This week’s episode of The Metabolic Link features an enlightening conversation between our host Dr. Dominic D’Agostino and Dr. Satchin Panda, PhD on the fascinating connection between time-restricted eating, circadian rhythm, and metabolic health. A leading expert in the field of circadian rhythm research, Dr. Panda is a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and a founding executive member of the Center for Circadian Biology at the University of California.

Have you been hearing lately about the importance of morning light exposure?

Well, you have Dr. Satchin Panda’s research to thank for that. His research discovered that melanopsin cells in our retinas detect sunlight and send signals to our pineal gland - ultimately regulating the release of melatonin and other neurotransmitters responsible for the natural timing of circadian rhythms.

And just as metabolic health is inextricably linked to most, if not all, biological processes in the human body, Dr. Panda’s work explores the genes, molecules and cells that keep the whole body on the circadian clock.

In this episode, we cover:

• Research contrasting the effects of time-restricted eating vs. calorie-restriction for weight loss and metabolic health biomarkers
• The benefits and sustainability of time-restriction vs. calorie-restriction for the average patient
• Melatonin’s role in both circadian rhythm and metabolic function
• …and 3 things anyone can do to optimize their circadian biology

In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!

You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!

Find us on social:

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Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.

This week’s episode of The Metabolic Link features an interview with Nicole Laurent, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who helps her clients use ketogenic dietary therapy as a treatment for mental illness and neurological issues. Nicole was one of seven pioneers of Metabolic Psychiatry recognized by the Baszucki Brain Research Fund and the Milken Institute with the Metabolic Mind Award in 2022.

What is Metabolic Psychiatry?

Metabolic psychiatry is an emerging field that focuses on targeting and treating metabolic dysfunction to improve mental health outcomes. There is growing evidence of a connection between mental illness and altered metabolism in the brain, so focusing on metabolic dysfunction in addition to traditional mental health treatments can further improve treatment outcomes.

Nicole Laurent’s Story

Having already been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, Nicole developed trigeminal neuralgia while completing her graduate degree. Trigeminal neuralgia is a chronic pain disorder involving sudden and severe facial pain, and despite trying various treatments, Nicole was prescribed increasing doses of pain medication. These came with a host of negative side effects including cognitive decline and reduced quality of life.

It wasn’t until Nicole addressed her underlying metabolic dysfunction through a ketogenic diet that her life changed: “…the energy came on, the lights came on, and I knew I was on the right track."

Nicole Laurent’s Work

Today, Nicole works as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and life coach, helping clients use nutrition to feed and heal their brains alongside traditional therapy modalities including CBT, DBT, and EMDR. 

In this episode, we cover:

• The challenges of promoting de-prescribing in a healthcare system focused on pharmaceutical interventions
• The role of micronutrients in combination with a ketogenic diet for mental health improvements
• The importance of working with a prescriber when implementing ketogenic therapy, especially to address potentiation effects and medication adjustments
• Resources to learn more about the connection between metabolic function and mental health… and more!

In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!

You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!

Find us on social:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.

In this Journal Club episode, The Metabolic Link Hosts Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, Dr. Angela Poff, and Victoria Field review recent research uncovering the potential impact of high blood glucose on stroke outcomes and the positive influence of exercise on Alzheimer’s disease.

An ischemic stroke happens when a blood vessel in the brain is occluded. This prevents oxygen and nutrients from reaching a region of the brain, ultimately causing some of that tissue to die. A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel bursts and causes bleeding into the brain, and is a less common but often more dangerous type of stroke. Hyperglycemia following an acute ischemic stroke is known as a predictor of poor clinical outcomes. In the first research paper discussed, researchers set out to explore whether this also holds true for intracerebral hemorrhage.

The group also dives into a fascinating paper investigating the potential functional benefits of aerobic exercise in early Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers investigated memory performance, executive function, and functional ability in association with exercise-related gains in cardiorespiratory fitness.

Please find all research references below:

1. Aerobic exercise for Alzheimer’s disease: A randomized controlled pilot trial
2. Higher fasting blood glucose was associated with worse in-hospital clinical outcomes in patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage: From a large-scale nationwide longitudinal registry

In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!

You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!

Find us on social:

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• YouTube
• LinkedIn

Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.

It’s said that more than one billion individuals around the world suffer from migraines each year. A migraine isn’t your average headache. It’s often completely debilitating and may include sensitivity to light and sound, vomiting, severe pain, and other symptoms that can wreak havoc on quality of life. Despite being one of the most common neurological disorders on the planet with a high prevalence in (particularly female) young adults, many of those troubled by migraines do not receive effective care and continue to suffer.

Lack of tolerable and efficacious treatment options is exactly what led our most recent interview guest of The Metabolic Link, Dr. Elena Gross, to pursue her degree in neuroscience at the University of Oxford and her PhD in clinical research. Dr. Gross is on a mission to better understand this common disease and ultimately wants to improve clinical care with a metabolic approach to its management.

Dr. Gross is particularly passionate about the therapeutic benefits of ketosis and other nutritional interventions, the role of mitochondrial functioning and energy metabolism in brain health and neurological diseases, as well as increasing our health span via disease prevention. She’s also an inventor on four patents, founder and CEO of a company called Brain Ritual, and the creator of the Mastering Migraine Community. She went from suffering from chronic migraines herself to now leading the charge in research and educational outreach that explores the underlying thread of metabolism in migraine.

In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!

You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!

Find us on social:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.

On this episode of The Metabolic Link, we’re sitting down with Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng to discuss his experience as a critical care physician during 2020, the importance of metabolic health in fighting viral infections, and how improving global metabolic health will make us more resilient against future illnesses.

Dr. Kyeremanteng is an ICU doctor and intensivist at The Ottawa Hospital who seeks to increase the efficiency of medical care with cost-effectiveness, dignity, and justice in mind while also seeking solutions to improve healthcare delivery and practitioner wellness. As a researcher, he is interested in using ICU resources more efficiently and improving access to palliative care in the ICU. Dr. Kyeremanteng is also the host of the podcast “Solving Healthcare”, a show that features interviews and discussions on the topic of improving healthcare delivery in Canada.

This interview was recorded at Metabolic Health Summit in May of 2022 in partnership with the Charlie Foundation.

In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!

You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!

Find us on social:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.

You won’t be surprised to hear that a night of poor sleep can affect how good you feel the next day. But did you know that disruptions in sleep quality, especially when they occur chronically, can have a major negative impact on your cognitive function, mood, and overall metabolic health?

On this week’s Journal Club episode of The Metabolic Link, co-hosts Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, Dr. Angela Poff, and Victoria Field dive into two research publications exploring how meal timing in shift workers affects mood vulnerability and how light exposure during sleep impairs cardiometabolic function.

The first study sought to determine if night-time eating contributed to the increased risk of depression and anxiety observed in shift workers. Amazingly, daytime-only eating during a simulated night work environment was not associated with the same negative health outcomes that appeared in those who ate during the night-time hours, suggesting a potential intervention to combat some of the health risks of shift work. The second study revealed how exposure to light during sleep can negatively affect glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, sleep quality, heart rate, and heart rate variability, even after only a single night. Join the Metabolic Link co-hosts as they dive into the fascinating details of these studies!

Publications discussed in this episode:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8944904/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9499546/

In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!

In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!

You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!

Find us on social:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.

On this week’s episode of The Metabolic Link, host Dr. Dominic D’Agostino is sitting down with neuroscientist, Tommy Wood, MD, PhD, to discuss optimizing human health and cognitive function. 

In this interview, Dom explores a wide variety of fascinating topics with Dr. Wood. They uncover why cognitive demand may be important in preventing devastating neurological disorders like dementia, the importance of monitoring cardiovascular risk biomarkers including insulin, ApoB, homocysteine, and the potential benefit (or not) of using uric acid as a marker of health. They also explore the science of using the sauna, if Dr. Wood thinks seed oils and polyunsaturated fatty acids are problematic, and how omega-6 fatty acids might affect brain function and development. They even discuss a personal story on how Dr. Wood survived a viper bite in a jungle in Costa Rica… and much more!

Tommy Wood MD, PhD is a neuroscientist and professional nerd who has coached world class athletes in a dozen sports. He received an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of Cambridge, a medical degree from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in physiology and neuroscience from the University of Oslo. Tommy is currently an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington, where his research focuses on brain injury and brain health across the lifespan, as well as developing easily-accessible and equitable methods with which to track health, performance, and longevity in both professional athletes and the general population. Tommy serves as associate editor of the Wiley journal Lifestyle Medicine, is a founding Director of the British Society for Lifestyle Medicine, and consults for a number of digital health companies and charities that focus on how lifestyle and the environment can affect long-term health and chronic disease.

In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!

In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!

You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!

Find us on social:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.

On this week’s episode of The Metabolic Link, we’re sitting down with OBGYN and Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy Expert, Jaime Seeman, MD, to discuss the importance of metabolic health through a woman's life stages. 

In this interview, we explore how and why a woman might want to optimize their metabolic health in their fertile years, into menopause, and beyond.  We also uncover the specific issues women can face along the way, the potential of metabolic therapy in improving hormone function, the unique differences between men and women's health, the future of precision medicine, and so much more!

Dr Jaime Seeman is a board certified  Obstetrician and Gynecologist practicing in Omaha, Nebraska. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition, Exercise and Health Sciences. She then went on to graduate medical school and completed her OBGYN residency at The University of Nebraska Medical Center. She currently is in private practice at Mid City OBGYN offering a full range of services in obstetrics, gynecology, robotic surgery and primary care. She has completed her fellowship in Integrative Medicine at The University of Arizona School of Medicine. She is a board certified ketogenic nutrition specialist through The American Nutrition Association. She has a passion for fitness, preventative medicine and nutrition therapy not only in her medical practice but in her own life. She is the author of her new best selling book, “Hard To Kill”, and the co-medical director of Upgrade Performance Institute.

This interview was recorded at Metabolic Health Summit in May of 2022 in partnership with The Charlie Foundation.

In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!

You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!

Find us on social:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.

On this week’s Journal Club episode of The Metabolic Link, co-hosts Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, Dr. Angela Poff, and Victoria Field discuss two seemingly conflicting research studies exploring the effects of ketosis on muscle health in models of atrophy.

Atrophy refers to the wasting of a body tissue or organ that occurs due to the degeneration of cells. Atrophy of vital tissues such as the skeletal muscle occurs in numerous pathological catabolic conditions, such as in cancer cachexia, motor neuron diseases, and following ischemic events, and it contributes greatly to morbidity and mortality in these patients. But skeletal muscle atrophy also occurs during aging. This is referred to as sarcopenia and is defined as an age-related, involuntary loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. Its prevalence and impact in the elderly should make the prevention of sarcopenia a goal for all.

Unsurprisingly, researchers are interested in designing methods to combat atrophy and sarcopenia. Due to the reported anti-catabolic metabolic and signaling properties of ketone bodies, researchers are studying how ketosis – either through the ketogenic diet or exogenous ketones – may play a therapeutic role in this condition. In their chat, the Metabolic Link co-hosts take a deep dive into two research papers that seem to produce conflicting results on the topic. But as always, the devil’s in the details, and the team discusses some illuminating points that highlight just how complex interpreting scientific research can be.

In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!

Publications discussed:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9422126
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7432582/

In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!

You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!

Find us on social:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.

On this week’s episode of The Metabolic Link, Dr. Dominic D’Agostino is sitting down with world-renowned metabolic scientist, Ben Bikman, PhD, to explore the ins and outs of insulin resistance, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), and ways to manage, and even reverse, both.

In this discussion, Dr. Bikman makes a case for why testing fasting insulin should be a part of the diagnostic and treatment equation when addressing T2DM, the difference between pathological and physiological insulin resistance, and how insulin therapy affects metabolic physiology in T2DM. Dr. Bikman explains that while insulin is necessary for healthy living, it can elicit significant and harmful changes in tissue metabolic function when chronically elevated. Dr. D’Agostino and Dr. Bikman also dive into the relationship between triglycerides and insulin, and some of his latest research in the lab.

Dr. Ben Bikman has a Ph.D. in Bioenergetics and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the Duke-National University of Singapore in metabolic disorders. His research focus is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that mediate the disruption that causes and accompanies metabolic disorders, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dementia. Driven by his academic training, he is currently exploring the contrasting roles of insulin and ketones as key drivers of metabolic function. He is a highly accomplished scientist with numerous publications in high impact journals and international presentations.

In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!

In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!

You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!

Find us on social:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.