The Dr. and Dad Healthcast

According to a study in JAMA, life expectancy rates in the US have stopped increasing and have started to decrease. This is in marked contrast to the rest of the developed world where populations can continue to expect longer lives. Life expectancy is a common marker of the health of a population and societal well being, so a decrease is worrisome.  When did it start to decline?  What's...

Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods’ meat alternatives have gained media attention and are increasingly available in grocery stores and restaurants. Are they a healthier option than eating red meat? Are there any studies supporting health claims? What’s in this stuff and how’s it made? Lots of questions to dive into.

(Also referred to as Integrative or Holistic medicine) The functional medicine model of care purportedly offers a system of care that works to reverse illness, promote health, and optimize function by addressing underlying causes, symptoms, and functional imbalances in interconnected biological networks.  Sounds great, but there are many people in the medical field who view functional medicin...

It's been said that primary care in the US is broken - Our system is bad for doc's and patients as well.  What's behind this dysfunctionality and how bad is it? And, is direct primary care a better option for both patients and providers?

A series of meta-analysis (studies of previous studies) published in the Annals of Internal Medicine October 1, 2019 indicated the advice to eat less red meat and processed meats is not scientifically valid and there’s little reason for any individual to curb their intake of these foods. Predictably, the reports have ignited a media frenzy which has also engulfed the scientific community. In a sta...

With all the information on what we should eat (more vegetables) and what we should not (processed carbs and trans fats), are our dietary habits actually improving? 

Good nutrition and exercise habits clearly can slow down the aging process. But, is it possible to turn back the biological clock? A recently released (and widely publicized) study claims success in reversing certain key biologic markers of aging.  

Rapamycin was first shown to extend the lifespan of wild-type mice in 2009 by the National Institute on Aging Interventions Testing Program, and since that time, numerous studies in mice of different genetic backgrounds by many independent laboratories have confirmed the strong prolongevity effect of rapamycin. Finally, and most dramatically, rapamycin has been reported to actually reverse aging,...

I recently listened to a podcast featuring a prominent researcher in this area, Ming Kuo. I found it interesting that the genesis of her thinking about the positive effects of nature on humans was learning that zoo animals didn’t do well in environments that provided ample food, shelter and safety but lacked the natural features the animal evolved in. She wondered if the urbanized environment of h...

We’re taking advantage of the fact that I’m in the midst of participating in a clinical nutritional study.  So, this episode will focus on what it’s like to be a participant in such a study – it’s quite involved!  The study is called Predict 2. It’s a home-based study that opened in June 2019 that will eventually involve 1,200 volunteers across the US, measuring nutritional responses to food over...

 There’s an abundance (some may say over-abundance) of advice on developing healthy lifestyles – including this podcast.  Underlying it all is the implicit assumption that this information will be used by people to improve their healthspan.  (Otherwise, the only benefit is the financial status of the info purveyors.) But it’s also clear that access to information on how to live healthier and prolo...

Our first guests on the podcast!  Lou's parents (Nicole's grandparents) Jim and Marie have interesting life and lifestyle stories that provide practical insights on extending healthspan.   Nonno was born in Catania, Italy on the island of Sicily and Nonna was born in Portland, Maine where they've lived for all 60 years of their marriage.

With the plethora of recent research on improving health span, we decided to change things up a bit and, instead of doing a deep dive on one study, in this episode we survey a number of interesting new findings.  We look at a naturally occurring anabolic steroid, "weekend sleep", exercise and weight loss and much more.  So, buckle up and listen in to this fast paced episode! 

The diabetes drug Metformin has been getting some attention recently as a possible anti-aging drug. Researchers have been discovering that people on Metformin were living longer – even though they had a disease (diabetes) that generally led to higher mortality. Because the drug is so widely prescribed, there’s a large body of evidence that it’s safe with few side-affects. So, should healthy people...

There’s a growing body of scientific studies that positively correlates the practice of meditation with beneficial reductions in stress and the stress hormone - cortisol. There’s also been some recent research that a type of meditation called Loving Kindness may actually slow biological aging.  Is meditation really an effective strategy for increasing our healthspan?

   We look to the FDA and other sources to guide us on what we should eat to be healthy. But we also see that people can eat the same food, but their bodies may process that food quite differently. Certainly, we see some people can be allergic or intolerant to certain foods, but it’s also the case that what makes one individual overweight or diabetic or more prone to cardio-vascular dise...

Fasting is a hot topic these days, but what does the science say?  In Episode 11 we discussed a study that indicated people who didn't eat breakfast actually had higher rates of cardio vascular disease.  But, as we discussed, there were a number of confounding variables and the absolute risk difference was small.  In this episode we look at a study relating eating or not eating brea...

Hi fat, so-called Ketogenic, diets are all the rage these days.  Carbohydrates are cast as the nutritional villain and primary culprit in today's obesity epidemic.  But, has the pendulum swung too far?  Are there "good carbohydrates", and if so, why do we need to make them a part of our diet? 

Is breakfast "the most important meal of the day"?  What about skipping breakfast as part of a, supposedly beneficial, intermittent fasting routine.  Is  there evidence that skipping breakfast is bad for our health?   

The question of whether your weight is predetermined by your genetic profile (nature), or by your lifestyle (nurture) has been debated for a long while.  Scientific studies are beginning to inform answers to that question and even attribute risk profiles for being overweight based on your particular genes.  This episode explores two recently published studies linking genetics and Body Ma...

This is the second of our two part series on the power of sleep.  In this episode we continue the discussion of the many ways sleep can impact our healthspan for better, and for worse.  And, we also talk about how you can improve your sleep quantity and quality.

We spend roughly 1/3 of our lives sleeping. Why? Why did we evolve such that being helpless for such a long period was more adaptive than being conscious? Scientists are beginning to discover the answers to these questions, and what we can do to improve our sleep patterns.  This is Part 1 of a 2 Part series on sleep. 

While we have a fairly clear idea of the fundamentals of maintaining and healthy body (regular exercise and proper nutrition), what we should do to maintain healthy brain functions is not as defined - particularly as we age.  Alzheimer's and Dementia rates are rising while effective treatments remain elusive, so these diseases are a significant risk to our healthspan.  In addition, we're...

One of our most important relationships is with our physician.  But, does the US's current healthcare system make it difficult for doctors, in particular Primary Care Practitioners (PCP's), to spend the required to provide quality care to their patients?  Do new technologies like Electronic Health Records help or hinder the Doctor/Patient relationship?  And, what can individuals do...

Vitamin, mineral and other nutritional supplements are a $30 billion a year industry in the US alone.  But, are people actually benefiting from the money they are spending?  Are claims of efficacy valid? Is there potential harm from ingesting some of these substances?  We address these questions and others on this episode.