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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SupplementsArtichoke leaf extract
It is mainly sold for cholesterol and digestion. Two recent meta-analyses of small randomised trials report modest falls in total and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
2026-09-29 · 11 min read
SupplementsAshwagandha
Limited evidence. The evidence is limited and of low certainty.
2026-09-29 · 19 min read
SupplementsAsian ginseng
Claims made for Asian ginseng cover vitality, immunity, cognition, physical performance, blood sugar and sexual function. The evidence is mixed and mostly rests on small short trials.
2026-09-29 · 17 min read
MedicationsAspirin
The strongest evidence is in people who have already had a heart attack or stroke, where pooled individual-patient data from randomised trials show a clear absolute reduction in serious vascular events.
2026-09-29 · 22 min read
SupplementsAstaxanthin
Claims run to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, skin, eye and sports-performance effects; the trial evidence is thin and mixed.
2026-09-29 · 14 min read
SupplementsAstragalus
Limited evidence. The evidence is limited and mostly low quality.
2026-09-29 · 10 min read
MedicationsAtenolol
Disputed. Atenolol slows the heart and lowers blood pressure.
2026-09-29 · 15 min read
MedicationsAtorvastatin
The trial evidence that atorvastatin and other statins cut heart attacks and strokes is strong.
2026-09-29 · 20 min read
MedicationsAzithromycin
For the infections it is approved for, azithromycin works by stopping bacteria making proteins.
2026-09-29 · 19 min read
SupplementsBacopa monnieri
Limited evidence. The honest summary is that the effect, if real, is small and narrow.
2026-09-29 · 16 min read
SupplementsBee Pollen
A 2023 scoping review found that human clinical and translational research on bee pollen is still largely lacking compared with the volume of basic laboratory and animal work.
2026-09-29 · 9 min read
SupplementsBerberine
Limited evidence. The trial literature is real but thin and mostly low quality.
2026-09-29 · 16 min read
SupplementsBifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis
One large trial funded by the strain's maker found BB-12 raised average bowel movement frequency in adults with infrequent stools.
2026-09-29 · 10 min read
SupplementsBifidobacterium longum
Limited evidence. The strongest evidence is in preterm infants.
2026-09-29 · 7 min read
SupplementsBilberry
The best-known claim, better night vision, is not supported: a systematic review found the four most recent randomised trials negative, and positive results came from weaker studies.
2026-09-29 · 11 min read
SupplementsBitter melon
Disputed. Bitter melon is taken chiefly for blood sugar, and the pooled evidence is split.
2026-09-29 · 19 min read
SupplementsBitter orange
Disputed. It is sold to raise metabolic rate, help weight loss and boost exercise performance.
2026-09-29 · 17 min read
SupplementsBlack cohosh
Black cohosh is taken for menopausal symptoms, and the literature on whether it works genuinely disagrees with itself.
2026-09-29 · 15 min read
SupplementsBlack pepper extract and piperine
Piperine does raise blood levels of other substances: in one small human study it raised curcumin absorption about 20-fold.
2026-09-29 · 9 min read
SupplementsBlack seed
This is the best-studied of the three, and the picture is large reported effects sitting on weak foundations.
2026-09-29 · 15 min read
SupplementsBoron
Limited evidence. Boron is promoted for bones, joints and testosterone.
2026-09-29 · 8 min read
ResearchHow bowel preparation for colonoscopy changes the gut microbiome, and how fast it recovers
In healthy adults, bowel prep causes an immediate large drop in bacterial load (31-fold in Jalanka 2015) and changes composition.
2026-09-29 · 7 min read
SupplementsBromelain
Limited evidence. The evidence is limited.
2026-09-29 · 8 min read
MedicationsBupropion
Reviews find bupropion works better than placebo for depression and about as well as other antidepressants in head-to-head trials.
2026-09-29 · 14 min read