Overview:
This topic introduces the concepts of metabolism and metabolic flexibility and their significance to overall health and vitality.
The topic starts with a simplistic framework for metabolism that most patients can understand. We define metabolism in terms of energy: how you get it, store it, get it out of storage, move it around the body, transform it from one type to another, and burn it for fuel. We use the example of children having ‘pristine’ metabolism which, in part, is responsible for their abundant energy.
We propose that underlying problems with energy management (e.g., getting, storing, moving, burning) negatively affects overall health, so that patients feel poorly (low energy/vitality) and are at increased risk for chronic, preventable diseases.
The topic introduces the term: metabolic flexibility, which is a simple model of how healthy metabolic function allows us to toggle between fuel sources depending on circumstance–what is the best fuel for the situation, as well as what’s available.
In the Vitality Program, we assess metabolic status using an aggregate score that combines the main markers of metabolic syndrome–BMI, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and fasting glucose. The Vitality Score is simpler to follow and easier for patients to understand as opposed to monitoring all the metrics of metabolic syndrome.
Topic Summary:
- Metabolism refers to how the body manages energy: get it, store it, move it, transform it, burn it.
- Metabolic flexibility is the body’s ability to switch between fuels as energy sources, depending on the situation.
- The Vitality Score is calculated using the patient’s BMI, systolic blood pressure, fasting triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, and blood glucose.
- Modern lifestyles and diets contribute to worsening metabolic function which patients experience with often vague symptoms such as ‘not feeling well’, low energy, frequent hunger, difficulty losing weight, brain fog, mental health issues, sleep problems and so forth.
- Patients can improve metabolic flexibility through lifestyle strategies, a personalized approach, complementary health options, and medical treatment options as part of the PowerME™ Vitality Program.
