Understanding how our metabolism works has been of keen interest to the American public. On a fundamental level, metabolism is the process by which our body converts the food and water consumed into energy that can either be used immediately or stored for future use. From getting dressed in the morning to your daily workout, your metabolism is the power behind every action the body performs.
As the Founder and President of the Diabetes & Osteoporosis Center, I have conducted years of research on metabolism and medicine and have discovered new implications on approaching our health based on how our metabolism affects how the body functions.
This new groundbreaking way of looking at an old problem has resulted in data-driven insights into the body’s biological systems. Thanks to integration with Big Data and A.I.A.I. algorithms, producing future care which will be personalized, predictive, and precision-based.
Top Three Things to Know About Your Metabolism
1. Metabolic dysfunction is driven by stress.
Metabolic dysfunction, which affects the energy our bodies produce, is primarily driven by stress. This dysfunction contributes to chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease.
In an article I co-wrote with Dr. Deepak Chopra, “Medical research enjoyed a major breakthrough over the past decade when two factors were isolated that link almost every major disorder: inflammation and stress.”
Through our work, we have discovered new insights from physics to medicine to understand the negative impact of stress on the human body at the cellular level and what can be done to reverse it and improve longevity.
2. Metabolic studies can help to predict and prevent disease.
There is a groundbreaking method of predicting and preventing disease called the Physiological Fitness Landscape, or P.F.L.P.F.L. model. This model will allow doctors to measure each individual’s resilience to stress, how well their body handles stress, and how quickly they recover from stress.
By applying the P.F.L.P.F.L. model to the care of individual patients, healthcare providers will be able to harness the power of applied bioinformatics to create individualized preventive and therapeutic care. And rather than treating existing diseases, they will be able to diagnose impending illness and stop it before it starts.
3. The key to ongoing health and wellbeing is understanding metabolism.
Through my research, I’ve discovered that the key to ongoing health and wellbeing is metabolism.
In a living being, energy efficiency enables the body to move and grow, but also to fight infection and heal. And when the body’s energy-handling system, the metabolism goes off-kilter due to chronic stress, then disease, disability, and eventually death, inevitably follow.
It is my hope that this new interdisciplinary approach will help to improve the quality and outcome of patient care as we move into a healthier future.
Dr. Brian Fertig, M.D.M.D., F.A.C.E.F.A.C.E., is the Founder and President of the Diabetes & Osteoporosis Center in Piscataway, New Jersey, established in 1994. Dr. Fertig’s experience in diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolism, including internship, residency, fellowship, and private practice, spans a period of 34 years.