1/6) Maybe you've heard of the Wolverine Stack—a peptide combination of thymosin beta-4 (TB4) and BPC-157.

But I bet you haven't seen this… This is a mouse heart after a heart attack.

In the control group, the blue tissue is dead scar tissue. An entire section of the heart wall has died. Now look at what happens when the heart is treated one of the key components of the Wolverine Stack.

The red tissue is living heart muscle. As you can see, dramatically more of the heart survives.

In other words, this compound literally helped save heart tissue after a heart attack.

Sounds almost unbelievable. So, let's back up and look at the data. 2/6) Since I’ve covered BPC-157 at length before, let’s focus on TB4.

Is there evidence that it promotes tissue regeneration and healing?

Well… yes.

When I dug into the literature, I found Phase 3 double-blind, placebo-controlled human trials and papers published in journals like Nature. Not for every indication—and not for the combination itself—but there's far more science here than most people realize.

Now, let’s discuss some of the biology.

How To Heal 20 Years of Gut Damage in 30 Days (link at the end)

1/7) When I was 21, I was diagnosed with severe inflammatory bowel disease that ruined my life. It took me years to claw my way back to health.

Now, after a PhD, an MD, and nearly a decade obsessively experimenting on my own body, I now have a set of tools I believe can help heal the gut quickly and aggressively.

In today’s deep dive, I walk through them. But let’s give you a taste, here and now. 2/7) Here’s a remarkable fact: You can feed your gut even when you’re not eating.

There are structures in your intestine called Brunner’s glands that secrete mucin to nourish gut bacteria.

And these glands are regulated by your vagus nerve… which is influenced by your mental state.

In other words: there is a direct brain-to-gut pathway through which your mental state can literally feed or starve your microbes.

And the consequences are profound.

Should Everyone Be Taking GLP-1s? (link at the end)

1/7) Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed a massive societal shift in opinion on GLP-1s: from supreme skepticism to the provocative question: “Should almost everyone be taking a GLP-1?”

Honestly, my own perspective leapfrogged from: “These are overhyped” to “Maybe they’re not being hyped enough”

Or more precisely:  The benefits people ARE hyping may only be the tip of the iceberg.

These aren’t just weight-loss drugs.

Today’s 6,000-word deep-dive (link at the end) is intended to be your one-stop shop for understanding GLP-1s.

So, let’s start with a few fascinating facts you may not have heard. 2/7) Starting with brain health. Higher GLP-1 signaling appears associated with less amyloid in the human brain.

Now of course, correlation ≠ causation.

But is there actually any mechanistic reason to think GLP-1s could protect against Alzheimer’s disease in a weight-independent manner?

Yes.

1/7) This is, without a doubt, the craziest “diabetes drug” ever invented.

It’s completed Phase II human clinical trials showing efficacy for reducing blood sugar and improving blood pressure. But the promise may extend far beyond that. In preclinical trials, it:

• Reduces fatty liver
• Increases energy expenditure
• Improves exercise endurance
• Cuts fat without sacrificing muscle

It’s called ATX-304. But how does it work? 2/7) The mechanism centers on one of the body’s master metabolic regulators: AMPK.

AMPK functions as a kind of cellular fuel gauge. When it’s “on,” it shifts the body away from energy storage and toward energy production—pulling fat out of fat cells and sugar out of the bloodstream and directing them toward muscles and energy output.

For that reason, AMPK has long been considered a highly desirable metabolic target.

There have been challenges (discussed in the full letter), but the key point is this:

ATX-304 appears to be a powerful AMPK activator. Now let’s look at some data.

1/5) Mitochondria are often called the “powerhouse of the cell,” as if they’re just little batteries.

But they’re so much more. They’re living, fluctuating, even dancing signaling networks that determine how your body generates energy — and even how you age.

For example, one striking feature of supercentenarians, including the woman who lived to 117, is remarkably robust and youthful mitochondria.

The amazing thing about mitochondria is that unlike a battery or car engine, they can recover, heal, and renew themselves.

And you can help them do this: through how you live, how you eat, how you sleep, and potentially through cutting-edge mitochondrial peptides.

In today’s deep dive (link at the end), we discuss: How to Reboot Your Mitochondria. 2/5) Let’s start with something free:

Morning sunlight. This isn’t influencer wellness woo-woo.

Morning light helps kick off your “mitochondrial dance.”

Mitochondria constantly undergo cycles of fusion & fission
• Fusion helps mitochondria become more efficient and powerful.
• Fission helps isolate damaged mitochondrial components so they can be recycled through a process called mitophagy.

And research suggests light helps orchestrate these cycles.

Can One Peptide Reduce Visceral Fat and Promote Longevity? 🧵

1/5) Tesamorelin is a peptide shown in randomized controlled human trials to reduce visceral fat by ~20%.

But that may be one of its least interesting effects.

Stick around to the end for the big reveal… 2/5) Tesamorelin is a growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog.

Rather than supplying growth hormone directly, it nudges your pituitary to release more of your own.

That can:

• Support lean muscle
• Reduce visceral fat
• Improve body composition

But there's more.

How to Hack a 7-Day Fast in 24 Hours

1/5) What happens when you fast for 7 days?

Not what I expected.

In a remarkable study published in Nature Metabolism, researchers put 12 healthy volunteers through a 7-day water-only fast and used advanced proteomics to track 2,923 circulating proteins simultaneously.

What they found was surprising—and suggests some people may stop fasting just before many of the benefits begin. 2/5) During the first two days, the body performed a fuel switch.

Proteins involved in fat transport and ketone production surged as participants transitioned away from glucose dependence. Basic. That’s fasting 101.

But the most interesting changes hadn't started yet… The real shift didn't begin until Day 3.

Do Statins Cause Alzheimer’s: The Uncomfortable Nuanced Truth

1/5) Can statins cause Alzheimer’s disease and dementia? The honest answer is more complex than people give it credit for.

There are data suggesting statins can impair cognition. There are also data showing neutral effects, and even potentially protective effects. That contradiction requires resolution, not echo chambers.

Take a 2012 study in patients with pre-existing cognitive decline:

• Removing statins for 6 weeks improved cognition
• Re-challenging with statins for 6 weeks worsened cognition

Sounds alarming. But that’s not the whole story. 2/5) Many studies and meta-analyses find: no cognitive harm, neutral effects, or even potential protection against dementia

So, what’s going on? The answer likely lies in the interaction between:

• The pleiotropic effects of statins and
• Individual host physiology

Context matters. (Shocker)

Most Americans are metabolically unhealthy.

They have endothelial dysfunction and chronic inflammation.

On THAT metabolic background, statins may improve: endothelial function, blood flow, and inflammation Potentially benefiting both heart AND brain.

The Longevity Molecule is Garlic Nobody Saw Coming 🧛‍♂️🧄

1/4) Look at these two graphs.

LEFT: This what happens to circulating levels of something called “eNAMPT” with age in humans. It drops.

eNAMPT is a form of the enzyme NAMPT packaged into tiny extracellular vesicles (e) that travel throughout the body.

Why does that matter?

NAMPT is critical for producing NAD+, a molecule essential for energy metabolism, DNA repair, and countless other biological processes.

RIGHT: This shows what happens when researchers treat animals with eNAMPT-containing vesicles.

Lifespan increases by roughly 10%.

But here's where the story takes a surprising turn... Garlic!?! 2/4) In a 2026 paper published in Cell Metabolism, researchers connected a compound found in aged garlic extract—called S1PC (1)—to this longevity pathway.

Specifically, S1PC stimulates fat cells to release eNAMPT (2). What happens next is pretty wild.

eNAMPT travels to the brain (3), increases NAD+ levels, and ultimately contributes to improvements in muscle function, strength, and frailty measures in aged animals (4).

What's more, in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in humans, supplementation with S1PC from aged garlic extract increased circulating eNAMPT levels.

The effect was particularly evident in adults over 40 who were not clinically underweight.

In other words, the mechanism appears to translate from mice to humans.

How To Optimize Sleep to Clean the Brain

1/6) Sleep is critical for clearing metabolic waste out of your brain. But few people know how to optimize this process.

So today we're breaking it all down: a masterclass on the glymphatic system (link at the end) and how your brain cleans itself while you sleep.

Let's start with the fundamentals: what is the glymphatic system?

Most of your body has two major vessel systems:
👉Blood vessels → deliver oxygen and nutrients
👉Lymphatics → remove waste

But your brain, despite being one of your most metabolically active organs, lacks the conventional lymphatic system.

So how does it take out the trash? 2/6) The answer is the glymphatic system.

Unlike lymphatics, it isn't a dedicated network of vessels. During sleep, blood vessels in the brain constrict slightly, creating channels through which cerebrospinal fluid flows.

Think of it as a nightly shower for your brain, washing away metabolic debris that accumulated during the day.
Why does this matter?

Because when glymphatic clearance becomes impaired, metabolic waste can accumulate in the brain.

Over time, this is thought to contribute to brain metabolic dysfunction, cognitive decline, and potentially neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

Which brings us to the next question...

Most Promising Molecules that Fight Alzheimer’s (New Science)

1/12) Here are five molecules that might protect the brain against Alzheimer’s based on new 2025 – 2026 science.

Lock in. This one goes deep! 2/12) The first is lithium.
• Across geographies, higher trace lithium levels in drinking water are associated with lower Alzheimer’s rates.
• Brains with Alzheimer’s disease show lower lithium levels.
• And lithium inhibits a protein (GSK3β) that plays a central role in promoting Alzheimer’s.

The Heart Supplements I Recommend to Family 🧵 👇

1/7) I have astronomically high cholesterol (>700 mg/dl) and high Lp(a) (194), but my arteries are perfectly clear. I mean perfect! 0 mm³ of any measurable plaque upon expert read and AI-guided quantification of my coronary CT angiogram—a finding that left several cardiologists stunned. 2/7) And although I'm young, at levels like mine, this is still stunning. The only historical comparator group are those with a 1-in-1,000,000 genetic condition: homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (hoFH). Now, I don't have this hoFH. These children typically get severe advanced atherosclerosis and even a heart attack as young as age 8 or 10.

In fact, I have far more lifetime exposure than these children, yet my arteries could not be more perfect.

The Peptide Proven to Cut Visceral Fat (In RCTs) 🧵

1/6) There is a peptide proven in multiple double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized controlled trials to reduce visceral fat.

It’s called tesamorelin. (link at the end) 2/6) Tesamorelin is an analog of growth hormone–releasing hormone, a hormone released by the brain that signals the pituitary to release growth hormone.

Its main advantage over growth hormone is that it stimulates the body’s natural release of growth hormone, rather than adding a non-physiologic dose that doesn’t align with biological rhythms.

After 7 Years, I Changed My Mind on Cholesterol Meds (Or Did I?)

🚨You'll want to read this one all the way though. Link at the end🚨

1/7) After seven years of living with astronomically high cholesterol, I’ve decided to start two medications. Not statins, but ezetimibe and bempedoic acid.

But that’s NOT the real story. The real story is WHY… and it has nothing to do with cholesterol🤨🤔...

Quick preface: “cholesterol-lowering drugs” are named for one effect, not their full biological impact.

Molecules don’t respect our labels. These drugs can influence multiple systems, including metabolism and brain health.

And in this case, they likely do.
2/7) Take ezetimibe. Beyond lowering LDL, evidence suggests it crosses into the brain and influences neurobiology.

Specifically, is disrupts the interaction between 14-3-3 and hexokinase, reducing protein aggregation.

Full video:

1/5) Here are four things statins do in your body.

First: A human controlled trial found statins reduced GLP-1 levels by 50% in 16 weeks.

The clinical implications aren’t fully clear—but the fact this isn’t discussed is a disservice to science and to patients. 2/5) Statins disrupt mitochondrial function.

They reduce CoQ10 synthesis (a key electron carrier) and directly inhibit Complex IV in the electron transport chain. These are biochemical effects—but they matter for informed decisions.
staycuriousmetabolism.substack.com/p/the-mitochon…

If you're worried about Alzheimer's disease, you need to know this about Omega-3s 👇

1/8) If you want to avoid Alzheimer’s, you need to understand these critical facts about fat metabolism in the brain.

Let’s start with this graph.

It shows how biomarkers change over the course of developing Alzheimer’s—from normal cognition, to mild cognitive impairment, to full-blown dementia.

The first thing to decline is lipid metabolism. But here’s the good news: that decline may be preventable. (link at the end) 2/8) The most important fat for the brain is DHA, a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid.

DHA makes up around 40% of the fatty acids in the gray matter of your brain.

It supports neural structure, reduces inflammation, improves brain glucose metabolism, and even helps clear metabolic waste like amyloid.

Eating 1000 Sardines Gave Me THIS Superpower
(New 2026 Findings!)

1/8) I ran a self-experiment where I ate 1000 sardines in a month.

Sure, it made me stink—but it also gave me one epic superpower. Let me explain. 🧵 (link at the end)

We all know sardines make your breath stink and that they’re nutrient-dense.

That’s basic.

But eating that many sardines changed me. It gave me a “superpower” that had my inner Marvel nerd activated—and my scientist brain scrambling to explain it.

Eventually, I found those data. 2/8) It was new paper in a top journal turned confusion into clarity and left me in awe of how much we’re still uncovering about human physiology.

The superpower…

Full deep dive link: staycuriousmetabolism.substack.com/p/why-stinking…

Citrus Bergamot for Cardiovascular Health

1/5) One meta-analysis of controlled human trials found that citrus bergamot extract lowers triglycerides, increases HDL, and lowers LDL — to a substantial degree.

But that’s not all... (link at the end) 2/5) More interestingly, one trial showed that while bergamot decreased small dense LDL, it increased‘large, fluffy’ LDL.

This shift towards a preponderance of large LDL vs small LDL is a metabolic fingerprint of improved metabolic health.

1/7) Is garlic the new metformin?

A strange new 2026 study suggests compounds in garlic might:
👉Extend lifespan (11.4% in animals)
👉 Improve insulin sensitivity (lower glucose and insulin levels)
👉Reduce fatty liver & reduce inflammation

Let’s break down this bizarre but compelling research. 2/7) Garlic is rich in diallyl sulfides (DAS) — sulfur compounds that increase hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) levels. H₂S acts like a hormone: it diffuses through membranes, triggering cellular pathways across the body.

Researchers fed mice a diet enriched with DAS, leading to an 11.4% increase in lifespan, more than double the effect of metformin.

How Sleep Deprivation Causally Drives Atherosclerosis

1/5) It’s well established that poor sleep is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

But the big question has always been: How… Exactly?

Impressive research published in Nature — one of the world’s top scientific journals — reveals a fascinating biological mechanism. (link at the end) 2/5) To test for a causal connection between sleep deprivation and atherosclerosis (the buildup of plaque in arteries), researchers sleep-deprived mice genetically predisposed to developing atherosclerosis.

Compared to well-rested healthy control mice, the sleep-deprived mice developed significantly more atherosclerotic plaque (quantified on the right).

But that’s not all…

1/6) Let’s make this quick, because you don’t have much time…

New research suggests aging isn’t what we thought it was.

It’s not a passive decay process… it’s more like a violent molecular explosion!

Allow me to explain…
2/6) The scaffolding beneath your skin, made of collagen, elastin, and other proteins is called the “Extracellular Matrix” (ECM).

Over time, that matrix weakens. But according to new science, aging isn’t just a slow collapse.
It’s a BOOM!

But understanding this BOOM may open a path to stopping it.