252 98% Diabetes Reversal? Can Behavioral Science Change the Way We Age? with John Oberg
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Release Date: 02/09/2026
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
In this conversation with Dr. Gillian Lockitch, Dr. Natalya Borakowski explains the neurological remodeling and hormonal shifts that occur during perimenopause and menopause — and why these changes can trigger identity disruption and appearance anxiety. You’ll learn how understanding the biology behind midlife can restore self-trust, reduce fear, and support aging youthfully. Midlife often arrives with an unexpected sense of instability. Women describe feeling anxious, self-critical, emotionally reactive, or disconnected from their reflection — even when medical tests show nothing...
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THIS Flashback Friday EPISODE OF GROWING OLDER LIVING YOUNGER focuses on food addiction, in particular addiction to sugar and refined carbohydrates.Today’s Featured Expert is Dr. Vera Tarman, author of Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction, cohost of the popular Food Junkies Podcast and founder of the Facebook group called “I’m Sweet Enough: Sugar-Free for Life.”We discuss the reality and the pathophysiology of sugar addiction, how to know whether you have an addiction and the impact that corporate sponsorship of research and disease-focused organizations have on the...
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Why does weight loss feel harder with age—even when we “do everything right”? In this episode, award-winning health journalist Julia Belluz challenges the calorie-centric narrative of weight control and explains how metabolism, hormones, food environments, and ultra-processed foods shape how—and why—we eat. This conversation reframes weight, aging, and health through evidence rather than diet dogma.For decades, we’ve been told that weight control is simply a matter of discipline: eat less, move more, and the scale will comply. Yet for many people—especially as they age—this...
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Flashback Friday re-post of most popular episodes THIS EPISODE OF GROWING OLDER LIVING YOUNGER focuses on improving your cognitive functioning through playing computer brain training games.Today’s Featured Expert discussing the neuroscience of cognitive training and the Lumosity brain training program, is Bob Schafer, President of Lumos Labs Medical, and Chief Science Officer at Lumos Labs (Lumosity)We discuss the neuroscience of cognition and Lumos Labs Human Cognition Project, how the Lumosity platform is built around training cognitive skills through engaging digital games, what you, the...
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Back pain is one of the most common causes of reduced mobility and loss of independence as we age. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo explains the causes of back and neck pain, when conservative treatment is appropriate, and when spine surgery may become the best option for restoring mobility and quality of life. Chronic back and neck often trigger fear. Many people assume pain is inevitable, that surgery always leads to long downtime, or that recovery means permanent limitation. In this episode, we explore modern advances in spine care, recovery, and how the right...
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EPISODE 147 OF GROWING OLDER LIVING YOUNGER focuses on protecting eye, brain and overall health with the antioxidant carotenoid pigments, especially lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin, as determined in the Central Retinal Enrichment Supplementation Clinical Trials (CREST). Download my free that explains the wellness benefits and food sources of these protective nutrients. To tell us how key nutrients can protect our eyes from macular degeneration, and help preserve memory and mental acuity, I talk with today’s Featured Expert, Professor John Nolan. He is a Fulbright Scholar, and a...
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Modern medicine excels at treating disease, less so at prevention. In this episode, we explore how wearable technology powered by artificial intelligence is bringing together Western physiology biometrics and Traditional Chinese Medicine to support true preventive health. Ryan Yuen shares how continuous monitoring of subtle body signals can help identify imbalance long before symptoms appear—and what this means for healthy longevity. Aging well is not about acccepting decline—it’s about identifying early warning signs and supporting body balance before disease is established....
info_outlineGrowing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
THIS EPISODE OF GROWING OLDER LIVING YOUNGER focuses on ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in older adults. Today’s Featured Expert is Kathleen Nadeau, PhD. We discuss how unrecognized ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) may impact healthy aging and perhaps be confused with dementia in an older person; and whether there are alternative strategies to medication Speaker BioDr. Kathleen Nadeau is an internationally recognized authority on ADHD across the lifespan and is the author of 15 books related to ADHD. Her most recent book, Still Distracted After All...
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Dementia is one of the greatest fears associated with aging—but what if it didn’t have to mean loss, disappearance, or despair? In this deeply moving episode, author and arts innovator Marilyn Raichle shares how walking toward her mother, rather than away, transformed dementia into a journey of presence, creativity, connection, and joy. This conversation offers a profoundly human reframe of memory loss and aging. For many people, dementia is equated with the loss of self, meaning, and value. Families are often advised—explicitly or implicitly—to disengage emotionally, preparing for...
info_outlineGrowing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
What if the way you age isn’t determined primarily by your genes, your diet, or even how much you exercise—but by how intelligently you manage your thoughts, emotions, and everyday habits? Many of us make well-intentioned health plans that never quite stick—despite knowing what we should be doing. This episode explores why behavior change is so difficult, how unconscious programming shapes daily habits, and what science reveals about making lasting change without burnout or deprivation. Today’s guest brings a powerful framework—Lifestyle...
info_outlineWhat if the most powerful breakthroughs in reversing chronic disease had less to do with new drugs—and everything to do with understanding human behavior? Type 2 diabetes is widely treated as a lifelong, progressive condition. But what if that assumption is wrong? In today’s episode, we explore how reclaiming personal agency, supported by behavioral science and AI-driven personalization, can fundamentally reshape how you age—because age is just a number, but how you age is a choice. Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases associated with aging, yet conventional care often focuses on escalating medications rather than addressing the root metabolic problem. Many people are told decline is inevitable—even as complications multiply and quality of life diminishes. In this episode, we challenge that model. You’ll learn why most healthcare solutions fail, how behavior—not willpower—is the missing link, and how personalized, AI-supported care can help people reverse diabetes rather than manage it indefinitely. Today’s guest brings a radically different lens—one that integrates behavioral science, medicine, and human empathy to restore health and agency. John Oberg is a human behavior strategist, healthcare innovator, and CEO of Precina Health. He holds a Doctorate in Social Work from the University of Southern California and an MBA focused on technology and public policy. John with his medical partner, leads one of the most compelling programs in metabolic health today, reporting diabetes reversal success rates as high as 98% by combining behavioral science, AI-driven personalization, and food-as-medicine.
Episode Timeline:
00:00 — Why behavior, not drugs, may hold the key to reversing chronic disease
03:00 — Rethinking Type 2 diabetes, aging, and why the conventional care model often fails
05:30 — John Oberg’s path from behavior science to diabetes reversal innovation
08:30 — Transactional vs relational healthcare and why empathy changes outcomes
12:30 — The five-phase Precina Health protocol and managing treatment burden
18:00 — Small personalized changes versus radical lifestyle shifts—what really works
23:30 — How AI supports personalized care without replacing human connection
31:00 — One actionable step listeners can take today to reclaim health agency
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