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What if the biggest predictor of dementia isn’t your genes — but your metabolic health?

In this episode, neuroscientist and performance coach Dr. Tommy Wood reveals why blood sugar regulation and blood pressure are more powerful predictors of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline than amyloid plaques or even genetics like ApoE4.

For decades, Alzheimer’s has been framed as either a genetic lottery or the inevitable buildup of amyloid in the brain. But emerging research shows that metabolic dysfunction, insulin resistance, and vascular health may play a far greater role in determining long-term brain outcomes.

Instead of focusing on fear, this conversation delivers a practical blueprint for building cognitive reserve and “cognitive headroom” — the brain’s ability to stay resilient, adaptable, and high-performing as you age.

You’ll learn why crossword puzzles aren’t enough, how high-intensity exercise and resistance training stimulate brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF), why lactate may act like “Miracle-Gro” for your neurons, and how to interpret early warning signs like subjective brain fog.

• Why Alzheimer’s isn’t just about amyloid plaques
• The powerful link between blood sugar and cognitive decline
• How genetics (like ApoE4) increase risk — but don’t seal your fate
• What “cognitive headroom” means and how to build it
• Why high-intensity exercise may act as Miracle-Gro for the brain
• The surprising role of resistance training in brain health
• What subjective brain fog might be telling you
• How menopause affects cognition — and what’s reversible
• Why boredom and focus matter more than we think
• The kinds of skills you should keep practicing as you age

For women navigating perimenopause and menopause, Dr. Wood explains what cognitive changes are hormonally driven, what’s reversible, and how to protect long-term brain health.

Whether your goal is preventing Alzheimer’s disease, improving focus and processing speed, or becoming a cognitive “superager,” this episode provides evidence-based strategies to help you build a brain that is robust, metabolically healthy, and built to last.

(00:00) – Brain Health & Cognitive Longevity Intro

(00:35) – Brain Evolution & Survival Mechanisms

(02:53) – Diabetes & Alzheimer’s Disease Link

(07:31) – Genetic Risk & Dementia Family History

(11:32) – Expanding Brain Capacity & Headroom

(15:08) – Cognitive Reserve & Brain Resilience

(19:55) – Preventing Age-Related Cognitive Decline

(23:00) – Exercise Data for Brain Health

(26:16) – Best Exercises for Cognitive Function

(35:11) – Amyloid Plaques & Alzheimer’s Pathology

(38:00) – Amyloid-Targeting Drugs & Treatments

(40:31) – Subjective Cognitive Decline Measures

(45:04) – Testing & Measuring Brain Performance

(49:58) – Menopause & Female Brain Health

(56:10) – Aging Brain, Wisdom & Intelligence

(1:05:00) – Cognitive Processing Speed & Aging

(1:07:07) – Benefits of Boredom for the Brain

(1:12:17) – Book Recommendations for Mental Growth

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In a world obsessed with “optimal” routines, Dr. Rachel Pojednic cuts through the noise with a grounded, evidence-based approach to longevity and performance. This conversation is a reset for anyone overwhelmed by conflicting health advice, anxious about wearable scores, or stuck chasing perfect protocols that collapse under real life stress.

You’ll learn what the science actually supports, what’s still uncertain, and how to build a simple, sustainable health strategy using the biggest levers first—movement, nutrition, sleep, stress, and relationships—before you bother with the “fun stuff.” Dr. Pojednic also shares what she’s learned studying wellness therapies in industry and academia, why most people misunderstand Zone 2, and what to track if you want a clearer picture of your health over time.

• Why “protocol life” is making people more confused (and often less healthy)
• The difference between big levers (high impact) and little levers (fine-tuning) for longevity
• What to track that’s actually useful: A1C trends, fasting glucose, lipids, resting heart rate
• Why wearable metrics can conflict—and how that can create anxiety and false certainty
• A clearer, non-hype explanation of HRV and why “low” isn’t always “bad”
• What Zone 2 is really for (and why it isn’t a magical mitochondrial hack)
• How to think about supplement safety, including third-party testing and the “lead in protein powder” scare
• A simple 7–30 day “one change” experiment to build habits that survive real life

If you’ve ever felt like you’re “failing” health because you can’t follow a perfect routine—or you’ve been pulled in six directions by influencers, devices, and contradictory advice—this episode gives you something rare: a sane framework. You’ll walk away with fewer rules, better priorities, and a practical way to measure progress that doesn’t depend on hype, fear, or the latest trend.

(00:00) - Intro

(01:39) - The Problem with Protocols

(05:29) - Rachele’s Backstory and Research Journey

(13:06) - Rachele’s Research Focus

(18:45) - Sponsor: Vitality Blueprint

(20:40) - Science Communication and Social Media

(23:24) - Getting Started in Science Communication

(25:10) - Bridging Research and Real-World Applications

(29:35) - New Lane for Performance Therapy

(31:05) - Key Metrics to Track

(32:07) - Importance of Observable, Measurable Data

(34:34) - Need for Common Diagnostic Suite

(40:19) - Current State of Healthcare and EHRs

(42:32) - Momentous: Protein Powder Insights

(44:44) - Subscribe to This Podcast

(46:30) - Basics We Can All Agree On

(47:10) - Regular Tracking Essentials

(53:10) - Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

(54:42) - Wearables and Big Games

(57:06) - Desire to Train

(59:28) - Big Opportunity and Challenges

(1:00:30) - Rapid Fire: Zone 2

(1:03:02) - LMNT: Try a Personal Experiment

(1:06:58) - Your Micro-Experiment

(1:10:34) - Rachele’s “Infinite Shelf” Recommendation

(1:14:55) - Join The Starrett System

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Check our Dr. Rachele's courses at Strong Process

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In this episode of The Ready State Podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Kevin Hall—one of the world’s leading metabolism researchers and a longtime NIH scientist—for a wide-ranging conversation on what the research actually says about weight loss, energy balance, and the modern food environment.

Dr. Hall explains what we’ve learned from real-world and tightly controlled studies, including his work following The Biggest Loser contestants, and why exercise doesn’t fully prevent the metabolic adaptations that can accompany major weight loss. We also unpack why “calories in, calories out” is both true in principle and often misunderstood in practice, how ultra-processed foods can drive overeating, and what GLP-1 medications may be changing in appetite biology.

The episode also touches on Dr. Hall’s departure from a 21-year career at the NIH, following the censorship of his team's findings on ultra-processed foods when they didn’t align with preferred narratives—an experience he describes as chilling for scientific communication.

Finally, we explore the practical challenges of doing high-quality nutrition research, why confident opinions can outpace the data, and what it will take to better understand—and ultimately prevent—diet-related chronic disease.

• Why metabolism isn’t “broken” — and why larger bodies burn more calories at rest
• What the Biggest Loser study actually revealed about weight loss and regain
• Why exercise doesn’t “save” your metabolism during extreme dieting
• How ultraprocessed foods change how much people eat — without acting like addictive drugs
• Why calories in vs. calories is often misunderstood in practice
• How genetics and environment interact to shape body weight
• What GLP-1 drugs are really doing — and what they don’t fix
• Why nutrition science is underfunded, politicized, and desperately needed

(00:00) - Kevin Hall, PhD, Metabolism Researcher

(01:01) - Dr. Hall on the Ready State Podcast

(04:10) - Misconceptions About Metabolism

(04:54) - The Biggest Loser Study & Metabolism Influence

(13:09) - Challenges in Nutrition Research

(19:10) - Metabolism's Role in Weight Loss

(22:13) - Vitality Blueprint: Importance of Blood Work

(25:45) - Calories In, Calories Out: Simplistic View?

(30:45) - Understanding GLP-1 Agonists

(32:20) - The Food Environment's Impact

(36:05) - Ultra-Processed Foods and Caloric Intake

(38:02) - The Complexity of Obesity

(41:40) - Solutions for Our Food System

(48:23) - Causes of Brain Fog

(49:34) - Element: Nutritional Insights

(51:39) - RFK Jr. Discussion

(01:01:40) - Politics' Influence on Science

(01:04:35) - Leaders in Nutrition Science

(01:06:48) - Can Weight Loss Be Achieved?

(01:08:10) - Universal Diets: Myth or Reality?

(01:12:35) - Why Doritos Lead to Overeating

(01:13:21) - Understanding Visceral Fat

(01:14:04) - Momentous: Nutritional Products

(01:20:25) - Book/TV Show/Music Recommendations

(01:21:11) - Connecting with Dr. Hall

(01:21:52) - Outro

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Book: Food Intelligence: The Science of How Food Both Nourishes and Harms Us

Check out The Biggest Loser Study

2019 Study: Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain

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