Optimal with Dr Liz

Optimal with Dr Liz Optimal with Dr Liz

A bespoke, science-led retreat for midlife renewal.

Combining nutrition, movement, and meaningful travel - guided by science, soul, and strategy. ๐ŸŒฟ

Generating evidence is only half the challenge. Implementation is the other half. Over the past two decades, nutrition r...
08/06/2026

Generating evidence is only half the challenge.
Implementation is the other half.

Over the past two decades, nutrition research has advanced significantly; particularly in oncology, survivorship, and metabolic health.

We now have strong evidence showing that targeted nutrition support can improve treatment tolerance, recovery, metabolic health, and long-term outcomes.

Yet translating that evidence into consistent clinical practice remains uneven.

Many patients still receive:

๐Ÿ”ธ limited or late nutritional assessment
๐Ÿ”ธ generic advice rather than tailored support
๐Ÿ”ธ little integration of nutrition into broader care pathways

Bridging this evidence-practice gap requires more than good intentions.

It requires alignment between:

๐Ÿ”ธ workforce training
๐Ÿ”ธ health-system design
๐Ÿ”ธ multidisciplinary collaboration

When these elements are in place, nutrition moves from being an optional add-on to becoming a core component of patient care.

Closing the gap between what we know and what we deliver is one of the most important challenges in modern nutrition science.

Translational research often begins with a simple clinical observation. In practice, clinicians notice patterns long bef...
04/06/2026

Translational research often begins with a simple clinical observation.
In practice, clinicians notice patterns long before they appear in journals.

Patients with similar diagnoses responding differently to treatment.
Unexpected fatigue despite โ€œadequateโ€ intake.
Muscle loss that doesnโ€™t match what guidelines predict.

These observations raise questions.

Why do some patients recover well while others struggle?
Could nutrition, muscle preservation, or metabolic health be influencing outcomes?

This is where translational research begins.

Clinical observations become research questions.
Research generates evidence.
Evidence shapes guidelines and care models.

But the process doesnโ€™t end there.

Even strong evidence must be integrated into real-world systems; through clinical pathways, multidisciplinary care, and implementation strategies.

In oncology and survivorship, this is where the real impact happens.

Translational research is not just about discovery.

It is about ensuring that what we learn changes how care is delivered, experienced, and integrated into everyday clinical practice.

Cancer survivorship is one of the fastest-growing areas in modern medicine. More people are living longer after cancer t...
01/06/2026

Cancer survivorship is one of the fastest-growing areas in modern medicine.

More people are living longer after cancer treatment than ever before.
But survivorship care is still evolving.

Many survivors continue to face ongoing challenges, including:

โžก๏ธ persistent fatigue
โžก๏ธ metabolic shifts (changes in weight, blood sugar, and lipids)
โžก๏ธ loss of muscle mass and strength
โžก๏ธ increased long-term risk of cardiometabolic disease or recurrence

Nutrition has enormous potential in this space.

Evidence from oncology nutrition research shows that targeted nutrition support can:

โžก๏ธ improve treatment tolerance
โžก๏ธ support recovery and preserve muscle
โžก๏ธ protect metabolic health
โžก๏ธ enhance quality of life and daily functioning

Yet nutrition is still too often delivered as an afterthought, rather than embedded within survivorship pathways.

The next step is building integrated survivorship models, where nutrition is part of multidisciplinary care from the outset.

This is where nutrition science, clinical practice, and health-system design intersect.

Sometimes the path to optimisation isnโ€™t doing more. Itโ€™s restoring regulation. In much of modern wellness culture, opti...
28/05/2026

Sometimes the path to optimisation isnโ€™t doing more.
Itโ€™s restoring regulation.

In much of modern wellness culture, optimisation is framed as adding more:

more supplements
more testing
more protocols
more restriction

But physiologically, the body is rarely under-performing because it needs more inputs.

More often, it is under-performing because its core regulatory systems are under-supported.

Sleep.
Nutrition quality.
Digestive health.
Movement.
Stress regulation.

These foundations regulate the biological systems that drive energy, metabolism, resilience, and recovery.

When they are supported well, the body often does what it is designed to do.

Optimisation, in this sense, is not constant escalation.

It is restoring regulation - and supporting the foundations that allow the system to function well.

For all the sophistication of modern medicine, one lever remains surprisingly underused: nutrition. After more than two ...
25/05/2026

For all the sophistication of modern medicine, one lever remains surprisingly underused: nutrition.

After more than two decades working in oncology and chronic disease, one pattern is consistently clear.

Nutrition is not simply supportive care.
It is a clinical lever.

Nutritional status influences:

๐Ÿ”นtreatment tolerance
๐Ÿ”น complications
๐Ÿ”น recovery
๐Ÿ”น quality of life
๐Ÿ”นlong-term health outcomes

Yet in many healthcare systems, nutrition is still treated as an optional add-on rather than a core component of care pathways.

The evidence is strong.
The opportunity now is translation - embedding nutrition into clinical systems where it can influence outcomes at scale.

The future of nutrition science lies not only in discovery.

It lies in implementation.

Iโ€™m currently guest editing a Special Issue of Current Oncology on: ๐—ก๐˜‚๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ข๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ด๐˜†: ๐—˜๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜...
21/05/2026

Iโ€™m currently guest editing a Special Issue of Current Oncology on:

๐—ก๐˜‚๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ข๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ด๐˜†: ๐—˜๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ

One of the things that continues to stand out in oncology nutrition is that the evidence base has advanced significantly, but implementation in real-world care is still highly variable.

We know nutrition influences treatment tolerance, recovery, body composition, survivorship outcomes, and quality of life.

The challenge now is translating that evidence into practical, scalable, and integrated models of care.

This Special Issue is focused on that intersection between evidence and implementation.

Weโ€™re welcoming submissions across areas, including:

โžก๏ธ oncology nutrition and malnutrition
โžก๏ธ cancer cachexia and metabolic changes
โžก๏ธ body composition and nutritional risk
โžก๏ธ nutrition interventions during and after treatment
โžก๏ธ survivorship and supportive care
โžก๏ธ implementation within oncology pathways

Original research, reviews, and short communications are all welcome.

If youโ€™re working in this space and considering submitting work, Iโ€™d be very pleased to hear from you.

Submissions are open until 31 December 2026.

๐Ÿ”— Details here: https://lnkd.in/gBEMSmZ2

Looking forward to seeing the next wave of work helping shape nutritional care in oncology.

Calcium is essential for bone health - but it doesnโ€™t work alone. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. Vitamin K2 he...
18/05/2026

Calcium is essential for bone health - but it doesnโ€™t work alone.

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium.

Vitamin K2 helps direct calcium into bone tissue.

Movement provides the mechanical signal that tells bone to remain strong.

Together these factors support the biological processes that maintain bone across life.

In practice, this usually means focusing on:

๐Ÿ”ธ adequate calcium intake
๐Ÿ”ธ maintaining vitamin D levels
๐Ÿ”ธincluding regular resistance or weight-bearing activity

Bone health is not built through one nutrient alone.
It is supported by nutrition and movement working together.

Protein is often discussed in relation to muscle. But it is also critical for bone. Protein supports the bone matrix and...
18/05/2026

Protein is often discussed in relation to muscle.

But it is also critical for bone.

Protein supports the bone matrix and the muscles that stabilise and protect the skeleton.

A practical approach is ensuring protein intake is distributed across the day.

A rough guide for many people is ~25 g of protein at each main meal, depending on body size and overall diet.

The goal isnโ€™t perfect numbers.

Itโ€™s making protein a consistent part of meals.

When people think about bone health, calcium usually gets the attention. But bone is a living structure. A helpful way t...
11/05/2026

When people think about bone health, calcium usually gets the attention.
But bone is a living structure.

A helpful way to think about it is this:
Calcium provides the bricks.
Protein provides the framework that holds them together.
Both are essential.

Without adequate protein and calcium over time, the structure gradually weakens.

Bone health is built on a small set of consistent foundations:
โœ… protein intake
โœ… calcium intake
โœ… vitamin D status
โœ… mechanical loading through exercise

Rather than focusing on a single nutrient, the real goal is supporting the system that maintains bone over time.

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