My Supplement Playbook
…and why you should have one too.
Longevity supplements are a murky category. Even many scientists who study aging don’t take them - especially when it comes to things that promise long-term benefits.
That doesn’t mean supplements aren’t worth your time. But it does mean you need a philosophy before you start swallowing a dozen capsules a day.
My philosophy around supplements looks like this:
1. Start with WHY
Ask yourself: Why am I taking this? There are three main reasons I see:
a) Deficiency
If you’re low in something - and you’ve confirmed it with bloodwork - then supplementing make sense. Correcting deficiencies can have a rapid impact on energy, mood, and performance.
b) Supporting an imbalance
Sometimes you don’t have a clear deficiency, but something feels “off”
This is the trickiest bucket. My order of operations is: first try behavioral and detox levers (sleep timing, light exposure, training load, alcohol, fiber/protein balance, short fasting windows), then layer in targeted supplements.
My quick example hacks (used strategically, not forever):
Sleep nudge: Melatonin — start low (0.3–1 mg can be effective)
Focus boost:
L‑theanine + caffeine improves attention and reduces jitters versus caffeine alone.
Rhodiola rosea supports mental stamina and fatigue resistance in the short term.
Citicoline (CDP‑choline) can support attention and memory in some studies.
These are tools, not cures. Use them with intent, track effect, and cycle off if they’re not moving the needle in 6–12 weeks [link here to my prior post on this]
(c) Avoiding prescription drugs
For certain acute or recurring issues, I sometimes prefer a natural route over antibiotics or prescription drugs. The trade-off? You need patience. Natural protocols often take longer, but when they’re well-designed, they can work as well as - or even better than - pharmaceuticals in the long run.
This path usually requires guidance from a practitioner… or an extreme level of self-research. I chose the latter. At this point, I joke that I could write a PhD on the microbiome as example - but I’d probably have gotten to the same outcome much faster if I’d had an expert to call.
2. Track the effect
If you start something, track it. That can mean:
Subjective: How you feel (energy, mood, gut comfort, recovery)
Objective: Bloodwork, wearable data, even stool or microbiome testing if relevant
If you can’t see or feel a change in 6-12 weeks, reconsider whether it’s worth continuing.
3. Start with common gaps
Population data shows that in the US, deficiencies are common - especially in:
Vitamin D: Nearly 42% of adults are deficient
Magnesium: ~50% of adults don’t meet daily needs
Potassium: ~97% of Americans don’t meet the adequate intake
These two are often safe starting points, but dose and form matter.
4. Quality matters more than quantity
The supplement industry is under-regulated. Many products - especially drugstore or generic Amazon brands - contain far less active ingredient than the label claims, plus unnecessary fillers. Those fillers can stress your liver and kidneys over time, especially if you’re on multiple products.
If you’re taking something daily for months or years, get periodic liver (ALT, AST) and kidney (creatinine, eGFR) labs done.
5. Don’t go overboard
When stacking supplements, watch out for overlap. Multivitamins, greens powders, and individual capsules can add up fast.
Example:
You take a multivitamin with 200% of the daily value for zinc and a separate “immune booster” powder that contains another 150%. Chronic high zinc intake can lead to copper deficiency and even immune suppression over time.
Brands I trust for general supplementation
Thorne
Pure Encapsulations
Solgar
Momentous
Some specialized supplements or Longevity brands I take on and off:
Pendulum (Akkermasia) and Seed for probiotics
Novos Core
Timeline Nutrition - Urolith A compound
Liposomal Vitamin C and Glutthione
I used to take some mix of NAD, NR and NMN and resveratrol in pill form. I stopped however, I have seen impact on endurance and energy when I paired the two (Huberman talked about it too)
I’m not sponsored by any of these - they’re just brands I’ve vetted for Equinox or myself for purity, manufacturing standards, and ingredient transparency.
Bottom line: Supplements can be powerful tools - but only if you have a reason, a plan, and a way to measure if they’re working. Without that, you’re just collecting expensive urine.
💬 Final note: I’m not a doctor. But I do help a lot of my friends think through why they take what they take - and whether it’s working for them. If you ever want to know my personal stack or talk through how to build your own, feel free to reach out.
Resources:
Meta-analysis: Ferracioli‑Oda et al., 2013
. PMID: 24083556
PMID: 17171187
PMID: 18681988
PMID: 28420803
“Prevalence and correlates of vitamin D deficiency in U.S. adults” by Forrest KY and Stuhldreher WL, Nutrition Research 2011
Analysis of NHANES 2001–2011 data on vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency, as reported in Cui et al., PMC article (2022)