LEVELS – A Whole New Level

Metabolic health is often simplified to a matter of blood sugar, but at its root, it is a complex system of energy substrate signaling. While many view chronic disease as an inevitable part of aging, a systems-thinking approach reveals that maintaining high "flux"—the capacity to efficiently move and clear energy through the body—is the primary lever for longevity. Without the stimulus of regular movement, even the most optimized diet can fail to prevent the accumulation of metabolic waste that leads to insulin resistance and heart disease.

In this episode, we sit down with Greg Mushen, a technologist who turned his engineering mind toward his own biology after conventional medicine failed to address his chronic health issues. Mushen breaks down his "Theory of Flux" and why he believes the key to disease resistance lies in meeting our body's "clearance burden". From studying the activity levels of hunter-gatherer populations to debunking myths about walking and V2 max, Mushen provides a data-driven framework for optimizing health through the lens of evolutionary biology and systems engineering.

Sign Up to Get Your Free Ultimate Guide to Glucose: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://levels.link/wnl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode, we cover:
The Theory of Flux: Understanding health as the dynamic capacity to move nutrients and fuel through the system rather than a static set of markers.
Insulin Resistance Reimagined: Why blood sugar is a symptom, not the root cause, and how fat accumulation in the liver and muscle disrupts signaling.
The Power of PAL: Why a Physical Activity Level (PAL) of 2.0 is the "golden ratio" observed in disease-free subsistence populations.
Walking vs. HIT: De-bunking the idea that you need high intensity to improve V2 max and why the "area under the curve" for oxygen consumption is what matters.
The Saturated Fat Paradox: Comparing the Messiah and Chimané populations to understand how high activity levels can mitigate the risks of high-fat diets.
Fiber as a Sensor: Why fiber is more than just "throughput" and acts as a critical environmental sensor for metabolic signaling.
The "Walking Grifter" Philosophy: Why walking is the most under-leveraged tool for increasing metabolic flux with the lowest recovery cost.

🎙 What Greg Mushen & Josh Clemente discuss:
[00:53] — Greg’s transition from tech engineering to "debugging" his own biology.
[06:55] — The mold exposure and chronic fatigue that sparked a deep dive into primary literature.
[11:36] — How correcting a copper deficiency became a "point of light" for understanding micronutrients.
[20:53] — Lessons from the Messiah: High saturated fat intake paired with extreme physical activity.
[25:26] — Defining Flux: The capacity to clear substrate and prevent metabolic accumulation.
[30:26] — The PAL 2.0 threshold: Why doubling your basal metabolic rate is the key to warding off chronic disease.
[51:10] — Lipid Kinetics: Using the "sink and drain" analogy to understand LDL residence time.
[01:00:19] — The Integral of Oxygen: Why walking 15,000 steps can be as effective for V2 max as short bursts of HIT.
[01:17:16] — Why Greg changed his mind on plant-based vs. animal protein.
[01:28:24] — Greg's personal stack: From 15k steps and resistance training to PD5 inhibitors and custom fiber blends.

Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

🔗 Helpful links
Watch the conversation: https://youtu.be/A1KSG2qyVww⁠
Find us on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

📲 Connect
Connect with Greg Mushen on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregmushen

Protein is often hailed as the ultimate nutrient for health and longevity, but the science suggests it is only half of the equation. While social media influencers debate the minutiae of protein grams, researchers have found that the vast majority of protein's benefits are "baked in" only when combined with physical activity. Without the stimulus of exercise, even the most optimized protein intake fails to move the needle on muscle growth or chronic disease prevention.

In this episode of A Whole New Level, Mike Haney sits down with Dr. Stuart Phillips, a researcher who has spent over 25 years at McMaster University studying the intersection of protein, exercise, and human health. Dr. Phillips breaks down why the current RDA for protein is likely too low for optimal health and why the methodology used to set those standards is decades out of date.

Dr. Phillips explains the "brick wall" analogy of muscle turnover—where synthesis and breakdown are in a constant tug-of-war—and how lifting weights acts as the primary driver for "the bricklayers". From the impact of anabolic resistance in aging to the truth about protein timing and kidney health, he provides a grounded, data-driven perspective on how to maintain a functional reserve of muscle as we age.

Sign Up to Get Your Free Ultimate Guide to Glucose: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://levels.link/wnl⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode, we cover
The RDA Debate: Why the standard 0.8 g/kg recommendation is a "preventing deficiency" baseline rather than an "optimized health" target.
The Power of Exercise: Why 80% to 90% of protein's benefits are dependent on physical activity.
Muscle as a Storage Depot: Understanding muscle as a functional reserve that dictates disease resistance and survival.
Anabolic Resistance: How inactivity and aging make our cells less efficient at using amino acids.
The Myth of Timing: Why the "anabolic window" is more like a "garage door" that stays open much longer than once thought.
Protein Quality & Source: Comparing animal vs. plant proteins and why the "food matrix" matters more than isolated powders.
Kidney Health: De-bunking the 60-year-old hypothesis that high protein intake causes kidney damage in healthy individuals.

🎙 What Dr. Stuart Phillips & Mike Haney discuss:
[00:00] — Why exercise is the "big driver" of protein's health benefits.
[09:00] — Transitioning from the RDA (0.8 g/kg) to an optimized range of 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg.
[30:31] — The limitations of "nitrogen balance" as a methodology for protein needs.
[44:45] — Muscle as a structural substrate vs. carbs and fats as fuel.
[01:10:05] — Anabolic resistance: Why we lose building efficiency as we age.
[01:18:15] — The "Compound Interest" of muscle: Why starting early prevents a late-life mobility spiral.
[01:28:10] — Hormones and muscle: The differing impacts of testosterone and estrogen during aging.
[01:39:15] — Addressing the concerns regarding high protein intake and kidney function.
[01:52:10] — Whole foods vs. supplements: Why the "bricklayers" care about amino acids, but the body cares about nutrients.
[01:60:12] — Debunking the immediate post-workout protein shake myth.

Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

🔗 Helpful links
Watch the conversation: https://youtu.be/twVUPk-B-vg⁠
Find us on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

📲 Connect
Connect with Dr. Stuart Phillips on LinkedIn & X:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartmphillips/
https://x.com/mackinprof

Preconception health is one of the most powerful—yet overlooked—windows for influencing a child’s lifelong wellness. While fertility is often discussed in the context of age or medical intervention, emerging research suggests that the months leading up to conception are a critical "time capsule" for epigenetic health.

In this episode of A Whole New Level, Levels Founder and CEO Josh Clemente sits down with Dr. Anne Shippy, a board-certified internal medicine physician and author of The Preconception Revolution. Dr. Shippy brings a unique, systems-based approach to fertility, moving beyond basic labs to uncover the root causes of infertility and chronic disease.

Dr. Shippy explains why the "check engine light" of infertility is often a signal of deeper metabolic or environmental imbalances—and why age isn't always the primary driver of reproductive success. Drawing on her engineering background and years of clinical practice, she walks through how toxins, mitochondrial function, and the microbiome interact to shape the health of both parents and their future children.

Along the way, the conversation explores the practical "mini-experiments" couples can run to optimize their biology—from tightening blood sugar control with CGMs to auditing the "chemical soup" of modern life. The result is an empowering framework for generational health: shifting the focus from reactive treatments to proactive, data-driven preparation.

Sign Up to Get Your Free Ultimate Guide to Glucose: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://levels.link/wnl⁠⁠⁠

In this episode, we cover
• The Preconception Window: Why the 3–12 months before pregnancy are a critical window for epigenetic influence
• The Engineering Approach: Applying systems-based, data-driven models to the biochemistry of the body
• Environmental Toxins: How PFAS, phthalates, and microplastics in packaging disrupt hormone health
• Sperm Health Trends: Understanding the 50% decline in sperm counts and the role of lifestyle in reversing damage
• Mitochondrial Function: Why cellular energy production is the foundation of egg and sperm quality
• IVF as a Last Resort: Why tuning up the body’s "hospitable environment" should come before invasive procedures
• The Role of Glucose: How stable blood sugar improves fertility and passes on better epigenetics to the baby

🎙 What Dr. Anne Shippy & Josh discuss
[03:35] — Making the career shift from IBM chemical engineer to functional medicine
[05:54] — Using CGMs as a series of experiments to optimize preconception health
[10:04] — Success stories: Reversing "failed" IVF and infertility in the early 40s
[14:48] — Why the children’s health crisis and the fertility crisis share the same root causes
[17:22] — The "Time Capsule": How the egg and sperm pass on epigenetic snapshots
[20:02] — The minimum timeline: Why three months is the baseline for biological change
[22:22] — The impact of processed food packaging on hormone and sperm health in just 21 days
[24:50] — Advanced testing: Moving beyond Quest labs to microbiome and toxin panels
[29:57] — The "Big Three" environmental shifts: Clean air, clean water, and clean food
[42:22] — The "Lightning Round": Prioritizing changes from synthetic fragrances to alcohol and exercise

Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

🔗 Helpful links
Watch the conversation: https://youtu.be/QG4Jxxu_gyE
Find us on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1⁠⁠⁠⁠

📲 Connect
Connect with Dr. Ann Shippy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annshippymd/
https://annshippymd.com/

High cholesterol is one of the most widely discussed—and established—risk factors in medicine. But reams of research now show that while it is key to cardiovascular risk, it is not the whole story.

In this episode of A Whole New Level, editorial director Mike Haney sits down with Dr. Ronald Krauss, one of the world’s leading lipid researchers and a pioneer in understanding how different forms of LDL—and the physiological factors around them—affect cardiovascular risk.

Dr. Krauss explains why the basic link between cholesterol and heart disease is well established among experts—but also why the standard cholesterol panel often misses the deeper metabolic story. Drawing on decades of research, he walks through how lipoproteins, particle size, triglycerides, and metabolic health interact to determine whether cholesterol actually becomes dangerous.

Along the way, the conversation explores why cardiovascular disease remains the leading killer despite statins and decades of research—and how factors like obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammation reshape the lipid landscape in ways that traditional tests may not capture.

The result is a clearer framework for understanding cardiovascular risk: not just how much cholesterol is in the blood, but how it’s being transported, how long those particles circulate, and what metabolic conditions are driving them.

Sign Up to Get Your Free Ultimate Guide to Glucose: ⁠⁠⁠https://levels.link/wnl⁠⁠

In this episode, we cover
Why the cholesterol–heart disease link isn’t actually controversial among researchers
Cholesterol vs. lipoproteins: why the particles carrying cholesterol matter more than the number itself
Small dense LDL: how triglyceride metabolism produces the most harmful particles
ApoB and particle counts: why many researchers prefer measuring particles instead of cholesterol mass
Lipoprotein(a): the genetically driven risk factor affecting up to a third of the population
Metabolic syndrome: the cluster of conditions that amplifies cardiovascular risk
Why carbohydrates and metabolic dysfunction can drive harmful lipid patterns
The saturated fat debate: why food context and metabolic health matter more than simple fat categories

🎙 What Dr. Ronald Krauss & Mike Haney discuss:
[01:09] — Why the cholesterol–heart disease link is largely settled science
[02:27] — Why cardiovascular disease remains the world’s leading killer
[04:42] — Inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in vascular disease
[06:12] — The discovery of small dense LDL and why particle size matters
[07:14] — Lipoprotein(a) as a major inherited cardiovascular risk factor
[09:18] — “Residence time”: why particles that circulate longer cause more damage
[11:24] — ApoB vs LDL-C: measuring particles instead of cholesterol mass
[13:31] — The HDL paradox: why raising HDL hasn’t improved outcomes
[15:28] — Metabolic syndrome and the five markers that amplify risk
[17:16] — Why the saturated fat debate misses the bigger metabolic picture

Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

🔗 Helpful links
Watch the conversation: ⁠https://youtu.be/sS0orvd2TFs
Find us on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1⁠⁠⁠

📲 Connect
Connect with Dr. Ronald Krauss on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronald-krauss-81a38021/

You can’t outrun a bad diet—but it turns out you might not even be able to outrun a good one. In this episode of A Whole New Level, evolutionary anthropologist Dr. Herman Pontzer joins Mike Haney to dismantle the "armchair view" of metabolism and explain why more exercise doesn't necessarily mean more calories burned.

Drawing on his groundbreaking research with the Hadza hunter-gatherer community and global meta-analyses, Dr. Pontzer explains the Constrained Energy Model: the phenomenon where our bodies hit a metabolic ceiling and begin "trading off" energy from vital systems like immunity and reproduction to account for physical activity. This conversation reframes weight loss not as a simple math problem of "calories in vs. calories out," but as a dynamic, evolutionary balancing act.

Sign Up to Get Your Free Ultimate Guide to Glucose: ⁠⁠https://levels.link/wnl⁠

In this episode, we cover:
The Myth of Additive Energy: Why adding a 300-calorie run to your day doesn’t actually result in 300 extra calories burned over the long term.
The Hadza Paradox: How hunter-gatherers who walk miles every day burn the same amount of total energy as sedentary Westerners.
Metabolic Trading: How your body "pays" for exercise by dialing down inflammation, stress responses, and reproductive hormones.
The Business of the Body: Why the human body acts less like a simple machine and more like a corporation reallocating a limited budget.
The "Set Point" Debate: Whether our bodies are tracking pounds on a scale or the flow of energy in the gut.
Practical Weight Management: Why diet is the primary tool for weight, while exercise is the primary tool for everything else.

🎙 What Dr. Herman Pontzer & Mike Haney discuss:
[0:01-0:52] The Additive Model vs. The Constrained Energy Model
[1:24-2:48] Dr. Pontzer's Book Burn
[3:33-4:21] Defining Energy Balance
[5:15-6:50] Where the "Armchair View of Metabolism" Breaks Down
[7:07-8:50] Comparing the Additive Model to the Constrained Energy Model
[16:14-18:12] Energy Accounting: Where Daily Calories Go
[18:13-20:57] The Body as a Business Metaphor
[22:13-23:47] Specific Ways the Body Compensates for Increased Exercise
[24:19-25:27] Modifying the Constrained Energy Limit (Diet and Weightlifting)
[47:54-51:23] Diet is Key for Weight Management

Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

🔗 Helpful links
Watch the conversation: https://youtu.be/6GUWQuT-vRc⁠⁠
Find us on YouTube: ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1⁠⁠

📲 Connect
Connect with Dr. Herman Pontzer on X: https://x.com/HermanPontzer