A blog to help you optimize your full-body and life performance

As a consumer in our health-conscious world, you may have come across a current fad: the alkaline diet (which may also be referred to using a combination of the terms acid or ash). Fancy name, but what does it mean?

The alkaline diet holds the assumption that, if we only eat optimal pH foods, the pH level of the fluids in our bodies will optimize in response, thereby protecting our organs and systems from damage and disease and improving our general health.⁴ But how realistic can that be?  Is there evidence that this strategy works, or should we have left the alkaline diet in 2018?

Everyone loves a big news flash, and this one takes the cake! InsideTracker is thrilled to announce that our very first scientific paper has been published in a peer-reviewed journal – and not just any journal, but a prestigious one: Scientific Reports, from the Nature Publishing Group. The paper, titled “Longitudinal analysis of biomarker data from a personalized nutrition platform in healthy subjects”, has been nine years in the making, thanks to contributions from our entire scientific team, staff, and scientific advisory board.

At InsideTracker, we strive to create a truly personalized approach to health and wellness through the use of blood-based biomarker testing. The best thing about blood biomarkers is that they are dynamic. Unlike genetics, blood biomarkers change over time and often can be influenced by specific diet, activity, and lifestyle habits. ^1,2,3 This also means that your blood test offers a snapshot of your current nutrition and exercise needs. 

In case you missed it, we’re doing a two-part series - Nutrition and Lifestyle - on ways to mentally and physically prepare yourself for the school year ahead. In last week’s edition, we examined the best ways to improve your cognitive ability through diet and nutrition. This week, we’re discussing lifestyle practices you can build into your routine to help you overcome the unexpected curveballs of a hectic ‘back to school’ schedule.

School’s back in session so we did a little studying ourselves. Whether you’re in college, grad school, or just affected by a student’s schedule – hello moms and dads – improving certain aspects of your life can better equip you for those unexpected late nights, missed meals, and undue pressures of a hectic routine. 

Science is constantly changing. One day something can be healthy and the next day it’s not. It can certainly be frustrating, but that is why InsideTracker is here to dig through the science and present you with the most up-to-date research. Not surprisingly, one of these big swings in scientific knowledge recently happened with one of our most tested biomarkers, HDL cholesterol. It was previously thought, and still widely believed, that the more HDL cholesterol, or the often-termed “good cholesterol”, you have, the better. But recent research is showing that you can have too much of this good thing. Numerous new cohort studies are showing an unexpected association: a high level of HDL carries the same risk as having a low level of HDL-cholesterol.

Alright, time to get real: we hear you. We’ve been told more than once that the price tags of our top-tier tests give would-be-InsideTracker-users pause. So, instead of turning a blind eye (or a deaf ear? You get the point), we’re leaning in and breaking down how you can become an InsideTracker pro without spending cash like one.

Sure, Ultimate is our most comprehensive and popular plan, but you don’t need to measure 42 biomarkers to get personalized recommendations and make meaningful changes towards better health and wellness. In fact, your average trip to the doctor’s office can arm you with enough information to get you going.

Most often, if you’re getting blood drawn at your annual physical, your doctor is ordering a Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP) or a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP). We've taken inspiration from these to design our DIY options and our Essentials plan – which we think make great complements. So, let’s go through what these and other common panels usually include and what you can learn from the results.