DeepSummary
The episode discusses how poor metabolic health, driven by insulin resistance, is the largest underlying cause of early death in the world. To determine metabolic fitness, doctors look at three primary markers: cholesterol, blood pressure, and waist circumference. The discussion covers how lifestyle factors like diet, sleep, and exercise impact these markers.
Dr. Elizabeth Boham explains that a diet high in refined carbs and sugar leads to insulin resistance, which results in an unhealthy cholesterol profile, low HDL, high triglycerides, and small, dense LDL particles. Inflammation and oxidative stress caused by insulin resistance and visceral fat also contribute to heart disease risk.
Dr. George Papanicolaou discusses high blood pressure, stating that insulin resistance, sleep apnea, nutrient deficiencies, toxins, and inflammation are common underlying causes rather than just salt intake. Visceral fat produces inflammatory markers that increase blood pressure and overall inflammation.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Poor metabolic health driven by insulin resistance is a major underlying cause of chronic diseases and early death.
- Key markers of metabolic fitness include cholesterol profile, blood pressure, and waist circumference.
- A diet high in refined carbs and sugar leads to insulin resistance, an unhealthy cholesterol profile, and inflammation.
- Visceral fat accumulation increases inflammation and is a key driver of metabolic dysfunction.
- Lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, sleep, and toxin exposure impact metabolic health markers.
- Functional medicine takes a deeper look at root causes rather than just treating symptoms with medication.
- Advanced testing like NMR particle size and insulin resistance scores provide better insights than basic labs.
- Addressing insulin resistance and visceral fat through diet and lifestyle changes can significantly improve health markers.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “And the reality is, is that when I was practicing private medicine, before I started functional medicine years ago, I was being graded on if I had a high blood pressure patient, if I had them on certain medications to lower the blood pressure. So my reimbursement was based on whether or not I was using medication, not whether or not I was finding the root cause of the problem, not whether or not I was helping somebody lose weight, not whether I was counseling them on how to lower their stress with meditation that didn't drive it.“ by George Papanicolaou
- “And so when we get that waist hip ratio better, that inflammation goes down.“ by Elizabeth Boham
- “If you lose 20 pounds, you can drop your blood pressure by close to ten.“ by George Papanicolaou
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Episode Information
The Doctor's Farmacy with Mark Hyman, M.D.
Dr. Mark Hyman
4/8/24
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Often, when patients have high cholesterol or high blood pressure, the treatment focus is on statins or anti-hypertensive medications. However, these are just the symptoms of poor metabolic health, which requires a closer look at the root cause and a treatment model that reflects that.
In this episode, Dr. Hyman speaks with Dr. Elizabeth Boham and Dr. George Papanicolaou about our lifestyle choices that affect our cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and waist circumference.
This episode is brought to you by Rupa University, AG1, and Momentous.
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