Dr. Robert Rountree is a functional and integrative medicine physician. He received his medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill in 1980. He completed a three-year residency in family and community medicine at the Milton Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, after which he was certified by the American Board of Family Practice. He completed extensive postgraduate studies in nutritional and herbal pharmacology and has been practicing his unique combination of traditional family medicine, nutrition, and biology in mind body therapy in Boulder, Colorado, since 1983. He's also the coauthor of three books on integrative medicine. 

 

In this episode of Conversations for Health, we tackle Bob's journey in integrative and functional medicine, and two main topics, which could easily be multiple episodes on their own – liver health and mitochondrial health. We explore the silent epidemic of metabolic-associated fat accumulation in the liver, GLP-1s, sarcopenia, and fatty liver, and the impact of glyphosate and environmental toxins on fatty liver. We also cover recommended mitochondrial support nutrients and advancements with CGMs in supporting liver and mitochondrial health. Dr. Rountree’s passion for these topics is evident throughout our conversation, and his generously shared insights into nutrients will be of interest to practitioners everywhere. 

 

I’m your host, Evelyne Lambrecht, thank you for designing a well world with us.

 

Episode Resources:

Dr. Robert Rountree: https://www.ifm.org/educator/robert-rountree

Nutrition & Supplementation in Clinical Care Conference 2026: https://ssihi.uci.edu/news-and-media/events/nutrition-supplementation-clinical-care-2026/

Referenced Study - Common weedkiller glyphosate may be linked to liver disease epidemic, study warns: https://usrtk.org/healthwire/glyphosate-linked-to-liver-disease-epidemic/

Referenced Study - Discontinuation and Reinitiation of Dual-Labeled GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Among US Adults With Overweight or Obesity: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11786232/

Design for Health Resources:

Designs for Health - https://www.designsforhealth.com/

Designs for Health Practitioner Exclusive Drug Nutrient Depletion and Interaction Checker - https://www.designsforhealth.com/drug-nutrient-interaction/

Visit the Designs for Health Research and Education Library which houses medical journals, protocols, webinars, and our blog.

https://www.designsforhealth.com/research-and-education/education

The Designs for Health Podcast is produced in partnership with Podfly Productions.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro.

02:11 Dr. Robert Rountree is lit up about the latest research in mitochondrial health. 

4:36 Dr. Rountree’s professional journey all started with a book on herbs. 

8:28 Key learnings as both a functional medicine educator and a family practice doctor. 

11:22 Updated terms and definitions of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, fatty liver disease, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. 

12:20 Why is Dr. Rountree so passionate about liver health, and why should practitioners be more informed about it? 

17:04 The silent epidemic of metabolically associated fat accumulation in the liver.

18:45 Dr. Rountree’s take on GLP-1s, sarcopenia, and fatty liver. 

24:08 Long-term solutions and nutrient dosing for combating fatty liver. 

29:10 Retest guidelines after starting a patient on a new program. 

31:50 The impact of glyphosate and environmental toxins on fatty liver. 

36:10 Supporting the liver’s ability to process toxins. 

38:52 Nutrient recommendations including berberine and dosing in standardized extract. 

43:44 The gut microbiome as a major contributor to liver health. 

48:09 Dr. Rountree’s experiences with Designs for Health's founding days. 

50:02 The importance of challenging sources in research. 

54:17 Top mitochondria health nutrients. 

57:53 How Dr. Rountree uses NAD in his clinical practice. 

59:39 Additional recommended mitochondrial support nutrients. 

1:03:51 Dr. Rountree’s final thoughts on mitochondrial health and CGMs. 

1:10:18 Dr. Rountree’s personal favorite supplements, favorite health practices, and his altered opinion on good carbs and CGMs.