Bionic Health Advisor Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan Recognized on Huberman Lab Podcast: A Deep Dive into Women's Health and Fitness
Bionic Health Advisor Spotlighted on Huberman Lab: Breakthrough Insights in Women's Health
At Bionic Health, we take pride in our world-class advisors who are at the forefront of health and fitness research. Recently, one of our esteemed advisors, Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan, received a notable mention on the renowned Huberman Lab podcast. This recognition not only highlights Dr. Smith-Ryan's expertise but also underscores the cutting-edge approach we take at Bionic Health. Let's explore the wealth of information shared in this episode and how it relates to our mission.
In this week's Huberman Lab podcast episode – renowned exercise physiologist – Dr. Stacy Sims, gave a special shoutout to Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan's research on nutrient timing in women. This acknowledgment on such a prestigious platform reinforces the significance of Dr. Smith-Ryan's work and, by extension, the expertise we bring to our clients at Bionic Health.
Key topics include:
Age-specific exercise and nutrition protocols for women
The impact of menstrual cycles on fitness
Optimal training combinations for body composition and longevity
Debunking common myths in women's health
Discover how the latest research is reshaping our approach to women's wellness, and learn why Bionic Health's collaboration with top experts like Dr. Smith-Ryan keeps us at the forefront of health innovation.
Don't miss this essential listen for anyone interested in optimizing women's health and performance!
The Science of Better Sleep: Inside Bionic Health's Comprehensive Sleep Module
In the latest episode of Medicine 3.0, Bionic Health advisor Kelly Joniak and Dr. Catherine Isaac dive deep into one of our most popular offerings: the Sleep Module. This conversation reveals the multifaceted approach Bionic Health takes to help members optimize their sleep quality and understand the factors affecting their rest.
A Comprehensive Approach to Sleep Health
Dr. Isaac explains that Bionic's Sleep Module stands out for its thoroughness, combining multiple data sources to create a complete picture of a member's sleep patterns:
Sleep diaries: Members record morning and evening sleep habits, providing insights into sleep quality, bedtime routines, and daytime factors affecting sleep
Wearable data integration: Information from devices like Whoop, Oura, Apple Watch, or Garmin is analyzed alongside self-reported data
Specialized assessments: Evaluations for stress, depression symptoms, sleep apnea signs, and chronotype (morning/evening preference)
Laboratory testing: Thyroid function, basic metabolic panel, hormone levels including progesterone for women
Cortisol measurement: Both serum and salivary cortisol testing to understand stress hormone patterns throughout the day
Key Insights from the Conversation
Understanding Your Chronotype
Dr. Isaac discusses how knowing whether you're naturally a morning person, evening person, or somewhere in between can help you optimize your schedule and understand potential sleep challenges. This is particularly relevant when family members have different chronotypes, requiring thoughtful coordination.
The Truth About Sleep Supplements
The episode covers several popular sleep aids with evidence-based perspectives:
Melatonin: Most beneficial for elderly populations with naturally declining levels, shift workers, and travelers—not generally recommended for routine insomnia. Dr. Isaac cautions that over-the-counter supplements often contain higher doses than necessary.
Ashwagandha: May help reduce cortisol levels and has anxiety-reducing properties that can improve sleep onset.
Magnesium: Dr. Isaac specifically recommends magnesium threonate for sleep as it's the only form that crosses the blood-brain barrier.
CBD: May reduce core body temperature (potentially facilitating sleep onset), but insufficient research exists on its effects on sleep architecture.
Wearable Data vs. Reality
A fascinating discussion explores the discrepancies between wearable sleep tracking data and self-reported experiences. Dr. Isaac cautions against letting your wearable device "tell you how to feel," citing research showing how suggestible we are about our sleep quality.
Lifestyle Factors Affecting Sleep
The episode covers practical recommendations about:
Caffeine consumption (ideally limited to 1-2 cups before 1-2pm)
Pre-bedtime activities (with warm showers or baths recommended over screen time)
The relationship between exercise, nutrition, and sleep quality
Why Sleep Matters (But Don't Stress About It)
Dr. Isaac strikes a thoughtful balance, emphasizing that while consistent quality sleep is important for health, occasional poor nights aren't cause for alarm. The research on sleep's health impacts primarily concerns chronic patterns over years, not occasional disruptions.
"I find that when I'm actually doing the review of the sleep data, I find that to be really interesting and I think to help provide important insights," Dr. Isaac notes, highlighting how the module helps members understand their unique sleep patterns.
Ready to optimize your sleep? The Bionic Health Sleep Module provides actionable insights for improving this critical aspect of health. Listen to the full episode for more detailed recommendations and reach out to our team to learn how this module might benefit your health journey.
Timestamps:
00:05: Introduction to the Sleep Module
00:31: Components of the comprehensive sleep assessment
05:06: Understanding cortisol patterns and sleep
07:17: Lab tests and what they reveal about sleep issues
10:13: Chronotypes and how they affect sleep patterns
18:07: Discrepancies between wearable data and self-reported sleep
24:55: Optimal sleep duration and impacts across life stages
30:46: Evidence-based supplement recommendations
38:41: Caffeine consumption guidelines for better sleep
Understanding Brain Aging and the Fight Against Alzheimer's
In the latest episode of Medicine 3.0, Dr. Jared Pelo sits down with Dr. Christin Glorioso, physician, neuroscientist, and founder of NeuroAge, to discuss brain health, Alzheimer's prevention, and the cutting-edge science of measuring brain aging.
A Personal Mission Driven by Family History
Dr. Glorioso's journey into brain health research began with personal experience—her grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's disease, and she recently discovered she carries an APOE4 allele, which increases her own risk. This personal connection has fueled her 20-year career studying brain aging and what can be done to slow it down.
"My life has been dedicated to coming up with better solutions for people who have high risk of Alzheimer's, which if anyone lives long enough, that's really all of us," Dr. Glorioso explains.
The Science of Brain Aging
After completing her MD-PhD at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon, followed by postdoctoral work at MIT, Dr. Glorioso has focused on understanding the molecular changes that happen in the brain as we age. Her research reveals that approximately 2,000 RNA transcripts (about 10% of the genome) change with age in ways that can either protect against or increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.
One of the most encouraging findings: people whose brains are biologically five years younger than their chronological age are significantly protected from Alzheimer's disease—even if they carry genetic risk factors like the APOE4 allele.
The 40% We Can Control
While genetics plays a significant role in brain aging, Dr. Glorioso emphasizes that approximately 40% of our risk is determined by lifestyle factors we can control:
Exercise - At least 30 minutes daily, with particular benefits from getting your heart rate into zone three, which releases BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor)
Diet - Mediterranean diet, coffee, tea, and foods rich in polyphenols (like berries)
Social connection - At least an hour of social time daily
Stress reduction - Cortisol is particularly harmful to brain cells
Mental activity - At least an hour daily of mentally challenging activities
Sleep - Quality sleep is essential for brain health
Measuring Brain Age
NeuroAge has developed multiple approaches to measuring brain health:
While MRI provides the most accurate assessment followed by blood biomarkers and cognitive testing, Dr. Glorioso notes that even simple cognitive tests can help determine whether memory issues are normal for your age or potentially concerning.
The Future of Alzheimer's Prevention
Beyond testing, NeuroAge is working toward developing therapies to reverse brain aging—essentially creating a "statin for Alzheimer's" that could safely prevent the disease. The data collected through their testing program contributes to this research in a privacy-protected way.
"We're creating therapies to reverse brain aging... something that's safe, you know, a pill that people can take that is going to prevent Alzheimer's in the future," Dr. Glorioso shares.
This partnership between Bionic Health and NeuroAge represents an exciting opportunity for members to assess their brain health and take proactive steps toward preventing cognitive decline. As Dr. Pelo notes, even without extensive testing, everyone can benefit from living as though they're at high risk—the lifestyle interventions that protect brain health also enhance overall quality of life.
Timestamps:
00:18: Introduction and Dr. Glorioso's background
02:11: Dr. Glorioso's path to neuroscience and MD-PhD training
07:27: Research at MIT and Pittsburgh on human brain aging
15:04: How RNA transcripts relate to brain aging and disease
18:22: The six key lifestyle factors affecting brain health
24:12: NeuroAge's three main testing approaches
27:59: The future goal: creating therapies to reverse brain aging
The Science of Body Composition: How DXA Scans Help Optimize Your Health Journey
In a recent episode of Medicine 3.0, Bionic Health physician Dr. Catherine Isaac and advisor Kelly Joniak dive deep into the world of body composition analysis, specifically focusing on DXA scans and their importance in health assessment and optimization.
Understanding Body Composition Assessment
The conversation begins with Kelly explaining different methods of body composition assessment. DXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scans emerge as the gold standard, providing a three-compartment model that measures:
Bone mineral density
Fat mass
Fat-free mass (including lean soft tissue)
While home bioimpedance scales (BIA) only measure two compartments (fat and fat-free mass), DXA provides a more comprehensive picture with greater precision. Kelly describes BIA scales as "reliably unreliable" - consistent but not always accurate compared to DXA measurements.
Beyond Aesthetics: The Medical Value of Body Composition
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the discussion is how body composition analysis serves as a powerful preventive healthcare tool. Dr. Isaac shares several examples of how DXA scans help identify health risks that might otherwise go undetected:
Visceral adipose tissue (VAT): This fat surrounding internal organs is invisible from the outside but strongly correlates with chronic disease risk. DXA can precisely measure VAT, helping identify people at risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even fatty liver disease.
Bone health: DXA provides T-scores and Z-scores that can signal early bone density concerns, particularly valuable for perimenopausal women and men with potential testosterone deficiency.
As Dr. Isaac notes, "We're definitely being proactive in a way that you don't normally have the tools to be."
Common Misconceptions and Mindset Shifts
The podcast challenges several fitness myths:
"I just want to lose weight": The experts emphasize that body composition matters more than the number on the scale. Someone might maintain the same weight while replacing fat with muscle, drastically improving their health.
"Muscle is more metabolically active than fat": Kelly clarifies that both tissues are metabolically active - a surprising correction to a common belief.
"Progress is linear": Both experts stress that health improvements rarely follow a straight line. Consistency matters more than perfection.
The Importance of Community and Consistency
Beyond the technical aspects, the conversation highlights the human elements that contribute to success. Kelly emphasizes that having supportive community makes consistency easier, whether it's workout partners, family involvement, or the workplace culture at Bionic Health.
Dr. Isaac shares her personal journey with weight training, including setbacks and the mental training that came with them: "Mindset is really what's going to help you achieve your goal, whatever area of your life."
Finding Your "Why"
The podcast concludes with both experts sharing their personal motivations for maintaining physical health. For Dr. Isaac, it's keeping up with her active son. For Kelly, it's seeing her 60-70 year old mother and aunt living vibrant, active lives - playing pickleball daily or hiking mountains around the world at 70.
These personal stories remind us that the numbers from a DXA scan aren't the end goal - they're tools to help us live fuller, more active lives for decades to come.
Whether you're looking to optimize athletic performance, prevent chronic disease, or simply understand your body better, this conversation provides valuable insights into how modern body composition analysis can guide your health journey with precision and purpose.
Timestamps:
00:01: Introduction to the Body Composition Module
01:48: Explanation of DXA scan technology
06:13: Drawbacks of different body composition methods
09:37: Information about skinfold testing
13:45: Discussion of visceral adipose tissue (VAT)
15:27: How visceral fat relates to chronic disease risk
18:33: Exercise recommendations for reducing visceral fat
21:05: Bone mineral density assessment
24:25: Importance of protein for muscle and bone health
27:32: Shifting focus from weight to body composition
30:08: Metabolic activity of fat and muscle tissue
