I find anti-aging to be this awful marketing device that oftentimes makes us feel bad about ourselves, but that's not what this interview is about! My guest today will discuss what exactly is bio-aging and how genetic expression plays a big role. My guest today, Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, ND, IFMCP, is the first-ever recipient of the 2018 Emerging Leadership Award from the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute in recognition of her work on DNA methylation. As a leading voice in the intersection of nutrition, epigenetics, and aging, Dr. Fitzgerald’s work has been featured in media outlets such as Prevention, Fast Company, MSN, Everyday Health , and many more. Receiving her doctorate from National University of Natural Medicine, she is on the faculty at the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and is an IFM Certified Practitioner with a clinical practice in Newtown, Connecticut. Join us as we discuss all things bio-aging (NOT anti-aging skincare) and what you can do to influence your bio-age. Did you know that the chronic inflammation of skin conditions could drive aging forward? Let me know in the comments! In this episode: Why skin issues are systemic and how the inflammation is being driven from the inside out How gene expression influences quality of life and lifespan, health span, and diseases How you can turn genes on and off What are epinutrients? What is the sweet spot for exercise to reduce aging? A trick to help you turn the volume of stress down, which is a huge driver of bioaging Quotes “If we could improve biological age by a year, there is one estimate that it would save the country $38 trillion. And given that biological age is the biggest risk factor for all these chronic diseases, rather than siloing all illnesses separately, if we put our energy towards helping people age younger, keeping them healthier, we could by extension reduce risk for all of these illnesses. ” [8:01] “Epinutrients are nutrients that influence epigenetics and specifically DNA methylation, because that's where we just really hung our hat. So all of these epinutrients have some evidence of favorably helping with gene expression, specifically through DNA methylation. So we want... to bathe ourselves in sufficient methylation. ” [25:36] Links Find Dr. Kara Fitzgerald online Follow Dr. Kara Fitzgerald on Pinterest I Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Order Younger You Institute of Functional Medicine Podcast: New Frontiers in Functional Medicine Healthy Skin Show ep. 003: What's Causing My Chronic Itchy Hives? w/ Dr. Kara Fitzgerald