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
ResearchDo fermented foods change the gut microbiome?
The best-known human trial (Wastyk 2021, Stanford, 18 people per arm) found a high-fermented-food diet steadily increased gut microbiota diversity and lowered inflammatory markers over 17 weeks.
2026-09-30 · 7 min read
MedicationsFerrous Sulfate
Once swallowed, ferrous iron is absorbed in the small intestine and used by the body to build hemoglobin, correcting iron-deficiency anemia over weeks.
2026-09-30 · 12 min read
MedicationsFinasteride
Finasteride lowers DHT, and the downstream effects are real but modest. In benign prostatic hyperplasia it shrinks the prostate, improves urinary flow and symptom scores modestly.
2026-09-30 · 22 min read
MedicationsFluticasone propionate and salmeterol
In asthma, adding salmeterol to fluticasone reduced severe exacerbations in a very large safety trial and did not raise serious asthma-related events.
2026-09-30 · 16 min read
MedicationsGabapentin
For postherpetic neuralgia and painful diabetic neuropathy, Cochrane found moderate-quality evidence that roughly 1 more person in 6 or 7 gets substantial pain relief than on placebo.
2026-09-30 · 13 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
ResearchWhat "good" and "bad" gut bacteria actually means
The honest summary is that "good" and "bad" are shorthand for statistical associations plus a small number of mechanistic experiments, and that the same species can sit on either side of the line depending on strain.
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
MedicationsHydrochlorothiazide and lisinopril
For blood pressure, the strongest evidence is for the thiazide half: a Cochrane review of first-line drugs found high-quality evidence that low-dose thiazides reduced death and cardiovascular events against placebo.
2026-09-30 · 19 min read
MedicationsIbuprofen
For short-term pain, the evidence is strong and quantified: a Cochrane review of 72 placebo-controlled trials found that about 54% of people given ibuprofen 400 mg after surgery got at least 50% pain relief.
2026-09-30 · 21 min read
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