To understand metabolic health we should start with metabolism. What is it, where does it occur, and how does it impact your health? Join Dr. Vyvyane Loh in this..
In this episode, Dr. Loh discusses BMI vs body composition and how we can be deceived by the number on the scale.
What is sick fat? How do you know if you have it? How does it make you sick? How can you get rid of it? All this here and more in our 3rd episode. If you care…
Besides its structural importance, muscle is metabolically active tissue that hugely impacts your health. Find out how losing weight may work against your metabolism and why it may be hard for you to lose weight.
We discuss the structural function of bone and how to improve bond mass and quality through nutrition. In addition, we talk about the immune and hormonal functions of bone. Learn how bone can help you with stress!
Think you know carbs? Here’s a complete introduction to the world of carbohydrates. Which carbs are food sources? What types of dietary fibres are there and how do they impact your health? Can eating too much fibre increase your risk of liver cancer? Find out on episode 6 of vlmd rounds.
This episode focuses on hypoglycemia and how your body regulates low blood sugar by making its own glucose. We’ll also learn about the hormonal regulation of low blood sugar in your body.
Learn about hyperglycemia and how it damages your body. We’ll also discuss how your body regulates high blood sugar.
In this episode, we discuss Hyperinsulinemia and Insulin Resistance and how Insulin has been protecting you!
In this episode, we do an investigative dive into dietary fats, their structure, and their importance in our bodies. Think you know Fats? Check this out and see.
Learn how muscles grow and the best way to train safely. We’ll start with the basics of muscle hypertrophy and go on to learn some foundation moves with emphasis on body mechanics. We’ll also discuss progressions from chair/wheelchair options to intermediate levels. Find out how to use Isometric and eccentric exercises to increase strength and muscle mass.
In this episode we will talk about how sleep impacts your metabolic health. What is the architecture of sleep and how is sleep asymmetric? How can we improve our sleep hygiene? We’ll discuss circadian rhythms and what to do if you have insomnia.
Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) are proteins modified by sugars to become toxic chemicals. High blood sugar increases their formation in the body to cause damage to tissues. But could eating meat (which have minimal dietary sugars) cause these dangerous products as well? Find out in this episode of vlmd rounds.
What makes Fructose metabolically different from Glucose, and how does that difference affect your body? How does Fructose affect your brain, and what is its link to a mysterious kidney disease called Mesoamerican Nephropathy? Find out in Episode 14 of vlmd rounds.
Chocolate lovers everywhere have been in mourning since Consumer Reports came out with a study showing that 20 popular chocolate brands contained high levels of lead and cadmium. Does this mean we should stop eating chocolate now? What can lead and cadmium do to your body? What other products may be contaminated? We’ll discuss all this and ways you can decrease the lead and cadmium load to your body when eating cocoa products.
Are Artificial Sweeteners/non-nutritive sweeteners bad for you? What about studies that have shown that they can cause anxiety? How much can you consume per day? Get the scoop on this topic on Episode 16 of vlmd rounds.
Dig into the surprising past of Uric Acid in Episode 17 of vlmd rounds. Why do we make such a toxic substance in our bodies? Why do we keep hanging on to it instead of excreting all of it? What is its role in neurodegenerative diseases? Meet the intriguing Uric Acid and discover its secrets.
Does light drinking improve heart health? Does it help you manage your blood sugar and decrease insulin resistance? What about using fructose to speed up alcohol metabolism in your body? Separate the facts from fiction in our episode on alcohol.
Mental health problems have been on the rise. Millennials are having strokes. Young-onset dementia is a global phenomenon. What’s going on with the brains of homo sapiens in the 21st century? Discover America’s health crisis on vlmd rounds.
When red blood cells flow in a capillary they do not touch the sides of the blood vessel. This observation led to the discovery of the Glycocalyx which all cells need to survive. Find out the role of the Glycocalyx in cell health, in interactions with lipoproteins and how they contribute to atherosclerosis.
Time to talk about cell growth, so let’s bring out the “massTOR” cell growth system, mTOR! Yes, it’s important if you want to build bigger muscles and yes, it would help if you took your leucine but there’s more involved with mTOR than meets the eye. Here are some details that are often not discussed when talking about mTOR and if you stick with it to the end, I’ll even throw in cholesterol and statins (why not?)
Lipoproteins are a transport system for fats in the body. Certain classes of them have been implicated in atherosclerosis. We’ll cover an overview on lipoproteins as they are commonly discussed in the medical world and also answer certain basic questions such as where small dense LDLs come from and what is oxidized in OxLDL?
White fat, brown fat, brite/beige fat, pink fat–those are the shades of fat we possess. In this episode we’ll focus on brown and brite fat and how to increase those fat depots to increase metabolic rate and insulin sensitivity. What supplements increase brown or brite fat? How long do those effects last? How does fasting affect beige fat? Find out on episode 23 of vlmd rounds
PAMPs and DAMPs, complement proteins and MAC, macrophages, Natural Killers and Interferon, MHC molecules…come get acquainted with the players in your innate immune system.
We’re breaking down the adaptive immune system in this episode by looking at B lymphocytes, how they make antibodies to diverse antigens, how they’re activated and their interaction with other immune cells. We’ll also look at the different classes of antibodies and their functions.
This week we’ll look at T lymphocytes and their training process (yes, they have to go to Thymus school and pass 2 very important exams!). What makes a T cells a helper cell? What makes it a killer cell? Get to the the T’s on Episode 26 of vlmd rounds .
The assumption is that brain insulin resistance is the same as in the rest of the body. Before we dive into topics on neurodegenerative diseases, let’s get clear on the differences between peripheral and CNS insulin. How does insulin get into the brain? What happens at the blood brain barrier? Brain insulin could surprise you!
Brain Metabolism: What happens to Glucose in the Brain The Brain is only 2% of body mass and consumes over 20% of the body’s glucose. How does it handle the glucose? Why is it that neurons take up 80-90% of the total energy in the brain but don’t take up most of the glucose? How is the brain similar to muscle? Learn about Brain Metabolism and find out some of the brain’s secrets in this episode of vlmd rounds.
We’re looking at heart metabolism in this episode. What fuels feed the heart? Do those substrates change in insulin resistance and if so, in what way? We’ll explore the basics of cardiac metabolism in this episode.
It’s important to know when ketones are good for you and when they are bad for you. What do we know about heart function on chronic ketone body exposure? What do ketones have to do with mTORC1 and v-ATPases? How did amino acids sneak into this episode??? Check out Episode 30 of vlmd rounds.
BCAAs have been implicated in obesity, insulin resistance, worsening heart failure and liver disease. Should we be cutting down on BCAAs? Are plant protein sources better for you? Why do I consider this topic a can of worms (which, incidentally, are a great source of protein and BCAAs!)? Check out this episode of vlmd rounds.
We’ll look at the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) and its impact on different tissues in the body with an emphasis on the brain. Find out how RAAS activation damages your body and what to do about it.
What are HDLs? Are they cardioprotective or harmful? How do statins affect them? How do they impact immune cells? Join us for this episode of vlmd rounds and learn about HDLs–the truth may surprise you.
What are some factors involved in the development of Alzheimer’s Disease? ApoE4 increases the risk of AD but how? What is the difference between brain ApoE and peripheral ApoE? What’s the connection with microglia?
Fatty liver disease is the most common chronic liver disease globally. Who is at higher risk? How is this related to cargo exchange between the liver and fat tissue? How is this related to Vitamin A? We’ll look at lesser known facts on fatty liver disease in this episode.
How is cholesterol metabolized? What controls its biosynthesis? What happens when it’s modified? What are the effects of oxidized cholesterol on health and disease? What about cholesterol immunometabolism? Check out this episode to learn more.