This clip from the MetFix Foundations Seminar explains how mitochondria—your cells’ tiny power plants—are central to energy production, metabolic flexibility, and long-term health. Pete Shaw covers how these organelles convert carbohydrates, fats, and proteins into ATP, the body’s primary energy currency, and how healthy mitochondria enable you to switch efficiently between fuel sources. When mitochondrial function is compromised, the body relies more on carbohydrate-dependent anaerobic pathways, which can contribute to chronic disease.
The talk also explores the major energy systems—glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, beta-oxidation, ketogenesis, and the phosphocreatine pathway—using a fire analogy to show how different fuels burn at different speeds. The takeaway: supporting mitochondrial health through nutrient-dense foods, balanced macronutrients, and smart dietary choices is key to preventing disease, maintaining energy efficiency, and sustaining health.
The course took place July 12–13 in Santa Cruz, CA.
MetFix Foundations Seminar
The MetFix Foundations Seminar is designed to equip coaches with the knowledge and tools to reverse chronic disease and optimize human performance. It is a two-day, in-person course consisting of lectures and breakout sessions that drill into the how and why of health and fitness.
Metabolic dysfunction is at the heart of our chronic disease epidemic. This course explains metabolism, bioenergetics, and hormone systems, and how to control them for better health, better performance, and better quality of life.
MetFix is an education company developing and deploying advanced teachings on metabolic health.
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Metabolic health, medical education, and the case for bringing clinicians and coaches together
At the 2026 Unbreakable Health Retreat in Miami, Emily Kaplan hosted a panel with Bob Kaplan, Professor Thomas Seyfried, and Dr. Derek Lee on what it means to treat cancer as a metabolic disease. They discussed the glucose-ketone index (GKI), nutritional ketosis, and strategies aimed at restricting the fuels cancer cells depend on while considering how metabolic therapy can fit alongside standard cancer treatment.
The conversation also addressed the practical realities patients face when trying to pursue a metabolic approach within the conventional oncology system, including questions about nutrition, repurposed drugs, inherited cancer risk, and how to evaluate different treatment options. Seyfried and Lee connected these clinical questions back to mitochondrial dysfunction, fermentation, and the metabolic vulnerabilities that may offer additional targets for cancer treatment.
An abbreviated version of this discussion is available here, for free.
At the 2026 Unbreakable Health Retreat in Miami, Professor Thomas Seyfried presented the case that cancer is fundamentally a mitochondrial metabolic disease rather than primarily a genetic one. He contrasts the dominant somatic mutation theory with a metabolic model in which impaired mitochondrial respiration drives a shift toward fermentation, dysregulated cell growth, and the mutations commonly associated with cancer.
Citing the work of Otto Warburg and research from his lab at Boston College, Seyfried explains how cancer cells rely heavily on fermentable fuels—particularly glucose and glutamine—and why mitochondrial dysfunction sits upstream of many of the genetic abnormalities seen in tumors. He also discusses reactive oxygen species, altered cellular signaling, and the role of mitochondria in regulating cell growth and behavior.
The presentation then turns to the therapeutic implications of this model. Seyfried explains strategies aimed at placing tumor cells under metabolic stress by restricting the fuels they depend on, including ketogenic metabolic therapy and approaches targeting glucose and glutamine. For Seyfried, the therapeutic target follows directly from the biology: restrict the fuels cancer cells depend on, exploit their metabolic weaknesses, and treat mitochondrial dysfunction as the central feature of the disease.
An abbreviated version of this discussion is available here, for free.
MetFix and BSI Members can view the full 54-minute video.
