The Performance Lab library — supplements, peptides, hormones, training, recovery, nutrition, longevity, diseases, and diagnostics. Every protocol traces to peer-reviewed primary research. Interactive calculators on every entry. No marketing. No theater. Engineered, not generated.
The most studied performance supplement in history. Increases phosphocreatine stores, improves high-intensity output, supports lean mass gains. Effective in over 70% of users.
42% of U.S. adults are deficient. Strongly tied to immune function, bone density, hormone synthesis. Supplementation effective in raising serum 25(OH)D levels — outcome depends on baseline.
Marine-source omega-3s reduce inflammation markers, support cardiovascular and cognitive function. Quality and dose matter — most consumer products under-dose by 5-10x.
48% of U.S. adults are deficient. Supports 300+ enzymatic reactions, muscle function, sleep architecture, glucose metabolism. Form matters: glycinate for sleep, citrate for laxative effect, oxide is poorly absorbed.
The most studied ergogenic compound on Earth. Improves endurance, strength output, focus, and pain tolerance. Half-life ~5 hours — timing affects sleep architecture significantly.
The highest-leverage nutrition variable in body composition. RDA prevents deficiency, doesn't optimize. Working populations need 2-3x the RDA. Most people undershoot by half.
The primary anabolic and androgenic hormone. Modifiable through sleep, body composition, D3. Declines 1-2% per year after 30. TRAVERSE 2023 largely resolved cardiovascular safety in diagnosed hypogonadism.
A plant alkaloid activating the same primary mechanism as metformin. Head-to-head trials show comparable glycemic effects. Bioavailability under 5% is the constraint that drives the 1500 mg/day dose.
The most disruptive metabolic medication of the decade. STEP-1: 15% weight loss vs 2.4% placebo. SELECT: 20% reduction in cardiovascular events even without diabetes. Lean-mass loss is the tradeoff.
The single most consistent lifespan-extending compound in mammalian models. FDA-approved for transplant immunosuppression. Off-label longevity use employs weekly intermittent dosing. Human longevity RCTs just now reporting.
200+ animal studies. Near-zero human RCTs. WADA prohibited (2022). FDA-restricted for compounding (2023). Marketed harder than the human evidence supports.
The pharmaceutical that put geroscience on the map. Global first-line for T2D since 1998. TAME trial testing whether it slows aging endpoints in non-diabetics. Blunts exercise adaptation — the important caveat.
Reliably raises serum NAD+. Whether that translates to functional longevity outcomes remains genuinely unresolved. FDA declared NMN not a supplement (2022). Plain niacin does the same for pennies.
The most rigorously studied adaptogen. Real, replicated effects on cortisol (-27%), subjective stress, sleep quality. Modest testosterone effect in deficient men. Standardized extract selection matters.
Acute physiology is robust (dopamine +250%, sympathetic activation). Chronic benefits smaller than marketing suggests. The important tradeoff: blunts hypertrophy when applied post-workout.
The single most well-documented lifestyle modality in adult longevity data. KIHD cohort: 4-7 sessions/week associated with 40% all-cause mortality reduction, 63% sudden cardiac death reduction. Passive cardio.
The single principle every effective training program obeys. Not a method — a requirement. Load, volume, frequency, density, ROM, effort — any variable can carry the progression. Programs that ignore this produce no lasting adaptation.
The substrate every other protocol runs on. Not just duration — architecture. Cappuccio 2010 mortality curve, Xie 2013 glymphatic clearance, Leproult sleep-restriction testosterone data. Fix this before optimizing anything else.
The intensity at which mitochondrial biogenesis peaks. Elite endurance model: 80% Zone 2, 20% high-intensity. Mandsager 2018: cardiorespiratory fitness is stronger mortality predictor than smoking or diabetes.
The dominant pre-workout "pump" ingredient. Perez-Guisado 2010: 8g citrulline malate → +53% reps to failure. Most commercial pre-workouts under-dose by 50-75%. Bulk supplement is dirt cheap.
Not metabolic magic — a scheduling framework that helps people eat less. TREAT trial 2020: no advantage over standard calorie restriction. Early TRE (finish by 4pm) has best evidence. Lean mass loss is the tradeoff.
Every protocol traces to peer-reviewed primary research. Every claim is citable. Industry-funded studies are labeled. Effect sizes are reported. The protocol is what the studies say — not what the supplement company sells.