Developing a Rational Approach to Supplementation for Health & Performance

Huberman Lab

In this episode, I explain how to design a supplementation protocol to support maximum mental and physical health and performance depending on your specific needs, nutrition, lifestyle and finances. When most people hear about “supplements,” they think they are vitamin supplements, but there are many compounds that are powerful and sold over-the-counter that can enhance our health in performance and that can’t be obtained from foods. First, I discuss “foundational” supplements to support overall health, including water and fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, adaptogens, and prebiotics/probiotics. Then I explain how to use single-ingredient supplements to enhance specific aspects of your physiology, such as aiding sleep, cognitive enhancement, and focus supporting healthy hormone levels (e.g., testosterone, estrogen and growth hormone, thyroid). Finally, I explain when it makes sense to add supplements to your lifestyle and discuss how best to use supplements, including how to determine dosage, sourcing, continuous schedules and cycling, and how to layer different supplements most effectively. This episode will explain how to design the safest, most biologically effective, cost-effective supplementation protocol to meet your particular goals and support your overall health, including vitality and longevity.

For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.

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Timestamps

(00:00:00) Supplements

(00:03:38) Hierarchy of Tools/Interventions, Developing a Supplementation Protocol

(00:12:09) Sponsor: LMNT

(00:15:38) Role of Supplements, Foundational Supplements, Water/Fat-Soluble Vitamins

(00:21:07) Supplement Considerations: Cost, Nutrition & Schedule

(00:25:25) Foundational Supplements, Digestive Enzymes, Adaptogens

(00:28:04) Gut Microbiome, Probiotics/Prebiotics & Nutrition

(00:32:09) Sponsor: AG1

(00:33:06) Supplements for Gut Microbiome, Brain Fog

(00:36:44) Adaptogens & Broad-Spectrum Foundational Supplements

(00:38:35) Core Supplement Questions & Meeting Foundational Needs

(00:43:45) Supplements to Support Sleep: Myo-Inositol, Theanine

(00:50:52) Supplements for Falling Asleep: Magnesium Threonate/Bisglycinate, Apigenin

(00:55:55) Melatonin Caution

(00:58:11) Supplement Dependency?, Placebo Effects

(01:03:53) Nutrition & Behavior for Hormone Health

(01:08:59) Hormone Health: Shilajit, Ashwagandha, L-Carnitine, Maca Root

(01:12:48) Growth Hormone: Behaviors, Arginine, Prescriptions

(01:16:04) Testosterone/Estrogen: Fadogia Agrestis; Bloodwork

(01:23:06) Testosterone Supplement: Tongkat Ali, Libido

(01:27:24) Menstrual Cycle, Birth Control & Fertility

(01:30:54) Cognitive Enhancement & Focus, Sleep, Stimulants: Caffeine

(01:36:57) Adrenaline & Stimulants: Yohimbine, Rauwolscine

(01:38:55) Adjusting Neurotransmitters: Alpha-GPC, L-Tyrosine; Layering Supplements

(01:43:58) Cognitive, Mood & Metabolic Support: Omega-3 Fatty Acids

(01:47:25) Food-Mimic Supplements, Protein

(01:50:09) Kids, Aging & Supplements

(01:55:25) A Rational Supplementation Protocol

(01:58:36) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

Disclaimer

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac