Levels announced that Dr. Mark Hyman has joined the company as an Advisor. Dr. Hyman is an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in the field of Functional Medicine. He is the founder and director of The UltraWellness Center, the Head of Strategy and Innovation of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, a fourteen-time New York Times best-selling author, and Board President for Clinical Affairs for The Institute for Functional Medicine. He is the host of one of the leading health podcasts, The Doctor’s Farmacy. Dr. Hyman is a regular medical contributor to several television shows and networks, including CBS This Morning, Today, Good Morning America, The View, and CNN. He is also an advisor and guest co-host on The Dr. Oz Show. Dr. Hyman joins current Levels Advisors, including Gerald Shulman, MD, PhD; Ben Bikman, PhD; Dom D’Agostino, PhD; Sara Gottfried, MD; Molly Maloof, MD; and David Perlmutter, MD.
“Dr. Mark Hyman is the preeminent pioneer in bringing the importance of metabolic health to the mainstream conversation and communicating how metabolism is the foundation of health. We are thrilled to partner with him on our shared mission to reverse the metabolic disease epidemic,” said Dr. Casey Means, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Levels. “Virtually no one has had more of a positive impact on articulating and amplifying the importance of a root-cause approach to health, and his work and perspective have deeply influenced Levels from the origins of the company. Dr. Hyman has also been a trailblazer in shining a bright light on the systems issues that have contributed to the astronomical rise of chronic disease and immense social disparities in health in the US over the last several decades, including food marketing, agricultural and food policy, school lunch standards, and more. Our work together will pave the way for all people to have a greater ability to understand the impact of food and lifestyle factors on our health so that we can be empowered to make healthier choices to support our wellbeing.”
Dr. Hyman agrees: “Metabolic disease is the single biggest threat to human health and prosperity in the modern world, and is largely preventable. I am thrilled to partner with Levels to empower individuals with the ability to understand and optimize their metabolic health by using real-time biofeedback to shape a personalized dietary and lifestyle plan. Stable and healthy blood sugar levels are required for good health and longevity, and Levels is revolutionizing the ability of individuals to achieve this. Living in the US, we face an uphill battle in our efforts to be truly healthy, with 88% of American adults having metabolic dysfunction, which underlies the development of obesity, diabetes, cancer, stroke, dementia, heart disease, depression, anxiety, infertility, erectile dysfunction, and more. And this is a social justice issue, with metabolic disease disproportionately affecting minorities and the poor, and the impact of suboptimal food and lifestyle decisions leading to an invisible form of oppression that is very real in the US. Personal data and deep understanding of the impact of food on our bodies allows us to rise above the systems issues that breed poor health, and Levels facilitates this in a way that has never been done before. And make no mistake, this is not just a toy for the biohacker or longevity enthusiast out there; Levels is a tool for personal empowerment that can and will help anyone have more agency and control in their quest for foundational health and thriving, and the company is committed to making this as accessible as possible.”
The Metabolic Health Crisis
More than 128 million Americans have prediabetes or diabetes. Of the 34 million people with diabetes, 25% don’t know they have it. Of the 88 million people with prediabetes, 90% of them don’t know they have it. Levels’ mission is to solve the metabolic health crisis by tracking glucose in real-time and providing granular visibility into how diet and lifestyle choices affect health.
In the same way fitness trackers quantify physical activity and exercise, Levels measures the impact of one’s diet and lifestyle on metabolic health by pairing continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology with intelligent software. The month-long Levels program includes two 14-day CGM sensors and access to the Levels app, which provides real-time analysis on how food, exercise, and other lifestyle decisions are impacting your health. Currently in closed beta, Levels has a 120,000+ person waitlist.
About Dr. Mark Hyman
Mark Hyman, MD, has devoted his life to helping others discover optimal health and address the root causes of chronic disease through the power of Functional Medicine. Dr. Hyman is an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in the fields of Functional Medicine and nutrition. He is the founder and director of The UltraWellness Center, the Head of Strategy and Innovation of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, a fourteen-time New York Times best-selling author, and Board President for Clinical Affairs for The Institute for Functional Medicine. He is the host of one of the leading health podcasts, The Doctor’s Farmacy. Dr. Hyman is a regular medical contributor to several television shows and networks, including CBS This Morning, Today, Good Morning America, The View, and CNN. He is also an advisor and guest co-host on The Dr. Oz Show. Through his work to change policy for the betterment of public health, Dr. Hyman has testified before the Senate Working Group on Health Care Reform on Functional Medicine. He has consulted with the surgeon general on diabetes prevention and participated in the 2009 White House Forum on Prevention and Wellness. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa nominated Dr. Hyman for the President’s Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health.
Additionally, Dr. Hyman has presented at the Clinton Foundation’s Health Matters, Achieving Wellness in Every Generation conference and the Clinton Global Initiative, as well as with the World Economic Forum on global health issues, TEDMED and TEDx. He is the winner of the Linus Pauling Award and the Nantucket Project Award. Dr. Hyman received the Christian Book of the Year Award for his work on The Daniel Plan, a faith-based initiative that helped the Saddleback Church collectively lose 250,000 pounds that he created with Rick Warren, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Dr. Daniel Amen. He was inducted into the Books for Better Life Hall of Fame. With Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Michael Roizen, Dr. Hyman crafted and helped introduce the Take Back Your Health Act of 2009 to the United States Senate, which promotes reimbursement for lifestyle treatment of chronic disease. With Tim Ryan in 2015, he helped introduce the ENRICH Act into Congress to fund nutrition in medical education. Dr. Hyman plays a substantial role in the major 2014 film Fed Up, produced by Laurie David and Katie Couric, which addresses childhood obesity. Please join him in celebrating the power of food as medicine at drhyman.com, follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and listen to his podcast The Doctor’s Farmacy for conversations that matter around health, wellness, food, and politics.
