<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today's episode of</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Qualys</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">is from podcast</span> <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/navchandel/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">#31 – Navdeep Chandel, Ph.D.: metabolism, mitochondria, and metformin in health and disease</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Qualys</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">is a subscriber-exclusive podcast, released Tuesday through Friday, and published exclusively on our private, subscriber-only podcast feed.</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Qualys</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">is short-hand for "qualifying round," which are typically the fastest laps driven in a race car</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">—</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">done before the race to determine starting position on the grid for race day.</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">T</span></em><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">he Qualys</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">are short (i.e., "fast"), typically less than ten minutes, and highlight the best questions, topics, and tactics discussed on</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Drive</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Occasionally, we will also release an episode on the main podcast feed for non-subscribers, which is what you are listening to now.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Learn more:</span> <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/podcast/qualys/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://peterattiamd.com/podcast/qualys/</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Subscribe to receive access to all episodes of</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Qualys</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">(and other exclusive subscriber-only content):</span> <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Connect with Peter on</span> <a href="http://facebook.com/PeterAttiaMD%5dFacebook"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Facebook.com/PeterAttiaMD</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">|</span> <a href="http://twitter.com/PeterAttiaMD%5dTwitter"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Twitter.com/PeterAttiaMD</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">|</span> <a href="http://instagram.com/PeterAttiaMD%5dInstagram"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instagram.com/PeterAttiaMD</span></a></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Manage Your Stress Response
Focus on controlling your response to stressful situations rather than just avoiding them, as the difference in health outcomes lies more in your reaction than the situation itself. This is crucial because hypercortisolemia can damage blood pressure, inhibit melatonin, and impact neuro-regeneration and mitochondria.
2. Meditate to Regulate Cortisol
Engage in meditation, as it is identified as the single most valuable tool for regulating cortisol levels and effectively managing your body’s stress response.
3. Prioritize Stress Management
Pay more attention to stress management than anything else, even if you consistently exercise and watch what you eat, as unmanaged stress can manifest metabolically through cortisol and impact mitochondria.
4. Avoid Excessive Health Regimentation
Be cautious that being overly careful and extremely regimented about diet and exercise might paradoxically increase stress levels, potentially manifesting metabolically through cortisol.
5. Implement Daily Time-Restricted Feeding
Consider practicing time-restricted feeding, such as fasting 12 to 15 hours most days, as a routine for managing diet and metabolic health.
6. Balance Alcohol’s Benefits & Risks
When consuming alcohol, consider the emotional and social benefits (e.g., enjoyment with friends) as a potential offset to the inherent toxicity of ethanol, rather than drinking just for the sake of it.
7. Be Selective with Alcohol Consumption
Adopt a selective approach to drinking, such as avoiding alcohol in situations where the quality or enjoyment is low (e.g., “don’t drink on airplanes”), to ensure consumption is driven by genuine enjoyment rather than habit.
8. Monitor Liver Function (ALT)
Regularly measure liver enzymes like ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) to assess liver function, as this is an important data point for overall health monitoring.