Developing a Rational Approach to Supplementation for Health & Performance

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. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman 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

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The Huberman Lab podcast is hosted by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology, and by courtesy, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. The podcast discusses neuroscience and science-based tools, including how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health, as well as existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Huberman has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function, and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills, and cognitive functioning. He is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision, in 2017.  Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals, including Nature, Science, and Cell, and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover, and other top media outlets. In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the top 10 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.