Health news with an evidence check
Health and longevity claims, checked against the actual studies. Every claim gets a grade: human or animal, how many people, randomized or not.
Magnesium Glycinate Does Help You Sleep, a Little
In the largest trial, 250 mg of magnesium glycinate at bedtime eased a poor-sleep score more than a dummy capsule. The gain was small, in one 4-week study.
One SS-31 peptide infusion lifted older muscle's energy capacity
One SS-31 infusion raised muscle energy capacity 27%, against 12% on placebo, in 39 older adults. The lead faded by day 7, and daily shots missed in bigger trials.
Creatine Caused No Hair Loss in the Only Trial to Check
Men on 5 g of creatine a day kept their hair and DHT level for 12 weeks, matching placebo. The trial had just 37 men, and it needs repeating.
Thymosin alpha-1 halved hepatitis B deaths in 3 trials
A 2026 Cochrane review of 10 randomized trials in 1,349 people found about half as many deaths on thymosin alpha-1, and fewer side effects. Certainty is very low.
KPV peptide: its close cousin doubled early colitis remission
In a trial of 168 people with colitis, KdPT, a near-twin of KPV, about doubled remission at 2 and 4 weeks. No study has given KPV itself to a person.
Spermidine Foods: The Diet Linked to a Longer Life
In 829 Italians followed for 20 years, those who ate the most spermidine died less often. The food has that data; the pills have small, mostly flat trials.
Selank and semax: the calm spray outlasted a benzodiazepine
In a Russian trial of 60 people, more selank users than benzodiazepine users still felt calm a week after the last dose. Semax for focus is untested.
Boron raised free testosterone 28% in a week, in 8 men
In 8 men, 10 mg of boron a day raised free testosterone 28% in a week. SHBG barely moved, and the one randomized trial in men found no change.
COVID and flu wake sleeping cancer cells in mice. And in people?
In a 2025 Nature study, flu and COVID woke dormant breast cancer cells in mouse lungs. In people, COVID records only hint at it, and flu is unstudied.
Epitalon lengthened telomeres in human cells in a dish
In a 2025 lab study, epitalon raised telomerase up to 26-fold in normal human cells. No study has measured telomeres or aging in a person taking it.
At the molecular level, your fast starts on day 3
In 12 people on a 7-day water fast, changed blood proteins went from 6 on day 1 to 390 on day 7, the jump after day 3. Most were back 3 days after eating.
PT-141 (Vyleesi) raised women's desire in two big trials
In two trials of 1,267 premenopausal women, 58% felt PT-141 helped, against 36% on placebo. 40% had nausea, and men were not in the trials.
MOTS-c peptide doubled how far old mice could run
MOTS-c, a peptide muscles make during exercise, let old mice run 2.16 times as far. No published trial has given MOTS-c itself to a person yet.
Collagen for knee arthritis: less pain in 25 trials
In 25 trials with 2,856 people, collagen eased arthritis pain about 9 points out of 100. That is enough to feel, with no more side effects than a dummy.
Melanotan II's tested cousin raised melanin 41% in fair skin
In a randomized trial of 79 adults, the tested melanotan drug raised melanin 41% in skin that burns easily. Melanotan II was tried for tanning in 3 men.
Morning coffee drinkers: 29% fewer deaths at 2-3 cups
In 40,725 US adults, 2 to 3 cups before noon went with 29% fewer deaths over 10 years. In a trial, a daily cup cut heart-rhythm relapses by 39%.
Delicious natto: 25% fewer heart and stroke deaths
In 122,000 Japanese adults, natto eaters had a quarter fewer heart and stroke deaths. Its K2 slowed artery calcium; nattokinase pills did not.
Processed almonds vs whole: 47% more calories
In a USDA feeding trial, 42 g of raw whole almonds gave the body 186 calories; the same almonds as butter gave 274. Intact cell walls keep the fat locked in.
Peptides for weight loss: three approved ones cut 8% to 21%
Wegovy, Zepbound and Saxenda cut body weight 8% to 21% in large randomized trials. Retatrutide and research-only vials are not approved.
Training: 1x/week or 3x/week? Which is better?
In 16 trials with 380 people, muscle grew the same whether its weekly sets came in 1, 2 or 3 sessions. What Jeff Nippard and Andy Galpin said, checked.
Biological age tests compared: a blood panel rivals $499 kits
A clock built from routine checkup results predicted death better than the best DNA clock in 1,065 adults. Our guide grades 11 kinds of test, with prices by country.
Five foods fixed a fast food day better than a multivitamin
A fast food day got 13% of its vitamin C. Five whole foods fixed 9 of its 11 gaps; a multivitamin fixed 4 and pushed zinc to its upper limit.
One dose of creatine sharpened memory after a sleepless night
After 21 hours awake, one big dose of creatine raised word memory 10.3% and thinking speed up to 29% over placebo. Rested young adults gained little.
NMN made aging muscle 25% more responsive to insulin
David Sinclair takes a gram of NMN a day. In a 10-week trial in 25 women with prediabetes, 250 mg a day made their muscle 25% more responsive to insulin.
One day of ordinary food met every nutrient target
Three ordinary meals met every vitamin, mineral and amino acid target with no pill. Salmon, eggs, one Brazil nut and weekly liver did the hardest work.
Rotator cuff exercises kept most people off the surgery list
People on a shoulder surgery waiting list did 12 weeks of rotator cuff strengthening. 35% chose surgery within 10 years, against 65% on gentle exercises.
Replacing a narrowed heart valve early halved hospital stays
In four randomized trials of 1,427 people with severe aortic stenosis and no symptoms, an early new valve cut unplanned heart hospital stays from 32% to 15%.
CGM for type 2 diabetes not on insulin cut A1c 0.9 points
In 283 adults with type 2 diabetes not on insulin, a glucose sensor cut HbA1c 0.9 points more than usual care. Both groups had the same doctor visits.
Creatine didn't harm kidneys when filtering was measured directly
Creatine raises creatinine on blood tests, so kidneys look worse. In 5 trials that measured filtering directly with a tracer, creatine caused no drop.
Berberine lowers blood sugar in type 2 diabetes trials
In a trial of 409 people with new type 2 diabetes, berberine cut HbA1c 0.4 points more than placebo in 12 weeks. In people without diabetes it did little.
A GHK-Cu serum cut wrinkle volume more than plain serum
In an 8-week split-face trial of 40 women, a copper peptide serum shrank wrinkle volume by 24% against 15% without it. Injections have never been tested.
In deep sleep, fluid pulses through your brain every 20 seconds
Brain scans of sleeping adults show waves of fluid about every 20 seconds, timed to slow brain waves. Small human studies suggest sleep clears more waste.
TB-500's parent protein healed 6 of 10 stubborn eye wounds
Thymosin beta-4 eye drops healed 6 of 10 eye wounds against 1 of 8 on placebo in a small trial. TB-500, the fragment sold for injuries, was never tested in people.
The best biological age clocks predicted death in 18,859 people
In 18,859 Scottish adults followed 10 years, the newest DNA aging clock was linked to 37 diseases and higher death risk. One home reading still swings by years.
In a 410-person Parkinson's trial, placebo beat NAD booster NR
In the NOPARK trial, 410 people with early Parkinson's took 1,000 mg of NR or a placebo daily for a year. Blood NAD rose, but symptoms ended slightly worse.
Donor gut bacteria cured 81% of a stubborn gut infection
A gut bacteria transplant cured 81% of people with a recurring gut infection, against 31% on antibiotics, and is now FDA-approved. We rank nine more gut claims.
Kids moved 45 more minutes a day when screens were put away
In a Danish trial of 181 children, two weeks of almost no leisure screen time added 46 active minutes a day and better behavior. No trial has run longer.
Two minutes of sprinting a week can raise your VO2 max about 8%
A 2026 review of 93 trials found all-out bike sprints raised VO2 max 8.3% in 2 to 12 weeks in untrained adults. Two or three sprints per session were enough.
Creatine: over 1 kg more lean mass with lifting, at any age
Pooled trials find creatine adds 1.1 to 1.4 kg of lean mass on top of lifting, in adults under and over 50. Whether it works without exercise is disputed.
AOD-9604 added under 1 kg of weight loss in a 502-person trial
502 adults took an AOD-9604 tablet or a placebo daily for 24 weeks and lost about the same weight. The injection sold today has never had a human trial.
MK-677 (ibutamoren) kept growth hormone young for a year
In a year-long trial of 65 adults aged 60 to 81, MK-677 raised growth hormone 1.8-fold and added about 6 pounds, but strength did not change and blood sugar rose.
Pinealon restored brain-cell connections in mice bred to get Alzheimer's
Pinealon's best study is in mice: two months of shots restored 11% of lost nerve-cell connections. No study has measured its effect on sleep.
Six months of sermorelin left older adults sleeping and lifting the same
In the one placebo-controlled trial, 89 adults aged 60 to 85 took sermorelin for 6 months. Growth hormone doubled and thinking tests rose slightly; strength did not.
Does ipamorelin work? It raises growth hormone for a few hours
One dose of ipamorelin raised growth hormone in healthy men for under 6 hours. Its patient trials showed no clear benefit, and clinic shots have no published study.
CJC-1295's only human evidence is a hormone blood test
One CJC-1295 shot raised growth hormone 2 to 10 times for a week in healthy adults. Its only patient trial stopped in 2006, and clinic versions are untested.
Tesamorelin for belly fat: deep fat fell about 15% in trials
In two trials of 806 people with HIV, daily tesamorelin cut the fat around the organs by about 15% in six months. The fat came back within six months of stopping.
The best peptides in 2026, ranked by human evidence
Tirzepatide took off 20.9% of body weight in 2,539 adults. We ranked 23 peptides by human trials: 6 work for one use, 9 were never tested for theirs.
Foundayo and the Wegovy pill cut weight 11% to 14% in trials
In trials, the daily pills Foundayo (orforglipron) and the Wegovy pill cut weight 11% to 14%. People who switched from a shot to the pill kept most of their loss.
Retatrutide cut body weight by a quarter in its big trial
In a 2,339-person trial, retatrutide's top dose cut weight by 25% on average, or 28% for those who stayed on it. It hasn't been tested head to head with tirzepatide.
BPC-157 isn't the next Ozempic
GLP-1 peptides cut weight 15% to 28% in big trials. BPC-157 sped healing in rats, but only 31 people have tried it, none against a placebo.
Four of Siim Land's five health levers are backed by studies
Trials back four of Siim Land's five health levers: losing belly fat, cardio fitness, more fiber and enough sleep. Eating less protein to live longer rests on mice.
Hormone replacement therapy helps women under 60
Hot flashes fell about 75% and fractures a quarter in trials. Started before 60, the risks are small, and patches and gels weren't linked to more clots.
Urolithin A (Mitopure) made tired muscles last longer in trials
In small human trials, urolithin A (sold as Mitopure) made muscles last longer and hamstrings 12% stronger. The heart benefit has been shown only in mice.
TRT and heart attacks: no rise in 5,204 high-risk men
In a trial of 5,204 high-risk men with low testosterone, the gel caused no more heart attacks or strokes than placebo. Irregular heartbeat and lung clots rose.
For building muscle, 1.6 grams of protein per kilo holds up at every age
Across 49 randomized trials, extra protein added muscle to weight training up to about 1.6 g per kilo a day, and helped people keep muscle while losing weight.
Galleri test: screening found 4 times as many cancers
In the NHS-Galleri trial of 142,000 people, a yearly blood test found 4 times as many cancers and cut stage 4 cases. It is not yet shown to save lives.
Muscle loss on Ozempic matches any other diet
The claim that 40% of GLP-1 weight loss is muscle mixes up muscle with lean mass. Trial scans show the drugs cost about as much muscle as any weight loss.
On a glucose monitor, a brief spike after oatmeal is normal
On a glucose monitor (CGM), the same meal eaten twice can read as differently as two different meals, so one spike can't judge a food. Brief rises are normal.
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