2022 Longevity Research Round Up

If you’re a regular reader/follower, you’ll know I frequently share new research related to epigenetics and biological aging that I think is useful to know. I have also collected here what I hope is a useful “round up” of that research over the past year. Read on to learn more and make sure you haven’t…

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Best of 2022 in Functional Medicine and Longevity

This might just have been our most exciting year yet here at Dr. Kara Fitzgerald! With the launch of three books through major publishing houses, authored by my team and myself, we have barely had a moment to touch ground. Yet, delivering high value content in the functional medicine and longevity space, across all channels,…

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The Protein Magic Formula

How Much Should We Eat For Optimal Health & Longevity? Plus my thoughts on combining with Younger You epinutrient targets   About a month ago, I podcasted with Valter Longo, PhD, a highly respected scientist and director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California. Of course, our conversation hit on protein, something…

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Estrogen + Microbiome = Estrobolome

The function of the digestive tract is essential for proper function of almost every biological system in the body. Hormone metabolism and endocrinology is no exception to this rule. In fact, the connection is so strong with estrogen, that there is a term to describe it in the literature – the estrobolome.

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Going Beyond Cholesterol Testing to Enhance Heart Health

Cardiovascular conditions are one of the most common disorders of modern times. Testing for cholesterol as a potential modifiable risk factor for heart disease is a common part of many functional medicine providers’ clinical practices. Recently, at Rupa Health we wrote about the latest innovations in cholesterol testing such as measuring ApoB-containing lipoproteins and genetic differences in intracellular cholesterol production or gut absorption. In this article we will go beyond cholesterol to discuss the other critical tests for heart health.

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Epinutrients – The Secret Ingredient That Makes Food Your Medicine

Have you heard about epinutrients? Surprisingly, they’re barely mentioned in research papers and yet they are potent epigenetic regulators (i.e. they control how our genes are expressed). And I think it’s time to shine some light on these longevity superstars. But first, have you ever wondered why food has such powerful effects on our health…

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6 Surprising Reasons to Test for the MTHFR Mutation

Many of you know about methylation and how problems with this process are linked to heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autoimmune disease, and autism. But did you know that methylation problems may also be involved in other more surprising areas of your health? In this article, we’ll dive into those other lesser-known consequences of faulty methylation and what you can do about it. But first, a refresher course on what methylation is and how the MTHFR mutation is involved in methylation problems.

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How Old Are You, Really?

Updated December 9, 2022 “Age is just a number,” as the saying goes – but which number, exactly? Of course, you can count to this year from the one you were born in, but that’s far from the most relevant one. You’ve likely had one or more double-takes upon learning a new friend was five…

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2021: The Year of Epigenetics and Biological Aging

This April marked an important milestone for me and my team with the publication of our groundbreaking clinical trial on reversing biological age through diet and lifestyle. And since then, quite a number of research articles have been published on this very same topic. 

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Best Tests and Treatments for Celiac Disease and Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity

Are your patients complaining of bloating, abdominal pain, brain fog, or fatigue? Perhaps you run a stool test and find that after treating the abnormal results, the patient’s symptoms continue. Or perhaps you have treated your patient many times for dysbiosis only to have it return again and again. At this point, it’s wise to consider that your patient may be reacting to a common dietary component such as wheat.

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Four Critical Reasons to Use Food Sensitivity Testing

Often food sensitivity testing is ordered simply due to patient demand for this service. However, the fact of the matter is that food sensitivity testing has a great deal of usefulness in clinical practice. Functional medicine practitioners have used it effectively to unearth the root cause of health problems, pinpoint the reasons behind what exacerbates a given health concern, and even determine which dietary supplements can do more harm than good.

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SIBO – How to Avoid the Recovery Trap and Unlock Healing

Digestive complaints are common and can significantly impact quality of life. Not only that but they can also often be dismissed by conventional medical thinking or swept into the bucket of irritable bowel syndrome without much relief offered. In functional medicine, restoring gut health and balance is right at the core of what we do.…

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Harnessing the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis to Improve the Stress Response

New understandings of the intricate connections between gut and brain are revolutionizing medicine’s approach to mood, brain function and digestion, giving our “gut-wrenching experiences” or our “gut-feelings” a lot more meaning than they already have. The emerging evidence in this area is providing new tools to influence both gut and brain health.

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