THE VANGUARD BLOG
Physician-curated deep dives into the science of men's health optimization.
Monograph
Coronary artery calcium scoring is a non-contrast CT scan of the heart that quantifies calcified atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries. The Agatston score, derived from the area and density of calcified deposits, has been the standard…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Lipoprotein(a), abbreviated Lp(a) and pronounced "L-P-little-a," is an LDL-like lipoprotein particle with a specific protein attachment — apolipoprotein(a) — that makes it independently atherogenic. Roughly 20% of the global population — about 1.4…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Apolipoprotein B (apoB) is the structural protein on every atherogenic lipoprotein particle — LDL, VLDL, IDL, chylomicron remnants, and lipoprotein(a). Each of these particles carries exactly one apoB molecule, which means circulating apoB…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Yohimbine is an indole alkaloid from the bark of the Pausinystalia yohimbe tree, used as a traditional aphrodisiac in West African medicine and prescribed for erectile dysfunction in the U.S. and Europe before sildenafil became available in 1998.…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Hair transplantation moves hair from a donor area at the back and sides of the scalp (which is genetically resistant to DHT-mediated miniaturization) to a recipient area at the front and crown (which is not). The transplanted hairs retain their…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) is the single most predictive fitness metric for all-cause mortality across multiple population studies — more predictive than smoking, hypertension, diabetes, or any other commonly measured risk factor. Each one-MET…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Trimix is a compounded intracavernosal injection containing three vasoactive drugs: alprostadil (a prostaglandin E1 analog), papaverine (a smooth-muscle relaxant), and phentolamine (an alpha-adrenergic antagonist). Self-administered by…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Trazodone is an FDA-approved antidepressant from 1981 that has, almost entirely off-label, become the most-prescribed sleep medication in the United States. At antidepressant doses (150–600 mg/day), it is an SSRI-era predecessor with a tolerability…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Oral finasteride (1 mg/day) and oral dutasteride (0.5 mg/day) are the most-evidenced medical therapies for male androgenetic alopecia. Both work by inhibiting 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to the more potent…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Tirzepatide is a synthetic peptide agonist of both the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor and the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor. FDA-approved as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes (2022) and as Zepbound for chronic…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Time-restricted eating (TRE) is the practice of confining all daily caloric intake to a defined window — most commonly 8 hours (16:8), 10 hours (14:10), 6 hours (18:6), or one meal per day (23:1, OMAD). The intervention has exploded in cultural…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) is the taurine-conjugated form of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a hydrophilic bile acid produced naturally in humans in small quantities. In Europe it has been used clinically since the 1990s for cholestatic liver…
29 May 2026
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