Dr. Casey Means: Stanford-trained physician (former ENT surgeon) and metabolic health expert. Co-founder of glucose-monitoring company Levels and author of the book Good Energy.
What this episode covers
Andrew Huberman and Dr. Casey Means make the case that metabolism, not isolated organ symptoms, is the foundational driver of health, and that 93% of American adults are metabolically dysfunctional. They explain the 'trifecta of bad energy' (mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress) and how the modern environment damages mitochondria. The conversation turns highly actionable: walking and frequent muscle contraction for glucose disposal, the basic blood tests everyone should know, real-food nutrition to stimulate natural GLP-1, time-restricted eating, deliberate cold and heat exposure, and continuous glucose monitoring. It closes on mindset, fear, and the metabolic benefits of spending far more time outdoors in nature.
Recommended on this episode
The End of Craving
Mark Schatzker
“there's a wonderful book that is called the end of Cravings by Mark shatzer he also wrote the Dorito effect”— Casey Means
The guest's own work
Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health
Casey Means
“Dr Casey means has a terrific new book coming out... it is entitled good energy the surprising connection between metabolism and Limitless Health”— Andrew Huberman
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
The Dorito Effect
Mark Schatzker
“there's a wonderful book that is called the end of Cravings by Mark shatzer he also wrote the Dorito effect”— Casey Means
The 4-Hour Chef
Tim Ferriss
“you can actually make your own sauerkraut Tim Ferris had a great recipe for this in the 4our chef you have to be careful”— Casey Means
Oura Ring
Oura
“I do put my aura ring on my second toe when I do this because otherwise it doesn't count my steps because if your hands are your desk”— Casey Means
Mounjaro
Eli Lilly
“we have this intense conversation happening in society right now about gp1 analoges and OIC and mjara and all these things”— Casey Means
Dexcom Stelo
Dexcom
“Dexcom which is the other main company that makes cgms has just announced they're coming out with an over-the-counter nonprescription version of a CGM called the Stell”— Casey Means
Abbott Lingo
Abbott
“Abbot... has announced that they're they have a new product called the lingo which is going to actually be able to measure ketones lactate and alcohol”— Casey Means
Big reveals from this episode
- Claims 93% of American adults have suboptimal metabolism per recent cardiology research.
- Argues the more medicine specializes into 100+ silos, the sicker Americans get.
- States that if walking were a pill it would be the most impactful drug in all of modern medicine.
- A 10-minute walk after a meal can cut the glucose response by roughly 30-35%.
- Calls Ozempic 'the ultimate Band-Aid' and says no chronic-disease drug has ever lowered that disease's rate.
- Claims 60% of mainstream media advertising budget is pharma, shaping coverage of GLP-1 drugs.
- Says the average American spends 93.7% of their time indoors, calling it a core driver of poor health.
Worth remembering
- People who walk over 7,000 steps a day had 50-65% lower mortality in 10-year follow-ups.
- Under-desk treadmill users lost 2.6 lb fat and gained 2.2 lb lean mass in two weeks at very slow speeds.
- In Kevin Hall's NIH study, people ate ~500 extra calories per day (7,000 over two weeks) on ultra-processed food.
- About 100g of spinach daily (5g thylakoids) significantly raised GLP-1 over 12 weeks.
- The body makes roughly 88 pounds of ATP per day, constantly recycling it.
- Eating the same calories in a 6-hour window vs a 12-hour window yields significantly lower 24-hour glucose and insulin.
- The same meal eaten at 8:30pm spikes glucose and insulin far more than at 9:30am.
- Stanford's 'glucotype' study found non-diabetic people range from flat to very spiky glucose, with spikier people having worse biomarkers.
- Instant oatmeal is one of the biggest glucose spikers in the Levels dataset despite its healthy reputation.
- A Nature study found the size of the post-meal glucose crash predicts 24-hour calorie intake and carb cravings.