160. Dr. Kara Fitzgerald on Biological Age, Epigenetic Clocks, and the Future of Aging Reversal
4/30/202647 min
Biological aging is no longer just a concept tied to time. It is something we can now measure, track, and influence through data, lifestyle, and targeted interventions that directly impact how our cells function and age.
In this episode of Extend, we sit down with Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, functional medicine leader, researcher, and author, to unpack how diet and lifestyle can directly influence epigenetics and biological age. We break down the difference between chronological and biological aging, how epigenetic clocks work across organs and systems, and why aging may be driven by both environmental exposures and deeper programmed mechanisms.
We also explore how polyphenols, nutrient-dense diets, and emerging interventions like Yamanaka mimetics may begin to shift the trajectory of aging at the cellular level and open new pathways for extending healthspan and peak performance.
Dr. Kara Fitzgerald is a functional medicine physician, researcher, and author of Younger You, known for her pioneering clinical studies demonstrating how targeted nutrition and lifestyle interventions can reverse biological age and reshape long-term health outcomes.
What We Discuss:
- (01:36) Aging, performance, and menopause
- (05:01) Healthspan vs peak span
- (08:39) The dark matter of nutrition
- (11:36) Polyphenols and urolithin A
- (13:12) Biological age and epigenetics
- (15:41) Epigenetic clocks and measurement
- (21:02) Exposomic aging
- (25:03) Programmed aging
- (28:20) Yamanaka factors
- (33:24) Yamanaka mimetics
- (36:29) Polyphenols and caloric restriction
- (40:33) Nutrition and biological age reversal
Thank You to Our Sponsors:
IM8: Try IM8 today with a 30-day money back guarantee. You can get 10% off your first order with code DRSHAH at https://im8health.com/discount/DRSHAH.
Momentous: Head to livemomentous.com/fiber and use code DRSHAH for up to 35% off your first order.
Learn more about Dr. Shah:
Website: drshah.com
Clinic: next-health.com
Instagram: darshanshahmd
Learn more about Dr. Kara Fitzgerald:
Website: drkarafitzgerald.com
Podcast: New Frontiers in Functional Medicine
Webinars: webinars
Instagram: drkarafitzgerald
Facebook: Dr. Kara Fitzgerald
You tube: @Drkarafitzgerald
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsDarshan Shah· Host0:00
[gentle music] Welcome to Extend, with me, Dr. Darshan Shah, a podcast dedicated to cutting-edge science, research, tools, and protocols designed to help you extend your health span. Having become one of the youngest doctors in the country at the age of 21, and trained and board-certified at the Mayo Clinic, I've accumulated three decades of practice as a board-certified surgeon and longevity expert. Over that time, I've discovered that a mere 20% of health knowledge yields 80% of the results when it comes to your health span. We are living in a new era, where we are creating a new healthcare system no longer focused on disease management, but achieving optimal health and vitality. Join me as I interview world-renowned experts, offering you a step-by-step guide to proactively avoid disease and, most importantly, extend your health span. [gentle music] Aging has traditionally been viewed as an inevitable decline, but emerging science suggests we may have far more control over the process than we previously thought. From gene expression to cellular function, longevity is no longer just about extending lifespan, but optimizing how we age. In this episode of Extend, we're gonna sit down with Dr. Kara Fitzgerald. She's a naturopathic doctor and leading researcher in epigenetics. We're gonna explore the cutting edge of longevity science. We discuss how diet and lifestyle can influence biological age, the difference between environmental and programmed aging, and what new