Category

Medications, Supplements & Other Treatments

In our practice, we organize longevity tactics into five domains — one of which I call ‘exogenous molecules,’ a fancy way of talking about medications, supplements, hormones, or any other formulated molecule you put into your body. Although powerful, this tactic can be challenging to discuss as it is highly individual. So instead of telling you to “take X” or “never take Y,” I find it more beneficial to approach this tactic with a 3-part framework:

(1) What is the objective? The more clearly you can define your objective, the more clearly you can assess if this is the right tool for accomplishing that objective

(2) Is there a biomarker? How do you plan to customize, track, and adjust your treatment over time? If there is no biomarker to monitor as a measure of effectiveness, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the supplement or medication; it just means you may need to be more intentional around monitoring results in other ways.

(3) Does the risk outweigh the reward? Everyone has a different tolerance for risk. Some questions to consider when weighing risk vs. reward: What is the mechanism of action? How many patient years of use exist? What are the short-term and long-term risks of taking the medication? What are the risks of not taking the medication?

Below is a collection of past content discussing some common supplements, medications, and other treatments.

#246 – AMA #45: Pros and cons of GLP-1 weight loss drugs and metformin as a geroprotective agent

“The thing that concerns me the most with these drugs. . .is this drive towards sarcopenia.” —Peter Attia

A recent metformin study casts doubts on longevity indications

A new retrospective study contradicts previous evidence of metformin’s potential effects on lifespan extension in a general population, but for real answers, randomized trials are needed.

#243 ‒ The fentanyl crisis and why everyone should be paying attention | Anthony Hipolito

“Six out of every ten illicit counterfeit pills have enough fentanyl to kill somebody. So if we can take ten pills off the street, we’re potentially saving six lives.” —Anthony Hipolito

Lean mass loss on GLP-1 receptor agonists: a downside of the “miracle drugs”

Clinical trials have generated impressive data on the effects of GLP-1 agonists on body weight and BMI, but how do these drugs perform in terms of body composition?

cancer mrna vaccine

Antitumor mRNA vaccines are cause for optimism

Moderna recently announced preliminary results of a clinical trial involving a personalized antitumor mRNA vaccine, and despite the knee-jerk uproar, the treatment may prove to be another useful weapon in the battle against cancer

NR supplements: wasted money may not be the only risk with these questionable “anti-aging” drugs

A new study links NR supplementation with accelerated cancer progression in mice.

#220 ‒ Ketamine: Benefits, risks, and promising therapeutic potential | Celia Morgan, Ph.D.

“You could time your psychological therapy when your brain is most plastic, most able to learn new things.” —Celia Morgan

The five main tools for managing blood glucose numbers

This clip is from AMA #26: Continuous glucose monitors, zone 2 training, and a framework for interventions, originally released on…

Vitamin D(éjà vu): new study, same old problems

For vitamin D supplementation to have any effect relative to placebo, it needs to be increasing the body’s supply of vitamin D, and if it doesn’t, then the treatment and placebo groups are effectively identical. So did the researchers achieve a difference in vitamin D levels over the course of the study?

Can cocoa help prevent cardiovascular death?

A recent study explored whether supplementation with the beneficial compounds in cocoa could have a clinically-relevant effect on ASCVD.

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