Want to live longer, think clearer, age slower, and dodge chronic disease?

Build muscle.

Not because it looks good,
but because every extra kilogram of muscle literally makes you harder to kill.

What the research shows

+1 kg of muscle → lower risk of death
People with the most muscle had a lower mortality than those with the least.

Low muscle = risk of age related brain disease risk
Smaller muscles = higher dementia risk
Sarcopenia nearly triples Alzheimer’s risk.
Muscle protects the brain.

Cancer? Muscle matters
Strength training = lower cancer risk
Losing lean mass increases cancer death risk

Heart health
More muscle = lower cardiovascular events
Your biceps may be better than your blood pressure meds.

Type 2 Diabetes
Strength training = lower diabetes risk
Muscle is where glucose goes. No muscle? No glucose control.

Why muscle is a longevity organ

Muscle releases myokines hormone-like signals that:

Reduce inflammation
Protect the brain
Improve insulin sensitivity
Support blood vessels
Boost metabolic health

The more muscle you have, the more of these protective molecules your body makes.

The crazy part
You don’t need dramatic gains.
Just +1% muscle per year (totally doable with strength training) compounds into massive risk reduction over a decade.
Small improvements → huge protection. A major 2025 study people with higher lean body mass (i.e. more muscle/lean tissue compared to fat) had a significantly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40551720/

Muscle is more than strength, It’s a metabolic organ
Your muscles don’t just move your body they protect your metabolism. When you strength train, your muscles release special hormones and signals that help your body manage sugar, burn fat, and use energy more efficiently. That means:
More muscle = better metabolic health
Less muscle = higher risk of obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes
Doctors now recommend strength training not just for athletes, but as essential medicine for ageing well.

Introducing: Strengthspan
Just like lifespan is how long you live, strengthspan is how long you stay strong and functional. The longer your strengthspan, the more likely you are to:
Live independently, Avoid lifestyle diseases
,Maintain mobility as you age
and enjoy a higher quality of life
Strength isn’t something you should start worrying about at 65, it’s something you build now, little by little, and protect for life.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40784602/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38754987/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39948829

Air fryers: Are they safe?

Air fryers cook by rapidly circulating hot air, not oil around food. This initiates the Maillard reaction, which browns food and creates flavour.
Air frying uses significantly less oil than deep-frying, which reduces fat content.

(TLDR: Air-fryers are safe)

Here is a detailed post on this topic⬇️ Air fryers can help you make french fries with less oil and less calories still maintain crisp texture then
what is the concern?
The concern around airfryers is due to acrylamide formation.

Acrylamide is a Maillard byproduct formed during high heat cooking. Acrylamide isn’t an additive. It’s a natural byproduct formed foods undergo high-heat, dry cooking.
Acrylamide is classified as a probable human carcinogen (IARC Group 2A) based mainly on animal studies at extremely high doses

Every single day, your body synthesizes approx. 200-300g of new protein to replace old or damaged proteins.
This turnover happens at different rates across tissues, your liver, muscles, and connective tissues are constantly renewing themselves.

Over the course of a year, you’ve effectively replaced nearly every protein in your body four times over.
Muscle accounts for ~50% of your body’s total protein, but only about 25% of the total turnover happens here.

The liver, on the other hand, has a much higher turnover rate because it constantly produces proteins for metabolism.

While carbohydrates (glycogen) and fats (triglycerides) have dedicated storage, there is no long-term storage for amino acids.
Instead, your body maintains a dynamic amino acid pool, but it only lasts for about 8 hours.
After that, your body must obtain new amino acids, either from dietary protein or by breaking down muscle tissue.
This constant flux is why regular protein intake is essential for maintaining muscle mass, enzyme function, and overall health.

Your body is always rebuilding give it the raw materials it need.

Here is everything you may need to know about protein, an extremely detailed post. Proteins are made of amino acids
Your body needs 20 amino acids to function

Essential (9) → must come from diet
Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine

Conditionally Essential (6) → needed in stress/illness/growth or special conditions etc.
Arginine, Cysteine (from Methionine), Glutamine, Glycine, Proline, Tyrosine (from Phenylalanine)

Non-Essential (5) → usually made by the body
Alanine, Asparagine, Aspartic acid, Glutamic acid, Serine

The focus should be to get all essential amino acids in adequate amount by consuming adequate amount of protein (this will also help provide conditionally essential amino acids in good amount)

Whey protein as a food supplement has gained significant traction in India over the past 5–10 years, but humans have been using whey for more than 200 years.

Whey protein’s story began long before supplements and shaker bottles ,nearly 8,000 years ago, around 5,500 BC in Kujawy, Poland.
Back then, early cheesemakers accidentally discovered that when milk was stored in animal stomachs or mixed with acidic plants, it separated into solid curds(cheese) and liquid whey.

For centuries, whey was mostly used as feed or a starter for cheese.
But around 460 BC, Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, began prescribing whey (then called “serum”) for its healing properties treating liver disease, jaundice, and skin ailments. This idea spread across ancient Greece and Rome whey as medicine.
Fast forward to the 17th and 18th centuries. Swiss farmers noticed their pigs fed on whey grew faster and healthier.

Soon after, whey became the centerpiece of European health resorts people didn’t just drink whey,they bathed in it, believing it rejuvenated skin, , and improved how they feel.

Whey spas thrived across Switzerland, Germany, and Austria a curious blend of rustic tradition and early wellness culture.

By the 1890s, scientists began isolating specific proteins from whey,lactalbumin and lactoglobulin.

By the 1930s, these proteins were successfully crystallized, paving the way for nutritional research that would change sports and health forever.

Today, we understand whey as one of the highest-quality complete proteins, rich in essential amino acids, rapidly absorbed, and scientifically proven to support muscle growth, recovery, and immune health.

What started as a humble cheesemaking byproduct is now a cornerstone of modern nutrition a symbol of how ancient wisdom and scientific discovery can align perfectly.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23235824/
milkgenomics.org/?splash=europe…
psu.edu/news/research/…
researchgate.net/profile/Michae…
physicalculturestudy.com/2015/12/07/a-p…
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC71…
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

It is estimated that yeast protein can contain anywhere between 20–80 times higher purines than whey (depending on the strain and processing method)

Fermented yeast protein is a high-quality protein source with a complete amino acid profile, but yeast protein is a high purine protein source.

For most healthy individuals, moderate intake is safe. A practical guideline would be to limit total yeast protein intake to around 40–50 g per day (≈1–1.5 scoops),

For individuals with hyperuricemia or a history of gout, a more conservative limit is advisable: ≤20 g per day (≈0.5 scoop), since high purine intake can contribute to elevated uric acid levels.

Yeast protein can be included daily as part of a varied diet, but it should not be relied on as the sole or major protein source. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a protein-rich yeast, and the purines present can be metabolized to uric acid in humans. Studies show that consuming large amounts of yeast-derived single-cell protein (SCP), such as 30g/day, can significantly increase uric acid levels, especially in sensitive individuals.
Lower doses do not reliably cause uric acid elevation in healthy subjects.

Yeast protein contains purines (adenine, guanine) which, when metabolised, increase uric acid production in the body.

Most controlled studies do not show adverse uric acid effects in healthy populations.

High intake or regular use in those predisposed (gout, chronic hyperuricemia) could exacerbate uric acid buildup.

Fermented yeast protein purine content varies by strain, fermentation method, and extraction. Non-probiotic S. cerevisiae typically contains 300–600 mg/100g, while nutritional yeast is at the lower end (~150mg/100g).

Whey protein isolate is safe for those at risk of hyperuricemia due to its negligible purine content.

For yeast protein, moderate daily intake (<30g) is unlikely to significantly elevate uric acid in healthy individuals, but higher dosages, especially more than 30g/day and above, can raise uric acid levels, notably in those with impaired purine metabolism.

Individuals with gout or chronically high uric acid should avoid regular fermented yeast protein or dramatically limit intake.

Typical yeast protein (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) contains about 150–600 mg purines per 100g.

Purine content per serving could be 54–216 mg purines.

Most food-grade, fermented yeast proteins are processed to reduce purine content, but unless labelled as "low purine" or specifically purified, the lower estimate 50–100 mg purines per scoop

All coffee contains a pesticide that is a neurotoxin known to kill insects.
This pesticide is the reason why many consume coffee in the first place.

It is called 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine or popularly known as caffeine.
I love consuming 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine everyday.
Once in the morning and once just before workout.

On that note here is a fun fact
In the wild, coffee plants weaponise caffeine poisoning rival weeds and insects to secure their turf. But here’s a fun twist, the same caffeine is sometimes served in tiny doses to bees through its nectar, sharpening their memory so they keep coming back for more.

From killing competitors to creating loyal pollinators coffee is nature’s most strategic hustler.

Caffeine can be helpful for exercise performance and cognitive performance but coffee is more than just caffeine, here is a detailed post on coffee and caffeine ⬇️ Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in coffee, tea, and cocoa. It doesn’t produce energy (ATP) directly but blocks adenosine receptors in the brain, which prevents adenosine (a compound that promotes relaxation and fatigue) from binding.

This leads to increased neurotransmitter release, higher motor unit firing rates, and reduced perception of pain and effort, making you feel more alert and focused.

Caffeine is also thought to help muscle contractions by enhancing calcium ion (Ca2+) release and sodium/potassium pump activity, which can delay fatigue and improve force production

Coffee is more than just caffeine , it comprises of more than 1500 active ingredients -minerals, phenolic polymers, polysaccharides, and chlorogenic acid.

Vitamin B12 is so complex that it took scientists decades to figure out its structure, it’s one of the most complicated vitamins ever discovered

Many Indians are Vitamin B12 deficient.Some studies reporting prevalence rates around 47% in certain regions.

Even a mild Vitamin B12 shortage can look like 20 different health problems because low B12 quietly damages nerve insulation (myelin) and raises homocysteine in the blood.

Here is a detailed post on Vitamin B12

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC65… Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin essential for numerous physiological processes.
It is a cofactor for two key enzymes- methionine synthase, which converts homocysteine to methionine (critical for DNA, RNA, and protein methylation), and methylmalonyl-CoA mutase, which is required for propionate metabolism.

These functions are vital for central nervous system development, myelination, red blood cell formation, and DNA synthesis.

Vitamin B12 is naturally present in animal-derived foods, added to fortified products, and available as supplements and prescription medications

Vitamin B12 is predominantly found in animal-based foods:

Meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish (especially clams and organ meats like liver)

Eggs and dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt)

Fortified foods such as breakfast cereals and some nutritional yeast products

Plant-based foods generally do not contain significant amounts of B12 unless fortified.

Your heart is like a turbocharged engine.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is what happens when you tap the accelerator, think of the 1.5 TSI VW Virtus that instantly roars to life,smooth, responsive, adaptive.

It’s not about how fast the engine runs,
but how effortlessly it revs up or down based on what life throws at you.
HRV = how fast your body adapts

Here is a detailed thread on HRV ⬇️ What is Heart Rate Variability (HRV)?

It’s the tiny difference in time between each heartbeat
measured in milliseconds (ms).
Even at 60 bpm, your heart doesn’t beat once every exact second.
That variation is HRV.

It reflects how well your autonomic nervous system (ANS) is responding to stress, recovery, and life.HRV is influenced by the function of the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous systems.  

High HRV: Suggests dominant parasympathetic activity → better recovery, relaxation, and adaptability.

  Low HRV: Suggests sympathetic dominance → possibly stress, fatigue, or illness.

For every 1 kg whey protein (for most brands in India), the total import duties and taxes typically account for approximately 44–50% of the product cost.

India is one of the largest milk producer in the world, yet almost 90-95% whey protein in india is imported from Europe and USA.

Here is a detailed thread on this topic ⬇️ Whey for consumers is available at similar price in India and Europe but D2C whey protein brands in Europe are often up to 3 times more profitable than Indian brands.

European companies get whey directly from local dairy producers (like in the Netherlands and Germany), which keeps their raw material costs low. They also benefit from larger production scale and spend less on marketing since the market is already well established.

In contrast, Indian D2C brands usually import whey from Europe and pay about 44% in import duties, which increases their costs by 40–50%. This reduces their gross profit margins to 20-30%, compared to 60% to 70% (more for some ) for European brands.
On top of that, Indian brands face high marketing costs, taxes, and intense competition, which further reduce their net profits.

(Note: This is an estimate and may vary depending on the specific import conditions and regulatory changes.)

According to this source: for whey protein import in india

HS Code 21061000 (Protein concentrates and textured protein substances):

Basic customs duty: 30%

Education cess: 2%

Secondary higher education cess: 1%

Countervailing duty (CVD): 12%

Additional CVD: 4%

Abatement: 35%
→ Total effective duty: 52.85%.

Source: zauba.com/customs-import…

Osteoporosis is silent until a bone breaks.

But here’s the thing your bones aren’t passive. They’re living tissue, constantly remodeling in response to stress, hormones, nutrition, and age.

Osteoporosis = low bone mass + weak bone structure = high fracture risk.

Diagnosed when bone mineral density (BMD) T-score ≤ -2.5 at the hip or spine.

Here is a detailed thread on osteoporosis ⬇️ Your bones remodel constantly via 5 stages:
Activation → Resorption → Reversal → Formation → Termination
Osteoclasts break bone down. Osteoblasts build it up.

Osteoporosis =more resorption, less formation.

Osteocytes (your bone’s command center) are mechanosensors. When loading decreases (aging, inactivity, menopause), they release:
RANKL → boosts osteoclasts
Sclerostin → suppresses osteoblasts

less building, more breakdown.

Bones - Cortical (outer shell) + Trabecular (inner mesh).
Trabecular bone has high turnover and is more vulnerable.
With age and inactivity, trabecular loss is faster → spine, hip, and wrist become fracture-prone zones.

Whey isolate vs Whey concentrate
what is the difference? Both are whey proteins derived from milk,
The difference between them is the amount of filtration.

Whey Concentrate
Uses Ultrafiltration (UF), which preserves protein while retaining some lactose and fat, making it creamier and richer in texture.

Whey Isolate
Undergoes additional ultrafiltration, removing almost all lactose and fat, making it leaner and faster-digesting, can suit lactose-intolerant individuals.

Air fryers: Are they safe? - a detailed post.

Air fryers cook by rapidly circulating hot air, not oil around food. This initiates the Maillard reaction, which browns food and creates flavour.
Air frying uses significantly less oil than deep-frying, which reduces fat content. Great so air fryers can help you make french fries with less oil and less calories still maintain crisp texture then
what is the concern?
The concern around airfryers is due to acrylamide formation.

Acrylamide is a Maillard byproduct formed during high heat cooking

· EFSA reports: Some air fryers may produce 30–40% more acrylamide than deep fryers under certain conditions (very high temperatures)

But other studies show:
Up to 90% acrylamide reduction in air-fried foods vs. deep-fried
Lower polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in air-fried chicken
No significant difference in acrylamide across cooking methods in some studies

Exercise creates a natural heart bypass?.
This is extremely cool
Your heart has an adaptive mechanism, coronary collateralization, where pre-existing but underutilized blood vessels expand and develop in response to reduced coronary blood flow. These collateral arteries act as natural bypasses, delivering oxygen when main arteries narrow. The role of exercise in enhancing coronary collateralization:
Exercise triggers shear stress on endothelial cells, stimulating arteriogenesis, the remodeling and enlargement of collateral vessels into fully functional conduits. This boosts blood flow, reducing ischemia and improving heart function.

Exercise increases Collateral Flow Index (CFI), a crucial measure of collateral circulation. Higher CFI means better heart circulation and less ischemia.

Creatine monohydrate one of the most popular supplement out there.
Here is a detailed post on Creatine. detailed post on Creatine:

What is Creatine?
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound made from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine in the kidneys and liver. It was first discovered in 1832 by Michel Eugène Chevreul, who named it after the Greek word kreas (meat), as it was found in muscle tissue.

It is primarily obtained from meat and as a dietary supplement. Creatine monohydrate is widely accepted as safe and GRAS-certified in multiple countries. Researchers are working to classify it as a conditionally essential nutrient due to its vital role in energy production and cellular metabolism.

Key Functions of Creatine:
Supports ATP production, fueling muscle, brain, heart, and bone cells
95% is stored in muscles, with the rest in the brain, heart, and bones
Body produces ~1g/day, but dietary intake is necessary for optimal benefits