Brief Summary
This episode features Dr. Annette Bosworth ("Dr. Boz"), an expert in insulin resistance and ketogenic diets. She shares her insights on reversing chronic diseases through ketone production, the importance of timing calorie intake, and practical steps for achieving and maintaining ketosis. She also touches on her personal experiences, including her mother's cancer journey and the legal battles she faced for her approach to medicine.
- Reversing chronic diseases through ketone production
- Timing calorie intake
- Practical steps for achieving and maintaining ketosis
Intro
Dr. Annette Bosworth introduces the concept of using a ketogenic diet to improve health, emphasizing its benefits for fat burning, muscle preservation, and brain function. She challenges viewers to try a sardine-based ketogenic diet for three days to experience these benefits firsthand. Dr. Bosworth highlights the importance of reversing high insulin levels through a ketogenic diet, which she believes can lead to a better quality of life.
What Made You Who You Are Today?
Dr. Bosworth discusses her expertise in chronic disease management and her belief that many common medical issues can be reversed by making ketones on a regular basis. She emphasizes the importance of addressing complex health puzzles and improving patients' overall quality of life through sustainable, long-term management strategies. She believes that routinely making ketones can help people avoid the deterioration of health and lifespan associated with chronic diseases.
Modern Medicine: Fixing vs Preventing
Dr. Bosworth defines medicine 2.0 as the current state of medical practice, which excels at treating symptoms and managing chronic conditions but often fails to address the underlying causes. She points out that while modern medicine can keep people alive and manage symptoms, it often overlooks the importance of addressing the root chemistry problems in the body. She advocates for a approach that focuses on identifying and correcting these underlying issues to promote vitality, energy, and overall health.
Predicting Chronic Illness a Decade in Advance
Dr. Bosworth explains that many common health issues, such as being overweight and impaired brain function, are often precursors to more serious chronic diseases. She emphasizes the importance of peak brain performance and highlights that conditions like Parkinson's disease can be predicted years in advance by recognizing signs of excessive "trash" in the brain. She advocates for taking proactive steps to remove this trash and reverse these early warning signs to improve long-term health and quality of life.
Best Time of Day to Eat for Health
Dr. Bosworth emphasizes the importance of timing calorie intake, recommending that most calories should be consumed in the morning rather than at night. She explains that as people age, the timing of food consumption becomes more critical, with a single bite of food after 6:00 PM being equivalent to ten bites before noon. She highlights that eating late at night stimulates excessive insulin production, which can negatively impact health and accelerate aging.
The Biggest Issue With Insulin Resistance
Dr. Bosworth identifies high insulin levels as a significant contributor to chronic diseases, including inflammation, cancer, high blood pressure, and brain disorders. She explains that high insulin levels can hide the production of debris in the body, preventing the necessary "trash removal" process. She attributes the excessive production of insulin to the consumption of processed foods, high-carb diets, and eating late at night, which prevent the body from making ketones and burning fat.
Warning Signs of Excess Insulin
Dr. Bosworth identifies several signs that may indicate high insulin levels or insulin resistance, including abdominal girth, the need to eat every two to three hours, and reliance on glucose for fuel. She explains that excess insulin is a chronic disease maker, contributing to conditions like cancer, high blood pressure, and brain fog. She suggests monitoring ketone levels to assess whether the body is efficiently burning fat and removing trash.
Do You Have Skin Tags Or Hairless Toes?
Dr. Bosworth discusses several physical signs of insulin resistance, including skin tags, velvety skin (acanthosis nigricans), and hair loss on the toes. Skin tags, which are different from moles, often appear in areas where skin rubs together, like the armpits. Velvety skin, characterized by darker, thicker skin, is commonly found on the back of the neck. Hair loss on the toes, particularly in older individuals, indicates that the body is no longer prioritizing resources to those areas due to prolonged high insulin levels.
How Keto Helped My Patients Reverse Grey Hair
Dr. Bosworth shares that she has observed patients reversing their gray hair on a ketogenic diet, attributing it to healthier cells producing hair. She explains that aging is linked to a growing accumulation of trash in the body, and high insulin levels prevent the production of ketones needed for cleaning out this trash. By producing ketones, the body can more effectively remove waste, potentially reversing some effects of aging.
How to Measure Your Ketone Levels Accurately
Dr. Bosworth recommends measuring ketone levels to monitor the effectiveness of a ketogenic diet. She advises starting by tracking carbohydrate intake, aiming for less than 20 total grams of carbohydrates per day in the first six weeks. She recommends using blood ketone meters for the most accurate measurements, noting that urine ketone strips can also be used, especially early in the ketogenic journey, to provide a simple way to track ketone production.
Key Benefits of Being in Ketosis
Dr. Bosworth highlights several benefits of using ketones as an energy source, including reduced trash production, cleaner fuel, and antioxidant effects. She explains that ketones produce less byproduct compared to glucose, making them a cleaner fuel, especially as people age. Burning ketones creates an antioxidant state inside the cells, helping to reduce cellular damage. Ketones can also cross the blood-brain barrier, fueling the brain even in cases of insulin resistance.
Brain Differences on a Keto Diet vs Standard Diet
Dr. Bosworth shares her personal experiences with the ketogenic diet, noting significant differences in brain power, concentration, and mood control when in a ketogenic state compared to when not. She emphasizes that maintaining focus and managing mood becomes easier when the brain is fueled by ketones. She also highlights the transformative experiences of participants in her ketogenic diet classes, who report feeling more energetic and mentally sharp.
How Long Did It Take Annette to Reach Ketosis?
Dr. Bosworth recounts her initial struggles with achieving ketosis due to years of high insulin levels from pregnancies and a busy lifestyle. She shares that it took her nine months to pee a ketone. She emphasizes that consistent high insulin levels can make it difficult to enter ketosis, and it may require significant effort, such as fasting and intense physical activity, to deplete glycogen stores and start producing ketones.
Can You Lift Weights on Keto?
Dr. Bosworth discusses the benefits of being in a ketogenic state for muscle repair and power training. She explains that ketosis reduces inflammation, which speeds up muscle recovery after intense workouts. She notes that while it may take time for muscles to adapt to using fat as fuel, long-term adherence to a ketogenic diet can lead to increased power and endurance.
Improved Strength and Power on Keto
Dr. Bosworth references studies on military personnel to illustrate the long-term benefits of a ketogenic diet on strength and power. She explains that while initial weight loss may not significantly impact power, after six months to a year on a ketogenic diet, individuals can experience a 20% to 50% increase in power compared to their counterparts. This improvement is attributed to the muscles learning to efficiently use fat as fuel, resulting in longer, better fuel with less inflammation.
Can Keto Help With Neurodegenerative Diseases?
Dr. Bosworth discusses the potential benefits of a ketogenic diet for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia. She shares a story of a Down syndrome patient with Alzheimer's who experienced significant cognitive improvements after just three weeks on a ketogenic diet. She explains that ketones provide an alternative, cleaner fuel source for the brain, boost mitochondrial function, lower systemic inflammation, and protect neurons from damage.
Testing Steve's Ketones and Blood Sugar
Dr. Bosworth demonstrates how to measure blood ketone and glucose levels using a finger prick test. She explains that the blue strip measures ketones, while the brown strip measures glucose. She emphasizes the importance of comparing these readings to assess fat-burning efficiency, aiming for a blood sugar level below triple digits and a ketone level above 0.5.
Testing Dr. Boz's Ketones
Dr. Bosworth shares her own blood glucose and ketone levels, revealing a glucose reading of 83 and a ketone reading of 1.7. She explains that her ability to maintain these levels is due to her consistent ketogenic diet and strategic meal timing, typically stopping eating around 3:00 PM. She emphasizes the importance of avoiding late-night meals to prevent excessive insulin production and maintain optimal metabolic health.
How Cortisol Affects Your Metabolism
Dr. Bosworth explains how cortisol affects metabolism, particularly in the morning. She notes that even without eating, cortisol rises with the sunrise, signaling the liver to release stored sugar (glycogen) into the bloodstream. The amount of glucose released depends on an individual's insulin resistance. This natural process provides energy upon waking, but excessive stored sugar can lead to high blood sugar levels.
Testing Jack’s Ketone Levels
Dr. Bosworth tests Jack's ketone and glucose levels, revealing a glucose reading of 88 and a ketone reading of 0.1. She explains that this indicates Jack is primarily running on glucose and making trash without effectively taking it out. She emphasizes that maintaining a routine of hitting regular intervals of ketosis is essential to avoid health problems like osteoporosis.
Do You Need to Fully Cut Carbs?
Dr. Bosworth advises cutting carbs to induce ketosis and improve metabolic health. She shares that her own journey into ketogenic diets was motivated by her mother's cancer diagnosis, which was linked to high insulin levels. She emphasizes that even young adults can benefit from reducing carbs to 50 grams per day and verifying ketone production to ensure sustained brain power and long-term health.
My Mum’s Cancer Journey With Keto
Dr. Bosworth introduces the concept of the keto continuum, a 12-step process for achieving consistent ketosis. She explains that the continuum starts with eating every two to three hours and progresses to cutting carbs to 20 grams, using ketone strips, and eventually incorporating time-restricted eating and prolonged fasting. She emphasizes that consistent ketosis involves continuously taking out the trash and adapting to different stages to maintain optimal metabolic health.
12 Steps to Stay Consistently in Ketosis
Dr. Bosworth details the 12-step keto continuum, emphasizing that individuals never fully fall off the continuum but may regress to earlier stages. The initial steps involve reducing carb intake to 20 grams and monitoring ketone levels in urine. As the body adapts, time-restricted eating is introduced, gradually increasing fasting periods. The later stages involve prolonged fasting between 36 and 72 hours to reset metabolism, particularly for those with long-term high insulin levels.
The Difference Between Men and Women on Keto
Dr. Bosworth discusses metabolic differences between men and women on a ketogenic diet, noting that women tend to hold onto fat more stubbornly than men. She explains that women are designed to store fat, making it more challenging to enter ketosis. She advises women to prioritize food choices and kitchen menus over gym workouts to lower insulin levels and mobilize fat. She also notes that lower carbohydrate diets can help sync menstrual cycles by improving hormonal communication.
Sardines Challenge: A Keto Kickstart
Dr. Bosworth introduces sardines as a tool to help patients change their behavior and enter ketosis. She explains that sardines are high in fat, protein, and essential nutrients, making them an affordable and accessible whole food. She incorporates a three-day sardine-only diet into her 21-day ketogenic diet course to help participants achieve abundant ketone production and experience satiety.
What Macros You Need to Get Into Ketosis
Dr. Bosworth emphasizes that the key to entering ketosis is to focus on finger measurements rather than getting distracted by macronutrient ratios. She advises prioritizing fat intake and keeping carbs low to produce ketones. She recommends fatty foods like pork belly, eggs, beef brisket, and ribs. For those struggling to make ketones, she suggests consuming butter for a day to increase fat intake.
Keto Grocery List Essentials
Dr. Bosworth provides a ketogenic diet shopping list that includes pork belly, eggs, beef brisket, and ribs. She cautions against overeating avocados due to their carbohydrate content. She stresses that the diet should be primarily fat-based, not a sprinkle of chicken breast with mostly avocado.
What About Net Carbs on Keto?
Dr. Bosworth advises against calculating net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) for individuals with insulin resistance. She emphasizes that total carbs should be the focus, as fiber is primarily for farting.
30 Days of Eating Only Sardines: What Happened
Dr. Bosworth shares the story of Jane, a coach in her 21-day program, who ate only sardines for 100 days. Jane addressed her emotional eating habits and improved her health markers, including vitamin D levels. Dr. Bosworth highlights that Jane's experience demonstrates the potential for sardines to support both physical and emotional well-being.
Does High Fat Affect the Gut Microbiome?
Dr. Bosworth addresses concerns about the impact of a high-fat diet on the gut microbiome, asserting that it does not necessarily harm it. She defines the gut biome as the slime layer inside the gut where beneficial bacteria live. She argues that fiber, often considered essential for gut health, can actually tear down this slime layer. She notes that many carnivore diet patients experience symptom reversal of irritable bowel and chronic diarrhea due to a stronger, healthier gut biome.
Is Your Microbiome Diverse Enough on Keto?
Dr. Bosworth challenges the conventional emphasis on a diverse microbiome, arguing that the key is having a microbiome that is supportive and capable of producing butyrate. She explains that even a diet primarily consisting of fish or meat can support a healthy microbiome that adjusts to the individual's needs.
The Role of Vitamin D in Health
Dr. Bosworth identifies vitamin D as a crucial hormone that interacts with every cell in the body, instructing them to function optimally. She explains that vitamin D, being fat-soluble, can get trapped in fat cells when insulin levels are high, preventing it from reaching the cells.
Lowering Insulin to Improve Vitamin D Levels
Dr. Bosworth illustrates the link between insulin, ketosis, weight loss, and vitamin D through Jane's sardine challenge. She explains that Jane's vitamin D levels increased significantly after lowering her insulin levels through the sardine diet, allowing fat and hormones like vitamin D to move freely in her body.
The Importance of Magnesium on Keto
Dr. Bosworth identifies magnesium as a crucial supplement, noting that most people are deficient. She explains that magnesium is essential for ATP recycling and enzyme function. She recommends magnesium supplements and magnesium floats to improve magnesium levels.
The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Dr. Bosworth recommends omega-3 supplements, especially for those not consuming fish.
Should You Take Exogenous Ketones?
Dr. Bosworth advocates for the use of exogenous ketones, particularly for individuals with chronic insulin resistance. She explains that exogenous ketones can jump-start the liver to produce more ketones, acting as a signal for the liver to make more ketones.
Exogenous vs Naturally Produced Ketones
Dr. Bosworth differentiates between naturally produced and exogenous ketones, noting that naturally produced ketones are more abundant. However, she recommends exogenous ketones as a jump start for those with chronic insulin resistance, as they signal the liver to produce more ketones. She also highlights their benefits for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, providing antioxidants and energy.
Putting My Mum on Keto During Cancer
Dr. Bosworth shares the story of her mother, Rose, who had recurrent cancer. Faced with the prospect of debilitating chemotherapy, Dr. Bosworth put her mother on a ketogenic diet. Within six weeks, Rose's cancer numbers dropped by 70%, a result no drug on the market could achieve. Dr. Bosworth emphasizes that the ketogenic diet helped restore her mother's health and quality of life.
Can Keto Reverse Cancer?
Dr. Bosworth clarifies that while a ketogenic diet may not reverse cancer, it can significantly improve how the body deals with it. She emphasizes the importance of removing trash and creating a better physiological environment to support the body's response to disease. She notes that ketones signal the body to preserve muscle mass and prioritize fat as a resource, which is particularly beneficial during cancer treatment.
What Is Methylene Blue?
Dr. Bosworth discusses methylene blue as a brain health supplement. She explains that it is an old dye that helps mitochondria move fuel along. She notes that methylene blue was historically used as an antimalarial treatment and was found to dye the brains and hearts of those who took it, indicating it reaches the intended cells. She personally experienced significant cognitive benefits from taking methylene blue.
Should You Take Creatine?
Dr. Bosworth recommends creatine as a brain supplement, highlighting its benefits for focus and cognitive function, particularly for those with ADHD. She addresses concerns about creatine affecting kidney function, explaining that it can falsely elevate creatinine levels in blood tests but does not harm the kidneys. She also notes that creatine can help reset sleep patterns after jet lag.
Natural Alternatives to GLP-1 Drugs
Dr. Bosworth discusses natural alternatives to GLP-1 drugs for appetite suppression and craving reduction. She explains that GLP-1 drugs are powerful hormones that can aid in weight loss but have potential downsides. She recommends raising GLP-1 levels naturally through weight loss, consuming allulose, and increasing butyrate intake. She notes that a ketogenic state can naturally raise GLP-1 hormones and suppress appetite.
How to Stop Food Cravings Effectively
Dr. Bosworth explains that a ketogenic diet can suppress appetite and reduce cravings by naturally raising GLP-1 hormones. She notes that when individuals are in a ketogenic state, their cravings for high-carb foods often vanish. She emphasizes that constantly delivering ketones to the blood helps keep GLP-1 levels high, avoiding the need for expensive and powerful GLP-1 drugs.
Keeping People Motivated on Their Health Journey
Dr. Bosworth discusses the importance of motivation in maintaining a health journey. She explains that while a crisis often initiates change, staying the course requires identifying a deep, personal "why." She emphasizes reframing insecurities and using them as a source of power. She also highlights the importance of finding a truth serum to stay motivated.
They Tried to Sue Me for Fraud
Dr. Bosworth recounts her experience with corporate medicine and the legal battles she faced for her approach to treating patients. She explains that she left corporate medicine to start her own practice and was subsequently investigated for Medicaid fraud for providing IV iron to impoverished patients. Despite facing significant personal and financial challenges, she fought the charges and ultimately won.
Finding Inner Peace During Stressful Times
Dr. Bosworth shares her daily practice for finding inner peace during stressful times, which involves a morning devotion centered on scripture and prayer. She emphasizes the importance of establishing this foundation on good days to provide strength and guidance on tough days. She notes that this practice connects her to generations of wisdom and helps her navigate life's challenges.
