I’ve heard plenty of big promises about peptides. What I’m seeing in practice is a lot less dramatic, with an important exception: GLP-1s.

In this conversation with Dr. Mayoni Gooneratne, we talk about what the evidence can tell us, why the source of an injectable matters, and how GLP-1s fit into conversations about women’s health, nutrition and muscle.

We also get into the difference between off-label prescribing, compounded medicines and products sold for research use, and why a promising idea is only one part of the decision.

Original conversation hosted by Dr. Mayoni Gooneratne and shared with permission. Learn more about Dr. Mayoni: https://drmhumanhealth.co.uk/dr-mayoni

Chapters

00:00 Peptides Beyond GLP-1s

00:25 Off-Label Prescribing & FDA Approval

01:37 Compounding Pharmacies vs. "Research Use" Labs

04:36 Sourcing Safety & Why Batch Testing Matters

06:38 What Can Go Wrong? (ICU Case)

07:34 Beyond Compounds: Lifestyle Medicine First

09:02 Women’s Health, Perimenopause & GLP-1s

11:05 Sustainable Weight Loss & Muscle Preservation

13:48 Final Advice: Beating the Peptide FOMO

References:
FDA: off-label use — https://www.fda.gov/patients/learn-about-expanded-access-and-other-treatment-options/understanding-unapproved-use-approved-drugs-label
FDA: compounding — https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/compounding-and-fda-questions-and-answers
FDA: BPC-157 briefing — https://www.fda.gov/media/193343/download

This conversation is for education, not personal treatment advice. Discuss medication changes with your clinician.

Your inflammation test is high. Before you try to lower the number, find out what it actually measured.

I explain why ESR, CRP, hsCRP and ferritin can tell different stories, what newer tests such as GlycA can add, and why a treatment that lowers a marker still has to prove that people do better.

We’ll look at a frightening CRP result that settled on repeat testing, a ferritin result that prompted a closer look, and the heart-disease trials that separate a better lab number from a better outcome.

Read the full guide:
https://hillarylinmd.com/guides/inflammation-markers-crp-esr-ferritin

Clinical examples combine and change details to protect privacy. This is education, not personal medical advice. Interpret your results with your symptoms, history, other tests and clinician.

Chapters:

00:00 What a High Inflammation Result Means

00:24 ESR: What the Falling Blood Cells Tell Us

04:41 CRP: Why a High Result Can Disappear

08:42 hsCRP and Cardiovascular Risk

09:23 Ferritin: Iron Stores and Misleading Results

14:02 What hsCRP Predicted, and What JUPITER Tested

18:30 GlycA, Glycan Age and the Limits of Newer Tests

23:03 Do Lower Markers Mean Better Health?

Patients already get health advice from their feeds. What happens when the “doctor” on screen isn't a person?

In this Ultralight conversation, Sunita Mohanty and I talk about why real clinicians need a public voice, and how to start when posting feels unnatural and clinic already takes everything you've got.

We cover the three layers of a physician's online presence, choosing a platform that fits how you think, using AI for research without handing over your judgment, and why you should make your first videos before paying an agency to make them for you.

The point is to build trust with people you can help. Start with why you're posting, learn what works, and keep an audience you can reach beyond an algorithm.

Read the companion playbook:

https://hillarylinmd.com/guides/social-media-for-physicians

For clinicians and health builders, join The CareCore Stack:

https://stack.carecore.io/subscribe

Chapters

00:00 Fake Doctors And Trust Online
03:49 Why Doctors Hesitate To Post
05:11 The Three Layers Of Clinician Content
08:39 Find Your Why And Choose A Platform
13:28 Why Healthcare Needs More Than Viral Content
15:49 Clinicians As Educators And Storytellers
17:30 Getting Started With AI Research And Stories
24:04 Develop Your Taste Before Hiring An Agency
26:32 Build An Audience Beyond Social Platforms

Featuring Hillary Lin, MD, in conversation with Sunita Mohanty of Ultralight.

My LDL was 192 even though I felt healthy. That result sent me into the story of PCSK9—a protein discovered outside cholesterol research that became the target of injections, RNA silencing, the first oral PCSK9 inhibitor, and now one-time gene-editing experiments.

This episode follows the human genetics, LDL-receptor biology, and three engineering problems behind Lipfendra/enlicitide. The pill has proven potent LDL and ApoB lowering; its dedicated cardiovascular-outcomes trial is still ongoing.

𝘋𝘐𝘚𝘊𝘓𝘈𝘐𝘔𝘌𝘙:

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴.

Chapters:
00:00 The Inherited Risk: My LDL Was 192 and the First Oral PCSK9 Is Here
02:36 Nature’s Human Experiment: The Dallas Heart Study & The 88% Risk Drop
05:40 The Zero-PCSK9 Human: What Living with an LDL of 14 Proves
07:10 The Disposal Tag: How PCSK9 Destroys Your Artery Clearance
08:42 The Evolution of PCSK9 Inhibitors: From Antibodies to RNA
12:02 Evolution in a Test Tube: Engineering the First Oral PCSK9 Pill
16:04 The Practical Inversion: Why a Daily Pill Can Be Harder Than an Injection
18:04 One Injection for Life: The Promise and Risk of Permanent Gene Editing
21:12 What This Means for You: Managing Family History, Risk, and Daily Reality

A corrected version of this episode is here: https://youtu.be/SG1aq_6vkFI

What happens when you run deep, whole-body imaging and genetic sequencing on 10,000 people who feel completely healthy? Dr. Wei-Wu He, Chairman and CEO of Human Longevity, Inc. (HLI), joins Dr. Hillary Lin to break down the realities of precision medicine and the hidden risks lurking in asymptomatic patients.

They discuss why standard population medicine might miss your individual risk, how polygenic risk scores are changing cardiovascular prevention, and his vision for democratizing these life-saving screenings for everyone.

About the Guest: 

Dr. Wei-Wu He is the Chairman and CEO of Human Longevity, Inc. (HLI), bringing over 40 years of experience in molecular biology and biotechnology to the forefront of proactive healthcare. A seasoned biotech entrepreneur and investor, his career has been dedicated to advancing genomics and precision medicine. Under his leadership, HLI is combining whole-genome sequencing, advanced imaging, and artificial intelligence to democratize data-driven, preventative medicine and extend the human healthspan.

Disclaimer: The patient outcomes and case studies discussed in this episode are company-reported observational findings by Human Longevity, Inc., not independently verified clinical trials. Screening data should always be interpreted by a qualified clinician. A test earns its place when it changes a medical decision and includes a responsible follow-up plan.

Chapters:

00:00 What Happens When Healthy People Get Screened?

00:21 The Silent Risks: Aneurysms, Tumors, and Arterial Plaque

03:04 The Compound Effect of "Rare" Diseases

05:09 Lifespan Heritability: Is 50% of Your Life Predetermined?

05:48 Monogenic vs. Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS)

06:49 Predicting Heart Attack Risk 12 Years in Advance

10:52 Family History vs. Your Actual Genome

12:46 Inside HLI: The CEO's Vision for Data Collection

14:13 Case Study: Stool-DNA, Colonoscopy, and Appendiceal Cancer

17:04 Population Medicine vs. Individual Risk

• Dr. Lin's Longevity Tips & Newsletter: hillarylinmd.com/go/yt
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hillarylinmd
• About Dr. Hillary Lin: hillarylinmd.com
• Explore CareCore: carecore.io
• Human Longevity, Inc (HLI): https://www.humanlongevity.com/

Your annual blood work looks perfect—but what happens when you hit a physical stressor, catch a virus, or simply start aging? Most standard labs are designed to detect disease, but they completely miss your physiologic reserve.

In this episode, Dr. Hillary Lin sits down with Brooks Leitner to discuss why VO₂ max should be treated as a clinical vital sign. Using VO Health’s early-stage blood-based proteomics as a fascinating case study, we dive into how the body actually delivers oxygen under stress, why wearable estimates aren't the whole truth, and how you can actually build a "bad-day buffer" for your long-term health.

🔍 What We’ll Cover

• The "Normal Labs" Trap: Why perfect blood work can hide dangerously low physical reserve.
• Your "Bad-Day Buffer": How to build resilience for unexpected physical stress like illness or surgery.
• The Missing Vital Sign: Why fitness should be checked right alongside your blood pressure.
• Oxygen Under Stress: What VO₂ max actually measures across your entire cellular engine.
• The Mortality Signal: The data linking higher fitness to a longer life, and what the studies really mean.
• VO₂ Max Blind Spots: Why cardio alone isn't enough to build true physical resilience.
• Data vs. Reality: Why mismatches between your smartwatch and your actual performance are valuable signals.
• Where to Start: A practical, zero-equipment method to start building your reserve today.
  
  Chapters
  00:00 Why Normal Labs Miss The Mark
  00:47 What Routine Blood Work Gets Wrong About Health
  02:03 Defining True Resilience And Hormesis
  04:34 The Shocking Decline In Population Fitness
  06:32 Cardiorespiratory Fitness: The Missing Vital Sign
  10:29 The Oxygen Cascade: How VO2 Max Actually Works
  12:55 The Surprising Data Linking VO2 Max To Mortality
  15:50 Improving VO2 Max: Is It Possible?
  17:55 Weight Loss, Muscle Mass, And Gaming Your VO2 Max
  23:54 Heart Rate Training Zones And The Problem With METs
  29:21 Why Endurance Training Won't Maximize Your VO2 Max
  32:00 What VO2 Max Completely Misses (Strength And Grip)
  35:20 Sauna, Altitude, And Drugs For VO2 Max
  42:08 Proteomics: Estimating Your VO2 Max From A Blood Test
  49:00 Wearables and Their Accuracy in Measuring Fitness
  51:53 The Ultimate Zero-Equipment Hack To Build VO2 Max
  
  Get Dr. Hillary Lin’s free longevity tips and newsletter: https://hillarylinmd.com/go/yt
  Learn more about the podcast: https://hillarylinmd.com/podcast
  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillarylinmd/
  Learn more about Dr. Hillary Lin: https://www.hillarylinmd.com/
  Explore CareCore: https://carecore.io
  VO Health: https://vohealth.co/

High ApoB but clean metabolic labs. CAC zero but inherited Lp(a). A normal stress test but plaque on CCTA.

This is where heart-disease prevention gets noisy.

In this advanced episode, I walk through how I read conflicting heart-risk signals without letting one lab, scan, or internet camp hijack the whole conversation. The map is simple: particle traffic, the artery wall, blood pressure and metabolic terrain, visible plaque, and the clot we are trying to prevent.

We cover ApoB, LDL-C, LDL-P, particle size, Lp(a), APOE4, CAC, CCTA, CIMT, stress testing, inflammation, plaque reversal, statin concerns, supplements, and what actually changes the next decision.

Use this as education and a framework for better clinician conversations, not a personal treatment plan.

Chapters
00:00 Why Heart Tests Seem To Disagree
01:43 The Map: Particles, Wall, Terrain, Plaque, Event
06:22 Where Plaque Actually Begins
10:07 Why Evolution Left Us Vulnerable
13:22 ApoB, LDL-C, LDL-P, Particle Size, Remnants, Lp(a)
25:54 High ApoB With Clean Metabolic Markers
30:51 Blood Pressure, Inflammation, And “Terrain”
35:37 APOE4, Family History, And Inherited Clues
40:38 CAC, CCTA, CIMT, Stress Tests, And AI Plaque Analysis
48:26 How To Read Conflicting Signals In Real Life
50:26 Plaque Reversal, Stabilization, And What Counts As Proof
54:18 Statins, Side Effects, Red Yeast Rice, And Supplement Claims
01:09:45 The Takeaway: Do Not Let One Marker Become The Whole Story

Hormones are not single data points. Cortisol, progesterone, testosterone, and other hormones change across the day, cycle, sleep, stress, training, and context.In this episode, Dr. Hillary Lin talks with Marina Pavlovic Rivas, cofounder and CEO of Eli Health, about why one annual lab snapshot can miss dynamic physiology — and why more data still needs humility.We cover:

• saliva testing and what it can/can’t show
• cortisol curves vs cortisol panic
• progesterone/testosterone tracking
• wellness data vs diagnostics
• why validated at-home testing is hard
• how AI in healthcare depends on better inputs

Educational only, not medical advice.Chapters:

00:00 The Importance of Hormonal Health00:54 The Data Gap in Hormone Health02:43 The Science Behind At-Home Saliva Testing06:17 Understanding Cortisol and Its Impact12:14 Personalizing Cortisol Data vs. Wearable Tracking Limitations15:05 Identifying Overtraining and "Tired but Wired" States18:43 Expanding into Sex Hormones: Progesterone & Testosterone20:40 Tracking Protocols: Finding Trends vs. Creating Noise23:44 The "Anytime, Anywhere" Design Philosophy24:40 Understanding Cortisol and Performance28:31 Factors Influencing Testosterone Levels31:36 Regulatory Boundaries: Wellness vs. Clinical Diagnostics35:18 The Future of Data in Personalized Medicine37:39 The Realities of Deep-Tech Health R&D39:04 Closing Insights for Longevity and Health-Tech FoundersGet Dr. Hillary Lin’s free longevity tips and newsletter: https://www.hillarylinmd.com/subscribe

Learn more about Dr. Hillary Lin: https://www.hillarylinmd.com/

Explore CareCore: https://carecore.io

What if your workout is making you older? In this episode of The Longevity Show, Dr. Hillary Lin sits down with performance coach Kyle Gonzalez to unpack why longevity training is not just “exercise more.” It is movement throughout the day, recovery, aerobic base, strength, balance, power, glucose control, and building a body that still gives you access to life decades from now.Kyle shares a practical framework for moving more without burning out: why the other 23 hours matter, how to use the 1% rule for exercise, when HIIT helps or backfires, why Zone 2 and walking still matter, how to recover like it is part of training, and what to make of sauna, cold plunge, rucking, barefoot training, HRV, peptides, and more.

There is a drug in clinical trials right now that could permanently fix your cholesterol with a single infusion. Once. That's where we're headed. But there's also a $4 generic that's saved millions of lives — and a twice-a-year injection most patients have never heard of.

I'm a Stanford-trained physician. My ApoB was 128. My grandfather died of a stroke. My grandmother died of cardiac arrest. My father is recovering from a heart transplant. In this video, I break down every lipid-lowering option available — without hedging, without liability speak — so you can have an intelligent conversation with your doctor.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• Why there's no floor for ApoB — the cholesterol-years concept that changes when you start treatment
• The genetics checkpoint: Lp(a), FH, and ancestry factors that change your drug selection entirely
• Statins: muscle pain reality, the nocebo effect (SAMSON trial), SLCO1B1 gene, CAC paradox, diabetes signal
• Ezetimibe: the most underused $15/month drug in lipid medicine (IMPROVE-IT data)
• Bempedoic acid: why it structurally cannot cause muscle toxicity, and what CLEAR Outcomes proved
• PCSK9 inhibitors: FOURIER + ODYSSEY data, insurance battle, patient assistance programs
• Inclisiran: twice a year, doctor administers — why adherence changes everything
• Lp(a) pipeline: pelacarsen, olpasiran, muvalaplin — what's coming for the 1 in 4
• Obicetrapib: oral pill hitting BOTH LDL and Lp(a)
• Gene therapy: CRISPR + base editing — one injection, once in your life
• Lifestyle: honest ceiling assessment, no guilt
• A tiered protocol framework using ApoB as the treatment target
• What to actually say to your doctor — 6 specific questions

Chapters:

05:11 Genetics Checkpoint

07:51 Statins

16:16 Ezetimibe

18:45 Bempedoic Acid

25:46 PCSK9 Inhibitors

37:20 Inclisiran

39:46 Lp(a)

44:00 Emerging Therapies + Gene Therapy

52:32 Lifestyle

56:11 Protocol Framework

59:04 What to Say to Your Doctor

LINKS:

Part 1 — The Disease (Atherosclerosis): https://youtu.be/fX33g1zFZSo

Part 2 — The Testing (Why Your Lipid Panel Isn't Enough): https://youtu.be/AtOTY0x3U3I

Part 4 — The Genetics: [COMING SOON]

Newsletter — The Longevity Letter: https://www.hillarylinmd.com/subscribe

Follow me:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/hillarylinmd

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/hillarylinmd

CareCore (For Clinicians): https://carecore.io

DISCLAIMER:

This video is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication or treatment. Drug dosing, insurance coverage, and clinical guidelines referenced in this video may have changed since filming. I am a physician but I am not your physician.

KEY STUDIES REFERENCED:

• CTT Meta-analysis: 170,000+ patients, 22% event reduction per 1 mmol/L LDL (Lancet 2012)
• IMPROVE-IT: ezetimibe outcomes, 18,000 patients (NEJM 2015)
• FOURIER: evolocumab, 27,500 patients, LDL median 30 mg/dL (NEJM 2017)
• FOURIER-OLE: 8.6-year follow-up, no safety signal at LDL <20 (Circulation 2023)
• ODYSSEY OUTCOMES: alirocumab, 18,924 post-MI patients (NEJM 2018)
• SAMSON trial: 90% of statin symptoms also occurred on placebo (NEJM 2020)
• CLEAR Outcomes: bempedoic acid, 14,000 statin-intolerant patients (NEJM 2023)
• ORION-10/11: inclisiran, sustained 50-52% LDL reduction (NEJM 2020)
• VICTORION-2P: inclisiran outcomes trial, ongoing
• OCEAN(a) Phase 2: olpasiran, >95% Lp(a) reduction (NEJM 2023)
• Lp(a)HORIZON: pelacarsen outcomes trial, 8,000+ patients, ongoing
• VERVE-101 heart-1: base editing PCSK9 (Lancet ~2024)
• NTLA-2001 Phase 1: CRISPR PCSK9 editing (2024)
• Ference et al.: Mendelian randomization, lifetime LDL (EHJ 2017)

#cholesterol #ApoB #statins #PCSK9 #inclisiran #genetherapy #lipids #longevity #heartdisease #preventivemedicine #atherosclerosis #cardiovascular #LDL #lipidplaybook