#263 - How do macronutrients affect your blood sugar and metabolic health? | Dr. Robert Lustig & Ben Grynol
Macronutrients include fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate. All four nutrients have different effects on glucose and metabolic health. Dr. Robert Lustig and Ben Grynol discuss the metabolic health effects of each macronutrient, how to prevent age-related muscle loss, how to improve gut health, and more. 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 Robert Lustig, MD, & Ben Grynol discuss: (03:36) — Protein helps prevent age-related muscle loss (04:25) — What if you just consume protein and do not exercise? (05:21) — Leucine is a stimulator of insulin release (08:55) — Which fats are good and bad for you? (13:22) — How dietary fat affects your glucose response (14:59) — The importance of fiber (15:52) —What does fiber do? Transcript & Show notes 🔗 LINKS: Watch the full library for Rob’s Ultimate Health Guide: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt_J9-Sfer-lwssEdcuNTm3mmKhKqgd-z
29 Aug 202436min
#262 - How do lifestyle changes affect your metabolic health? | Dr. Robert Lustig & Ben Grynol
Exercising and changing your diet are both beneficial for metabolic health. But you may be wondering which one has more benefits for fat loss, increasing insulin sensitivity, and more. Dr. Robert Lustig and Ben Grynol discuss the answer to this burning question and more, including how exercise, saunas, stress, and sleep affect glucose levels. 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 Robert Lustig, MD, & Ben Grynol discuss: (02:30) — Why do you get a glucose spike when you exercise? (04:22) — The sport drink industry puts fructose in its products (05:27) — What happens to your glucose when you enter a sauna? (06:26) — Is it better to exercise or change your diet? (08:16) — How cortisol, the stress hormone, impacts blood sugar and health (10:36) — How does sleep affect your metabolic health? (12:22) — How do you fix sleep deprivation? Transcript & Show notes 🔗 LINKS: Watch the full library for Rob’s Ultimate Health Guide: https://youtu.be/zG4XD116uy8?si=TesKp1WkgmgdrEay
15 Aug 202416min
#261 - Uric acid-raising foods to avoid for metabolic, gut, and overall health | Dr. David Perlmutter & Dr. Casey Means
High uric acid can cause gout, but it’s also a marker for worsened metabolic health and gut health and a contributor to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. Consumption of purines can lead to high uric acid levels, but other ingredients in our food system are also culprits. Dr. David Perlmutter and Dr. Casey Means discuss the problems with high uric acid, the foods and drinks that can lead to higher levels, why uric acid can be a driver of worsened brain health, and concerns regarding leaky gut and the immune system. 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 David Perlmutter, MD, & Casey Means, MD, discuss: (04:36) — Why your uric acid level matters for metabolic health (08:51) — Fructose is a driver of high uric acid levels (13:55) — High-fructose corn syrup contributes to the obesity epidemic (15:57) — The key difference between fruit and fruit juice (25:42) — What is an optimal uric acid level? (28:57) — Alcohol consumption contributes to higher uric acid levels (32:32) — Ultra-processed foods contribute to higher uric acid levels (41:13) — Gut permeability can challenge the immune system (52:43) — Immunometabolism is the link between our metabolism and immune system (59:26) — What causes immune cells in the brain to become dysfunctional? Transcript & Show notes 🔗 LINKS: Watch the conversation: https://youtu.be/IZhi4JXxy6Y
1 Aug 20241h 9min
#260 - Why high insulin levels drive fat storage and weight gain and what you can do | Dr. Robert Lustig & Ben Grynol
High insulin levels drive the growth of fat cells. In turn, fat gain can exacerbate insulin resistance, leading to a vicious cycle. Insulin is a hormone the pancreas releases in response to glucose rising in the bloodstream. A lower insulin level is required to lose fat, and dietary habits and lifestyle changes can help. Dr. Robert Lustig and Ben Grynol discuss insulin’s dual functions in the body, why high insulin leads to fat storage, and how to lower insulin levels. 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 Robert Lustig, MD, & Ben Grynol discuss: (03:05) — What drives fat growth? (04:17) — Why insulin is both good and bad (08:25) — Why insulin resistance creates a vicious cycle of fat gain (10:36) — Changing diet is the easiest way to lower insulin levels to drive fat loss Transcript & Show notes 🔗 LINKS: Watch the full library for Rob’s Ultimate Health Guide: https://youtu.be/zG4XD116uy8?si=TesKp1WkgmgdrEay
11 Juli 202412min
#259 - What being ‘postdiabetic,’ rather than prediabetic, means and how to get there | Eric Edmeades & Ben Grynol
Before someone develops type 2 diabetes, they go through a prediabetic stage. But if someone is reversing their diabetes and is trending toward better glucose levels or even optimal levels, they are postdiabetic. Eric Edmeades and Ben Grynol discuss Edmeades’s new book “Postdiabetic,” his company Wildfit, and how the program helps people reverse type 2 diabetes, change their relationship with food, and overhaul their 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 Eric Edmeades & Ben Grynol discuss: (04:42) — The makings of the obesity epidemic (13:46) — Switching between fuel sources (20:09) — The high cost and consequences of type 2 diabetes (24:19) — Eric Edmeades explains the health experiment that changed his life (27:29) — Doctors aren’t taught much about nutrition in medical school (33:35) — Why doctors may be more likely to prescribe medicine than preventions (34:58) — Wildfit helps people change their relationship with food and reverse type 2 diabetes (40:49) — Why Edmeades titled his book “Postdiabetic” (59:44) — The culpability of the food industry and the government (55:38) — Diets are not the answer (58:54) — Fat as a nutrient is not the enemy Transcript & Show notes 🔗 LINKS: Watch the conversation: https://youtu.be/QO4X6ePQZi8?si=LulpiRMkuWVV4dLj
4 Juli 20241h 1min
#258 - What are glucose and insulin and why do they matter for health? | Dr. Robert Lustig & Ben Grynol
Excess glucose from food gets stored as fat. And our insulin response drives that fat storage. The goal is for the pancreas to release less insulin but for the body to have a healthy response to it. Dr. Robert Lustig and Ben Grynol discuss the interplay between glucose and insulin, healthy glucose numbers, and the problems with insulin resistance. 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 Robert Lustig, MD, & Ben Grynol discuss: (03:10) — The functions of glucose (04:24) — Glucose levels change throughout the day (05:30) — The implications of reactive hypoglycemia (08:51) — Understanding glycemic index and glycemic load (11:12) — How many glucose spikes per day are okay? (14:34) — Insulin drives fat storage (17:41) — How glucose spikes do their damage (19:03) — How eating late before bed can cause insulin resistance (22:12) — A look at healthy glucose levels (27:06) — Insulin resistance is the first sign of issues Transcript & Show notes 🔗 LINKS: Watch the full library for Rob’s Ultimate Health Guide: https://youtu.be/zG4XD116uy8?si=TesKp1WkgmgdrEay
20 Juni 202432min
#257 - Join the “Good Energy” Levels book club and take charge of your health | Dr. Casey Means & Dr. Robert Lustig
Why are we spending more on health care every year, yet people are getting sicker? “Good Energy,” a book by Casey Means, MD, details how you can take your health into your own hands with the power of food as medicine. Dr. Casey Means and Dr. Robert Lustig discuss the overarching themes of “Good Energy,” why we need changes in government and health care, and how people can overhaul their own health with actionable tips, such as eliminating ultra-processed foods from their diet. Plus, Means answers readers’ burning questions. 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 Casey Means, MD, & Robert Lustig, MD, discuss: (3:05) — Why Casey Means, MD, left her surgical residency program (7:47) — The book “Good Energy” in a nutshell (9:50) — The problem with our mitochondria (16:20) — We’re getting too much of our food from ultra-processed items (19:04) — How to reduce cravings (22:06) — Different types of exercise send different signals to our mitochondria (29:42) — Modern medicine is designed to address disease when it’s already present (36:03) — Nutrition guidelines are fraught with conflicts of interest (45:16) — The need for addressing school lunches and SNAP (54:48) — Trends in glucose matter (57:49) — Dr. Lustig shares his thoughts on “Good Energy” Transcript & Show Notes 🔗 Helpful links: Watch the conversation: https://youtu.be/t52Fmvh-5Ww?si=dHdOWrRGMTutSfcb
14 Juni 20241h 4min
#256 - How quickly can you change your metabolic health and how long does it last? | Dr. Robert Lustig & Ben Grynol
About 93% of people in the United States are not metabolically healthy. But metabolic health can be improved quickly and over time with lifestyle changes. Dr. Robert Lustig and Ben Grynol discuss what metabolism is, how to determine metabolic health status, and how and why maintaining metabolic health is crucial. 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 Robert Lustig, MD, & Ben Grynol discuss: (1:30) — The two parts of metabolism (2:50) — Insulin determines fat growth (3:30) — Most people in the United States are metabolically ill (4:12) — Determining what’s wrong with our mitochondria (5:51) — Using glucose as a proxy for fasting insulin (6:47) — How quickly can you fix your metabolism? (7:47) — Lifestyle habits must be consistent to maintain metabolic health 🔗 Helpful links: Watch the conversation: https://youtu.be/zG4XD116uy8?si=o8cyq46QA1j4Hhwd
6 Juni 202410min
