The hottest Longevity Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Health & Wellness Topics

The Flawed V02 Max Craze

Ground Truths • 14084 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and VO2max are not the same: CRF is estimated in METs from real-world or treadmill tests, while true VO2max requires a lab gas-exchange test and smartwatch VO2 estimates are indirect and often inaccurate.
  2. Nearly all the evidence linking fitness to lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality is based on CRF/METs, with about a 14–15% reduction in mortality risk per 1-MET improvement, not on wearable or routinely measured VO2max.
  3. For most people, don’t obsess over smartwatch VO2 numbers; prioritize increasing real-world activity, improving METs and muscle strength, and reserve lab VO2max testing for elite athletes or specific clinical cases, since AI and apps can amplify misleading wearable data.

The trouble with remission

Trevor Klee’s Newsletter • 1567 implied HN points • 29 Dec 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Modern medicine often treats each disease separately and can produce remissions, but that piecemeal care can leave older people on a steady, downward health trajectory.
  2. Repeated lifesaving treatments can prolong life without restoring prior function or quality, resulting in chronic frailty and heavily medicalized lives.
  3. Healthcare should prioritize fixing underlying causes of aging and reward true healthspan improvements, which means agreeing on what 'longevity' means and finding reliable biomarkers and trial designs.

The Three Nutrients You Need More Of on a High-Protein Diet

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 3474 implied HN points • 03 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. A high-protein diet is essential for muscle health and weight loss, as it helps maintain lean mass during weight loss.
  2. The amount of protein needed to preserve lean mass during weight loss is higher than the standard recommendation, with around 1.3 grams per kilogram being favored.
  3. High levels of protein in the diet can stress the body's requirements for certain vitamins and minerals, leading to various health issues like poor sleep, anxiety, and skin problems.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #178

Not Boring by Packy McCormick • 188 implied HN points • 30 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Longevity
  1. Brain-computer interfaces have moved from lab demos to real-world use, with implanted devices letting people with paralysis control computers and achieve information transfer rates rivaling a mouse.
  2. Biotech is making bold strides: a three-drug combo eliminated pancreatic tumors in mice, and the first human trial of partial cellular reprogramming to reverse age-related damage has begun in the eye.
  3. AI is unlocking new scientific and creative frontiers—models like AlphaGenome can read regulatory DNA to predict variant effects, while Project Genie can generate playable virtual worlds from simple prompts.

Does CoQ10 Deserve a Spot on Your Longevity Plan?

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 1517 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. CoQ10 supplementation offers various health benefits like improved fertility, blood glucose control, and decreased cardiovascular risks.
  2. The dosage of CoQ10 needs to be carefully personalized as different individuals have varying needs and responses to the supplement.
  3. There are contrasting results on the effects of CoQ10 at different doses, highlighting the importance of determining the right dose and the necessity of using CoQ10 for each person.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Lithium Orotate for Dementia & Depression

Neuro Athletics • 22 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Brain aging isn’t just about passive “gunk” building up; it’s framed as a metabolic crisis where that buildup is robbing neurons of things they need.
  2. A Harvard study reportedly found that lithium is being hijacked inside the brain, leaving neurons starved of this essential mineral.
  3. A specific over-the-counter form, lithium orotate, can supposedly bypass the trap and reach brain cells, and human clinical trials are cited suggesting lithium can slow or sometimes halt cognitive decline.

I am aging at only 2/3 the normal rate!

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 1358 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. The individual shared exciting results from the DunedinPACE aging test, showing they are aging at 2/3 the normal rate.
  2. The DunedinPACE aging clock is considered highly reliable compared to other available options, and is the clock used for the Rejuvenation Olympics.
  3. To achieve top rankings in the aging test leaderboards, multiple tests over six months are required, and the individual plans to provide more detailed analysis of their results.

NMN Probably Won't Make You Live Forever

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 1298 implied HN points • 24 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. The new research challenges the belief that supplements like NMN can significantly extend lifespan. High levels of 4PY, a niacin metabolite, were linked to increased cardiovascular inflammation and risk of early death.
  2. Limit niacin supplements to 250 milligrams per day for safety, and focus on meeting nutrient needs through a balanced diet to support NAD+ production.
  3. The study provides important insights on the potential risks of high-dose niacin supplements, highlighting the importance of moderation in supplementation and the need for more research in this area.

Menopausal Hormone Therapy

The Vajenda • 2476 implied HN points • 19 Jun 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Menopausal hormone therapy has both benefits and risks, and it's important for individuals to have accurate information to make informed decisions.
  2. Prioritize exercise, a healthy diet, and not smoking for overall health during menopause.
  3. Menopausal hormone therapy involves prescribing estrogen or progesterone to alleviate symptoms, and progestogen is essential for those taking estrogen to protect against uterine issues.

Alcohol’s SURPRISING Role in Your Health and Longevity

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 1397 implied HN points • 12 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Alcohol may have surprising health benefits in moderation, with up to one drink per day associated with lower risk of heart disease and all-cause mortality.
  2. Observational data suggest that 0.3-0.5 drinks per day could be the optimal dose for lower risks of diseases like Alzheimer's, diabetes, and chronic pain.
  3. Alcohol might trigger hormetic effects at low doses, potentially improving vitamin A activation and increasing defense against reactive oxygen species.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #174

Not Boring by Packy McCormick • 130 implied HN points • 19 Dec 25
🔬 Science Longevity
  1. Science is developing organ perfusion systems that can keep organs alive outside the body for much longer, which could turn transplants into scheduled procedures, increase usable donations, and enable organ banking or swapping.
  2. Self-experiments with high-dose psilocybin showed rapid improvements in mental health, brain plasticity, metabolic control, and inflammation. These results suggest psychedelics might become part of longevity strategies for some people, though risks remain.
  3. Researchers are 3D-printing tiny helix structures that manipulate terahertz waves, unlocking a hard-to-reach part of the electromagnetic spectrum for telecom, sensing, and even polarization-encoded data. A year-end scientific review also highlights wide-ranging, high-impact advances across many fields, signaling rapid progress.

The 3 things Bryan Johnson is missing from his longevity routine.

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 958 implied HN points • 17 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Eating a highly nutritious diet, maintaining a healthy body composition, and systematically testing nutrient status are impactful habits for longevity that we can all adopt.
  2. Key aspects missing from Bryan Johnson's longevity routine are ranked and sorted genetics, functional markers of nutrient status, and thorough screening for energy metabolism impairments.
  3. It may not be necessary for most people to follow an extreme caloric deficit like Johnson's 25%. Opting for a less drastic approach, along with comprehensive nutrient testing, can be more realistic and beneficial.

Biological Age Clocks: Are They Useful?

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 778 implied HN points • 19 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Biological aging clocks can help us monitor the effects of our health choices on how fast or slow we age.
  2. If biological aging clocks are inaccurate, they can potentially misinform us and lead to unnecessary worry or misguided actions.
  3. Understanding the effectiveness and reliability of biological aging clocks is crucial to prevent irreversible health damage and take proactive steps to reverse any harm.

Anna Savina: Erik Davis on Longevity as a Spiritual Pursuit

Do Not Research • 339 implied HN points • 25 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Longevity
  1. Tech millionaires' interest in longevity is tied to libertarianism, radical views on overcoming limits, and control through technology.
  2. There is a connection between religion and the scientific pursuit of longevity, with religious longings affecting secular viewpoints.
  3. The transhumanist movement embraces the unnatural and questions conventional human limitations, leading to an 'uncanny valley' where prolonging life can feel repulsive.

Unlocking the Power of Longevity

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 619 implied HN points • 15 Nov 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Longevity studies often rely on questionable animal models like worms and jellyfish to draw conclusions, but humans have specific causes of death.
  2. Rather than searching for a universal principle of aging, focusing on preventing the actual causes of death can contribute to a longer and healthier life.
  3. Nutrition played a major role in battling diseases before antibiotics, and prioritizing it over disease-specific pharmaceuticals can be a key to longevity.

The 3 things Bryan Johnson is missing from his longevity routine.

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 499 implied HN points • 17 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Bryan Johnson is dedicated to finding anti-aging strategies and sharing them with the world, even if his methods are extreme.
  2. It's important to seek high-impact actions that can improve longevity without sacrificing important aspects of life like relationships, enjoyment, and financial freedom.
  3. Taking steps to optimize health and longevity sooner rather than later is crucial, as aging processes can accelerate and become irreversible if left unaddressed.

Some ants can choose to live 5x as long

Trevor Klee’s Newsletter • 746 implied HN points • 11 Feb 25
🔬 Science Longevity
  1. Some ants, like Indian jumping ants, can live much longer lives if they become a pseudoqueen. They can live about five times longer than their worker counterparts after winning a duel for queen status.
  2. The lifespan of these ants can actually change based on their circumstances. If a gamergate is placed in a new colony with an active queen, they revert back to being a normal worker with a shorter lifespan.
  3. This interesting case suggests a different relationship between reproduction and lifespan. In these ants, becoming a reproductive figure seems to extend their life instead of shortening it like it does in many other species.

The Wit's Guide to Aging

Get Wit Quick • 452 implied HN points • 18 May 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Aging is a common experience that can be portrayed negatively, but it's something everyone goes through.
  2. Embracing aging and staying healthy is important, even though societal expectations and language around it can be tough.
  3. Growing old can be embraced with humor and a sense of independence, rather than fearing it.

My White Whale

Eat Shit and Prosper • 359 implied HN points • 06 Oct 23
🔬 Science Longevity
  1. Centenarians tend to have unique gut bacteria that could be linked to their long lives. This suggests that what we have in our gut might play a big role in our health.
  2. Certain types of bacteria, particularly a genus called Bacteroides, are important for a strong immune system and may help fight cancer.
  3. One surprising finding is that a specific bacterium called Epulopiscium is found more often in the guts of centenarians, hinting it could be connected to their longevity.

Well Being: Walking to Improve Sexual Health and Satisfaction

Who is Robert Malone • 17 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Regular walking lowers your risk of death and adds years to your life, and even short daily walks (about 10–15 minutes) provide meaningful benefits.
  2. Walking boosts sexual health and satisfaction by improving blood flow, hormones, metabolism, and mood, and can noticeably help erectile function and arousal for both men and women.
  3. Make walking a lasting habit by starting very small, tying walks to existing routines, prioritizing consistency over intensity, and using enjoyable, low-pressure strategies like light tracking or walking with others.

The Next, Episode #47

The Next Brand • 255 implied HN points • 08 Oct 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Blue Zones may not hold all the secrets to longevity, but they highlight the importance of organic food, community, and lifestyle factors in promoting health.
  2. Be cautious of weight loss drugs like Ozempic due to potential serious side effects, and consider the broader impact of medicating issues caused by environment and food.
  3. Support initiatives like the PRIME Act to promote local food systems by enabling farmers to access more affordable butchering options.

Nutrition & Health News This Week

Unsettled Science • 772 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Harvard longevity expert David Sinclair faced challenges in his career due to questions about the science behind his longevity claims for resveratrol, affecting his reputation and leading to his resignation.
  2. Recent dietary guidelines in Germany emphasizing less meat and dairy in favor of grains and vegetables have raised concerns among experts, including questioning the soundness of these plant-based recommendations.
  3. A study using data from the influential Nurses Health Study at Harvard School of Public Health revealed that even those who followed U.S. dietary guidelines on fat consumption still gained weight, shedding doubt on the effectiveness of these dietary recommendations.

Ways Of Flourishing

Adjacent Possible • 379 implied HN points • 25 Oct 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Human life expectancy has greatly improved in the last century, doubling from around 35 years to over 70 years. This shows how much we have advanced in health and longevity.
  2. Flourishing isn't just about living longer; it's about building meaningful connections across generations. These relationships enrich our lives and help transfer knowledge and wisdom.
  3. With the rise of AI, we are facing rapid changes that could compress decades of progress into just a few years. This raises important questions about how we can adapt and ensure positive outcomes for both humans and AI.

Questions on Protein and Longevity, SHBG, and Trouble Hydrating

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 519 implied HN points • 23 Aug 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Cycling between fasting and feeding states may provide benefits similar to protein or calorie restriction for longevity.
  2. Several factors like vitamin K2, insulin sensitivity, thyroid hormone, and fasting physiology influence levels of SHBG.
  3. When salted water doesn't hydrate as effectively as an IV, it might be due to poor salt absorption, which could be helped by consuming glucose, starch, or a meal alongside.

When We Live Beyond 200 Years Old

The Digital Anthropologist • 19 implied HN points • 20 Jun 24
🔬 Science Longevity
  1. Living beyond 200 years poses challenges to existing societal and cultural norms, requiring rethinking of values, education, and social contracts.
  2. Extending human lifespan will impact economic systems, education models, and the concept of identity over a significantly longer period.
  3. Advancements in technology enabling longer lifespans raise questions about governance, immigration, national identity, and the adaptation of sociocultural systems.

The Myth of Stagnation

Extropic Thoughts • 137 implied HN points • 14 Aug 23
🔬 Science Longevity
  1. The claim that longer life leads to boredom and stagnation is a narrow-minded view.
  2. Distinguishing between seeking immortal life and seeking indefinitely long life is crucial.
  3. Humans have the potential to continuously evolve, innovate, and avoid stagnation in the face of limitless possibilities.

5 Ways Sauna Therapy Improves Longevity

Neuro Athletics • 16 implied HN points • 24 Nov 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Frequent sauna bathing (about 4–7 times per week) and longer sessions (roughly 15–30+ minutes) are strongly associated with much lower risks of sudden cardiac death, coronary and cardiovascular mortality, and all‑cause mortality.
  2. High‑frequency sauna use was also linked to large reductions in dementia and Alzheimer’s risk—around a two‑thirds lower risk in the highest‑use group—even after adjusting for many common risk factors.
  3. There are plausible protective mechanisms (exercise‑like cardiovascular effects, better endothelial function, and heat‑shock protein induction) and some trial evidence of added benefits, but the main long‑term data are observational from Finnish men so causation isn’t proven and saunas may not be safe for people with certain heart or blood‑pressure conditions.

Ancestral Health vs. Antagonistic Pleiotropy?

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 319 implied HN points • 23 Jun 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Underestimating the influence of natural selection in promoting longevity in later ages over an extensive period of evolutionary time.
  2. Misconception that adaptations to foods being antagonistically pleiotropic implies the foods themselves are more likely to hurt longevity.
  3. Conflating genetic adaptations to foods with the foods themselves, leading to a faulty conclusion that artificially manipulated foods are more likely to benefit longevity than ancestral foods.

How to Communicate Life Extension Effectively

Extropic Thoughts • 58 implied HN points • 03 Jul 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Communicating life extension effectively requires using ethos, pathos, and logos to support each other.
  2. When discussing life extension, emphasize the desire for life and all it can offer, rather than a fear of death.
  3. Be prepared to address common objections such as boredom, societal impact, entropy, and the idea that life extension is only for the rich.

5 ways to slow aging

10x your mind • 79 implied HN points • 13 Oct 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Slowing aging isn't just about increasing lifespan, it's also about improving healthspan.
  2. Skipping a meal randomly can help reduce calorie intake and potentially increase longevity.
  3. Adopting a Mediterranean diet, quitting added sugars, and making your home junk food free are beneficial for health and longevity.

Future of Gut Health and Longevity( Part 10/11)

Gutsphere - Your Ultimate Guide to Optimal Gut Health • 19 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Longevity
  1. Advancements in microbiome research have uncovered the importance of gut health in overall well-being and disease prevention.
  2. Personalized medicine based on individual microbiome profiles is a promising frontier that could revolutionize healthcare treatments.
  3. Microbiome-based therapies show potential in redefining treatment approaches for various diseases, particularly those common in aging populations.