Articles

Defining the phenotype of lean mass hyperresponders A subset group of people following very low-carb, ketogenic diets are seeing dramatic increases in LDL cholesterol and LDL particle levels. Termed “lean mass hyperresponders,” these individuals tend to be very athletic with high lean mass and are metabolically flexible. In addition to increased LDL cholesterol, they also…

The Limits of Conventional Cancer Therapies For decades, the mainstay treatments for cancer have been chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. While these modalities saw early successes against some blood cancers like lymphoma and leukemia, their efficacy against solid tumor cancers has remained limited over the past 40 years. Chemotherapy drugs target rapidly dividing cells, helping explain…

The Limitations of the CAC Test The coronary artery calcium (CAC) score is a common screening tool used to assess heart disease risk. It is measured using a CT scan to detect calcification in the coronary arteries. Many have come to rely on the CAC score as an infallible indicator – a CAC score of…

The Rationale Behind Using Ketosis to Starve Cancer Cells Cancer cells have a fundamentally altered metabolism that drives their unchecked growth. Unlike healthy cells, cancer cells become heavily dependent on glucose to fuel rapid division. This phenomenon, known as the Warburg Effect, offers a metabolic pathway to target cancer. By severely restricting carbohydrate intake, ketogenic…

Overview of Medical Imaging Techniques Medical imaging encompasses various techniques that provide crucial anatomical and functional information to diagnose disease. Common modalities include X-rays, CT scans, ultrasound, nuclear medicine studies like PET scans, and MRI. X-rays use ionizing radiation to create images based on tissue density. Denser tissues like bone absorb more radiation and appear…

Insufficient Sleep Drives Metabolic Dysfunction and Obesity Sleep loss profoundly disrupts metabolic regulation in ways that drive insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, appetite dysregulation, food cravings, increased caloric intake, and heightened obesity and diabetes risk. Detailed discussion focused on illuminating the intricate mechanisms relating to pancreatic function, insulin signaling pathways, appetite hormones leptin and ghrelin, and…

The Remarkable Evolutionary Origin Story of the Mitochondria Mitochondria, the "powerhouses" of our cells, have a fascinating backstory. Around 1.5 billion years ago, an ancient bacterium was engulfed by another single-celled organism in an event called endosymbiosis. Rather than digesting the bacterium, the host cell harnessed its ability to produce energy. Over time, most of…

The Loss of Cellular Identity Drives Aging According to Harvard geneticist David Sinclair, aging occurs due to a loss of information within our cells over time. This erosion of fidelity causes cells to lose their identity and function. He relates this to pioneering information theorist Claude Shannon's concept of information loss occurring during transmission of…

The Minority View of Cancer's Origins The traditional view of cancer is that it arises primarily from genetic mutations. However, Dr. Thomas Seyfried, a professor of biology at Boston College, holds a minority perspective that cancer is fundamentally a disease of defective cellular respiration and mitochondrial dysfunction rather than genetic abnormalities. In his view, while…

Oxidative Stress: An Under-Addressed Arthritis Mediator While acute inflammation rightfully captures attention as a driver of arthritis, oxidative stress acts as an insidious perpetrator as well. Localized reactive oxygen species and systemic reduction of antioxidants associate with both severity and duration of rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis also demonstrates increased oxidative stress markers. Functional medicine pioneer Dr.…

Funding to Support Trusted Health Content Many popular health podcasts rely on advertising revenue, which can introduce conflicts of interest regarding the products and services promoted. To avoid this issue and maintain trust with listeners, some podcast creators have adopted alternative funding models based on voluntary listener support. In exchange for subscriber payments, podcast creators…

The Genesis of Mitochondrial Research Modern mitochondrial research traces back to several pivotal discoveries in the 20th century. In 1937, German biochemist Hans Krebs outlined how mitochondria metabolize nutrients through the TCA cycle to generate energy carriers like NADH. In 1960, British biologist Peter Mitchell solved how mitochondria synthesize ATP through oxidative phosphorylation using the…