The Health Edge: translating the science of self-care

By Mark Pettus MD and John Bagnulo PhD, MPHMedicine Alternative Health Health & Fitness Nutrition

The Health Edge: translating the science of self-care episodes

November 17, 2022 Cardiovascular Aging and Longevity
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Cardiovascular disease continues to be the #1 cause of mortality in the US and around the world. In this episode of The Health Edge, Mark and John review a paper that begins to address why it is that as we age, our risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all other "age-related diseases" goes up dramatically. In this 2021 paper from the Journal of The American College of Cardiology, inhabitants of the Ikaria Island in Greece, a Blue Zone culture demonstrate lower levels of age-related changes e.g. inflammation, high insulin, short telomeres and offers many reasons for lower CVD risk, mortality and expanded healthspan.
https://www.jacc.org/doi/epdf/10.1016...
https://www.thehealthedgepodcast.com
44 min
October 27, 2022 The Omega-6 to Omega-3 Fat Ratio as a Predictor of Health and Longevity
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In this recording of The Health Edge, Mark and John discuss the importance of dietary intake and sources of omega 6 and omega 3 fats. An abundance of epidemiological and clinical trials suggest high ratios of O-6/O-3 drive increased inflammation, oxidative stress and are associated with increased cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Mark and John look at the biochemistry and some clinical trials that support avoidance of processed omega-6 vegetable oils and encourage more whole omega-3 sources.

The research papers reviewed can be found at: www.thehealthedgepodcast.com
45 min
October 13, 2022 Saturated Fat Intake and Diabetes-Cardiovascular Risk
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In this episode of The Health Edge Mark and John review some recent studies that continue to challenge the long held belief that saturated fatty acid intake (SFAs) is directly linked to diabetes and cardiometabolic risk.

https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(17)32252-3/fulltext
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36056919/
39 min
September 29, 2022 An interview with Mark Campbell PhD on the relationship between time in Nature and Health
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In this recording of The Health Edge, Mark and John interview Mark Campbell PhD. We discuss the science linking time in Nature with global health outcomes. About Mark Campbell: Dr. Mark A. Campbell uses his background in wellness, sports medicine, exercise science, and performance psychology to impact change across all areas of life. His diverse background affords him the ability to help audiences see the world through many lenses.
Mark shares his unique blend of holistic education, application, and
experience with audiences worldwide. Mark spent almost a decade
leading performance and wellness-based programs for the US Army and the Department of Defense, which included assisting the military and government leads from fourteen Allied nations in developing transition
programs for their wounded, ill, and injured military populations. He then acted as the Director of Mental Conditioning for the World Series Champion
Washington Nationals. Mark holds both the Certified Wellness Practitioner (CWP) and Certified Worksite Wellness Specialist (CWWS) through the National Wellness Institute, were he currently serves as the Senior Fellow for Healthcare and Ability.
https://campbell-performance.com/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32668...
50 min
September 15, 2022 Protein Intake: How much is enough?
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In this latest Health Edge video John and Mark discuss their perspectives on protein intake. How much? Animal versus plant?
33 min
August 25, 2022 Cardiometabolic Health: Are you a member of this exclusive club?
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In this episode of The Health Edge Mark and John review a recent study published by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Trends and Disparities in Cardiometabolic Health Among U.S. Adults, 1999-2018. Mark and John reflect on how we got here and why this is so important to recognize and respond to. Lifestyle drivers and interventions are discussed that have the potential to powerfully reverse these concerning trends.

Article referenced: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35798...
39 min
July 28, 2022 Fructose, Uric acid and Cardiometabolic Risk
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Is it possible that consuming too much fruit could be detrimental to your health? Are all fruits the same? In this recording of The Health Edge Mark and John will explore the relationship between dietary fructose intake (from sugar and high fructose corn syrup and fruits), endogenous metabolic conversion of glucose to fructose (high glycemic foods), and high salt intake (> 5,000 mg sodium/day) with high uric acid cardiometabolic syndrome risk. The evolutionary biologic importance of these pathways as an ancient survival mechanism when food sources were limited has become a major driver of chronic, complex disease in a contemporary context of high sugar and abundant year-round fruit availability. They elaborate on the research of Robert Lustig MD (UCSF), Richard Johnson MD (University of Colorado)and Robert Ludwig MD, PhD (Harvard). Enjoy!

Articles referenced can be found at: https://www.thehealthedgepodcast.com/
You Tube Video can be found at: https://youtu.be/jMutUONBt1o
40 min
July 21, 2022 Do higher vitamin D levels slow biologic aging?
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In this episode of The Health Edge Mark and John review two papers that suggest higher levels of vitamin D via supplementation may slow our biologic clocks as measured by epigenetic methylation patterns. The implications are fascinating!
YouTube link:
https://youtu.be/O3UD62Pk9fE

Papers reviewed:
Vitamin D supplementation is associated with slower epigenetic aging

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35562603/

Effects of Vitamin D3 Supplementation on Epigenetic Aging in Overweight and Obese African Americans With Suboptimal Vitamin D Status: A Randomized Clinical Trial

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30256915/
34 min
July 08, 2022 Can Healthy Lifestyle Reverse Biologic Age?
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In this episode of The Health Edge Mark and John review a recently published paper affirming proof of concept: healthy lifestyle may in fact reverse biologic aging or slow "biologic clocks" via epigenetic methylation patterns.

Potential reversal of epigenetic age using a diet and lifestyle intervention: a pilot randomized clinical trial

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8064200/

41 min
January 22, 2022 Science of Aging and Longevity Overview
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In this episode of The Health Edge, Mark shares a recording from January 21, 2022 reviewing the current science of aging and longevity. This was the first of a series of 6 webinars sponsored by OLLI Berkshires. https://berkshireolli.org/ScienceOfAgingWinter22
The pdf handout from this presentation can be downloaded at www.thehealthedgepodcast.com

1 hr 54 min

About The Health Edge: translating the science of self-care

From the publisher's feed

“It’s not what we don’t know that gets us into trouble. It’s what we know that ain’t so”.

Will Rogers

We believe the explosion of life science research from many…

disciplines had catapulted ahead of our capacity to process, integrate, understand, and apply. We are interested in translating all that is out there as news to use. A fundamentally different understanding of human biology has emerged. The implications from the perspective of self-care are profound. We are rapidly moving away from the debate of nature versus nurture toward an understanding that life emerges from a dynamic landscape of nature via nurture.

We are passionate about the science. We are passionate about the implications. We believe in the capacity and possibility made possible by being alive here and now! We are beautifully designed to be on the African Savannah, living fully integrated with our planet, and in the context of social relationship. Our modern environment is not well designed to promote human health and the capacity to thrive. Many are struggling to maintain balance and traction in lives that often feel overwhelming and frightening.The challenge is to better leverage our superb ancestral adaptation for a different and radically challenging modern environment. Everything that touches us today has the potential be be very familiar or totally foreign. The less aware one is of the day to day distance between what we are biologically , as a species, “familiar with” and what we actually encounter, the fewer the possibilities for more effective alignment.

Leaving one’s health trajectory to chance in our modern environment is a very risky proposition. We are interested in holding the science to the light with an open and humbled mindset. Like you, We are intrepid explorers interested in how we emerge in the midst of our relationship with the environmental inputs of our lives…how we eat, how we move, how we sleep, how we navigate the mind fields of conflict in our lives, how socially connected we are, how we manage the burden of environmental toxins in our lives, how much meaning we cultivate in our work, love, play and how we interpret and respond to stress in our lives. We will drill deep, share all that my experiences has taught and do all that we can to create value for you as you seek to find your health edge. We always welcome your feedback.

Mark and John