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Lithium is one of those molecules most people think they understand, until you zoom out. Yes, it’s a time-tested medication for bipolar disorder. But at tiny, trace doses, lithium starts to look like something else entirely: a potential micronutrient with outsized influence on mood stability, inflammation, and brain ageing.

We walk through why interest in low-dose lithium is rising in the brain health and longevity world, even as human clinical trials are still early. John and I talk about what lithium is chemically, why it’s so bioavailable, how it crosses the blood-brain barrier, and why the kidneys matter more at prescription doses than at supplement-scale milligrams. Then we connect the dots on mechanisms people care about most for neuroprotection: GSK-3 inhibition, support for BDNF, a tilt toward calming inhibitory signalling (GABA), better balance in serotonin pathways, and less glutamate-driven mitochondrial stress.

We also wrestle with the bigger public health angle: what happens when we treat chronic disease as “too much of everything” and ignore deficiency and nourishment. Soil mineral depletion, variable food mineral content, and strong population associations with lithium in drinking water (including mental health measures and Alzheimer’s mortality) make this a conversation worth having, carefully and objectively.

For slides and open-source references: www.thehealthedgepodcast.com

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Cholesterol warnings have a way of flattening any nutrition story into one scary number, even when the bigger picture points the other way. We take on one of our favorite topics coffee and zoom in on the debate that keeps resurfacing: should you avoid unfiltered coffee because it contains cafestol, a compound known to raise cholesterol modestly?

We break down what actually changes when you switch from filtered coffee to unfiltered coffee methods like French press or Turkish coffee. Paper filters remove much of the coffee oil fraction, including diterpenes such as cafestol and kahweol, while leaving plenty of other valuable compounds like chlorogenic acids. Then we ask the more important question: if coffee consistently shows protective associations for cardiovascular health, metabolic health, and even brain health, why do so many public health messages treat a small lipid bump as the final verdict?

From endothelial function and inflammation to insulin sensitivity, fat oxidation, and LDL oxidation resistance, we explore why cafestol may be far more beneficial than the headlines suggest. We also connect this coffee debate to a broader problem in modern nutrition and medicine: prioritising a single biomarker over lived outcomes and overall risk. Finally, we get practical about brew choices, lighter roasts, steep time, and the easiest way to ruin a great cup by adding sugar, synthetic creamers, or highly processed sweeteners.

If you love coffee, keep loving it !

For video recording and slides: www.thehealthedgepodcast.com

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We break down new research showing how a simple daily walking habit drives outsized gains in longevity, heart health, brain health, and mood. We also zoom out to the bigger idea that walking is not “extra credit” exercise but a basic human requirement that modern life keeps pushing out.
• why small doses of movement deliver big risk reduction
• what a systematic review and meta-analysis actually mean
• why around 7,000 steps per day stands out versus 2,000
• why cadence and speed matter less than total steps for most people
• links to lower risk across mortality, cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression, diabetes, cancer, and falls
• how outdoor context adds benefits through light, nature, and social connection
• the “walking meetings” idea and a negotiation story that hinged on taking a walk
If you like what we're sharing, please share with your those you love, your friends. All of this content can be found at our website, the healthedgepodcast.com.