Metabolic Mind

Is saturated fat really the villain it’s been made out to be? Or has decades of poor research and dietary policy misled us?
In this video, Dr. Bret Scher dives into the controversy surrounding RFK Jr.'s call to remove the cap on saturated fat, and the Wall Street Journal’s misleading take on it.
We explore:
✅ Why saturated fat doesn’t just mean pizza and ice cream
✅ The science behind whole foods vs. processed foods
✅ How carbs, fats, and metabolic health interact
✅ What the evidence really says about saturated fat and heart disease
✅ Why individualized, whole-food diets matter
Removing the cap on saturated fat isn’t about giving fat a health halo, it's about making room for nutrient-dense, metabolically supportive diets.
👉Subscribe to Metabolic Mind for more real conversations about metabolic health, metabolic psychiatry, and mental health: https://www.youtube.com/@metabolicmind.
#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #FoodAsMedicine #SaturatedFat

Expert Featured:
Dr. Bret Scher
Baszucki Group Medical Director
https://x.com/bschermd

Free CME Clinician Trainings:
Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.
Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:
https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.
Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:
Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.
Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Should LDL be treated? In this episode of Metabolic Mind, Dr. Bret Scher explains why the better question is who may benefit from LDL lowering, how aggressively it should be treated, and what outcomes matter most to the individual patient.
Dr. Scher reviews two major trials that studied aggressive LDL lowering in very different populations. VESALIUS-CV looked at high-risk patients with serious vascular disease and found that adding a PCSK9 inhibitor reduced both cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. STAREE studied older adults without known cardiovascular disease and found fewer cardiac events with statin therapy, while overall survival and hospitalizations did not change. Disability-free survival also showed no difference
He covers:
Why LDL treatment depends on the person, not just the number
What VESALIUS-CV found in high-risk patients with vascular disease
Why STAREE tells a different story in older adults without known heart disease
The difference between reducing cardiac events and extending life
Why vascular disease should shape how aggressively LDL is treated
How age, frailty, cognition, cancer risk, and independence affect the risk-benefit conversation
Why LDL may need a different discussion for someone using ketogenic therapy
How metabolic health, insulin resistance, and direct evidence of vascular disease fit into the decision

These trials illustrate why LDL treatment should be individualized with a healthcare provider. For some patients, aggressive lowering may save lives. For others, the benefits may be smaller or less connected to the outcomes they care about most.
🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.
#LDL #CardiovascularHealth #MetabolicMind #MetabolicHealth

Expert Featured:
Bret Scher, MD - Baszucki Group Medical Director & Host of the Metabolic Mind Podcast
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-scher-08baaa102/
https://www.instagram.com/drscher858/?hl=en
https://x.com/bschermd

Resources Mentioned:
Effects of Evolocumab on Mortality Outcomes in Patients Without Previous Myocardial Infarction or Stroke: A Prespecified Analysis of the VESALIUS-CV Randomized Clinical Trial
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.126.082436

Atorvastatin, Cardiovascular Events, and Disability-free Survival in Older Adults
https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2607314

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzWI83-NWCL5V7N6MjywX5QbkVn9Svi3q&si=oKVT518X1u0rUcMk

Free CME Clinician Trainings:
Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Dr. Mariela Glandt, Dr. Deanna Kelly, Dr. Julie Milder, Dr. Zoltan Sarnyai, and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.
Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:
https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.
Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:
Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.
Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Is it possible to follow a diet that’s both vegan and keto? And can a diet like that be used as part of a care plan for bipolar disorder? In this episode of Metabolic Mind, Dr. Bret Scher speaks with author and advocate Dyane Harwood about how she uses a vegan ketogenic diet as part of her treatment for postpartum bipolar disorder.
Dyane shares how she first discovered vegan keto, why she started tracking ketones and net carbs, and what she eats in a typical day, from her vegan keto smoothie to tofu, avocado, nut butter, and carefully chosen supplements. She also discusses the practical challenges of vegan keto, including protein intake, B12, omega-3s, magnesium, vitamin D3, eating out, social pressure, and finding a clinical team that understands metabolic psychiatry.
They cover:
How Dyane discovered vegan keto for bipolar disorder
Why ketosis became more important to her than dietary labels
What a typical vegan keto day looks like
How changing her protein intake affected her ketone levels
Why tracking net carbs, glucose, and ketones helped her personalize the diet
The supplements she uses, including B12, DHA/EPA, magnesium, vitamin D3, and acetyl-L-carnitine
What Dyane reports about changes in her energy, activity level, cravings, and mood
Why support, resources, and mentorship can make the process easier
How she thinks about progress, flexibility, and improving over time

Dyane’s experience offers a personal example of how a vegan ketogenic diet can fit within a broader treatment plan. Her approach is practical and grounded in the idea that progress can start before everything feels perfect.
👉 Learn more about vegan and vegetarian ketogenic approaches on our blog: Is Vegetarian or Vegan Ketogenic Therapy Possible?
🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.
#VeganKeto #BipolarDisorder #MetabolicPsychiatry #MetabolicMind

Expert Featured:
Dyane Harwood
https://dyane92.wixsite.com/dyaneharwood
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dyane-harwood-b41a741b8/
https://www.instagram.com/dyaneharwood/

Free CME Clinician Trainings:
Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Dr. Mariela Glandt, Dr. Deanna Kelly, Dr. Julie Milder, Dr. Zoltan Sarnyai, and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.
Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:
https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.
Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:
Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.
Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Can therapeutic ketosis be considered for type 1 diabetes and bipolar disorder? In this Metabolic Mailbag episode, Dr. Bret Scher and producer Erica Gerard answer viewer questions about ketogenic therapy, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson’s medications, omega-3s, fasting, protein intake, metabolic rate, and why some protein foods are more filling than others.
They cover:
The association between type 1 diabetes and serious mental illness
Why ketogenic therapy may be possible for some people living with type 1 diabetes, but only with careful medical supervision
How Parkinson’s medications can interact with protein timing
Whether cooking salmon changes the benefits of omega-3 fats
How intermittent fasting can affect protein intake and ketone levels
Why MCT oil in coffee may change the meaning of a “fast”
What basal metabolic rate means and how ketogenic diets may affect it
Why a protein shake may feel less satisfying than meat, even with the same grams of protein

From medication timing to protein needs, this episode explores why metabolic therapies work best when they are personalized, measured, and guided by the realities of each person’s health goals and daily life.
🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.
🎙️ Take the Metabolic Mind Podcast Listener Survey for a chance to win! We’d love your feedback on what you’re enjoying, what you’d like to hear more of, and how we can make the podcast even more helpful. Complete the quick survey by September 15 for a chance to win a Metabolic Mind giveaway bundle featuring a Keto-Mojo meter, books from Dr. Chris Palmer and Dr. Georgia Ede, Metabolic Mind swag, and more. Winners will be notified September 18. Take the survey here: https://metmind.co/survey-listeners
No purchase necessary. Open to U.S. residents and international participants 18+. Ends 9/15/26 at 11:59 PM PT. Void where prohibited.
#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #FoodAsMedicine

Expert Featured:
Bret Scher, MD - Baszucki Group Medical Director & Host of the Metabolic Mind Podcast
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-scher-08baaa102/
https://www.instagram.com/drscher858/?hl=en
https://x.com/bschermd

Free CME Clinician Trainings:
Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Dr. Mariela Glandt, Dr. Deanna Kelly, Dr. Julie Milder, Dr. Zoltan Sarnyai, and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.
Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:
https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.
Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:
Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.
Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

A red flag next to your LDL number can feel alarming, but LDL is only one part of a much larger cardiovascular risk picture. In this episode of Metabolic Mind, cardiologist and lipidologist Dr. Bret Scher explains how to read a cholesterol panel with more context and less fear.
Dr. Scher walks through LDL, triglycerides, HDL, non-HDL cholesterol, ApoB, Lp(a), and the triglyceride-to-HDL ratio. He also explains how the 2026 cholesterol guidelines use the PREVENT risk calculator, where LDL targets currently stand, and why individual risk factors, metabolic health, family history, and direct measures of vascular disease can change the conversation.
He covers:
Why LDL should not be read in isolation
What triglycerides and HDL can reveal about metabolic health
Why Dr. Scher pays attention to the triglyceride-to-HDL ratio
When LDL above 190 may raise concern for familial hypercholesterolemia
Why Lp(a) should be measured at least once in adulthood
How ApoB differs from LDL cholesterol
What the PREVENT risk calculator includes
How coronary calcium scans and CT angiograms act as tools that may help refine risk
Why LDL targets vary by risk category
Why metabolic health, insulin resistance, and individual preferences and priorities should be part of the discussion

A cholesterol panel can start a thoughtful conversation with your healthcare provider. One number rarely tells the whole story, and better decisions come from looking at the full cardiometabolic picture.
🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.
🎙️ Take the Metabolic Mind Podcast Listener Survey for a chance to win! We’d love your feedback on what you’re enjoying, what you’d like to hear more of, and how we can make the podcast even more helpful. Complete the quick survey by September 15 for a chance to win a Metabolic Mind giveaway bundle featuring a Keto-Mojo meter, books from Dr. Chris Palmer and Dr. Georgia Ede, Metabolic Mind swag, and more. Winners will be notified September 18. Take the survey here: https://metmind.co/survey-listeners
No purchase necessary. Open to U.S. residents and international participants 18+. Ends 9/15/26 at 11:59 PM PT. Void where prohibited.
#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #Cholesterol #HeartHealth

Expert Featured:
Bret Scher, MD - Baszucki Group Medical Director & Host of the Metabolic Mind Podcast
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-scher-08baaa102/
https://www.instagram.com/drscher858/?hl=en
https://x.com/bschermd

Free CME Clinician Trainings:
Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Dr. Mariela Glandt, Dr. Deanna Kelly, Dr. Julie Milder, Dr. Zoltan Sarnyai, and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.
Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:
https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.
Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:
Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.
Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.