Articles
Weight and metabolism 15 min
In a controlled-feeding trial where both groups ate identical calories, time-restricted eating produced a 0.3 kg difference. Cochrane's 2026 review found no meaningful advantage over standard advice. The lean mass concern is real but overstated, and no randomized trial has ever measured a hard outcome.
Supplements 14 min
A 2025 meta-analysis separating trials by funding source found no effect of collagen on skin hydration, elasticity or wrinkles in non-industry-funded studies. Joint-pain effects are real but roughly a third of the clinically meaningful threshold. Fat-free mass with resistance training is the one moderate-certainty finding.
Supplements 13 min
NMN and NR reliably raise blood NAD+ and reliably fail to change muscle strength, gait speed or insulin sensitivity in randomized trials. The best meta-analysis says current evidence does not support them for preserving muscle. FDA reversed its position on NMN in September 2025.
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Supplements 14 min
The USPSTF calls the evidence insufficient for multivitamins and recommends against beta-carotene and vitamin E. COSMOS and Physicians' Health Study II missed their primary cancer and cardiovascular endpoints. Almost no randomized evidence exists for adults aged 35 to 50.
Mental wellness 3 min
As of August 2026: BetterHelp runs $70 to $100 per week billed every 4 weeks without insurance, or an average $23 per-session copay with eligible insurance, and includes weekly live sessions plus messaging. Sesame sells single telehealth visits from $34 with the cash price shown before booking. In-person private-pay therapy commonly costs more per session than either, and insurance network coverage is the deciding variable. Free help exists in crisis: call or text 988.
Supplements 3 min
The 2024 Endocrine Society guideline supports empiric vitamin D beyond the standard intake for adults 75 and older, during pregnancy, and in high-risk prediabetes, and suggests daily dosing over intermittent high doses. For healthy adults under 75, it recommends against supplementing above the standard intake (600 to 800 IU/day, NASEM) to prevent disease, and against routine 25(OH)D testing, because trials found no benefit and no optimal target level.
Preventive care and screenings 3 min
From the CDC's adult schedule (2025): every adult gets an annual flu vaccine and a Td/Tdap booster every 10 years. At 50, two doses of the shingles vaccine (Shingrix, 2 to 6 months apart) and pneumococcal vaccination switch on. RSV vaccination is routine at 75 and risk-based from 50 to 74, one dose. COVID-19 dosing follows the current season's notes. Risk conditions move several of these earlier; the schedule is rechecked yearly.
Strength, mobility and aging 3 min
EWGSOP2 (2019) defines probable sarcopenia by low strength alone: grip below 27 kg for men or 16 kg for women, or more than 15 seconds for five chair stands. Strength beats muscle mass at predicting bad outcomes, and it is trainable at every age. The US Physical Activity Guidelines set the floor: muscle-strengthening activity on 2 or more days a week, on top of 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic work.
Hormones 3 min
The AUA guideline sets total testosterone below 300 ng/dL as the cutoff supporting a low-T diagnosis, requires two early-morning measurements on separate days, and only diagnoses testosterone deficiency when the low number comes with symptoms or signs. Fatigue, low libido, erectile changes and reduced muscle are the common complaints. Therapy needs monitoring, and fertility is a real tradeoff: testosterone therapy suppresses sperm production.
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Sleep 3 min
The AASM and Sleep Research Society consensus is that adults should sleep 7 or more hours per night on a regular basis. Sleeping less is associated with weight gain and obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke, depression, impaired immunity and more accidents. More than 9 hours may suit young adults and people recovering from sleep debt or illness; for others the health effect is uncertain. Regularity and a fixed wake time do most of the repair work.
Sexual health 3 min
The AUA guideline counsels that ED is a risk marker for underlying cardiovascular disease and calls the diagnosis a pivotal opportunity to address heart risk. The workup covers blood pressure, glucose, lipids and morning testosterone. FDA-approved PDE5 inhibitors (sildenafil, tadalafil) are the guideline's first-line medication option, and lifestyle change (diet, activity) may improve erectile function in men with related conditions.
Labs and biomarkers 4 min
The yearly core after 35: glucose or A1C (USPSTF screens adults 35 to 70 with overweight every 3 years), a lipid panel feeding the age-40 statin discussion, and blood pressure at every visit. Kidney (eGFR) and liver (ALT) numbers ride along on standard panels and have published healthy limits. Worth doing once, not yearly: ApoB and Lp(a). Usually not worth ordering without a reason: routine vitamin D, per the 2024 Endocrine Society guideline.
Heart health 3 min
ApoB counts every atherogenic particle (one ApoB per particle), while LDL-C weighs the cholesterol inside them. The two diverge in people with high triglycerides, diabetes or obesity, where LDL-C can look fine while the particle count runs high. The 2018 AHA/ACC guideline treats ApoB 130 mg/dL or higher as a risk-enhancing factor, and the NLA's 2024 consensus sets treatment thresholds of 90, 70 and 60 mg/dL by risk level.
Weight and metabolism 7 min
Manufacturer self-pay prices as of 2026-08-19: Wegovy tablets $149 to $299 a month; Wegovy pen $199 for the first two months (new patients) then $349, or $399 for Wegovy HD; Zepbound $299 (2.5 mg), $399 (5 mg), $449 for 7.5 to 15 mg if refilled within 45 days, otherwise $499 to $699; Foundayo $149 to $299; Mounjaro $499. List prices are $1,349 (Wegovy) and $499 to $1,086 (Zepbound). Commercial-insurance savings cards bring covered patients to $25.
Weight and metabolism 6 min
The metabolic numbers with published thresholds: blood pressure (normal under 120/80; stage 1 hypertension from 130/80, per the 2025 AHA/ACC guideline), fasting glucose and A1C (prediabetes from 100 mg/dL and 5.7%), LDL cholesterol (optimal under 100 mg/dL), triglycerides (normal under 150), HDL (low under 40 men, 50 women), waist (over 40 inches men, 35 women is high risk) and BMI. Screening for prediabetes starts at 35 with overweight; the statin discussion at 40.
Telehealth and online prescriptions 7 min
A legitimate GLP-1 telehealth visit is a medical evaluation by a clinician licensed where you are, followed by a prescription filled by a pharmacy. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are not controlled substances, so no in-person visit is required by federal law, but state medical boards require a documented evaluation and reject prescribing from a static questionnaire alone. Check the clinician, the pharmacy, the FDA-approval status of the product, and the refund terms before paying.
Weight and metabolism 8 min
For weight: Wegovy injection (weekly; 1.7 or 2.4 mg, or 7.2 mg Wegovy HD), Wegovy tablets (25 mg daily), Zepbound (weekly tirzepatide, 5 to 15 mg) and Foundayo (orforglipron pill, up to 17.2 mg daily). For type 2 diabetes: Ozempic, Mounjaro, Rybelsus. Label trial results range from about 7% (Saxenda) to 21% (Zepbound 15 mg) mean weight loss versus 2 to 4% on placebo. Self-pay prices run $149 to $699 a month.
Weight and metabolism 7 min
As of August 2026: Medicare Part D still cannot cover drugs used solely for weight loss by statute, but the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge (July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027) gives eligible beneficiaries Wegovy, Wegovy tablets, Zepbound KwikPen or Foundayo for a $50 copay; Wegovy is Part D-coverable for its cardiovascular indication. Thirteen state Medicaid programs covered GLP-1s for obesity in January 2026 (KFF). Around 43 to 49% of large employers cover them for weight loss.
Weight and metabolism 8 min
Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are not FDA-approved: the FDA does not review them for safety, effectiveness or quality. The drug shortages that allowed mass compounding were declared over in December 2024 (tirzepatide) and February 2025 (semaglutide). Since September 2025 the FDA has warned 113 telehealth sellers about false claims. Check the pharmacy license and the warning-letter database before you buy.
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