Dan Garner: Objective Measures, Patterns, and the Art in Biomarkers
Feb 8, 2024
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Dan Garner, expert in human performance, discusses the significance of using biomarkers to assess nutrition, stress, and behavior. He explores the limitations of vitamin D as a biomarker and emphasizes the importance of blood work in assessing health and performance. The chapter also touches on the benefits of daily multivitamin supplements for brain health and strategies for dealing with bodily challenges. The speakers share their experiences with medical scans and biomarkers, questioning their accuracy.
Regular blood testing is crucial for optimal health and performance, providing comprehensive information for potential issues and optimization.
Interpreting blood work requires finding root causes, understanding adaptive responses, and creating individualized protocols for optimal health and performance.
Standard reference ranges for biomarkers may not reflect optimal health and performance, emphasizing the need for personalized reference ranges and skilled professionals.
Deep dives
Importance of Regular Blood Testing
Regular blood testing is crucial for both optimal health and disease identification. Getting a complete blood count (CBC) and a complete metabolic panel (CMP) at least twice a year is recommended. These panels provide a comprehensive view of your body's physiological status, allowing for the detection of potential issues and the optimization of health and performance. It is important to find a skilled lab interpreter who can analyze the results and provide guidance based on patterns, ratios, and personalized optimal reference ranges.
Artistic Interpretation of Biomarkers
Interpreting blood work goes beyond a recipe book approach. It requires identifying root causes and understanding the adaptive responses reflected in biomarker levels. Instead of simply supplementing or medicating based on abnormal results, it is crucial to investigate why the biomarker is altered in the first place. This involves asking questions, exploring scientific literature, and considering the body's intelligent responses to stressors or stimuli. Viewing blood work as an art enables the creation of individualized protocols and tailored recommendations to address underlying issues, optimize health, and enhance performance.
Challenges with Standard Reference Ranges
Standard reference ranges for biomarkers often fall short in reflecting optimal health and performance. While they may be useful for disease identification, they do not capture the nuanced needs of athletes or individuals seeking the highest level of well-being. Athletes, for example, may require different reference ranges for markers like ferritin to ensure optimal performance. It is important to advocate for personalized reference ranges that better reflect optimal physiology and to find skilled professionals who understand these nuances.
The Limitations of Biomarkers in Health Optimization
Biomarkers like vitamin D are unreliable indicators of health status and should not be solely relied upon for determining the need for supplementation. For example, vitamin D levels can be influenced by factors such as inflammation, lead exposure, air pollutants, and glutathione metabolism. The reference ranges for certain biomarkers, like glucose, may not accurately reflect optimal health and the associated risks. The medical profession focuses on disease management and adherence to standard norms, whereas the field of optimal health acknowledges that individuals have different needs and goals. Blood work can be a valuable tool in optimizing performance and health when used in an inclusive and individualized manner.
The Importance of Coaching and Individual Agency
Physicians play a critical role in diagnosing and treating diseases, but they may not have the time or expertise to optimize an individual's performance or health. In the context of blood work, optimal health requires a different perspective and approach. It should be inclusive rather than exclusive, focusing on empowering individuals through coaching and education. The optimal health paradigm recognizes that health is not just the absence of disease but also encompasses factors like energy, cognitive function, and physical performance. By promoting individual agency and providing evidence-based guidance, optimal health can be achieved at any age.
Dan Garner has quickly become one of the go-to experts in the human performance industry. His detailed “inside-out” approach and science-backed programming have quickly pushed him to the forefront of his industry. With his extensive work as a world-class performance lab analyst, Dan continues to push the industry forward with his publications, research, and no-nonsense approach to education and training.
Professionally, Dan has over 20 of the top certifications in both training and nutrition as well as a formal education in functional medicine and health science. Dan is the co-founder of BioMolecular Athlete helping individuals achieve their full potential through research, science, and education, and the co-owner of RAPID Health Optimization specializing in athletic performance and physique transformation. His list of clientele include a long list of UFC, MLB, NHL, NFL, PGA, Olympians, and Hollywood Actors.
If you are even a little interested in understanding how things are working in your body, and specifically what your blood can tell you, this episode is hugely informative. Sometimes it is difficult to understand if the behaviors you are adopting are working, and biomarkers are an elegant way to get unbiased information. And Dan is not simply a science guy, he is working with actual high level athletes and proving out the utility of biomarkers in real time.
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SPONSORS
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