The Dylan Gemelli Podcast

Episode #69 Featuring Dr. Vincent Pedre: Happy Gut Coffee, Mitochondria, Gut Health, Vagus Nerve, Mind-Body Connection, and More!

Date: November 25, 2025
Host: Dylan Gemelli
Guest: Dr. Vincent Pedre, MD

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dylan Gemelli welcomes renowned functional medicine expert and gut health advocate, Dr. Vincent Pedre, for a dynamic deep dive into the core pillars of health—gut function, mitochondrial vitality, the mind-body connection, vagus nerve regulation, cellular membrane importance, breathwork, and, of course, the science behind truly healthy coffee. The discussion marries cutting-edge science and practical advice, as Dr. Pedre shares his holistic yet evidence-based outlook for achieving genuine, lasting wellness. Listeners will leave with actionable tools and the inspiration to take control of their well-being at the root.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dr. Pedre’s Philosophy: Foundations of Health & Longevity

• The Gut as the Root System
  "The gut is like the root system of our tree. If the body is like a tree, the roots are what make the tree healthy or make the tree sick." (Dr. Vincent Pedre, 04:58)

  • Gut health underpins all other aspects of wellness, including protein absorption, muscle growth, immune strength, and brain function.
  • Dr. Pedre describes his own journey with gut issues (antibiotics, food sensitivities, inability to gain muscle) and how healing his gut transformed his overall health. (06:26–10:01)

• Zooming In: Cellular and Mitochondrial Health

  • Healing begins at the cellular level; declining cellular voltage underlies aging and disease.
  • "Every cell is like a battery. And that battery is healthiest when it's at negative 70 to 90 millivolts... and who's controlling the cell voltage? The mitochondria. Right?" (Pedre, 10:29)
  • Most doctors overlook cellular and mitochondrial health, focusing instead on prescribing drugs. (10:01–12:28)

2. Functional Medicine & Contrarian Thinking

• Dr. Pedre points out the limitations of traditional medicine, which often stops at symptom management instead of root-cause resolution.
  • "Functional medicine is looking at the stones that were left unturned by others... I have to ask, what else?" (Pedre, 14:35)
• The importance of questioning mainstream paradigms: "The smartest people always question everything... That's how they figured out new things." (Gemelli, 15:39–16:50)

3. Individualized Health Approaches

• "What makes it takes to make you healthy will be slightly different than what it takes to make the next person healthy... It's not a one size fits all." (Pedre, 17:10)
• The hosts highlight the danger in dietary tribalism (e.g., keto vs. carnivore) and the value of personalized experimentation. (18:44–20:15)

4. The Mind-Body Connection

• Belief as Medicine: "If you don't believe that making these changes are going to help you... then nothing's gonna work." (Pedre, 21:48)
• Thoughts communicate with the immune system directly; daily gratitude and positive language boost outcomes and well-being. (23:16–24:39)
  • Mentions Masaru Emoto's water crystal experiments: love/gratitude creates order, anger/disorder creates chaos. (22:08–24:39)
• "Your words create your reality... if you're speaking a lot of negative words, that's the reality that you're creating." (Pedre, 24:40)

5. The Vagus Nerve Unpacked (25:06–36:26)

• Role & Power:
  • The vagus nerve interfaces the mind, body, and breath—regulates parasympathetic ("rest & digest") and sympathetic ("fight or flight") balance.
  • "It innervates every single organ underneath the neck... the vagus nerve is controlling things like heart rate variability." (Pedre, 25:33)
• Branches & Effects:
  • Describes ventral (restorative) and dorsal (freeze response, primitive) branches.
  • Vagal nerve stimulation can treat resistant depression; trauma can “shut off” the vagus, immediately impacting gut permeability and inflammation.
• Serotonin Myth Debunked:
  • "They're like, oh, 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gut… but that serotonin can't cross the blood-brain barrier. It's actually there to stimulate the 5-HT receptors on the vagus nerve." (Pedre, 29:35)
• Signs of Low Vagal Tone:
  • Anxiety, inflammation, weight gain, leaky gut, poor sleep. Stress “shuts off” the nerve.
  • "If you have a pit in your stomach... it's probably your vagus nerve." (Pedre, 36:23)
• Breathwork as Vagal Activation:
  • "One way [to activate the vagus] …is right with you at all moments: breathing. Especially when you take those really deep breaths, it activates the vagus, which is the parasympathetic..." (Pedre, 31:54)
  • Dr. Pedre shares his personal experience with overcoming needle phobia through breathwork and meditation, underscoring body-mind self-healing. (33:34–35:26)

6. Addressing Mitochondrial Health & Aging (38:23–45:36)

• Key Methods:
  • Start with the cellular membrane ("if the membrane lipids are messed up, Complex 4 can't sit properly... electron leakage, more ROS, lower voltage, more inflammation.") (Pedre, 39:07–41:26)
  • Maintain membrane fluidity with healthy fats (omega-3s, phospholipids).
  • Hormetic stress (not too much!) and polyphenols support mitogenesis.
  • "If that complex can't sit properly in that [membrane] because those membrane lipids have been replaced by stiff omega 6 fats, then it's going to malfunction." (Pedre, 40:31)
• Phospholipids:
  • Essential for membrane repair, detoxification, and mitochondrial function; improper introduction can "turn on" toxic cells too fast, so go slow. (41:50–43:38)
• Coffee and Mitochondria:
  • Coffee polyphenols, especially chlorogenic acids, activate AMPK and PGC-1α, encouraging mitochondrial growth and repair (similar mechanisms as urolithin A). (43:40–45:36)

7. The Science and Art of Coffee

(See Timestamps: 45:36–59:53)

• Groundbreaking Study:
  • Coffee drinkers are 16% less likely to die of any cause, 31% less likely from cardiovascular disease—but only if consumed in the morning. Afternoon coffee disrupts sleep and negates benefits. (Pedre, 45:36)
• Coffee Preparation & Health:
  • Filtered coffee retains chlorogenic acids but removes diterpenes; unfiltered (e.g., Aeropress, French press) keeps both, supporting mitochondrial pathways.
  • "The diterpenes… are also activating the PGC1-Alpha pathway, which is promoting regeneration of mitochondria repair, getting rid of old mitochondria. So similar to the same thing that urolithin A is doing..." (Pedre, 47:52)
• Beware K-cups and Plastics:
  • Plastics/microplastics in coffee brewing destroy mucus layers in the gut, leading to leaky gut and inflammation. (Pedre, 50:36–51:53)

8. Happy Gut Coffee—What Sets It Apart

• Rigorous Testing:
  • "We send the coffee to get tested for mycotoxins, pesticides of all sorts... glyphosate and heavy metals." (Pedre, 53:58)
• Unique Roasting Process:
  • Uses air roasting (vs. typical drum roasting), ensuring beans never contact hot metal, avoiding burnt flavors, toxins, and advanced glycation end-products.
    • "The coffee beans are... getting roasted through convection, but they're not ever coming into contact with the really hot surface." (Pedre, 54:25)
• Blend Curation:
  • The roast is a blend of Ethiopian, Colombian, and Guatemalan beans, resulting from strict blind taste-testing for the best flavor and balance. Ethiopian beans add floral/fruity subtlety. (Pedre & Gemelli, 56:02–57:36)
• Mindful Production:
  • The roasting team’s positive energy, “happy” environment, and intention are infused into every batch. (Pedre, 58:32)
• Happy Gut Brand:
  • All products are made with gut health in mind: minimizing stomach-upsetting components (like chlorogenic acid at levels that trigger reflux), keeping key mitochondrial-supporting polyphenols, and maintaining organoleptic excellence.
  • "The way that we make the coffee with the air roaster reduces the chlorogenic acid to a level where it makes it more comfortable to drink while... keeping the benefits." (Pedre, 61:19)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Gut Health as a Lens:
  "If you're building your health, you bypass the gut, you have a very weak foundation." —Dr. Vincent Pedre (09:45)

• On the Systemic Nature of Health:
  "The human body is like this incredible quantum force with... an ecosystem that is operating in ways that sometimes you can't fully predict..." —Dr. Vincent Pedre (20:16)

• On Gratitude and Health: "People who write a daily gratitude... it creates a greater sense of positivity and that then translates to better health in general." —Dr. Vincent Pedre (22:08)

• Debunking Gut Serotonin:
  "Serotonin can't cross the blood brain barrier. That serotonin is not there to get to your brain. That serotonin is there to stimulate the 5-HT receptors on the vagus nerve." —Dr. Vincent Pedre (29:35)

• Self-Healing Power of Breathwork:
  "There is a power within the body that they don't want us to know." —Dr. Vincent Pedre (35:26)

• Happy Gut Coffee Philosophy:
  "You can't take people away from coffee... but when you start looking at the benefits, the polyphenols in coffee activate the L cells in the intestines that produce and secrete GLP1. Hey, you can make your own GLP1 by drinking clean coffee." —Dr. Vincent Pedre (59:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:58 – Dr. Pedre explains the gut as a root system; foundation for health
• 10:01–12:28 – Cellular health and the overlooked importance of mitochondrial function in medicine
• 14:35 – Functional medicine's contrarian approach: finding the root cause
• 16:22 – On the value of questioning medical dogma and quest for deeper truth
• 23:16–24:39 – Mindset, gratitude, and impact on biology
• 25:33–36:26 – Deep dive: The vagus nerve, its role, branches, and health implications (plus how to stimulate it)
• 29:35 – Myth-busting: Gut serotonin's real function
• 31:54 – Breathwork as the most accessible tool for vagal activation
• 39:07–45:36 – Structure-based mitochondrial health, phospholipids, and key interventions
• 45:36–59:53 – Coffee’s health benefits, science of roasting, K-cups vs. quality beans, and the Happy Gut process
• 61:13–62:33 – What makes Happy Gut Coffee unique for gut and mitochondrial health

Where to Find Dr. Vincent Pedre

• Instagram: @DoctorPedre
• Books:
  • Gut Smart Protocol
  • Happy Gut
    (Available on Amazon or wherever books are sold)
• Coffee: happygutcoffee.com

Final Thoughts

This episode stands as a true masterclass on the interconnections between gut health, mitochondrial vitality, emotional state, breathwork, and cutting-edge nutrition. Dr. Pedre leaves the audience not just with knowledge, but with encouragement: to question, to experiment, and to optimize their health at the cellular level—for a longer, richer, and happier life.