Gut-Cardiometabolic Advanced Practice Cohort

On-Demand Lecture
Lecture Outline:

• Clinical definition and scope of cardiometabolic disease
• The gut’s influence on systemic inflammation, metabolic signaling, and vascular tone
• Microbial metabolites: SCFAs, LPS, and TMAO in cardiovascular risk
• The gut-immune-cardiovascular connection
• Functional interpretation of cardiometabolic lab markers
• GI-MAP markers relevant to inflammation, permeability, and microbial imbalance
• Conventional screening and diagnostic considerations
• Functional medicine approach to root cause assessment
• Foundational interventions targeting gut, inflammation, and metabolic health
• Strategies for building gut-forward cardiometabolic protocols

Q & A
Lecture Q & A Questions:

• When a new cardiometabolic patient comes in — with symptoms like fatigue, weight changes, or elevated labs — what are the first 2–3 systems you assess before diving into cardiovascular markers?
• What clinical patterns tell you that cardiometabolic dysfunction is gut-driven versus a different underlying driver?
• Are there specific GI-MAP markers — like LPS, calprotectin, or dysbiosis patterns — that reliably correlate with early cardiovascular dysfunction?
• How do you interpret the gut-heart axis in clients with “normal” lipid labs but persistent cardiometabolic symptoms?
• How do mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic inflexibility fit into your cardiovascular assessment?
• In clients with high stress load or HPA dysregulation, how do you differentiate between adrenal-driven metabolic symptoms and true “by conventional definition” cardiometabolic dysfunction?
• Where do you start when cardiovascular symptoms coexist with IBS-type symptoms?
• How do you explain the gut-heart connection to patients in a way that encourages buy-in and compliance?
• Do you have any early-intervention clinical tools for clients showing “pre-cardiometabolic” patterns?
• What’s one foundational clinical pearl about the gut-heart axis you wish every practitioner understood?

On-Demand Lecture
Lecture Outline:

• Clinical definitions and diagnostic criteria for insulin resistance, T2DM, and metabolic syndrome
• Pathophysiology: glucose uptake, insulin signaling, and mitochondrial dysfunction
• Gut-microbiome impact on glycemic control and insulin sensitivity
• Endotoxemia, SCFAs, bile acids, and glucose metabolism
• Conventional diagnostics: A1C, fasting glucose, HOMA-IR, lipids, CMP
• Functional lab markers: GI-MAP, organic acids, insulin, leptin, inflammatory markers
• Pharmaceutical therapies and clinical considerations
• Nutraceuticals for glycemic support, mitochondrial function, and inflammation
• Nutrition strategies: fiber, resistant starches, intermittent fasting, therapeutic carb restriction
• Lifestyle protocols for stress, movement, and circadian regulation

Q & A
Lecture Q & A Questions:

• When evaluating suspected insulin resistance, what are the first labs or patterns you consider most reliable?
• How commonly do you see insulin resistance driven by inflammation — and how do you approach that?
• If fasting insulin looks “normal” but symptoms strongly suggest insulin resistance, what do you investigate next?
• How do you integrate stool findings — like LPS, dysbiosis, or steatocrit — into metabolic syndrome assessment?
• Are there any specific microbes or patterns on GI-MAP that reliably correlate with insulin resistance or glycemic dysregulation?
• What’s your approach when blood sugar dysregulation coexists with HPA suppression or high stress load?
• How do you sequence diet, blood sugar balance, and gut work in someone with significant metabolic dysfunction?
• What do you do when clients hit weight-loss or blood-sugar plateaus despite strong compliance?
• What markers tell you the metabolic protocol is working — even before labs improve?
• What’s one clinical pearl about insulin resistance that has most improved your outcomes?

On-Demand Lecture
Lecture Outline:

• Clinical definitions of dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, and advanced lipid markers
• Pathophysiology of cholesterol metabolism and arterial plaque development
• Role of the microbiome and LPS in endothelial dysfunction
• TMAO, SCFAs, bile acids and lipid metabolism
• Conventional labs: LDL, HDL, triglycerides, ApoB, Lp(a), hsCRP, homocysteine
• Functional labs and GI markers: beta-glucuronidase, dysbiosis, bile flow, liver enzymes
• Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical interventions for lipid regulation
• Dietary interventions: soluble fiber, plant sterols, polyphenols
• Mitochondrial and antioxidant support for vascular health
• Lifestyle strategies for inflammation, sleep, and movement

Q & A
Lecture Q & A Questions:

• When someone presents with abnormal lipids, what clinical clues tell you the root cause is gut-driven inflammation versus genetic?
• Besides LDL and triglycerides, which advanced markers do you find most clinically meaningful?
• Are there stool markers that correlate with elevated ApoB or vascular inflammation?
• How do you explain “discordant” lab patterns — like normal LDL but elevated ApoB or hs-CRP?
• How do you evaluate bile flow and fat digestion in clients with dyslipidemia?
• Where do you start when dyslipidemia coexists with metabolic syndrome?
• Do you modify protocols when someone has a family history of premature cardiovascular disease?
• What do you do when lipids increase after starting a gut or metabolic protocol?
• Are there any red-flag patterns on GI-MAP that prompt earlier cardiology referral?
• What’s one underappreciated driver of dyslipidemia you see frequently in practice?

On-Demand Lecture
Lecture Outline:

• Clinical definitions and classifications of obesity and weight resistance
• Mechanisms of weight resistance: metabolic adaptation, leptin resistance, mitochondrial inefficiency
• Gut microbiome and metabolic phenotype: Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes, Akkermansia, SCFAs
• Endotoxemia, inflammation, bile acids, and energy regulation
• Functional assessment of gut-related barriers to weight loss
• Conventional diagnostics: body comp, A1C, insulin, lipid panel, TSH
• Functional labs: GI-MAP, OAT, leptin, adiponectin, inflammatory markers
• Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical interventions for metabolic support
• Clinical nutrition strategies: fasting, macronutrient distribution, diversity
• Lifestyle approaches: sleep, stress, resistance training, environmental toxin reduction

Q & A
Lecture Q & A Questions:

• What are the first 3 things you evaluate when someone is weight-loss resistant despite “doing everything right”?
• How do you differentiate between metabolic inflexibility and caloric mismatch?
• Which stool test patterns correlate most strongly with weight resistance?
• How do you handle clients who gain weight when starting a gut-healing protocol?
• What role does stress physiology play in weight resistance?
• When do you integrate thyroid testing into metabolic weight cases?
• What do you do when steatocrit is elevated in weight-resistant clients?
• How do you approach weight resistance when there’s also insulin resistance or fatty liver?
• What metrics do you track to measure improvement beyond the scale?
• What’s the biggest mindset shift practitioners need to make when working with weight-resistant clients?

On-Demand Lecture
Lecture Outline:

• Clinical definitions and classifications of hypertension and arrhythmias
• Pathophysiology of vascular tone, sodium handling, and autonomic regulation
• Gut-derived factors: TMAO, SCFAs, inflammation, histamine, and blood pressure
• Dysbiosis patterns associated with arrhythmias and vascular dysfunction
• Conventional diagnostics: BP readings, EKG, CBC, CMP, TSH, lipid panel
• Functional markers
• Pharmaceutical considerations and contraindications with gut impact
• Nutraceutical protocols
• Dietary support: DASH vs. Mediterranean with microbiome overlay
• Lifestyle modifications: stress, vagal tone, salt balance, movement

• Calcium and Cardiovascular Health – A Functional Medicine Perspective
• Functional Medicine Interventions for Key Cardiovascular Mechanisms
• Microbiome Quick Reference Guide for HTN, Endotoxemia, SCFA Support & Arrhythmia Risk

Q & A
Lecture Q & A Questions:

• When someone presents with elevated blood pressure, what determines whether you start with gut, nervous system, or metabolic support?
• How strongly do you see gut inflammation correlate with vascular dysfunction in practice?
• Are there any stool patterns that reliably correlate with hypertension or endothelial dysfunction?
• How do you approach cases where high blood pressure is accompanied by arrhythmias?
• Where does stress physiology fit into the gut-vascular picture?
• What are your first steps when hypertension coexists with constipation, dysbiosis, or impaired bile flow?
• Which labs beyond basic BMP do you find most useful for vascular assessment?
• How do you approach clients on antihypertensive medication while doing gut or metabolic work?
• When do you consider referring a client for cardiology evaluation?
• What’s one clinical pearl about the gut-vascular connection that shifted how you practice?

On-Demand Lecture
Lecture Outline:

• Clinical definition and staging of NAFLD and NASH
• Pathophysiology: steatosis, insulin resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation
• Gut-liver-heart axis: endotoxemia, bile flow, SCFAs, beta-glucuronidase
• The role of dysbiosis in hepatic fat accumulation and systemic inflammation
• Conventional diagnostics: liver enzymes, imaging, fibrosis scores
• Functional markers: GI-MAP, stool beta-glucuronidase, bile acid patterns, OAT markers
• Pharmaceutical therapies under research and limitations
• Nutraceutical support
• Nutrition strategies: liver-supportive foods, fiber, low-fructose diets
• Lifestyle guidance: resistance training, detox capacity, weight management

Q & A
Lecture Q & A Questions:

• When assessing suspected fatty liver, what early clues do you look for outside of imaging?
• Which labs most reliably differentiate between metabolic fatty liver vs. inflammatory fatty liver or is there even a difference?
• How do you integrate GI-MAP findings into fatty liver assessment — especially LPS, steatocrit, or bile flow markers?
• What do you do when fatty liver coexists with insulin resistance and dyslipidemia?
• How strongly do you consider bile flow in cases of fatty liver disease?
• What’s your approach when fatty liver markers worsen temporarily after beginning gut repair?
• Are there specific microbes that raise red flags in fatty liver cases?
• How do you tailor protocols for clients with both fatty liver and early hypertension?
• What markers tell you your protocol is working before imaging changes occur?
• What’s one clinical insight about fatty liver you wish more practitioners understood?