#368 The Key Driver of Chronic Disease That Nobody’s Talking About with David Perlmutter

Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

What do obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, fatty liver disease, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke and dementia have in common? They are all chronic diseases that together are the leading cause of death in the world today. And they’re largely caused not by genes, but by our environment, lifestyle and food choices.

This much many of us already know. But today’s guest brings some valuable new information to the table: the role of uric acid. Dr David Perlmutter is a board-certified neurologist and six-time New York Times bestselling author. He is on the Board of Directors of the American College of Nutrition and an Associate Professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. His latest book, Drop Acid: The Surprising New Science of Uric Acid, focuses on the pivotal role of uric acid in chronic metabolic diseases, claiming that lowering its level in the body holds the key to losing weight, controlling blood sugar, and transforming health.

Many of us only think about uric acid in relation to a painful condition called gout. But, as David explains even slightly raised uric acid levels, can have damaging and widespread implications for our health. David and I discuss what he calls the ‘evolutionary environmental mismatch’ - how modern lives are at odds with what serves our biology best. And one of the key elements that is driving this mismatch is the modern food environment.

Many of us simply think about food as energy or calories but David and I discuss why we need to start thinking about food as information. Every bite that we eat is giving our body cues and signals. If we give our bodies the right cues they will thrive. If we give them the wrong cues they will start to malfunction.

We also talk about the relationship between our fructose intake and uric acid levels, the evolutionary benefit for slightly higher uric acid levels, how increased uric acid can drive fat storage, high blood sugar levels, high blood pressure and insulin resistance. We also discuss what changes we can make with our food choices to reduce uric acid levels in our body.

David explains how certain food choices can make us more impulsive, less compassionate and less empathetic and how the right food choices can help us make better decisions and increase our happiness. David is a gifted communicator and someone who is committed to helping as many people as possible, live healthier and happier lives. I hope you enjoy listening.

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Show notes https://drchatterjee.com/368

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