Saturday, March 14, 2026, 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM ET
Metabolic Health as a Driver of Disease: A Spotlight on Autoimmunity, Cancer, and Immune Resilience
A powerful perspective in medicine is gaining evidentiary momentum: the root causes of immune dysregulation—including cancer and autoimmunity—stem from metabolic dysfunction. At its core, metabolic health encompasses mitochondrial and cellular integrity, lipid and glucose metabolism, energy production, and fuel utilization, all of which directly influence immune resilience. In oncology, the field is shifting from the Somatic Mutation Theory, which focuses on genetic damage, to the Metabolic Theory of Cancer, which emphasizes mitochondrial dysfunction as a driver of disrupted signaling and energy metabolism. Adding further complexity, the gut microbiota plays a pivotal role, as its metabolites can either safeguard or impair health-protecting or damaging DNA, regulating inflammation, influencing tumor proliferation, and modulating autoimmunity. All of this places nutrition, diet, and lifestyle front and center in both disease prevention and the optimization of health and immune resilience.