Metabolic Mind Podcast

10 episodes

Semiweekly

The Metabolic Mind Podcast explores how nutrition, lifestyle, and metabolism impact brain health. Join leading voices uncovering powerful new ways to understand and treat mental conditions.

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About the host

Medical Director, Metabolic Mind and Baszucki Group

Bret is the host of the Metabolic Mind YouTube channel and podcast. He is a board-certified cardiologist, lipidologist, and leading expert in therapeutic uses of metabolic therapies, including ketogenic diets. Prior to joining Baszucki Group, Bret was the medical director at DietDoctor.com, an online platform promoting improving metabolic health through low-carb nutrition, where he was a content creator and medical reviewer. Earlier in his career, he worked as a cardiologist in San Diego. Bret has spent most of his 20-year career as a preventive cardiologist, helping people improve their metabolic health and preventing heart disease using low-carb nutrition and lifestyle interventions. His deep passion for educating the public about the benefits of metabolic therapies grew from his experience with the prevailing medical teaching, which frequently misrepresents nutrition science and undervalues metabolic health. Bret received an MD from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and a BS in Biology from Stanford University. He grew up in San Diego and began competing in triathlons at an early age, which helped fuel his love of health and fitness. He continues to enjoy spending time outdoors mountain biking, swimming, hiking, and playing baseball with his two boys.

Learn more about Bret

Medical Director, Metabolic Mind and Baszucki Group

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Metabolic Mind Podcast

New Study Using CGMs Reveals Surprising Truth About Your Blood Sugar

Did you know that your blood sugar spikes differ from everyone else's? Even with the same food! A new study in Nature Medicine supports what many have long suspected: there is no one-size-fits-all diet. The foods that spike your blood sugar might not affect someone else the same way, and your unique metabolic profile could be the reason why.

25 mins

July 9, 2025

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Metabolic Mind Podcast

Are We Using GLP-1 Medications All Wrong? with Dr. Ben Bikman

What if We're Using GLP-1 Medications All Wrong? Drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are transforming the landscape of medical weight loss, but could their side effects be a sign that we’re not harnessing their full therapeutic potential? In this eye-opening conversation, Dr. Ben Bikman, metabolic health researcher and professor at BYU, joins Dr. Bret Scher to explore a powerful new framework: using GLP-1 medications at low doses and for short durations to help curb carbohydrate cravings, break addictive eating cycles, and support long-term metabolic health.

34 mins

July 14, 2025

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Metabolic Mind Podcast

Visceral Fat and the Chronic Health Epidemic

Visceral fat, insulin resistance, and metabolic dysfunction are driving the chronic disease epidemic—and yet, they're still misunderstood. In this compelling conversation, former FDA commissioner Dr. David Kessler, MD, explains why he believes visceral adiposity is the greatest public health failure of our lifetime.

38 mins

July 21, 2025

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Metabolic Mind Podcast

The Truth About Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms

Does psychiatric medication withdrawal exist — or is it just a myth? For anyone who’s lived through it, the question alone can feel insulting. Psychiatric drug withdrawal is real. While the experience varies widely, for many, it’s not “brief and mild” as many guidelines state it is. It can be intense, destabilizing, and often misunderstood. One of the most painful challenges is trying to determine whether what you're experiencing is withdrawal or relapse.

38 mins

July 23, 2025

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Metabolic Mind Podcast

Free Help for Mental Illness? This Program is Making It Real

Ketogenic therapy for mental illness is changing lives. And now, it’s becoming more accessible than ever. Dr. Bret Scher chats with licensed mental health counselor Nicole Laurent about her innovative online program and nonprofit initiative aimed at providing low-to-no-cost metabolic therapy support to people with serious mental illness.

18 mins

July 24, 2025

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Metabolic Mind Podcast

Will GLP-1 Drugs Replace Diets Forever?

GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy are changing how the medical system approaches obesity and metabolic disease. But are they a replacement for dietary intervention? Or are dietary interventions a replacement for these medications? Could they be used together for even better outcomes? In this conversation, Dr. David Ludwig (Harvard, Boston Children’s Hospital) and journalist Gary Taubes explore the science behind GLP-1s, their impact on insulin, weight loss, and chronic disease, and where dietary strategies like low carb or ketogenic therapy fit in.

45 mins

July 28, 2025

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Metabolic Mind Podcast

Do We Have Kidney Health All Wrong?

Is high protein intake responsible for chronic kidney disease? Have you ever heard that ketogenic diets are harmful to your kidneys? These are just a few of the common kidney health myths debunked in this interview with Dr. Thomas Weimbs, who says that traditional views on what causes chronic kidney disease are “definitely not founded in science.” Dr. Thomas Weimbs, professor and vice chair at UC Santa Barbara, has spent decades studying chronic kidney disease (CKD). His recent research explores the impact of ketogenic interventions on kidney function, and the findings may surprise you. Rather than harming the kidneys, Dr. Weimbs is finding that keto can actually improve kidney function in people living with CKD.

32 mins

August 4, 2025

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Metabolic Mind Podcast

6 Clear Signs You Might Have Food Addiction & What You Can Do

Is food addiction a mental illness? Should ultra-processed foods rich in sugar and refined carbohydrates be classified alongside alcohol, nicotine, and other addictive substances linked to substance use disorders. Food addiction (especially to processed, packaged, carb-heavy foods) is real, widespread, and often misunderstood by both the public and healthcare professionals. Dr. Bret Scher and Dr. Georgia Ede sit down with Dr. Jen Unwin, a psychologist with over 30 years of NHS experience, to explore the science, diagnostic challenges, and recovery strategies for ultra-processed food addiction.

57 mins

August 11, 2025

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Metabolic Mind Podcast

Q&A: Harvard Trained Psychiatrist Answers Your Mental Health and Diet Questions. Ep. 1

What’s the difference between a low-carb diet and a ketogenic diet, especially when it comes to mental health? In this premiere Mailbag episode, Dr. Bret Scher (Medical Director at Metabolic Mind) and Harvard trained psychiatrist Dr. Georgia Ede answer some of the most common questions they receive about ketogenic diets specifically for mental illness.

33 mins

July 30, 2025

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Metabolic Mind Podcast

Q&A’s: Are Sweeteners Helpful or Harmful? Dairy? Ketone Levels, Longevity, and More

Ketogenic therapy for mental health is gaining traction, but what happens when it doesn’t seem to work or even makes things worse? In this episode, Dr. Georgia Ede and Dr. Bret Scher answer some of the most common questions about ketogenic diets, including what to do when your mental health doesn’t improve, how to properly enter ketosis, and why sweeteners, snacks, and dairy might be holding you back. They break down the difference between a ketogenic diet and ketogenic therapy, and why things like ketone levels, medication adjustments, and lifestyle factors matter. You’ll also learn why some people experience initial worsening symptoms, how to transition more gradually, and when to seek support from experienced clinicians.

28 mins

August 6, 2025

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