Metabolic and Genetic Conditions
Some conditions aren't caused by your environment or your choices — they're written into your DNA or baked into the way your body processes fuel. These conditions affect how you break down sugars, store energy, and manage blood glucose. Many of them are invisible on standard lab panels. Many of them get misdiagnosed as something else for decades. If you've been told your labs are normal but something still feels wrong — this category is worth a close look.
Hereditary Fructose Intolerance(HFI)/Aldolase B Deficiency
Not fructose malabsorption. Not a sensitivity. A missing enzyme — Aldolase B — that makes fructose genuinely toxic at the cellular level. One juice box can contain more fructose than a person with HFI should consume in a month. This condition is frequently missed, frequently confused with fructose malabsorption, and requires a specific test most doctors won't order unless you ask for it by name. Start here if fructose has ever made you seriously ill and nobody has explained why.
Fructose Malabsorption
Related to HFI in name only. Fructose malabsorption is a digestive issue — the small intestine doesn't absorb fructose efficiently, it ferments in the gut, and symptoms follow. It is uncomfortable and worth managing. It is not the same as HFI, does not carry the same risks, and is diagnosed with a completely different test. If you've been told you have fructose issues but the HFI page doesn't quite fit — start here.
Aldolase A Deficiency / GSD Type XII
A rare glycogen storage disorder caused by a deficiency of Aldolase A — a different enzyme in the same family as the Aldolase B deficiency that causes HFI. Affects red blood cells and muscle tissue. Frequently confused with HFI in early research and still poorly understood in clinical practice. If you have been evaluated for HFI and something doesn't add up, this page exists to draw the distinction clearly.
Type 1 Diabetes
An autoimmune condition — not a lifestyle condition. The immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Without insulin, blood sugar cannot be regulated. Type 1 can develop at any age, is not caused by diet or weight, and requires insulin to survive. It is a completely different disease from Type 2 and deserves its own page. If you or someone you know has Type 1, start here.
Type 2 Diabetes
A metabolic condition in which the body becomes resistant to insulin and eventually cannot produce enough to compensate. Unlike Type 1, Type 2 is strongly influenced by diet, activity, and metabolic health — and in many cases can be significantly improved or managed through lifestyle changes. It is also frequently undertreated, underdiagnosed in early stages, and complicated by the modern food environment in ways worth understanding clearly. Start here for the full picture.
Metabolic Syndrome
Not a single condition — a cluster of five metabolic abnormalities that frequently travel together: elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, and excess abdominal fat. Having three or more meets the clinical definition. Metabolic syndrome significantly raises the risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and fatty liver disease. It is also frequently reversible with the right dietary and lifestyle changes. Start here if your labs keep flagging multiple things at once and nobody has connected the dots.
Fatty Liver / NAFLD
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease — fat accumulation in the liver in people who drink little or no alcohol. Increasingly common, frequently silent in early stages, and underdiagnosed until it has progressed. NAFLD has documented connections to metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and gut health. There is also a documented association between NAFLD and rosacea — a skin condition frequently dismissed as cosmetic — that is worth knowing about. Start here if liver enzymes have been flagging on your labs or if your doctor has mentioned fatty liver and moved on without much explanation.