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Optimal with Dr Liz

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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. 🌿

03/11/2026

If knowing what to do were enough, dietitians and nutrition researchers would all have perfect diets!

After more than 25 years working in nutrition research and clinical practice, I can assure you that's not the case.

We all have busy days, competing priorities, celebrations, holidays and times when the healthiest choice isn't necessarily the easiest.

And that's okay.

I think consistency matters much more than perfection. For many of us, aiming to make choices that support our health most of the time, perhaps 80–90%, while allowing flexibility for the rest, is a more realistic approach.

Of course, that balance will look different depending on our health, goals and where we are in life.

It's something I also try to remember in clinical practice. When someone is struggling to follow nutrition advice, it's not necessarily because they don't understand what to do.

Sometimes we need to rethink the advice so it fits their circumstances, preferences and everyday life.

🔎 ONE STEP TOWARD OPTIMAL

Make one healthy choice easier this week.

🥦 Keep some washed vegetables ready in the fridge.
🥜 Add nuts or seeds to your breakfast.
🍲 Cook a little extra dinner for tomorrow's lunch.

Small changes that are easy to repeat can make a difference over time.

What helps you stay consistent without feeling restricted?

30/10/2026

Sleep rarely comes up in nutrition conversations, yet the two are closely connected.

Poor sleep is associated with changes in appetite and food choices, which can make eating well feel a little harder the next day.

Q: After a poor night’s sleep, what changes most for you?

☕ More caffeine
🍟 More snacking
🍚 Skipping meals
🙂 Not many changes

27/10/2026

One thing I've learnt from years of working in cancer nutrition is that many nutrition claims have a grain of truth behind them.

Cancer cells use glucose. Dietary patterns can influence metabolism. Some supplements contain biologically active compounds.

But understanding the science is only part of the picture.

The important questions are whether these effects translate into meaningful benefits for people with cancer, how strong the evidence is and whether there are potential risks.

And importantly, what might be appropriate for one person may not be appropriate for another.

Someone undergoing intensive chemotherapy and struggling with appetite and weight loss may have very different nutrition priorities from someone who has completed treatment and is focusing on long-term health.

Cancer type, treatment, nutritional status, symptoms, personal preferences and goals all matter.

I understand why people are interested in emerging approaches. Nutrition is something we can actively engage with, and it can offer a sense of hope and empowerment.

But hope and good science don't have to be competing ideas.

As health professionals, I think we need to be willing to have these conversations, particularly when the evidence is limited, mixed or still emerging.

Rather than simply dismissing a claim, we can help people understand what we know, what we don't know and what it might mean for them.

🔎 ONE STEP TOWARD OPTIMAL

Before making significant dietary changes or starting supplements, discuss the potential benefits and risks with your oncology team and dietitian.

For colleagues working in cancer care: Which emerging nutrition approaches are your patients asking about most?

23/10/2026

What does “optimal” actually mean?

It's a word we use a lot in health and nutrition, but what does it really mean?

For some, it can sound like another expectation to live up to. The perfect diet, exercise routine, sleep or lifestyle.

But after more than 25 years working in nutrition research and clinical practice, I've come to appreciate that optimal looks different for everyone.

It's about understanding the evidence, recognising our individual circumstances and making choices that support our health and wellbeing.

And knowing what we 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 do and actually doing it are often two very different things!

For me, optimal isn't about perfection. It's about making progress, being curious and finding what works for us.

🔎 ONE STEP TOWARD OPTIMAL

What's one small thing you could do this week to support your health or wellbeing?

15/10/2026

I’m pleased to share my recent interview with Current Oncology, as Guest Editor of the Special Issue 𝗡𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆: 𝗘𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲.

We talk about malnutrition and muscle loss, survivorship, emerging areas such as precision nutrition and the microbiome, and why knowing what works is only part of the story. Making good nutrition care happen consistently in real-world practice is the harder part.

Thank you to the Current Oncology MDPI team for the opportunity to share some of my reflections and experiences.

📖 Read the full interview: https://lnkd.in/gvD56pZu

09/10/2026

🧠 Can nutrition influence neurodegeneration, not just cognition?

This new pilot study caught my attention.

Not because I think we've discovered a new treatment for Alzheimer's disease. We haven't.

But because the researchers found something worth following. 🔬

In a six-month randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 54 older adults with cognitive impairment ranging from MCI to mild/moderate dementia received either placebo or a nutraceutical containing DHA (1,000 mg/day), Boswellia-derived compounds, beta-caryophyllene from clove and compounds from myrrh.

After six months, the intervention group showed improvements in MMSE and Clinical Dementia Rating compared with placebo.

Interesting.

But what really caught my attention was that two blood biomarkers associated with neurodegeneration, neurofilament light (NfL) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau), also decreased relative to placebo.

So could a nutritional intervention potentially influence the underlying biology as well as cognitive function? 🧬

Possibly. But we're certainly not there yet.

This was a small pilot study. Only 54 people were randomised. The trial was retrospectively registered, there was an imbalance in polypharmacy between the groups, and we don't know which ingredient, if any, was responsible for the effect. The authors appropriately call for larger trials.

DHA already has a substantial research history in brain health, although supplementation trials have produced mixed results. Other nutritional interventions including B vitamins, Ginkgo, polyphenols and multinutrient formulations have also been investigated, again with variable evidence.

The botanical components here are fascinating too, particularly the proposed anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective actions of boswellic acids and beta-caryophyllene. But much of that mechanistic evidence remains preclinical. 🌿

The supplement appeared well tolerated in this small study, but 27 treated participants is nowhere near enough to establish long-term safety.

So what would I like to see next? 🔎

A larger, prospectively registered and independently replicated trial. Longer follow-up. Better characterisation of Alzheimer's pathology. And ideally studies that help tease apart the contribution of DHA versus the botanical components.

Most importantly: does any improvement translate into slower cognitive and functional decline over years, rather than simply moving a test score or biomarker?

That's the outcome that matters. 🎯

🔎 ONE STEP TOWARD OPTIMAL

Don't rush out and buy the supplement. Do stay curious. Good pilot research gives us a reason to investigate, not a reason to prescribe.

Reference:
Trabace L, Morgese MG, Tucci P, et al. The impact of GeNeurofil™ nutraceutical supplementation on psychometric assessment and biomarkers of neurodegeneration in cognitive impaired patients: a pilot study. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2026;80:943–948. doi:10.1038/s41430-026-01791-6.

06/10/2026

I’m guest editing a Special Issue of Current Oncology on: 𝗡𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆: 𝗘𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲

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.

We’re welcoming submissions across areas, including:

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

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

If you’re working in this space and considering submitting work, I’d be very pleased to hear from you.

Submissions are open until 31 December 2026.

🔗 Details here: https://lnkd.in/gBEMSmZ2

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

02/10/2026

Excited to be sharing the stage with multidisciplinary experts at in Sydney this November.

I’ll be discussing Nutrition Conversations in Cancer Care: Navigating Complexity, Evidence, and Patient Perspectives - exploring how we can navigate the often confusing nutrition landscape, communicate what we know and don’t know, and make nutrition advice meaningful for each patient.

Register at cosaasm.org.au/register and see you there! Clinical Oncology Society of Australia - COSA

01/10/2026

1 October is the International Day of Older Persons.

Healthy ageing isn't simply about living longer.

It is about maintaining the strength, function and independence that allow people to keep doing the things that matter to them.

💪 Muscle health plays an important part in that.

As we age, changes in muscle strength, mass and physical function can increase the risk of falls, frailty, disability and loss of independence. But waiting until significant decline has occurred before we pay attention to muscle health may mean we've missed an opportunity to act earlier.

Nutrition has a role to play - but the answer isn't simply to tell older adults to eat more protein.

Maintaining muscle and function requires a broader approach: adequate nutrition alongside resistance exercise, physical activity and appropriate assessment.

And the evidence consistently shows that combined approaches can offer greater benefits than nutrition or exercise in isolation.

🔹Simple measures such as handgrip strength, chair stands and gait speed can provide useful information about changes in physical function and help identify people who may benefit from earlier assessment and support.

Increasingly, the focus is shifting from treating established sarcopenia towards promoting muscle health earlier in the ageing process - recognising changes in strength and function before they translate into falls, disability or loss of independence, while there is still meaningful opportunity to act.

This is something that connects directly to our research on nutrition and muscle health across ageing and chronic disease.

Healthy ageing isn't just about adding years to life.

It is also about preserving the capacity to live well in those years.

🔎 ONE STEP TOWARD OPTIMAL

Do something this week that asks your muscles to work. Try a strength-training session, a few chair stands, or an activity that challenges your muscles safely. Small, consistent actions can help preserve the capacity to keep doing what matters to you.

29/09/2026

Sarcopenia and frailty are often discussed together.

But they aren't the same thing.

Sarcopenia is a muscle condition, characterised primarily by reduced muscle strength, with changes in muscle quantity or quality and physical performance also considered in assessment.

Frailty is broader. It reflects reduced physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to stressors, and can involve physical, nutritional, cognitive, psychological and social factors.

The two frequently overlap. But someone can have sarcopenia without being frail. And someone can be frail without meeting the criteria for sarcopenia.

Why does that distinction matter?

Because the distinction helps us choose the right assessment and tailor the intervention to the person.

For someone with sarcopenia, nutrition and resistance exercise may be central to addressing declining muscle health. For someone who is frail, these may still be important - but they are unlikely to address the whole picture. Comorbidities, polypharmacy, cognitive changes, social isolation and other factors may also need attention.

Both conditions can benefit from multimodal care. But understanding whether we're looking at a muscle problem, broader vulnerability, or both helps us think about what support is most appropriate for that person.

That distinction matters if we want nutrition and exercise interventions to be meaningful for the individual patient.

🔎 ONE STEP TOWARD OPTIMAL

If strength or function is changing, don't assume it's simply “getting older”. Consider whether a proper assessment could help identify what is contributing.

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