New Frontiers in Functional Medicine® Podcast Sponsors Dr. Kara Fitzgerald is eternally grateful to our sponsors who, by blogging, podcasting and advertising with us, enable me and my team to devote energy and time to writing and publication. This episode is brought to you in partnership with MitoQ, a mitochondrial antioxidant designed to target oxidative…
Cardiovascular disease is the number one threat to healthspan and longevity. But, aging in women doesn’t follow the same trajectory as it does in men. Alongside perimenopause, as the protective effects of estrogen wane, dyslipidemia, metabolic dysregulation, and weight gain arrive in a rush. This transition still catches even our healthiest patients (and their clinicians) off guard. The downstream effects are vast–brain, bone, microbiome, joints, and barriers (including intestinal and endothelial) all become compromised. Cardiovascular risk can skyrocket.
This was a particularly meaningful conversation for me. I’ve been referencing Dr. Bill Harris’s work for many years, so it was a real privilege to sit down with him and explore these topics together. What struck me most is the level of precision he brings to an area that many of us have simplified—myself included. We covered a wide range of topics, from the AFib controversy to the vilification of omega-6s to the broader complexity of fatty acid biology. At one point, we shared a moment of humor around how the neat biochemical pathways we’re taught don’t always capture what’s really happening in the body. It’s a perspective that really stayed with me. This is one of those conversations that encourages a more nuanced lens, and I do think it has the potential to shift how you’re thinking about and applying these concepts in practice.
It feels like every patient walking into our offices right now is hearing the same message—eat more protein. But maybe the more important question isn’t just how much protein someone is eating, but whether their gut can actually digest and absorb it effectively. Dr. Tom Fabian, Research Specialist at Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory, joins me again to unpack the emerging science around the gut–muscle axis and what it may mean for our patients. And in a moment when so many people are on GLP-1 medications that suppress appetite and slow digestion, that becomes an especially important clinical lens. It’s a fascinating shift in how we think about gut health and muscle resilience. ~DrKF
More and more in practice, we’re working with what I often think of as “tough guts,” patients arriving on increasingly restricted diets, afraid to expand foods because nearly everything seems to trigger symptoms. A big part of our work now is helping rebuild resilience: restoring dietary diversity, supporting the microbiome, and getting people back to eating, and living more fully again. That’s one reason I was so glad to welcome Colleen Cutcliffe back to the podcast. I’ve long admired Pendulum’s philosophy of supporting the microbiome as an ecosystem rather than chasing quick fixes. This conversation really reflects the direction many of us are moving clinically—toward rebuilding function, flexibility, and long-term resilience for our patients. ~DrKF
I was really excited to sit down with Dr. Robert Lustig for this conversation. If you’ve ever thought seriously about sugar, fructose, or metabolic health, his work has probably shaped your thinking in some way. He’s also deeply outspoken, and while we don’t see every issue exactly the same way, I really value conversations like this, especially on the heels of the new USDA dietary guidelines. We talk through what he supports, what gives him pause, and where he thinks the real leverage points actually are, from food policy to ultra-processed foods to the bigger systems driving chronic disease. I didn’t quite know where this conversation would go, but I found it thoughtful, provocative, and grounding, and I think you will too.
I just had a really fascinating conversation with the scientists at Sōlaria biō—Mark Charbonneau and Alicia Ballok—about a line of research that genuinely made me stop and rethink how we approach bone health. We talked about their journey from isolating microbes living inside edible plants, to identifying synergistic microbial interactions, to building out the preclinical work and then taking it all the way into human clinical research. It’s a rare and thoughtful progression, and the science is compelling. Their first clinical focus has been bone loss, and the results they’ve seen so far are striking. In an early clinical study, they reported a substantial reduction in bone loss—up to 80% in certain groups—along with meaningful reductions in CTX, one of the key markers we use to assess bone turnover. They’re now recruiting for a follow-up study in postmenopausal women in collaboration with Harvard, and we’ll share details in the show notes for anyone who may be eligible. This is a rich, science-forward conversation, and I think you’ll find it as interesting as I did. ~DrKF
This isn’t the podcast I expected to release this month. Not even close. But, in the wake of the most recent release of Epstein-related documents, things took a turn. In the face of what is such a colossal abuse of power over young women, it’s easy to feel paralyzed. In fact, along with a deep sense of pain, it was one of the first feelings that I felt as this new wave of information washed over us.
This was an energizing and important conversation with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon. Her ability to connect muscle health with metabolic stability, aging, and even our current misunderstanding of obesity lit up something for me. The idea that intramuscular adipose tissue may be the real driver of metabolic dysfunction, and that skeletal muscle is our most underappreciated longevity organ, brings a clarity and direction I think our field really needs. And I’ll say personally, talking with her made me rethink my own training and protein patterns, especially as I reflected on how my body responds now compared to years ago. There’s something profoundly validating, and also motivating, about realizing that the levers we can pull — protein, resistance, intensity — still work, and may matter even more as we age. I think you’re going to feel that same spark listening to her. ~DrKF
Exosomes are having a moment right now, but this is the first time I’ve felt like I was able to sit down and really unpack what matters, the science behind them, the variability in sources, and why not all exosome products are created equal. In our conversation, Alisa Lask, CEO of Rion Aesthetics, helped bring clarity to a field that’s quickly becoming noisy, and I found myself genuinely impressed by the rigor and precision behind the platelet-derived exosomes she describes. For those of us watching regenerative aesthetics evolve, this discussion offers a grounded, thoughtful look at what’s real, what’s emerging, and what clinicians should be paying attention to. I think you’ll find it as illuminating as I did.