VAT Trap

VAT Trap

By Dr Edward LeathamMedicineHealth & FitnessFitness
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VAT Trap episodes

  • HbA1c

    HbA1c is one of medicine's most widely used blood tests, yet most people misunderstand what it actually measures. This article explains how the test works, why a normal result isn't the same as a clean bill of health, and how to use it to track your metabolic future.

    Read full blog

    2 min
  • Doctors should be teachers

    We teach children to change a fuse. We teach them to check the oil, to put air in a tyre, to find the stopcock before the pipe bursts rather than after. Many of us learned to put out a chip pan fire and quite a few learned to restart a heart.

    The lighthouse series teaches people about the 4 pillars that support healthspan.


    20 min
  • The Runner Who Passed Every Test He Was Given

    A man whose heart gave out at forty-two had three pillars in excellent order — and one that nobody had ever looked at.

    The 1st case history in the Lighthouse series - the blog includes an interactive tool which allows the reader to rewrite history and get familiar with the 4 pillars that support healthspan. Once empowered, the reader can test their own and share it with their own doctor!

    Read the story and see the 4 pillars that support healthspan


    23 min
  • The Ten Ten

    A gym and a personal trainer may be the gold standard, if you can keep them up. For the great majority who cannot — the person writing this included — here is the twenty-minute version that does most of the work.

    Read the blog


    23 min
  • Testing your Cholesterol

    Most adults have never had their cholesterol properly tested — yet a simple blood panel can reveal silent heart disease risk years before any symptoms appear. This guide explains exactly what to test, how to get it done, and what your results actually mean for your long-term heart health.

    Read full blog and use your AI companion

    2 min
  • How to Measure Your Waist

    Waist circumference predicts cardiometabolic risk better than weight or BMI — but only when measured at a fixed anatomical landmark: the midpoint between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone. Measuring at the “narrowest point” flatters the number and hides the risk.


    Read full blog

    2 min
  • Why Your CGM Only Tells Half the Story

    Your continuous glucose monitor shows exactly how bread affects blood sugar but misses the fructose pathway completely. While CGMs track glucose perfectly, they remain blind to fructose heading straight to your liver, where it converts to triglycerides and visceral fat without spiking blood glucose.

    Read full blog

    6 min
  • The Four Pillars: A Temple for Your Healthspan

    What if living longer isn’t about finding a miracle treatment, but strengthening four foundations that support every decade of life? The Four Pillars explores cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, metabolic health and recovery, showing how small, consistent improvements in each area can help extend not just lifespan, but healthspan and vitality.

    Read full article 

    7 min

About VAT Trap

From the publisher's feed

The VAT Trap book, blog and digital media series reveals how visceral fat — the hidden metabolic organ — drives heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Drawing on 30 years of frontline cardiology and the latest in imaging, app-based tracking, and metabolic science, Dr Ed Leatham translates complex research into clear, actionable steps. Whether you want to avoid heart disease, stabilise your metabolism, or understand GLP-1 therapy, these four concise podcast seasons accompany a four book series that will help you see, track, and reverse the VAT trap.