Experts have accused Andrew Huberman, the popular health influencer and neuroscientist recently embroiled in a sex scandal, of pushing expensive and “unscientific” supplements.
DailyMail.com has discovered that Dr. Huberman, who has more than 5 million subscribers to his YouTube channel, is paid by 15 wellness brands to promote products that make health-improving promises that experts say are based on “a grain of truth.”
These include $124 sleep supplements that claim to help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, and a $79 energy-boosting powder that contains excess vitamins, which experts say they will end up in the toilet.
Experts accuse Dr. Huberman of “exploitative” marketing tactics, persuading people to spend money on pills they say are “potentially dangerous” because of the risks of interactions with other commonly taken medications.
The concerns come weeks after the Stanford University professor faced claims of “love rat” behavior, including that he dated five women at once and contracted a sexually transmitted infection.
Andrew Huberman is one of America’s most popular podcasters and health influencers
The “Complete Expert Package” for $356, which includes Tyrosine and Omega-3 as well as Tongkat ali and Fadogia agrestis
“Huberman is exploiting gaps in scientific literacy simultaneously with people’s desire to take control of their health,” microbiologist and immunologist Dr. Andrea Love told DailyMail.com.
Its deals include a multi-year partnership with sports nutrition firm Live Momentous, which it ownsa range of podcaster-endorsed supplements called the Huberman Collection.
These include a “Complete Sleep” package for $185, a “Focus & Cognition” package for $134, and a “Complete Expert” package for $356.
The “Focus & Cognition” pack contains Tyrosine (an amino acid involved in the production of brain chemicals), Omega-3 (a fatty acid that helps with cell and muscle function) and Alpha GPC (a chemical involved in memory and learning).
The recommended serving of Omega-3 from Live Momentous is 3200 mg of combined EPA and DHA in a 1:1 ratio, while the amount of tyrosine in Live Momentous supplements is a quarter of the safe upper limit.
The website claims that this pack can “enhance brain function and improve mental clarity, focus and motivation, helping you achieve your best cognitive performance.”
Meanwhile, the sleep pack says it contains “four scientifically proven ingredients” that help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
But Dr Love told DailyMail.com: “They say it’s backed by science or that there’s evidence or data behind it – they’re extrapolating some truth.”
The nugget of truth is that “tyrosine is an important amino acid that is also an important brain chemical,” Dr. Love said.
Dr. Andrea Love, a microbiologist and immunologist, has previously accused Andrew Huberman of “stuffing.”[ing] his podcast with sure samples of pseudoscience’
But only a handful of animal and human studies suggest that tyrosine supplements may have any impact on cognitive function, with most research focusing on memory and performance under psychological stress.
Also, because supplements are not regulated, “there’s no guarantee that it’s even the version that’s bioavailable, meaning that the body can use it, or that it’s in a dose that can be used by the body.” . said Dr. Love.
Some chemicals cannot be broken down in the body, something the average consumer may not be aware of, he added.
In high doses, tyrosine can also cause adverse effects such as nausea, headache, fatigue, heartburn and joint pain, Dr. Love said. The non-essential amino acid can also interact with important thyroid medications and drugs to control high blood pressure, used by millions of Americans, he added.
Some people may also experience diarrhea or indigestion, Dr. Love said.
He added that the lack of regulation of these products makes it possible for levels to be higher than what appears on the label.
Inside the “Focus & Cognition” package are Omega-3s, high doses of which can increase the risk of bleeding, especially in people taking blood thinners, according to the Mayo Clinic. Studies suggest that around eight million patients take them.
Omega-3 daily doses of 5000 mg should not cause adverse effects for most people.
“Many of the supplements do not disclose the full list of ingredients, or could be adulterated, because they are not regulated by the FDA,” said Dr. Love.
A 2018 study published in JAMA found that between 2007 and 2016, the FDA had identified 746 dietary supplements adulterated with pharmaceuticals, including steroids or erectile dysfunction drugs.
Dr Love said: “Ultimately, because supplements are not regulated, they might say they contain this dose, but because they have no quality control, they could be manufactured incorrectly and actually contain much higher levels.”
Another study published in JAMA in 2022 found that of a selection of 30 supplements tested, the majority were falsely labeled, either containing ingredients that were not disclosed or did not contain the substances they claimed to contain.
AG1 claims to “optimize your health with just one scoop,” although the company notes that the claim has not been evaluated by the FDA
Huberman is also paid to promote Athletic Greens, a nutritional supplement that “supports whole-body health.”
The purported benefits are to reduce tiredness and fatigue, support the heart and the formation and maintenance of red blood cells.
It is a powder and dietary supplement to mix with water and drink daily.
Also called AG1, the $79 drink claims to “optimize your health with just one scoop,” though the company notes that the claim has not been evaluated by the FDA.
The powder has 75 ingredients in total, but Canadian scientist Jonathan Jarry noted that the vitamins it contains “exceed their recommended daily values.”
AG1 contains 467 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C and 1,000 percent of the recommended amount of vitamin B7. Because both vitamins are water-soluble, if you get an excess of them in your diet, they are not used in the body and are eliminated through the urine.
One serving of AG1 contains 555 micrograms of vitamin A, which is 62 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin A.
The FDA recommends about 900 micrograms of vitamin A per day for men and 700 micrograms for women. If you take more than 3,000 micrograms a day, you could be at risk of toxic effects, including bone pain, nausea, vomiting, dry skin and blurred vision. and sensitivity to bright light, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Professor of neurobiology Andrew Huberman spoke at a conference in Boston in 2023
Jarry, a science communicator who works in Montreal at McGill University’s Office for Science and Society (OSS), noted that over the long term, researchers have also linked vitamin A intake and forms of similar, such as beta-carotene, with an increased risk of lung cancer. – especially in ex-smokers.
A1994 study published in The New England Journal of Medicinefound that after male smokers took beta-carotene for five to eight years, they had an estimated 18 percent higher risk of lung cancer.
This was followed by a 1996 study published in the same journal that found a relative risk of lung cancer of 1.28 after smokers and ex-smokers took beta-carotene.
Dr. Huberman said he’s been using AG1 since 2012 “because it’s the easiest and most convenient way for me to get my foundation of important vitamins, minerals and probiotics.”
Experts say the belief that natural supplements are better can be misleading.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about supplement formulations. People are often like, well, it’s natural, or something your body needs, or something from a plant,” Dr. Love said.
“But it’s much more complicated than that, because supplements are still technically made in labs, so they’re more like unregulated pharmaceuticals.”
He added: “There are a lot of herbs or chemicals that are in natural things that can interact with the actual medications that someone might be taking, they can interfere with the absorption of nutrients that you need to have a healthy physiology. , so they can be really counterproductive.’
Typically, people who seek supplements, or even seek out Dr. Huberman’s podcast as a source of information, “do so because they have symptoms that are not resolving, or have had a medical scare or a family medical scare “. said love.
“We often find that people are more concerned about taking control of their health when something demands it, so they are often more susceptible to health claims made by wellness companies,” he said.
In addition to Athletic Greens, Dr. Huberman said he takes about a dozen supplements a day.
These include NMN and NR, which are claimed to improve longevity and prevent neurological disease, Tongkat ali and Fadogia agrestis, which are believed to increase libido and improve sexual performance, as well as a handful of minerals, amino acids and nutrients such as zinc, magnesium and boron and l-theanine.
Her routine also includes Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, grape seed extract multivitamin A.
Experts have also pointed to Huberman’s other outlandish claims.
Dr. Huberman claimed that you can “completely change the structure of your face” in just two to three months without mouth breathing or jaw exercises.
Dr Love said: “It’s so strange, like you don’t even know where to start.
“The whole jaw thing has no science behind it. You can’t — you can’t change the structure of the jaw by nose breathing or mouth breathing or vice versa.
“The structure of your jaw is based on how the jaws come together and you can correct that through orthodontics or periodontism or surgery.
“You can strengthen the muscles anywhere in your body, but it won’t alter the structure or function of the jaw in your face.”
Whether or not Dr Huberman believes the things he professes is an “impossible question to answer”, Dr Jarry told DailyMail.com.
Dr. Huberman may not know that he is spreading misinformation, nor does he fully believe what he is saying.
‘There’s also a third option, which I think the academic term is bull****, which is that they don’t care about the truth value of what they say because it’s useful and because it’s profitable. said Dr. Jarry.
He added: “Maybe there are some things that are true for them, they really believe, and maybe there are other things that they’re not sure about, but they just don’t care.”
Dr Huberman did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.
Athletic Greens and Live Momentous declined to disclose the financial details of their deals with Dr. Huberman to DailyMail.com.
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