“Metabolic health” may sound like a snooze fest, but it is among our nation’s most serious challenges. The term describes what millions of Americans lack: trim waistlines, good blood pressure and optimal levels of blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol. The better-known results include epidemics of diabetes and heart disease, though some people also may develop liver and kidney diseases and even cancer due to poor metabolic health.

Anyone paying attention could be forgiven for thinking that there are two competing responses. The lifestyle response associated with the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” or "MAHA" movement says that nutrition and exercise are the keys. The medical intervention side prioritizes the use of drugs and surgeries to influence aspects of human metabolism. Both are right, but neither would produce game-changing results on its own.

So, let’s set aside the competition and cue the constructive consensus.

It starts with understanding the basic definition of metabolism, which is the breaking down of nutrients to create energy. It is logical that both the nutrients and the processes involved in breaking them down will determine metabolic health, and that problems can arise on either side of the equation (or both).

MAHA’s emphasis on reducing........

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