How I use supplements for longevity and performance
I was having dinner with some friends a few evenings ago. To the amusement of my fellow dinner companions, after desert I pulled out a Fount pouch and gobbled up a dozen pills in a single mouthful. My friends were curious what the hell I'm doing, so I decided to write a blog post about it.
On a typical day, I take about 40 pills and a half dozen scoops of various types of powdered supplements. I do it because I believe supplements, when done correctly, can boost energy, improve health, enhance performance, and help extend health span.
I've written about my longevity protocol and my blood testing protocol in the past. My longevity philosophy is that I should use data (blood tests, full body MRI, sleep tracking, etc.) to determine what interventions to undertake in order to improve health. And I generally apply four types of interventions: exercise, nutrition, sleep, and supplements. I've written about all but the latter, so today I want to cover my supplements program in detail.
Before we dive in, a disclaimer: This post summarizes my opinion on the topic. I am not a medical professional, and this post is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The content below is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
How I designed my protocol
I don't take supplements at random. My protocol is precisely designed for me, based on my health goals, lifestyle, and most importantly, my blood results.
I do all my blood tests quarterly, and make lifestyle interventions after each new set of tests. I'm happy to report that as of June 2023, my blood results are nearly perfect across all 127 markers at the link above. My process is relatively straightforward:
- Set goals: for me, it's reaching peak performance by the time I'm 40, enhancing mood & energy levels, and preventing chronic diseases long-term.
- Analyze my blood biomarkers and make changes to my protocol based on my results. I try to figure out what supplements I can take in order to improve areas in 1), and always look for supporting evidence in the scientific literature that they do, indeed, work. It's useful to work with a doctor on this, and I work with a fantastic physician at Parsley Health.
- Track daily metrics (mood, athletic performance, sleep, weight, etc.) to ensure the introduction of a new supplement doesn't make things worse short-term, until I do my next batch of blood tests.
- Repeat from 1) every three months.
Does supplementation work?
I'm a big believer in n-of-1 experiments. There's a large body of science showing that supplementation works in addressing a broad range of issues. But unless I try it on myself (while carefully tracking data as if I were part of a trial), I'm not going to introduce a new thing in my permanent program.
I'll give you an example. There is ample evidence that creatine improves health, enables muscle growth, improve aerobic endurance, etc.. But unfortunately, I'm a non-responder to creatine. I've tried it in many forms and on multiple experiments; unfortunately, creatine gives me headaches, decreases my sleep quality, and doesn't seem to have much of an effect on my athletic performance. Bummer.
So before moving onto my supplements list, I want to emphasize that I believe in personalizing every supplement protocol as outlined above. Use the list below as a blueprint, not as a shopping list.
Without further ado - here's my supplements program. Unfortunately I haven't had time to include dosage and brand – I might do that at one point in the future. If you decide to try the things below, though, I recommend Full Script as most of the stuff they carry is high quality.
Morning
| Morning | What for |
|---|---|
| Momentous Whey Protein - 50g | I try to get 160g of protein / day and without supplementation I could never reach the goal |
| UltraClear® RENEW 2 scoops | liver detoxification |
| PaleoFiber Unflavored powder | support proper weight management, glucose levels, and lipid levels |
| AdvaClear® | detoxification |
| Cocoa Flavonols x 1 | cardiovascular health, brain health, anti inflammatory |
| Omega-3 Concentrate x 1 (EPA / DHA) | cardiovascular health, brain health, anti inflammatory, joint health |
| Methyl Balance x 1 | metabolism - DNA synthesis, cell division, cardiovascular health, mood - synthesis of serotonin, dopamine / detoxification |
| L-carnitine x 2 | energy metabolism - helps transport fatty acids to mitocondria for ATP, cardiovascular health, exercise recoveery (reduce damage, soreness), improve cognitive function, improves fertility in men |
| Quercetin x 2 | antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, cardiovascular health, allergy relief, blood sugar regulation, antiviral properties |
| Fisetin | antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, neuroprotection - might protect against Alzheimer's / Parkinson's; anti-aging - activates sirutin pathway / inhibits mTOR, senolytic, cancer prevention, cardiovascular health |
Lunch
| Lunch | What for |
|---|---|
| Cocoa Flavonols x 1 | cardiovascular health, brain health, anti inflammatory |
| Curcumin x 1 | anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cancer prevention, heart health, prevents oxidation of LDL, helps with depression / anxiety |
| Omega-3 Concentrate x 1 | cardiovascular health, brain health, anti inflammatory, joint health |
| Maca Extract x 1 | energy / endurance, hormone balance, sexual function (libido), modod and mental well-being, antioxidant, cognitive function |
| Mag Citrate x 1 | digestion, muscle / nerve function, heart health, bone health, sleep / relaxation, blood sugar control |
| K1 K2 x 1 | bone health, blood clotting (coagulation) |
| Vitamin D-1000 x 1 | calcium absorption and bone health, immune system, muscle function, cardiovascular health, mood regulation / brain function, diabetes prevention (improves insulin sensitivity) |
| Ubiquinol-QH 100mg (PUR) x 1 | I take a statin, and statins can deplete the body's natural levels of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an antioxidant that is important for energy production in cells, particularly in the heart |
| Biotin / B7 x 1 | hair, skin, nail health, nervous system function (myelin maintenance) |
| Lysine x 1 | essential amino acid that the body can't produce; protein synthesis, calcium absorption, collagen production, immune support, anxiety reduction |
Dinner
| Dinner | What for |
|---|---|
| Omega-3 Concentrate x 1 | cardiovascular health, brain health, anti inflammatory, joint health |
| L-Carnitine x 2 | energy metabolism - helps transport fatty acids to mitocondria for ATP, cardiovascular health, exercise recoveery (reduce damage, soreness), improve cognitive function, improves fertility in men |
| Quercetin x 2 | antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, cardiovascular health, allergy relief, blood sugar regulation, antiviral properties |
| Tart Cherry Extract x 1 | anti-inflammatory & pain relief, exercise recovery, sleep improvement, heart health, antioxidant |
| Rosuvastatin Calcium x 1 RX | high LDL and ApoB |
| L-glutamine | muscle recovery, gut health, immune system support, brain health, antioxidant, blood sugar regulation |
| Zinc Balance x 1 | last blood tests showed slight zinc defficiency. cellular metabolism, including immune function, wound healing, and protein synthesis. |
| NAC (n-acetyl-l-cysteine) 600 mg x 1 | precursor to the antioxidant glutathione, thus offering potential antioxidant support to the body, useful for respiratory health, and liver detoxification. |
Pre-bed
| Pre-bed | What for |
|---|---|
| Glycine x 5 | sleep quality, mood enhancer, antioxidant, collagen synthesis creatine synthesis |
| Mag Citrate x 3 | digestion, muscle / nerve function, heart health, bone health, sleep / relaxation, blood sugar control |
| Melatonin x 2mg | sleep regulation |
| Magnesium L-Threonate | (to replace Melatonin at one point) |
This looks like a lot, and it takes a little while getting used to. Once you do, however, it becomes pretty straightforward. And it works. For me, supplements (and RX medication such as statins) have helped get my blood biomarkers in optimal position, improve mood, energy, focus, and performance. It's not all about the supplements, obviously, but when taken together with a good diet, a rigorous workout routine, and good sleep, they're pretty effective.
Top 10
The best way I've found to create a personalized supplements protocol is to have a core list, and then experiment around the core list to optimize certain biomarkers. If I were to choose 10 supplements that I think anyone should take, I'd go for these:
| Top 10 | What for |
|---|---|
| Momentous Whey Protein - 50g | I try to get 160g of protein / day and without supplementation I could never reach the goal |
| Omega-3 Concentrate x 1 (EPA / DHA) | cardiovascular health, brain health, anti inflammatory, joint health |
| Methyl Balance | metabolism - DNA synthesis, cell division, cardiovascular health, mood - synthesis of serotonin, dopamine / detoxification |
| Cocoa Flavonols x 1 | cardiovascular health, brain health, anti inflammatory |
| K1 K2 x 1 | bone health, blood clotting (coagulation) |
| D-1000 x 1 | calcium absorption and bone health, immune system, muscle function, cardiovascular health, mood regulation / brain function, diabetes prevention (improves insulin sensitivity) |
| Ubiquinol-QH 100mg (PUR) x 1 | Especially for those who take statins |
| Glycine x 5 | sleep quality, mood enhancer, antioxidant, collagen synthesis creatine synthesis |
| Mag Citrate x 3 | digestion, muscle / nerve function, heart health, bone health, sleep / relaxation, blood sugar control |
| Melatonin x 2mg | sleep regulation |
Finally, I have found it very useful to keep track of all my supplements in a spreadsheet so I can see what changes I've made over time. Whenever I make a change, I create a new sheet and mark the changes and the date (poor man's git for supplements :) ). As with all my other guides, I've put together a template for you here.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email or DM me on Twitter.