The Health Edge: translating the science of self-care

Mark Pettus MD and John Bagnulo PhD, MPH
  • 4.8 (14)
  • MEDICINE
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

“It’s not what we don’t know that gets us into trouble. It’s what we know that ain’t so”.  Will Rogers We believe the explosion of life science research from many disciplines had catapulted ahead of our capacity to process, integrate, understand, and apply. We are interested in translating all that is out there as news to use. A fundamentally different understanding of human biology has emerged. The implications from the perspective of self-care are profound. We are rapidly moving away from the debate of nature versus nurture toward an understanding that life emerges from a dynamic landscape of nature via nurture. We are passionate about the science. We are passionate about the implications. We believe in the capacity and possibility made possible by being alive here and now! We are beautifully designed to be on the African Savannah, living fully integrated with our planet, and in the context of social relationship. Our modern environment is not well designed to promote human health and the capacity to thrive. Many are struggling to maintain balance and traction in lives that often feel overwhelming and frightening.The challenge is to better leverage our superb ancestral adaptation for a different and radically challenging modern environment. Everything that touches us today has the potential be be very familiar or totally foreign. The less aware one is of the day to day distance between what we are biologically , as a species, “familiar with” and what we actually encounter, the fewer the possibilities for more effective alignment. Leaving one’s health trajectory to chance in our modern environment is a very risky proposition. We are interested in holding the science to the light with an open and humbled mindset. Like you, We are intrepid explorers interested in how we emerge in the midst of our relationship with the environmental inputs of our lives…how we eat, how we move, how we sleep, how we navigate the mind fields of conflict in our lives, how socially connected we are, how we manage the burden of environmental toxins in our lives, how much meaning we cultivate in our work, love, play and how we interpret and respond to stress in our lives. We will drill deep, share all that my experiences has taught and do all that we can to create value for you as you seek to find your health edge. We always welcome your feedback.Mark and John

  1. 3D AGO

    A Practical Guide To Choosing Supplements

    Send us Fan Mail Your supplement shelf can turn into a silent monthly subscription, and the scariest part is not the cost. It’s the uncertainty. We sit down to unpack why supplements so often feel like a black box, how isolated nutrients can behave differently than nutrients in whole foods, and what a sensible, evidence-based supplement routine looks like when you care about real outcomes like strength, metabolic health, energy, and long-term resilience.  We walk through the decision filters we use as clinicians, starting with the most straightforward case: measured deficiencies you can actually track, like vitamin B12 or vitamin D. From there, we share John’s “Four I’s” checklist (imbalance, insufficiency, infection, isolation) and why the food matrix matters so much when you’re deciding between a capsule and a plate. We also get specific about common scenarios, including vegan and plant-based nutrient gaps (especially zinc and B12), aging and fatty acid needs, and why omega-3 fish oil studies can look mixed compared with the consistent benefits of eating oily fish.  We dig into risks that don’t get enough airtime, including supplement overload, vitamin toxicosis concerns, and medication-driven nutrient depletion. Metformin and B12, statins and CoQ10, and proton pump inhibitors and mineral absorption all come up, along with a bigger theme: changing a biomarker is not the same as improving an outcome. To keep things grounded, we share what we actually take right now, why creatine has one of the strongest evidence bases in sports nutrition and healthy aging, how creatinine lab values can be misread, and where berberine and targeted probiotics like Akkermansia may fit for metabolic health when paired with lifestyle changes. We close with practical tips on supplement quality and third-party testing, plus how to build a short-term “bridge” plan with clear stop rules.  Subscribe for more evidence-based self-care, share this with someone whose cabinet is overflowing, and if you found this helpful, leave a review and tell us what supplement you want us to break down next.  For video recording and open source reference articles: www.thehealthedgepodcast.com

    52 min

  2. APR 17

    Chrononutrition And Biological Aging

    Send us Fan Mail Your body keeps time, and your fork might be one of the strongest signals it listens to. We get into chrononutrition, the growing science of meal timing, and why aligning breakfast and dinner with circadian biology may change far more than your waistline. Using a new large-cohort analysis from NHANES, we talk through how first meal time, last meal time, and the length of your daily eating window correlate with biological aging models, including organ-specific aging patterns in the heart, liver, and kidneys. We also make the research practical. We share why late dinners and long grazing-style eating windows can push you toward insulin resistance, weight gain, and worse sleep, and why shutting down food earlier in the evening often becomes the “linchpin” habit that makes everything else easier. Then we zoom in on breakfast strategy, including why a high-protein, higher-fat morning meal can improve satiety, muscle protein synthesis, thermogenesis, and energy through the day, plus examples of simple high-protein breakfasts you can actually repeat. Finally, we explain biological age testing in plain language. We compare epigenetic clocks based on DNA methylation with functional blood-based models like KDM and PhenoAge, and why trending these markers can motivate real behavior change. If you care about healthy aging, metabolic health, time-restricted eating, better sleep, and a routine that works with your biology instead of against it, this conversation gives you a clear place to start. Subscribe, share this with someone you care about, and leave a review with the meal-timing change you’re willing to try this week. For video, slides and open source research articles: www.healthedgepodcast.com

    1h 2m

  3. APR 8

    A 15-Year Study Linking Unprocessed Red Meat To Lower Dementia Risk

    Send us Fan Mail A 15-year follow-up study out of Sweden forces an uncomfortable question: what if unprocessed red meat isn’t a brain-health villain at all, and the real risk sits upstream in metabolic dysfunction and refined carbs? Mark Pettis and John Bagnulo dig into the data on red meat consumption, cognitive decline, and dementia risk, with a special focus on the highest-concern group: people with the APOE4 genotype. If you’ve ever seen a genetic test result and felt like Alzheimer’s disease was inevitable, we want to replace that fear with clarity and actionable context. We break down what the research actually shows, including the dose-response signal and the critical distinction between minimally processed red meat versus processed meat. Then we explore why “what meat replaces” matters: when red meat displaces grains, cereals, and other high carbohydrate density foods, the apparent protection becomes even stronger. From there, we connect the dots to the mechanisms we think deserve more attention in both neurology and cardiometabolic care: insulin resistance in the brain, neuroinflammation, microvascular damage, mitochondrial energy shortfalls, and why plaques may be more response than root cause. To round out the picture, we bring in parallel findings on full-fat dairy and eggs. We talk about the potential role of odd-chain saturated fatty acids, choline, and the broader “food matrix” idea that supplements rarely replicate. Finally, we share a practical set of brain-supportive foods plus a clear list of foods that should give you pause, especially flour-heavy sweets and oxidized shelf-stable animal products. If this challenged your assumptions about saturated fat, cholesterol, and dementia prevention, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s the one food swap you’re willing to try for the next four weeks? For video, slides and open source research papers: www.thehealthedgepodcast.com

    56 min

  4. APR 1

    Fear of Skin Cancer Will Reduce Your Lifespan

    Send us Fan Mail Sunlight has been framed as a problem to avoid, but the data keeps pointing in the opposite direction: people who get more natural light tend to live longer and carry a lower risk of chronic disease. We take a hard look at why this topic still feels controversial, and how fear based messaging can flatten a complex risk-benefit reality into a single command: stay out of the sun. We walk through a powerful new UK Biobank analysis on habitual ultraviolet exposure and mortality, using a detailed exposure model that captures real-world behavior, not just a lab estimate. The headline is difficult to ignore: higher UV exposure tracks with lower cardiovascular and non-skin cancer mortality, without a clear increase in skin cancer mortality in the findings. That forces a more balanced conversation about sunlight, all-cause mortality, and what “safe” actually means when heart disease and cancer remain the biggest killers. Then we go deeper than vitamin D. We talk nitric oxide, vascular function, clotting biology, inflammation markers, proteomic signals, circadian rhythm, and why morning light is one of the most underused tools for better sleep and mood. We also revisit the forgotten history of heliotherapy and how modern indoor living, artificial light, and aggressive sun avoidance can create a kind of paleo deficit disorder. If this changes how you think about sunlight and health, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review. What belief about sun exposure do you want to recheck this spring? For video, slides and open-source references: www.thehealthedgepodcast.com

    54 min

  5. MAR 25

    How Food And Cold Exposure Can Raise Daily Calorie Burn

    Send us Fan Mail Thermogenesis is one of the most ignored levers in weight loss and metabolic health, and it changes the way we think about “calories out”. We talk through how your body generates heat all day long, why resting energy expenditure and basal metabolic rate are not fixed, and how small choices can compound into meaningful differences over months. We start with diet-induced thermogenesis and the thermic effect of food, including why protein burns more energy during digestion and metabolism than carbs or fat. From there, we get practical about preserving lean body mass, because muscle is your primary metabolic machinery. We dig into protein targets, why leucine-rich options like whey protein can support muscle protein synthesis, and how higher-protein strategies may help with weight loss maintenance when the body tries to slow metabolism and ramp up hunger. Then we zoom out to the environment: brown adipose tissue, cold exposure, and the surprising impact of simply living a little cooler. We also explore emerging ideas on circadian rhythm and blue light timing, including why morning light may support metabolic signalling while blue light at night can push insulin resistance in the wrong direction. Finally, we address a growing concern with GLP-1 medications: rapid weight loss paired with unwanted losses of muscle and bone. If you care about fat loss without sacrificing strength, function, and health span, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who is stuck on a plateau, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. For video and open source references: www.thehealthedgepodcast.com

    58 min
  6. How Positive Age Beliefs Improve Cognitive Function And Fitness in Seniors

    MAR 18

    How Positive Age Beliefs Improve Cognitive Function And Fitness in Seniors

    Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking that aging automatically means pain, weakness, or losing your independence, this conversation is a reset. We dig into a Yale study published in *Geriatrics* showing that beliefs about aging are not just “nice ideas” but measurable predictors of how well we think and move as the years pass. When you treat mindset as part of health science, the story of getting older starts to look far more hopeful and far more actionable.  We walk through the research design using the Health and Retirement Study (over 11,000 adults age 65+ followed for years), including how researchers measured attitudes toward aging, tested cognitive function, and used walking speed as a practical marker of physical function. The headline finding stopped us in our tracks: roughly 45% of participants improved in cognitive and or physical performance over time. Even more striking, more positive age beliefs strongly correlated with a higher likelihood of improvement, including for people who started below average.  From there, we connect the dots to health span and compression of morbidity, the idea that we can live more years with high quality of life and fewer years of disability. We also talk epigenetics and why “don’t be a prisoner of your DNA” is more than a slogan, plus the everyday levers that make the biology real: movement, sleep, stress response, community, purpose, and setting new goals later in life. If this shifts your perspective, please subscribe, share with someone who needs hope about aging, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. For the video, reference study and slides go to www.thehealthedgepodcast.com

    34 min

  7. MAR 11

    Statins, Muscle Mass and Strength: A long-term trade off?

    Send us Fan Mail What if a lower LDL comes with a quiet cost to your strength and resilience? We dig into a massive biobank analysis linking long-term statin use with declines in grip strength and appendicular lean mass, then connect the dots to sarcopenia, mitochondrial function, and the daily choices that shape metabolic health. Strength is more than performance; it predicts independence, glucose control, and longevity, which is why any therapy that erodes muscle demands a closer look. We walk through the study’s design, what “appendicular lean mass” really measures, and why the findings held even after adjusting for lifestyle and genetics like SLCO1B1. From there, we peel back the LDL-centric mindset and focus on terrain: insulin, inflammation, triglycerides, HDL, and LDL particle quality. You’ll hear why refined carbs, seed oils, and chronic inflammation push lipoproteins in the wrong direction—and how protein-forward meals, resistance training, and lower insulin load tip the balance toward larger, less atherogenic particles with benefits that extend well beyond a single lab value. We also compare statins with hydrophilic options, alternate dosing strategies, and newer PCSK9 inhibitors, clarifying where they may fit for secondary prevention and where big questions remain—especially around muscle preservation and all-cause mortality. CoQ10 gets a fair review: low risk, mixed evidence, and not a proven fix for long-term function. Most importantly, we share practical steps to protect your muscle: track grip strength, prioritize 1.6 to 2.0 g/kg daily protein, lift two to three times per week, walk after meals, and align circadian rhythms with sleep and sunlight. Medications can lower numbers; only your muscles move you through life. Let’s make treatment plans that respect both. If this conversation helped you think differently about risk and resilience, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find thoughtful, evidence-informed health guidance. For slides, open source references and video go to: www.thehealthedgepodcast.com

    43 min

  8. MAR 4

    Pasteurized Akermansia and Metabolic Health

    Send us Fan Mail What if the most effective probiotic isn’t alive? We dive into the surprising science of pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila—how a heat-treated microbe can tighten the gut barrier, steady blood sugar, and spark fat oxidation without needing to survive your stomach. Drawing on recent human trials and compelling mechanistic insights, we unpack why preserving cell-wall signals and membrane proteins may matter more than colony counts, and why autoclaving destroys the very benefits pasteurization protects. We break down Akkermansia’s unique role in maintaining a thick, resilient mucus layer that shields the intestinal lining and reduces permeability. From there, the systemic payoffs emerge: improved insulin sensitivity, GLP-1–like effects, reduced inflammation, and better liver fat metabolism. We also highlight the speed of change—often within weeks—when gut signaling and barrier integrity improve. Along the way, we explore the “food matrix” idea, showing how even non-living microbial fragments can shape the microbiome’s behavior. Looking for practical steps? We outline how to track progress with a CGM, fasting insulin, and LPS-related markers. Then we share simple levers to support Akkermansia naturally: intermittent fasting, low-glycemic or ketogenic patterns, polyphenol-rich foods like cranberries, pectin from citrus peels or unripe apples, and regular aerobic training. Equally important, we call out what to avoid—artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame that can suppress Akkermansia. For those considering a postbiotic, pasteurized Akkermansia offers a targeted, promising path for metabolic health, gut integrity, and even potential strength gains in older adults. If this conversation sparks ideas or challenges a long-held belief about probiotics, share it with a friend, subscribe for more science-forward self-care, and leave a review to help others discover the show. What’s your next step to build a stronger gut? For video, slide deck and open source references: www.thehealthedgepodcast.com

    36 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

“It’s not what we don’t know that gets us into trouble. It’s what we know that ain’t so”.  Will Rogers We believe the explosion of life science research from many disciplines had catapulted ahead of our capacity to process, integrate, understand, and apply. We are interested in translating all that is out there as news to use. A fundamentally different understanding of human biology has emerged. The implications from the perspective of self-care are profound. We are rapidly moving away from the debate of nature versus nurture toward an understanding that life emerges from a dynamic landscape of nature via nurture. We are passionate about the science. We are passionate about the implications. We believe in the capacity and possibility made possible by being alive here and now! We are beautifully designed to be on the African Savannah, living fully integrated with our planet, and in the context of social relationship. Our modern environment is not well designed to promote human health and the capacity to thrive. Many are struggling to maintain balance and traction in lives that often feel overwhelming and frightening.The challenge is to better leverage our superb ancestral adaptation for a different and radically challenging modern environment. Everything that touches us today has the potential be be very familiar or totally foreign. The less aware one is of the day to day distance between what we are biologically , as a species, “familiar with” and what we actually encounter, the fewer the possibilities for more effective alignment. Leaving one’s health trajectory to chance in our modern environment is a very risky proposition. We are interested in holding the science to the light with an open and humbled mindset. Like you, We are intrepid explorers interested in how we emerge in the midst of our relationship with the environmental inputs of our lives…how we eat, how we move, how we sleep, how we navigate the mind fields of conflict in our lives, how socially connected we are, how we manage the burden of environmental toxins in our lives, how much meaning we cultivate in our work, love, play and how we interpret and respond to stress in our lives. We will drill deep, share all that my experiences has taught and do all that we can to create value for you as you seek to find your health edge. We always welcome your feedback.Mark and John

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