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Explore every episode of the podcast The Metabolic Link

Dive into the complete episode list for The Metabolic Link. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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TitlePub. DateDuration
What's Really in Your Supplements? Lab Testing, Ketone Claims, Creatine & Cognition | Dr. Jordan Glenn, PhD | The Metabolic Link Ep. 10703 Nov 202601:08:53

Four of six creatine gummies in one round of independent lab testing contained essentially none of the creatine on the label. Every powder passed.

Dr. Jordan Glenn, PhD, is an exercise physiologist and Head of Science at SuppCo, a supplement research platform that scores products on manufacturing quality and secret-shops them for third-party lab testing. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications across nutrition, exercise performance, aging, and cognitive health, and spent nearly a decade as chief science officer at a company focused on cognitive decline.

In this episode he joins Dom D'Agostino to explain what supplement testing can and cannot tell you: why gummies fail far more often than powders, how retesting a second batch separates a lab error from a systemic problem, the difference between a quality score, lab testing, and a certification, and how Amazon's golden sample system can let mismatched products through.

The conversation also turns to ketone supplement claims, including products sold as ketones that actually contain precursors like 1,3-butanediol or MCT, and what a label is allowed to say about brain health. On creatine, Jordan explains why almost 60% of users in SuppCo's study now take it for the brain, where the evidence looks promising, such as sleep deprivation and concussion, and why he thinks the marketing is a little ahead of the science. Along the way: why vitamin D patches absorb poorly, the 6 to 8 gram citrulline threshold most pre-workouts miss, and the five supplements Jordan takes himself.

Questions Answered in This Episode:

  • Why did four of six creatine gummies fail identity and potency testing while every powder passed?
  • What is the difference between a supplement quality score, lab testing, and a third-party certification?
  • How can you tell whether a ketone supplement lives up to its label?
  • Do you need to load or cycle creatine, and does it help the brain?
  • How much citrulline does a pre-workout need, and does it lower blood pressure?
  • How should you audit the supplements already in your cabinet?

Listeners and viewers will come away with a clearer way to judge any supplement: start with the problem you want to solve, know your numbers, and make sure what is in the bottle matches both the label and the research.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

✅ Genova Connect: Get 15% off any Genova Connect test kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ fatty15: Get 15% off a 90-day subscription starter kit with code METABOLICLINK here.

More Links

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!

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.

From Science to Policy: The New Dietary Guidelines, GLP-1s & Metabolic Health Research | Dr. Maya Maroto, EdD, RD | The Metabolic Link Ep. 10620 Oct 202601:06:34

What happens to nutrition science after the study is published?

Dr. Maya Maroto, EdD, MPH, RD, is Executive Director of the Coalition for Metabolic Health. A registered dietitian and certified ketogenic nutrition specialist, she has worked in academia, in nutrition policy and communications at the FDA and USDA, and on the food industry side at FoodMinds. Her own turn toward carbohydrate restriction began when a loved one with type 2 diabetes did not improve on the conventional advice she had been trained to give.

In this episode she joins Victoria Field and Dom D'Agostino to explain how research actually reaches policy: what changed in the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, including first-ever language that people with certain chronic diseases may benefit from a lower carbohydrate diet; why guideline changes can take years to reach school meals and hospital menus; how congressional report language directed NIH institutes toward research on metabolic interventions for diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and serious mental illness; and why, in her experience, the economic cost of chronic disease is what opens doors with lawmakers.

The conversation also covers keeping metabolic health bipartisan, how food industry messaging shapes what clinicians and consumers believe, why many dietitians remain cautious about ketogenic diets, what GLP-1 medications mean for nutrition-first approaches, whether carbohydrate restriction is affordable on a SNAP budget, and what metabolic psychiatry needs to move from promising science to rigorous research.

Questions Answered in This Episode:

  • What actually changed in the new Dietary Guidelines, and why does the low-carbohydrate language matter?
  • How long does it take for guideline changes to reach school lunches and hospital menus?
  • How does congressional report language turn into NIH research funding?
  • What persuades policymakers most: clinical data, patient stories, or the cost of chronic disease?
  • Why are many dietitians cautious about ketogenic diets?
  • Is therapeutic carbohydrate restriction too expensive for the people who need it most?

Listeners and viewers will come away with a clearer picture of the machinery between metabolic science and the policies that shape what Americans eat, and where clinicians, researchers, and patients can push it forward.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

✅ Genova Connect: Get 15% off any Genova Connect test kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ iRestore: Shop the new Laser Face Mask Pro with code LINK here.

More Links

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!

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.

Rethinking Preventive Testing: Whole-Body MRI, VO2 Max & Organ Aging | Dr. Michael Doney, MD | The Metabolic Link Ep. 10506 Oct 202601:25:23

What would an emergency physician tell his patients if he could have met them 20 years before their crisis?

Dr. Michael Doney, MD, MPH, MS, spent years as a board-certified emergency physician managing the acute consequences of chronic disease. Today he is Executive Medical Director of Biograph, a preventive health clinic that combines whole-body MRI, cardiovascular imaging, DEXA, VO2 max testing, movement analysis, blood work, and genetics with a team of physicians, registered dietitians, exercise physiologists, and sleep specialists.

In this episode he walks Dom D'Agostino through how that data turns into a plan: why a high relative VO2 max can mask low skeletal muscle mass, especially in women in their late 40s and 50s; why Biograph talks about body recomposition, fiber, protein, and carbohydrate quality instead of weight loss alone; and what an internal study of about 1,000 members suggested about fatty liver disease in women, who in that cohort showed MASLD at lower BMI and visceral fat levels than men, with higher insulin resistance and fewer liver enzyme abnormalities. He also takes on the main critique of whole-body MRI, explaining how a standardized reporting system, subspecialty radiologists, and clinical context brought Biograph's reported referral rate for follow-up testing to about 5.4%, compared with the roughly one-third figure often cited.

The conversation also covers AI in imaging and in personal health data, diffusion-weighted MRI, a new study with Vero Bioscience tracking proteomic organ age through lifestyle interventions, mental health screening, how Biograph supports members already on GLP-1 medications, and what it would take to make this kind of prevention broadly accessible.

Questions Answered in This Episode:

  • Why can a high VO2 max be misleading when muscle mass is low?
  • How does Biograph turn dozens of diagnostics into one personalized plan?
  • Why might fatty liver disease be harder to detect in women?
  • How can whole-body MRI programs reduce false positives and unnecessary follow-up testing?
  • What is proteomic "organ age," and can lifestyle change it?
  • How should people on GLP-1 medications protect lean mass?
  • Can preventive medicine become accessible beyond concierge care?

Listeners and viewers will come away with a clearer picture of what a comprehensive preventive assessment measures, where its limits are, and how the results translate into nutrition, exercise, and sleep interventions.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

✅ Genova Connect: Get 15% off any Genova Connect 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.

More Links

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!

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.

Ketosis in the Real World: Sardine Fasting, Low-Dose GLP-1s & Carb Addiction | Dr. Annette Bosworth, MD | The Metabolic Link Ep. 10422 Sep 202601:21:55

Join us for a FREE live Q&A with Dr. Boz on October 14 at 9:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM ET and ask her your questions directly. No membership required. Register here.

What happens when an internist teaches ketogenic nutrition to 200 students at the same time and tracks every one of their glucose and ketone readings on shared dashboards?

Dr. Annette Bosworth, MD, known to her audience as Dr. Boz, is an internal medicine physician and the author of ANYWAY YOU CAN and ketoCONTINUUM. After leaving corporate medicine she rebuilt her practice around ketone metabolic therapy, first with her own patients and now through a live 21-day class where small groups of ten work with coaches who have done the diet themselves.

In this episode she walks Dom D'Agostino through what that model has taught her: why every student does a 72-hour sardine fast and the changes she has observed in morning glucose and ketone readings the day after, how she started a medically supervised group already in ketosis on 0.6 mg of tirzepatide once weekly (approximately one-quarter of the labeled 2.5 mg starting dose) and her report that roughly nine in ten stayed at that dose, and why she asks every participant to keep their own physician involved

The conversation also covers the six-week ketogenic trial she ran with her mother during a leukemia recurrence, why she treats carbohydrate cravings the way she treated addiction in her clinic, and the free weekly support groups that classes from her first cohort still attend.

Questions Answered in This Episode:

  • What has Dr. Boz observed during her 72-hour sardine challenges?
  • What did Dr. Boz observe when using low-dose tirzepatide in patients already in ketosis?
  • What does "relief, not joy" reveal about carbohydrate addiction?
  • Why can blood pressure medications require reassessment when starting a ketogenic diet?
  • Why does she emphasize physician involvement when participants take prescription medications?
  • Why does she combine group coaching with glucose and ketone tracking?

Listeners and viewers will come away with a practical picture of ketone metabolic therapy as it is actually delivered: the protocol, the monitoring, the medication monitoring and reassessment, and the community structure that keeps people in it.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

✅ Genova Connect: Get 15% off any Genova Connect test kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ Cowboy Colostrum: Get up to 25% off your entire order with code METABOLIC here.
✅ iRestore: Get the iRestore Elite helmet and Illumina face mask bundle at an exclusive discount with code LINK here.

More Links

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!

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.

Metabolic Gynecology: Insulin, Inflammation, and the Uterus as an End Organ | Dr. Andréa Salcedo, DO | The Metabolic Link Ep. 10308 Sep 202601:04:16

Join us for a FREE live Q&A with Dr. Salcedo on September 10 at 9:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM ET and ask her your questions directly. Register here.

What if the uterus is an end organ, responding to insulin and inflammation the same way the heart, kidneys, and liver do?

Dr. Andréa Salcedo is a board-certified OBGYN (DO, MPH, FACOG) and associate professor at Loma Linda University School of Medicine whose research and clinical practice, which she calls conscious gynecology, examine gynecologic disease through a metabolic lens.

In this episode she walks through the evidence that uterine fibroids share progenitor cells with atherosclerotic plaque, why she now teaches residents that fibroids are cardiovascular disease of the uterus, and how high insulin acts at the level of the brain stem to block ovulation. The conversation also covers her clinical observations on fasting insulin thresholds by body type, the renaming of PCOS to PMOS, what hormonal contraceptives do and do not treat, the role of chronic stress and adversity in gynecologic disease, and the four insulin-resistant transitions of a woman's life.

Questions Answered in This Episode:

  • Why are uterine fibroids being reframed as cardiovascular disease of the uterus?
  • Can the menstrual cycle function as a metabolic vital sign?
  • How does insulin, acting as a stress hormone, shut down ovulation?
  • Is there an optimal fasting insulin for reproductive health, and does body type change the answer?
  • What does the shift from PCOS to PMOS change for diagnosis and treatment?
  • What happens to insulin resistance in perimenopause, and was the Women's Health Initiative misread?

Viewers will come away with a physiological framework that treats heavy periods, fibroids, irregular cycles, and PCOS as early signals of metabolic dysfunction rather than isolated hormone problems.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

✅ Genova Connect: Get 15% off any Genova Connect test kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ Cowboy Colostrum: Get 25% off your entire order with code METABOLIC here.
✅ Zocdoc: Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor here.
✅ fatty15: Get 15% off a 90-day starter kit with code METABOLICLINK here.

More Links

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!

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.

You Asked, Ben Bikman Answered: GLP-1 Muscle Loss, Ketone Targets & Cancer Metabolism | The Metabolic Link Ep. 10225 Aug 202601:08:04

Today we are doing something we have never done before.

Once a month, members of The Metabolic Initiative get an hour to put their own questions directly to the scientists and clinicians at the forefront of metabolic health. Those sessions stay inside the platform. This one does not.

After Dr. Ben Bikman joined us for episode 100, the questions kept coming. So we invited him back to sit with Dr. Dominic D'Agostino and MHI co-founder Victoria Field for a live member Q&A, and for the first time we are releasing the full session publicly.

What came out of it: GLP-1 medications and the muscle loss debate, and how Ben's own position on these drugs has shifted. Insulin resistance and ceramides. Exogenous ketones, and when they may actually be useful. Metabolic approaches to cancer and the glucose ketone index. Exercise timing. Type 1 diabetes. Cortisol and fat distribution. Supplements.

Questions Answered in This Episode:

  • The muscle loss debate around GLP-1s has become polarized. Should clinicians be worried about muscle loss, muscle function, or neither?
  • If you were diagnosed with cancer, are there any metabolic therapies you would start immediately?
  • How long can it take for ceramides in adipose tissue to resolve — and insulin resistance to improve?
  • Bioidentical D-BHB exogenous ketones are substantially more expensive. What is the value proposition over other forms?
  • GLP-1 receptor agonists consistently raise resting heart rate. Is that something to be concerned about?
  • Are there any emerging approaches to improving the management of type 1 diabetes?
  • What happens metabolically, and to fat cells, glucose and ketones, when taking corticosteroids?

This is the kind of conversation we host every month inside The Metabolic Initiative, alongside expert presentations from our conferences and a library built entirely around metabolic health and therapy, with CME credit available on eligible content for healthcare providers.

If you want to be in the room for the next one, the first seven days are free. membership.metabolicinitiative.com

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

Genova Connect: Get 15% off any Genova Connect test kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
Cowboy Colostrum: Get up to 25% off with code METABOLIC here.

More Links

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!

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.

Implementation of Ketogenic and Low Carbohydrate Therapies for Metabolic Disease | Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE | The Metabolic Link Ep. 10111 Aug 202600:55:20

Ketogenic and low-carbohydrate diets often focus on a specific carbohydrate target: keep your net carbs under 30 grams. But as registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator Franziska Spritzler demonstrates in this presentation from Metabolic Health Summit, a carbohydrate target is not a therapy. Effective implementation means a full assessment of medical history, medications, labs, food preferences, lifestyle, and the motivation that will carry a patient through year one and beyond.

Spritzler specializes in low-carbohydrate and ketogenic nutrition and has extensive experience helping people use these approaches to improve metabolic health. The creator of lowcarbdietitian.com, she walks through the practical decisions clinicians face: when a ketogenic diet is warranted versus a more flexible low-carbohydrate approach, why she recommends 1.2 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram rather than the RDA's 0.8, how to manage medication adjustments for patients at risk of hypoglycemia or hypotension, and how to handle electrolytes, carbohydrate counting, sweeteners, and plant-based variations without losing the patient along the way.

Questions Answered in This Episode:

• What actually separates a ketogenic diet from a low-carbohydrate diet, and when does the difference matter?
• Why is the protein RDA too low for long-term metabolic health, and what range does Spritzler recommend instead?
• Who should avoid ketogenic diets entirely, and why are most contraindications manageable with closer supervision?
• How should medications be monitored and adjusted when a patient begins carbohydrate restriction?
• Should patients count net carbs or total carbs, and why are packaged "net carb" labels unreliable?
• Can a ketogenic diet be done as a vegetarian or vegan?

A practice-tested blueprint for turning carbohydrate restriction from a prescription into a therapy patients can sustain.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

✅ Genova Connect: Get 15% off any Genova Connect test kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ iRestore: Get a special discount on the iRestore Illumina Face Mask with code LINK here.
✅ fatty15: Get an additional 50% off a 90-day subscription starter kit with code METABOLICLINK.
✅ Zocdoc: Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor here.

More Links

• Franziska's website: lowcarbdietitian.com
• The Metabolic Initiative (expert lectures, CME, ad-free episodes, live Q&As; first 7 days free): membership.metabolicinitiative.com

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!

You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!

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!

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.

Ben Bikman, PhD | Rethinking Metabolic Health: Insulin, Ketones, and What Comes Next | The Metabolic Link Ep. 10028 Jul 202601:06:14

Join us for a live Q&A with Dr. Ben Bikman here.

For the 100th episode of The Metabolic Link, Ben Bikman, PhD, professor of cell biology and physiology at Brigham Young University and author of Why We Get Sick, returns for a milestone conversation with co-hosts Dominic D’Agostino, PhD, and Victoria Field. Together, they examine what clinicians are measuring, what conventional approaches may be missing, and how the science of metabolic health continues to evolve.

Bikman argues that the clinical picture of metabolic health remains glucose-centric and lipid-heavy while the earliest signal, elevated insulin, goes unmeasured. He explains why women stay insulin sensitive at far higher body fat than men and what menopause takes away, why visceral fat is misunderstood, and how a fatty liver can be miscounted as lean mass on a DEXA scan. That last point is why he now says he was wrong about GLP-1 drugs, and why he thinks they should be prescribed as something other than weight loss medication.

Questions Answered in This Episode:

• Why does standard bloodwork detect metabolic dysfunction so late?
• Why are women more insulin sensitive than men at the same or higher body fat?
• What actually changes metabolically during menopause?
• Is visceral fat inherently dangerous, or is something else going on?
• Why did Dr. Bikman change his position on GLP-1 medications?
• Should GLP-1 drugs be prescribed as weight loss drugs at all?

This milestone episode offers a rigorous, physiology-first look at where metabolic science stands today, and what researchers and clinicians may need to examine next.

Thank you for listening, watching, sharing these conversations, and helping us reach 100 episodes. We’re incredibly grateful to have you as part of this community.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

Genova Connect: Get 15% off any Genova Connect test kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
Cowboy Colostrum: Get up to 25% off with code METABOLIC here.
iRestore: Get a special discount on the iRestore Illumina face mask with code LINK here.

More Links

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!

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.

Type 1 Diabetes on a Ketogenic Diet: What a 1,000-Mile Bike Ride Revealed | Dr. Ian Lake | The Metabolic Link Ep. 9914 Jul 202601:08:29

What can 21 days of continuous glucose and ketone data, recorded during a 1,000-mile cycling journey, reveal about managing type 1 diabetes on a ketogenic diet?

Dr. Ian Lake is a UK-based primary care physician who has lived with type 1 diabetes for more than 30 years. After two decades of conventional high-carbohydrate management, he adopted a very low-carbohydrate, ketogenic approach and began examining insulin not simply as a glucose-lowering medication, but as a metabolic hormone whose requirements are influenced by nutrition, exercise, sleep, circadian rhythm, hydration, and stress. His new book, Shifting Gears, documents the ride and the lessons he took from it.

Dr. Lake treated the journey as a 21-day personal experiment, wearing continuous glucose and ketone monitors while consuming roughly 20 grams of carbohydrate per day. In this conversation with Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, he shares what his data showed: an average ketone level near 1.2 mmol/L, daily insulin requirements declining from the mid-20s of units to around 16, and an episode in which glucose and ketones rose together after he had taken too little insulin.

Dr. Lake describes how, in his case, one unit of insulin brought his ketones from approximately 3.0 to 0.9 mmol/L within about 20 minutes. He and Dr. D’Agostino use the experience to explore the distinction between nutritional ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis, the essential role of adequate insulin, and why ketone readings must always be interpreted alongside glucose levels and clinical context.

They also discuss insulin sensitivity during prolonged exercise, the practical challenges of adjusting insulin during endurance activity, and research suggesting that fat-adapted athletes may sustain high rates of fat oxidation at relatively high exercise intensities.

Questions Answered in This Episode

  • What did 21 days of continuous glucose and ketone monitoring reveal during a ketogenic, 1,000-mile cycling journey?
  • How did prolonged endurance exercise affect Dr. Lake’s daily insulin requirements?
  • How is nutritional ketosis different from diabetic ketoacidosis, and what role does insufficient insulin play in DKA risk?
  • What did Dr. Lake observe when his glucose and ketones began rising at the same time?
  • How might fat adaptation influence fuel use and endurance performance?
  • What are the practical limitations of continuous glucose and ketone monitoring for real-time insulin decisions?

This conversation offers a rare look at 21 consecutive days of glucose, ketone, insulin, nutrition, and exercise data, while also emphasizing that Dr. Lake’s experience is an individual case, not a substitute for personalized medical supervision.

More Links:

  • Shifting Gears, Dr. Lake’s book, on Amazon
  • Type1Keto, Dr. Lake’s site featuring the book and the Zero Five 100 project

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:


✅ Zocdoc: Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor here.
✅ fatty15: Get an additional 50% off a 90-day subscription starter kit with code METABOLICLINK.
✅ Toups and Co: Get 25% off your first order with code METABOLIC.

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!

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.

Ozempic, Insulin Resistance, and Type 2 Diabetes: What Are We Missing? | Dr. Mariela Glandt | The Metabolic Link Ep. 9830 Jun 202601:05:08

Attend a Live Q&A with Dr. Glandt. Reigster here.

What if the way we treat type 2 diabetes is fundamentally backwards?

Dr. Mariela Glandt is an endocrinologist and obesity medicine specialist who spent 15 years practicing conventional medicine before concluding, in her words, that how we treat diabetes “is actually upside down.” As co-founder of OwnaHealth, she focuses on addressing the insulin resistance underlying type 2 diabetes, not only the elevated blood sugar it eventually causes.

In this episode, she walks through the science of that shift: why fasting insulin may reveal metabolic dysfunction before A1C becomes abnormal, why a laboratory “normal” range running up to 20 can be misleading, and why she believes repeatedly escalating insulin can contribute to weight gain, reduced insulin responsiveness, and worsening metabolic health.

She also shares what she has learned bringing low-carbohydrate and ketogenic therapy to underserved communities in the South Bronx, where patients may be navigating severe diabetes alongside financial pressure, cultural food traditions, psychiatric illness, chronic stress, and conflicting medical advice. Her work shows that these therapies can succeed even in communities facing significant barriers to care.

Dr. Glandt also breaks down what GLP-1 medications actually do, where they can help, and what they may leave unresolved—including the risks of muscle loss, inadequate protein intake, and relying on medication without addressing the patient’s broader metabolic health.

Questions Answered in This Episode:

• What key mindset shifts do conventionally trained physicians need to make when transitioning to a more integrated approach to medicine?
• How does reframing diabetes as insulin resistance change the way a doctor practices?
• What are the earliest signs of metabolic dysfunction that many clinicians miss?
• Can ketogenic metabolic therapy succeed in underserved communities?
• What do GLP-1 medications actually solve, and what do they leave untouched?
• Where can ketogenic therapy and GLP-1 medications work together?
• What has Dr. Glandt observed in patients living with both metabolic and psychiatric illness?
• Where does endocrinology most need to change course?

Viewers will come away with a different lens on metabolic disease, one that looks beyond glucose and weight to the biological, social, and practical factors shaping a patient’s health.

More links:

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.

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!

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.

Treating PTSD When Standard Care Falls Short: A Hyperbaric Oxygen Protocol | Dr. Keren Doenyas-Barak, MD | The Metabolic Link Ep. 9716 Jun 202601:17:26

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!

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.

Inflammation and Glycation: The Two Heads of Chronic Disease | Dr. Paul Reynolds, PhD | The Metabolic Link Ep. 9602 Jun 202601:14:10

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:

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 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!

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.

Metabolic Psychiatry in Clinical Practice: Brain Energy, Common Pitfalls, & Precision Nutrition | Dr. Bret Scher, MD | The Metabolic Link Ep. 9519 May 202600:51:59

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 Health

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!

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.

Inuit Metabolism Revisited: Ketosis, Omega-3s, & the CPT1A Arctic Variant | Dr. Gideon Mailer & Nicola Hale | The Metabolic Link Ep. 9405 May 202601:26:47

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 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!

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.

Understanding Female Metabolism: PCOS, Postpartum, and Menopause | Madison Kackley, PhD | The Metabolic Link21 Apr 202601:24:05

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!

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.

Vagal Nerve Stimulation, TBI, and Brain Health: Rethinking Neurological Care | Dr. Michael Hoffman, MD | The Metabolic Link Ep. 9207 Apr 202601:27:00

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 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!

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.

What's in Your Tap Water? Contaminants, Filtration, and How to Test It | Johnny Pujol | The Metabolic Link Ep. 9124 Mar 202601:11:17

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!

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.

Rethinking Cognitive Decline: Stimulus, Exercise, and the Aging Brain | Dr. Tommy Wood, MD, PhD | The Metabolic Link Ep. 9010 Mar 202601:42:43

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!

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.

Journal Club: Five Papers Pushing the Boundaries of Metabolic Therapy | The Metabolic Link Ep. 8903 Mar 202601:08:38

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.

Questions Answered in This Episode:

  • 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?

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!

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.

Mitochondria, Muscle, & Aging: What Longevity Drugs Miss | Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky | The Metabolic Link Ep. 8824 Feb 202601:31:31

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!

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.

Trauma, Inflammation, and Neurodegeneration: A New Framework for Alzheimer's | Dr. Caesar Hernandez, MS, PhD | The Metabolic Link Ep. 8710 Feb 202601:18:47

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:

Special 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!

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.

The Metabolic Roots of Cardiovascular Disease: A Vascular Surgeon's Perspective | Dr. Lily Johnston | The Metabolic Link Ep. 8627 Jan 202601:18:22

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:

Special 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!

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.

Ultra-Processed Food and Nutrition Policy: What We're Getting Wrong | Dr. David Ludwig | The Metabolic Link Ep. 8513 Jan 202601:21:37

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:

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

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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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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.

Metabolic Oncology: From Theory To Clinical Application | Dr. Tomás Duraj | The Metabolic Link Ep. 8430 Dec 202500:55:15

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 ago
  • The limits of the somatic mutation theory and why most targeted gene therapies have underdelivered
  • Substrate level phosphorylation vs. oxidative phosphorylation — and why the distinction matters
  • The Glucose-Ketone Index as a measurable, actionable biomarker
  • The press-pulse strategy: sustained metabolic pressure paired with targeted interventions
  • How to protect healthy tissue before targeting tumor metabolism
  • Repurposed pharmacological approaches and the need for publicly funded clinical trials
  • The case for small, non-randomized pilot studies with highly motivated patients

Metabolic 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.

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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!

You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!

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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.

Metabolic Health: The Missing Link in Cancer Therapy? | Dr. Christy Kesslering | The Metabolic Link Ep. 8316 Dec 202501:08:04

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?

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:

  • 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?

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:
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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!

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.

Health Optimization Medicine: HBOT, Nervous System Regulation, and Mitochondrial Healing | The Metabolic Link Ep. 82 | Dr. Scott Sherr| 02 Dec 202501:12:54

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.
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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!

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.

Metabolic Neurology: Fasting, Ketosis, & the Future of Brain Health | Dr. Matthew Phillips | The Metabolic Link Ep. 8118 Nov 202501:19:22

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!

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.

Dr. Nina Teicholz | America's Metabolic Decline: The High-Cost of Low Fat | The Metabolic Link Ep 8004 Nov 202501:05:43

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:

Big thanks to our sponsors:
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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!

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.

Metabolic Therapy for Pets: The Future of Veterinary Medicine | Dr. Loren Nations | The Metabolic Link Ep. 7921 Oct 202501:09:01

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!

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.

Can a Ketogenic Diet Improve Sleep Apnea? | Dr. Jonathan Jun | The Metabolic Link Ep. 78.08 Oct 202500:47:07

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!

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.

The Metabolic Approach to Treating Food Addiction | Dr. Tro Kalayjian | The Metabolic Link Ep. 7701 Oct 202501:22:48

Could treating food like a drug be the breakthrough we've needed in food addiction treatment?

In this episode of The Metabolic Link, Dr. Dominic D’Agostino sits down with Dr. Tro Kalayjian - physician, researcher, and former obesity patient - to explore whether food addiction should be classified as a true addiction, and how his TOWARD model is helping patients overcome binge eating and food-related compulsions.

Dr. Tro shares findings from his recent peer-reviewed paper, TOWARD: a Metabolic Health Intervention That Improves Food Addiction and Binge Eating Symptoms. The study evaluated outcomes from the TOWARD intervention, a telemedicine-based model that combines metabolic nutrition, real-time biofeedback, and coaching. Nearly half of participants reduced food addiction symptoms, and over 80% saw improvements in binge eating - often independent of weight loss.

This conversation explores the science of dopamine signaling, the failure of calorie-restriction models, the blurred line between food addiction and eating disorders, and how this approach could reshape treatment through scalable, real-world solutions.

Questions Answered in This Episode:

  • How should we define food addiction compared to binge eating disorder?
  • Should ultra-processed food addiction be officially recognized in the DSM?
  • Why is food addiction harder to treat than drug or alcohol addiction?
  • What were the key outcomes of the TOWARD study on food addiction and binge eating?
  • Can lifestyle interventions compete with bariatric surgery or GLP-1 drugs?
  • How can employers scale food addiction treatment for high-risk populations?

Check out Dr. Kalajian's TOWARD app 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% offwhen you use code METABOLICLINK at checkout!

✅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!

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.

Built to Last: Muscle, Longevity, and Training Smarter | Dr. Andy Galpin | The Metabolic Link Ep. 7616 Sep 202501:18:33

Muscle isn’t just about strength or performance — it’s metabolic armor. In this episode of The Metabolic Link, Dr. Andy Galpin sits down with hosts Victoria Field and Dr. Dominic D’Agostino to show how muscle, cardio fitness, and bone density work together to protect against decline and extend healthspan. From women’s training and recovery practices to kids in the weight room, Dr. Galpin translates decades of research into practical strategies anyone can use.

Big questions Dr. Galpin helps answer:

  • How does muscle mass protect against metabolic decline and early mortality?
  • What’s the safest, most effective on-ramp to rebuild bone density and explosiveness after 40?
  • When is fasted training useful for women, and when is it counterproductive?
  • How early can kids start resistance training — and what should it look like?
  • Which recovery practices are underrated (free) versus overrated (pricey)?

Dr. Andy Galpin is a tenured full professor and human performance scientist with a PhD in Human Bioenergetics and an MS in Human Movement Sciences. He previously ran the Center for Sport Performance and the Biochemistry & Molecular Exercise Physiology Lab at Cal State Fullerton, and now serves as Executive Director of the Human Performance Center at Parker University. He has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications, coaches elite athletes across the UFC, NBA, MLB, NFL, Olympics, and special forces, and is the host of the Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin podcast, where he shares insights from two decades of working with world-class performers.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

✅Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here!

✅ Branch Basics - Get 15% off your Premium Starter Kit here

✅ iRestore - Get a huge discount on the iRestore Illumina Face Mask when you use the 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!

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.

Redefining Recovery: A Metabolic Approach to Plastic Surgery | Cameron Chesnut, MD | The Metabolic Link Ep.7502 Sep 202501:25:45

Plastic surgery meets metabolic medicine.

Dr. Cameron Chesnut isn't just changing faces - he's changing the entire surgical process. In this episode, Dr. Dominic D'Agostino talks with the facial plastic surgeon who’s using ketones, hyperbaric oxygen, red light, and regenerative protocols to optimize brain health, accelerate recovery, and eliminate opioids entirely.

Trusted by high performers around the world, Dr. Chesnut is known for delivering natural, rejuvenated, and seemingly untouched results through minimally invasive procedures. His practice integrates regenerative medicine, metabolic science, and next-level recovery techniques — all grounded in a personal performance protocol as refined as his surgical outcomes.

In this episode, he and Dr. Dominic D’Agostino unpack the future of surgical care: ketones for cognitive protection, hyperbaric oxygen for faster healing, red light and PEMF for recovery, and the anesthesia protocols he uses to avoid post-op brain fog — and eliminate opioids altogether.

This isn’t cosmetic — it’s clinical strategy. And it could change the face of plastic surgery as we know it.

Where to find Dr. Chesnut online:
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Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
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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!

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.

Reversing Alzheimer's Disease | Dr. Dale Bredesen | The Metabolic Link Ep.7419 Aug 202501:03:13

Did you know that over 7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s—and that number is expected to nearly double by 2050? Despite decades of research and billions spent, most treatments only offer minimal slowing of symptoms.

But what if we’ve been approaching this disease all wrong?

In this powerful episode of The Metabolic Link, host Victoria Field sits down with renowned neurologist, researcher, and bestselling author Dr. Dale Bredesen. He shares how Alzheimer’s isn’t caused by one thing—and why he says a single-pill solution is a fundamentally flawed approach. Dr. Bredesen discusses his 30+ years of research into cognitive decline, the systems-based ReCODE Protocol that’s showing incredible success in reversing symptoms, and why early detection is everything.

From brain biomarkers to root causes like inflammation, toxins, and metabolic dysfunction, this is a masterclass on how we can take action—long before symptoms take hold.

🎯 Plus: In honor of World Alzheimer's Month, we're hosting a Live Q&A with Dr. Bredesen on Sept 4th at 9AM PT/12PM ET — FREE with a 7-day trial of our medical education platform, the Metabolic Initiative. Sign up: https://membership.metabolicinitiative.com/bredesen

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

✅Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here!

✅ Branch Basics - Get 15% off your Premium Starter Kit here

✅ iRestore - Get a huge discount on the iRestore Illumina Face Mask when you use the 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!

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.

Healing the Brain: A Metabolic Approach to Mental Illness | Erin Bellamy, PhD | The Metabolic Link Ep.7304 Aug 202501:08:52

👉 Register for a LIVE Q&A with Dr. Bellamy on August 19th at 8am PT / 11am ET at https://membership.metabolicinitiative.com/bellamy

Can metabolic therapy play a transformative role in the treatment of serious mental illness?

In this episode of The Metabolic Link, host Victoria Field speaks with Dr. Erin Bellamy - a Chartered Psychologist, Metabolic Psychiatry Practitioner, and CEO of IKRT - about the clinical application of ketogenic metabolic therapy (KMT) for psychiatric disorders. With over a decade of experience and a PhD focused on ketogenic diets for depression, Dr. Bellamy offers deep insight into the mechanisms driving psychiatric disease - including brain hypometabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and insulin resistance - and how KMT targets these shared biological pathways.

This conversation explores real-world implementation of ketogenic therapy in patients with diagnoses such as PTSD, ADHD, binge eating disorder, and schizoaffective disorder. Dr. Bellamy also shares her recently published case study demonstrating transdiagnostic remission using KMT, along with the clinical protocols, macronutrient ratios, and outcomes she’s seeing in her group and one-on-one programs.

Whether you’re a psychiatrist, psychologist, or healthcare professional interested in emerging metabolic therapies for mental health, this episode offers valuable clinical and translational insights into a rapidly evolving field.

👉 Register for the LIVE Q&A with Dr. Bellamy on August 19th at 8am PT / 11am ET at https://membership.metabolicinitiative.com/bellamy

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 here (use code METABOLICLINK)

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!

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.

Diabetes: Nutrition & Cardiometabolic Health | Andrew Koutnik, PhD | The Metabolic Link Ep.7222 Jul 202501:01:53

For more exclusive content on metabolic health, including additional videos with Dr. Andrew Koutnik, check out our membership platform for free here!

Despite incredible advances in diabetes technology, blood sugar control in people with Type 1 diabetes hasn’t meaningfully improved in over a decade. In this eye-opening episode recorded live at Metabolic Health Summit, Dr. Andrew Koutnik - a scientist, patient, and advocate - dives into the science behind this paradox.

Dr. Koutnik shares groundbreaking data from the largest-ever analysis of carbohydrate intake in people with Type 1 diabetes, explores the limitations of current technology, and presents a rare 10-year case study examining the long-term safety and efficacy of carbohydrate restriction.

From CGMs to closed-loop systems, from meal composition to insulin dosing, this episode challenges conventional assumptions and offers a compelling case for nutrition as a powerful - yet underutilized - tool in diabetes care.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

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!

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.

Journal Club: Prenatal Sugar Exposure & a Metabolic Therapy Framework for Brain Cancer | Ep.7108 Jul 202501:03:28

For more exclusive content on metabolic health and therapy, check out our membership platform for free: https://membership.metabolicinitiative.com

In this Journal Club edition of The Metabolic Link, hosts - Victoria Field, Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, and Dr. Angela Poff dissect two powerful papers reshaping our understanding of metabolic health. First up: a striking human study showing that exposure to sugar rationing during the first 1,000 days of life reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes and hypertension decades later—offering a rare glimpse into how early-life nutrition programs lifelong health. Then, the team dives into a landmark publication proposing a clinical research framework for ketogenic metabolic therapy in glioblastoma. With insights on developmental programming, public policy, and personalized metabolic approaches to cancer, this is a must-listen for anyone passionate about where science meets societal change.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅ Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here
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Read both papers here: 

  1. Exposure to sugar rationing in the first 1000 days of life protected against chronic disease
  2. Clinical research framework proposal for ketogenic metabolic therapy in glioblastoma

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!

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.

The Great Obesity Debate: Energy Balance vs Fructose - Dr. Layne Norton & Dr. Richard Johnson | Ep.7025 Jun 202501:42:46

What’s really causing America’s obesity epidemic? In this special debate episode of The Metabolic Link, two leading voices in metabolic health square off: Dr. Richard Johnson, renowned for his research on fructose metabolism, and Dr. Layne Norton, a PhD in nutritional sciences and expert on the energy balance model.
 
Moderated by host Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, the discussion dives deep into the biological roots of obesity, the relevance of sugar-sweetened beverages, the role of leptin and uric acid, and whether it’s fructose or calories that are driving the crisis. Despite their differing perspectives, both experts agree on one critical point—our modern food environment is fueling metabolic dysfunction on a massive scale.
 
This is one of the most nuanced and constructive conversations you’ll hear on the topic of obesity science.

References submitted by both guests can be found here!

For more exclusive interviews and presentations with Dr. Johnson and Dr. Norton along with 100s of other videos on metabolic health and therapy, ad-free private episodes of The Metabolic Link, and to earn CMEs visit our member medical education platform: https://membership.metabolicinitiative.com

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
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Learn more about Dr. Layne Norton
Learn more about Dr. Richard Johnson

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!

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.

How Could an Animal-Based Diet Impact Metabolic Health? | Anthony Chaffee, MD | The Metabolic Link Ep.6910 Jun 202501:29:03

Join us for a Live Q&A on June 18th at 9am PT/12pm ET with Dr. Anthony Chaffee and also enjoy ad-free exclusive episodes, videos covering the latest science on metabolic health on therapy, and earn CMEs by clicking here.

In this episode, Dr. Anthony Chaffee—medical doctor, neurosurgical registrar, and nutrition educator—joins Dr. Dominic D’Agostino for a thoughtful exploration of the scientific rationale behind animal-based ketogenic diets.

Together, they discuss burgeoning interest in how this approach could support metabolic health, reduce inflammation, and potentially improve outcomes in chronic conditions. Dr. Chaffee also shares his personal journey, evolutionary insights, and emerging clinical cases that invite a reexamination of modern dietary assumptions.

Whether you’re a practitioner, patient, or simply curious about low-carb, ketogenic, or elimination-based nutrition strategies, this conversation offers valuable perspective on food, metabolism, and human health.

Special 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 the 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!

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.

Bipolar Illness & Metabolic Health: My Story | Matt Baszucki | The Metabolic Link Ep.6828 May 202500:38:41

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In this deeply personal and courageous episode of The Metabolic Link, we hear from patient advocate and podcast co-host Matt Baszucki, who shares how he endured—and ultimately overcame—type 1 bipolar disorder through a radical shift in treatment: ketogenic metabolic therapy.

After years of hospitalizations, debilitating mood episodes, and failed conventional treatments, Matt found hope through the emerging field of metabolic psychiatry. With the help of his family, including support and clinical guidance from Dr. Christopher Palmer, Matt adopted a therapeutic ketogenic diet in 2021—and the results were extraordinary.

Now a thriving project manager in Silicon Valley and co-host of The BipolarCast, Matt is helping drive a movement that challenges the very foundation of how we treat mental illness. This episode is not just about recovery—it's about transformation, resilience, and the future of mental health care.

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 when you use the code METABOLICLINK here

Watch Matt Baszucki's YouTube Channel here and Bipolar Cast here. Learn more about the non-profit, Metabolic Mind, 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!

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.

Hormone Health for Performance and Longevity | Kyle Gillett, MD | The Metabolic Link Ep.6706 May 202500:54:11

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If you’re a clinician, scientist, or anyone interested in taking a deep dive into the complexities of hormone regulation, this episode of The Metabolic Link Podcast is for you! Recorded live at Metabolic Health Summit 2024, this in-depth presentation by Dr. Kyle Gillett—dual board-certified in family and obesity medicine—dives deep into the biochemical, clinical, and therapeutic layers of hormone health.

From his foundational “Seven Pillars of Health” to cutting-edge insights on peptides, receptor affinity, and hormone testing strategies, Dr. Gillett provides a masterclass on optimizing hormones for performance, longevity, and metabolic resilience. Designed for professionals and educated listeners alike, this talk bridges clinical relevance with scientific nuance.

Access even more from Dr. Gillett—like his exclusive Hormones 101 lecture—inside our medical education platform, The Metabolic Initiative. Start your free trial at https://membership.metabolicinitiative.com.

Special 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 the code METABOLICLINK here
✅ Zocdoc – Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor here
✅ Puori – Get 20% off supplements with code METABOLICLINK here

Learn more about Dr. Gillett 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!

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.

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!

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.

Journal Club: The Rise of Fatty Liver Disease and its Metabolic Roots | Ep.6623 Apr 202500:58:56

Become a member of The Metabolic Initiative to access exclusive ad-free episodes, 100s of videos on metabolic health, and earn CMEs: https://membership.metabolicinitiative.com

In today's journal club episode, co-hosts of The Metabolic Link, Dr. Angela Poff and Dr. Dominic D'Agostino, unpack the startling rise of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)—a silent epidemic affecting millions worldwide. Tune in as they break down groundbreaking new research revealing how NAFLD isn't just impacting adults, but alarmingly, children and adolescents too.

You'll learn about the latest updates in terminology, such as Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH) and Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Fatty Liver Disease (MASLD), highlighting a critical connection to underlying metabolic dysfunction. Plus, discover exciting dietary strategies—like therapeutic carbohydrate restriction—that hold potential not just to prevent, but to actually reverse liver fat accumulation.

If you've ever wondered how your diet and lifestyle choices directly shape your metabolic health, this episode delivers practical insights and actionable information straight from cutting-edge science. Don't miss this deep dive into the latest science on NAFLD—and how simple shifts today could dramatically improve your metabolic health tomorrow.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

Read the papers discussed 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!

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.

The Metabolic Impact of GLP-1s on Obesity | Spencer Nadolsky, DO | Ep.6511 Apr 202500:59:37

Join us for a FREE Live Q&A with Dr. Spencer Nadolsky on April 22nd at 9am PT / 12pm ET! Your first seven days are free, and as a member of The Metabolic Initiative, you’ll gain access to exclusive, ad-free episodes, hundreds of expert-led videos on metabolic health and therapy, CME opportunities, and more here!

In this episode of The Metabolic Link, Dr. Dominic D’Agostino sits down with Dr. Spencer Nadolsky—board-certified obesity and lipid specialist, former NCAA heavyweight wrestler, and founder of Vineyard—to explore one of the most hotly debated and often misunderstood tools in modern medicine: GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Together, they take a deep dive into how these drugs work, who they’re for, and why they might not always be a magic bullet. Dr. Nadolsky shares clinical insights into the real-world use of semaglutide, tirzepatide, and combination therapies, breaking down everything from appetite regulation and side effects to muscle loss, mood changes, and the potential future of prevention.

They also tackle pediatric obesity, long-term use vs. off-ramping, and the critical role of resistance training and nutrition for protecting muscle mass while on these medications.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

✅ Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here
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🧠 Learn more about Dr. Nadolsky → drspencer.com

💥 Don’t forget to RSVP for the live Q&A on April 22!
🎟️ membership.metabolicinitiative.com/drspencer

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!

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.

Reversing Heart Disease Through Metabolic Health | Philip Ovadia, MD | Ep.6425 Mar 202501:06:34

Join us for a Live Q&A with Dr. Ovadia on March 31st at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET! Your first seven days are free, and as a member of The Metabolic Initiative, you’ll gain access to exclusive, ad-free episodes, hundreds of videos on metabolic health (including Dr. Ovadia’s presentation, Fanning the Flames: Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, and Heart Disease), CME opportunities, and more. Register here!

Dr. Philip Ovadia is a cardiac surgeon on a mission to change how we think about heart disease. After performing thousands of surgeries, he realized that most of his patients didn’t need to end up on his operating table in the first place. In this episode, Dr. Ovadia joins host Victoria Field to uncover the metabolic factors driving heart disease and explore how we can prevent it before it requires surgery.

They dive into key topics like the role of insulin resistance versus cholesterol, why he says inflammation should be a bigger focus than LDL, the importance of advanced testing like Coronary Artery Calcium Score scans, and why lifestyle changes are the true foundation of prevention. Dr. Ovadia also shares his personal journey from obesity to metabolic health and how it reshaped his entire approach to medicine.

Whether you're a patient, physician, or anyone passionate about heart health, this episode will give you the tools you need to avoid the operating table.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
✅ Genova Connect: Get 15% off any Genova Connect test kits by using the code METABOLICLINK here
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✅ Puori: Get 20% off Puori supplements! If you choose their already discounted subscription, that's almost a third off the price! Visit this link and use the code METABOLICLINK

Learn more about Dr. Ovadia here!

Join our Live Q&A with Dr. Ovadia: https://membership.metabolicinitiative.com/ovadia 

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!

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.

The Mitochondrial Link to Mental Illness | Ana Andreazza, PhD | The Metabolic Link Ep.6311 Mar 202501:04:32

Mitochondria do more than power our cells—they may hold the key to understanding and treating mental illness.

In this episode of The Metabolic Link, Dr. Dominic D’Agostino sits down with Dr. Ana Andreazza, a leading expert in mitochondrial health at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Andreazza has pioneered research linking mitochondrial dysfunction to psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder, utilizing groundbreaking 3D brain organoid models to study neurotransmission. She also leads research on mitochondrial transplantation, a potential game-changer in regenerative medicine.

Join us as we explore how mitochondria influence mood, metabolism, and overall health—and why optimizing mitochondrial function may be the future of medicine. Listen to the episode on any major podcast player or watch the interview on YouTube.

Learn more about Dr. Andreazza's work here.

Special thanks to our sponsors:

  • Genova Connect: Get 15% off any Genova Connect test kits by using the code METABOLICLINK here
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  • Puori: Get 20% off Puori supplements! If you choose their already discounted subscription, that's almost a third off the price! Visit this link and use the 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!

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.

Optimizing Metabolic Health | MHS Panel Discussion | The Metabolic Link Ep. 6227 Feb 202500:37:05

Become a member of The Metabolic Initiative to access exclusive ad-free episodes, 100s of videos on metabolic health, and earn CMEs here.

What’s the best way to optimize metabolic health? In this powerhouse episode of The Metabolic Link, we bring together leading experts including Dr. Ben Bikman, Dr. Richard Johnson, Dr. Jonathan Jun, Dr. Nick Norwitz, and Dave Feldman from our Optimizing Metabolic Health Symposium filmed at Metabolic Health Summit 2024 and hosted by Dr. Dominic D'Agostino.

In this discussion, you'll dive into some of the biggest questions in metabolism, including:

  • What are the long-term effects of GLP-1 medications on fat, muscle, and metabolism?
  • Does long-term dieting slow metabolism? And if so, can you reverse it?
  • How do diet and fasting influence neuropathy and nerve function? 
  • Exercise and lipid profiles—what makes an athletic metabolism different?
  • Do high-protein diets really harm the kidneys, or is it a myth?
  • What is the role of the microbiome in weight gain, fat loss, and metabolic adaptation?

And much more! With insights from top scientists and researchers, this episode is packed with takeaways for anyone looking to improve their metabolic health.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

  • Genova Connect: Get 15% off any Genova Connect test kits by using the code METABOLICLINK here
  • Maui Nui Venison: Gain access to a limited collection of our favorite Maui Nui products here
  • Zocdoc: Visit this link to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor
  • Puori: Get 20% off Puori supplements! If you choose their already discounted subscription, that's almost a third off the price! Use the 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!

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.

Targeting Cancer Metabolism: The Future of Oncology | Dr. Tomás Duraj | The Metabolic Link Ep. 6111 Feb 202501:32:21

What if we could target cancer at its metabolic core? In this episode of The Metabolic Link, Dr. Dominic D’Agostino is joined by Dr. Tomás Duraj, a physician and cancer metabolism researcher working alongside Dr. Thomas Seyfried.

Dr. Duraj is the lead author of a groundbreaking review on ketogenic metabolic therapy for glioblastoma, bringing together leading experts to explore how metabolic strategies could reshape cancer treatment.

In this deep-dive conversation, they discuss the bioenergetics of cancer, the role of mitochondria, the Warburg effect, and why targeting glucose and glutamine metabolism may be the key to making standard cancer therapies more effective.

Whether you’re a researcher, clinician, or someone interested in the latest advancements in cancer therapy, this episode is packed with insights that could redefine the way we think about cancer treatment. Watch the full episode here or listen on your favorite podcast player for this must-hear discussion on the future of metabolic therapy for cancer!

Read Dr. Duraj's paper: Clinical research framework proposal for ketogenic metabolic therapy in glioblastoma

About Dr. Tomás Duraj
Dr. Tomás Duraj is a Czech physician-scientist, receiving his Medical Degree from the Rey Juan Carlos University and his PhD in Translational Medicine from the CEU San Pablo University (Madrid, Spain). His research focuses on studying the potential of bioenergetic modulation in cancer metabolism, with special emphasis on glioblastoma, the most aggressive and lethal primary brain tumor. After developing cancer research at the team of Dr. Ayuso Sacido, he joined Dr. Thomas N. Seyfried’s laboratory in Boston College. His goal is to advance our understanding of metabolic oncology on a rigorous, evidence-based background, making it part of the standard oncology toolkit.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

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!

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.

A Ketogenic Approach to Type 1 Diabetes | Dr. Ian Lake | The Metabolic Link Ep.6029 Jan 202501:07:01

Become a member of The Metabolic Initiative to access exclusive ad-free episodes, 100s of videos on metabolic health, and earn CMEs: https://membership.metabolicinitiative.com

Can a ketogenic diet revolutionize the management of type 1 diabetes? In this episode of The Metabolic Link, Dr. Ian Lake, a UK-based physician and type 1 diabetes advocate, shares his personal and professional journey in using low-carb and ketogenic diets to improve metabolic control.

Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 36, Dr. Lake initially followed conventional high-carb recommendations—until he discovered the power of nutritional ketosis. He breaks down how reducing insulin volumes, optimizing glucose levels, and becoming fat-adapted transformed his health and life.

From running 700 miles while following a ketogenic diet to leading type 1 diabetes retreats, Dr. Lake shares actionable insights on metabolic flexibility, insulin sensitivity, and the real-world implications of a ketogenic approach.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

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!

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.

Chad Vanags | Patient Perspective: Why I Don’t Trust You & How We Can Fix It | The Metabolic Link Ep.5914 Jan 202500:42:27

Become a member of The Metabolic Initiative to access exclusive ad-free episodes, watch 100s of videos on metabolic health, and earn CMEs here.

In this powerful and unfiltered episode of The Metabolic Link, we're sharing a full presentation by Chad Vanags, a former SaaS executive and entrepreneur who has turned his stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis into a mission to reshape the way we think about healing. Recorded live at Metabolic Health Summit in January of 2024, Chad shares his journey of becoming metabolically, physically, and mentally elite in the fight against cancer.

Through his deeply personal story, Chad provides a rare and essential patient perspective, shedding light on the gaps in traditional cancer care—from nutrition and communication to the importance of mindset and metabolic health. His insights challenge clinicians, researchers, and patients alike to rethink the medical status quo, spark innovation, and inspire transformative conversations.

This episode is more than just a story of resilience—it’s a call to action to integrate patient voices into the heart of healthcare and foster a collaborative approach to healing.

Listen to this episode or watch on YouTube to explore Chad’s journey, the lessons he’s learned, and his hope for the future of patient-centered care.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

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!

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.

Journal Club: The Ketogenic Diet Reshapes Cancer Metabolism & the Gut Microbiome | Ep.5831 Dec 202401:11:11

Become a member of The Metabolic Initiative to access exclusive ad-free episodes and earn CMEs here.

In this journal club episode, host Victoria Field is joined by Dr. Angela Poff and Dr. Dominic D’Agostino to dive into two groundbreaking studies shaping our understanding of metabolism and its role in health and disease. The team explores the nuances of a recent randomized controlled trial on ketogenic diets, free sugar restriction, and their effects on glucose tolerance, lipid metabolism, and the gut microbiome. Then, they tackle a cutting-edge study uncovering the molecular mechanisms of ketogenic diets in reshaping cancer metabolism through lysine beta-hydroxybutylaration.

From the clinical implications of these findings to the potential of ketone supplementation, this episode is packed with insights for researchers, clinicians, and health enthusiasts. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn how these discoveries could shape the future of precision medicine.

🔍 Study 1: Ketogenic diet but not free-sugar restriction alters glucose tolerance, lipid metabolism, peripheral tissue phenotype, and gut microbiome: RCT

🔍 Study 2: Ketogenic diet reshapes cancer metabolism through lysine β-hydroxybutyrylation

Referenced study related to cardiometabolic health - Carbohydrate Restriction-Induced Elevations in LDL-Cholesterol and Atherosclerosis: The KETO Trial

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode:
Genova Connect: Receive 15% off any of their tests with code metaboliclink here
Fatty15: Get 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit with the code METABOLICLINK here
Maui Nui: Get 15% off your first order of Maui Nui with the code METABOLICLINK by visiting this link

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!

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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