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
SupplementsGlucosamine
Disputed. The evidence is disputed rather than settled.
2026-09-29 · 18 min read
SupplementsGlutamine
Limited evidence. Claims for glutamine centre on gut lining, immunity, recovery and muscle.
2026-09-29 · 14 min read
SupplementsGlutathione
Glutathione's role inside cells is not in doubt; what is disputed is whether swallowing it changes anything.
2026-09-29 · 14 min read
SupplementsGoji berry
Limited evidence. Goji is marketed for general well-being, antioxidant status and eye health.
2026-09-29 · 16 min read
SupplementsGoldenseal
What goldenseal has actually been shown to do in people is interfere with drug metabolism, not treat disease.
2026-09-29 · 12 min read
SupplementsGrape seed extract
Limited evidence. Meta-analyses of small trials find a small drop in blood pressure and heart rate.
2026-09-29 · 10 min read
SupplementsGreen tea extract / EGCG
This is one of the clearest cases in the supplement literature where the harm evidence is stronger than the benefit evidence.
2026-09-29 · 20 min read
ResearchIs a more diverse gut microbiome healthier?
Low diversity or low gene richness is repeatedly associated with worse metabolic markers in population studies, and one randomised trial raised diversity with fermented foods while inflammatory markers fell.
2026-09-29 · 13 min read
SupplementsHawthorn
Disputed. The evidence is genuinely split.
2026-09-29 · 20 min read
ResearchHelicobacter pylori: what does it cause, how is it treated, is resistance a problem, and do probiotics help eradication?
The evidence that H. pylori causes gastritis and raises the risk of ulcer and stomach cancer is well established.
2026-09-29 · 10 min read
SupplementsHMB
Limited evidence. The evidence points in different directions depending on who takes it.
2026-09-29 · 11 min read
SupplementsHoly basil / tulsi
Limited evidence. Lead with the state of the evidence: it is weak and probably one-sided.
2026-09-29 · 13 min read
SupplementsHoodia
Not supported by the research. The human evidence does not support a weight or appetite effect.
2026-09-29 · 10 min read
SupplementsHorny goat weed
Limited evidence. Almost all of the pharmacology is preclinical.
2026-09-29 · 17 min read
SupplementsHorse chestnut
Horse chestnut seed extract is one of the better-supported herbal treatments for one narrow purpose: the leg symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency.
2026-09-29 · 13 min read
SupplementsHuperzine A
Disputed. The evidence is disputed rather than settled.
2026-09-29 · 14 min read
MedicationsHydrochlorothiazide and Losartan
Well established. The evidence for the two parts is strong but different.
2026-09-29 · 20 min read
MedicationsHydrochlorothiazide
Hydrochlorothiazide lowers blood pressure, but the big outcome trial that made thiazides first-line, ALLHAT, used chlorthalidone, not hydrochlorothiazide.
2026-09-29 · 12 min read
MedicationsHydroxyzine
The best evidence is a 2010 Cochrane review of five randomised trials in generalised anxiety disorder: hydroxyzine beat placebo.
2026-09-29 · 12 min read
MedicationsInsulin aspart
The evidence is that insulin aspart does the same job as regular human insulin, slightly better on average and slightly faster, not that it is a different kind of treatment.
2026-09-29 · 16 min read
MedicationsInsulin Glargine
Well established. It lowers blood sugar.
2026-09-29 · 10 min read
ResearchIntestinal permeability and "leaky gut": what is established, how it is measured, and what the supplements sold for it show
Increased permeability is a measurable finding in celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease, and in stress states such as NSAID use and endurance exercise.
2026-09-29 · 12 min read
SupplementsInulin and other inulin-type fructan prebiotics
Inulin reliably feeds and increases bifidobacteria in the gut: a 50-trial meta-analysis found a clear rise.
2026-09-29 · 12 min read
SupplementsIodine
The thyroid needs iodine to make its hormones, which control growth and brain development.
2026-09-29 · 9 min read