The Hidden Cholesterol Killing Millions: What You Must Know About LP(a) | Dr. Akil Taher
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Release Date: 11/04/2025
The Secret Power of Nitrates: Boost Endurance, Exercise Performance and Lower Blood Pressure | Cyrus Khabmatta
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
What if eating the right vegetables could make exercise feel easier while simultaneously lowering your blood pressure? In this episode of The Exam Room Podcast, host is joined by metabolic health expert Cyrus Khambatta of Evolution Health to break down the science behind nitrate-rich vegetables and how they dramatically improve blood flow, oxygen delivery, endurance, and recovery. You’ll learn how nitrates convert into nitric oxide, why foods like beets, arugula, spinach, and celery outperform supplements, and how simple dietary changes can enhance athletic performance — even if you’re...
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Food Is Medicine: Reversing Diabetes and Chronic Disease in Native Communities
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and depression are devastating Native American communities—but a powerful movement rooted in tradition, plant-based nutrition, and food sovereignty is changing lives. In this episode of The Exam Room Podcast, host sits down with former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, former First Lady Phefelia Nez, and instructor Chelsea Kleinmeyer, RN to explore how Indigenous wisdom and modern lifestyle medicine are coming together to restore health. 🌱 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: • Why traditional Indigenous diets were largely...
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Food For Life: The Diet Fighting Chronic Diseases Worldwide
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Chronic diseases are rising fast in Africa — and the same lifestyle factors driving illness in the U.S. are now impacting communities around the world. In this powerful episode of The Exam Room, host Chuck Carroll speaks with Dr. Samba Nyirenda, a lifestyle medicine physician in Botswana and the country’s only certified Food for Life Instructor. Together, they explore how urbanization, processed foods, and the loss of traditional diets are fueling diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and hypertension — and how plant-based nutrition is offering real hope. 🌱 IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:...
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Dr. Will Bulsiewicz on Healing Your Gut, Reducing Inflammation and Improving Health
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Inflammation is at the center of many of today’s most common chronic diseases — but what if the real starting point isn’t where most people think? In this episode of The Exam Room Podcast, host Chuck Carroll is joined by gastroenterologist and best-selling author Dr. Will Bulsiewicz for a wide-ranging and deeply human conversation about gut health, chronic inflammation, and the hidden role that stress, loneliness, and modern lifestyle play in making us sick. Drawing from his new book Plant-Powered Plus, Dr. Bulsiewicz explains why the gut is a central command center for the...
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Experts: Dietary Guidelines Backed By Poor Science, Millions of Industry Dollars
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans will shape how the U.S. eats for the next five years — but are they based on science or industry influence? In this episode of The Exam Room Podcast, host Chuck Carroll is joined by Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Hana Kahleova, and registered dietitian Anna Herby to break down the good, the bad, and the troubling truths behind the newly released guidelines. In this episode, you’ll learn: - Why eight of nine panelists had major industry conflicts - How meat and dairy ended up at the top of the new food pyramid - Why protein recommendations were nearly doubled...
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How to Speed Up Your Metabolism Naturally (No Calorie Counting Required) | Dr. Neal Barnard
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Are you struggling to lose weight and wondering if your metabolism is holding you back? In this episode of The Exam Room, host Chuck Carroll sits down with Dr. Neal Barnard to separate metabolism myths from science — and reveal how food choices can dramatically change how many calories your body burns every day. In this episode, you’ll learn: - Why “slow metabolism” is often misunderstood — and how it really works - How high-fat diets can slow calorie burn at the cellular level - Why restrictive dieting backfires and leads to weight regain - How a low-fat, plant-based diet boosts the...
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Why Most Diets Fail — And The Healthy Diet That Sticks | Dr. Neal Barnard
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Why do so many people quit their New Year’s health goals—sometimes in just weeks? In this milestone 700th episode of The Exam Room Podcast, Chuck Carroll is joined by Dr. Neal Barnard to explain why lasting health has nothing to do with willpower—and everything to do with motivation. This conversation goes far beyond weight loss. You’ll learn how a low-fat, plant-based diet can: • Improve digestion and hormone balance • Reduce joint pain, migraines, and inflammation • Save hundreds of dollars each year • Protect animals and the environment • Improve long-term health and...
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Best of 2025: Fiber, Cholesterol & Microplastics — What Everyone Wanted to Know
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
What if the most-watched health topics of 2025 could help you live healthier, longer, and with more control over your body? This Best of The Exam Room Podcast 2025 compilation brings together the three pisodes that viewers couldn’t stop watching — because they tackled problems that affect nearly everyone: ✔️ High cholesterol ✔️ Low fiber intake ✔️ Exposure to microplastics This episode features highlights from separate interviews with Chuck Carroll and Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Danielle Belardo, and Dr. Hana Kahleova — the conversations that delivered the most practical,...
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Why Ultra-Processed Foods Can Sabotage Your Weight Loss | Dr. Jim Loomis
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Are ultra-processed foods the hidden reason weight loss feels impossible? Chuck Carroll is joined by Dr. Jim Loomis, medical director at Barnard Medical Center, to break down the science behind ultra-processed foods and their powerful impact on weight gain, metabolism, hunger, and fat storage. From packaged snacks and fast food to so-called “healthy” convenience items, ultra-processed foods now make up a majority of the modern diet. Dr. Loomis explains how these foods affect appetite hormones, blood sugar, calorie intake, and the body’s ability to lose weight — and why simply “eating...
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GLP-1 Drugs Explained: Ozempic, Wegovy, Side Effects, Cost & Risks
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound are changing medicine — but at what cost? In this episode of The Exam Room Podcast, host Chuck Carroll sits down with Ben Urich, PharmD, PhD, to break down the real-world data behind the GLP-1 explosion. You’ll learn: - How many people are actually using GLP-1 drugs - Why most users stop — and why that’s starting to change - The true cost of GLP-1 medications to employers and health plans - Common and serious side effects to be aware of - Why GLP-1s are now being studied for Alzheimer’s disease and addiction - What the future holds as...
info_outlineIn this powerful episode, Dr. Akil Taher, a heart-attack survivor turned marathon runner, reveals the life-saving truth about lipoprotein(a) which is a genetically inherited form of cholesterol that most people don’t even know they have. Despite living a healthy lifestyle, Dr. Taher discovered his LP(a) levels were dangerously high, placing him at extreme risk for heart disease and stroke.
He joins Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room Podcast to explain:
- What LP(a) is and why standard cholesterol tests don’t detect it
- How 1 in 5 people have elevated LP(a) and most never know it
- Why South Asians, Black Americans, and Middle Eastern populations face increased genetic risk
- The role of a whole-food, plant-based diet in lowering LP(a) levels by up to 16 %—and which foods can cut levels by 40 %
- The immense cholesterol lowering benefit of amla or Indian gooseberries
- New LP(a)-targeting drugs in clinical trials that could reduce levels by up to 98 %
- How lifestyle habits—from nutrition and sleep to stress management—help strengthen arteries and protect your heart
📘 Learn more about Dr. Taher’s inspiring journey in his book Open Heart: https://amzn.to/491ujAJ
💻 Visit his website: https://www.akiltaher.com
🌱 Start your journey to better health today!
Work with the expert doctors and dietitians at the Barnard Medical Center: https://www.BarnardMedical.org
If you feel like you’ve raised your health IQ, please leave a 5-star rating and nice review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.