Episode #34: Interview with Dr. Cate Shanahan of The Primal Advantage

Dr. Cate talks about her experiences with Primal Advantage clients after the launch of the program in July. In particular, she discusses how traditional medical care is not structured to allow for the discussion of how diet and lifestyle elements affect disease patterns. Most family practice physicians are obliged to spend only 10 minutes with patients. This usually constrains doctors to only enough time to treat symptoms (rather than the cause of those symptoms) with prescription drugs that generate adverse side effects. Regarding blood tests, Cate mentions the recent disturbing headline about the UCLA meta-analysis that 75% of heart attack victims have LDL cholesterol readings in the “safe” or “normal” zone, and furthermore have no symptoms of heart disease until the actual heart attack. She mentions both the fasting blood glucose test and the average blood glucose test (A1C) as simple, inexpensive, but extremely critical markers that suggest a serious problem brewing if they are at objectionable levels. With the Primal Advantage 1:1 metabolic consulting program, Cate’s custom-design blood panel is a critical element, as is the 90-minute consultation. Cate explains that this provides plenty of time for a detailed evaluation of a client’s “metabolic snapshot,” which is an algorithm designed by Cate to reveal a score in one of six different categories: energy production, hormone receptivity, immune function, cardiovascular and circulatory health, brain and nervous system health, and connective tissue health. By reviewing the blood tests, the extensive client questionnaire, and client food diaries, Primal Advantage clients will get a detailed plan of action enabling them to enjoy more energy, improve performance and recovery, and decrease their true risk factors for heart disease, cancer and metabolic problems. As a dietary consultant for the Los Angeles Lakers and several individual NBA players, Cate also commented on the recent news that NBA greats LeBron James and Dwayne Wade have adopted a paleo-style diet. Cate has agreed to appear as a recurring guest on the Primal Blueprint Podcast, and encourages listeners to submit questions via email (advantage@primalblueprint.com) or via the Speakpipe application on the blog.primalblueprint.com web site (notice the “submit a podcast question” blue tab at the right edge of the page.) At future podcasts, Cate can address listener questions as well as highlight some of the common trends seen among clients and the general population at her practice.