The #1 Killer Women Never See Coming — and How to Beat It | ft. Dr. Mary Pardee HTS #499

→ Ora Organic | Real ingredients, planet-friendly packaging, easy to love. Head to https://ora.organic/pages/drg and use my code HEALTHYSELF30 to enjoy 30% off your first Ora order today. → Puori 7/12 | Go to https://puori.com/DRG and use the code DRG at checkout to get 32% off your first Puori Creatine+ subscription order. → Santa Barbara Chocolate | CocoaDynamics available at https://SantaBarbaraChocolate.com. Use code DRG20 for 20% off. Episode Description: Social media has convinced women that they need to lower their cortisol to lose belly fat, sync their workouts to their menstrual cycle, eat differently depending on their cycle phase, avoid heavy lifting to stay lean, and take a stack of longevity supplements to live longer. Dr. Mary Pardee is here to call most of that what it is. Dr. Mary is a naturopathic and functional medicine doctor, one of Dr. G's closest friends, and one of the most evidence-based voices in the wellness space. This is her third time on Heal Thy Self and she is not holding back. From LDL cholesterol to VO2 max to the Mediterranean diet to cold plunge, she is cutting through the noise and giving women the clearest, most direct framework for actually living longer. In this episode, you'll discover:  •  Why LDL cholesterol is causative for heart disease the way smoking is causative for lung cancer, what numbers to actually target at different life stages, and why plaque formation begins in your 20s  •  The truth about cycle syncing workouts and food, why it is a marketing tactic designed to confuse a vulnerable population into buying something, and what the research actually says about training through your cycle  •  How to structure protein intake for muscle building, the exact grams per kilogram targets for different goals, and why women are still chronically under eating protein even in 2026 Plus the labs every woman should be running, what a DEXA scan actually reveals about body composition, and why cold plunge has no longevity evidence behind it while sauna does. Find Dr. Amy Pardee:  Website: https://www.modrnmed.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.marypardee Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 2:07 - Rapid Fire: Cortisol, LDL, Heavy Lifting & Cycle Syncing — Myth or Fact? 5:30 - How Dr. Mary Became the Most Evidence-Based Naturopathic Doctor Dr. G Knows 9:10 - The Vulnerable Populations Being Targeted by Wellness Influencers 11:45 - The Truth About Cortisol and Belly Fat (And Who This Advice Is Actually Hurting) 15:00 - Calories vs. Whole Foods: Why "Just Eat Clean" Is Gaslighting a Lot of People 19:00 - DEXA Scans, Skinny Fat & Why Women Often Need to Add Muscle, Not Lose Weight 22:30 - How Much Protein Women Actually Need and Why Most Are Undereating It 26:00 - Animal Protein vs. Plant Protein: Has Dr. Mary Changed Her Mind? 28:30 - Heart Disease Is Still the #1 Killer — Here's Why That Hasn't Changed 31:00 - LDL Is Causative for Heart Disease, Full Stop (And Why the Nuance Is Misleading People) 35:00 - What LDL Numbers Should Actually Trigger Treatment 37:30 - Should People in Their 30s Be on Statins? Dr. Mary Says Yes 39:00 - How Much Can Diet Actually Lower Your LDL? The 20% Reality 42:00 - The Mediterranean Diet vs. Keto vs. Carnivore: What the Research Actually Supports 45:00 - VO2 Max: What It Measures, Why It Matters & Whether You Need to Test It 49:30 - Cycle Syncing Your Workouts and Diet: Social Media Trash 52:30 - Cold Plunge vs. Sauna for Longevity: What the Evidence Actually Shows 54:30 - The Labs Every Person Should Ask Their Doctor to Run 58:00 - One Thing Dr. Mary Wants Every Woman to Walk Away With Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices