In this lecture from the MetFix Foundations course, Matthew Sherburne explains how modern industrialized foods shifted diets toward highly processed, calorie-dense products that disrupt metabolic health. He contrasts this with a whole-food approach centered on meat, vegetables, nuts, seeds, some starch, little fruit, and no sugar or seed oils. Natural foods contain balanced macronutrients and micronutrients that work together through nutrient synergy to support energy production. Because cellular energy is generated primarily in the mitochondria through ATP production, dietary strategy ultimately becomes a question of how to best “feed” these cellular engines. Sherburne reviews several dietary frameworks—including Zone, Paleo, ketogenic, and carnivore—but emphasizes that many effective strategies converge on the same basic pattern: a diet high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbohydrate. This macronutrient balance promotes satiety, supports muscle repair, stabilizes insulin, and encourages fat oxidation and mitochondrial adaptation. The practical takeaway is: prioritize whole, natural foods that support metabolic health and energy production, then tailor dietary strategies to the individual’s current condition, goals, and pace of change.
The course took place August 23–24, 2025, in Southborough, MA.
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.
