We think this might be controversial – let us know your thoughts! As a functional medicine clinician, our daily work often revolves around a simple yet profound philosophy: the body has an innate ability to heal if we remove the…
FSH is having a quiet moment in longevity medicine — though most of us have not noticed yet. Follicle-stimulating hormone is still treated, in most practices, as a simple yes-or-no test: ordered once, or at most twice, to confirm menopause…
Most likely you know about ceramides for skin health. Interestingly, ceramides are also emerging biomarkers of metabolic health, caught up in the crosshairs as chronic inflammation promotes the formation of dysfunctional ceramide types, which then participate in furthering inflammatory processes.…
Protein continues to be a hot topic in nutrition and longevity medicine. Much of that interest stems from the growing recognition that skeletal muscle is a longevity organ that influences metabolism, mitochondrial function, immune regulation, and cognitive health. As a…
What an obscure mouse strain reveals about antigen uptake, immune reactivity, and gut barrier function. In functional medicine, we think about PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid) metabolism constantly. Yet we don’t often think about where that metabolism actually happens first: in…
There’s a question worth asking every time you prescribe Lion’s Mane: which patient are you prescribing it for? Most integrative practitioners already use Lion’s Mane, but few consider the variables. Raw material, preparation type, extract, and dose all affect therapeutic…
A 31-year-old patient sits across from me and says, “My friends are all freezing their eggs. Should I be doing that too?” It is a question I hear constantly. And while oocyte cryopreservation is a legitimate tool for specific situations,…
These longevity-focused egg muffin cups are a nutrient-dense, protein-rich breakfast designed to support healthy methylation, longevity, and healthy gene expression. Packed with Younger You superfoods such as eggs, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, mushrooms, turmeric, seeds, and wild salmon, these…
There’s one metric that consistently predicts how well we age, and it’s finally showing up in the conversations that matter. It’s not blood pressure, cholesterol, or BMI. It’s muscle strength. Muscle health plays a central role in healthy aging, influencing…
No doubt our regular readers and listeners will have noticed that muscle is having a moment in the healthy aging conversation. In this article, I want to tease out the potential contribution of some additional interventions that we can think…
This nutrient-dense “megaboost” shot is designed to help vegans and anyone focused on optimal health meet key nutritional needs that can be harder to obtain on a plant-based diet. It features ingredients rich in nutrients that are often under-consumed in…
More than 90% of women and 97% of men in the US fall short of recommended fiber intake. The standard American diet lacks the overall fiber content that each of us need to maintain health. But, this gap is not…
If you’re still skeptical about incorporating creatine into your clinical practice, or even into your own supplement stack, this second part of our blog series may help you make that final decision. I understand the hesitation. The internet is saturated…
This vibrant salmon and quinoa warm salad is a simple, nourishing dish designed to support long-term health while delivering bright, satisfying flavor. Sustainably sourced salmon is a rich source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids that support cardiometabolic and brain…
Functional medicine often focuses on nutrition, exercise, and stress management as the foundational pillars of health. But what other powerful environmental inputs could be leveraged with greater precision? What if heat and light could be used as biological inputs in…
Did you know that 1 in 3 older dolphins develops the same aging-associated conditions as humans? While continually helping to improve the health of older Navy dolphins living in San Diego Bay, veterinarians found that some dolphins had elevated cholesterol,…
Creatine has been around for decades. I leaned on it big time in my early career days (both as a physician and a competitive cyclist). I lectured on it in my second year of medical school. And as an athlete,…
Age-related declines in muscle function, immune resilience, and cellular energy are closely linked to mitochondrial dysfunction, making mitochondrial-targeted interventions a key focus of aging research. In this context, recent placebo-controlled human trials show that a Urolithin A dose of 1000…
How close are we to ovarian rejuvenation and what role will AI play in getting us there? In this conversation, reproductive biologist and aging researcher Dr. Vittorio Sebastiano joins Dr. Kara Fitzgerald to explore how rapidly advancing technologies are transforming…
A Comforting Chili That Supports Healthy Aging What could be more comforting than a heart-warming bowl of beef chili on a cozy winter day? A chili that delivers deep, satisfying flavor and quietly supports long-term health and healthy aging. This…
Dr. Fitzgerald is an internationally-recognized expert clinician, as well as nationally-bestselling author, who is actively engaged in clinical research on epigenetics and longevity using a diet and lifestyle intervention developed in her research and practice.
She has published two clinical studies on the potential bioage-reversing effects of an 8-week DNA methylation-supportive diet and lifestyle in middle-aged men and women in the journal Aging. She continues to lead the conversation around interventions for healthy aging and their extensive potential in improving individual and population level disease burdens, while also providing evidence-based and practical advice that cuts through the hype.
Dr. Fitzgerald is on faculty at the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), is an IFM Certified Practitioner, and lectures globally on functional medicine, longevity, and epigenetics to practitioners and consumers.
She maintains an award-nominated podcast series ranked in the top 1% of global podcasts by Listen Score, New Frontiers in Functional Medicine, and an active blog and Clinic Immersion webinar series through her website, www.drkarafitzgerald.com.
Follow Dr. Fitzgerald on Instagram: @drkarafitzgerald
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