The Path from LifestyleRx

LifestyleRx

A podcast all about Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Health. Join Dr. Brendan Byrne as we explore the latest research, information and news.

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#121
Thursday · 1 hr 21 min
Muscle Loss & Type 2 Diabetes | Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky
About the Episode As part of our late summer break, we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations from The Path archive. Most of us lose muscle as we age, and the tiny engines inside our cells, called mitochondria, get weaker too, which feeds insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In this episode, Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky explains how exercise, protein, and colorful foods help protect both, and why strength and endurance training each matter. He also shares how to check supplement claims, including a protein blend from his own company. About the Guest Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky is a Professor and Division Head of Neuromuscular and Neurometabolic Disorders in the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University. He has published over 500 scientific and medical articles and is a world leader in exercise and nutrition therapy for older adults and people with muscle and mitochondrial disease. He is also a former international-level endurance athlete who still trains seven days a week. About The Path Podcast The Path is about simple strategies for better metabolic health. We break down metabolic disease, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes through patient FAQs, better health decisions, and honest interviews with patients and the physicians who treat them. Learn More About LifestyleRx: https://lifestylerx.io/ Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca Episode 121 | The Path Podcast
#120
October 8 · 38 min
Fatty Liver: Diabetes Warning | Dr. Alnoor Ramji
About the Episode You can develop serious liver scarring without ever drinking alcohol. Liver specialist Dr. Alnoor Ramji explains why fat in the liver deserves attention, how it connects to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and which simple yearly blood test can flag liver damage early. You'll also learn which food and activity changes help, and why the liver has a strong ability to heal. About the Guest Dr. Alnoor Ramji is a liver specialist and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, practicing at St. Paul's Hospital. He co-founded the Canadian MASLD Network (CanMASLD) and co-authored the MASLD chapter of the Diabetes Canada guidelines. About The Path Podcast The Path is about simple strategies for better metabolic health. We break down metabolic disease, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes through patient FAQs, better health decisions, and honest interviews with patients and the physicians who treat them. Learn More About LifestyleRx: https://lifestylerx.io/ Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca Episode 120 | The Path Podcast
#119
October 1 · 59 min
Why You Should Eat Protein First | Dr. Jim Johnson
About the Episode Type 2 diabetes does not start when blood sugar rises. It starts years earlier, in the small cells of the pancreas that make insulin. Dr. Brendan Byrne talks with diabetes researcher Dr. Jim Johnson about whether too much insulin can come before insulin resistance, why many of these cells are tired rather than gone, and how rest, food choices, and exercise may help them recover. About the Guest Dr. Jim Johnson is a professor at the University of British Columbia, where he directs the Laboratory of Molecular Signalling in Diabetes. He has studied the insulin-making beta cell for about 25 years and is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Islets. About The Path Podcast The Path is about simple strategies for better metabolic health. We break down metabolic disease, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes through patient FAQs, better health decisions, and honest interviews with patients and the physicians who treat them. Learn More About LifestyleRx: https://lifestylerx.io/ Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca Episode 119 | The Path Podcast
#118
September 24 · 45 min
Autoimmune Diabetes: The Next Decade | Dr. Tom Elliott
About the Episode Some people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have a slow, autoimmune form of diabetes called LADA, where the immune system attacks the cells that make insulin. Dr. Brendan Byrne and endocrinologist Dr. Tom Elliott explain how antibody testing works, what the newly approved drug teplizumab can and can't do, and why very low doses of Ozempic may help protect insulin-making cells. They also look ahead at the treatments that could arrive in the next five to ten years. About the Guest Dr. Tom Elliott is an endocrinologist at Vancouver General Hospital and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, where he has been on faculty since 1992. He founded BC Diabetes in 2007, has authored 93 scientific papers, and leads research on early intervention in type 1 diabetes and diabetes technology. He also works alongside the LifestyleRx team and shares patients with the program. About The Path Podcast The Path is about simple strategies for better metabolic health. We break down metabolic disease, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes through patient FAQs, better health decisions, and honest interviews with patients and the physicians who treat them. Learn More About LifestyleRx: https://lifestylerx.io/ Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca Episode 118 | The Path Podcast
#117
September 17 · 1 hr
Metabolic Health: The 8-to-1 Exercise Rule | Gordo Byrn
About the Episode As part of our late summer break, we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations from The Path archive. Gordo Byrn went from out of shape in his twenties to winning the Ultraman World Championship, and along the way he learned that the same habits that build elite athletes can help anyone turn their health around, even with a family history stacked against them. In this episode, Gordo breaks down the framework he uses with everyday people: how to build an exercise habit that actually sticks, why easy pace often feels the hardest part of training, and the simple blood pressure trick that helped his own dad lose sixty pounds for good. About the Guest Gordo Byrn is a former investment banker who became a professional triathlete later in life with no endurance sports background to start. He podiumed at Ironman New Zealand and Ironman Canada and went on to become Ultraman World Champion, and today he works as a coach and writer on training and performance. Despite a strong family history of metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, and prediabetes among the men in his family, Gordo has been the one exception, and that contrast shapes how he coaches people at every fitness level. About The Path Podcast The Path is about simple strategies for better metabolic health. We break down metabolic disease, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes through patient FAQs, better health decisions, and honest interviews with patients and the physicians who treat them. Learn More About LifestyleRx: https://lifestylerx.io/ Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca Episode 117 | The Path Podcast
#116
September 10 · 45 min
From 385 Pounds to Diabetes Remission | Randy Belaire
About the Episode As part of our late summer break, we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations from The Path archive. Randy Belaire found out he was Type 2 diabetic almost by accident, through routine bloodwork before a bariatric procedure, with an A1C of 11.7. In this episode, he walks through how he researched his way to LifestyleRx, built his own "W.O.N." framework (wanting it, taking ownership, nurturing himself) and used it to lose 154 pounds and bring his A1C down to 4.8 with no remaining insulin resistance. Randy and Brendan also dig into why baby steps, percentage-based goals, and leaning on a support community made the difference between temporary change and lasting remission. We're bringing this one back because his story keeps resonating with new listeners, and it's a perfect one to sit with while we take a short pause before new episodes resume. About The Path Podcast The Path is about simple strategies for better metabolic health. We break down metabolic disease, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes through patient FAQs, better health decisions, and honest interviews with patients and the physicians who treat them. Learn More About LifestyleRx: https://lifestylerx.io/ Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca Episode 116 | The Path Podcast
#115
September 3 · 53 min
Inside LifestyleRx: The Doctor Behind the 4+2 Program | LifestyleRx
About the Episode This one's a bit different from our usual format: instead of Dan and Brendan digging into a topic together, University of Western Ontario alumna Dr. Charlotte Alabaster turns the lens on LifestyleRx itself, sitting down with our own Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Brendan Byrne. He walks through how the 4+2 program actually works, from insulin resistance and exercise timing to why osteoarthritis doesn't mean you have to stop moving. It's a rare look at the program from the inside, straight from the doctor who built it. About the Speakers Dr. Charlotte Alabaster is an alumna of the Sport and Exercise Medicine Program at the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Brendan Byrne is the Chief Medical Officer of LifestyleRx, a family physician who moved into lifestyle medicine after opening a practice in White Rock, BC in 2017, and who has since helped scale the program across British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. About The Path Podcast The Path is about simple strategies for better metabolic health. We break down metabolic disease, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes through patient FAQs, better health decisions, and honest interviews with patients and the physicians who treat them. Learn More About LifestyleRx: https://lifestylerx.io/ Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca Episode 115 | The Path Podcast
#114
August 27 · 41 min
She Stopped Chasing the Scale and Kept Improving | Kristen Watson
About the Episode Kristen Watson spent years feeling exhausted and in pain before one experience made her stop and take a hard look at her health. In this episode she talks about the lab result that changed everything, why she leaned on food, fasting, and exercise instead of any single fix, and how she learned to measure progress by more than the number on the scale. It's a real look at what it takes to keep going through plateaus without giving up. About the Guest Kristen Watson is a single mom and accountant who joined the LifestyleRx program after years of chronic fatigue and joint pain. She used her comfort with numbers to track her own results, including a dramatic drop in her inflammatory markers, and turned that insight into lasting habits around food, fasting, and movement. Her journey started with one experience, but it became a story about choosing better, not perfect, every day. About The Path Podcast The Path is about simple strategies for better metabolic health. We break down metabolic disease, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes through patient FAQs, better health decisions, and honest interviews with patients and the physicians who treat them. Learn More About LifestyleRx: https://lifestylerx.io/ Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca Episode 114 | The Path Podcast
#113
August 20 · 42 min
Type 2 Diabetes Q&A: Patient Questions Answered | LifestyleRx
About the Episode In this Q&A episode of The Path, Dr. Brendan Byrne answers real questions from LifestyleRx patients on some of the trickiest parts of the program: eating enough protein with reduced kidney function, understanding confusing bloodwork, deciding if liver supplements are worth the money, and knowing when GLP-1 medications make sense for a stubborn weight loss plateau. You'll also hear why better sleep and better eating feed off each other, and how to work through an after-dinner sugar craving without feeling like you're failing. About The Path Podcast The Path is about simple strategies for better metabolic health. We break down metabolic disease, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes through patient FAQs, better health decisions, and honest interviews with patients and the physicians who treat them. Learn More About LifestyleRx: https://lifestylerx.io/ Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca Episode 113 | The Path Podcast
#112
August 13 · 56 min
Diabetes Nurse Turned Patient | Lisa Maks
About the Episode In today's episode, Dr. Brendan Byrne is interviewing Lisa Maks, a Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist at Providence Health Care with 38 years in nursing, 22 of them in diabetes care. She is an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia and serves on the Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines committee. She is also a LifestyleRx patient, which gives her a rare view from both sides of the clinic. About the Guest Lisa Maks is a Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist at Providence Health Care with 38 years in nursing, 22 of them in diabetes care. She is an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia and serves on the Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines committee. She is also a LifestyleRx patient, which gives her a rare view from both sides of the clinic. About The Path Podcast The Path is about simple strategies for better metabolic health. We break down metabolic disease, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes through patient FAQs, better health decisions, and honest interviews with patients and the physicians who treat them. Learn More About LifestyleRx: https://lifestylerx.io/ Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca Episode 112 | The Path Podcast Timestamps 0:00 Intro 1:03 Welcome & Lisa's background 3:12 Obesity and weight cycling 5:12 How she discovered LifestyleRx 7:01 – First impressions of the program 10:52 – Consistency over intensity 14:49 – How physiology shapes behavior 15:59 – All-or-nothing mindset and food noise 18:19 – Outcome-based vs. process-based goals 20:08 – Measuring success beyond the scale 23:59 – Listening to your physiology 26:06 – The Amundsen vs. Scott metaphor 28:17 – Deciding to start a GLP-1 32:06 – How GLP-1 quieted food noise 34:26 – Obesity as a dysregulated system 36:26 – Facing the "cheating" stigma 37:53 – Willpower and hedonistic behavior 41:03 – Our evolutionary food mismatch 44:49 – LifestyleRx's prevention mission 46:22 – Food quality and social determinants 50:07 – Dopamine and engineered foods 50:55 – "Lifestyle first" vs. "lifestyle next" 51:03 – Weight management as an ongoing practice 54:19 – Closing thoughts 54:45 - Outro
#111
August 6 · 41 min
The Tortoise and the Hare
In this episode, Brendan and Dan use The Tortoise and the Hare to explore the central paradox: behaviour changes physiology, but physiology also shapes behaviour through reinforcing loops that determine whether change becomes easier or harder over time. Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca More info: https://community.lifestylerx.io/c/the-path-podcast/
#110
July 30 · 44 min
Your Questions
In this episode, Brendan and Dan answer more of your questions! Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca More info: https://community.lifestylerx.io/c/the-path-podcast/
#109
July 23 · 41 min
Patient - Dawn Froste
In this episode, Brendan interviews Dawn Froste, a patient from the LifestyleRx program. Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca More info: https://community.lifestylerx.io/c/the-path-podcast/
#108
July 16 · 1 hr
Dr. Barbara Oliveira
In this episode, Brendan is joined by LifestyleRx practitioner Dr. Barbara Oliveira. Dr. Oliveira is a registered dietitian and research associate at the University of British Columbia, where she oversees clinical trials and leads an independent program focused on type 2 diabetes remission through evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle interventions. She holds a BSc in Dietetics, an MSc in Neuroscience, and a PhD exploring the role of vitamins in type 1 diabetes — a journey that led her to a postdoctoral appointment at UBC and, ultimately, to the research program she runs today. Her work is driven by a core mission: bridging the gap between what the science says and what actually reaches patients and clinicians in the real world. From low-carbohydrate interventions to knowledge translation, Dr. Oliveira is passionate about making diabetes remission not just a research outcome, but an accessible reality for people living with type 2 diabetes. Today, Brendan and Dr. Oliveira discuss nutrition, type 2 diabetes remission, and the power of lifestyle medicine to change lives. Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca More info: https://community.lifestylerx.io/c/the-path-podcast/
#107
July 9 · 48 min
Patient - Alex Devlin
In this episode, Brendan interviews Alex Devlin, a patient from the LifestyleRx program. Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca More info: https://community.lifestylerx.io/c/the-path-podcast/
#106
July 2 · 30 min
The Problem with Cheat Days and What to do About them
In this episode, Brendan & Dan discuss the problem with cheat days and what to do about them. Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca More info: https://community.lifestylerx.io/c/the-path-podcast/
#105
June 25 · 1 hr 4 min
Dr. Werner Spangehl
In this episode, Brendan is joined by LifestyleRx practitioner Dr. Werner Spangehl. Dr. Spangehl is a family physician who has provided full-service family practice for over 30 years—including maternity care, hospital care, teaching, and management of acute and chronic medical conditions across all age groups. He specializes in medical care with a focus on lifestyle interventions. A member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Spangehl was among the first physicians to become board-certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine in 2017. He has a particular passion for studying the science behind nutrition, exercise, sleep, meditation, relaxation, relationships, and purpose—and how these can prevent, treat, and reverse chronic medical conditions. Dr. Spangehl is the author of One Minute Medicine: Your Effortless Guide to Vibrant Health, which explores the determinants of health and outlines 12 Habits of Healthy People. In 2018, he delivered a TEDx Talk in White Rock about using food as medicine to improve blood flow and organ function. Today, Brendan and Dr. Spangehl discuss all about lifestyle medicine. Dr. Spangehl’s TEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/ytzF2hZKXLs?si=C3HnXS97xFCo-ziJ Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca More info: https://community.lifestylerx.io/c/the-path-podcast/
#104
June 18 · 42 min
Your Questions
In this episode, Brendan and Dan answer more of your questions! Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca More info: https://community.lifestylerx.io/c/the-path-podcast/
#103
June 11 · 43 min
Patient: Louise Gour
In this episode, Brendan interviews Louise Gour, a patient from the LifestyleRx program. Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca More info: https://community.lifestylerx.io/c/the-path-podcast/
#102
June 4 · 34 min
Flexibility
In this episode, Dan and Dr. Brendan Byrne tackle one of the most powerful questions in any health journey — when does flexibility set you free, and when is it quietly pulling you off course? Together, they explore how to build a lifestyle that bends without breaking, and why adaptability — not perfection — is the true key to lasting change. Ask us a video question! https://ask-a-question.lifestylerx.ca More info: https://community.lifestylerx.io/c/the-path-podcast/

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