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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MedicationsInsulin Lispro
The evidence is that insulin lispro lowers blood glucose and, compared with older regular human insulin, produces a slightly lower HbA1c and somewhat fewer hypoglycaemic episodes in type 1 diabetes.
2026-09-30 · 15 min read
ResearchIrritable bowel syndrome and the gut microbiome: is the microbiome different, do probiotics help, and what does a low-FODMAP diet do?
Limited evidence. The evidence is limited and strain-specific.
2026-09-30 · 10 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
MedicationsLamotrigine
For epilepsy the evidence is strong and consistent: added to other drugs in drug-resistant focal epilepsy it nearly doubles the chance of halving seizure frequency (RR 1.80, moderate certainty).
2026-09-30 · 28 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
ResearchWhich medicines and supplements are known to cause constipation, and how often do they do it?
Where trials and meta-analyses report numbers, the size of the effect is measurable rather than theoretical: bladder anticholinergics roughly double the odds of constipation versus placebo.
2026-09-30 · 16 min read
MedicationsMethocarbamol
Its own manufacturer's label says its mechanism has not been established in humans and may simply reflect general sedation of the central nervous system rather than a specific muscle-relaxing action. Small randomized trials show modest short-term benefit when combined with an NSAID.
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
Fasting12-hour overnight fast
There are almost no randomised trials testing a 12-hour window as the intervention. It served as the control arm in two early time-restricted eating trials.
2026-09-30 · 9 min read
MedicationsParoxetine
The literature supports paroxetine as modestly more effective than placebo for adult depression, in line with other antidepressants, on evidence the largest network meta-analysis rated moderate to very low certainty.
2026-09-30 · 18 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
MedicationsPravastatin
For people who have not yet had a cardiovascular event, the Cochrane review of statins as a class found reductions in death from any cause (OR 0.86).
2026-09-30 · 17 min read
MedicationsPregabalin
Limited evidence. Pregabalin's benefit is real but narrow and condition-specific.
2026-09-30 · 26 min read
ResearchDo probiotics help after bowel preparation or colonoscopy?
Limited evidence. Results are mixed.
2026-09-30 · 7 min read
ResearchDo probiotics or synbiotics taken during or after antibiotics help?
Pooled randomised evidence shows fewer episodes of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea when a probiotic is taken alongside antibiotics.
2026-09-30 · 14 min read
MedicationsPropranolol
Well established. The strongest outcome evidence is in two places.
2026-09-30 · 17 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