r/Biohackers

Honestly, digging into this was a bit of a downer. I'd sort of assumed my own drinking was fine, nothing crazy, a few times a week, the normal stuff. And a few years ago you could find a longevity podcast to back that up: red wine was heart-healthy, resveratrol was a miracle, a glass a day was basically medicine. I actually started writing this with a glass of red wine by my side.

Turns out the story I'd been telling myself doesn't really hold up. The people who actually read the studies have quietly converged, and the answer isn't the one I was hoping for.

Rhonda Patrick

She did a full episode on this in 2024, and her summary line is blunt: "it's abundantly clear that the number of alcoholic drinks per week that will be associated with optimal health is zero."

She's careful, though. She's not telling non-drinkers to panic, and she acknowledges the old cardiovascular data. But she explains why the "moderate drinking is protective" finding fell apart: the sick-quitter effect. A lot of people counted as non-drinkers had actually quit because they were already sick, which made drinkers look healthier by comparison. Correct for that, and the protective effect mostly disappears.

Her practical floor for people who do drink: one to two drinks per week, driven mainly by cancer risk.

Full episode: https://leita.io/search?domain=health&video=ZsFNeQVuUPM&t=11280 (The Truth About Alcohol, 2024)

Andrew Huberman

Same conclusion, and he's visibly tired of the media flip-flopping: "my read of the data was that zero is better than any. And two drinks per week is sort of the upper limit for adult non-alcoholics that don't want to incur any additional health risk."

His guest in that episode, addiction researcher Keith Humphreys, put it more personally: "statement against interest, because I like red wine. I would love to believe it is healthy. It's not."

Clip: https://leita.io/search?domain=health&video=t6RCTP4fc9Q&t=1440

Richard Miller (the researcher who actually tested resveratrol)

The reason red wine ever sounded healthy was resveratrol. Richard Miller, a pathology professor at Michigan who runs the Interventions Testing Program, put resveratrol through the actual mouse lifespan study. It failed. On the human angle, to get a meaningful dose "you need to drink 30 bottles a day."

The whole "red wine is good for you" story rested on this one molecule, and the lab that tested it most rigorously found nothing.

Clip: https://leita.io/search?domain=health&video=sZ-krUa6VH0&t=7200 (Peter Attia's podcast, guest Richard Miller)

Peter Attia

Attia still drinks occasionally, and he's honest about why. He frames it correctly: "this is a hedonic pleasure that's not good for me, but it's enjoyable." Not health. Enjoyment. He also flags that ApoE4 carriers may be more vulnerable.

Clip: https://leita.io/search?domain=health&video=zkp0DRUQ33g&t=7140

Where this leaves us

The interesting part isn't that they agree. It's what they agree on. None of them says "alcohol is fine in moderation" anymore. The most permissive position in the whole set is Huberman's two-drinks-per-week ceiling, and even he frames it as damage limitation, not benefit.

The old story was "a little is good for you." The current read from the people tracking the research is "less is better, zero is optimal, and if you drink, do it because you enjoy it, not because you think it's helping."

That's a less fun answer than the one I was carrying around. But if you want the current expert consensus instead of the 2010 version, that's it.

Does this mean I poured out my red wine? Absolutely not, but it made me reconsider my weekly amount.

Every claim above links to the exact moment it was said, so you can hear the full context and judge for yourself.

I'm an environmental engineer who dedicated his research into all things microplastics, from developing inexpensive fluorescence based methods to science education curriculum (Plastic Panic!). And I want to hear what you're genuinely curious about.

Is there something you've always wondered, but never found a clear answer to? Maybe it's about:

Drinking water

Human health

Food and seafood

Recycling and plastics

Clothing and laundry

Oceans and wildlife

Scientific studies you've seen in the news

Whether a claim you've heard is actually true

Leave your question in the comments. Over the next few weeks, I'll research the evidence, dig into the scientific literature, and answer as many questions as I can in future posts.

No question is too basic or too technical. If you're wondering about it, chances are someone else is too.

Hello everyone, I recently have become a short term alcoholic and am going to quit. I already suffer from crazy anxiety and this binge drinking is destroying my health. As someone who has lifted on and off my whole life I love to lift but haven’t been exercising and replacing it with drinking. Obviously the first step is quit alcohol but what are some supplements that are just good and will make me feel better for daily health. God bless you all!

For me Omega 3 surprisingly did miracles for my focus and "Flow State" mode. What about you?

A review on how SGLT2 inhibitors target ectopic fat (specifically epicardial fat). Ectopic fat is the excess fat that gets stored in organ tissue. The paper outlines the different mechanisms of how it does so. For anyone not familiar with SGLT2 inhibitors, they cause you to urinate 60-80g of glucose, so it can cause a mild caloric deficit. It would be interesting to see a side by side comparison of how SGLT2i's compare to GLP1 reduction in ectopic fat.

42M, 173cm/73kg/natty BG around 15%. Lifting consistently for 3 years, 4-5x/week, strength and hypertrophy focus. Diet is clean, high protein, whole foods. Sleep is 7h/night. I smoke cigarettes and weed daily. General health checks done and all clear: colonoscopy came back clean, full cardiac workup done as well, heart is fine. On Monday I have an appointment with an andrologist who will do an ultrasound of my balls to rule out anything structural on that end.

Main symptoms: persistent baseline fatigue that doesn't go away regardless of rest and regardless of where my testosterone levels are at, low motivation, flat mood. The symptoms have increased since I started training.

Supplements: creatine, whey, multivitamin, iron, D3+K2, boron, zinc, magnesium, ashwagandha, maca, L-theanine, omega-3.

Here’s my bloodwork. All tests were done fasted in the morning.

Dec 2025

Testosterone total: 987 ng/dl ✓
IGF-1: 191 ng/ml ✓
Vitamin D: 74 ng/ml (slightly above range, ref: 20-70)
Ferritin: 72 ng/ml ✓
TSH: 0.62 ✓ | fT3: 2.94 ✓ | fT4: 1.70 ✓
CRP: 1.90 mg/L ⚠️ (ref: <1.0)
IgE: 169 kU/l ⚠️ (ref: <100)

April 2026

Testosterone total: 329 ng/dl ⚠️ dropped ~660 points in 5 months
Testosterone free: 7.6 pg/ml ✓ (ref: 5-21)
IGF-1: 227 ng/ml ✓
Ferritin: 74 ng/ml ✓
Cholesterol: 223 | LDL: 146 | HDL: 54 | Triglycerides: 148 ✓
HbA1c: 5.4% ✓
TSH: 0.78 ✓ | fT3: 3.09 ✓ | fT4: 1.50 ✓
CRP: 2.91 mg/L ⚠️ (ref: <1.0)
IgE: 146 kU/l ⚠️ (ref: <100)
Liver / Kidney / PSA: all clear ✓

May 2026

Testosterone free: 11.0 pg/ml ✓
LH: 3.3 mIU/ml ✓
FSH: 4.0 mIU/ml ✓
Estradiol: 19 pg/ml ✓
SHBG: 31.4 nmol/l ✓
Prolactin: 3.7 ng/ml ✓
Cortisol: 102 ng/ml ✓
Ferritin: 75 ng/ml ✓
B12: 1050 pg/ml ✓
HbA1c: 5.3% ✓

July 2026

Testosterone total: 535 ng/dl ✓
Testosterone free: 14.3 pg/ml ✓ (ref: 5-21)
LH: 4.8 mIU/ml ✓
FSH: 3.9 mIU/ml ✓
Estradiol: 18 pg/ml ✓
SHBG: 26.9 nmol/l ✓
Prolactin: 5.7 ng/ml ✓
Cortisol: 78.8 ng/ml lower third (ref: 20-200)
HbA1c: 5.3% ✓
TSH: 0.73 ✓ | fT3: 3.04 ✓ | fT4: 1.46 ✓
Vitamin D: 65 ng/ml ✓
B12: 955 pg/ml ✓
Zinc: 931 µg/l ✓
Ferritin: 71 ng/ml ✓
Cholesterol: 201 | Triglycerides: 58 ✓
Transferrin saturation: 13% ⚠️ (ref: 16-45%) below range
Iron: 44 µg/dl low end (ref: 40-160)
Liver / Kidney / PSA / HIV / Hep B+C: all clear ✓

The hormone panel in July looks fine on the surface. Total T 535, free T 14.3, LH 4.8, SHBG 26.9, all within range. HPG axis seems to be functioning.

What I can't explain is the T crash. 987 in December to 329 in April, a drop of ~660 ng/dl in 5 months with no obvious lifestyle change, then partial recovery to 535 by July. My energy was low the whole time regardless of where T was sitting. 

A TRT clinic I consulted diagnosed this as functional hypogonadism, meaning symptoms despite technically normal total T, combined with relatively low free T values. They said I could start with TRT at 125mg/week. They noted that Enclomiphene could be an option but is not approved in my country and harder to source, and that in their experience most patients do better on TRT than on Enclomiphene treatments even at similar total T levels.

Other things that stand out:

CRP elevated in both Dec (1.90) and April (2.91), consistent low-grade inflammation. I smoke cigarettes and weed daily so that's likely part of it, but wondering if it plays a role in suppressing T.

IgE elevated in both Dec (169) and April (146), consistent across two panels. Planning a specific allergy panel to find out what's driving it. Transferrin saturation at 13% despite normal ferritin. Realized I've been taking iron every morning with coffee and milk which blocks absorption. Switching to fasted with vitamin C going forward.

I am mainly looking to increase my energy and build more muscle without compromising my health. If TRT could help me achieve that, I would be open to it. It would be great if someone could review my stuff and tell me whether TRT is the right solution for me or if you see other options

Tadalafil (happy wife maker) is a prescription drug in many places so consult with a doctor first.

Personally I take 5mg a day for improved blood flow and androgenic receptor upregulation and estradiol to testosterone ratio improvement, crazy pumps during workouts, the other side are the sexual benefits

I pair it with 5g citrulline (malate is fine with 2-3g higher dose), vitamin E 400iu, vitamin D 4000iu, 20mg zinc, 2400mg lecithin, 4L water daily

A 2.5-5mg daily dose keeps a steady bloodstream level without needing to megadose before intercouse. I do take another 5-10mg before action sometimes and it turns my schlong into a battering ram, the wife even noticed something is unusual about my stamina and load size. Less is sometimes more with tadalafil dosage

Benefits to tadalafil are numerous, I believe urologists from Stanford (Dr Eisenberg & Dubin) said every man above 40 should be taking 2.5mg daily for health. I am 27 and I don't take it because I need it, I take it because it improves health and sexual performance with near zero downside for most people in low doses

Less performance anxiety, more confidence. Better sex may translate to better relationships and better mental health, the benefits truly compound

Hi everyone! I’m 36 and want to start using peptides for anti-aging, better deep sleep, skin glow, and lean muscle tone 🤪

I’m trying to figure out the right first step. For those of you who have been doing this for a while:
Do I absolutely need to get a full blood test done first, or is it safe to just research, go with my gut, and order some basic peptides to try out?

If you recommend blood work, what specific markers should I make sure are on the panel? And if you just ordered them straight away?

Would love to hear your experiences and any advice for a beginner. Thanks

My mom has been postmenopausal for about five years. Her biggest issues are excessive sweating (especially hot flashes) and mood swings. She asked me to help her find a supplement that actually works.

She's not interested in hormone replacement therapy, so I'm turning to the biohacking community. What supplements have you personally found effective for these symptoms? I'm especially interested in options that have at least some solid scientific evidence behind them.

Any recommendations or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

What is the most beneficial nootropic you have used?

1. It’s not the Limitless pill.

2. It does two interesting things: it wipes out fatigue and keeps you “in the zone” with whatever you’re doing, which can be pretty useful if you’re actually getting stuff done.

3. It tanks your libido. This might be very individual, but after taking it I didn’t even think about sex.

4. Its half-life is the absolute worst. To give you an idea, it’s 20–40 hours, so if you decide to take it daily it builds up until one day it just won’t let you sleep at all. It’s like a debt collector with interest.

5. It wrecks your sleep quality—massively—and it also makes you sleep less.

6. The increase in heart rate is no joke. I have a good VO2 max, so I figured nothing would happen. I was dead wrong—if I had done intense exercise I would have thrown up.

7. It has the weirdest bottleneck I’ve ever seen. Because of its LONG half-life, it accumulates day after day—this can vary between 2 or 3 days. So basically, after 2 or 3 days in a row it becomes functionally useless. Not only will it tank your sleep quality or flat-out keep you from sleeping, you’ll also get tremors and generalized anxiety.

8. Related to the last point, don’t try to offset this with anti-anxiety meds or sleeping pills—you can create conflicting reactions in your nervous system.

9. According to studies, it reduces lateral or “creative” thinking, so if you’re an artist or any type of creative, this could be an issue. I also felt "emotional numbnes" the first days, nothing serious.

10. I don’t get the hype. The people who talk about taking it daily are either lying or they microdose, and their one and only problem is lack of energy or sleep, because its nootropic value is… really low. The most it’ll do is give you energy and at best get you hooked on doing something, but at least in my case I didn’t feel anything that significant—10 percent, 20 percent tops.

11. The first time i take it, i feel "infinite energy", so use wisely the first dose.

Conclusion: I’d only recommend this drug as a nootropic for “emergency” situations—days when you know you’re absolutely screwed and you’ll have so much work that by the end of the day you’ll be wrecked, or in the hypothetical case where you have to cram for multiple days without sleep. For anything else, it’s impossible to take it daily. I don’t know if armodafinil fixes these problems, but for me it’s been kind of disappointing. It’s interesting for very specific cases, but the accumulation bottleneck just kills anything cool you could do with it, and trust me, your body will eventually collect on that sleep-quality debt.

6/10

Summary:
Caffeine consumption 30-60mg it’s prior to Sabroxy is the best way to capture its stimulatory effects (Dopamine transport inhibition and KOR antagonism) at the expense of its pro neurogenesis and BDNF. If the goal is to increase focus and attention we want to avoid the A2A agonist properties, preloading with a competitive antagonist at A2A (like caffeine) prevents this A2A agonism by blocking the orthosteric site on the receptor. This increase arousal by preventing inhibition of key nuclei involved in the release of norepinephrine, acetylcholine, serotonin, and histamine all of which collectively contribute to concentration and focus by maintaining the conditions for wakefulness.

Sabroxy® is a premium standardized extract derived from the bark of Oroxylum indicum, delivering exactly 10% oroxylin-A (ND product overview)

In vitro studies showed that oroxylin A inhibited DA uptake similar to methylphenidate, a dopamine transporter blocker, but did not influence norepinephrine uptake unlike atomoxetine, a selective NE reuptake inhibitor.

Citation:
Yoon, S.Y., dela Peña, I., Kim, S.M. et al. Oroxylin A improves attention deficit hyperactivity disorder-like behaviors in the spontaneously hypertensive rat and inhibits reuptake of dopamine in vitro. Arch. Pharm. Res. 36, 134–140 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-013-0009-6

Overall, oroxylin A might regulate BDNF production in cortical neuron through A2A receptor stimulation
[…A2A agonist] which promotes cellular survival, synapse formation and neurite extension

Citation:
January 2012Biomolecules and Therapeutics 20(1):27-35
DOI:10.4062/biomolther.2012.20.1.027

A2A receptors are inhibitory G of i/o leading to decreased activity.

A2A receptors are expressed in key brain regions associated with arousal (energy and wakefulness NOT sexual arousal) and attention, specially the Tuberomammilary nucleus (TMN) responsible for histamine release a key neurotransmitter associated with consciousness/wakefulness and is generally precognitive, locus coeruleus (LC) the primary source of Norepinephrine (NE) in the brain which is probably equally if not more important for arousal and sustained attention and is one of the three foundational neurotransmitters/neuromodulatory involved in sustained attention and concentration, as well as the Dorsal Raphe Nucleus (DRG) the primary source of serotonin/5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) Brain also invoked in modulating the excitability and sensitivity of neuronal circuits throughout the brain.

Lastly, we have the Lateral Dorsal Tegmental Nucleus (LDT) and the pedunctopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT) these are big sources of acetylcholine.

NE+DA+ACh are the core neurotransmitter needed for focus and attention. Sabroxy blocking this receptor leads to reduced levels of arousal

A lesser known fact is Baicalein is a KOR antagonist. Kappa opioid receptors function like brakes on the dopamine system so reliving this inhibition would increase DAergic activity

In the study, we found that the isolated compound baicalein (3) has shown the most potent and competitive antagonistic activity at 20 mg/kg dose in vivo experiments. The acute dose of 3 (20 mg/kg) and pan opioid receptor antagonist naloxone (20 mg/kg) block the morphine-induced antinociception and the paw withdrawal latency decreases up to 8.3 s and 9.6 s, respectively. The in silico studies also support our in vitro data that compound 3 binds with MOR and KOR.

Citation:
Singh, K., Yadav, A., Khan, S., Shukla, A., Alam, M., Verma, A. K., … Dev, K. (2025). Baicalein isolated from Oroxylum indicum acts as a potent µ- and κ-opioid receptor antagonist agent via the reversal of agonist-mediated cAMP inhibition. Natural Product Research, 39(23), 6837–6845. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2024.2396452

DRI+KOR antagonism+GABA-A NAM work together to increase focus and now with the A2A agonism blocked you can fully harness the stimulatory benefits. I also like to take a cold shower with Sabroxy to promote NE+DA release and with the DRI effect they work synergistically.

Also, my guess is that the MOR antagonism may be partially responsible for the increase anxiety reported and if you’re actively taking opioids this may intervene with the analgesia due to reduced cAMP suppression from Baicalein.

I have been experimenting with various sleep fabrics and their effects on the oura ring sleep score. I conducted this small study on my own at home and on myself. I am a male gym athlete, I have a higher BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) due to which I sleep hot and wake up sweaty, and have midnight wakes due to sudden heat spikes and sweat.

Controls:

Control 1: Oura Ring worn in the Index Finger for all Nights.
Control 2: AC set to Auto at 21 degrees Celsius or 69.8 degrees Farrenheit.
Control 3: Humidity controlled between 35 - 40% on all nights.
Control 4: 100% Cotton Bedsheets, Duvet Cover and pillow Covers.
Control 5: Mulberry Silk filled Duvet and Pillows.
Control 6: Short Format sleepwear (short sleeve T-Shirt and Shorts)

Independent Variable: The Fabric used in my sleep wear.

- 95% Polyester, 5% Elastane
- 100% Cotton
- 100% Bamboo Viscose
- 100% Silk
- 100% Tencel
- 100% Merino Wool
- 100% Tencel/ Modal

Each type of fabric was worn for 4 nights each and an average was taken of the sleep score.

The Results are as follows:

- 95% Polyester, 5% Elastane: 64.2
- 100% Cotton: 66.3
- 100% Bamboo Viscose: 79.8 (I was genuinely surprised because the fabric did not feel comfortable)
- 100% Silk: 62.5 (It was too rigid without any give)
- 100% Tencel: 89.8 (The winner)
- 100% Merino Wool: 83.5 (Another surprise for a hot sleeper, I thought this would make me feel hot)

Do let me know if you guys know any other fabrics that I can try with!!

Just starting out with biohacking and nootropics. My annual blood tests always come back within range. I'm looking for some more in depth testing to get a good look at where I am now.

Where does everyone on here get their testing done? Are their additional tests I should ask my doctor for or is it better to just go with a private company such as Function?

For context, I have issues with anhedonia, fatigue, and memory loss that I'm attempting to treat after many years of failed attempts with psychiatry.

After several years of mild ED issues, I decided to self medicate tadalafil. Only 2.5mg per day.

The ED fix is amazing and I really wanted to keep taking it.

Have had to stop. My heart / pulse rate has been very high since I started taking it. Resting at 85bpm, about 120 with walking or moving around.

I also noticed my long sight had got a lot worse suddenly. Signs I could read before are now blurry. This could be a coincidence of just getting older. But the timing is too close.

The main issue is my resting heart rate. With such a high resting heart rate - drinking alcohol gave me heart palpitations.

I really wanted tadalafil to work and it did. But the side effects are too dangerous for me.

I discovered after many blood tests, measuring such things as testosterone, vitamin D and ferritin, that even if my levels fall within the reference range, I can still experience symptoms of a deficiency.

I was continuously gaslighted by negligent doctors that my symptoms are nothing more than health anxiety as my levels are within the reference range and I shouldnt experience symptoms at these levels. This was a lie as many blood marker reference ranges dont factor in deficiency symptoms as a cut off for what level is below the reference range and there is also bioindividuality between different people. Example. You can feel fine and have no symptoms with a ferritin level of 35(reference range is usually 30-300), while I experience extreme fatigue and palpitations with a level of 47. Its the same for vitamin D3. My levels have to be at least 36ng to not experience symptoms, while the bottom of the reference range is usually 20ng.

So if you have symptoms and whatever you are measuring falls within a reference range, it doesn't mean you are not deficient or suboptimal. It can take a while having many followup blood tests and taking note of your symptoms at the same time, to figure out what levels are optimal for you or to establish a minimum level baseline.

Have you noticed the proliferation of prepared foods and beverages that include supplements—and their implied benefits? Sodas, coffee, cookies, chocolate, snack foods, candy—even ice cream—are showing up on shelves sporting stealth biohacking ingredients like lion's mane, ashwagandha, L-theanine, probiotics, creatine . . . it's a long list.

When I was a kid, breakfast cereals already had added vitamins. Milk, flour, and orange juice were often fortified, too. And Gatorade, anyone? Even before my time, there was iodized salt. But today's trend seems different. The goal isn't just to correct nutritional deficiencies, but to optimize—to lower stress, improve sleep, increase athletic performance. To, ahem, become (or at least sell the idea of) a better version of yourself.

Are we witnessing the supplementation of foods or the "foodification" of supplements? Maybe it's simply easier to habit-stack—we're already eating these foods, so why not add a supplement to them?

It feels like we've moved from fortifying foods to prevent deficiencies to fortifying foods to optimize ourselves. Is this a meaningful evolution in nutrition—or mostly a brilliant (or questionable) marketing strategy?