Science Corner
Every Protocol recommendation is built on real research. We read the papers so you don't have to. 375 studies — 106 meta-analyses, 130 randomized controlled trials — summarized in plain english.
Creatine
Creatine monohydrate — beyond muscle. Cognitive benefits, neuroprotection, and the most studied supplement in history.
Creatine supplementation consistently improves strength and lean muscle mass in both men and women across all age groups, with benefits appearing within 2 weeks of training.
Read the evidence →Vitamin D
Vitamin D3 — the hormone most people are deficient in. Bone health, immune function, testosterone, and all-cause mortality.
Vitamin D supplementation reduces acute respiratory infections, with substantially stronger effects in people with severe deficiency.
Read the evidence →Magnesium
Magnesium — the mineral involved in 300+ enzymatic reactions. Sleep quality, muscle function, and which form actually works.
Magnesium citrate is significantly better absorbed than oxide or amino-acid chelate forms, making formulation choice a real factor in effectiveness.
Read the evidence →Omega-3 Fatty Acids
EPA and DHA — the anti-inflammatory workhorses. Cardiovascular protection, brain health, and the dose that actually matters.
High-dose EPA (2-4g daily) meaningfully reduces depression and inflammation in adults with elevated inflammatory markers, with effects visible in controlled trials.
Read the evidence →Sleep & Longevity
Sleep — your body's nightly repair cycle. Duration, architecture, and what happens when it breaks down.
Poor sleep quality and short duration increase Alzheimer's biomarkers (amyloid and tau) before symptoms appear, making sleep a potential early intervention point for dementia prevention.
Read the evidence →VO₂ Max & Mortality
VO₂ max — the single strongest predictor of all-cause mortality. The data on why your aerobic ceiling determines your lifespan.
Each 1 MET increase in fitness reduces all-cause mortality by ~13%; each unit increase in cardiorespiratory fitness cuts all-cause mortality by 9% and cardiovascular mortality by 13%.
Read the evidence →Zone 2 Training
Zone 2 aerobic training — the mitochondrial engine builder. Fat oxidation, metabolic flexibility, and the boring work that matters most.
Zone 2 training triggers PGC-1α, the master regulator of mitochondrial growth, driving expansion of mitochondria and blood vessels in muscle tissue.
Read the evidence →Cold Exposure
Deliberate cold exposure — cold water immersion, cryotherapy, and the actual evidence behind the hype.
Cold-water immersion after strength training reduces muscle growth and strength gains by 17-19% compared to active recovery—a significant penalty for strength athletes.
Read the evidence →Collagen Peptides
Collagen peptides — joint health, skin elasticity, and whether drinking ground-up cartilage actually does anything.
Hydrolyzed collagen improves skin hydration and elasticity in 1,721 people across 26 RCTs—this is genuinely robust evidence, not marketing.
Read the evidence →Grip Strength & Mortality
Grip strength — the simplest biomarker of biological age. Why your handshake predicts your lifespan.
Sarcopenia predicts mortality risk better than conventional frailty assessments over 14+ year follow-up periods in older adults.
Read the evidence →