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Andrew Huberman
Jan 9, 2023
74 protocols
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Developing a Rational Approach to Supplementation for Health & Performance | Huberman Lab Podcast
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Behaviors
Exercise
“So things like viewing morning sunlight and exercise are behavioral tools.”
3:58 ·
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In this episode
74 protocols
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3:58
Exercise
Behaviors
“So things like viewing morning sunlight and exercise are behavioral tools.”
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3:58
Morning Sunlight Exposure
Behaviors
“So things like viewing morning sunlight and exercise are behavioral tools. ... Getting morning sunlight increases cortisol levels.”
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4:12
Avoid Bright Light Exposure at Night
Behaviors
“such as avoiding bright light exposure to your eyes between the hours of 10 PM and 4 AM”
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4:17
Avoid Late-Day Caffeine
Behaviors
“or avoiding caffeine too late in the afternoon, because even if you can fall asleep after ingesting caffeine in the late afternoon, we know it disrupts the architecture of your sleep”
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18:22
Intermittent Fasting
Behaviors
“for instance, if you're somebody that practices intermittent fasting or other components of fasting... well, then taking a supplement that can act as an insurance policy against any vitamin and mineral deficiencies in many ways can be advantageous.”
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22:51
Vitamin and Mineral Supplement
Supplements
“well then a vitamin mineral supplement likely makes sense for them. However, it's going to be very important to ingest that vitamin mineral supplement with food and ideally early in the day.”
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22:54
Take Vitamin/Mineral Supplements With Food Early in the Day
Behaviors
“it's going to be very important to ingest that vitamin mineral supplement with food and ideally early in the day.”
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23:42
Avoid Excessively High Vitamin/Mineral Doses
Behaviors
“you don't want to take dosages of vitamins and minerals from supplements that are exceedingly high.”
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24:16
Eat 75–80% of Foods From Non-Processed or Minimally Processed Sources
Diet
“the key thing is to get most, that is about 75 to 80% of your foods or more from non-processed or minimally processed sources.”
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24:26
Avoid Highly Processed Foods
Diet
“I think there is agreement across the board that most people should avoid highly processed foods.”
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25:43
Papaya or Pineapple for Digestive Enzymes
Diet
“for instance, eating a bit of papaya or even a little bit of pineapple can assist in the digestion of certain aspects of macronutrients”
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27:25
Ashwagandha
Supplements
“these could be things like herbs, like ashwagandha, that are designed to reduce cortisol levels. ... it is important that with certain hormones like ashwagandha that you don't take them for more than two weeks at a time at high dosages.”
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31:04
Low-Sugar Fermented Foods
Diet
“And work from Justin Sonnenberg's lab... have shown that if people ingest four or five different kinds of foods, four servings a day of these low sugar fermented foods, it greatly improves the function of the gut microbiome”
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31:42
Prebiotic Fiber
Diet
“Hopefully they're getting enough fiber, especially prebiotic fiber, which is one other way to support the gut microbiome.”
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33:45
Refrigerated Probiotic/Prebiotic Capsules
Tools
“The best ones are going to be refrigerated or require refrigeration”
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33:54
Refrigerated Pickles With Brine
Diet
“pickles are a low sugar fermented food that can support the gut microbiome. But if you're buying pickles from the section of the grocery store where the pickles are not refrigerated, well, then you're not going to get the gut microbiome supporting effects from those pickles.”
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34:41
Prebiotics
Supplements
“one of the key categories of foundational supplements are supplements that create support for the microbiome through prebiotics or probiotics. ... my suggestion is that if people are going to take supplements to support the microbiome, that those supplements include low enough levels, that is small enough amounts of prebiotics and probiotics”
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34:41
Probiotics
Supplements
“one of the key categories of foundational supplements are supplements that create support for the microbiome through prebiotics or probiotics. Again, they tend to be the refrigerated varieties are the ones that are actually going to work.”
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39:54
Broad-Spectrum Foundational Supplement
Supplements
“assuming that somebody is able to spend about $100 or more on supplements per month, then my recommendation is that they not focus on any specific supplements directed towards sleep or toward focus or hormone augmentation, but rather that they focus on buffering and enhancing their foundational nutrition, adaptogens, probiotics, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes”
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46:22
Nap Strategically
Behaviors
“it's perfectly normal to require anywhere from a 10 minute to a 90 minute nap in the afternoon for some people. ... provided that they're early enough in the day, if you take a nap and you are still able to fall asleep at night, then naps are fine for you.”
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47:35
Avoid Food Within Two Hours of Bedtime
Behaviors
“The second thing is most people would do well to avoid food within the two hours prior to bedtime. But of course, you don't want to be so hungry that you can't fall asleep.”
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48:54
Myo-Inositol
Supplements
“The first is myo-inositol typically taken as 900 milligrams of myo-inositol. Myo-inositol can help shorten the amount of time that it takes to fall back asleep if you wake up in the middle of the night”
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50:05
Theanine
Supplements
“theanine, which typically is taken in dosages anywhere from 100 milligrams to 400 milligrams, depending on body weight and experience and what you find to be most effective for you, minimally effective for you.”
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50:29
Avoid Theanine if You Have Excessively Vivid Dreams
Behaviors
“some people who wake up in the middle of the night, so jolted mentally and physically out of sleep because of their intense dreams would do well to avoid theanine supplementation.”
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51:08
Magnesium Threonate
Supplements
“those are magnesium threonate, which is interchangeable with magnesium bisglycinate. Magnesium bisglycinate and magnesium threonate both have transporter systems that allow them to readily cross the blood brain barrier.”
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51:14
Magnesium Bisglycinate
Supplements
“Magnesium bisglycinate and magnesium threonate both have transporter systems that allow them to readily cross the blood brain barrier. And they lead to a mild form of drowsiness”
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51:58
Apigenin
Supplements
“the other supplement is apigenin... Apigenin, which is a derivative of chamomile... also acts as a bit of a anxiety lowering compound, which is essential prior to sleep”
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52:45
Systematically Test Sleep Supplements One at a Time
Behaviors
“you could try one, for instance, magnesium threonate and try it for perhaps a week... Or you could try apigenin in the first week... If neither works for you, I do recommend trying the combination together.”
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56:06
Melatonin
Supplements
“I am not a fan of melatonin for a couple of reasons. Melatonin is a hormone known to induce sleepiness, but not keep us asleep... It can be useful for jet lag and for occasional use”
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57:01
Use Melatonin Only Occasionally
Behaviors
“It can be useful for jet lag and for occasional use”
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1:00:39
Take a Night Off Sleep Supplements Periodically
Behaviors
“what I recommend is that every two weeks or so, maybe every month or so, take one night off completely from all your sleep supplements or leave out one sleep supplement.”
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1:05:06
Eat Adequate Calories From High-Quality Sources
Diet
“if you are not getting adequate calories from high quality sources, hormones like testosterone and estrogen will suffer.”
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1:07:24
Cardiovascular Exercise
Behaviors
“getting strenuous exercise in the form of both cardiovascular exercise”
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1:07:28
Resistance Training
Behaviors
“but also relatively short, meaning an hour or less bouts of intense resistance training a few times per week can also dramatically alter hormone profiles.”
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1:09:25
Shilajit
Supplements
“There are certain supplements, things like Shilajit, for instance... which is known to, for instance, increase things like FSH, follicle-stimulating hormone... So things like Shilajit can indeed augment multiple hormones”
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1:11:11
L-Carnitine
Supplements
“things for instance, like L-carnitine... it can indeed improve sperm motility and quality and egg quality. So it's a pro-fertile compound”
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1:11:48
Maca Root
Supplements
“root can increase libido. It's found to be particularly effective in women, but in men as well. And in all people who are suffering from lowered libido due to intake of SSRIs, selective”
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1:13:10
Prioritize Quality Sleep
Behaviors
“First of all, the best way to augment growth hormone is to get quality sleep, especially the sleep that occurs in the first three or four hours of the night is when growth hormone is released.”
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1:13:38
Avoid Alcohol Before Bed
Behaviors
“avoiding alcohol and cannabis is going to facilitate growth hormone release in the first hours of sleep.”
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1:13:38
Avoid Cannabis Before Bed
Behaviors
“avoiding alcohol and cannabis is going to facilitate growth hormone release in the first hours of sleep.”
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1:14:22
Avoid Extended Fasts Specifically to Raise Growth Hormone
Behaviors
“extended fast specifically for the purpose of increasing growth hormone are not really logical when you look at the broader effects of extended fast.”
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1:14:57
Arginine
Supplements
“There is some idea that arginine supplementation prior to bedtime can further elevate levels of growth hormone, especially when fasted. That literature is rather weak”
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1:17:39
Fadogia Agrestis
Supplements
“are things like Fidogia agrestis... when taken at dosages of 600 milligrams per day, many people, not all report elevated levels of libido, elevated sperm production, elevated testosterone... stay within the recommended dosage ranges. You can go lower, but certainly don't go higher.”
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1:18:32
Cycle Fadogia Agrestis
Behaviors
“Some people need to cycle it eight weeks on, two weeks off. Other people opt for 12 weeks on, a month off.”
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1:19:24
Blood Test
Tools
“There is simply no better tool to evaluate whether or not these supplements are working to support your hormones in the ways that you want and not causing issues except to take a blood test.”
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1:20:12
Get Blood Tests Before and After Hormone Supplements
Behaviors
“I recommend taking them before adding in any supplement to decrease hormones of any kind or decrease hormones of any kind for that matter. And then again, after about four to eight weeks of taking that particular supplement in order to evaluate”
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1:20:51
Start Hormone Supplements at the Minimal Effective Dose
Behaviors
“perhaps consider taking a lower dosage and seeing how that affects your hormones... start with the minimum amount and find the minimal effective dose for you.”
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1:23:29
Tongkat Ali
Supplements
“Tongkat Ali can be beneficial both for men and for women in dosages anywhere from 200 milligrams to 600 milligrams per day. So there, I would say scale according to body size, although start with the minimum amount and find the minimal effective dose for you.”
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1:27:53
Adjust Hormone Supplements Across the Menstrual Cycle
Behaviors
“for women, they should fully expect that certain supplements... would have different effects, maybe even opposite effects, at different phases of the menstrual cycle. ... so that you can titrate the dosage or increase the dosage as the case may be, or cease taking those things entirely at certain phases of your menstrual cycle.”
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1:31:31
Caffeine
Supplements
“The appropriate range in most cases is going to be one to three milligrams per kilogram of body weight taken 30 minutes or so before any kind of mental or physical endeavor.”
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1:31:36
Use Caffeine Strategically Before Performance
Behaviors
“taken 30 minutes or so before any kind of mental or physical endeavor.”
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1:33:33
Avoid Being Too Hungry or Too Full for Focus
Behaviors
“So you don't want to be overly hungry or it's going to be hard to focus”
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1:34:48
Coffee
Diet
“When people hear caffeine, they think, oh, well, I can just drink coffee, and indeed that's a great source of caffeine.”
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1:34:53
Non-Smoked Yerba Mate
Diet
“So is yerba mate. I would caution people... that you avoid the smoked versions of yerba mate. They are carcinogenic... and to consume the non-smoked varieties instead.”
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1:37:20
Yohimbine
Supplements
“there are things like yohimbine and different forms of yohimbine, like alpha yohimbine”
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1:37:49
Alpha Yohimbine
Supplements
“One particular form is called alpha yohimbine... and it's used as a stimulant, often to also promote fat loss and alertness. I have to say that it's a very potent and somewhat precarious supplement.”
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1:39:26
Alpha-GPC
Supplements
“So at dosages of anywhere from 300 to 600 milligrams, people experience heightened levels of focus for sake of mental work or physical work. The half-life of alpha-GPC is about four to six hours, so it's relatively short lasting, although you wouldn't necessarily want to take it right before bed, I don't recommend that.”
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1:40:17
L-Tyrosine
Supplements
“Similarly, 500 milligrams to 1,000 milligrams or somewhere in between, will allow people to be more focused, but doesn't tend to make people feel jittery or overstimulated.”
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1:42:13
Test Cognitive/Focus Supplements Separately Before Combining
Behaviors
“I think it is important to explore them separately if indeed you're going to explore any of them before you would start to combine them in a single formula.”
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1:43:29
Phenylethylamine
Supplements
“I rely on something else for dopamine augmentation, which is phenylethylamine, which is a little bit more short lasting.”
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1:44:18
Fatty Ocean Fish
Diet
“So for instance, fatty ocean fish”
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1:45:11
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Supplements
“I do think that there's a category of supplements that can greatly enhance the probability of offsetting depression... improve metabolic function, cardiovascular function, and also enhance our ability to do focused work. And here I'm referring to the so-called omega-3 essential fatty acids”
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1:47:39
Plant Protein
Supplements
“this would be, for instance, whey proteins or milk proteins or egg proteins or plant proteins.”
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1:47:39
Milk Protein
Supplements
“this would be, for instance, whey proteins or milk proteins or egg proteins or plant proteins.”
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1:47:39
Egg Protein
Supplements
“this would be, for instance, whey proteins or milk proteins or egg proteins or plant proteins.”
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1:48:05
Protein Intake
Diet
“he talks about total protein needs per day. It's about one gram per pound of body weight per day for most people”
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1:48:47
Whey Protein
Supplements
“the fact that whey-based proteins can be very useful for getting to and above a protein threshold for all sorts of reasons, not just for muscle building”
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1:49:08
Branched-Chain Amino Acids
Supplements
“There are, for instance, branched chain amino acids.”
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1:49:10
Green Tea Supplements
Supplements
“There are, for instance, green tea supplements.”
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1:49:38
Get Significant Nutrition From Whole Foods
Diet
“I think that most people would agree that getting some significant fraction of your nutrition from whole foods is going to be useful”
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1:50:44
Avoid Melatonin for Children
Behaviors
“I am personally not a fan of children taking melatonin... and there's a growing body of literature that melatonin supplementation in kids can be potentially harmful.”
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1:51:32
Avoid Hormone-Augmenting Supplements Until After Puberty Unless Physician-Directed
Behaviors
“I would strongly suggest avoiding intake of those things until at least after puberty and probably into the late teens and early 20s”
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1:53:17
Flexibility Training Exercise
Behaviors
“and maybe even flexibility training exercise”
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1:55:48
Use Single-Ingredient Formulations for Targeted Supplementation
Behaviors
“we should really be focusing on single ingredient formulations. ... the single ingredient formulations are going to give you the most power and control.”