In this issue

In the News

Study strengthens link between shingles vaccine and lower dementia risk.

Favorite music sets the brain’s opioids in motion.

How do age, sex, hormones and genetics affect dementia biomarkers in the blood?

FEATURE

The Metabolic Health Crisis: What We Need to Do to get into the 12% Club.

First off, what is Metabolic Health?

Metabolic health means how well your body processes and utilizes energy. Someone who is metabolically healthy maintains optimal levels of five key biomarkers without medication (these should be relatively accessible and affordable through your health practitioner ([both initially and at the 1-year mark]).

• Blood sugar (glucose): fasting glucose < 100 mg/dL

• Triglycerides: <150 mg/dL

• High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol: >50 for women and >40 for men

• Blood pressure: <120/85

• Waist circumference: <35” for women, <40” for men

Two additional biomarkers also recommended by doctors (at additional cost)are:

• Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c): Provides an average of blood sugar level over the past 2-3 months.

• Insulin (fasting): Can be used to assess insulin resistance

If you haven’t been tested and you’re wondering how metabolically flexible you are, think about how you feel. Do you have:

• Energy crashes between meals

• Strong cravings for carbohydrates

• Difficulty concentrating when hungry

• Poor recovery from exercise

• Disrupted sleep patterns

What’s causing dysfunction?

Our modern lifestyles have created perfect conditions for metabolic disruption: ultra-processed foods, sedentary behavior, chronic stress, poor sleep and environmental toxins all contribute to the problem.

What are the consequences if not addressed?

Poor metabolic health isn’t just about future disease risk — it affects your quality of life today: fatigue, brain fog, mood swings, cravings, inflammation and pain.

Left untreated, metabolic dysfunction progresses to more serious conditions like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, certain cancers, and neurodegenerative disorders.

The Good News: Our metabolic health is responsive to lifestyle intervention (you can change your health by tweaking your habits)

Perhaps the most transformative concept is our metabolic flexibility or our body’s ability to efficiently switch between different fuel sources (carbohydrates, fats and proteins) depending on our activity levels, food availability and energy demands. In other words, how we train our cellular machinery to adapt. For example:

1. Strategic meal timing: occasionally extending the time between meals (intermittent fasting) can enhance your body’s ability to tap into fat stores.

2. Zone 2 training: moderate-intensity exercise where you can still maintain a conversation has been shown to significantly improve mitochondrial function and metabolic flexibility. (translation: take a brisk walk or a slow jog)

3. Temperature variation exposure: Brief exposure to cold (showers, outdoor winter activities) and heat (sauna sessions) stimulates metabolic adaptation pathways.

   The Glucose-Insulin Connection

   While most discussions about blood sugar focus on diabetes prevention, the glucose-insulin relationship affects everyone’s daily performance and long-term health. The goal isn’t necessarily to avoid all glucose fluctuations but to:

   1. Minimize dramatic spikes and crashes

   2. Support healthy insulin sensitivity

   3. Understand your unique response patterns

About now you’re probably thinking, what the heck does that mean? Here’s a cheat sheet:

• Eat fiber, protein or healthy fats before carbohydrates

• Take a short walk after meals

• Use vinegar or cinnamon as natural glucose regulators

• Get good sleep to maintain insulin sensitivity

Timing is Everything

A 2023 study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that participants who consumed the majority of their calories earlier in the day improved insulin sensitivity, reduced inflammation markers, and had better weight management compared to those who ate the same foods later in the day. Try this: always leave three hours between your last meal of the day and your bedtime.

In conclusion

Perhaps the most important insight from modern metabolic research is that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Your best strategy depends on your genetics, microbiome, lifestyle factors, stress levels, sleep quality and personal goals. Small, sustainable changes consistently applied yield far greater results than extreme approaches.

*Get the biomarker tests if you haven’t already. Learn your particular stats and start taking control of your health.❤️

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In our next issue:

The Hot & Cold of it: A Love/Hate Relationship That’s So Good For You (saunas & cold exposure)

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