What does it take to help young athletes perform at their best—not just today, but for decades to come? In this episode of Root Cause Medicine, Dr. Kate Kresge sits down with emergency medicine physician and functional medicine practitioner Dr. Erik Peterson to discuss a whole-person approach to adolescent athletic performance. Drawing from more than 20 years in emergency medicine, his background as a collegiate athlete, and his work caring for young competitors, Dr. Peterson explains why optimizing performance starts with supporting the developing body rather than simply pushing it harder. The conversation explores how nutrition, sleep, recovery, body composition, metabolic health, and resilience influence athletic success during adolescence. Dr. Peterson also shares why he believes healthcare providers, coaches, and parents have an opportunity to improve long-term health by focusing on foundational physiology during these critical developmental years. Beyond sports performance, this episode is also a conversation about the evolution of medicine—from treating illness in the emergency department to helping people stay healthy through proactive, root-cause care. Listen If You... Treat adolescent athletes in your practice Coach youth sports Parent a competitive athlete Work in sports medicine, functional medicine, pediatrics, or primary care Want to better understand the foundations of long-term athletic performance What You'll Learn How Dr. Peterson gets his athletes results using only food, supplements and lifestyle Common mistakes young athletes make when trying to optimize performance Why body composition and metabolic health matter more than weight alone The important role parents and coaches play in creating healthy performance habits Dr. Peterson's journey from emergency medicine physician to functional medicine practitioner Who Is Dr. Erik Peterson? Dr. Erik Peterson is a board-certified emergency medicine physician who has practiced emergency medicine for more than two decades while also leading a precision medicine practice focused on performance optimization, men's health, women's health, and preventive care. A former collegiate athlete, he combines his experience in acute care with evidence-informed lifestyle medicine to help athletes and active individuals optimize health, resilience, and long-term performance. Learn more about his program at https://firstcallperformance.com/ Key Takeaways Performance is Built Outside the Gym: Training is only one part of athletic success. Nutrition, sleep, recovery, stress management, and overall metabolic health create the foundation that allows athletes to adapt and perform. (Mountjoy 2023) (Cunha 2023) Adolescence Is a Critical Opportunity: The teenage years represent an important period for developing healthy habits that influence performance, injury risk, and long-term health. (Blyth 2025) Parents and Coaches Matter: The adults surrounding young athletes often shape their relationship with food, training, recovery, and health. Creating supportive environments can have lasting effects beyond sports. (Baceviciene 2023) Functional Medicine Complements Performance Care: Looking upstream at nutrition, biomarkers, lifestyle, and physiology may help identify opportunities to support athletic performance while promoting long-term wellness. (Haller 2023) Want to elevate your practice? This episode is sponsored by Fullscript , a comprehensive care delivery platform designed to support whole-person, integrative healthcare. Fullscript allows clinicians to streamline supplement dispensing, lab ordering, and patient education in one free, centralized system—helping reduce administrative burden while supporting clinical decision-making. For practitioners, Fullscript offers access to professional-grade supplements, evidence-informed protocols, and lab integrations that can support more efficient planning and follow-up. For patients, it provides a clear, organized way to receive recommendations, manage refills, and stay engaged in their care. The goal is not to replace clinical judgment, but to make it easier for clinicians to focus on what matters most: thoughtful, individualized patient care. Disclaimer: The views expressed on this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of Fullscript or any affiliated organizations. This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice. For your safety, always check with your doctor or healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine. Sources: Baceviciene, M., Jankauskiene, R., & Rutkauskaite, R. (2023). The comparison of disordered eating, body image, sociocultural and coach-related pressures in athletes across age groups and groups of different weight sensitivity in sports. Nutrients, 15 (12), 2724. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/12/2724 Blyth, F., Haycraft, E., Peral-Suarez, A., & Pearson, N. (2025). Tracking and changes in the clustering of physical activity, sedentary behavior, diet, and sleep across childhood and adolescence: A systematic review. Obesity Reviews, 26 (6), e13909. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/obr.13909 Cunha, L. A., Costa, J. A., Marques, E. A., Brito, J., Lastella, M., & Figueiredo, P. (2023). The impact of sleep interventions on athletic performance: A systematic review. Sports Medicine – Open, 9 (1), 58. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10354314/ Haller, N., Behringer, M., Reichel, T., Wahl, P., Simon, P., Krüger, K., Zimmer, P., & Stöggl, T. (2023). Blood-based biomarkers for managing workload in athletes: Considerations and recommendations for evidence-based use of established biomarkers. Sports Medicine, 53 (7), 1315–1333. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37204619/ Mountjoy, M., Ackerman, K. E., Bailey, D. M., Burke, L. M., Constantini, N., Hackney, A. C., Heikura, I. A., Melin, A., Pensgaard, A. M., Stellingwerff, T., Sundgot-Borgen, J. K., Torstveit, M. K., Jacobsen, A. U., Verhagen, E., Budgett, R., Engebretsen, L., & Erdener, U. (2023). 2023 International Olympic Committee's (IOC) consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57 (17), 1073–1097. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37752011/