Dr. Kara Fitzgerald

Home
United States
Sandy Hook, CT
Dr. Kara Fitzgerald

Actively engaged in award-winning clinical research on epigenetics & longevity. IFM Faculty & renowned international speaker.

Director of New Frontiers Functional Medicine & Nutrition Clinic. Subscribe to get latest content at www.drkarafitzgerald.com

09/30/2025

Clinicians, we want to hear from you! 🩺

Take our quick survey on how you’re using (or want to use) AI in your practice. Your feedback will help shape tools and insights that actually work in the clinic.

And for those who complete the survey, you’ll receive a free report with practical takeaways on integrating AI to enhance patient care.

👉 Comment AI Survey and we’ll DM you the link or head to https://tinyurl.com/DrKF-AI-Survey !

09/29/2025

Wearables are here to stay, and they’re only getting smarter. ⌚📊

They’re being positioned as the future of healthcare.

HHS Secretary RFK Jr. wants every American to use a wearable within four years. Ambitious? Absolutely. Worthwhile? Maybe, if we get the next steps right.

Experts agree:
- Promise: Early detection, chronic disease management, personalized care, reduced strain on health systems.
- Problems: Accuracy, cost, privacy, fragmented tech, and the reality that data without action is just noise.

The potential is massive: from AI-powered postpartum monitoring, to continuous glucose trackers preventing diabetes complications, to blood pressure wearables reducing maternal health risks. But success depends on integration into real care models and policies that actually reimburse providers for reviewing and acting on the data.

These are all topics we covered during our live Longevity Masterclass, and I believe they are the future of care.

Read the article here: 👉 https://tinyurl.com/health-wearables

09/27/2025

Exercise changes the way we age.

A new study in Cell shows that long-term aerobic exercise raises circulating betaine. This compound lowers inflammation, slows cellular senescence, and improves healthspan across multiple organs in aged mice by blocking TBK1, a pro-aging kinase.

Betaine may become a future therapy, but the message right now is clear. Regular movement protects healthspan.

🔗 Read the study: https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(25)00635-X

Source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.06.001

09/25/2025

Improving diet quality by just 20% over 12 years lowered the risk of death by 6–13% in the years that followed.

This 36-year study of more than 120,000 people found that higher diet quality consistently reduced the risk of death from all causes, including heart disease, cancer, and respiratory illness. The findings held true across all dietary patterns studied (Mediterranean, DASH, Healthy Eating Index, AHEI, and Planetary Health).

Even small, steady changes in what you eat can have a lasting impact on your healthspan.

🔗 Read the study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12221395/

09/24/2025

Recent University of Ottawa research found that just 7 days of cold-water immersion (~14 °C for 1 hour daily) can:

✨ Boost autophagy (your cells’ built-in repair + recycling system)
✨ Reduce cellular damage signals
✨ Help cells adapt to stress and potentially slow aging at the cellular level
It’s not just a mental toughness challenge—it’s biology in motion.

Would you try it? YES or NO? 👇

🔁 Share with a friend who loves ice baths (or needs a push to try one!).

09/23/2025

For the first time, scientists have successfully corrected mutations in mitochondrial DNA. Using a new base editor (DdCBE) with guiding proteins, researchers precisely modified mtDNA in human cells, including liver organoids and fibroblasts.

Results? Up to 81% correction of disease-causing mutations, restoring mitochondrial membrane potential and improving function.

This opens the door to treating devastating mitochondrial diseases, and offers powerful tools to study aging, where mitochondrial dysfunction plays a central role.

Delivery methods still need refining, but the potential here is enormous.

👉 What would you want to see this technology address first, rare mitochondrial disease, or the broader role of mitochondria in aging?

🔗 Full study: PMID 40554457

09/22/2025

Blueberries are small but mighty. They’re rich in DNA methylation adaptogens like anthocyanins, chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid, and quercetin, all compounds that can influence gene expression in ways that support longevity.

Sweet yet low-glycemic, they’re a natural fit for the Younger You program. One cup a day can fuel your body with nutrients that protect brain function, reduce DNA damage, support cardiovascular health, and improve insulin sensitivity.

How to enjoy them:
✔ Fresh and in-season, eaten by the handful
✔ Frozen wild or organic, perfect in smoothies or grain-free baked goods (like my Blueberry Beet Scones on p. 305 of Younger You)
✔ Sprinkled on salads or even dropped into water for a refreshing twist

Whenever possible, choose wild. They often carry higher levels of these powerful adaptogens.

The best part? They’re delicious medicine.

09/21/2025

It's the first day of fall! This is the season of warm, grounding foods, and this dairy-free creamy pumpkin and sage risotto brings all the flavors of comfort with the benefits of functional nutrition.

Pumpkin is rich in carotenoids that support healthy DNA methylation and immune function. Paired with sage, which has long been studied for its cognitive benefits, this dish exemplifies food as medicine.

Perfect for crisp evenings, this risotto is nourishing, satisfying, and completely plant-forward.
🧡 Save this recipe and bring a little fall comfort to your table.

Head to https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/recipe/dairy-free-creamy-pumpkin-and-sage-risotto/ for the full recipe.

09/20/2025

Functional medicine has long challenged the idea that inflammation must rise with age, a concept known as inflammaging. Now, new research adds weight to that challenge.

In traditional lifestyle groups (like the Tsimane in Bolivia & Orang Asli in Malaysia), age-related inflammation doesn’t climb in the same way it does in industrialized societies.

Even with high pathogen exposure, these communities show low rates of heart disease, diabetes, and dementia.

Why does this matter? Because it suggests our modern environments (high-calorie diets, sedentary work, low pathogen exposure) may drive the patterns of aging many assume are “normal.”

Insights like this could reshape how we prevent, measure, and treat aging.

Source: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-025-00888-0

09/16/2025

What if you could guide your patients toward not only living longer, but extending their healthspan, so those extra years are vibrant and full of energy?

The Younger You Intensive is a self-paced training designed for practitioners who want real, evidence-based tools for healthy aging. Based on my published study, this program shares the exact 8-week nutrition and lifestyle protocol that has been shown to improve biological/epigenetic age markers.
You’ll walk away with:

• A clear understanding of DNA methylation and why it matters
• The full Younger You program, ready to use in practice
• Patient handouts, resources, and tools you can apply right away
This is where clinical research meets real-world practice.

Comment INTENSIVE or head to https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/trainingyyi/ to register today.

09/15/2025

A new Nature study reveals how mitochondrial function in specific sleep-regulating neurons drives our need to sleep. Using fruit flies as a model, researchers found that after sleep deprivation, these neurons ramped up mitochondrial activity, fragmented, and even increased their connections with the ER.

✅ When mitochondria fused together, sleep and recovery improved.
✅ When they fragmented (fission), sleep decreased.

In other words: the way mitochondria manage energy flow directly shifts sleep pressure. Promoting healthy mitochondrial fusion supported deeper, restorative sleep, while excess fission reduced it.

The takeaway: sleep is a direct consequence of energy metabolism in sleep-driving neurons (not just about rest!)
Read the study here 👉 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09261-y

Do you notice a difference in your sleep when your energy balance is off?

09/14/2025

Fertility isn’t just about reproduction; it’s a window into systemic aging. The age at which a woman enters menopause powerfully shapes both healthspan and lifespan.

A landmark study (The Ageing Hallmarks Exhibit Organ-Specific Temporal Signatures, PMID: 32669715) highlights how targeting DNA methylation may hold the key to addressing ovarian aging, unlocking benefits that extend far beyond reproductive health into whole-body vitality.

✨ On Thursday, Sept 18 at 2:45 pm ET, I’ll be joining Vittorio Sebastiano, PhD, to explore: Ovarian Rejuvenation for Systemic Benefits: The Power of Epigenetics

Head to www.functionalmedicineislongevitymedicine.com to register.

PMID: 32669715

Address

Sandy Hook, CT

Telephone

+12033049502

Website

http://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Dr. Kara Fitzgerald posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Dr. Kara Fitzgerald:

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Sandy Hook?