Morning, long-lifers. Here’s what’s new:
Exercise intensity reshapes your gut bacteria - apparently, your microbiome knows if you’ve been training or just “recovering” with nachos.
Turns out your gut is the nosiest personal trainer you never hired.
Don’t keep longer. a secret - share it with your friends!
This week in longevity:
🎤 Ciara spotlights creatine for everyday wellness
🧠 Brain power restored in dementia-stricken mice
🧪 Hormone-drug combo extends frail mice’s lives 73%
⏳ Scientists cap human lifespan at 150 years
🫀 Potassium sweet spot may protect the heart
Plus, more longevity breakthroughs.
Read time: 5 minutes
THIS WEEK IN LONGEVITY
😴 Growth hormone is not just for sleep, it nudges you awake too
Source: Midjourney | longer.
Scientists at UC Berkeley mapped how the brain manages growth hormone during sleep. The hormone helps repair tissue and regulate metabolism, but also flips a switch in wake-promoting neurons. In other words, the same hormone that helps you recover at night quietly primes you to wake up in the morning.
What to know:
Sleep makes it more effective: Growth hormone release happens in pulses during sleep, and the same brain activity produces far less of it when you are awake.
Two types of brain cells are in charge: One group tells the body to release growth hormone, while another holds it back. Their push-pull balance creates the right timing.
It talks to the “wake-up” center: After release, growth hormone acts on cells in the brainstem that drive alertness, making you more likely to wake up.
Why it matters for health: Too little growth hormone looks a lot like poor sleep — more body fat, less muscle, and trouble managing blood sugar.
Still early science: These findings come from mice. Human sleep and hormone cycles are more complex, so more work is needed.
Why it matters: Sleep is not passive rest, but an active cycle where hormones shape both repair and readiness. Growth hormone does double duty, helping muscles and bones recover while fine-tuning when you shift toward waking.
What this means in practice: It is not just about sleeping longer, but sleeping well. Consistent, high-quality sleep likely gives your body the right hormone pulses at the right time. Think of it less as “logging hours” and more as keeping your brain’s repair and wake-up circuits in rhythm.
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Source: Viome
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🏋️ Exercise intensity reshapes your gut bacteria
Source: Midjourney | longer.
Researchers at Edith Cowan University found that how hard you train may shift your gut microbiome (the trillions of bacteria in your digestive system). High- and low-intensity workouts changed gut health markers in athletes, and those changes were also influenced by diet during rest periods. Basically, your gut notices whether you’re sprinting or slacking.
What to know:
Training load matters: High-intensity workouts were linked to different levels of short-chain fatty acids (compounds that support gut and metabolic health) compared with lighter training.
Lactate link: Intense exercise raises blood lactate, which may travel to the gut and feed certain bacteria.
Rest and diet shifts: During downtime, athletes ate more processed food and alcohol, fewer fruits and vegetables, and saw gut bacteria shift in less healthy directions.
Slower gut during rest: Low training loads were tied to slower gut transit time (how fast food moves through your system), which also influenced bacteria balance.
Performance clue: The microbiome may help regulate lactate and pH in the body, both of which affect recovery and endurance.
Why it matters: Your gut is not just along for the ride — it may be tracking how much effort you put in and adjusting accordingly. Both training intensity and what you eat on off-days can nudge your microbiome in ways that could impact recovery and long-term health.
What this means in practice: Consistency counts. Keeping diet quality high during lighter training or rest periods may help your gut stay balanced. Exercise is good, but pairing it with fiber-rich foods and fewer ultra-processed meals could keep both performance and gut health moving in the right direction.
💡 Want to break down a research article? Try this prompt in ChatGPT:
“Explain this in plain language. Avoid science terms. Keep it under 5 sentences. Then give 5 takeaways based only on this summary—no extra info or guesses: [Paste the article here]”
MONEY MOVES IN LONGEVITY
💰 NRG Therapeutics raises $67m Series B, fuels ALS and Parkinson’s trials by keeping neurons’ powerhouses alive.
💰 Longevity.Technology lands investment from Allen Law’s Seveno Capital, part of a $70m bet on scaling longevity intel.
💰 Novartis inks $2B deal with Arrowhead for Parkinson’s drug, betting big on stopping toxic protein buildup.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Source: Midjourney | longer.
1. Measuring aging is the first step to treating it
PhysioAge CEO Dr Joseph Raffaele says biomarkers and multi-omics are essential for tracking whether longevity therapies work. Without measurement, medicine is guesswork. Think of it like tuning an orchestra: no single clock or marker tells the whole story, but together they reveal the music of your aging process.
2. Potassium sweet spot may protect the heart
A Danish trial found that keeping potassium in the high-normal range cut heart failure and arrhythmia events in high-risk patients. Too much or too little is harmful. It’s like Goldilocks for your heart’s electricity — levels need to be not too low, not too high, but just right to keep rhythms steady.
3. Young immune cells help old brains stay sharp
Scientists made fresh immune cells from stem cells and gave them to aging mice. The mice remembered better, had healthier brains, and less harmful swelling. It’s like sending in rookie firefighters to replace the tired crew — suddenly the brain’s memory circuits can handle the sparks of aging much better.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS WEEK
Source: Thorne
🎤 Creatine Glow: Thorne teamed up with Grammy-winner Ciara to spotlight creatine’s benefits for energy, focus, and endurance. The campaign reframes creatine as a wellness tool for everyone, not just athletes.
🧠 Memory Boost: Scientists boosted brain cell powerhouses (mitochondria) in mice with Alzheimer’s and dementia, fully restoring memory in standard tests. The breakthrough suggests mitochondrial dysfunction may be a root cause.
🧪 Longer Life: Frail old male mice lived 73% longer when given a mix of oxytocin (a “feel-good” hormone) and a drug that reduces harmful inflammation. The combo also improved memory, strength, and endurance, but only in males.
⏳ Age Limit: Scientists say the maximum human lifespan is capped at 150 years due to lost resilience, the body’s ability to bounce back from stress. Even without disease, aging alone eventually drains recovery power.
🎙️ Immortality Talk: A hot mic caught Xi and Putin chatting about organ transplants and human immortality. The exchange, aired on Chinese state TV, quickly sparked global buzz.
WHAT WE’RE BOOKMARKING
📱 Social
Can’t sleep even when you’re exhausted?
Here’s what fixed it for me 👇
1. Magnesium threonate — crosses the blood-brain barrier and calms the mind.
2. Sunlight in your eyes within 30 minutes of waking — this trains your circadian clock.
3. Grounding + breathwork — just 3 rounds— #Gary Brecka (#@thegarybrecka)
7:00 PM • Sep 10, 2025
The data that fiber is valuable for your health is clear. Most people only eat ~1/2 the amount they should. There is a simple solution. Dr Mike Snyder, Prof of Genetics @Stanford explains on the Huberman Lab podcast out now.
— #Andrew D. Huberman, Ph.D. (#@hubermanlab)
5:47 PM • Sep 10, 2025
🎧 Podcasts
📰 Articles
Ashwagandha is a supplement extracted from a South Asian nightshade, whose botanical name means "sleep-inducing" & whose sanskrit name means "horse smell" 👃
Here's a review of its purported multifaceted geroprotective benefits
link.springer.com/article/10.100…— #David Sinclair (#@davidasinclair)
9:01 PM • Sep 10, 2025
⚙️ Tools to Try
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