Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Vascular age may matter more than chronological age, and the health of the endothelium, the inner lining of the arteries, is increasingly understood as a key driver of cardiovascular disease, neurological decline, and accelerated aging. In this episode of the Metabolic Cardiology series, Dr. Aaron Hartman and Dr. Christian Jenski explain the biological systems that determine how well blood vessels function and why damage to this system can begin decades before symptoms appear.
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📖 UnCURABLE: From Hopeless Diagnosis to Defying All Odds
For everyone medicine has let down → UnCurableBook.com
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This episode covers how nitric oxide signaling, inflammation, and oxidative stress influence vascular health, and introduces the glycocalyx, the protective lining of blood vessels, as a structure that plays a central role in preventing arterial damage. The conversation also addresses why many of these processes were not part of traditional medical training, and how advances in vascular biology now make early damage measurable before disease develops. If protecting long-term cardiovascular and brain health is a priority, this episode offers a foundation for understanding which biological systems deserve the most attention.
Explore the full Metabolic Cardiology series playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1zKitZ5uAhoUqRYQS9WwRlTlX9xR7uVC
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CHAPTERS
00:00 — Why You Are Only as Old as Your Arteries
02:00 — Understanding the Vascular Lining
04:00 — The Glycocalyx: The "Slime Layer" Protecting Blood Vessels
06:30 — Nitric Oxide and Blood Vessel Function
09:30 — How Inflammation Damages Arteries
12:30 — Oxidative Stress and Vascular Aging
15:30 — Why Vascular Disease Develops Slowly
18:30 — Measuring Vascular Health Today
21:00 — Can Vascular Damage Be Reversed?
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ABOUT AARON HARTMAN, MD
Aaron Hartman, MD is a triple-board-certified physician, bestselling author of UnCURABLE: From Hopeless Diagnosis to Defying All Odds, and founder of Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine. Dr. Hartman is known as the champion of the medically abandoned, helping people once labeled "uncurable" find REAL health and hope through the body's natural abilities to heal and repair.
AaronHartmanMD.com
Vascular age may matter more than chronological age, and the health of the endothelium, the inner lining of the arteries, is increasingly understood as a key driver of cardiovascular disease, neurological decline, and accelerated aging. In this episode of the Metabolic Cardiology series, Dr. Aaron Hartman and Dr. Christian Jenski explain the biological systems that determine how well blood vessels function and why damage to this system can begin decades before symptoms appear.
---
📖 UnCURABLE: From Hopeless Diagnosis to Defying All Odds
For everyone medicine has let down → UnCurableBook.com
---
This episode covers how nitric oxide signaling, inflammation, and oxidative stress influence vascular health, and introduces the glycocalyx, the protective lining of blood vessels, as a structure that plays a central role in preventing arterial damage. The conversation also addresses why many of these processes were not part of traditional medical training, and how advances in vascular biology now make early damage measurable before disease develops. If protecting long-term cardiovascular and brain health is a priority, this episode offers a foundation for understanding which biological systems deserve the most attention.
Explore the full Metabolic Cardiology series playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1zKitZ5uAhoUqRYQS9WwRlTlX9xR7uVC
---
CHAPTERS
00:00 — Why You Are Only as Old as Your Arteries
02:00 — Understanding the Vascular Lining
04:00 — The Glycocalyx: The "Slime Layer" Protecting Blood Vessels
06:30 — Nitric Oxide and Blood Vessel Function
09:30 — How Inflammation Damages Arteries
12:30 — Oxidative Stress and Vascular Aging
15:30 — Why Vascular Disease Develops Slowly
18:30 — Measuring Vascular Health Today
21:00 — Can Vascular Damage Be Reversed?
---
ABOUT AARON HARTMAN, MD
Aaron Hartman, MD is a triple-board-certified physician, bestselling author of UnCURABLE: From Hopeless Diagnosis to Defying All Odds, and founder of Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine. Dr. Hartman is known as the champion of the medically abandoned, helping people once labeled "uncurable" find REAL health and hope through the body's natural abilities to heal and repair.
AaronHartmanMD.com
