Metabolic Flexibility’s Impact on Health Outcomes

Dr. Biff Palmer, a Professor of Internal Medicine from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX, reviews his article coauthored with Dr. Deborah Clegg and appearing in the April 2022 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings where he found overconsumption of nutrients can be a precursor to metabolic inflexibility, mitochondrial dysfunction, and dysregulation of metabolic health. He summarizes potential mechanisms by which excess fuel and insulin resistance may result in metabolic inflexibility, obesity, and dysregulation of cardiometabolic health. He discusses how when energy supply exceeds energy demand across the mitochondria, a rigid and 'congested' state is created predisposing to negative health outcomes. He concludes that as the prevalence of obesity increases, understanding the origins of this disease becomes critical. Available at: https://mayocl.in/346abhx