Eat Move Think

The World Happiness Report has for the fifth year in a row ranked Finland as the planet’s happiest country. Yet the nation is darker and colder than Canada. So what are the Finns doing right? Could it have anything to do with sisu, saunas and plunges into ice-cold water? Medcan’s Clinical Director of Psychology, Dr. Jack Muskat, investigates with Eat Move Think senior producer Russell Gragg, who recently returned from five weeks of living in Helsinki. Featuring interviews with Finnish culture experts Frank Martela, Katja Pantzar and others.   Link to episode webpage.

The ultimate way to achieve a personalized wellness prescription is to base it on one’s unique genetic code—to have every one of your DNA base pairs mapped, in a process known as whole genome sequencing, and then using that information to create precisely the right strategy for you. With its Genomic Health Assessment powered by whole genome sequencing, Medcan is pioneering the most precise form of precision medicine available. Here, Director of Clinical Innovation Allison Hazell explores the implications with host Shaun Francis. Link to episode webpage: https://www.eatmovethinkpodcast.com/podcast/ep109-whole-genome-sequencing

As you get older, your chances of getting sick and developing diseases get higher. But what if aging itself is the condition we should be treating? Dr. Nir Barzilai is the founding director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the world’s leading expert on metformin. Here, he joins host Shaun Francis to discuss the potential of metformin to fight aging, and his new trial that could change the way we view and treat old age.

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices are being tested by elite athletes to determine whether better management of carbs and blood sugar can boost athletic performance. Dr. Michael Riddell is a professor at York University. As an athlete who lives with Type 1 Diabetes, Dr. Riddell has studied glucose for years and is on the scientific advisory board for Supersapiens, a glucose-tracking app. Here, Dr. Riddell explores the future of glucose monitoring and athletics with Medcan Fitness Manager Anna Topali.

Positive psychology refers to a type of therapy that focuses on optimizing mental wellbeing, rather than fixing any specific problems. If conventional psychology helps people living with mental illness to achieve normalcy, then positive psychology helps people at a normal baseline achieve an optimal state. “Absence of symptoms is not the presence of wellbeing,” says Dr. Tayyab Rashid of the University of Toronto (Scarborough), also a faculty associate with the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. He’s in conversation with Medcan Clinical Director of Psychology, Dr. Jack Muskat.

Lots of studies have been done on the effects of exercise on men. But when it comes to exercise and women’s health, the scientific research falls short. Dr. Michaela Devries-Aboud is an exercise physiologist at the University of Waterloo. She’s one of a growing number of scientists examining how exercise affects the female body. Here, she and Medcan’s Clinical and Product Director of Sports Medicine, Therapy, Rehabilitation and Fitness, Dr. Andrew Miners, investigate what we know, and what we don’t, about sex differences and exercise. For links and insights with time codes, visit the episode 105 web page.

Romantic relationships are a key driver of personal wellness, and these days texting is the main way people communicate when dating. In her just-released book, Speaking in Thumbs, Dr. Mimi Winsberg, a Harvard- and Stanford-educated psychiatrist and Facebook’s former in-house psychiatrist, examined how to connect better online with potential and existing partners. Here, she’s in conversation with Medcan clinical director of mental health, Dr. Jack Muskat. Texting, says Dr. Winsberg, “is now the lingua franca of love.”  For links and insights with time codes, visit the episode 104 web page.

One measure of aerobic fitness is VO2max, which reflects your body’s ability to take oxygen from air and put it in a form that helps you go. We noticed that one ranking of the best-ever VO2max scores featured five cross-country skiers in the top 10 results. So for our Winter Olympic special, host Shaun Francis and his team investigated what’s so great about cross-country skiing. Including two Canadian Winter Olympians, Katherine Stewart-Jones and Emily Nishikawa, as well as McMaster exercise scientist Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, an enthusiastic cross-country skier himself.   For links and insights with time codes, visit the Episode 103 web page.

COVID-19’s Omicron variant is airborne-transmitted. So does it make sense to buy a HEPA filter to reduce spread? Or are there more cost-efficient ways to increase safety? We assembled a panel of experts to provide their guidance, including two members of Medcan’s Medical Advisory Services team, Dr. Peter Nord and Dr. Matthew Burnstein, as well as NASA consultant R. Vijayakumar and Prof. Frank Kelly of Imperial College London. For links and insights with time codes, visit the Episode 102 web page.

Mounting evidence suggests that our diet may play a role in our brain health as we get older. Age-related inflammation, or “inflammaging,” has recently been linked to higher risks of chronic disease, dementia and Alzheimer's. But how can we know which foods spur inflammaging? In today's episode, our host Shaun Francis talks with Medcan’s director of food and nutrition, Leslie Beck, RD, to explore the connection between diet, inflammation and brain health as we age. The episode also provides a guide on which food choices can help keep our brains and bodies healthier, longer. For links and insights with time codes, visit the Episode 101 web page.