Kara Fitzgerald, ND, received her doctor of naturopathic medicine degree from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She completed the first Counsel on Naturopathic Medicine-accredited post-doctorate position in nutritional biochemistry and laboratory science at Metametrix Clinical Laboratory under the direction of Richard Lord, PhD. Her residency was completed at Progressive Medical Center, a large, integrative medical practice in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Fitzgerald is the lead author and editor of Case Studies in Integrative and Functional Medicine and is a contributing author to Laboratory Evaluations for Integrative and Functional Medicine and the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)’s Textbook for Functional Medicine. With the Helfgott Research Institute, Dr. Fitzgerald is actively engaged in clinical research on the DNA methylome using a diet and lifestyle intervention developed in her practice. The first publication from the study focuses on reversal of biological aging and was published 04-12-2021 in the journal Aging. She has published a consumer book titled Younger You as well as a companion cookbook, Better Broths and Healing Tonics and has an application-based Younger You Program, based on the study.
Dr. Fitzgerald is on the faculty at IFM, is an IFM Certified Practitioner and lectures globally on functional medicine. She runs a Functional Nutrition Residency program, and maintains a podcast series, New Frontiers in Functional Medicine and an active blog on her website, www.drkarafitzgerald.com. Her clinical practice is in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.
Additional publications
In this episode of New Frontiers in Functional Medicine, Dr. Kara Fitzgerald sits down with neuroscientist and mitochondrial health researcher Dr. Siobhan Mitchell to explore emerging research on mitochondrial dysfunction, aging, and longevity. They discuss how mitochondria change as we age, how mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to chronic inflammation and age-related disease, and why supporting mitochondrial health could be an important strategy for extending healthspan.
GLP-1 receptor agonists have transformed the way we approach obesity and metabolic disease. The results can be remarkable. But as their use continues to expand, I think we need to be asking a bigger question: what does long-term metabolic health look like beyond weight loss? In this episode of New Frontiers, I sit down with Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj and Dr. Alexis Gonzales to explore a completely different way of thinking about metabolic intervention. Rather than systemically suppressing appetite or altering hormonal signaling, we look upstream at digestion itself, specifically whether changing the rate at which carbohydrates and fats are broken down can meaningfully alter postprandial glucose, visceral adiposity, lipids, and body composition.
What stayed with me across these conversations was just how much the lens of longevity medicine is expanding. We explored exciting new science, emerging technologies, and powerful clinical insights, but we also found ourselves asking deeper questions about what it means to be human, how we want to live, and what truly supports a long and well-lived life. I think you’ll appreciate the breadth of perspectives in this episode—and the reminder that the future of longevity medicine can be both scientifically rigorous and deeply human. ~DrKF
Together, we’ll explore the biology of trained immunity, including how the innate immune system can undergo functional reprogramming after certain exposures. We’ll discuss research surrounding beta-1,3/1,6-glucan and examine why this process supports coordinated immune function rather than simply “boosting” immune activity or promoting chronic inflammation.
As functional medicine clinicians, we often spend our careers helping patients reverse years, sometimes decades, of accumulated dysfunction. But what if some of the most powerful opportunities to influence lifelong health occur long before symptoms ever appear? What if they begin before pregnancy, or even before conception? That’s what makes this conversation so exciting. I sat down with Emily Crouch, Leslie Stone, and Dr. Kalea Wattles to explore the rapidly evolving science connecting preconception health, epigenetics, precision nutrition, and the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. Together, we discuss why fertility is about so much more than achieving pregnancy. It’s a unique biological window with the potential to influence metabolic health, immune function, neurodevelopment, and chronic disease risk across generations. This conversation also challenged me to think differently about prevention. Functional medicine has always emphasized identifying root causes before disease develops. Preconception care may represent one of the earliest and most impactful opportunities to do exactly that. Whether you work in reproductive health or simply want to better understand where lifelong health truly begins, I think you’ll find this discussion both thought-provoking and clinically inspiring. ~DrKF
The skin has long been treated as a cosmetic concern, but emerging science suggests it’s much more than that. As our largest organ, the skin serves as a critical barrier between us and the outside world, yet it also plays an active role in immune function, inflammation, and healthy aging. As skin ages, the accumulation of senescent cells and declining barrier integrity may contribute not only to wrinkles and visible aging, but also to the chronic, low-grade inflammation that underlies many age-related diseases.
Long before “detox” became a wellness category, a different model of detoxification was taking shape in clinical practice. It began with Ed Kane’s own heavy-metal toxicity and the lipid science that followed, the foundation of the PK Protocol, and what BodyBio today frames as lipid replacement therapy, or cell membrane medicine.
Menopause is one of the most significant biological transitions a woman will experience, yet the way we’ve defined and managed it has changed remarkably little over the last century. For many women, the conversation still revolves around hot flashes and the absence of menstrual cycles rather than the profound endocrine shift occurring beneath the surface. But if we instead think of menopause as the onset of physiologic hypogonadism, the entire clinical conversation changes. In this episode, Kelly Casperson, MD, challenges long-held assumptions about hormone therapy, menopause, and women’s health. Together, we explore why outdated interpretations of the Women’s Health Initiative continue to shape medical practice decades later, how the recent removal of the boxed warning on vaginal estrogen represents a turning point in women’s health, and why testosterone deserves a much larger role in the conversation. Kelly also makes a compelling case for reframing menopause through the lens of healthspan medicine, emphasizing patient autonomy, individualized care, and the importance of treating the underlying physiology rather than simply managing symptoms. I think this conversation will fundamentally change the way many clinicians think about menopause, hormone therapy, and aging. Check out the show notes at www.drkarafitzgerald.com/fxmed-podcast/ for all the relevant links and resources. ~DrKF
Muscle is having a moment—and for good reason. As functional medicine clinicians, we recognize that muscle isn’t just about strength or athletic performance. It’s central to metabolic health, resilience, mobility, healthy aging, and longevity. Yet resistance training can still feel intimidating for many of our patients, and even for some of us. That’s one of the reasons I was so excited to sit down with Brad Currier, PhD. Brad was part of the team behind the first major update to the American College of Sports Medicine resistance training guidelines since 2009, and he has a remarkable ability to translate exercise science into practical, evidence-based strategies that clinicians can use immediately. In partnership with Timeline, we also explore the emerging science of Urolithin A and mitochondrial health, including exciting research on muscle function, recovery, and performance across sedentary adults, older individuals, and elite athletes. This is an approachable, practical conversation that I think will change how many of us think about prescribing—and supporting—movement as medicine. ~DrKF
The modern food environment makes post-meal metabolic stress harder than ever to manage, driving prediabetes, insulin resistance, and cardiometabolic disease. While lifestyle changes and GLP-1s help, patients need a sustainable option that fits their lives. SiPore® targets this window locally in the GI tract. Using a patented mesoporous silica, it physically entraps digestive enzymes to slow carb and fat absorption—buffering metabolic stress at the meal itself. Join Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj, and Dr. Eric Johnston to explore the clinical data and practical protocols for this innovative technology.
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Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, ND
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.
