Doctors overlook how significantly this impacts your health | 24 - HSM #4
We talk a lot about making a shift from reactive disease care—a 20th century healthcare mindset—to preventative and proactive health measures designed to optimize longevity and healthspan before disease sets in. Rather than waiting for chronic conditions to manifest and treating their symptoms post hoc, we encourage investing resources in preemptive care and empowering individuals to act as partners with healthcare providers in their own wellbeing.
Preventative medicine can feel like a lot—cancer screenings, for example, are crucial for early detection and treatment, but can be logistically and emotionally daunting. But proactive healthcare doesn't always need to be complicated. In this episode, Matt goes through what he sees as low-hanging fruit in preventative medicine: simple steps that lend themselves to straightforward measurement, are easy to improve without invasive intervention or drastic lifestyle changes, and will pay dividends in increasing our overall health.
Check out the links below for further information and/or reading about some of the things we discussed in this podcast episode. Note that we do not necessarily endorse or agree with the content of these readings, but present them as supplementary material that may deepen your understanding of the topic after you listen to our podcast. This list is in no way exhaustive, but it’s a good start!
Examine is an independently-funded (no gifts, donors, sponsors, consulting clients, advertisements, or affliations) database of supplement research that provides information about benefits, dietary sources, dosage, side effects, and more about pretty much any supplement you can think of. It provides further references from the primary literature about each supplement it discusses.
This study found a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency globally from the years 2000 to 2022. Women and people living in high-latitude areas, the Eastern Mediterranean region, and lower-middle-income countries were more susceptible to vitamin D deficiency. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in winter-spring was nearly twice that in summer-autumn.
Vitamin D deficiency 2.0: an update on the current status worldwide
This study reviews the literature on vitamin D deficiency and its nuances. It discusses prior research about the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation, the impact of vitamin D supplementation on various endpoints, different vitamin D dosing regimes, vitamin D toxicity, and populations for which vitamin D supplementation is likely to be most useful.
These fact sheets from the National Institutes of Health discuss recommended intakes, vitamin B12/D/omega-3 fatty acid sources, groups at risk of vitamin B12/D/omega-3 fatty acid deficiency, and more.
