by Molly Knudsen, MS, RDN and Noelle Patno, PhD It’s no secret that digestive conditions, especially chronic conditions, are commonplace. The most recent data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that 60 to 70 million people in the United States are affected by some type of digestive disease.1 However, that data is from 2009, and likely, the overall burden of digestive disease is much higher today. The financial burden of gastrointestinal diseases is also substantial. Health care expenditure…

HDL cholesterol plays vital roles in lipid biology and coronary heart disease pathophysiology. The main function of HDL is to scavenge for and carry LDL cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, for redistribution, metabolism, and excretion. A high HDL measurement was previously thought to represent high reverse cholesterol transport, conferring heart-protective benefits for patients. But newer research indicates a more complicated HDL picture—where five different HDL forms and unique functionalities are at play. In this MAPS…

Understand components and mechanisms of HDL particles, reverse cholesterol transport,  and how to treat dysfunctional HDL.  

Kara Fitzgerald, ND helps us understand methylation and its effects on modulating gene expression and impacting immune health. She’ll also provide a primer on the herbal bioactive constituents in the hops plant and give us a sneak peek into her current gut health study and its relationship to genetic expression.

The elimination diet gives specific experiential evidence about reactions to foods that can motivate people to make changes. As with most protocols, the challenge is compliance. Join us as Deanna Minich, PhD, CNS, FACN, IFMCP provides the three key principles to share with patients before starting them on an elimination diet.

Get the inside scoop from Sara Gottfried, MD on the latest research on intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, and the relationship to your metabolism and detoxification abilities. Explore several periodic fasting regimens and how to implement them.

by Mark Houston, MD and Sara Gottfried, MD The top five cardiovascular risk factors are hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, obesity and smoking. Numerous clinical trials suggest that we have reached  a limit in our ability to lower the incidence of coronary heart disease with conventional diagnostic evaluation, prevention and treatment strategies for these risk factors. About 80% of heart disease (heart attacks, angina, coronary heart disease and congestive heart failure) can be prevented by optimal nutrition, optimal exercise, optimal weight…

by Melissa Blake, ND Introduction As clinicians, we all want to make effective, safe recommendations, and the evidence of safety is an essential consideration prior to prescribing an intervention. Safety of probiotics is no exception.  With evidence mounting on the many benefits and overall safety profile, it’s not surprising that probiotic supplementation quadrupled between 2007 and 2012.1 With a few considerations, probiotic therapy is generally accepted as safe and well-tolerated, particularly in healthy people. However, few studies have specifically addressed…

by Sara Gottfried, MD and Noelle Patno, PhD As our understanding of the gut microbiome expands, many questions remain about the clinical relevance—particularly how emerging concepts translate into the front lines of patient care, including best practices for probiotics. What is a probiotic? Why use one, and what are the most well-substantiated clinical situations in which they affect patient outcomes? What is the mechanism of action for probiotics? How do we know probiotics “work” in our patients? How can I…