From Memios
The Longevity Letter
Practical writing and video on living strong and active into your 90s. No hype, no supplements to sell. Just what the evidence supports and what it looks like on an ordinary Tuesday.
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SupplementsCreatine monohydrate
Creatine is one of the few supplements where the exercise evidence is strong rather than suggestive: meta-analyses of randomised trials show small-to-moderate added gains in lean tissue and strength when it is combined with resistance training, and a European regulator has accepted a cause-and-effect relationship for repeated short, high-intensity efforts.
2026-09-30 · 18 min read
SupplementsDandelion
Not enough research to say. Most of the evidence is from animal and cell studies.
2026-09-30 · 8 min read
SupplementsDevil's claw
Devil's claw is used for musculoskeletal pain. A Cochrane review of herbal medicine for low back pain found that standardised daily doses of 50 mg or 100 mg harpagoside may reduce pain more than placebo.
2026-09-30 · 12 min read
SupplementsEphedra
Ephedrine is a mixed sympathomimetic: it releases noradrenaline and stimulates alpha and beta receptors, raising heart rate and cardiac output, constricting blood vessels.
2026-09-30 · 14 min read
SupplementsGinkgo
The strongest current synthesis is a 2026 Cochrane review of 82 randomised trials in 10,613 people.
2026-09-30 · 19 min read
SupplementsGymnema
The best evidence is a handful of small, heterogeneous trials in people with type 2 diabetes.
2026-09-30 · 13 min read
SupplementsL-arginine
Disputed. The evidence is mixed and contested.
2026-09-30 · 19 min read
SupplementsL-citrulline
The clearest human evidence is for blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomised trials found reductions of around 4 mmHg systolic and 4 mmHg diastolic.
2026-09-30 · 17 min read
SupplementsLactobacillus acidophilus
Evidence is limited and depends on the strain and the condition. In antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, reductions were found for specific mixtures that include L. acidophilus (Bio-K+ with CL1285, and La5 with BB-12).
2026-09-30 · 12 min read
SupplementsLimosilactobacillus reuteri
Disputed. Results for infant colic conflict.
2026-09-30 · 14 min read
SupplementsMaca
The honest summary is that the human evidence is thin. Systematic reviews of randomised trials for sexual function.
2026-09-30 · 13 min read
SupplementsMagnesium
Correcting a genuine deficiency matters: low magnesium causes loss of appetite, nausea, weakness and, when severe, muscle cramps, abnormal heart rhythms and disturbed calcium and potassium balance.
2026-09-30 · 16 min read
SupplementsMangosteen
Limited evidence. Mangosteen rind extract is marketed as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant supplement.
2026-09-30 · 10 min read
SupplementsOregano oil
Limited evidence. The honest summary is that oregano is studied far more in test tubes than in people.
2026-09-30 · 15 min read
SupplementsPassionflower
Limited evidence. It is sold for nervousness and sleep. The strongest synthesis, a Cochrane review.
2026-09-30 · 10 min read
SupplementsPeppermint oil
The best-quantified use is irritable bowel syndrome, where a 2022 meta-analysis of ten randomised trials found peppermint oil beat placebo for global symptoms and abdominal pain but rated the evidence very low quality by GRADE and found significantly more adverse events.
2026-09-30 · 14 min read
SupplementsPlant sterols and plant stanols
This is the best-evidenced of the three ingredients in this group for its stated effect, and the most clearly bounded.
2026-09-30 · 14 min read
SupplementsPsyllium husk
Psyllium has one of the stronger evidence bases among fibre supplements for lowering LDL cholesterol.
2026-09-30 · 9 min read
SupplementsPterostilbene
The most reliable human finding about pterostilbene is an unwanted one: in the only substantial randomised trial of metabolic effects, LDL cholesterol rose by about 17 mg/dL with pterostilbene taken alone.
2026-09-30 · 14 min read
SupplementsResveratrol
Disputed. The human evidence is contested rather than settled.
2026-09-30 · 13 min read
SupplementsRiboflavin
Riboflavin's coenzymes are needed for energy production, growth and metabolism of fats and drugs.
2026-09-30 · 9 min read
SupplementsSaw palmetto
Saw palmetto is sold mainly for urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate, and this is one of the few supplement questions the evidence has genuinely settled.
2026-09-30 · 14 min read
SupplementsSt John's wort
The evidence base is unusually large for a botanical: two systematic reviews covering roughly 29 to 35 randomised trials and 5,000 to 7,000 patients found that standardised hypericum extracts beat placebo for mild to moderate major depression and performed about the same as standard antidepressants, with fewer dropouts for side effects.
2026-09-30 · 15 min read
SupplementsTaurine
Pooled randomised trials show modest average reductions in blood pressure and triglycerides with taurine supplements.
2026-09-30 · 18 min read