes beyond symptom scores changed most for patients?How did the team build a hyperbaric sham that patients genuinely could not detect?Which safety measures are non-negotiable in a hyperbaric PTSD clinic?Does a patient's baseline metabolic fitness predict their response to HBOT, and can the treatment affect cardiometabolic risk?A rigorous, frontline examination of what responsible hyperbaric medicine actually requires, led by a clinician helping to build its evidence base.
Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅ Toups and Co – Get 15% off your first order with code METABOLIC here.
✅ iRestore – Get a huge discount on the Elite and the Illumina bundle with the code LINK here.
✅ MudWtr – Get up to 43% off + free shipping and a free rechargeable frother with code METABOLICLINK here.In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
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You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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Dr. Paul Reynolds has spent his career studying what he calls “two heads of the same beast”: inflammation and glycation — two interlocking processes that may help explain why so many chronic diseases are connected, even when they are treated as separate conditions.
Dr. Reynolds is a professor and research scientist at Brigham Young University whose NIH-funded research program studies inflammation, lung biology, glycation, and the AGE/RAGE receptor system that links metabolic and environmental stressors to disease throughout the body.
In this episode, Dr. Reynolds traces the glycation cascade from early sugar-protein reactions to advanced glycation end-products, or AGEs, and explains how the RAGE receptor can act as a self-perpetuating accelerant for inflammation. He also breaks down why the brain may be uniquely vulnerable to glucose dysregulation, how diesel exhaust and tobacco smoke can create AGE-like structures that bind the same inflammatory receptors, and how the glyoxalase defense system helps neutralize damage before it becomes permanent.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
Can breathing polluted air trigger some of the same inflammatory pathways as excess sugar exposure?
Is browned food a real glycation concern, or is the bigger issue what happens inside the body when glucose stays elevated?
Why is the brain especially vulnerable to glucose dysregulation?
How does fasting help the body reduce glycation and inflammatory burden?
What do people need to understand about sugar substitutes like allulose and xylitol when it comes to glycation?
How should we approach kids’ nutrition if glycation and inflammation can begin early in life?
Is glycation damage reversible, and where does the body draw the line?
This conversation offers a mechanistic map connecting cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, metabolic dysfunction, environmental exposures, and visible aging back to two upstream processes many patients never hear named in a clinical visit.
Find the Meet Consumption and Cognitive Health paper here.
Sign up for his upcoming Q&A on The Metabolic Initiative here.
Find Dr. Reynolds online:
InstagramFacebookX.comYoutubeLinkedInTikTokSpecial thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅ Toups and Co – Get 15% off your first order with code METABOLIC here.
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✅ ZocDoc - Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor hereIn every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
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You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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In people with severe depression and cognitive decline, brain glucose metabolism has been shown in some studies to decline measurably. Ketone metabolism, by contrast, appears relatively preserved. That single observation is reshaping how researchers think about psychiatric illness.
In this episode, Dominic D'Agostino sits down with Bret Scher, a cardiologist who pivoted to metabolic psychiatry and now leads clinical education and content for Metabolic Mind at the Baszucki Group. Dr. Scher brings a rare dual perspective: deep training in conventional cardiology paired with three years embedded in the research and clinical practice exploring metabolic approaches in psychiatry.
The conversation covers brain energy dysfunction as a potential unifying mechanism across psychiatric disorders, the preserved ketone metabolism documented in work by researchers like Stephen Cunnane, the recently published Delphi consensus paper on metabolic psychiatry, why four-week randomized trials may be inadequate for nutritional interventions, and the case for future diagnostic categories like metabolic depression and metabolic bipolar disorder.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
Are we underestimating brain energy dysfunction as a potential unifying mechanism across psychiatric disorders?What are the two biggest clinical mistakes patients make when starting ketogenic therapy for mental illness?Should ketogenic therapy ever be positioned as a first-line intervention for psychiatric disorders?What is the single biggest bottleneck preventing wider clinical adoption of ketogenic therapy?What has been the most unexpected challenge in moving metabolic psychiatry into the mainstream?What does precision, personalized, prescriptive ketone metabolic therapy actually look like in clinical practice?This conversation reframes psychiatric illness as a question of brain energy alongside neurotransmitter signaling and other biological mechanisms, with implications for how the next decade of research and clinical training will unfold.
Join the Live Q&A with Dr. Bret Scher. Bring your questions directly to Dr. Scher on May 29 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific / 1:00 p.m. Eastern. Register here.
Where to Find Dr. Bret Scher Online:
Metabolic Mind
Coalition for Metabolic HealthSpecial thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅ Toups and Co – Get 15% off your first order with code METABOLIC here.
✅ iRestore – Get a huge discount on the Elite and the Illumina bundle with the code LINK here.
✅ MudWtr – Get up to 43% off + free shipping and a free rechargeable frother with code METABOLICLINK here.In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
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You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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A gene mutation that reduces ketone production in the fasted state is associated with sudden infant death in modern populations. But in the ancestral context where it evolved alongside an omega-3-rich diet, it may have been part of what kept infants alive.
Dr. Gideon Mailer and Nicola Hale join The Metabolic Link to present their hypothesis that the CPT1A L479 Arctic variant is not anti-ketogenic but pro-metabolic flexibility, conserving glucose by upregulating ketosis at the fed-state threshold. Their work explains why SIDS rates are dramatically elevated in modern Inuit communities no longer eating the ancestral Inuit diet, and how omega-3 fatty acids counteract the downregulation the mutation produces.
The clinical picture extends beyond infancy. Modern carriers of the variant show lower triglycerides, lower VLDL, slightly higher HDL, and a "healthy obesity" phenotype with favorable fat distribution. But the health advantages seen in traditional Inuit populations disappear with Western diet adoption, as cardiovascular disease and diabetes rates rise to match the general population.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
How is the mutation associated with SIDS, and why is there a detrimental effect in modern populations?How prevalent is the CPT1A Arctic variant in the U.S. population, and does partial Inuit ancestry carry metabolic consequences?How do omega-3 fatty acids physically upregulate CPT1A activity and concentration within cell membranes?What metabolic markers distinguish carriers of the L479 variant from non-carriers?What happens to cardiovascular disease rates in Inuit populations that adopt Western diets?What should people take away from the Arctic variant story for their own metabolic health?A sobering case study in what happens when ancestral genetic adaptations collide with modern dietary environments, and what can be recovered when they are realigned.
Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅ Toups and Co – Get 15% off your first order with code METABOLIC here.
✅ Fatty15 – Get 15% off a 90-day Starter Kit with code METABOLICLINK here
✅ ZocDoc - Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor hereIn every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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In a 12-week clinical trial at The Ohio State University, every woman with PCOS who completed the intervention experienced a change in her menstrual status. One participant, who had never had a period in her life, began menstruating within a week. Another saw spotting after five years of amenorrhea while taking only a ketone supplement without adopting a ketogenic diet. These are among the earliest controlled findings linking ketogenic interventions directly to reproductive hormone restoration.
Dr. Madison Kackley is an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at The Ohio State University and Director of the SHE Is Laboratory. Her work focuses on how hormonal fluctuations shape metabolic flexibility and resilience in women across the lifespan.
In this episode, she explains why a single fasting glucose or insulin measurement is misleading without knowing where a woman is in her cycle, how the luteal phase creates a state of increased energy expenditure and insulin resistance that conventional carb-loading advice may worsen, and why perimenopausal women who jump into intermittent fasting and high-intensity exercise without prior fat adaptation can end up in a high-cortisol catabolic spiral. She also introduces the Renew study, which examines ketone supplementation alongside group exercise for postpartum depression, a condition she frames as an energy-availability problem rather than a purely psychological one.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
What will we look back on in ten years and realize we got fundamentally wrong about women's health?Why are women more susceptible to dementia than men, and what does it have to do with reproductive energy?Why might long-term hormonal birth control contribute to infertility, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes?Why can women in perimenopause feel exhausted and still not be able to sleep?Should weaning be understood as its own distinct hormonal event, separate from postpartum?For clinicians, researchers, and women navigating these transitions, this conversation previews the evidence-based framework that female metabolic health has been waiting for.
Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅ Toups and Co – Get 15% off your first order with code METABOLIC here.
✅ iRestore – Get a huge discount on the Elite and the Illumina bundle with the code LINK here.
✅ MudWtr – Get up to 43% off + free shipping and a free rechargeable frother with code METABOLICLINK here.In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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A veteran walks into the clinic with a persistent migraine. Four minutes of vagal nerve stimulation later, the migraine is gone. This is not a one-off result. It is what Dr. Michael Hoffman has been observing for over seven years in the VA hospital system, using non-invasive devices he considers severely underutilized.
Dr. Hoffman is a stroke and cognitive-behavioral neurologist who trained at Columbia University, spent 14 years in the VA system, and has evaluated an estimated 10,000 stroke patients across his career. He now practices at the University of Central Florida, where he integrates ketogenic nutrition, advanced imaging, vagal nerve stimulation, and hyperbaric oxygen into his neurological care.
In this episode, Dr. Hoffman walks through what he calls the "five brain fitness rules," the specific, measurable lifestyle prescriptions he gives every patient, and explains why standard cognitive screening tools like the MoCA and Mini Mental miss the most dramatic behavioral syndromes caused by brain injury.
He also discusses why PET scans and diffusion tensor imaging should be used far more often, and why post-TBI hormonal evaluation is critical but routinely overlooked.Questions Answered in This Episode:
What are the five brain fitness rules every neurological patient should follow?Why do standard cognitive tests fail to detect some of the most severe brain injury syndromes?How is vagal nerve stimulation treating migraines, and why is it so underutilized outside the VA?What clinical changes would most improve neurological care today?Does the evidence support hyperbaric oxygen therapy for traumatic brain injury?Could fungal infections contribute to some long-standing Alzheimer's diagnoses?What is the surprising decade when your brain's cognitive function peaks?Dr. Hoffman makes a case that the gap between what we know about the brain and what we do in clinical practice has never been wider, and that closing it starts with giving clinicians the time and tools to actually examine their patients.
Learn more about Dr. Hoffman on his website here.
Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅ Fatty15 – Get 15% off a 90-day Starter Kit with code METABOLICLINK here
✅ Troscriptions – Get 10% off your first order with code METABOLICLINK here
✅ ZocDoc - Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor here
✅ MudWtr – Get up to 43% off + free shipping and a free rechargeable frother with code METABOLICLINK hereIn every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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You could have elevated levels of contaminants like uranium or arsenic in your drinking water—and not know it. Many of these compounds are colorless, odorless, and undetectable without testing.
Johnny Pujol is a water chemist and the founder of Tap Score, a drinking water testing platform supported by a network of roughly 270 specialized laboratories. His path from electrochemistry research to consumer water testing was driven by a simple realization: the chemistry inside what looks like a clear glass of water is far more complex than most people realize.
In this episode, Dr. Dominic D’Agostino and Johnny break down what’s actually in drinking water, how regulatory standards are set, and where they may lag behind emerging research. They also discuss how chronic exposure to certain contaminants may intersect with metabolic health and long-term disease risk.
Johnny also shares insights from Tap Score’s forthcoming research comparing contaminant profiles in unfiltered tap water, bottled water, and filtered tap water.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
Why does the EPA action level for lead differ from the ideal target of zero?Can certain filtration systems introduce unintended issues, like microbial growth, if not properly maintained?How can environmental factors like rainfall impact private well water quality?What's the difference between a "first draw" sample and a "representative" sample, and why does it matter?Is the health risk from showering in contaminated water meaningful compared to drinking it?Why do some water tests cost $600 to $800 while others cost a fraction of that?Understanding your drinking water starts with recognizing the difference between what’s legally permitted and what may be considered optimal from a health perspective. This conversation explores that gap, and what individuals can do to better assess their own water quality.
Learn more here: https://mytapscore.com/
Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅ Troscriptions – Get 10% off your first order with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ Toups and Co – Get 15% off your first order with code METABOLIC here.
✅ iRestore – Get a huge discount on the Elite and the Illumina bundle with the code LINK here.
✅ MudWtr – Get up to 43% off + free shipping and a free rechargeable frother with code METABOLICLINK here.In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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Register for a live Q&A with Dr. Tommy Wood on Wednesday, March 25th.
Decreased glucose uptake in the brain is often considered a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. But Dr. Tommy Wood asks whether part of that metabolic signature may reflect how little cognitive demand we place on the brain.
He sits down with Dr. Dominic D'Agostino for a nuanced conversation on metabolic health and cognitive function.. Dr. Wood is a neuroscientist, neonatal brain injury researcher, and author of The Stimulated Mind.
This episode follows the metabolic thread through every stage of brain health. Pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes as predictors of cognitive decline. Neurovascular coupling as the reason heart disease risk factors double as brain disease risk factors. Lactate crossing the blood-brain barrier to drive BDNF production where it actually matters. Creatine as a brain energy distributor that most people still only associate with muscle. Dr. Wood lays out his Three S Model — Stimulus, Supply, Support — and makes the case that cognitive demand drives glucose uptake into the brain the same way muscular contraction drives it into skeletal muscle.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
Does the brain respond to energy demand the same way skeletal muscle does?What role does creatine play in brain energy distribution, and what do the clinical trials show?Can heavy resistance training produce the same brain-relevant lactate response as HIIT?How should exercise be dosed after a concussion or traumatic brain injury?Is cognitive decline in your 50s, 60s, and 70s actually inevitable, or is that a statistical artifact?Why are pre-diabetes and metabolic syndrome among the strongest predictors of dementia?The mechanistic throughline here is demand-driven metabolism. Dr. Wood makes the case that the same principles governing glucose uptake in skeletal muscle apply to the brain — and the conversation gets into what that means for how we interpret FDG-PET data, design lifestyle interventions, and think about neurodegeneration itself.
Find more at DrTommyWood.com
Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅ Fatty15 – Get 15% off a 90-day Starter Kit with code METABOLICLINK here
✅ Troscriptions – Get 10% off your first order with code METABOLICLINK here
✅ Toups and Co – Get 15% off your first order with code METABOLIC here
✅ ZocDoc - Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor here
In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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Get free access to our new Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy ebook here.
Could changing your metabolism reduce alcohol cravings, ease psychiatric symptoms, and even make cancer immunotherapy more effective? The science is pointing to yes, and the mechanisms are fascinating.
In this Journal Club episode, co-hosts Victoria Field, Dr. Dominic D'Agostino, and Dr. Angela Poff break down five peer-reviewed papers from their newly released Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy ebook (Volume 4). From a French preclinical study showing ketogenic diet enhances PD-L1 immunotherapy response in kidney cancer, to an NIH/UPenn trial using machine-learning-derived fMRI signatures to measure reduced alcohol cravings during ketosis, to Stanford's pilot trial demonstrating notable metabolic and psychiatric improvements in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, this episode covers the cutting edge of metabolic therapy research.
Why does the brain crave alcohol in people with alcohol use disorder, and how might ketones help? How might a ketogenic diet affect a tumor’s response to immunotherapy?Can insulin resistance in the brain contribute to psychiatric symptom severity?How does the ketogenic diet compare to the Mediterranean diet for autoimmune inflammation?Does timing of ketogenic diet initiation matter for chronic pain relief?Is it realistic for people with serious mental illness to adhere to a ketogenic diet?
Questions Answered in This Episode:Whether you're a clinician, researcher, or someone looking to understand the latest science, this episode reveals just how far-reaching ketogenic metabolic therapy has become, spanning oncology, psychiatry, addiction, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, and much more!
In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky's VO2 max was once 87.6 ml/kg/min — an elite-level mark few humans have reached. He's competed at three world championships in three different sports. He's also had three cardiac ablation surgeries, bled from his bowels after races, and watched his vision tunnel to a speck crossing a finish line. His story is a master class in where the line falls between peak performance and self-destruction.
Now 63, Tarnopolsky is a neurologist, neuromuscular disease specialist, and supplement formulator who has channeled decades of elite athletic experience and hundreds of published studies into the idea that keeping metabolic throughput high is what protects us as we age.
In this conversation with Dom D'Agostino, he shares practical strategies anyone can apply: why resistance training three times per week is non-negotiable after 50, why post-exercise nutrient timing improved performance in a simulated training camp with identical calories, why he says creatine belongs in nearly everyone's regimen, and why he personally takes his mitochondrial supplement stack situationally after hard efforts rather than daily.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
What is the only intervention proven to extend human lifespan — and by how much?At what point does endurance exercise become pro-aging — and what are the warning signs?What simple nutrient timing strategy improved performance with zero extra calories?How did a bodybuilder bar conversation lead to a published discovery about growth hormone and collagen?What muscle and bone costs of Ozempic aren't getting enough attention?Why did elite endurance athletes need nearly as much dietary protein as bodybuilders — and why were bodybuilders massively overconsuming?This conversation reframes the longevity debate around what's actually been proven in human clinical trials — not Petri dishes, not animal models, and not social media influencers.
Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅ Troscriptions – Get 10% off your first order with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ Toups and Co – Get 15% off your first order with code METABOLIC here.
✅ iRestore – Get a huge discount on the Elite and the Illumina bundle here.
✅ MudWtr – Get up to 43% off + free shipping and a free rechargeable frother with code METABOLICLINK here.In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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Roughly 90% of Alzheimer's patients develop neuropsychiatric symptoms including anxiety, persistent fear, and an inability to recognize safety — but little research is being done to investigate why. New data connecting PTSD, trauma, and accelerated brain aging may hold the answer.
Dr. Caesar Hernandez is a behavioral, molecular, and circuit neuroscientist and assistant professor in the Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics & Palliative Care at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His research program seeks to identify modifiable mechanisms that drive vulnerability to age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease.
In this conversation with Dr. Dominic D'Agostino, Dr. Hernandez walks through epidemiological evidence linking PTSD to increased Alzheimer's risk, the comorbidity cluster of metabolic syndrome, gut permeability, and neuropsychiatric disorders observed in veteran populations, and why ketogenic interventions may offer a unique therapeutic angle — reducing neuroinflammation and anxiety while making the brain more receptive to rewiring traumatic memories.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
Could addressing PTSD in midlife meaningfully reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia later in life?Why do veteran populations show such high comorbidity between PTSD, metabolic syndrome, and dementia? Could ketogenic therapy serve a similar function to pharmacologically-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD? How does the amygdala - the brain's "fear center" - play a role in Alzheimer's disease? What is the single biggest unanswered question driving Alzheimer's research right now — and why does it go beyond genetics and biochemistry?Dr. Hernandez's driving question — why are negative life experiences associated with an increased the risk of neurodegeneration? — reframes brain aging as something shaped not just by genes and biology, but by the lives we live and the stress we carry.
Find more of Dr. Caesar Hernandez online:
University of Alabama BirminghamLinkedInSpecial thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅ Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ Fatty15 – Get 15% off a 90-day Starter Kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ Troscriptions – Get 10% off your first order with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ ZocDoc - Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor here.In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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What if the sequence we've always assumed—plaque causes arterial stiffness—is actually backwards? Dr. Lily Johnston proposes that impaired nitric oxide signaling may stiffen arteries first, creating the endothelial injury that then promotes plaque formation.
Dr. Lily Johnston is a board-certified vascular surgeon and newly certified obesity medicine physician who bridges the operating room and metabolic medicine. After years of scraping plaque from arterial walls, she began questioning why surgical outcomes remain so modest—and discovered that what she was treating might represent the end stage of multiple distinct disease phenotypes, not a single condition.
In this episode, Dr. Johnston shares her forest fire analogy for understanding LDL risk, explains why tissue surrounding diseased arteries shows profound inflammation even in first-time surgeries, and reveals why 80–90% of the operations she performs could potentially be prevented with upstream metabolic intervention.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
Do metabolically healthy people with elevated LDL need the same treatment as those with active disease?Why might someone with "great" biomarkers still have significant plaque burden?What will individualized cardiovascular treatment look like in 20 years?To what extent is vascular disease a metabolic disease—and is this accepted in vascular surgery?Where do you stand on the LDL particle number vs. metabolic context debate?What percentage of vascular surgeries could have been avoided with earlier metabolic intervention?A surgeon's-eye view of what happens when metabolic dysfunction goes unaddressed for decades—and a practical framework for intervening before the fire starts.
Find more of Dr. Johnston online:
Live Q&AYoutube channelLinkedInCoresight HealthSpecial thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅ Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ Toups and Co – Get 15% off your first order with code METABOLIC here.
✅ Troscriptions – Get 10% off your first order with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ MudWtr – Get up to 43% off + free shipping and a free rechargeable frother with code METABOLICLINK here.
In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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The term “ultra-processed food” appeared nearly 100 times in the White House’s Make America Healthy Again report. But questions remain about whether the concept is precise enough to guide effective policy.
Dr. David Ludwig—Harvard endocrinologist, obesity researcher, and author of Always Hungry—joins Dr. Dominic D'Agostino to dismantle the ultra-processed food framework from the inside out. Ludwig reveals why the NOVA classification system lumps protein bars with soda, why the FDA admitted they can't define what they're trying to regulate, and why the famous studies showing ultra-processed foods cause overeating may be fundamentally flawed.
This conversation cuts through the noise to identify what actually matters: the mechanistic difference between processing carbohydrates, fats, and proteins—and why that distinction should reshape nutrition policy.
Questions answered in this episode:
Can ultra-processed foods be "fixed" through reformulation?What's the most overrated "healthy" food in supermarkets?Should omega-3 levels be part of standard blood work?Are GLP-1 drugs a metabolic reset or a lifelong crutch?If you could pass one food policy law, what would it be?Why did the low-fat diet era make obesity worse?Dr. Ludwig argues that "ultra-processed food" is a compelling marketing term without mechanistic grounding—and that precise, actionable targets like highly processed carbohydrates and demonstrably harmful additives would do far more to improve public health.
Where to find more of Dr. Ludwig's work online:
Blog on UPFNEJM paper on UPFProblems with short diet trialsCarbohydrate-insulin modelWebsiteSpecial thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
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✅ Troscriptions – Get 10% off your first order with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ iRestore - Get a huge discount on the iRestore Illumina Face Mask when you use the code METABOLICLINK here.
✅Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here.In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
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You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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Glioblastoma has a long-term survival rate under 1% at ten years. After decades of research focusing primarily on mutation-targeted therapies, median survival has improved by only a few months. Dr. Tomás Duraj believes there's a better path forward.
Dr. Duraj is a physician-scientist at Boston College working on the metabolic vulnerabilities of cancer. In this Metabolic Health Summit presentation, he outlines a clinical framework for studying ketogenic metabolic therapy — one built on biomarker-driven protocols, not dietary guesswork.
The core argument: cancer cells depend on specific metabolic pathways for survival. Block those pathways while providing alternative fuels to healthy cells, and you create a therapeutic window that most tumors can't escape.
Why cancer cells metabolically resemble organisms from 2 billion years agoThe limits of the somatic mutation theory and why most targeted gene therapies have underdeliveredSubstrate level phosphorylation vs. oxidative phosphorylation — and why the distinction mattersThe Glucose-Ketone Index as a measurable, actionable biomarkerThe press-pulse strategy: sustained metabolic pressure paired with targeted interventionsHow to protect healthy tissue before targeting tumor metabolismRepurposed pharmacological approaches and the need for publicly funded clinical trialsThe case for small, non-randomized pilot studies with highly motivated patientsMetabolic therapy represents the future of medicine: a coherent clinical strategy grounded in decades of research and increasingly recognized by physicians and scientists across disciplines. For practitioners seeking complementary approaches that extend the reach of oncological therapeutics, this presentation lays out a practical roadmap for integrating emerging insights with standard care.
✅Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ iRestore - Get a huge discount on the iRestore Illumina Face Mask when you use the code METABOLICLINK here.
✅Piquelife.com - Get the Pu'er Bundle for 20% off here.
In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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After 20+ years treating cancer patients, Dr. Christy Kesslering started asking a question her colleagues weren't asking: why are so many of my breast cancer patients metabolically sick — even when they're not obese?
What is mitochondrial dysfunction and how does it relate to cancer?Are processed foods, seed oils, and glyphosate implicated in rising cancer rates?Can fasting or ketogenic diets reduce chemotherapy side effects?What's the difference between cachexia and healthy fat loss in cancer patients?How do you identify which foods are problematic for your body specifically?What does Dr. Kesslering believe has the biggest impact on cancer outcomes?
That question changed everything.
Dr. Kesslering is a classically-trained radiation oncologist, metabolic health practitioner, and terrain theorist. She spent two decades practicing oncology in the Chicagoland area before transitioning to focus full-time on what she believes is the missing piece in cancer care: mitochondrial health, and metabolic dysfunction. She now works with cancer patients and chronic disease clients through a telehealth practice built on comprehensive lab work, real-food nutrition, and terrain-based principles.
Questions Answered in This Episode:A rare look at what happens when a passionate physician follows the data wherever it leads — and why she believes the future of cancer care starts with metabolism.
Big thanks to our sponsors:
✅Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here!
✅ Fatty15 – Get 15% off a 90-day Starter Kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ ZocDoc - Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor here.In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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A patient arrives at shock trauma with flesh-eating bacteria, limbs appearing unsalvageable. Hours later, after treatment in a massive submarine-like chamber, those same limbs show signs of recovery. This pivotal moment launched Dr. Scott Sherr's journey into the world of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and its untapped potential for metabolic healing.
Victoria Field welcomes Dr. Scott Sherr, a board certified internal medicine physician who transformed his practice after witnessing HBOT's dramatic effects during his medical training at University of Maryland's trauma center. Now Director of Integrative Hyperbaric Medicine at Hyperbaric Medical Solutions, Dr. Sherr has pioneered protocols that marry hyperbaric therapy with nutritional optimization and metabolic health strategies.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
What sparked his interest in branching out into hyperbaric oxygen therapy? Why does he recommend waiting three months before intensive protocols? What is the "sympathetic spiral of doom"? What excites him most about the future of hyperbaric medicine? What's his vision for creating integrated healing ecosystems?This conversation reframes hyperbaric medicine not as a standalone treatment, but as a powerful tool within a comprehensive metabolic optimization framework - one that could fundamentally change how we approach healing and human performance.
Learn about Dr. Scherr's work with Troscriptions here.
Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅Cowboy Colostrum - Get 25% off when you use code METABOLICLINK at checkout here.
✅ Branch Basics - Get 15% off your Premium Starter Kit here.In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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What if the key to treating neurodegenerative diseases lies not in attacking symptoms, but in healing mitochondria? Dr. Matthew Phillips, a neurologist who coined the term "metabolic neurologist," shares groundbreaking insights from his decade-long journey implementing ketogenic diets and fasting protocols for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and glioblastoma patients.
In this episode, Dr. Phillips reveals his clinical framework combining metabolic therapies with standard of care, his current glioblastoma trial utilizing 5-day fasting cycles with chemotherapy, and why he believes mitochondrial dysfunction is the root cause of neurodegeneration.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
What initially drew you to understanding brain metabolism and how did your journey begin?How do you implement metabolic therapies in practice and determine patient candidacy?What is the most clinically relevant mechanism of metabolic therapy?Does your trial evidence suggest metabolic interventions are adjunctive or disease-modifying treatments?Why aren't metabolic therapies more widely adopted for conditions where conventional options are limited?What power do patients have to prevent or address early cognitive decline through their own actions?Dr. Phillips challenges the medical dogma that has kept metabolic therapies on the sidelines, advocating for a merger of "germ theory" and "terrain theory" approaches that could revolutionize how we treat the most devastating neurological conditions.
Sign-up to our Live Q&A Exploring Metabolic Neurology with Dr. Phillips here.
Learn more about Dr. Phillips on his website.
Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ iRestore - Get a huge discount on the iRestore Illumina Face Mask when you use the code METABOLICLINK here.
✅Piquelife.com - Get the Pu'er Bundle for 20% off here.
In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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For over fifty years, Americans have been told that cutting fat was the key to better health. Yet after decades of low-fat guidelines, rates of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction have skyrocketed - now affecting more than 88% of the population.
In this episode of The Metabolic Link, Victoria Field sits down with Dr. Nina Teicholz, science journalist and author of The Big Fat Surprise, whose decade-long investigation into nutrition science uncovered how flawed evidence and policy decisions shaped the way we eat. Her research reveals a troubling gap between the science and the guidelines meant to protect public health.
Answered in this episode:
How did you transition from investigative journalism into becoming one of the leading voices challenging nutrition policy?What specifically makes the original science behind the low-fat diet hypothesis so weak?How did Ancel Keys' controversial research become official U.S. nutrition policy?What were the metabolic consequences when Americans replaced dietary fat with carbohydrates?How did seed oils come to dominate the American food supply, and what are the metabolic implications?What do randomized controlled trials reveal about low-carb versus low-fat diets for metabolic health?How has industry funding influenced the direction of nutrition research and policy?This conversation provides a rigorous examination of how weak associational data became entrenched policy, the metabolic consequences of replacing saturated fats with refined carbohydrates and seed oils, and what the path forward looks like for evidence-based nutrition science.
More of Dr. Teicholz:
Unsettled Science on SubstackThe Nutrition CoalitionThe Big Fat SurpriseX.comInstagramFacebookLinkedInBig thanks to our sponsors:
✅Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here!
✅ Fatty15 – Get 15% off a 90-day Starter Kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ ZocDoc - Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor here.
✅Cowboy Colostrum - Get 25% off when you use code METABOLICLINK at checkout!In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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When veterinarian Dr. Loren Nations lost his wife to aggressive cancer despite the best conventional treatments, he didn't just grieve—he revolutionized his entire approach to medicine. In this deeply personal conversation, Dr. Nations reveals how tragedy led him to discover that our pets are experiencing metabolic disease at rates even higher than humans, with 61% of cats and 59% of dogs now obese.
Dr. Loren Nations is a board-certified veterinarian with over 30 years of experience. He's the founder of Veterinary Healthcare Associates, Ascend Vets, and Neoterric, pioneering the integration of ketogenic nutrition, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and metabolic medicine into veterinary care.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
What metabolic-based therapies are you using alongside standard care, and which have proven most effective?Can dogs and cats safely eat ketogenic diets without developing pancreatitis?How do you approach gut healing in pets, and what specific strategies or supplements do you use beyond nutrition?What happens when you treat pet cancer with metabolic therapies instead of just conventional oncology?What can veterinary medicine teach us about human metabolic health?This conversation bridges two worlds we rarely see connected—showing how the metabolic principles transforming human health apply equally to our animal companions, and how healing our pets might just teach us to heal ourselves.
Join us on November 12th for a live Q&A with Dr. Nations on The Metabolic Initiative.
Dr. Nations also has a full presentation available for on demand viewing on our medical education platform titled “Metabolic Health for Our Pets” for those ready to dive deeper into metabolic therapy for their companions. Watch now with a free trial here.
Neoterric: Find Dr. Nations' online education for pet parents here.
Veterinary Healthcare Associates: Learn about Dr. Nations' animal hospital here.
KetoPet: Read scientific articles on the ketogenic diet for pets here.
Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here!
✅ iRestore - Get a huge discount on the iRestore Illumina Face Mask when you use the code METABOLICLINK here
✅Piquelife.com - Get the Pu'er Bundle for 20% off here.In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
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What if the food you eat could change the way you breathe at night? In this episode, recorded live at The Metabolic Health Summit, Dr. Jonathan Jun reveals how metabolism and sleep-disordered breathing are deeply connected, and why shifting from carbs to fat might improve more than just your waistline.
Dr. Jonathan Jun, a leading researcher on obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), walks us through the groundbreaking KETOHS trial, where a ketogenic diet was tested for its effects on carbon dioxide retention, sleep apnea severity, and metabolic health. The findings suggest ketosis may do more than promote weight loss - it could directly enhance respiratory efficiency and sleep quality in patients with OHS and OSA.
From a long-forgotten 1976 fasting study to modern clinical data, this lecture reframes the connection between diet, breathing, and metabolism, revealing how nutritional ketosis might transform respiratory and metabolic medicine.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
Why does fuel choice (carbs vs. fat) matter for breathing in people with sleep-disordered breathing?What exactly happens in obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS), and why is it more dangerous than OSA alone?Why did a 1976 starvation ketosis study inspire modern trials on ketogenic diets for OSA/OHS?How was the KETOHS trial designed to isolate the effects of ketosis itself (not just weight loss)?Can a ketogenic diet improve sleep apnea severity even without CPAP therapy?Is the improvement in CO₂ clearance explained only by weight loss, or something else?What metabolic changes accompany ketogenic therapy in this context?This episode will change the way you see the link between diet and breathing, and may open new doors for treating some of the toughest sleep and metabolic disorders.
Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ ZocDoc - Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor here.
✅ Fatty15 – Get 15% off a 90-day Starter Kit with code METABOLICLINK here.In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
InstagramFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
- Visa fler
