Fat Science

Dr Emily Cooper
  • 5.0 (12)
  • MEDICINE
  • UPDATED DAILY

Fat Science is a podcast on a mission to explain where our fat really comes from and why it won’t go (and stay!) away. In each episode, we share little-known facts and personal experiences to dispel misconceptions, reduce stigma, and instill hope. Fat Science is committed to creating a world where people are empowered with accurate information about metabolism and recognize that fat isn’t a failure. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice.

  1. 10 HR AGO

    Navigating the GLP-1 Wild West: A Conversation With Dr. Vin Gupta

    Are you getting a GLP-1 prescription from someone who's never examined you? Dr. Vin Gupta, pulmonologist and former Chief Medical Officer at Amazon, joins Dr. Cooper to expose the dangerous gap between legitimate obesity medicine and the unregulated direct-to-consumer market. This conversation reveals why proper medical evaluation matters and how profit-driven platforms are exploiting desperate patients. KEY TAKEAWAYS GLP-1 medications require individualized medical evaluation, not one-size-fits-all prescribingDirect-to-consumer microdosing platforms lack FDA approval and proper medical oversightThe erosion of trust in healthcare has created opportunities for unregulated treatmentsComprehensive metabolic care includes regular lab work, body composition monitoring, and personalized treatment plansTechnology should enhance medical care, not replace proper physician evaluationNOTABLE QUOTE "I see so many people that come in, you know, they're obsessed with monitoring their HRV, their heart rate variability, and yet they had no idea they have pre-diabetes and they had no idea that they have triglyceride levels through the roof." — Dr. Emily Cooper GUEST BIO Dr. Vin Gupta is a pulmonologist, public health expert, and medical analyst for NBC News. He served as Chief Medical Officer at Amazon and has dedicated his career to translating complex science into actionable health insights at both individual and population levels. GLOSSARY GLP-1 medications: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, medications that help regulate blood sugar and appetite, including brand names like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound Microdosing: Taking smaller amounts of medication than officially prescribed or approved Direct-to-consumer (D2C): Healthcare services that bypass traditional medical settings, often delivered through apps or online platforms HRV: Heart rate variability, a measurement of the variation in time between heartbeats Pre-diabetes: Blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes Links & Resources Podcast Home: fatsciencepodcast.com Cooper Center for Metabolism: coopermetabolic.com Resources from Dr. Cooper: coopermetabolic.com/resources Join Our Community: patreon.com/cw/FatSciencePodcast Submit Your Question: questions@fatsciencepodcast.com or dr.c@fatsciencepodcast.com Fat Science is supported by the Diabesity Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to effective, science-based metabolic care. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider for personalized recommendations.

    1hr 2min

  2. 30 MAR

    What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Taking GLP-1s

    What really happens when you stop GLP-1 medications — and are the headlines telling you the whole story? The answer is more nuanced than social media wants you to believe. This week on Fat Science, Dr. Emily Cooper, Mark Wright, and Andrea Taylor break down four recent studies on GLP-1 treatment outcomes, weight regain, and a groundbreaking new drug that could preserve lean mass during treatment. They walk through the methodology behind each paper, explain why two studies asking the same question got opposite answers, and reveal what a new monoclonal antibody called bimagrumab could mean for the future of metabolic treatment. Key Takeaways When you stop treating any chronic metabolic condition, the condition returns — that's not failure, that's biology. Real-world data showed 56% of people who stopped filling GLP-1 prescriptions maintained or continued losing weight — likely because they continued working with their clinician on alternative treatments. A new monoclonal antibody called bimagrumab showed 11% body weight reduction on its own, while simultaneously increasing lean mass by 3% — without affecting appetite. When combined with semaglutide, bimagrumab reduced lean mass loss from 28% to just 11% of total weight lost. Not eating enough while on GLP-1s drives greater lean mass loss — nutrition is still the best tool for preserving muscle. Notable Quote "It wasn't my failure and it was disease underneath everything. Finding that out — that it wasn't my fault — that was the miracle of the whole process to me." — Andrea Taylor Links & Resources Podcast Home: fatsciencepodcast.com Cooper Center for Metabolism: coopermetabolic.com Resources from Dr. Cooper: coopermetabolic.com/resources Join Our Community: patreon.com/cw/FatSciencePodcast Submit Your Question: questions@fatsciencepodcast.com or dr.c@fatsciencepodcast.com Fat Science is supported by the Diabesity Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to effective, science-based metabolic care. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider for personalized recommendations

    47 min

  3. 23 MAR

    Mailbag: Fasting, Food Noise & GLP-1s

    Ever wonder why fasting worked at first — then stopped? Or why you lost 80 pounds only to gain back 100? In this mailbag episode, Dr. Emily Cooper, Mark Wright, and Andrea Taylor tackle the most misunderstood topics in metabolic health. From the harsh reality of fasting culture to the surprising metabolic challenges faced by normal-weight individuals, this conversation validates what you've been experiencing and explains the science behind it. You'll also hear why GLP-1 medications aren't just weight loss drugs, why your body might be fighting you even when you're doing everything right, and what happens when your job — like shift work or firefighting — disrupts your metabolism for years. KEY TAKEAWAYS You can have metabolic dysfunction at a normal weight with what appear to be normal labs, for example, when insulin is over suppressed from chronic under-fueling or overexercisingFasting triggers the same biological adaptation as any restrictive diet and typically results in weight regain that's 22 percent higher than starting weightFood noise is biological, not psychological, and stems from an imbalance of hormones and neurotransmitters signaling nutritional insecurityGLP-1 medications may improve immune function because metabolic health and immunity are deeply connectedShift work and chronic sleep disruption can cause real metabolic damage by weakening leptin signals, increasing insulin resistance, and amplifying hunger hormonesNOTABLE QUOTE "You can't trick your body. You have to have that foundational fueling in there." — Dr. Emily Cooper Links & Resources Podcast Home: fatsciencepodcast.com Cooper Center for Metabolism: coopermetabolic.com Resources from Dr. Cooper: coopermetabolic.com/resources Join Our Community: patreon.com/cw/FatSciencePodcast Submit Your Question: questions@fatsciencepodcast.com or dr.c@fatsciencepodcast.com Fat Science is supported by the Diabesity Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to effective, science-based metabolic care. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider for personalized recommendations.

    45 min

  4. 16 MAR

    Why You Keep Waking Up at Night — What 15,000 Patient Encounters Reveal About Sleep and Metabolism

    Are you getting eight hours in bed but still waking up exhausted? Dr. Emily Cooper shares groundbreaking findings from nearly 15,000 patient encounters at her metabolic clinic. The data reveals surprising connections between stress, eating frequency, sleep quality, and metabolic health — and why the number of hours you spend in bed doesn't tell the whole story. KEY TAKEAWAYS Over 60% of patients reported trouble staying asleep, even when they got eight hours in bedHigher stress levels were associated with double the rate of low energy and significantly worse sleep qualityEating frequency matters — patients eating five times per day reported the best sleep and highest energy levelsThe sweet spot between meals is two to four hours — longer gaps were linked to sleep disruption and low energyAny amount of alcohol was associated with fragmented sleep, regardless of stress levelsNearly 65% of patients were not hydrating adequately throughout the dayNOTABLE QUOTE "If your cortisol goes high, we can get the same effects that happen when we take steroids, which we know promote pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, weight gain." — Dr. Emily Cooper Links & Resources Podcast Home: fatsciencepodcast.com Cooper Center for Metabolism: coopermetabolic.com Resources from Dr. Cooper: coopermetabolic.com/resources Join Our Community: patreon.com/cw/FatSciencePodcast Submit Your Question: questions@fatsciencepodcast.com or dr.c@fatsciencepodcast.com Fat Science is supported by the Diabesity Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to effective, science-based metabolic care. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider for personalized recommendations.

    49 min

  5. 9 MAR

    Mailbag: Your GLP-1 Questions: Hair Loss, Blood Sugar Spikes & Hormone Therapy

    Think squashing your post-meal glucose spike is the healthy thing to do? What if that flat line on your CGM is actually telling your brain you didn't eat — and slowing your metabolism as a result? This week on Fat Science, Dr. Emily Cooper, Mark Wright, and Andrea Taylor open the mailbag to tackle listener questions from around the world — Australia, New Zealand, and across the U.S. They dig into hormone replacement therapy and metabolism, why your GLP-1 medication might be causing hair loss, what a normal blood sugar response actually looks like, and how lipedema differs from obesity. Dr. Cooper also revisits metabolic syndrome and why it's not outdated — just underutilized. Key Takeaways Hormone replacement therapy isn't a reliable tool for improving metabolism — it's better suited for symptom relief and bone health in specific situations. Progesterone, which must accompany estrogen if you still have your uterus, can actually disrupt metabolism in some women — acting almost like a steroid. A flat glucose line after eating isn't the goal — your brain needs to see glucose go up to register that you've been nourished and keep your metabolism running. Hair loss on GLP-1 medications is more likely tied to nutrient deficiencies (especially iron and protein) than the drugs themselves. Lipedema is a disease of the fat tissue itself — separate from obesity — and tirzepatide may help reduce the inflammatory symptoms even though it won't eliminate the fat deposits. Notable Quote "If your glucose is flat line, your brain's not very convinced that you ate much — and then you're not getting the metabolic benefit." — Dr. Emily Cooper Links & Resources Podcast Home: fatsciencepodcast.com Cooper Center for Metabolism: coopermetabolic.com Resources from Dr. Cooper: coopermetabolic.com/resources Join Our Community: patreon.com/cw/FatSciencePodcast Submit Your Question: questions@fatsciencepodcast.com or dr.c@fatsciencepodcast.com Fat Science is supported by the Diabesity Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to effective, science-based metabolic care. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider for personalized recommendations.

    51 min

  6. 2 MAR

    Why GLP-1s Alone May Not Be Enough: A Listener's Real Story

    What happens when you do everything "right" — the GLP-1, the protein shake, the tracking — and the scale still won't budge? This episode reveals why doing everything “right” might actually be a big part of the problem. This week on Fat Science, Dr. Emily Cooper, Mark Wright, and Andrea Taylor welcome Sandy, a listener from Pennsylvania who has been on the metabolic health journey for over a year. Sandy's story is one many listeners will recognize: decades of dieting starting in childhood, a body that kept adapting against her, and a medical system that kept telling her to try harder. But when Dr. Cooper reviews Sandy's actual lab work live on air, what she finds reframes everything — and offers a path forward that has nothing to do with restriction. Key Takeaways Suppressed leptin hides a portion of your body fat from your brain, and possibly signals your brain that you're underweight — so your brain fights weight loss even when your body doesn't need protecting. Low insulin isn't always healthy; it can be a sign of the "selfish brain" redirecting precious glucose to the brain at the expense of your muscles. Weight cycling — losing and regaining the same weight repeatedly — creates cardiovascular and metabolic risk. Mechanical eating is the antidote to disordered eating: structured, non-restrictive fueling that rebuilds metabolic trust. GLP-1 medications can suppress appetite, so under-eating becomes a real risk — especially for people already conditioned to restrict. The goal isn't the number on the scale. It's metabolic stability and metabolic health, and those things are not the same. Notable Quote "It was such a revelation to me to hear you guys talk about it — it's a metabolic disorder. It's not a willpower issue, it's not a personal failing. It's something absolutely beyond my control. Like diabetes would be. Like migraines would be." — Sandy Links & Resources Podcast Home: fatsciencepodcast.com Cooper Center for Metabolism: coopermetabolic.com Resources from Dr. Cooper: coopermetabolic.com/resources Join Our Community: patreon.com/cw/FatSciencePodcast Submit Your Question: questions@fatsciencepodcast.com or dr.c@fatsciencepodcast.com Fat Science is supported by the Diabesity Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to effective, science-based metabolic care. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider for personalized recommendations.

    57 min

  7. 23 FEB

    The Science Behind the New Wegovy Pill: One-On-One with Novo Nordisk’s Dr. Jason Brett.

    The Science Behind the New Wegovy Pill (with Novo Nordisk’s Dr. Jason Brett) What actually makes a GLP-1 pill work in the real world—and why does taking it come with such specific rules? And if these meds improve health beyond weight, why does the conversation still get stuck on the scale? This week on Fat Science, Dr. Emily Cooper, Mark Wright, and Andrea Taylor are joined by Dr. Jason Brett of Novo Nordisk to break down the science behind the newly approved Wegovy pill. They talk about what it takes to deliver a peptide medication orally, what the dosing and day-to-day routine really look like, and why access and pricing remain such a big part of the story. The conversation also zooms out to the bigger point: treating obesity is about improving health outcomes—like liver and cardiovascular risk—not just weight. Key Takeaways Oral semaglutide requires specific formulation technology to survive the stomach and be absorbed at a meaningful level. The “30-minute rule” isn’t random—it’s part of how the pill has a chance to work as intended. Treating obesity is about improving health outcomes (like liver and heart risk), not just “moving a number on a scale.” Pricing and access shape who can actually benefit, even when the science is strong. Calorie-restriction messaging can backfire for people already dealing with metabolic adaptation and under-nutrition. Notable Quote "Fat Science has no financial relationship with Novo Nordisk. No sponsorship. No consulting fees, no affiliate arrangements. Zero." — Mark Wright Links & Resources Podcast Home: fatsciencepodcast.com Cooper Center for Metabolism: coopermetabolic.com Resources from Dr. Cooper: coopermetabolic.com/resources Join Our Community: patreon.com/cw/FatSciencePodcast Submit Your Question: questions@fatsciencepodcast.com or dr.c@fatsciencepodcast.com Fat Science is supported by the Diabesity Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to effective, science-based metabolic care. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider for personalized recommendations.

    1hr 1min

  8. 16 FEB

    Mailbag: Your GLP-1 Questions on Pregnancy, Dosing, and Why Diets Cause Fat Gain

    Mailbag: Your GLP-1 Questions on Pregnancy, Dosing, and Why Diets Cause Fat Gain What happens when you stop GLP-1 medications before getting pregnant? Why might your thyroid numbers change on Zepbound? And why do people gain more body fat after dieting — even when they're still eating well? Dr. Cooper tackles your toughest questions. This week on Fat Science, Dr. Emily Cooper, Mark Wright, and Andrea Taylor answer listener questions covering pregnancy planning on GLP-1s, unmasked thyroid problems, injection site reactions, mechanical eating after bariatric surgery, why diets cause fat regain at a cellular level, and discussing with your doctor whether you should (or shouldn't) increase your medication dose. Key Takeaways GLP-1 medications aren't causing gestational diabetes — they may have been masking underlying metabolic dysfunction that becomes visible when the medication is stopped Thyroid problems can be "unmasked" by GLP-1 treatment because the medications signal to your brain that you're not starving, allowing the pituitary TSH to rise, sometime uncovering a pre-existing thyroid issue Zepbound may improve iron absorption — if iron levels go too high, testing for hemochromatosis may be warranted To reduce injection site reactions: warm the medication to room temperature, clean and prep skin but don't over-rub with alcohol, inject at exactly 90 degrees, don't pinch the skin, and stay relaxed Diets cause fat regain at the cellular level — it's chemistry, not willpower — and the fat often accumulates in the visceral area around organs There's no need to increase your GLP-1 dose if you're making good progress — an annual weight loss rate of 15% or higher is considered strong Notable Quote "You can't think that just because somebody's weight is high, it's because something they're doing is wrong. That is just not founded in science whatsoever." — Dr. Emily Cooper Links & Resources Podcast Home: fatsciencepodcast.com Cooper Center for Metabolism: coopermetabolic.com Resources from Dr. Cooper: coopermetabolic.com/resources Join Our Community: patreon.com/cw/FatSciencePodcast Submit Your Question: questions@fatsciencepodcast.com or dr.c@fatsciencepodcast.com Fat Science is supported by the Diabesity Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to effective, science-based metabolic care. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider for personalized recommendations.

    43 min
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Hosts & Guests

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Fat Science is a podcast on a mission to explain where our fat really comes from and why it won’t go (and stay!) away. In each episode, we share little-known facts and personal experiences to dispel misconceptions, reduce stigma, and instill hope. Fat Science is committed to creating a world where people are empowered with accurate information about metabolism and recognize that fat isn’t a failure. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr Emily Cooper
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    131
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dr Emily Cooper
  • Show Website
    Fat Science

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