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Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, MD, FAAFP

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella is a Professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine. He is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force designing programs to promote health and better fitness in the military. 

Dr. Cucuzzella has been a competitive runner for over 30 years with more than 100 marathon and ultramarathon finishes. He continues to compete as a national-level Masters runner. He has won the Air Force Marathon twice and run a marathon under 3:00 for 29 straight years. 

Dr. Cucuzzella is the race director of Freedom’s Run race series in West Virginia and director of the Natural Running Center, an education portal designed to teach healthier running . Mark is also the owner of Two Rivers Treads — A Center for Natural Running and Walking in his hometown of Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Books by Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, MD, FAAFP

Video Presentations of Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, MD, FAAFP

"Run (and Eat) for Your Life" - Dr. Mark Cucuzzella

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella is a Professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine. He is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force designing programs to promote health and better fitness in the military. 

Dr. Cucuzzella has been a competitive runner for over 30 years with more than 100 marathon and ultramarathon finishes. He continues to compete as a national-level Masters runner. He has won the Air Force Marathon twice and run a marathon under 3:00 for 29 straight years. 

Dr. Cucuzzella is the race director of Freedom’s Run race series in West Virginia and director of the Natural Running Center, an education portal designed to teach healthier running . Mark is also the owner of Two Rivers Treads — A Center for Natural Running and Walking in his hometown of Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

"To Thine Own Self Be True: CGMs Made Simple" - Dr. Mark Cucuzzella

"The Child Obesity Pandemic" - Dr. Mark Cucuzzella

"The Little Hospital That Could" - Dr. Mark Cucuzzella

Big Fat Keto Lies with Dr. Mark Cucuzzella

"Low Carb Hospital Care" - Dr. Mark Cucuzzella

Presented at KetoCon in Austin, TX, September 1-3, 2017 

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella and Dr. Brian Lenzkes - Low Carb Denver 2020 Interviews

Dr. Brian Lenzkes is an internal medicine doctor in San Diego. Dr. Lenzkes received a BS in Biology from UC Irvine, and an MD from USC Medical School.

The inability of standard medical advice to help his patients with obesity and chronic disease, combined with his own weight gain, led him to the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting. Along with treating patients, Brian lectures widely and hosts 'Low Carb MD Podcast' to spread the word about the growing body of research that supports the therapeutic success of this nutrition and lifestyle approach.

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella is a Professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine. He is also a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force designing programs to promote health and better fitness in the military. 

Dr. Cucuzzella has also been a competitive runner for over 30 years with more than 100 marathon and ultramarathon finishes. He continues to compete as a national-level Masters runner. He has won the Air Force Marathon twice and run a marathon under 3:00 for 29 straight years.

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella and Dr. Heather Pickett - Low Carb Denver 2020 Interviews

Dr. Heather Pickett graduated from the USAF Academy and gave up her pilot training slot, deciding to pursue a career in medicine. She began her training at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. She followed up medical school with a general surgery internship at Wright State University as the first DO in an MD program, a family medicine residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and finally a family medicine faculty development fellowship at the University of North Carolina.

As a member of the USAF, Dr. Pickett has had the opportunity to practice medicine all over the world, including stints in Alaska, Germany, and California, with shorter stints in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. Before retiring from the USAF she was in Las Vegas, where she helped create the Nellis Air Force Base Family Medicine Residency as a full-time professor. She spent much of her time in the USAF practicing aviation medicine as a flight surgeon, flying in numerous jet aircrafts, teaching pilots, deploying, and serving as the commander of a space shuttle medical recovery team. Dr. Pickett was one of the first USAF physicians to be trained in medical acupuncture when she completed the Helms Medical Institute Physicians’ Medical Acupuncture Program with UCLA in 2005.

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella is a Professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine. He is also a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force designing programs to promote health and better fitness in the military. 

Dr. Cucuzzella has also been a competitive runner for over 30 years with more than 100 marathon and ultramarathon finishes. He continues to compete as a national-level Masters runner. He has won the Air Force Marathon twice and run a marathon under 3:00 for 29 straight years. 

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella and Dr. Marcy Meyer - Low Carb Denver 2020 Interviews

Dr. Marcy Meyer grew up in San Diego, California. She attended San Diego State University, earning her Bachelor of Science in Cellular and Molecular Biology. She earned her medical degree at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and continued her training at Tripler Army Medical Center, in Honolulu, Hawaii. After serving in the U.S. Army for over 21 years, Dr. Meyer chose to embark on her civilian career, by establishing NET Health Direct Primary Care.

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella is a Professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine. He is also a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force designing programs to promote health and better fitness in the military. 

Dr. Cucuzzella has also been a competitive runner for over 30 years with more than 100 marathon and ultramarathon finishes. He continues to compete as a national-level Masters runner. He has won the Air Force Marathon twice and run a marathon under 3:00 for 29 straight years. 

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella and Madison Hayes - Low Carb Denver 2020 Interviews

Madison Hayes currently works as a registered dietitian and graduate assistant for the Nutrition and Health Science Department at Ball State University in Muncie, IN. Madison does research investigating the attitudes, beliefs and practices of registered dietitians regarding dietary treatment methods for type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella is a Professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine. He is also a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force designing programs to promote health and better fitness in the military. 

Dr. Cucuzzella has also been a competitive runner for over 30 years with more than 100 marathon and ultramarathon finishes. He continues to compete as a national-level Masters runner. He has won the Air Force Marathon twice and run a marathon under 3:00 for 29 straight years. 

Scholarly Articles from Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, MD, FAAFP

Adapting Medication for Type 2 Diabetes to a Low Carbohydrate DietHealthcare professionals in the primary care setting need to be competent to safely adapt diabetes medications when patients with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) alter their diet. Safe prescribing practice is supported through an understanding of the clinical evidence, basic science, and pharmacology of medications. This review article supports clinicians in the practical application of this knowledge to achieve safe practice. Traditional medical training and clinical practice for chronic disease has long revolved around the teaching of intensifying therapy and evidenced based prescribing, a crucial skill when chronic disease progresses. Now that we are witnessing remission of Type 2 Diabetes through nutritional interventions specifically low carbohydrate diets (LCD) we must apply the same effort and thought to de-prescribing as the underlying metabolic condition improves. There is minimal guidance in the literature on how to actively de-prescribe. The American Diabetes Association in their Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes–2021 acknowledges low carbohydrate nutritional therapy (LCD) as a viable option in the management of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). Thus, the goal of our paper is to help close the gap between the clinical evidence, basic science, and pharmacology of T2D medications to the practical application and teamwork needed to facilitate safe medication reduction in the primary care setting when applied to a LCD. The LCD is an increasingly popular and effective option for mana...
Adapting diabetes medication for low carbohydrate management of type 2 diabetes: a practical guideThe pathological changes associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) can be reversed through lifestyle measures, in some cases leading to remission.1 The low carbohydrate diet (LCD) is recognised as an effective option that is clinically inexpensive with few side effects.2 Many patients are achieving significant improvements in glycaemic control, with associated reduction in drug costs from cessation of hypoglycaemic agents.3 Digital-technology behaviour change solutions for T2D remission are being delivered at scale.4 Primary care clinicians need to be competent to adjust diabetes medications appropriately in individuals who follow an LCD. An LCD comprises <130 g of digestible carbohydrates per day.5 Digestible carbohydrate refers to sugars and complex carbohydrates such as starch, which is digested to glucose. Aligned with national guidance, carbohydrate choices in an LCD will typically be higher fibre and low glycaemic index (GI).6 Reduced total carbohydrate ingestion and low GI choices give the LCD a low glycaemic load (GL). In T2D the GI and GL of food consumed is a determinant of blood glucose level and thus the requirement for hypoglycaemic medication. Blood glucose levels typically fall substantially when an individual adopts an LCD. This article discusses key considerations regarding hypoglycaemic medications for an LCD and provides practical suggestions to prescribers. The recommendations are developed from the experience of the authors, discussion with …