The Path from LifestyleRx

About the Episode

In honour of our delayed summer break, we have reposted one of our favourite conversations. Prediabetes can sound like a small warning, but Dr. Brendan Byrne explains that it is the first sign your body can no longer keep blood sugar in check, and that it can be reversed. In this episode, Dr. Byrne covers why some people go on to develop type 2 diabetes, how extra fat in the liver and pancreas drives insulin resistance, and why food, movement, sleep, and stress all matter. You will also hear the first steps to take after a diagnosis, and why one in three Canadians has prediabetes while most do not know it.

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 125 | The Path Podcast

About the Episode
In honour of our delayed summer break, we have reposted one of our favourite conversations. Low carb and keto can lower blood sugar, but they also cut out foods your body benefits from. Dietitian Jess Pirnak explains green, yellow, and red light carbs, why chickpeas and lentils still work, and how a glucose monitor can show what your own body handles. You will also hear how to ease into beans without the gas and why LDL cholesterol needs a personal look.

About the Guest
Jess Pirnak, RD, is the lead dietitian at LifestyleRx and a Clinical Instructor at the University of British Columbia. Jess is also the in-house dietitian advisor for Celiac BC and runs a private practice focused on gut health, celiac disease, and plant-based diets.

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 124 | The Path Podcast

Note: This episode was recorded before the May 2026 name change from PCOS to PMOS, so the original terminology is still used throughout the episode.
About the Episode
PCOS is one of the most common hormone conditions in women of reproductive age, yet its name points to a problem that isn’t really the main story. Endocrinologist Dr. Alyse Goldberg explains how insulin, testosterone, and ovulation signals feed each other, how PCOS is diagnosed, and where lifestyle, metformin, the birth control pill, and GLP-1 medications fit. You will also hear why preventing weight gain helps, and why a PCOS diagnosis is a chance to act early, not a failure.

About the Guest
Dr. Alyse Goldberg is an endocrinologist in Toronto who consults at fertility clinics and works in the gestational diabetes clinic at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. She trained at the University of Toronto and completed a reproductive endocrinology fellowship at Women’s College Hospital. She is a member of the International PCOS Network and an author on the 2023 international evidence-based guidelines for PCOS.

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 123 | The Path Podcast

About the Episode
For years, osteoarthritis was blamed on simple wear and tear, but new research points to inflammation and metabolic health as major drivers of joint pain. Dr. Maziar Badii explains how osteoarthritis is diagnosed, why weight loss and food choices can ease joint pain, and why exercise, even running, is rarely off limits. You will also hear how treatment works, from creams and pills to injections and joint replacement.

About the Guest
Dr. Maziar Badii is a rheumatologist in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of British Columbia, with a cross appointment in Radiology. He has practiced rheumatology for 25 years, is a past president of the Northwest Rheumatism Society, and received the 2023 Polaris Award for Innovation in Rheumatology.

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 122 | The Path Podcast

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