5 Healthyish Things, including venison jerky and microdosing GLP-1s

It used to be the only time you heard about creatine was in jokes about gym bros looking for quick gains. These days, though, creatine is one of the most studied supplements used for enhancing exercise performance. Now it’s almost easier to find research backing creatine’s benefits than it is to find a joke about weight lifters using it. 

In addition to improving strength and performance, ongoing research shows creatine has potential to:

• Improve memory and brain performance

• Increase energy availability 

• Reduce mental fatigue and 

• Offer other neuroprotection 

Sometimes science takes a while to catch up, and creatine is a great example of this. I used creatine supplements briefly many years back (yes, I was trying to get swole) but stopped because I felt like I was just putting on water weight and didn’t like the way that looked or felt. Now that there’s more research out about creatine (not to mention more tailored, better versions of creatine on the market—any strong recommendations for this, BTW?), I’m back on the train and you should probably be, too.

Okay, so I’ve discovered the most crazy, insane, healthy jerky. 

It’s called Maui Nui and they say it’s “the healthiest red meat on the planet.” As they explain here, they “wild-harvest” Axis deer grazing on volcanic soils in Hawaii at night under stress-free conditions to help balance the population… and turn them into venison jerky (among other products). Exactly what you guessed, right?

LOL no. But after a few friends of mine recommended this product to me, I tried it, I loved it, and I just signed up for a long-term subscription.

There’s healthyish and then there’s healthy. These seem awfully healthy and, as long as I can keep affording to buy stress-free, night-hunted venison jerky from Hawaii you can count me in.

In an epic power move, virtual maternity care program Pomelo Care has acquired the Doula Network, offering users access to a national organization of credentialed, in-network doulas which provide emotional and physical support during pregnancies. 👏 

Pomelo (and other companies like Maven) are doing critical work to help during pregnancy. Connecting people with accessible, 24/7 personalized care makes a big difference—plus doulas are amazing (we’ve used one for both kiddos) and the data on how much they help is unbelievable. I’m not surprised Pomelo has been successful so far—especially with whip-smart founder friend Marta Bralic Kerns at the helm.

IMHO not enough businesses consider what a mentor of mine once called “inorganic growth.” Think acquisitions, partnerships, and any move that deepens your company’s offerings. For example, at Ness (my last startup) we did a similar move in buying WellSet’s national network of health & wellness practitioners (health coaches, acupuncturists, etc.) and offering access to them to our members. Anyway, this is a great example of that and I’m excited about it.

While many wearable health tech companies have essentially been defeated by the Apple Watch (Jawbone, Fitbit, etc.) Oura continues to grow. They’re on track to double their revenue this year to $500M and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them move towards an IPO next year. They’ve got awfully smart folks at the helm, including Tom Hale, Sean Brecker, & Geoff Wylde, but I’m still surprised Oura makes the majority of their profit from hardware alone (and not just subscriptions).

Oura is one of many companies—along with Eight Sleep, Whoop, Function Health, Levels Health and other blood glucose monitors, etc.—really making it easier to take control of one’s health. This IMO is a mega trend and we’re just at the start of it. I was an early Oura user, and while the early data felt directionally helpful, its signal lessened over time.

But—I’ve heard from pretty much everyone that the ring has improved, and Oura just announced the Oura Ring 4 earlier today which will give more accurate reads in things like blood oxygen levels and heart rate. I’m looking forward to giving it a try.

We know GLP-1s have the potential to help with everything from heart and kidney disease to Alzheimer’s to weight loss. We also know they aren’t always affordable or easy to get covered by insurance.

But there may be another option, thanks to a new trend where companies are offering compounded GLP-1s. I first saw this from Mochi (led by fierce and impressive Myra Ahmad MD) and Ro, and now Noom, too, is planning to offer compounded GLP-1 injections at a more affordable price point.

Compounding pharmacies were never meant for this exactly. But when a drug is needed, market prices are high, and demand is off the charts… why not create it in the pharmacy? 🤷‍♂️ The only group this negatively affects are the pharma companies… and as long as the quality is good I think this continues to be a smart way to meet the enormous consumer interest in GLP-1s. While I hope pharma companies aren’t successful at lobbying this away, I do think they’re trying—and it’ll be really interesting to see where this ends as more people get on the medication.

One thing to keep an eye out for (and building on my many discussions with Midi’s amazing Joanna Strober) is microdosing GLP-1s. For those not struggling with obesity but interested in controlling appetite, small doses of GLP-1s are super compelling, and I think could be game changing. Imagine a world where everyone’s taking a microdose as casually as we take statins or allergy medications today. It seems almost inevitable that people will find a way to get the benefits of GLP-1s without living a GLP-1 dominated life.