Everything you need to know about metabolic health | Metabolic Health Masterclass (2025)

Boost your metabolic health and prevent disease with expert insights from a distinguished lineup of scientists. Episode #329 brings together top minds in exercise physiology, nutrition, and metabolic research to offer key strategies for improving metabolic health. Whether you’re looking to enhance metabolic flexibility, strengthen muscle health, or understand the impact of diet and exercise on conditions like type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease, this episode provides the knowledge you need.

“We are getting to an inflection point in the field of medicine where metabolism has gone from the poor brother to being the crown prince.” Dr Inigo San Millan

In this episode, you’ll hear from a distinguished panel of specialists including applied exercise physiologistInigo San Millan, PhD; skeletal muscle expertDon Layman, PhD; type 2 diabetes authorityRoy Taylor, PhD; dietitian and researcherAndrea Glenn, PhD, RD; nutrition scientistAlan Flanagan, PhD; nutrition scientist and endocrinologistChristos Mantzoros MD, DSc, PhD; and physician and researcherRichard Johnson, MD.

“The personal fat threshold is largely a matter of being able to hold fat in the tissues under the skin and remain metabolically safe. If you exceed your personal fat threshold, you’re likely to have diabetes if you’re susceptible to it.” Dr Roy Taylor

This episode covers the importance of metabolic flexibility, the role of skeletal muscle in metabolic health, and how specific exercise routines can improve your metabolic outcomes. The experts also discuss how diet plays a crucial role in preventing type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. By the end of the episode, you will have a clearer understanding of how to implement these strategies in your daily life to enhance your metabolic health and prevent chronic disease.

Specifically, we cover:

• Intro (00:00)
• What is Metabolic Health (01:35)
• Metabolic Health, Mitochondria, Defining ‘Metabolise’, Metabolic Flexibility (07:02)
• The Importance of Skeletal Muscle for Metabolic Health (20:03)
• Exercise for metabolic health – Zone 2 (28:36)
• Twin Cycle Hypothesis (56:45)
• Understanding the Personal Fat Threshold (01:08:15)
• Summary of the DiRECT Trial: Examining the Twin Cycle Hypothesis with Roy Taylor (01:17:08)
• Are DASH, Nordic, Mediterranean, and Portfolio diets good for preventing and managing diabetes? (01:36:46)
• Understanding Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Its Development (01:42:39)
• The Science of Hepatic Fat Oxidation (01:49:37)
• Consequences and Effects of Fatty Liver Disease (01:55:14)
• Linking Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease with Type 2 Diabetes (02:00:42)
• Combination of Fructose and Saturated fat on Metabolic Health (02:13:21)
• Type of fat and its effect on Metabolic Health (02:17:35)
• What causes Metabolic Health: fat or fructose (02:24:01)
• New Fat Storage Mechanisms – Personal Fat Threshold (02:27:50)
• Modern Techniques for Accurate Body Fat Measurement (02:31:52)
• Health metabolic biomarkers (02:36:51)
• Ectopic fat (02:38:19)
• Fat storage and metabolic health (02:39:10)
• Evolutionary Insights into Human Fat Storage (02:42:02)
• Fatty Liver Disease (02:45:46)
• Outro (2:57:46)

Thank you for tuning in and for your continued commitment to living better, for longer. I hope the insights from this episode help you make meaningful changes in your health journey. If you found value in what you heard, please share this episode with someone who might benefit from it. Together, we can spread the knowledge and help others improve their metabolic health too.

Connect with today’s guests and listen to their previous episodes at the links above.

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