The Runfluencer 🏃‍♂️💨

I’ve gone dark on Strava. Next marathon is in stealth mode. Stay tuned.

I’d cancel your AG1 subscription. They just completed a clinical trial and the results show no clinical benefit.  This has been obvious for years.  AG1 has no real product substance and is fundamentally an influencer heist.   Two simple alternatives (75% and 56% less $), outperform AG1 in randomized clinical trials. Two simple mono-ingredient alternatives that outperform AG1: 1. Chicory inulin 12 g daily ($20/mo) 2. Resistant starch 30 g daily for 12 weeks ($35/mo) AG1 is not worth $79/mo. AG1 study results (4-weeks, N=30): + No significant changes in blood biomarkers compared to placebo (CBC, CMP, lipids). + No statistically significant improvement in digestive quality-of-life scores (p = 0.058). + No significant metabolic or inflammatory biomarker benefits of any kind within the scope of what was measured in the trial. + Only small shifts in microbiome taxa but clinically irrelevant at this stage. + The intervention did not increase microbiome diversity compared to placebo. Alpha diversity was unchanged, and the taxa changes seen were only from pre- to post-analysis within each group. Between-group differences were limited, and the placebo actually showed similar or even potentially larger shifts. This means the observed changes fall within normal placebo-driven variability, not a real treatment effect. No global microbiota shifts were detected. Chicory inulin 12 g in constipation patients + 12 g of chicory inulin daily for 4 weeks (compared to maltodextrin placebo) + Global microbiota shifts: enrichment in butyrate-producing Bifidobacterium and Anaerostipes, and depletion of the pro-inflammatory Bilophila. +The effect was seen by comparing intervention vs placebo in a cross-over setting, a very rigorous type of clinical analysis in which each person serves as their own control, eliminating a lot of individual random noise. + The trial also met its primary objective by improving constipation symptoms in the targeted patient group. Resistant starch daily 30g for 12 weeks in older adults + Significant increase in Bifidobacterium in both middle-aged and elderly participants, with an increase in the beneficial microbiome byproduct butyrate, and reductions in Proteobacteria (including inflammatory Escherichia–Shigella) in the elderly. + Resistant starch also significantly reduced blood glucose, and produced greater reductions in blood insulin and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in the elderly group.

As a matter of fact, Your body is a symphony of sloshing, pumping, and grinding that would be incredibly loud & distracting if you were forced to listen. Your heart is a powerful muscular pump that can be noisy. During digestion, your stomach is constantly contracting and moving fluids and gases around, it can be noisy. During respiration, the rush of air in and out of the lungs create a constant "whoosh” sound and can be noisy. Your brain just uses a noise cancellation system just like your phone. It basically subtracts the noise of your own body from your conscious awareness so you can focus on the external world.

Asking the real questions at hand