Cortisol cocktail: what is in it, and can it lower cortisol?
There is no evidence that a “cortisol cocktail” lowers cortisol or treats the effects of stress.
Biohacking
Protocols, regimens and compounds that promise to tune your metabolism. Each one is taken apart by the same rule: what was measured, in how many people, for how long — and what follows for the plate.
Sauna and the heart: what the Finnish cohorts showed and where the link ends and the conjecture begins
The sauna often appears in biohacking not because there are robust trials on it, but because it has a compelling curve from Finnish cohorts: the more often people visited the sauna, the lower their cardiovascular mortality.
Breathing practices: what has been measured in the Wim Hof method, hyperventilation, box breathing, and slow rhythm techniques
The term "breathing practices" usually refers to four different things: slow rhythm, equal phases of inhalation and exhalation, conscious hyperventilation, and the Wim Hof protocol, where breathing is combined with cold exposure and meditation.
Probiotics: why the strain matters more than the word on the label
The label says "lactobacillus.
The "optimization" lab panel: what happens when you test for everything
The logic of "measure first, intervene later" seems flawless and is therefore rarely questioned.
Mitochondria: what lies behind the term "cellular energy" in supplement marketing
Mitochondria are organelles where oxygen and nutrients are converted into ATP.
Autophagy: why the Nobel Prize was awarded and what is being sold based on it
Autophagy is a mechanism by which a cell breaks down its own damaged parts and recycles the material.
Red light and photobiomodulation: where the trials are, and where it's just a lamp
Photobiomodulation is the application of red and near-infrared light.
Biological age: how epigenetic clocks are calculated
A "biological age" test returns a number that can be compared to your chronological age.
Heart rate variability: what the number in your app means
HRV is the variation in the time intervals between heartbeats.
Zone 2: where the trend for slow cardio came from and what comparisons have shown
Zone 2 is an intensity at which you can speak in full sentences and blood lactate levels barely rise.
VO2max: the indicator with the strongest link to mortality
VO2max is the maximum volume of oxygen the body can consume per minute during maximal exertion.
Melatonin: minutes, not hours, and what was found inside the bottles
Melatonin is a hormone that signals the onset of darkness to the body.
Nootropics: what meta-analyses showed in healthy people
The word "nootropic" unites things that have nothing in common except a promise: prescription drugs, plant extracts, amino acids, and B vitamins.
Creatine and the brain: what has been measured outside the gym
Creatine is one of the few sports supplements with a solid evidence base for strength performance.
Magnesium: why blood tests reveal little and what the trials have shown
Magnesium is a substance with a reputation as a universal answer: from calf cramps to anxiety and poor sleep.
Omega-3 index: what the test shows and what supplement trials have revealed
The omega-3 index is the proportion of two fatty acids, EPA and DHA, in red blood cell membranes.
Sleep hygiene: which rules from the list have actually been tested
The list of “sleep hygiene rules” travels from article to article almost unchanged: a dark room, coolness, no coffee after lunch, phone an hour before bed.
The microbiome and food: what a diet actually changes
Gut bacteria respond to a change of diet within days.
Testing it on yourself: telling an effect apart from noise
Trying something on yourself is the only available way to find out whether it works for you specifically.
Adaptogens: ashwagandha, rhodiola and studies with sixty participants
The word adaptogen was coined in the mid-twentieth century for substances said to raise resistance to stress in general, without specifying to what.
Longevity supplements: NMN, resveratrol and what human trials measured
This shelf has the best story of any: a molecule, ageing cells, mice that lived longer.
Cold exposure and brown fat: how many calories an ice bath actually costs
Brown fat is one of the rare cases where the elegant mechanism turns out to be real: the tissue genuinely converts fat into heat, bypassing the usual route.
Caffeine and adenosine: why it works, why it stops, and what to do about it
Caffeine does not supply energy.
Protein and muscle protein synthesis: dose, leucine and the anabolic window
Protein comes with its own arithmetic: thirty grams per meal, a leucine threshold, a window after training.
Glucose spikes after meals: which of the hacks actually flatten them
Consumer glucose sensors turned the post-meal curve into a spectator sport, and a market of tricks grew up around flattening it.
Meal timing and the body clock: why breakfast and midnight are not the same meal
The same plate is not handled the same way at eight in the morning and at midnight.
Biohacking: separating what has been tested from what is being sold
There is no definition of biohacking that two people would both sign.
From reading to doing. All of it starts in one place — knowing what is on the plate. Photograph it and the calories and macros appear on their own.
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This article is for general information. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a prescription for treatment or a diet, and it does not replace a consultation with your doctor. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, take medication, or follow a diet prescribed to you, decisions about food belong with your doctor.
Figures from regulations, guidelines and studies are given as they stood when this article was prepared and may since have changed; check them against the primary sources. This article is not advertising, an offer, or individual advice, and neither the author nor the site owner is responsible for decisions taken on the basis of it.