Jake Kelly MD

Performance Cardiologist | VO₂ Max, Metabolic Health & Longevity Strategist | Ironman Triathlete | Father of 3 |

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

A patient lost 40 lbs three years ago.
Gained back 45.
She wasn't lazy. Her hypothalamus was doing its job. Leptin drops, brain reads starvation, hunger rises, metabolism slows.
It's not a willpower problem. It's a thermostat problem. The thermostat can shift.
New article on the science below.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@dickiebush Absolute. Pointed. Accurate. Thanks Dickie.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@stevemagness Wow. Speed. Precision. Thanks for sharing.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@KevinShahMD @arthurbrooks Fascinating take. Suspect accurate. I’ll have to ponder this in my own friendships.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@CoffeeBlackMD 💯 The problem is that good medicine takes time and expertise and we are short on both.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@Catalyst2Thrive Brad, you're giving me some confidence to expect my running fitness/speed to return. My long winter in AK and patient with mobility/strength are showing upward trends. Thank you.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@Catalyst2Thrive I remember the days I couldn't get my HR above 90 if I wanted to in my early 20s. I was both super fit and on the edge of over-training.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@JohnGoldman Love the real data. Zoom in and it doesn't feel like you're always losing weight. Zoom out and the trend line is sharply downward. Stabilization soon.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@thekevingrimm Looking good.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

1 in 5 people carry Lp(a) levels associated with significantly elevated cardiovascular risk. Most have never been tested.
It's not on your standard lipid panel. It doesn't respond to statins. And it's largely inherited.
If heart disease runs in your family, ask about Lp(a) by name.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

Jim had been on a statin for 8 years. LDL-C well controlled. Previous cardiologist said he was well managed.
Father died of a heart attack at 54. Brother had a stent at 49.
We checked his Lp(a). It was 187 nmol/L.
His statin was doing almost nothing to lower it. Nobody had ever tested for it.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@doctorinigo Great data. Thank you for sharing @bryan_johnson

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@StephenSeiler I'm seeing discussions on this paper and this concept all over my X feed. I was not aware of this phenomena but the description and multiple variables in differential times clearly matter @Alan_Couzens

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@JohnGoldman Nice clinical pearls for the readers. "natural" always better. Some assistance not unreasonable with medical supervision and while working on foundational health (sleep, nutrition, strength training & aerobic exercise/physical activity).

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

New therapies specifically targeting Lp(a) are in late-stage trials.
The era of treating this directly is coming.
But you can't treat a number you've never measured.
If heart disease runs in your family and your standard labs look fine, ask about Lp(a) by name.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

One in five people carry a cardiovascular risk factor that statins don't lower, diet doesn't change and almost no one has tested for.

In a study of 5 million+ adults over 8 years, fewer than 1 in 300 had ever been checked.

It's called Lp(a). One blood test. Done once. The answer doesn't change.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

Lp(a) is ~90% inherited. Set at birth. Stable across your lifetime.
It predicts heart attack, stroke, aortic stenosis and peripheral artery disease independently of everything else on your panel.
At extreme levels, heart attack risk is 3-4x higher than in people with low Lp(a).

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@Alan_Couzens Fascinating. Such complexity (inputs + outputs) but overall simplicity.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@JohnGoldman It "Food" will be well deserved

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@JohnGoldman Really great work. Your mental toughness is fantastic.

[Jake Kelly MD @jakekellymd]

@DavidDack Never made it to under 35. Still a trickle of a dream. I think I’m 42 capable but will be <40 by end of August. Simple smaller goals as we reach middle age.