#59 - Understanding your cholesterol panel & metabolic health blood tests - The ultimate guide | Dr. Robert Lustig & Dr. Casey Means

High-carbohydrate diets and carbohydrate loading have been long-standing tenets of athletic training and competition, but newer research indicates a low-carbohydrate diet may be more beneficial for performance and overall health. Professor Tim Noakes and Josh Clemente discuss how a fat-adapted body can rely on fat as a fuel source at all exercise intensity levels, rather than burning mostly carbohydrates, and how such adaptation and dietary focus may reduce one’s risk of prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes.Sign Up to Get Your Free Ultimate Guide to Glucose: ⁠https://levels.link/wnl⁠Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.🎙 What Tim Noakes, MD, PhD, & Josh Clemente discuss:(00:00) — Intro(02:50) — Dr. Tim Noakes explains his career trajectory(17:36) — An adapted body can rely on fat for all exercise intensities(21:04) — The body will never get to a state of no glucose circulation(22:03) — A delicate balance of macronutrients is likely necessary(27:49) — Before the high-carbohydrate craze, elite athletes were fat adapted(32:32) — Fat oxidation in muscle may have a protective effect against Type 2 diabetes(35:51) — Exercise does not cancel out the risk for metabolic disease if diet isn’t accounted for(46:21) — The body can cope with fasting(53:41) — The high-carb training trend has been perpetuated by the carbohydrate industryTranscripts & Show notes⁠🔗 Helpful links:Find us on YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1⁠

14 Mars 20241h 3min

Your sleep routine is one of the most important aspects of your metabolic health. Look for multiple new shows per week on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations about metabolic health and how the Levels startup team builds a wellness movement from the ground up in the health and wellness tech industry.Sign Up to Get Your Free Ultimate Guide to Glucose: ⁠https://levels.link/wnl⁠Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.🎙 What Ben Grynol and Mike Haney discuss:(02:36) - A study about sleep and metabolic health(03:26) - The benefits of sleep for metabolic health(05:24) - Sleeping at home(05:24) - Standardized meals(07:20) - How glucose levels affect sleep quality and duration(12:50) - What you eat matters(14:37) - Sleep quality and glucose(18:06) - Sleep is the most important thing you control(18:55) - Don’t sacrifice sleep(20:08) - The importance of consistency(25:29) - Compounding effects work both ways⁠Transcripts and Show Notes⁠🔗 Helpful links:How does sleep affect blood sugar?: ⁠https://levelshealth.com/blog/how-sleep-impacts-metabolic-health-glucose-levels-cgm⁠Find us on YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1⁠

29 Feb 202424min

Stable glucose levels are a foundation of feeling and looking your best at any age. When glucose levels are more erratic—with spikes and crashes—cravings, weight gain, low energy, health issues, and more can ensue. Jessie Inchauspé and Dr. Casey Means, thought leaders on the topic of blood sugar, discuss simple hacks for keeping glucose levels more stable without resorting to restrictive diets, and they share why stable levels inform health. Sign Up to Get Your Free Ultimate Guide to Glucose: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://levels.link/wnl⁠⁠⁠ Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health. Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health. 🎙 What Jessie Inchauspé & Casey Means, MD, discuss: (12:59) — Are type 2 diabetes and obesity genetic, dictated by lifestyle factors, or both? (15:53) — Hacks for keeping blood sugar more stable (24:22) — People want to be healthy, but the food industry complicates matters (28:29) — Nutritional choices can impact mental health (35:56) — The premise behind Inchauspé’s ‘Glucose Goddess Method’ (39:59) — Tracking biomarkers provides insight to your metabolic health (42:08) — A siloed approach to healthcare misses the big picture (45:06) — Can supplements really help with metabolic health? (57:37) — We need systemic change in the food industry (1:05:52) — The science behind food cravings ⁠⁠Transcripts & Show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🔗 Helpful links: Find us on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1⁠⁠ Jessie Inchauspé on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glucosegoddess/ Jessie Inchauspé: https://www.antispike.com Casey Means, MD: https://www.caseymeans.com/goodenergy Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health: https://www.caseymeans.com/goodenergy

23 Feb 20241h 20min

Can a holistic protocol address the root cause of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS)? We explore how metabolic health is tightly linked to autoimmune diseases and how understanding blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity is key. Dr. Terry Wahls developed The Wahls Protocol, which helped Dr. Wahls reverse her disease process and helped her get back on her feet. The Wahls Protocol is one of the most influential lifestyle programs that helps people address their autoimmune diseases. Look for multiple new shows per week on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations about metabolic health and how the Levels startup team builds a wellness movement from the ground up in the health and wellness tech industry.Sign Up to Get Your Free Ultimate Guide to Glucose: ⁠⁠⁠https://levels.link/wnl⁠⁠Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.🎙 What Dr. Terry Wahls and Dr. Casey Means discuss:(00:00) - Intro(03:16) - A new framework for thinking about autoimmune disease(07:14) - A supplement cocktail(15:17) - The creation of health(18:26) - Humans are metabolically complex(27:52) - What is mitochondrial dysfunction?(41:19) - The connection between type-1 diabetes and mitochondrial dysfunction(53:03) - Addressing the root cause of autoimmune issues(01:01:31) - How to support mitochondrial health(01:03:21) - Improving metabolic health can improve autoimmune disease⁠Transcripts & Show notes⁠⁠⁠🔗 Helpful links:Find us on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1⁠⁠

8 Feb 20241h 4min

Traditional soft drinks, juice boxes, and energy and sports drinks are loaded with high fructose corn syrup, an ingredient also found in many processed foods. The body processes fructose differently than other sugars, and fructose can lead to weight gain by encouraging the body to store energy. Dr. Richard Johnson and Dr. Dominic D’Agostino discuss the issues with fructose, sucralose (found in PRIME energy drinks), and other artificial sweeteners. They explore how fructose can drive food cravings and overeating, its potential role as an Alzheimer’s contributor, and the benefits of a different sugar that might promote the release of GLP-1, the hormone that Ozempic and Wegovy help increase. Sign Up to Get Your Free Ultimate Guide to Glucose: ⁠⁠https://levels.link/wnl⁠⁠ Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health. Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health. 🎙 What Richard Johnson, MD, & Dominic D’Agostino, PhD, discuss: (1:59) — Richard Johnson, MD, is a prolific researcher regarding sugar’s effects (6:38) — Soft drinks are a major source of added sugar, which has negative effects on metabolic health (8:31) — Fructose lowers energy in the body, driving hunger (14:16) — Fructose can drive insulin resistance and increase fat (21:44) — A small amount of fructose can be beneficial to the body (29:11) — Fructose consumption may be a culprit of Alzheimer’s disease (48:21) — Low-calorie sugars can still make you crave more sugar (53:59) — A low-calorie sugar called allulose has potential health benefits (55:59) — Allulose may stimulate GLP-1 (59:39) — A low-carb diet helps reduce sugar cravings ⁠Transcripts & Show notes⁠⁠ 🔗 Helpful links: Find us on YouTube: ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1⁠⁠ Watch the full conversation: ⁠https://youtu.be/AMgBxyJvtx0

2 Feb 20241h 5min

What are the unique metabolic health experiences of South Asian and Black communities? In this candid conversation between serial entrepreneur and health and wellness investor Dhru Purohit and content creator and metabolism mentor Austin McGuffie, they discuss how metabolic health affects their respective communities.Sign Up to Get Your Free Ultimate Guide to Glucose: ⁠⁠https://levels.link/wnlLevels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.🎙 What Dhru Purohit & Austin McGuffie discuss:(00:00) – Intro(17:24) – Live by example(21:56) – Focus on education first(23:29) – The benefits of targeted fasting(24:47) – Dying from excess(28:43) – It all comes back to lifestyle(33:34) – Talk to people who are on the fence(34:50) – The societal split(35:44) – Why we need targeted solutions(37:40) – The add-in method(51:27) – Health happens in communityTranscripts & Show Notes🔗 Helpful links:Find us on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1⁠⁠

25 Jan 202456min

Highly processed food is hard to avoid. It’s especially harder when you’re a parent. For Austin McGuffie and Ben Grynol, they both have 4 kids, and they talk about the challenges of parenting, feeding kids nutritious food, and educating them along the way.Sign Up to Get Your Free Ultimate Guide to Glucose: ⁠https://levels.link/wnl⁠Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.🎙 What Austin McGuffie & Ben Grynol discuss:(00:00) - Intro(01:11) - Help kids make better food choices and lead by example(06:07) - Know when to give in to a kid’s wants and when to firmly say no(12:02) - Allow your kids to experience the consequences of their food choices(18:53) - Make exercise enjoyable by leaning into your kid’s interests(25:26) - Understand that your kid is an individual with their own tastes and preferences(27:09) - Strike a balance between a nutritious diet and a healthy relationship with food(30:13) - Encourage kids to take ownership of their food(35:45) - Make food taste palatable and enjoyable(39:20) - Keep trying every day Transcripts & Show notes⁠🔗 Helpful links:Find us on YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1⁠Watch the full conversation: https://youtu.be/Ukk07x2oVDQ?si=MUheltnf451VjP47

4 Jan 202446min

Landmark new research published by Dr. Rob Lustig and dozens of other scientists shows us for the first time the intricate mechanisms of how environmental chemicals directly cause obesity, uncovering the latest research on this class of chemicals called obesogens. In this conversation between Dr. Rob Lustig and Dr. Casey Means, they discuss what products and environmental toxins we need to be aware of, how they are impacting our cells and causing metabolic dysfunction, and what we can do to protect ourselves.  Dr. Lustig speaks to how these environmental toxins affect our sex cells (sperm and eggs) and can impact our offspring and many generations to come. He also discusses how 15% of obesity may be directly caused by these chemicals. Sign Up to Get Your Free Ultimate Guide to Glucose: ⁠https://levels.link/wnl⁠Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health🎙 What Dr. Casey Means & Dr. Robert Lustig discuss:(00:00) - Intro (06:31) - It’s not just correlative, it’s causative(09:22) - Obesogens bind to our cell proteins(10:08) - Everyday products contain obesogens(13:11) - Babies and children are the most vulnerable(23:11) - Obesogens stick around even after being banned(30:51) - Food is more than calories(41:45) - Obesogens are unregulated(49:46) - Cell alterations last for generations(59:26) - We need to get the EPA on board(01:00:45) - Buy organic⁠Transcripts and Show Notes⁠🔗 Helpful links:Find us on YouTube: ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1Watch the Video – ⁠https://youtu.be/GQrnEx8MNKk

29 Dec 20231h 11min