ReThink Health with Dr. Autumn Smith

IN THIS EPISODE What if we've been looking at cancer the wrong way for more than 70 years?

In this episode of the ReThink Health Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Thomas Seyfried, a professor of biology at Boston College and author of Cancer as a Metabolic Disease. For decades he has asked a question most of oncology stopped asking long ago: what if cancer isn't driven mainly by bad genes?

This conversation is deeply personal for me. My dad battled cancer three times, and I recently lost him. Two of my close friends, one in her 40s and one in his 50s, are facing cancer right now. Dr. Seyfried's work was a source of hope for our family, and I know cancer touches almost everyone's life.

Dr. Seyfried explains why he believes cancer is primarily a mitochondrial metabolic disease. His argument builds on the work of Nobel laureate Otto Warburg and on his own lab's research into how cancer cells rely on two fuels: glucose and glutamine. He walks us through the nuclear transfer experiments that challenged the gene-centered view of cancer. He also explains why cancer cells "ferment" for energy instead of "breathing" like healthy cells.

You'll learn:

• Why Dr. Seyfried believes the gene mutations found in cancer are an effect of the disease rather than its cause

• The difference between fermentation and respiration, and why cancer cells keep fermenting even when oxygen is present

• Why he says glucose and glutamine must be targeted together, and how his "press-pulse" strategy works

• How to use the Glucose-Ketone Index to see where your metabolism stands

• Why ketones are often called a "super fuel" for healthy cells

• How alcohol, portion size, exercise, stress, and fasting affect your glucose ketone index (GKI)

• What forever chemicals and rising childhood obesity may mean for cancer rates in kids

• What a day of eating and living looks like for a researcher who has studied cancer for 40 years

If you or someone you love has been touched by cancer, this episode offers a different perspective and practical tools to bring to your conversations with your healthcare team.

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IN THIS EPISODE What if the most overlooked nutrient in your diet isn't a vitamin or a mineral, but a simple amino acid your body already makes?

In this episode of the ReThink Health Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Joel Brind, a biochemist with over 50 years in medical research and the author of The Glycine Miracle. Dr. Brind has spent nearly two decades studying glycine, and he makes the case that this "nonessential" amino acid may actually be the body's primary regulator of inflammation. Unfortunately, most of us are falling short by as much as 10 grams a day… which translates to a shockingly wide range of health problems today.

You'll learn:

• Why glycine is technically "nonessential," and why your body likely can't make nearly enough of it on its own

• Why meat eaters surprisingly have less glycine in their blood than vegans

• How glycine acts as a molecular gatekeeper, controlling whether immune cells stay calm or launch a full inflammatory response

• Which modern eating habits may be driving a glycine deficiency

• Why higher natural glycine levels translate to a lower risk of major cardiac events

• New research on how restoring glycine to aging cells can reverse markers of mitochondrial aging

• Why Dr. Brind believes chronic, unresolved inflammation after everyday injuries like sunburns or sprains isn't actually "normal"

• The difference between getting glycine from food, collagen, magnesium glycinate, or a standalone supplement, and what each does and doesn't provide

• Practical, everyday ways to close the "glycine gap" without overhauling your entire diet

If you've ever wondered why nagging aches, poor sleep, or slow recovery seem to be your "normal," this conversation offers a compelling, science-backed reason why they might not have to be.

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IN THIS EPISODE

Are our brains shrinking? According to my guest this week, the answer is a resounding yes… and he's been warning us about it since 1972.

In this episode of the ReThink Health Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Michael Crawford, a pioneering nutritional scientist and one of the first researchers in the world to identify DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) as essential to brain development and function. Nearly 40 years ago, his lab discovered that primates deprived of omega-3 fatty acids developed severe self-harming behavior, hair loss, and psychological distress that reversed once DHA was restored to their diet.

Since then, the evidence has only grown. Dr. Crawford walks us through the astonishing story of how the human brain evolved in the sea over 500 million years, why larger-bodied animals are actually worse at making their own DHA, and why average human brain capacity is rapidly shrinking.

We also get into the controversial and often misunderstood topic of mercury in seafood, why pregnant women may be doing more harm than good by avoiding fish, and what groundbreaking new research is revealing about DHA's role in brain development before birth.

You'll learn:

• Why brain tissue is fundamentally different from the rest of the body, and why government nutrition guidelines miss this entirely

• The staggering economic cost of brain disorders, and why it now outpaces heart disease and cancer combined

• The real reason ultra-processed foods are stripped of omega-3s, and why that matters more than you might think

• The truth about mercury in seafood, and why its "danger" is far less significant than we've been told

• What Japan's coastal restoration projects can teach us about rebuilding our own fisheries and food systems

• The best food sources of DHA, including surprising picks for people who don't eat fish

If you're not eating seafood on a regular basis, this episode makes a compelling case for why that one change could matter more than almost anything else you do for your brain.

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IN THIS EPISODE

Is your morning coffee helping or hurting your health?

The answer may depend on much more than how many cups you drink.

In this episode of the ReThink Health Podcast, I sit down with nutritional biochemist Stephen Cherniske, author of Caffeine Blues, for a nuanced look at one of the most widely consumed compounds in the world: caffeine. Rather than labeling caffeine "good" or "bad," Stephen explains why your dose, timing, genetics, and individual response can completely change how caffeine affects you.

Stephen (who still drinks coffee himself) encourages understanding your own physiology and using caffeine strategically rather than mindlessly; a distinction that becomes especially important since people can metabolize and respond to caffeine very differently.

You'll learn:

• Why caffeine doesn't actually give your body energy (and what it does instead)

• The research-backed benefits of caffeine for cognition, memory, athletic performance, and metabolic health

• Why the same amount of caffeine may make one person feel great and another anxious, jittery, or unable to sleep

• How caffeine can interfere with deep, restorative sleep even when you think you're sleeping just fine

• How your heart rate and sleep quality may provide clues about your personal caffeine tolerance

• Why caffeine timing matters (and when Stephen recommends cutting yourself off for the day)

• Why tea may feel different from coffee for people who are sensitive to caffeine

• What to look for when choosing a high-quality decaf coffee

If coffee is one of the first things you reach for every morning, this episode will help you stop thinking about caffeine as simply "healthy" or "unhealthy" and start asking a much more useful question: How is it actually affecting you?

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IN THIS EPISODE

Most of us hear the words "processed meat" and immediately think unhealthy.

But is a traditionally fermented salami really the same thing as an ultra-processed meat snack packed with sugar, fillers, and additives?

In this episode of the ReThink Health Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Frederic Leroy, a professor and food scientist who has spent decades studying animal-source foods, fermentation, food processing, and human nutrition.

Dr. Leroy explains why lumping every processed meat into one category misses some important details. (Humans have been drying, curing, smoking, and fermenting meat for thousands of years, and traditional products can look very different from modern ultra-processed versions!)

It's a refreshingly nuanced conversation that moves beyond "processed meat = bad" and asks a much more useful question: What kind of processing are we actually talking about?

You'll learn:

• The difference between traditionally processed and ultra-processed meat products

• What the WHO's processed-meat classification actually tells us about hazard vs. risk

• Why much of the processed-meat research relies on observational data, and why that matters

• How traditional fermentation, curing, drying, and smoking preserve meat

• How to spot a higher-quality processed meat by reading the ingredient list

• What nitrates and nitrites actually do in cured meats (and why celery-derived nitrate is still the same molecule)

• What we know (and don't know) about probiotics, postbiotics, and bioactive peptides in fermented meats

• Dr. Leroy's simple framework for building a nourishing diet without following rigid food rules

If you've been avoiding ham, salami, jerky, or meat sticks because you've heard that all processed meat is unhealthy, this episode will help you understand the important differences that rarely make it into nutrition headlines.

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IN THIS EPISODE

You've probably heard that omega-3s are good for you. But few people realize just how crucial they are for brain health, inflammation, and so much more… and just how many of us aren't getting enough.

In this episode of the ReThink Health Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Philip Calder, Professor of Nutritional Immunology at the University of Southampton and one of the world's leading researchers on omega-3 fatty acids and inflammation.

According to Dr. Calder, an estimated 75% of people worldwide aren't getting enough EPA and DHA, the omega-3s most strongly linked to human health. And over time, low omega-3 status may contribute to greater risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, cognitive decline, and other conditions associated with aging.

Come explore why DHA is especially important for the brain, how omega-3s may support muscle as we age, the nuanced truth about omega-6 seed oils, and simple ways to improve your omega-3 status through food and supplements.

You'll learn:

• How omega-3s change your cell membranes and influence how your cells function

• How EPA, DHA, and DPA literally help turn off inflammation

• Why DHA plays a unique role in the brain, vision, and cognitive function

• The difference between EPA and DHA (and why you need both)

• How omega-3s may support muscle protein synthesis and healthy aging

• The surprising connection between omega-3s, fertility, pregnancy, and infant development

• Why the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids matters

• The best food sources of EPA and DHA, and how much Dr. Calder recommends getting each day

• How the Omega-3 Index can help reveal your long-term omega-3 status and future health risks

If you're not regularly eating fatty fish, there's a good chance you're missing out on these critical fats. This episode explains exactly why omega-3s matter and the practical steps you can take to get more of them.

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We love to argue about food like it's simple—grass-fed vs. grain-fed, animal vs. plant, protein powder vs. "real food." But the truth is… we're barely scratching the surface of what food actually contains.

In this episode of the ReThink Health Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Stephen Van Vliet (Utah State University), a researcher on the front lines of nutrient density, metabolomics, and regenerative agriculture. His lab is helping answer the questions most of us feel are important, but don't have clear, evidence-based answers for yet:

• Does food quality actually change what happens in your body?

• Does the way an animal is raised matter… beyond marketing labels?

• And what does "nutrient-dense" even mean when a food can contain thousands of compounds we don't track on a nutrition label?

You'll hear why beef may contain tens of thousands of unique metabolites, how new metabolomics tools are changing what we can measure, and why "grass fed" isn't always as straightforward as people think. Dr. van Vliet also shares fascinating early findings from long-term human trials, looking at what happens when people switch from conventional to pasture-raised animal foods, including changes in omega-3 levels in the blood.

It's a nuanced, science-forward conversation that skips the dogma and gets to what really matters: making food choices that support real health over the long haul.

• Why nutrition labels only tell a tiny part of the story

• What "nutrient density profiling" really means (and how it's measured)

• Why whole foods can act differently in the body than isolated protein powders

• The surprising reasons why some "grain-fed" samples can be more nutrient-dense than the least nutrient-dense "grass fed" samples
• What Dr. van Vliet's research suggests about omega-3s in pasture-raised meat, eggs, and blood markers over time

• The emerging role of phytonutrients in animal foods (and why liver may be especially interesting)

• The most impactful "health upgrade" you can make today

If you've ever felt skeptical of nutrition debates that sound too black-and-white, this episode will feel like a breath of fresh air and a glimpse into where food research is heading next.

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IN THIS EPISODE

When we feel anxious, down, or just not like ourselves, we usually assume something in our life is to blame.

But what if sometimes the problem isn't your life… it's that your brain is missing a crucial nutrient?

In this episode of the ReThink Health Podcast, I sit down with Julia Ross, a pioneer in the nutritional use of amino acids for mood, cravings, eating disorders, and addiction. After more than 40 years of clinical work, she's helping answer some fascinating questions about the connection between protein, brain chemistry, and how we feel.

You'll hear how amino acids like DLPA, GABA, tryptophan, tyrosine, and glutamine interact with neurotransmitter systems tied to mood and appetite. Julia also explains why cravings for foods like chocolate, sugar, bread, and cheese may offer clues about what's happening in the brain… and why getting enough high-quality protein is such an important nutritional foundation.

It's a fascinating look at mood and cravings from a completely different angle: not just what's happening in your life, but whether your brain has the raw materials it needs to function at its best.

You'll learn:

• The difference between a "true mood" and a "false mood"

• How specific amino acids support neurotransmitters involved in mood, calm, focus, and pleasure

• Why DLPA may support endorphin activity and emotional well-being

• How GABA, tryptophan, tyrosine, and glutamine each play different roles

• Why certain food cravings may offer clues about your brain chemistry

• How ultra-processed diets and low protein intake may affect amino acid availability

• How to tell exactly which amino acids you need for your most vibrant health

If you've ever wondered why you can have a good life and still not feel good, this episode offers a fascinating new way to think about the connection between food, brain chemistry, and mood.

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IN THIS EPISODE

We're told meat is dangerous, fat is the enemy, and cereal somehow ends up with a better "health score" than beef or eggs. But what if much of that narrative is based on oversimplified science… and not the full picture of human biology?

In this episode of the ReThink Health Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Drew Pinsky to unpack his personal health transformation and what he believes is the powerful link between diet, inflammation, brain function, and long-term metabolic health. Drawing from decades in medicine and his own experience shifting to a low-carb, meat-forward diet, Dr. Drew explains why carbohydrates, ultra-processed foods, and unhealthy fats may play a far bigger role in mental and physical health than we've been led to believe.

You'll learn:

• How a high carbohydrate intake may drive inflammation, insulin issues, and metabolic dysfunction

• The incredible results and dramatic improvements Dr. Drew noticed in himself after reducing carbs

• Why the brain is not separate from the body—and how diet impacts mental health directly

• The potential role of red meat and amino acids in mood, focus, and overall well-being

• Why ultra-processed foods and "yummy" engineered carbs can be habit-forming and disruptive to appetite regulation

• The difference between wellness, mental health, and mental illness—and where nutrition fits in

• Why reading labels and eating consciously may be the most powerful first step for lasting change

If you've ever felt confused by conflicting headlines about meat, fat, and carbs—or wondered how diet truly affects mood, energy, and long-term health—this episode offers a grounded, experience-backed perspective that cuts through the noise.

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IN THIS EPISODE

Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world.

But what if its impact on human health goes far beyond the plants it was designed to kill?

In this episode of the ReThink Health Podcast, Dr. Stephanie Seneff and I dive into one of the most controversial and fascinating theories in modern health: the possible connection between glyphosate, glycine, and chronic disease.

Glycine is an amino acid that plays a massive role in proteins, collagen, digestion, detoxification, immune function, and cellular repair. And according to Dr. Seneff's research, glyphosate's structural similarity to glycine may help explain why so many modern health issues are rising alongside increased glyphosate exposure.

In this eye-opening conversation, we explore how glyphosate may impact the gut microbiome, where it hides in the food supply, and why glycine-rich foods like bone broth, collagen, and fermented foods may help support resilience.

You'll learn:

• Why glyphosate was marketed as "safe" for humans… and why that explanation may be incomplete

• How glyphosate may disrupt the gut microbiome and contribute to digestive dysfunction

• The unexpected connection between glyphosate and glycine

• Which foods may contain the highest glyphosate residues, including a surprising category many people think of as healthy

• How quickly glyphosate levels may drop when switching to an organic diet

• Why fermented foods, sulfur-rich foods, and glycine-rich foods may help support the gut

• What deuterium is and why Dr. Seneff believes it may play a role in mitochondrial dysfunction

If you've ever wondered why gut issues, food sensitivities, inflammatory conditions, and chronic disease seem to be rising so quickly… this episode offers a fascinating look at one possible missing piece.

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