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.
579 items
MedicationsTimolol
For the eye, the evidence is strongest for what timolol measurably does - it lowers intraocular pressure - and much weaker for the outcome people care about, preserved sight.
2026-10-03 · 27 min read
MedicationsTiotropium
It opens the airways by blocking muscarinic receptors on airway smooth muscle, and the block lasts more than 24 hours, which is why it is a once-daily drug.
2026-10-03 · 36 min read
MedicationsTorsemide
The evidence is strongest for what torsemide does to the kidney and weakest for whether choosing it over the older loop diuretic furosemide changes how long people live.
2026-10-03 · 28 min read
MedicationsTretinoin
For topical use the evidence is good that tretinoin clears acne: a network meta-analysis of 35 trials in 33,472 people found every single topical agent except tazarotene beat placebo for lesion counts.
2026-10-03 · 30 min read
MedicationsUbrogepant
For the one thing it is approved for — stopping an individual migraine attack in adults — two large randomised placebo-controlled trials show a real but modest effect: roughly 7 extra people in 100 pain-free at two hours compared with placebo, and roughly 11 extra per 100 free of their most troublesome symptom.
2026-10-03 · 30 min read
MedicationsValproate
Well established. The evidence is good that it works and equally good that it is dangerous in pregnancy.
2026-10-03 · 27 min read
SupplementsVanadium
Not supported by the research. The evidence does not support vanadium supplements for blood sugar control.
2026-10-03 · 16 min read
MedicationsVerapamil
It lowers blood pressure, relieves angina and slows a fast heart rhythm; what the outcome trials add is how that compares with alternatives.
2026-10-03 · 25 min read
SupplementsAçaí
Lead with the evidence, not the marketing: NCCIH states there is not enough reliable evidence to say acai helps with any specific health condition.
2026-09-30 · 9 min read
SupplementsAcerola cherry
Almost everything acerola is claimed to do rests on its vitamin C. Human evidence on acerola itself is limited: a 2026 review calls it limited.
2026-09-30 · 9 min read
MedicationsAcetaminophen and Oxycodone
For a single dose of acute pain after surgery, the combination is genuinely effective and better than oxycodone alone: a Cochrane review put the number needed to treat for at least half pain relief at 2.7 for oxycodone 10 mg plus paracetamol 650 mg, against 4.6 for oxycodone 15 mg alone.
2026-09-30 · 21 min read
MedicationsAlendronate
Well established. For postmenopausal women who already have low bone density or a previous fracture.
2026-09-30 · 25 min read
SupplementsAloe vera
The honest summary is that oral aloe vera has been studied for far more conditions than it has been shown to help. The clearest human signal is a small meta-analysis of three placebo-controlled trials in irritable bowel syndrome (151 people in total), which found a modest improvement in symptom scores.
2026-09-30 · 14 min read
SupplementsAlpha-lipoic acid
The claim most often made is that it treats diabetic nerve pain. The 2024 Cochrane review of three randomised trials in 816 adults concluded that alpha-lipoic acid probably has little or no effect on neuropathy symptoms at six months.
2026-09-30 · 13 min read
MedicationsAlprazolam
Cochrane's review of benzodiazepines against placebo in panic disorder found a clear short-term advantage (response RR 1.65) but rated the evidence low quality.
2026-09-30 · 25 min read
MedicationsApixaban
Large randomised trials show apixaban lowers stroke and systemic embolism in atrial fibrillation compared with warfarin (ARISTOTLE) and aspirin (AVERROES).
2026-09-30 · 13 min read
MedicationsAripiprazole
Well established. Aripiprazole reduces psychotic and manic symptoms and adds modestly to antidepressants.
2026-09-30 · 22 min read
SupplementsBanaba
Limited evidence. Banaba is sold for blood sugar and metabolic syndrome.
2026-09-30 · 9 min read
SupplementsBeetroot and dietary nitrate
Meta-analyses back a real but modest fall in systolic blood pressure: about 4.4 mmHg in Siervo 2013 (16 short crossover trials, 254 people) and about 5 mmHg in people with hypertension (moderate-certainty GRADE).
2026-09-30 · 11 min read
SupplementsBeta-alanine
Supplementation raises muscle carnosine, and pooled trials show a small ergogenic effect: a meta-analysis of 40 placebo-controlled studies in 1,461 participants found an overall effect size of 0.18 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.28), largest for exercise capacity in efforts of about half a minute to ten minutes.
2026-09-30 · 17 min read
SupplementsBiotin
Biotin is essential, and true deficiency causes hair thinning, rash and neurological symptoms. But the popular claim that biotin supplements improve hair.
2026-09-30 · 10 min read
SupplementsBoswellia
The most developed evidence is in osteoarthritis, where a 2020 meta-analysis of seven small trials found reductions in pain and stiffness and a 2014 Cochrane review rated the evidence moderate quality for a slight improvement in pain and function. Both reviews flag small samples and bias problems.
2026-09-30 · 13 min read
SupplementsBovine and marine cartilage
Not supported by the research. The cancer claim has been tested and failed.
2026-09-30 · 13 min read
MedicationsBudesonide; Formoterol
The evidence supports real reductions in asthma and COPD flare-ups (exacerbations) when budesonide/formoterol is used as directed.
2026-09-30 · 15 min read