Sep22024
pomegranates

Immune Health as You Age: How Urolithin A Is Revolutionizing Longevity

Often, we only think of our immune system seasonally— as something we need to boost during winter months to bolster our ability to fight colds and flu. However, we should be thinking about our immune health daily as a system in our body that is susceptible to aging, just like our brains, muscles, and other critical organs. As we age, the immune system undergoes significant changes that contribute to increased vulnerability to infections and disease. Even our risk of cancer goes up with age due to a decline in immune system function. Exciting new research involving urolithin A shows a promising new way to target immune aging, offering potential strategies to maintain a more resilient immune system as we grow older.

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Aug12024
clock

The Most Affordable Lab-Based Epigenetic Age Tool – The PhenoAge Calculator

Biological “clocks” based on epigenetic age have been around for just over a decade. Steve Horvath, a PhD scientist at UCLA launched the field with his original 2013 pan-tissue clock that predicted chronological age with head-turning accuracy. Other researchers subsequently crunched their own epigenetic (DNA methylation) data and applied advanced mathematical models to similarly predict age with their own “clocks”, resulting in a suite of available epigenetic age assessments – each with similarities but also notable differences. Some of these are more widely available for non-researchers to use than others.

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Aug12024
woman doing yoga outside

Valuable Insight into Gut Health from DUTCH Hormone Testing

When seeking health advice, we’ve all heard the recommendation, “start with the gut.” Whether we have high cholesterol or heavy periods, it always somehow comes back to the gut, right? Why is that? Well, it’s probably because the state of our gut affects the health of every organ system in our body, and because of this, a healthier gut tends to improve how we feel and function on a day-to-day basis. Many people only think to use a stool test to evaluate gut health, but the DUTCH Test may also yield valuable insights through its measurement of cortisol, hormone metabolites, and organic acids.

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Jul82024

Video Blog: Interpreting the Latest (Controversial) Research on Fish Oil

  In this 15-minute video blog segment, Dr. Fitzgerald discusses a controversial study on fish oil and cardiovascular disease that was published in the British Medical Journal earlier this year titled Regular use of fish oil supplements and course of cardiovascular diseases: prospective cohort study with former clinic resident Tish Campbell PhD. Find the study full…

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Jul22024
holding up vitamin d capsules under sunlight

Do You Have Enough Vitamin D in Your Younger You Protocol?

Is it time to add a custom dose of vitamin D to your Younger You protocols? A small Younger You study from the UK and the importance of D more broadly suggest YES. Don’t miss thoughts on dosing (and some new data showing inadequacy of many dosing recommendations) towards the end of this article.

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Jul12024

How Hormone Monitors are Changing the Way Providers Care for Women

From changing the way pregnancies are planned to helping women anticipate perimenopause – female hormone trackers are here, and they’re helping clinicians provide better care for patients. This blog will take a closer look at what hormone monitors can do, how to choose the right one for your patients, and how they can help you see improved outcomes in a range of clinical scenarios.

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May22024
woman with PCOS

PCOS and Iron Overload – Underappreciated and Important Biochemical Connections

Insulin resistance, excess weight, fatty liver, infertility, and elevated androgen levels – these are clinical features common to two conditions that we wouldn’t necessarily think to connect: polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hemochromatosis. Interestingly, excess iron is a common finding in BOTH conditions. A new patient of mine – we’ll call her Anne – recently presented with PCOS along with mildly elevated iron levels. In this blog, I tease out the relevance of this, especially in the context of emerging research on the connections, and explain how I put those considerations into the development of her treatment plan.

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Apr102024
Skin care. Hands in close-up

Why Skin Health is the Ultimate Test of Longevity

When you think about longevity tests, you might picture lipid panels and fasting blood glucose assessments. However, there’s one aspect of longevity you might not immediately consider: the health of your skin. From eczema and rosacea to premature lines and wrinkles, what’s happening on the surface is often indicative of underlying issues, including those that contribute to cardiovascular disease, dysbiosis, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

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Mar152024
processed foods

Ultra-Processed Foods Spell Disaster for Longevity

Of course we always say “shop the perimeter” of your grocery store, and skip buying anything with industrial ingredients you wouldn’t normally find in your kitchen. Avoid added sugars, colors, preservatives, synthetic vitamins like folic acid… and avoid additives like MSG and carrageenan. Even if these are labeled organic and especially if they are not. Here’s why:

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Feb102024

Beyond Beauty: Targeting Skin Longevity with Urolithin A

In the pursuit of wellness and longevity, skin health often mirrors the body’s internal state, serving as a visible testament to our overall well-being. Yet, traditional approaches to skincare have predominantly focused on treating the surface, neglecting the deeper cellular processes that fundamentally influence the skin’s aging and vitality. As we delve deeper into the science of longevity, a groundbreaking perspective emerges, spotlighting the crucial role of cellular and mitochondrial health not only in preserving the skin’s youthful appearance but also in maintaining the integrity of this critical organ. By shifting our focus beyond that of how we look, we can unlock new strategies for maintaining health and find a promising future where skincare transcends cosmetic concerns to embrace a holistic view of health and aging.

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Jan172024

Ten Need-to-Know Factors That Influence Nutrient Status

Our patients and website readers are always asking whether they should be taking supplements, including what type, and at what dose. Often missed in the information put out by Dr. Google is the fact that what each person needs is unique. In our experience, individuals who are trying to do the right thing with micronutrient…

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Dec82023
2023

Best of 2023 in Functional Medicine and Longevity

As 2023 draws to a close, here’s the content you liked most this year, and as usual it aligns with what we loved as well. Going beyond longevity and epigenetics, this year we covered a wide range of cutting-edge topics – from SPMs, urolithin A and OS-01 peptides, to nuanced thinking and recontextualizing established themes such…

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