The Feldman Protocol

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, can what we eat meaningfully influence the course of serious mental illness? Dave sits down with Lauren Kennedy West (mental health advocate and YouTuber living with schizoaffective disorder) to explore her personal journey from multiple hospitalizations and misdiagnoses to adopting therapeutic ketosis. Lauren makes the case for metabolic psychiatry as a complement to traditional care, discusses the identity challenges of sharing her N-of-1 experiment publicly, reflects on navigating medication tapering, community polarization, the role of AI in personalized care, and the social complexity of restrictive eating.🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --Own Your Labs 👉 `https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/53` Private blood testing services🩸Over 300 blood tests💰Extremely affordable❤️ We love our customers(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`⏱ Chapters0:00 – Cold open & sucralose reaction1:14 – Lauren introduces herself2:46 – Early symptoms & the teenage years6:00 – First diagnosis journey8:20 – Hospitalizations & ECT11:46 – Dave's reflections on illness identity15:27 – YouTube channel origins19:32 – First attempt at ketogenic diet23:46 – Accessing metabolic psychiatry32:16 – Community reaction to going keto37:54 – Eating disorder concerns & food identity42:14 – The sushi experiment in San Francisco50:38 – Defined by wellness, not illness54:32 – Medication tapering & potentiation1:00:04 – Running, soccer & the ACL injury1:07:53 – Kids, diet, and parenting challenges1:17:00 – Metabolic Mind partnership & the course1:19:18 – Desk questions: dirty keto & sucralose1:23:08 – Meds vs. metabolic therapy: how it feels1:28:52 – Traveling keto & snack strategies1:39:31 – Community building & echo chambers1:47:42 – Social media, nuance & polarization1:58:11 – Platform challenges & demonetization2:05:53 – Patient autonomy & medical humility2:14:05 – Living well: nuance over narrative2:21:26 – AI in diagnostics & mental health care2:31:00 – AI sycophancy & trust concerns2:39:23 – The future of AI-assisted therapy2:46:09 – Parallels: AI guardrails & patient autonomy2:51:55 – Where to find Lauren#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #LaurenKennedyWest #MetabolicPsychiatry #KetogenicDiet #MentalHealth #Schizoaffective #SchizophreniaAwareness #BrainEnergy #TherapeuticKetosis #MentalWellness #NutritionAndMindHealth #AIInHealthcare #PatientAutonomy #LowCarbLife #ChristopherPalmer #MetabolicMind #MentalHealthAdvocacy

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, how does metabolic health shape cardiovascular risk — and does the conventional focus on individual biomarkers miss the bigger picture? Dave Feldman sits down with cardiologist Arthur Agatston (MD), creator of the South Beach Diet and the coronary calcium score, to explore blood pressure guideline debates, insulin resistance and preeclampsia, the origins of the South Beach Diet, LP(a) and plaque progression in lean mass hyper-responders, HDL dysfunction, and the lipid energy model's structural hypothesis.🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --Own Your Labs 👉 `https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/52` Private blood testing services🩸Over 300 blood tests💰Extremely affordable❤️ We love our customers(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`⏱ Chapters0:00 – Introduction & cold open2:02 – Blood pressure monitoring technology6:57 – Dave & Arthur on BP guideline debates9:36 – Cholesterol targets & guideline pressures12:20 – Type 1 diabetes & low-carb care gaps15:26 – Joseph Kraft, insulin, and missed signals21:53 – Inertia in medicine & the role of AI27:06 – Insulin resistance, Kraft test & preeclampsia33:40 – Origins of the South Beach Diet40:17 – Carbohydrate addiction & personal experience51:32 – Elimination diets & unexpected symptom relief57:04 – Fat adaptation & lipoprotein dynamics1:00:00 – Triglycerides, remnant particles & VLDL1:05:11 – Particle size, ApoB & atherogenicity1:11:19 – LP(a) findings in lean mass hyper-responders1:19:45 – FH, plaque progression & LDL context1:33:31 – 4S trial, small dense LDL & statin data1:40:11 – HDL dysfunction & the HDL bump phenotype1:56:21 – Lipid energy model & structural hypothesis2:01:38 – Fat adaptation, F1, and closing reflections#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #ArthurAgatston #LipidEnergyModel #InsulinResistance #HeartHealth #CalciumScore #LDLCholesterol #MetabolicHealth #LowCarb #KetogenicDiet #ApoB #HDLDysfunction #Preeclampsia #SouthBeachDiet #Lipoproteins #CardiovascularResearch #FunctionalCardiology

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, how does metabolic health shape cardiovascular risk — and what does that mean for interpreting cholesterol markers in lean, low-carb individuals? Arthur Agatston (MD) makes the case for a functional model of atherosclerosis progression, discusses AI-driven advances in cardiac imaging, argues for revisiting how blood pressure is measured and treated, and explores electrolyte management on ketogenic diets — all through a wide-ranging scientific conversation with Dave.🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --Own Your Labs 👉 `https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/51` Private blood testing services🩸Over 300 blood tests💰Extremely affordable❤️ We love our customers(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`⏱ Chapters0:00 – Cold open & intro7:11 – Late eating & metabolic effects12:37 – Western diet spreading globally18:07 – Personal fat threshold explained23:01 – Lipid energy model & LDL cycling30:26 – Exercise type & lipoprotein uptake38:39 – AI-enhanced cardiac imaging45:17 – Arterial flexibility & plaque burden53:20 – South Beach Diet origins1:00:39 – Scientific uncertainty in medicine1:06:41 – LMHR study: plaque findings1:16:57 – Plaque regression & calcification1:26:57 – Photon CT & next-gen imaging1:33:20 – Hypertension history & FDR1:41:30 – Blood pressure measurement issues1:49:44 – Keto, insulin & sodium loss1:55:09 – Overhydration & electrolyte balance2:00:08 – Electrolyte management on keto#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #ArthurAgatston #CardiovascularHealth #LowCarbDiet #LeanMassHyperResponder #LipidEnergyModel #HeartHealth #CACScore #KetogenicDiet #Atherosclerosis #BloodPressure #Electrolytes #MetabolicHealth #SouthBeachDiet #CardiacImaging #AIinMedicine #Cholesterol

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, how well do conventional cardiovascular risk metrics actually identify who is truly at risk for a heart attack decades before it happens? Cardiologist Arthur Agatston (MD) makes the case for coronary calcium scoring as an early detection tool, discusses the natural history of atherosclerotic plaque, revisits key moments in lipid science history, explores why stent placement in asymptomatic patients presents a more complex picture than intuition suggests, and shares observations on the evolving role of CT angiography and AI-assisted plaque analysis.

🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --

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Private blood testing services

🩸Over 300 blood tests

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❤️ We love our customers

(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)

🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:

Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`

X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`

Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`

Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`

⏱ Chapters

0:00 – Cold open & introduction

7:46 – Arthur's path into medicine

18:59 – Early cardiology & clinical trials

27:47 – Lipid science history & Ancel Keys

39:04 – Rabbit studies & lipoprotein discovery

47:15 – Ultra-fast CT arrives at Sinai

55:26 – Collateral vessels & total occlusion

1:00:00 – Ischemia trial: stents vs. medical therapy

1:05:01 – Back to the CAC origin story

1:13:09 – Soft vs. calcified plaque progression

1:21:40 – FH patient with zero CAC score

1:26:53 – The Agatston score is named

1:33:51 – Power of zero & plaque burden

1:39:35 – CAC vs. CT angiogram explained

1:44:19 – Resistance to new imaging technology

1:48:34 – Nutrition interest in the 1990s

1:49:25 – Heart Lung AI & plaque ratio research

1:51:11 – Closing reflections

#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #ArthurAgatston #CoronaryCalcium #HeartHealth #Atherosclerosis #CardiacImaging #CACScore #LDL #Lipids #PlaqueBiology #CTAngiogram #CardiologyResearch #LowCarbDiet #LeanMassHyperResponder #HeartDiseasePrevention #LipidScience #CardiovascularResearch

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, how does insulin influence cancer cell behavior — and what does that mean for metabolic approaches to the disease? Dave sits down with Isabella Cooper (PhD) to explore the glucose-ketone index and its practical limits, the role of glutamine alongside glucose in cancer metabolism, how mitochondrial dysfunction and cardiolipin loss may relate to tumor progression, the case for high-dose intravenous vitamin C, osteocyte biology and the surprising systemic roles of osteocalcin, and what makes a rigorous research culture.

🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --

Own Your Labs 👉 `https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/49`

Private blood testing services

🩸Over 300 blood tests

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❤️ We love our customers

(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)

🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:

Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`

X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`

Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`

Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`

⏱ Chapters

0:00 – Cold open & intro

1:08 – Cancer metabolism overview

2:24 – Glucose-ketone index explained

5:01 – Lean mass hypersponders & glucose

9:18 – Acetone measurement & respiration

13:49 – Insulin, ketones & cancer signaling

19:05 – Growth factors & VEGF discussion

25:29 – Stomach acidity & nutrient absorption

32:08 – How cancer cells originate

35:43 – Cardiolipin, melatonin & apoptosis

43:05 – Diet quality & food as function

52:14 – Chemotherapy & metabolic protocols

1:03:36 – Patient outcomes & biopsy risks

1:14:32 – IV vitamin C trial findings

1:22:07 – Ideal cancer metabolism trial design

1:29:36 – Sunlight, melanin & mitochondria

1:37:20 – Osteocyte biology & osteocalcin

1:46:43 – Research culture & scientific rigor

1:54:36 – Most underappreciated biomarker

#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #IsabellaCooper #CancerMetabolism #KetogenicDiet #Mitochondria #Insulin #GlucoseKetoneIndex #Osteocalcin #IntravenousVitaminC #Ketosis #MetabolicHealth #LowCarbScience #CancerResearch #Cardiolipin #Osteocytes #BloodWork #Hyperinsulinemia #MitochondrialHealth #PodcastScience

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, what does beta-hydroxybutyrate between meals actually reveal about a person's insulin state — and why might that matter for understanding chronic disease risk? Dave sits down with Isabella Cooper (PhD), a biochemistry and pathophysiology scientist whose research spans assay quality control, hyperinsulinemia detection, ketone thresholds, mitochondrial function, and the lipid energy model, making the case that personalized insulin thresholds — not population-wide cutoffs — may be key to identifying subclinical metabolic dysfunction.🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --Own Your Labs 👉 `https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/48` Private blood testing services🩸Over 300 blood tests💰Extremely affordable❤️ We love our customers(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`⏱ Chapters0:00 – Cold open & intro1:06 – Isabella's background & credentials3:05 – East-meets-West medicine upbringing5:43 – Ballet, modeling & low-carb insights6:36 – Industrial design degree & lab thinking8:58 – Assay quality problems in undergrad lab12:08 – Coefficient of variation explained17:01 – Standardizing vortex & sample handling27:30 – Back to timeline: the 15-year gap39:52 – Pregnancy, diapers & toxicology deep dive53:06 – Old physiology papers vs modern science1:00:05 – Osteocalcin hypothesis & being wrong1:06:48 – Ben Bikman, mitochondria & insulin1:19:40 – Headwinds for low-carb research1:34:19 – Personalized insulin threshold concept1:41:28 – Beta-hydroxybutyrate as insulin surrogate1:51:44 – Leptin, IGF-1 & multi-marker detection2:09:09 – Subclinical hyperinsulinemia marker cluster2:14:20 – Fasting, lipid dynamics & VLDL traffic#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #IsabellaCooper #Hyperinsulinemia #Ketosis #Mitochondria #MetabolicHealth #InsulinResistance #BetaHydroxybutyrate #LowCarb #ChronicDisease #LipidEnergyModel #AssayQuality #KetoneThreshold #LaboratoryScience #Bioenergetics #BloodTesting #Inflammation

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, how much does metabolic health shape cardiovascular risk beyond what standard lipid markers can reveal? Dave Feldman sits down with Scott Murray (MD), a UK-based interventional cardiologist, to explore plaque imaging and its limitations, the role of visceral and perivascular fat in heart disease, the lipid energy model and lean mass hyper-responders, cardiac fuel metabolism and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, and the challenges of conducting and interpreting cardiovascular trials.

🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --

Own Your Labs 👉 `https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/47`

Private blood testing services

🩸Over 300 blood tests

💰Extremely affordable

❤️ We love our customers

(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)

🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:

Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`

X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`

Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`

Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`

⏱ Chapters

0:00 – Cold open & Scott's intro

14:21 – Scott's cardiology practice

17:28 – Invasive vs. CT angiography

24:49 – Collaterals & microvascular function

34:31 – Glycocalyx & endothelial health

40:28 – Perivascular fat & imaging

51:14 – Imaging, CAC, and plaque noise

1:00:04 – Lipid hypothesis & population context

1:07:05 – CT plaque measurement variability

1:19:42 – Perivascular inflammation & Caristo scoring

1:29:07 – Lipid energy model discussion

1:49:43 – LP(a), acute-phase markers & reverse causation

2:05:01 – LMHR study timeline & next scans

2:22:57 – Heart fuel preference & HFpEF

2:39:08 – PCSK9 trials & all-cause mortality

2:52:06 – Run-in periods & trial design concerns

3:05:00 – Context, guidelines & patient conversations

3:17:35 – GLP-1 peptides & obesity biology

3:26:28 – Where to find Scott & closing thoughts

#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #ScottMurray #PreventiveCardiology #HeartHealth #LipidHypothesis #LeanMassHyperResponder #CTAngiography #PlaqueImaging #CardiovascularResearch #MetabolicHealth #LipidEnergyModel #HeartFailure #LPa #GLP1 #TrialDesign #Cardiology #LowCarb #BloodWork

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, what actually drives cardiovascular disease in a metabolically healthy, lean individual — and is elevated LDL the most important variable to consider? Darius Sharpe (ER nurse and lean mass hypersponder community member) discusses his unexpected CAC score at age 38, his theory on postprandial glucose and vascular damage, a personal episode of atrial fibrillation, the Keto CTA study's Clearly data controversy, and what ER nurses observe firsthand about metabolic illness.

🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --

Own Your Labs 👉 `https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/43`

Private blood testing services

🩸Over 300 blood tests

💰Extremely affordable

❤️ We love our customers

(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)

🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:

Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`

X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`

Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`

Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`

⏱ Chapters

0:00 – Cold open & CAC score reveal

4:51 – Darius's CAC scan background

9:07 – First-phase insulin response explained

15:47 – CAC result context & vessel findings

22:09 – Darius investigates his own cardiac risk

33:43 – Atrial fibrillation episode & AFIB physiology

43:28 – Electrolytes, magnesium, and sodium discussion

51:04 – Stress tests vs. imaging: a patient case

58:01 – Metabolic syndrome underdiagnosis in hospitals

1:03:09 – Dave's diet experiments & LMHR data

1:09:18 – Fat bomb experiment: NMR findings

1:20:53 – Lipid energy model & structural hypothesis

1:30:37 – Keto CTA: plaque associations & progressors

1:39:41 – Clearly data controversy & scientific transparency

1:51:55 – Glucose, hyperglycemia, and plaque theory

2:05:22 – Raw data release & cards on the table

2:15:01 – ER realities & medication safety

2:29:07 – Lifestyle, habits, and the ER patient perspective

2:39:10 – Where to find Darius & closing thoughts

#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #DariusSharpe #LeanMassHypersponder #KetoCTA #CACScore #AtrialFibrillation #PostprandialGlucose #MetabolicSyndrome #LipidEnergyModel #CardiovascularHealth #CGM #LDL #InsulinResponse #ERNurse #BloodTesting #HeartHealth #NMRPanel

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, how well does the prevailing understanding of LDL and cardiovascular disease hold up under close scrutiny? Dave sits down with Malcolm Kendrick (MD) — author, researcher, and longtime cardiovascular disease skeptic — who challenges key assumptions across trial methodology, observational data, Mendelian randomization, clinical trial blinding, nitric oxide's role in vascular health, and the response-to-injury model of atherosclerosis.🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --Own Your Labs 👉 `https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/46` Private blood testing services🩸Over 300 blood tests💰Extremely affordable❤️ We love our customers(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`⏱ Chapters0:00 – Introduction & cold open1:11 – Malcolm Kendrick's background6:02 – Early contrarian tendencies in medicine16:48 – International cholesterol skeptic network22:13 – Shifting LDL targets over decades39:05 – FH, heterozygous vs. homozygous49:35 – Examining pharmaceutical trial evidence57:00 – Clinical trial blinding & composite endpoints1:07:27 – Data transparency & CTT access questions1:23:11 – Statins, nitric oxide & plausible mechanisms1:37:34 – Mendelian randomization discussed1:54:43 – Audience questions: ApoB & endothelial injury2:05:24 – Kendrick's cardiovascular disease model2:19:44 – Shared models: vascular repair & hemostasis2:38:39 – The Daily Mail lawsuit: origins2:47:32 – Five-year legal battle & court proceedings3:00:01 – CTT emails & trial methodology concerns3:17:29 – LMHR study update & CLEARLY retraction3:33:23 – Where to find Malcolm Kendrick#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #MalcolmKendrick #CardiovascularDisease #LDLCholesterol #LipidHypothesis #ClinicalTrials #NitricOxide #Atherosclerosis #StatinResearch #HeartHealth #LeanMassHyperresponder #CholesterolDebate #ApoB #MetabolicHealth #EvidenceBasedMedicine #TrialMethodology #Cholesterol

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, what does it take to recognize and address a compulsive relationship with food — and why does that recognition matter so much? Jen Unwin (clinical and health psychologist) joins Dave to explore the psychology of hope in medical settings, her personal history with carbohydrate-driven food behaviors, the evidence behind ultra-processed food addiction as a proposed clinical category, the WHO/ICD recognition process, GLP-1 medications as one potential tool, and why social context and proximity to trigger foods shape outcomes for so many people.🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --Own Your Labs 👉 `https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/45` Private blood testing services🩸Over 300 blood tests💰Extremely affordable❤️ We love our customers(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`⏱ Chapters0:00 – Introduction & cold open1:13 – Jen's background in psychology5:44 – Path to clinical training in Manchester12:47 – Hope as a clinical concept21:28 – Positive psychology & the nun study27:02 – Hope's influence on David Unwin's practice35:23 – Jen's personal food history43:02 – Discovering low-carb & the turning point52:22 – Food addiction: Dave's french fry story1:02:47 – Seeking official recognition of food addiction1:09:01 – Building expert consensus on terminology1:15:55 – Treatment outcomes & published research1:27:47 – Comparing food addiction to tobacco history1:36:05 – Proximity, social pressure & behavior change1:47:08 – Behavioral vs. substance-based framing1:54:52 – Prevalence data & retired athlete findings2:02:23 – Audience questions & GLP-1 medications2:33:39 – Nutrient density, protein, and food as fuel2:39:41 – Where to find Jen & closing remarks#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #JenUnwin #FoodAddiction #UltraProcessedFood #HopeInMedicine #PositivePsychology #LowCarb #BehaviorChange #DSM #FoodAddictionRecognition #CarbohydrateAddiction #GLP1 #NutrientDensity #MentalHealth #SolutionFocused #MetabolicHealth #Keto